Toronto Raptors: 2015-16 Season Outlook
By Phil Watson
The
, coming off a franchise-record 49-victory season that ended with a loud thud as they were swept out of the first round of the playoffs by the Washington Wizards, are looking to do something in 2015-16 they’ve never done before.
Win a third straight division title.
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Of course, with the NBA’s changes in playoff formatting that severely devalue division championships, the larger goal is to get to the postseason for a third straight year for just the second time in franchise history … and actually win a series this time.
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The Raptors made a meteoric rise in 2013-14 after trading away Rudy Gay, copping the Atlantic Division crown before losing a hard-fought seven-game brawl with the Brooklyn Nets in the first round.
There was little hard-fought about last year’s exit, as All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry battled through a lower back injury and also dealt with calf, hamstring and finger injuries a season ago.
Toronto should still easily be the class of the Atlantic, with the Boston Celtics still putting things together, Brooklyn blowing it up and the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers still trying to put out their respective dumpster fires.
But whether that translates to making a more serious move in the Eastern Conference playoff scene is the larger question for a team that has now been there and done that with the whole “winning the division” thing.
2014-15 Vitals
49-33, 1st in Atlantic Division, 4th in Eastern Conference
104.0 PPG (4th)/100.9 OPPG (19th)
111.0 Offensive Rating (4th)/107.7 Defensive Rating (25th)
Team Leaders (minimum 50 games)
Scoring: DeMar DeRozan, 20.1 PPG
Rebounding: Jonas Valanciunas, 8.7 RPG
Assists: Kyle Lowry, 6.8 APG
Steals: Kyle Lowry, 1.6 SPG
Blocks: Jonas Valanciunas, 1.2 BPG
Next: Roster