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Raptors - a playoff team in 2013-14?

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  • #31
    Why the Toronto Raptors will make the Playoffs

    i really don't get why the raptors would miss the playoffs (unless they decide to tank which i'm not up for) last year we missed the playoffs by just a few games including a horrible start, multiple injuries, no calls at he end of games, and how could we forget the horrible six game road trip we took.
    here in etobicoke there's alot of Cleveland fans, surprisingly. and they are so damn confident that the cavs are making it into the post season. what do the cavs have that we don't (asides from an all star point guard and a canadian) sure they have bynum now, but im pretty confident going into the playoffs with a healthy jonas.

    now what we had last year was a Jose, half of an Andrea, two rookies who made a lot of mistakes, and rudy (with back problems) and we missed the playoffs, if we had done a bit more we would have made it. at that point i wouldnt care if it was a first round exit. (dying for some raptors playoff action)

    this year with a healthy Rudy Gay, a fit Kyle Lowry, a stronger Valaciunas, a novak, and a hansbrough (an i dont give a f who i'm playing against mentality) oh and how could we forget a derozan who is improving his three point shot and getting stronger. oh, and we got ourselves a dwight buycks
    so if cav fans are ready to make the playoffs then we have to think of our selves as contenders ..... im joking but theres no way we could have a healthy roster and not make it into the playoffs.
    What they got to say now? Nothing they can say now. Mobbin' on the low. Winnin' on the low
    The city embraced me, made me feel at home. The only difference [between Compton and Toronto] for me is the cold. -DeMar
    No Where Near the South Side #WeTheNorth

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    • #32
      lilmamba_ wrote: View Post
      theres no way we could have a healthy roster and not make it into the playoffs.
      Yes there is.

      Group 1 I'm pretty sure everyone agrees that these teams are lock for the playoffs as long as there aren't significant injuries.
      Miami
      Indiana
      Brooklyn
      New York
      Chicago

      Group 2
      Atlanta (most people put them in group 1, as I would, although I have seen people argue that they belong in the second group.)
      Milwaukee
      Detriot
      Cleveland
      Washington
      Toronto

      No matter how you slice it you've to six teams competing for 3 spots, or 5 teams competing for 2 spots. Toronto has to end the season ahead of 3 of those other 5 teams. If you look at the talent on those other teams they are pretty comparable to toronto. There isn't one team on that list that I can point at and say, "Toronto is definitely, absolutely, without a doubt, is going to finish ahead them." I think all the teams in group 2 have a pretty good shot at making the playoffs and I wouldn't be surprised if Toronto makes it, but I definitely wouldn't be surprised if they didn't.

      This has been covered in various other threads, so should probably be merged.
      "They're going to have to rename the whole conference after us: Toronto Raptors 2014-2015 Northern Conference Champions" ~ ezzbee Dec. 2014

      "I guess I got a little carried away there" ~ ezzbee Apr. 2015

      "We only have one rule on this team. What is that rule? E.L.E. That's right's, E.L.E, and what does E.L.E. stand for? EVERYBODY LOVE EVERYBODY. Right there up on the wall, because this isn't just a basketball team, this is a lifestyle. ~ Jackie Moon

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      • #33
        I love the "guarantee" that the Raptors will make the playoffs. I also love the reasoning that if the Raptors didn't suck so bad for big parts of last season that they would have been a much better team! No kidding. I don't think that's how it works.

        The reality is that Toronto is squarely in the middle of the Washington/Atlanta/Milwaukee/Detroit/Toronto/Cleveland group that will be jostling for the 5-8 seeds in the East. You can make a case as to why the Raptors will be one of the teams to emerge from the pack but you can also make a pretty good argument for every team. 3 of those teams are going to be disappointed come next May and being a fan of the Raptors doesn't make it any less likely that it could be them.

        I personally don't see Atlanta dropping very far, if at all, from their record last year and I think Detroit/Cleveland have moved ahead of us assuming they are relatively fortunate with injuries and chemistry. Dumars is also on record saying that he's still looking to add an impact player. We know Milwaukee will be motivated to slink into the playoffs as their owner mandates it every season and they were a better team than us last year. Just like us, the Wiz had their own surge in the back half of last year's season that they think they can extrapolate over a full 82. We aren't guaranteed to be better than any of these teams.

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        • #34
          Go easy on her, she's 14

          Critical thinking skills are still in development at that age (at least it was for me....)

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          • #35
            Fully wrote: View Post
            I love the "guarantee" that the Raptors will make the playoffs. I also love the reasoning that if the Raptors didn't suck so bad for big parts of last season that they would have been a much better team! No kidding. I don't think that's how it works.

            The reality is that Toronto is squarely in the middle of the Washington/Atlanta/Milwaukee/Detroit/Toronto/Cleveland group that will be jostling for the 5-8 seeds in the East. You can make a case as to why the Raptors will be one of the teams to emerge from the pack but you can also make a pretty good argument for every team. 3 of those teams are going to be disappointed come next May and being a fan of the Raptors doesn't make it any less likely that it could be them.

            I personally don't see Atlanta dropping very far, if at all, from their record last year and I think Detroit/Cleveland have moved ahead of us assuming they are relatively fortunate with injuries and chemistry. Dumars is also on record saying that he's still looking to add an impact player. We know Milwaukee will be motivated to slink into the playoffs as their owner mandates it every season and they were a better team than us last year. Just like us, the Wiz had their own surge in the back half of last year's season that they think they can extrapolate over a full 82. We aren't guaranteed to be better than any of these teams.
            I have no problem with your general reasoning and this post overall. But considering you laugh at the "guarantee", and then claim to have knowledge of reality that has not yet come to pass, maybe you should choose your words more carefully. The reality is unknown. We have no clue where Toronto will finish. I mean, if Toronto finishes 3rd (not something I'd expect), does that mean we have shifted into another universe? It's not a reality you're arguing for, it's what you (and most including myself), believe is the most likely scenario. We could all be wrong and reality could turn out quite differently.

            My opinion of that middle bracket is that Atlanta and Milwaukee have taken steps back.
            -In the past 2 years, Atlanta has lost their 2 most talented players (JJ and Smith), and now their head coach. They have managed to maintain a decent talent level, but that's a lot of change. I can see them challenging and making it, but it will be tough for them, and Horford is going to have to have a career year.

            -Milwaukee has lost it's best scorer and replaced him with a guy who keeps being discarded, and now has an unhappy RFA point guard who already underachieved. Not a big OJ Mayo fan. Oh, and they also have a new coach. Ironically Atlanta's old one. I think Milwaukee ends up firmly at the bottom of this B group. If they make the playoffs, it's because someone like Henson or Antetokounmpo explodes.

            -Cleveland and Washington both have talent levels comparable or higher to the Raps. I see them as the biggest threats. I also see Cleveland, lacking quality vets, as a big wildcard. THey could finish with 25 wins, or with 50, and neither would surprise me. As for Washington, they have some decent vets and a rising backcourt. If they can stay healthy they should have a very good chance.

            -Detroit...I'm not sold on their moves. They added a guy who plays best at PF to a lineup where bigs were already their strongest positions. They have serious question marks on the wing, and at point, where they have to hope Knight takes a serious step forward over there, or Chauncey has a big comeback season as a 36(?) year old. I have a very hard time making a good team out of the roster....but they have a lot of talent up front, and if Monroe, Drummond and Smith can function together on the court successfully, they will win their share of games. Basically, in relation to other teams, I see Detroit having a comparable talent level to maybe Toronto and Washington, but a less balanced roster. I think Detroit has to overachieve a bit more because of that in order to squeak in.

            So I think Toronto, Washington, Cleveland and Detroit will battle for those last 3 playoff spots the hardest. If I had to choose the order of all 6 teams, it would be something like....Washington, Cleveland, Toronto, Detroit, Atlanta, Milwaukee.
            *Edit: Also, even though I can easily see Cleveland finishing 7th, I think they're also more likely to fall apart than most teams, which would make the playoffs an easier goal for Detroit or Atlanta.
            Last edited by white men can't jump; Mon Jul 22, 2013, 10:16 AM.

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            • #36
              i think when you look at the team now compared to last year, the team is a lot better. like, our bench isn't going to be complete shit. Val got better as the season went on and apparently has been hanging out with the hulk. plus to me the biggest thing is the coaching. casey seems to finally have a staff that will work for him. nurse REALLY impressed me and i think will be a huge factor in the team's success. nevermind gay finally got his eyes fixed and lowry doesn't look like a christmas ham anymore.

              not saying we're making the playoffs, especially in a year where i think its in the team's best interest to *ahem* "rebuild", buuuuuuuuut the team is a lot better in pretty much every way and we weren't that far off from the playoffs last year, realistically.
              @sweatpantsjer

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              • #37
                I really do not understand all the Detroit hype. They go through years of notoriety as being a horrible team, but they sign a player who has a ton of notoriety himself, and all of a sudden they're a playoff lock? They have no bench, other than a 20-year-old rookie in KCP and a chucker who shoots 40% in Rodney Stuckey. Brandon Knight would have to take an enormous step this season for them to be better than the Raptors.
                Twitter - @thekid_it

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                • #38
                  isaacthompson wrote: View Post
                  I really do not understand all the Detroit hype. They go through years of notoriety as being a horrible team, but they sign a player who has a ton of notoriety himself, and all of a sudden they're a playoff lock? They have no bench, other than a 20-year-old rookie in KCP and a chucker who shoots 40% in Rodney Stuckey. Brandon Knight would have to take an enormous step this season for them to be better than the Raptors.
                  Agreed. I don't see how Detroit wins more than 30 games.

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                  • #39
                    ugh.. i was getting tired of everyone using stats, i thought i'd be a bit different
                    What they got to say now? Nothing they can say now. Mobbin' on the low. Winnin' on the low
                    The city embraced me, made me feel at home. The only difference [between Compton and Toronto] for me is the cold. -DeMar
                    No Where Near the South Side #WeTheNorth

                    Comment


                    • #40
                      isaacthompson wrote: View Post
                      I really do not understand all the Detroit hype. They go through years of notoriety as being a horrible team, but they sign a player who has a ton of notoriety himself, and all of a sudden they're a playoff lock? They have no bench, other than a 20-year-old rookie in KCP and a chucker who shoots 40% in Rodney Stuckey. Brandon Knight would have to take an enormous step this season for them to be better than the Raptors.
                      No one is calling them a lock, but they certainly deserve to be in the conversation with all the other fringe contenders, no? They added the third best free agent on the market in Josh Smith and have even more room for "organic growth" than Toronto does (Drummond/Monroe/Singler/Knight/KCP all 25 or under). For all the talk of them being horrible, they won only 6 less games than the Raptors did last year, and they didn't use a meaningless late season run to prop up their win total.

                      Chemisty will be the big issue, but if they can put it together I think they're a real contender for the playoffs.

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                      • #41
                        yeah i think detroit will be making the playoffs. bringing in billups to run and lead the team was a really smart move. it'll be interesting to see what they do with monroe. is he getting traded? is josh smith playing the 3? if they can figure out the wings they'll probably be a top 5 team in the east.
                        @sweatpantsjer

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                        • #42
                          blue jays fans would like a word....

                          que sera, sera
                          whatever will be, will be
                          the future's not ours to see
                          que sera, sera...
                          TRUE LOVE - Sometimes you know it the instant you see it across the bar.

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                          • #43
                            lilmamba_ wrote: View Post
                            i really don't get why the raptors would miss the playoffs (unless they decide to tank which i'm not up for) last year we missed the playoffs by just a few games including a horrible start, multiple injuries, no calls at he end of games, and how could we forget the horrible six game road trip we took.
                            here in etobicoke there's alot of Cleveland fans, surprisingly. and they are so damn confident that the cavs are making it into the post season. what do the cavs have that we don't (asides from an all star point guard and a canadian) sure they have bynum now, but im pretty confident going into the playoffs with a healthy jonas.

                            now what we had last year was a Jose, half of an Andrea, two rookies who made a lot of mistakes, and rudy (with back problems) and we missed the playoffs, if we had done a bit more we would have made it. at that point i wouldnt care if it was a first round exit. (dying for some raptors playoff action)

                            this year with a healthy Rudy Gay, a fit Kyle Lowry, a stronger Valaciunas, a novak, and a hansbrough (an i dont give a f who i'm playing against mentality) oh and how could we forget a derozan who is improving his three point shot and getting stronger. oh, and we got ourselves a dwight buycks
                            so if cav fans are ready to make the playoffs then we have to think of our selves as contenders ..... im joking but theres no way we could have a healthy roster and not make it into the playoffs.
                            How about the fact that Cavs have arguably a top 30 (perhaps even top 20?) player in their roster and a top 3 center (D12, Gasol, Bynum), and we don't.
                            "Stay steamy"

                            - Kobe

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                            • #44
                              You can't say the Toronto raptors will make the playoffs this season and back it up with comparisons to last season.

                              It's not last season. It's a new year, things have changed.

                              Plus, you're saying we had injuries last year. Yet, you have no idea if we'll have injuries this season.

                              As a raptors fan, they were the team you followed the closest this past season and are likely are partially ignorant to most of the other teams. So, if they had the same problems as the raptors you would not know in the same detail as Toronto.

                              As I said before, it's a new season. Things change. Teams get better, teams get worse, teams stay par of the course. Teams play differently and will play the raptors differently. There's just no way to guarantee either way whether they make the playoffs or whether they are the worst team..
                              If Your Uncle Jack Helped You Off An Elephant, Would You Help Your Uncle Jack Off An Elephant?

                              Sometimes, I like to buy a book on CD and listen to it, while reading music.

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                              • #45
                                Nilanka wrote: View Post
                                Agreed. I don't see how Detroit wins more than 30 games.
                                I do think they need to overachieve more than other teams in that group, except maybe Milly, but they also have that frontcourt which could be incredibly difficult to deal with. I mean, they won 29 last year. Their team is pretty much the same plus Josh Smith. I have a hard time seeing them win more than 34 or 35....but if they can squeeze out a handful more because Monroe-Drummond-Smith can dominate a few more games than expected, then yeah, I see them having a shot.

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