NBA Playoffs must-follow storylines: Toronto Raptors vs Brooklyn Nets

The defending champion Toronto Raptors have looked the part all season. These Brooklyn Nets offer a chance to hit the ground running in the NBA playoffs.

It can be said with relative certainty that the current state of both the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets are outcomes few expected before the start of the season.

Toronto entered 2019-20 the defending champions, yes, but was without their Finals MVP and starting two-guard. Those losses would severely impact most teams, but the Raptors have been a remarkable testament to culture and coaching on their way to the same No. 2 spot they occupied last season.

Even with diminished expectations in the absence of Kevin Durant, the Nets’ prospects sunk lower in the bubble after finding themselves on some of their last legs. That’s what happens when four rotation pieces, including your two leading scorers, opt out of the bubble.

Most signs point to an easy Raptors series victory. The odds would certainly put that scenario in their favor. But Brooklyn has done all it can to take something out of this unique experience, putting up the fight of a roster that looks anything but compromised.

They’re 5-3 in the bubble. A Caris LeVert step-back jumper gone right in a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers puts them at 6-2. Perhaps the playoffs expose a lack of talent, but the Raptors know better than most the demons that arise from underestimating a first-round opponent.