Toronto Raptors' record-setting season comes to an end

The Toronto Raptors put together the best basketball season this city's fans have ever seen — but in the end, it wasn't enough. 

• RECAP: Cavaliers end Raptors playoff run in do-or-die Game 6

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers overpowered the Raptors 113-87 in Game 6 to take the NBA Eastern Conference title on Friday and advance to the championship series for the second straight season.

The Raptors battled — Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan led the scoring, while Bismack Biyombo likely left some bruises on the Cavs — but the team couldn't claw its way back into the game after falling behind early.

James, who was booed mercilessly every time he touched the ball on Friday night, had nothing but praise for the Raptors fan base after the game.

"It's an unbelievable atmosphere," James told reporters.

Devastated but proud

The loss left Toronto basketball fans feeling two distinct emotions.

"Devastated," was how Brittney McKenzie felt.

But her sister, Dayne McKenzie said she was "proud."

"I'll support them until I die," she said.

And there's plenty to be proud of. Consider the highlights from the 2016 season:

• The team set a franchise record for wins, finishing the season 56-26.
• Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan had career seasons and were named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team.
• The All-Star game brought the league's best players and thousands of basketball fans to the city.
• In the playoffs, the Raptors finally slayed their first-round and Game 7 playoff demons.
• And the team beat the Cavaliers twice in the Eastern Conference final — two more times than many basketball experts across the league thought they could.

Jurassic Park 'a whole different experience'

For Raptors fans, who have shown up in force all season long, the playoffs haven't been just a ride on an emotional roller coaster. Instead, it's felt like taking every single ride in the amusement park.

The Air Canada Centre was roaring throughout the playoffs with the crowd often doing its best work when the team needed it most. At times, it felt as if the crowd wouldn't let the Raptors lose. 

And in Game 6, when the game was out of reach, fans still stood up and chanted "Let's go Raptors" for over two minutes.

Outside, it might have been even louder.

Jurassic Park's reputation was sealed in 2014, when general manager Masai Ujiri visited the roaring fans and yelled "F**k Brooklyn," and Paul Pierce called the ACC "one of the great environments I've ever been in." During these playoffs, fans showed up as if it was their job.

Any time a camera lens was pointed their way, a "We the north!" chant would break out. New signs were made for each game — some favourites include "Biyombo is my father" and caricatures of crying LeBron faces. Every game, the clamouring for free tickets got even crazier.

Catching a game at Jurassic Park is just "a whole different experience," said Katheryn O'Reilly, who became a Raptors fan two years ago after moving to Toronto from the west coast of Newfoundland.

There's also a certain euphoria that comes with being among the throngs of Raptors fans. No matter what the odds for Friday's game were, good luck finding anyone who would openly bet on Toronto getting eliminated before the game.

"We're not here for losing," said Matthew Scott. 

Raptors set new ratings records

Raptors fans also tuned in across the country for the playoff run. TSN reported that the second round's Game 7 against the Miami Heat drew an average audience of 1.5 million viewers — the largest number of fans to ever tune in for a basketball game on the channel. Bell Media said 2.7 million viewers were watching during the fourth quarter of that game.

Sportsnet also reported record basketball ratings in the first round against Indiana, which will likely be broken again by the series with the Cavaliers. 

The Raptors organization, meanwhile, hasn't revealed how much money it made from the team's playoff run, but playing 11 playoff home games will surely be good for the team's bottom line.

That success won't be forgotten by the fans, many of whom follow the team's every move and will expect Raptors' management to improve the roster during the off-season. 

James noted after the game that the Raptors players had given everything for their fans and "took them to places they've never been before."

But next year, the fans will want to go to another place they've never been before: the NBA championship.