Lowry, Raptors prove themselves a real threat to Cavs in Eastern Conference

Kyle Lowry and the Toronto Raptors spent the last 24 hours telling anyone who would listen that there was no statement to be made in Friday's matchup with the defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers.

Then they went out and made perhaps the biggest regular season statement in franchise history.

The Raptors erased multiple double-digit deficits - and a nine-point hole with 4:45 remaining - en route to a 99-97 victory over the Cavs, eventually pulling away for good on Lowry's game-winning step-back over Matthew Dellavedova.

Related: Lowry caps career night with game-winning step-back

With the win, the Raptors clinched the season series against Cleveland and moved within two games of the East-leading Cavs as Toronto heads down a home-heavy final stretch.

With 25 games remaining, the Raptors have established themselves as a legitimate threat to Cleveland's perch atop the East standings, and for a traditionally success-starved franchise, that's a statement in and of itself.

Given the sobering first-round exits the Raptors have endured the last two years - and the franchise's inability to win a best-of-seven series in 20 years of existence - the team will be the first to tell you that they've accomplished nothing yet.

Still, for a fan base that has battled an inferiority complex for so long, Friday's result is a massive confidence-builder.

A playoff series - let alone a conference championship - can't be won in February, but Toronto's past postseason failures also can't be used to discount how good this year's version of the Raptors has been.

The Raptors, whose defensive ineptitude helped sink them last spring, enter the weekend boasting a top-10 defense to complement their top-five offense. They own the league's fifth-best record and sixth-best net rating, and are on pace for 56 wins after climbing 21 games above .500 for the first time in franchise history on Friday.

In addition, the Raptors own a 17-9 record against teams that currently boast winning records, including a 6-3 record against the Cavs-Warriors-Spurs-Thunder-Clippers quintet - two of those three losses coming to Golden State in nail-biting fashion.

Lowry has established himself as a legitimate superstar over the last three seasons. DeMar DeRozan, who battled flu-like symptoms during Friday's victory, is enjoying a career year as an undoubted All-Star.

Related: Lowry drops career-high 43 points as Raptors shock Cavs​

The kicker, however, may just be a Raptor who hasn't seen the floor since early January, as the team awaits the return of prized offseason acquisition DeMarre Carroll - a defensive difference-maker who can competently guard LeBron James while giving Toronto the positional versatility required to hang with Cleveland's rangy lineups.

Carroll's return at some point over the next 25 games - a stretch that will see the Raptors play 18 of 25 either at home or against a losing team - may be the final piece of a successful playoff puzzle.

Toronto has to wait a couple more months to prove its postseason pedigree, and a ton can happen between now and mid-April. But if Friday's performance didn't cement the fact that Lowry and his Raptors are for real, the victory at least confirmed they'll be a thorn in Cleveland's side until then.

For now, for this franchise, that will do.