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Toronto Raptors tickets are available now so be sure to order yours and see this amazing, and young team perform. Going into their 10th season, the raptors are hoping for the ultimate anniversary gift an NBA championship, and coach Sam Mitchell hopes to help get them there. A number of players on the Raptors team have been immersed in basketball for more than a decade now, including Eric Williams, Aaron Williams, and Jalen Rose. These faces are set to see the team do extremely well this season over at Air Canada Center. The Raptors have built their team around the skill and talent of these popular players charisma is half the game in Toronto. With enthusiastic head coach Sam Mitchell, we can expect to see some powerful changes. Look to 19-year-old Chris Bosh to bounce in as power forward. Be sure to purchase your tickets, Its going to be an exciting season as the Raptors tear into their competition. A brief history of the Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a National Basketball Association Team based out of Toronto, Ontario Canada.. The Raptors are currently a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference and are owned by the Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment Company. Sam Mitchell is currently the head coach of the Raptors and they play their home games at the Air Canada Centre in downtown Toronto. The Air Canada Centre was opened in 1999 and is also home to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League. The Air Canada Centre currently seats over 19,000 Basketball fans. The Toronto Raptors have been in the NBA for 11 seasons. They have yet to win their division but have appeared in 3 playoffs. The Raptors are currently the only NBA team based outside the United States. The Toronto Raptors joined the NBA in 1995 as an expansion team along with the Vancouver Grizzlies. The Raptors played their home games at the Skydome from 1995 through 1999. The Raptors first head coach was Brendon Malone, who was replaced by Darrell Walker after only 1 season, and their first star player was Damon Stoudamire. The Raptors first General Manager was legendary Detroit Piston Player, Isiah Thomas. The Raptors finished their inaugural season with 21 wins, good enough for 8th place in the division, just ahead of the 76ers and 6 games better than their counterparts the Grizzlies. The Raptors struggled for their first 4 seasons in the NBA including a league low 16 wins in 1998. Butch Carter replaced Darrell Walker has head coach and Isiah Thomas was fired as the General Manager after the 1998 season. The Raptors drafted North Carolina standout, Vince Carter in 1999 and that same season they opened their new arena, the Air Canada Centre. By 2000 the Raptors were in the NBA playoffs for the first time in team history. The Raptors made 3 straight trips to the NBA playoffs from 2000 through 2002 and seemed to be a team on the brink of a dynasty. The Team was led by Legendary coach Lenny Wilkens and they had a nice cast of players surrounding Vince Carter like Antonio Davis, Alvin Williams, Keon Clark and Morris Peterson. An injury to Vince Carter during the 2002/2003 season showed how thin the Raptors were as they slipped to 7th in the Division with a 24-58 record. Lenny Wilkens was replaced at the end of the 2003 season by Kevin ONeill. Despite a healthy Carter, the Raptors could do no better than 6th in the Division with 33 wins in 2004. Sam Mitchell was named head coach in 2005 and an unhappy Vince Carter was traded. The Raptors finished with the exact same 33-49 record as the previous season. Instead of improving on their record in 2006, the Raptors actually fell to 27 wins. The Raptors fielded a very young team in 2006. Sam Mitchell remained the coach and Mike James led the team in scoring with Chris Bosh and Morris Peterson not far behind. The Toronto Raptors continue to sale large amounts of tickets with a very supportive fan base despite only having 1 playoff series victory in team history. The fans of Toronto are hoping for a better season than the previous 4 and if the young players can improve and stay healthy, they have a good chance to do just that.
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