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Carroll balks at Raptors curse: 'This is a different team'

Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

The dark days of Toronto Raptors lore doesn't apply to this year's iteration of the team. The monkey is finally off their back, having won their first seven-game playoff series in franchise history on Sunday night by defeating the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 at Air Canada Centre.

Forward DeMarre Carroll, who general manager Masai Ujiri signed to a four-year, $60-million contract over the offseason, didn't let the sins of past Raptors teams phase him from the task at hand.

"I hear so many people talking about the Toronto curse and all this, but I told plenty of fans and media, this is a different team," Carroll said.

Toronto had been bounced in the opening round of the postseason each of the past two years. After missing the playoffs for five straight seasons, the Raptors clinched a berth during the 2013-14 campaign, but lost Game 7 of the first round to the Brooklyn Nets on the final possession on their home floor. The following season, the team suffered a horrifying four-game sweep at the hands of the Washington Wizards.

Related: Raptors' playoff victory a long time coming for Toronto

Memories like that still linger in the minds of Raptors fans, which is why a majority remained pessimistic about their chances in yet another Game 7 on Sunday.

"I can't believe how many tweets and Instagram posts I was getting about the series being over and I'm like, 'We've got Game 7,'" Carroll added.

The 29-year-old was a ghost on offense during his 36 minutes on the floor, scoring three points on 1-of-6 shooting and grabbing a pair of boards. His presence was predominantly felt on the defensive end, accumulating two steals and two rejections while being tasked with defending All-Star Paul George, who missed 10 of his 18 shot attempts.

The Raptors' other summer acquisitions - rookie Norman Powell, Cory Joseph, and Bismack Biyombo - combined to score 24 points, with Biyombo snagging 11 boards in just 19 minutes off the bench.

Toronto will play Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at home on Tuesday against the Miami Heat.

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