Despite all the breaks that have gone the Raptors’ way, their record still sits at 9-2.
Let’s get a few things out of the way. No, the Toronto Raptors aren’t championship contenders. No, the Raptors don’t have a superstar. No, there isn’t an all-consuming rim protector anchoring the defense. No, their young players haven’t blossomed into stars quite yet.
But their record is 9-2.
Yes, some things have broken right for the Raptors this season. Yes, they’ve played an easy schedule so far, ranking 26th in Basketball-Reference’s strength of schedule metric. Yes, they pulled a few wins against the Celtics and Grizzlies out of the fire. Yes, the Grizzlies were stricken by a team-wide flu that KO’ed five of their rotation players. Yes, the Raptors have caught a number of teams on the wrong end of a back-to-back.
But their record is 9-2.
No, the Raptors’ success isn’t necessarily indicative of their team’s strength. No, the Raptors won’t continue to shoot an absurd number of free-throws. No, Toronto’s offense won’t continue to produce like the second-best attack in the league. No, the Raptors’ defense isn’t as robust as their sixth-ranked defense suggests. No, Amir Johnson and his papier-mache ankles won’t continue to mask the team’s defensive flaws.
But their record is 9-2.
Yes, Raptors fans are excited about the team. Yes, this team’s success came out of sheer luck. Yes, the Rudy Gay trade galvanized the squad in a way that continues to baffle most fans. Yes, the Raptors have a few players who are overperforming their career norms. Yes, the Raptors’ best back-up center is Chuck Hayes. Yes, Chuck Hayes is a f*cking boss that saved the day last night. Yes, we love everyone in this town, even Vince and Chuck Hayes.
But their record is 9-2.
No, the Raptors didn’t take care of Chicago at home. No, the Raptors didn’t beat Miami on the second night of a back-to-back. No, the Raptors could not sink free throws to save their lives in that game. No, it’s not preferable that the Raptors aren’t 11-0 right now.
But their record is 9-2.
I know I’m being repetitive. I know that. I know that process is more important than results because process determines future results. But it doesn’t mean we should just throw away everything this team has accomplished because things aren’t perfect under the hood.
Regarding the schedule, the Raptors can only play who is on the court. They’ve played some shitty teams, snagging two wins against Orlando, a win against the Celtics, a win against the Sixers and a win against the depleted Oklahoma City Thunder. But they’ve won every single one of those games. They’ve done what is asked on them in those games. It wasn’t always pretty, but they won. They’ve taken care of what they can control. How can you really ask for more? The Bulls (without Derrick Rose; big surprise there) lost against the Pacers and Celtics. Games aren’t played on paper. Good teams do lose to bad teams once in a while.
And yes, there are some big holes on this team. Amir can’t stay healthy, and he’s the anchor of the defense. Greivis is struggling, big time. James Johnson can’t possibly sustain this level of production. The hockey lineup changes by Casey is baffling. DeRozan is struggling to score efficiently besides toeing the line a million times per game. Valanciunas looks winded every time he’s left out on the court for too long and his movement is still incredible robotic. Terrence Ross is wildly inconsistent. And yeah, they’ve been extraordinarily healthy for most of the last two seasons.
Ask any reasonable fan, and they’ll tell you as much. For all the good vibes surrounding #WeTheNorth, Raptors fans are still the same bitter cynics at heart. We know this is a pretty good team that falls two or three steps from being elite. We know that. We understand everything isn’t going as well as their record would belay.
We’re allowed to be excited about the team’s success — they’re 9-2, have you heard? We don’t know how exactly it’s happening. We just want to enjoy it for what it is. We’re not out there telling people we’re threats to dethrone Cleveland and Chicago. Wins are fun. People are excited. That’s it.
What we don’t need, as a fanbase, is to be constantly put into place for being excited. We don’t need condescending reminder of the team’s flaws. Yeah, we know. We watch every friggin’ game. Have you seen the comment boards after games? It’s littered with critiques and nitpicks.
But thanks, anyway, for giving us the perspective we so sorely lacked, Matt Moore of Eye on Basketball and the Hardwood Paroxysm network (who, aside from this recent episode, I thoroughly enjoy and respect as a basketball analyst). What would we do without your sobering takes on the Raptors? I can’t speak for everyone here, but I’d rather be excited about found money than I would be bitterly gripping about how my income can’t reliably come from change off the street.
