God’s Plan: 4 reasons the Toronto Raptors aren’t just a tease this year
By Chris Conner
The Toronto Raptors haven’t been taken serious as of yet and deservingly so. But we have four reasons why they are God’s Plan.
The Toronto Raptors have reached rare company when it comes to overall success. Whatever they accomplish in the regular season simply doesn’t matter. They are forever judged mainly by what they do in the postseason.
For teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers or the Golden State Warriors, that standard is a positive. They’ve built a reputation and all have won championships. In turn, their only goals revolve around the playoffs.
The Raptors, however, are stuck on the wrong side of that spectrum. After making the playoffs four straight seasons, their playoff failures have turned into a comedy show’s worth of conversation. This period of playoff disappointments includes two first-round exits, and one conference finals appearance.
Like most teams did during the Michael Jordan era, the Raptors have received somewhat of a pass. LeBron James is that pass for the Eastern Conference today. For many reasons later to be explained, the Raptors have yet to come close to dethroning the King.
Finally first in the East, the Raptors may finally have circumstances in their favor. Home-court advantage throughout the playoffs in “The Six” would loom large. Some probably believe it would just be more room for another disappointment.
But this season feels and looks different for a plethora of reasons. The Raptors may once and for all show that they are no longer just a tease in the Eastern Conference, and no longer just a page out of LeBron’s plan, but simply: God’s Plan.