Of course, to properly test the Cavaliers, the third-seeded Raptors need to get past the sixth-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in their first round playoff series. And that is proving to be far from easy as the series is tied 2-2 despite the success Toronto enjoyed last year, along with the upgrades it made in February.

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Indeed, the Raptors have showed in some ways they are the same old Raptors.

A blowout loss in Game 1 – extending their remarkable record in opening games of playoff series to 1-11, including nine losses in a row – was followed by an equally predictable bounce back victory in Game 2 to even the series. Just when it seemed like Toronto had control of the series, a blowout loss in Milwaukee in Game 3 again left it on the mat and, possibly, out for the count.

But these are the Zombie Raptors, so a disastrous game was followed by an inspired one. On Saturday in Game 4, thanks to 33 points from DeMar DeRozan, the Raptors clawed their way back level once again with the young Bucks in an 87-76 win to even the series.

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The questions about this team remain. And the answers to those questions over the next week could determine the short- and long-term future of the franchise.

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Make no mistake: Toronto didn’t trade Terrence Ross, a first round pick and two second rounders to bring in Ibaka and Tucker at the trade deadline to be struggling to advance out of the first round. General Manager Masai Ujiri saw a chance to build on last season’s success, pushed his chips into the middle of the table and went for it.

So far, though, all those additions have done (in particular Ibaka, who has been excellent in this series) is keep Toronto alive. The team’s Achilles’ heel in the past – shaky play from its All-Star guards – has come back to haunt it again.

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DeRozan had 33 points in Game 4, but went 0-for-8 from the floor in a disastrous Game 3. He’s 7-for-29 in Toronto’s two losses in this series, and 21-for-40 in its two wins. Thus his longstanding struggles in the playoffs – when the game slows down, and some of DeRozan’s crafty tricks are less effective – have continued.

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The more concerning issue, however – as well as the one that could have the biggest impact on Toronto’s future – is another disastrous playoff performance from Kyle Lowry. In his time in Toronto, Lowry has undergone a career renaissance. He’s gone from a mercurial player who was traded twice early in his career and was largely a bench player before arriving in Toronto to one who’s become a multi-time All-Star and an All-NBA selection.

That’s regular season Kyle Lowry. Playoff Kyle Lowry? That’s something else. Through Game 4, Lowry is averaging 39 percent shooting overall and 30.7 percent shooting from three-point range in 35 playoff games with the franchise. That’s simply not good enough for a player who has been billed as a franchise cornerstone, and it’s those continued struggles for Lowry and DeRozan that have made Toronto as inconsistent as it’s been over these past few postseasons.

Those struggles will be on Ujiri’s mind this summer, when he has to decide what to do as Lowry becomes an unrestricted free agent. As a 10-year veteran, Lowry will be eligible for the 35 percent veteran maximum salary – which, on a five-year deal, would mean his next deal will be worth north of $200 million. Given how much Lowry has struggled in the postseason, will Ujiri be willing to pay up that kind of money to keep him around, especially given Lowry would be 36 years old at the end of such a deal?

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If Toronto isn’t willing to pay Lowry, other teams (like Lowry’s hometown Philadelphia 76ers, whose general manager, Bryan Colangelo, brought Lowry to Toronto in the first place) will. The same goes for pending free agents like Ibaka, Tucker and Patrick Patterson, all of whom will be coveted on the open market.

It’s one thing if Toronto loses a hard-fought series to Cleveland in the second round. It’s quite another if the Raptors lose to these Bucks – the team with the best player in the series in Giannis Antetokounmpo, but one that is starting two rookies and is missing another key piece in injured forward Jabari Parker.

After last year’s successes and February’s trades, Toronto was supposed to be past that point. This was supposed to be the postseason that proved that, the playoffs that saw the Raptors become a true challenger to James and the Cavaliers. Instead, it’s only proved that the same issues remain for the Raptors.