After a third successive playoff elimination at the hands of LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, it was the final straw for Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey.

His seven-year tenure with the team came to an end on Friday as he was fired by president Masai Ujiri.

The Raptors enjoyed their best regular season in franchise history when they secured the number seed for the first time ever and won a record 59 games.

But that still wasn't enough to overcome a Cavs team that finished fourth in the east and went through turmoil throughout the year - which even resulted in them revamping their roster by trading six players in February.

They even went through a gruelling first-round series as they were taken to seven games by the Indiana Pacers but eventually pulled through thanks to LeBron's brilliance.

With all of that in mind, many believed this was finally Toronto's time to dethrone the King in Cleveland and overcome their arch nemesis.

The outcome, however, was a familiar feeling for the Canadian outfit as they were swept by the Cavaliers for the second straight year.

A change had to be made and Casey was the man who paid the price. Speaking about his decision, Ujiri described it as one of the most difficult he's ever made and paid tribute to the departing coach.

"What an unbelievable human being," Ujiri said of Casey. "It made this is the hardest thing I've done in my life. (General manager) Bobby Webster and I went to speak to him. I never met anyone that classy in my life.

"I can I honestly say that I don't know if I'll work with a better person."

With the voting for all the major NBA awards already completed before the playoffs, there's a great chance that the 61-year-old will win Coach of the Year for his regular season exploits.

Ujiri believes he's certainly deserving of winning the honour.

"I hope coach Casey gets Coach of the Year," he said. "He deserves it."

Some interesting reports have emerged since his firing detailing a heated confrontation between the pair after Toronto lost game three on a LeBron buzzer-beater.

According to Michael Grange of Sportsnet, Ujiri stormed into the locker room and berated Casey for failing to double-team James on the final play.

That frustration seemed to signal the end for the experienced coach and Ujiri will now hope he can find a replacement capable of taking them over the hump in the postseason.

Listen HERE to episode two of the new GiveMeSport NBA podcast, featuring New York Times senior writer Marc Stein.

Enjoy, and please subscribe for all future episodes.