2006–07 Toronto Raptors season

, seen here in the centre of the court. MVP Anthony Parker, who became one of the NBA's top three-point shooters and perimeter defenders. (right), but also an introduction of Spanish veteran Jorge Garbajosa (left) to the starting lineup. . NBA draft Pre-season trades Before the season, Toronto won the NBA draft lottery and were awarded the 1st overall pick in the 2006 NBA draft. To prepare for their draft choice, the Raptors traded Rafael Araújo for Kris Humphries and Robert Whaley, and traded Matt Bonner, Eric Williams and a second round pick for Rasho Nesterovič and cash considerations. The 1st overall pick was used to select Italian Andrea Bargnani, making him the first European drafted number one overall. Maurizio Gherardini was hired as the club's vice-president and assistant general manager, making him the first European elevated to an NBA executive job. Promising small forward Charlie Villanueva was traded for point guard T. J. Ford and cash considerations, while Chris Bosh was rewarded with a three-year extension. ==Roster==

{{NBA roster header|team=Toronto Raptors|season=2006–07 ==Regular season==

General Manager Bryan Colangelo continued to surround Bosh with complementary players, and signed two-time Euroleague Most Valuable Player Anthony Parker. Spanish international Jorge Garbajosa and former slam dunk champion Fred Jones were also signed from free agency. The Raptors concluded pre-season transactions by re-signing veteran Darrick Martin. With this new lineup, Toronto looked to maintain a team who could both pass and shoot the ball, but was also stronger defensively than the 2005–06 roster. As a showcase of their new roster, on 15 October 2006, the 119 points by Toronto marked the third highest total in a pre-season game in franchise history. The Raptors finished the pre-season with a 7–1 win–loss record, which was the best record in the league and a franchise record. Push for playoffs The first half of the season produced mixed results as Toronto struggled towards the .500 mark after a dismal 2–8 start. A day later, the Raptors hit the .500 mark for the first time since the 2003–04 season after defeating the Boston Celtics at the Air Canada Centre. On 2 February, the Raptors went 24–23, the first time since 2001–02 that they had been over .500 this late in a season. As a result, the Raptors won three NBA Eastern Conference awards for the month of January: Player of the Month (Bosh), Rookie of the Month (Bargnani) and Coach of the Month (Sam Mitchell). On 4 February, the Raptors' 122–110 home win against the Los Angeles Clippers represented a season-high in points for the Raptors. Within the same week, Bosh's career-high 41 points in a win against the Orlando Magic prompted an unheard of event at the Air Canada Centre—chants of "MVP" by the home fans. This chant was repeated in a win against Vince Carter's New Jersey Nets ten days later—to the disbelief of Carter—a game which also saw the team break franchise records for the most home wins and highest home winning percentage entering the All-Star break. After the break, Colangelo traded Jones for Juan Dixon, a versatile guard. Luke Jackson was also signed to provide depth to Toronto's bench. Following a win against the Charlotte Bobcats on 1 April 2007, Toronto clinched a playoff berth for the first time in five years. They then claimed their first division title when they defeated the Philadelphia 76ers five days later, winning the Atlantic Division crown. Another franchise record was set when Toronto won the next game against the Bulls, this time for most home wins. The Raptors were eventually seeded third in the Eastern Conference, marking one of the biggest turnarounds in NBA history in terms of league standing and defensive ranking. Throughout the season, they were lauded for playing solid defense and good sharing and moving of the ball. José Calderón, Bargnani, Dixon and Morris Peterson turned in reliable performances from the bench while Ford and Bosh ran the offence with consistent numbers. Furthermore, in contrast to previous seasons, the Raptors were able to win games despite injuries to key players such as Bosh, Bargnani, Parker, Ford and Garbajosa. Colangelo, Gherardini and Mitchell were also largely credited for transforming Toronto's fortunes. Standings ==Playoffs==

As third seed, the Raptors played sixth seed New Jersey Nets in the first round of the 2007 NBA Playoffs. The series drew much media attention as Vince Carter, a former Raptor who left Toronto under acrimonious circumstances two seasons ago, was now back at the ACC as a Net. In the opening game, while Carter was constantly booed by the home crowd and was not an offensive threat, Toronto's inexperience was evident as they too struggled offensively and were down 65–78 going into the fourth quarter. The Nets won games 3 and 4 to lead 3–1, but Toronto forced a game 6 when they narrowly won 98–96 in game 5. In that game, the Raptors set two post-season franchise records: most points going into halftime and biggest lead for a half. The attendance for the game was also a franchise record for a playoff game. In game 6, however, New Jersey won 98–97, sealing the series 4–2 and sending Toronto out of the first round. In recognition of being the chief architects of Toronto's turnaround season, on 24 April 2007, Mitchell was named 2006–07 NBA Coach of the Year, the first Raptors coach to receive this honour; Colangelo was later named 2006–07 Executive of the Year. ==Game log==

Playoffs ==Player statistics==

Regular season Playoffs ==References==