Only three short weeks ago, after the Raptors had beaten the 76ers in Philadelphia and moved eight games above .500 just prior to the start of the Winter Games, the only grey area concerning the club's playoff picture was where it would be seeded when the NBA post-season begins April 20.

But as the Raptors prepare to face the Orlando Magic at the Air Canada Centre tomorrow night, that grey area has been replaced by a bleaker hue.

With a perilous tailspin now at eight games and counting and the team teetering on the brink of falling back to the eighth and final playoff berth in the East, the post-season is no longer the slam-dunk it was always considered to be.