The Toronto Raptors are the newest model of sustained excellence in the NBA.
Seven consecutive playoff appearances. Five consecutive seasons with 50-plus wins. Three consecutive Atlantic Division titles and six in the last seven seasons. And of course, the 2019 NBA title.
Add a streak of 24 consecutive months with a winning record to the list of accomplishments, by far the longest active streak in the NBA.
This is the 24th consecutive calendar month that the Raptors have had a winning record.
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) August 11, 2020
By far, the NBA's longest active streak pic.twitter.com/CSUT0c6HcK
Toronto's August seeding game schedule consists of eight games and with Monday's win, it can finish no worse than 5-3 in the month. The last time the Raptors didn't finish above-.500 in a calendar month? January 2017, well over three years ago.
Take a step back and think about how impressive an achievement this is: The last time Toronto lost more games than it won in a calendar month, the league looked much different – LeBron James and Kyrie Irving were still with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kevin Durant was midway through his first season with the Golden State Warriors and Zion Williamson was a junior in high school
Even more impressive is that during this streak, the team didn't even post a month with a .500 record, and there have been months at the beginning and end of the season in which the team only plays a handful of games, making a team more susceptible to posting a losing record.
SERIES PREVIEW: Raptors vs. Nets
With two seeding games remaining on their schedule, the Raptors will begin to gear up for their title defence, which begins in the first round against the Brooklyn Nets.
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