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The Toronto Raptors got pretty darn close.
Through six-and-a-half games of their NBA playoff series with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Raptors had scored the exact same amount of points as the Cavs.
Cleveland pulled away in the second half of Game 7, though, and the Raptors' season is over.
That shifts the focus to the future, and when you really dig into it, it's actually a tricky situation.
The thing about it is: The Raptors have no key players heading for free agency. Not one.
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Their highest salaries that were on the books this season but not next season are the already-gone Chris Paul, and the hardly-playing veteran Garrett Temple.
The biggest decision will come from Sandro Mamukelashvili, who has a $2.8 million player option.
The Raptors have to exercise a $2.3 million team option on Jamal Shead, but that'll be a simple call to keep him around.
Beyond that, everyone is under contract for at least another year.
RJ Barrett is heading toward a contract year in 2026-27 if an extension isn't reached.
Brandon Ingram will be in a pseudo contract year, because he has a player option in 2027-28.
Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, Jakob Poeltl, Collin Murray-Boyles and Ja'Kobe Walter are among the guys still with multiple years remaining on the deal.
The tricky part? Figuring out if this group is good enough, or pursuing a major shakeup.
They've increased their win total the past few seasons, and they earned the 5-seed this year, but they still exited in the first round.
The Raptors will have to decide whether they believe their core is good enough, or if they need to pursue a major trade this offseason.
Their roster could look almost exactly the same next season, but whether that's a good thing remains to be seen.
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