How #WeTheNorth has told the story of the Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) will be heading to the #NBAPlayoffs for the fourth consecutive season and will look to build on their successes of last Spring when they fell just two wins short of the #NBAFinals.

The iconic #WeTheNorth hashtag will once again lead the @Raptors conversation on Twitter. It has been Tweeted millions of times by basketball fans in Canada and beyond in recent years in addition to being featured on apparel and in promotions and advertisements for the team.

Here are the five games in @Raptors history that generated the highest volume of #WeTheNorth Tweets from basketball fans:

1. May 4, 2014 - The @Raptors are knocked out in the first round of the 2014 #NBAPlayoffs after a heartbreaking 104-103 Game 7 loss to the Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets)
2. May 15, 2016 - The @Raptors defeat the Miami Heat (@MiamiHEAT) 116-89 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, winning the series and advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals in the process
3. May 23, 2016 - The @Raptors defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) 105-99 to tie the 2016 Eastern Conference Finals at two games apiece
4. May 1, 2016 - The @Raptors knock the Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) out of the 2016 #NBAPlayoffs, winning Game 7 of their Eastern Conference first round series 89-85
5. April 30, 2014 - The @Raptors defeat the @BrooklynNets 115-113 in Game 5 of their first round 2014 #NBAPlayoffs series, giving the @Raptors a 3-2 edge in the series

The 2016/2017 regular season game that generated the most #WeTheNorth Tweets was the @Raptors 92-91 comeback win over the New York Knicks (@Knicks) on February 27, featuring a last-second game winning bucket from #NBAAllStar DeMar DeRozan (@DeMar_DeRozan).

The @Raptors enter the #NBAPlayoffs as the third most followed professional sports team in Canada, having gained 150,000 new Twitter followers during the 2016/2017 campaign. Look for that following to grow as the @Raptors postseason journey begins.

THE PLAYERS

The @Raptors enter the #NBAPlayoffs led by #NBAAllStar talents Demar DeRozan (@DeMar_DeRozan) and Kyle Lowry (@Klow7) plus the newly acquired Serge Ibaka (@SergeIbaka), the most-followed Raptor player with more than 828,000 Twitter followers.

With their successes on the court, several Raptors players are amongst the most discussed Toronto-based professional athletes on Twitter in recent months.

Here are the Top 10 active players on Toronto professional sports teams with the most mentions between April 2016 and April 2017:

1. DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors (@DeMar_DeRozan)
2. Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors (@Klow7)
3. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs (@AM34)
4. Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays (@JoeyBats19)
5. Serge Ibaka, Toronto Raptors (@SergeIbaka)
6. Josh Donaldson, Toronto Blue Jays (@BringerOfRain20)
7. Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs (@Marner93)
8. Marcus Stroman, Toronto Blue Jays (@mstrooo6)
9. Jonas Valanciunas, Toronto Raptors (@JValanciunas)
10. Russell Martin, Toronto Blue Jays (@russellmartin55)

Follow @Raptors, top players and the #WeTheNorth hashtag during the 2017 #NBAPlayoffs to see the latest highlights, reactions and best content from the Raptors’ postseason run.