The Toronto Raptors have proved all season that they’re a different team this season – one that could find themselves in the NBA Finals
Throughout the landscape of the NBA playoff picture, only the Spurs, Warriors, and Cavaliers are bona fide title contenders. All three have the ideal combination of star power, chemistry, offensive efficiency, and defense.
Yet, there is one solid team resting on the periphery of this elite group that has the potential of making a Finals run. Because of the West’s depth, it seems highly unlikely that the Warriors or Spurs will be usurped before reaching the Finals; the East is clearly the easier path to the title. With this in mind, the Toronto Raptors seem ready to make the leap.
DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry have led the Raptors to another solid season and, barring catastrophe, are locked to the number two seed in the East.
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Despite homecourt advantage, Toronto has had disappointing first round exits in its past two seasons. In 2014, they awkwardly lost a game seven on their home floor to the Nets right after GM Masai Ujiri took a $25,000 fine for candidly expressing his feelings about Brooklyn. The next year, the Raptors were swept after the Wizards unleashed a devastating brand of small-ball that exposed a rigid roster and the weaknesses of head coach Dwane Casey.
But Casey kept his job and the Raptors look poised to redeem themselves in 2016.
Lowry is having a career year and essentially toppled the Cavs single-handedly last Friday night. He dropped 43 points on 15-20 shooting as the shorthanded Raps came back to win. DeMar DeRozan is also having a fantastic season despite playing poorly against the Cavs last outing as he battled the flu.
He has both a unique name and a unique style. DeRozan has developed into one of the league’s top shooting guards even without a reliable three point shot, slicing and dicing his way to heaps of free throws and high-efficiency shots at the rim every game. Think peak Dwyane Wade of years old.
The emergence of these two stars in the backcourt is the most striking improvement in this years’ team and also exposes the biggest weakness of their main obstacle towards the Finals: the Cavs.
After Friday’s game, Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue was quoted saying about Lowry:
"“We’ve got to get somebody who can guard him.”"
That seems to be the problem for the Cavs: their backcourt just doesn’t match up well with the Raptors defensively. Kyrie Irving has always been a liability on defense and will inevitably be shredded by Lowry when they meet in the playoffs. They can’t hide Irving elsewhere in the backcourt or else DeRozan will feast on the size mismatch.
Also, J.R. Smith can’t guard anybody. Iman Shumpert and Matthew Dellavedova are the best backcourt combination defensively but strangle the Cavs offense when they play together.
Plus, the Raptors haven’t even been operating at full capacity for most of the season. When DeMarre Carroll returns, the athleticism of DeMarre and DeMar will DeMolish poor Kevin Love and J.R. Smith in small-ball lineups. Any weak defender will be exposed, and two of the Cavs’ three stars are clear minuses on that end. Casey also has several antidotes to slow LeBron in Carroll, Patrick Paterson, and James Johnson.
Overall, the Toronto Raptors simply have more two-way players than the Cavs, providing them with much more lineup flexibility when the playoffs arrive. Their roster boasts the perfect combination of star power and role players, whereas the Cavs still seem a bit thin and top heavy. It is always a risky bet picking against Lebron, but if a dark horse title contender actually reaches the Finals, the Raptors seem like the most likely candidate to get there.
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Lowry was expressionless after his career night and game winner over the Cavs, playing down his performance and mentally preparing for their next game against the Pistons. That is the mentality of someone who is sick of losing in the playoffs and ready to take the next step.