5 reasons the Toronto Raptors can win the Eastern Conference
Despite being the top team in the Eastern Conference, the Toronto Raptors are barely being mentioned as a legitimate threat. Here’s why We The North could finally claim the East this year.
It’s only natural to doubt the Toronto Raptors. For the last two offseasons, the talking points surrounding this team revolved around whether it was finally time to blow up the roster and start from scratch. It was only natural to wonder after watching such an impressive regular season team look like a shell of itself every time April and May rolled around — even when the Raptors made the conference finals in 2016.
As such, expectations weren’t high for Toronto heading into 2017-18. Masai Ujiri retained Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka with pricey extensions, but the team lost considerable depth with Cory Joseph, P.J. Tucker, DeMarre Carroll and Patrick Patterson all departing. The Raptors got a year older, and an iso-heavy offense that sputtered every postseason needed a drastic overhaul.
Against all odds, We The North is not only back for another run to the top of the Eastern Conference standings, but might be presenting its best rendition yet.
At 43-17, the Raptors currently sit at No. 1 in the East, 0.5 games ahead of a Boston Celtics team that won 16 straight games at one point in the season and a full 7.5 games ahead of a Cleveland Cavaliers squad that has been Toronto’s kryptonite time and time again in the playoffs.
The question is, is this team any different from the last few years, when the Raptors disappointingly flamed out in the playoffs each and every time? The answer feels like a “yes” on both sides of the floor, and it might finally be worth questioning whether the Toronto Raptors are being overlooked as a legitimate threat to win the East.
If Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan experience the same playoff jitters that have damned this team every year, the 2018 NBA Playoffs won’t be any different. However, assuming this star duo finally exorcises those demons, here are five reasons the Raptors can win the East.