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Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

The long and strenuous journey that is the NBA regular season is starting to take its toll on the Toronto Raptors.

Losses piled up in February as the team finished 4-7. It was the first month with a losing record since Toronto dealt Rudy Gay to the Sacramento Kings at the end of 2013.

A 114-103 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on March 2 ended the first five-game losing streak since December 6, 2013.

Falling to elite competition against the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets is one thing, but coming up short to the Anthony Davis-less New Orleans Pelicans and the lowly New York Knicks really took the wind out of the team's sails.

Greivis Vasquez remains optimistic that things can turn around in a hurry, as he told Steven LeBron of Sports on Earth following the Knicks game on Feb. 28:

We know we're out of rhythm. We are concerned. But it only takes one game. We're acting like we're not going to the playoffs, like tomorrow is the end of the world. We're second in the East. That's pretty good. We can't feel sorry for ourselves. It's not time to point fingers. We're going to gather ourselves and figure it out. It only takes one game.

Perhaps the victory over Philadelphia is all it's going to take. Then again, maybe we're looking too much into a triumph over a 13-win team that was missing its top scorer.

There are 22 games left on the schedule with 12 being away from the Air Canada Centre and 10 coming against teams currently in the playoffs picture. Only four games separate the No. 2 and 5 seeds in the Eastern Conference, so if the Raptors value home-court advantage, they'll have to work their tails off to remain near the top of the food chain.

Carrying as much momentum as possible into the postseason will be crucial. These final few weeks will go a long way toward determining whether the Raptors will be a flash in the pan or a contender capable of making some noise when everything is on the line.