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Toronto Raptors: No. 1 Seed In East A Realistic Goal

By Paul McGaughey

Apr 9, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) shoots as Philadelphia 76ers center Henry Sims (35) defends at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto defeated Philadelphia 125-114. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 9, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) shoots as Philadelphia 76ers center Henry Sims (35) defends at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto defeated Philadelphia 125-114. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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The boys are back in town. Well, at least some of them are.

So to see two members of the Toronto Raptors walking along Front Street on Friday morning really did make it feel like the NBA season is just around the corner.

In the meantime, it has been a busy offseason for the Raptors, not to mention a successful one.

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Since the close of the 2013-14 campaign, in which the Raptors won a franchise-best 48 games, finished atop the Atlantic Division, and made some noise in the playoffs despite a first-round exit, general manager Masai Ujiri has been hard at work.

He was able to bring back Kyle Lowry, Greivis Vasquez, and Patrick Patterson, three key contributors from last season.

Several other additions were made to strengthen the bench, all with an eye towards taking another step forward in 2014-15.

Whether the Raptors can pick up where they left off in May and hit the ground running on Oct. 29 versus the Atlanta Hawks has been one of the main topics of conversation this summer.

Favored to win the Atlantic Division

The Raptors appear to have filled in any gaps that might prevent them from repeating as division champions.

Louis Williams, acquired in a trade with the Hawks, adds scoring depth at the shooting guard position. Signed to a two-year deal, James Johnson brings more toughness to the lineup. Veteran center Greg Stiemsma answers the need for a defensive presence under the basket.

The Nets will likely pose the biggest threat to the Raptors’ chances of securing homecourt advantage in the playoffs.

Even then, I think it’s going to be a difficult year for Brooklyn, with a part of me believing that their window is slowly closing. Although they will still have a formidable backcourt pairing with Deron Williams and Joe Johnson, as well as a healthy Brook Lopez, I think the loss of Paul Pierce is going to hurt.

The Knicks could also emerge as a legitimate threat, however I’m not totally convinced. To go from a 37-win team to somewhere in the high 40s or low 50s, would be a big jump, especially considering they traded away Tyson Chandler.

A successful season for the Knicks would be just getting back into the playoffs, even if it were as a seventh or eighth seed.

As for the Sixers and Celtics, I think it is fair to say they are both a year or two away from competing for a playoff spot, but stranger things have happened.

Tough tests await in the Central and Southeast

In my opinion, there are four other teams in the Eastern Conference with a chance to finish at the top: Cleveland, Chicago, Washington, and Charlotte.

The Pacers may fall completing out of the playoff picture, while the Heat will be somewhere in the mix and may end up surprising a few people.

Last season, the Raptors were 2-1 versus the Cavs. That’s obviously going to be tougher to do now. Like it or not, the Cavs have a lot going for them: youth, talent, veteran savvy, and arguably the best player in the league.

The Bulls, a defensive juggernaut under coach Thibodeau, are always a handful. Throw in a healthy Derrick Rose plus the addition of Pau Gasol to play alongside Joakim Noah and this is a team that is going places.

In the Southeast Division, Charlotte and Washington will compete for top spot, although I imagine the Heat would have something to say about that.

The Raptors were swept by Charlotte in three meetings last season, losing by a total of nine points, and the matchup will only be more difficult going forward. The Hornets, who returned to the playoffs in 2013-14 after a three year absence in which they posted a win-loss record of 62-168, are definitely trending upwards with the offseason additions of Lance Stephenson and Marvin Williams.

Then there are the Wizards, who like the Raptors, stopped a skid of five consecutive seasons without a playoff berth.

As perhaps the biggest surprise of the 2013-14 campaign, the Wizards brushed aside the Bulls in five games and put up a good fight against Indiana in the conference semi-finals.

The good news for the Raptors with respect to the Wizards, though, is that they won three of four meetings last season.

No easy games in the Western Conference

Lastly, there are all those pesky and superior teams out west.

In 2013-14, the Raptors were 16-14 against the Western Conference, which is impressive to say the least.

That type of success, although perhaps harder to come by this season, will be paramount to the Raptors’ chances of clinching the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

For example, last season the Raptors won both meetings with the Mavericks, while also earning splits with the Rockets and Thunder. They also defeated the Pelicans on the road, but that was without Anthony Davis in the lineup.

However, there are also some teams that the Raptors probably could have done better against last season, such as the Phoenix Suns, who won both matchups. They’ll also have to find a way to beat teams that typically have their number, namely the Trail Blazers, Clippers, and Spurs.

The bottom line is that there will be very few easy games against opponents out west, but the same applies to the other contenders in the Eastern Conference.

So, if the Raptors can at least take care of the other teams jockeying for that No. 1 seed, and as always, find a little bit of good luck, grabbing that top spot should be well within reach.

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