Toronto Raptors' top 5 playoff moments

The Toronto Raptors begin their first roundplayoff series against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET, looking for just their second-ever postseason series win.

This will be the eighth time Toronto has reached the playoffs, but the hopes heading into this year's tournament seem higher than ever. The team led by theall-starduo of DeMar Derozan and Kyle Lowry set a franchise record with 56 wins and finished only one game behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

The previous seven playoff appearances have been filled with small bits of ecstasy and plenty of heartbreak.

Hereare five of those moments:

Knocking Knicks off for 1st series win

It was 2001, and the Raptors had justset a new franchise record with 47 wins. The previous season, Toronto was swept in their first-ever playoff appearance by the New York Knicks.

But led by Vince Carter, the Raptors went into New York as the fifth seed, and won a deciding Game 5 by a score of93-89.

The win marked the beginning of a true explosion of basketball fandom in Toronto, with the Raptors heading to the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers.

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Vince Carter answers 'The Answer'

In Game 2of that 2001semifinal matchup against Philadelphia, superstar point guard Allen 'The Answer' Iverson put up 54 points, tying the series at one game apiece.

It was just the motivation Carter needed to swing the series back in Toronto's favour.

Playing against the top-seeded 76ers and going back to Toronto for the first ever semifinal home game in team history, Carter put up 50 points including nine 3-pointers en route to a 102-78 thrashing of Philadelphia.

The performance could easily be considered the best in theteam's history.

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Heartbreak in the City of Brotherly Love

Carter's 50-point performance gave Toronto a 2-1 lead in the 2001 semifinal matchup, but two straight wins by Philadelphia backed Toronto into a corner.

Game 6 saw Carter put the team on his back again, scoring 39 points in a 101-89 win to force Game 7 for a chance at the East final.

Heading into halftime down 50-42, Toronto needed a big second half to stun the 76ers and the basketball world.

The lead was cut to 88-87 after Raptors guard Dell Curry hit a 3-pointer with 55 seconds left, setting the stage for a nail-biting finish.

It all culminated in what must be the most agonizing moment in team history.

With only two seconds left on the clock and Curry inbounding the ball, Carter put up a jumper from just inside the 3-point line. He missed the buzzer-beater, sending Toronto home.

It's the closest the Raptors have ever come to an NBA championship.

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Heartbreak 2.0

After years of futility, the 2014 Raptors seemed poised to finally overcome the hump of winning a playoff series for the first time since 2001.

They broke the franchise record for wins in a season with 48 and also won their second Atlantic Division title.

It all led to a first round matchup against the Brooklyn Nets, led by playoff hero Paul Pierce.

A back-and-forth series went to a seventh and decidinggame, mirroring what happened 13 years earlier in Philadelphia.

With Toronto down by nine points late in the final quarter, a wild final few minutes had Raptors fans everywhere praying history wouldn't repeat itself.

Kyle Lowry, who had 13 points in the fourth quarter, had the ball in his hands down 104-103 with just a few seconds left.

He drove towards the basket and put up a shot at the buzzer, but was blocked by Pierce, ending the Raptors' playoff hopes.

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Masai '****' Ujiri

Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri is skipping this year's pre-playoff address, but he is no stranger to making waves during the event in the past.

In 2014 prior to their series against the Nets, Ujiri dropped the F-word, screaming "F*** Brooklyn!" in front of a few thousand fans. That cost him $25,000 US, but it wasn't the last time he would emptyhis pocket for yelling expletives.

Before the start of their first-round matchup with the Wizards in 2015, he had a few choice words for Washington forward Paul Pierce, which cost him another $35,000.

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