Toronto Raptors: 5 keys to winning the East

With the 2019 NBA Playoffs vastly approaching, the Toronto Raptors could become the next champions of the East when it’s all said and done.

We’ve become so attached to overlooking the Toronto Raptors come playoff time that they could become the most surprising team in this year’s battle for the championship.

It’s not like they’re undeserving of this kind of criticism. They have been consistently winning 48-plus games since the 2013-14 season, and this season they might be headed for that 60-mark.

Unfortunately, this regular season march has not transitioned into postseason success. To be exact, during these past five seasons of regular season dominance, they have emerged victorious in just one playoff series past the first round.

But why should now be the time for this awful streak to come to an end? Well for starters, we are dealing with a completely different roster and mindset, all courtesy of general manager Bobby Webster.

In the 2017-18 season, the Raptors managed to earn the first seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 59-23, but after getting swept in the second round by LeBron James, big changes were set to come in the organization.

As a result, the Toronto Raptors decided to part ways with both reigning Coach of the Year Dwane Casey and superstar and All-NBA player DeMar DeRozan. These changes were made in hopes of creating an alternative atmosphere that would result in more playoff success.

When LeBron James decided to join a Western Conference team in the 2018 offseason, the East pretty much became a negligible conference. We now know that this statement is far from accurate, as the Eastern Conference seems to have four teams that could realistically compete for the championship.

As the competition is once again fierce, here are five keys for the Toronto Raptors in order to be crowned conference champions.