The Toronto Raptors have finally overcome the ghosts of their past playoffs series and will be advancing to the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the first time since 2001.

"We got the monkey off our back, more than anything, from these past couple of years," Raptors starting guard Demar DeRozan said. "It just feels good to get that off."

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The Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment-owned basketball club won their first postseason series since a five-game triumph over the New York Knicks in 2001, putting an end to the league's longest active drought between series victories.

"There's no hiding it," All- Star Kyle Lowry told ESPN.com. "It was one of those wins where, if we had lost this game, the season would've been a failure. It's kind of harsh to say that, but if we had lost this game, it would've been the end of the season. The pressure of the first round is off of us."

The nerve-racking pressure the team confronted to deliver this favorable result had build up significantly. Another setback could have been devastating/

The Raptors lost their first round campaign in the previous two seasons, including a Game Seven loss to the Brooklyn Nets in 2014 and a frustrating sweep to Washington last year.

The victory was the first best-of-seven series win for Toronto in the history of the franchise. The Raptors now improved to 1-2 in Game 7s. They bowed out to the Philadelphia 76ers in the East Semis in 2001 and to the Nets in the opening-round in 2014.

Toronto has booked a playoffs second round showdown with the three-time NBA champion Miami Heat, who outlasted the mighty Charlotte Hornets seven games.

After getting over the hump, it will be interesting to see how much the Raptors have left in the tank.

TagsNBA 2016, 2016 nba playoffs, Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, DeMar DeRozan, kyle lowry