It was cold, but it was awesome. With an entertaining Friday night, one of the best All Star Saturday nights in recent memory, and one of the greatest offensive exhibitions we’ve ever seen at the star-studded mid-season affair, Toronto’s 2016 All Star Game was epic. What a great event for a city that could’ve only dreamed of owning an NBA franchise 30 years ago. After defying all odds throughout their early existence, the Raptors franchise and Toronto as a city was rewarded with the 2016 All Star game, symbolic of a much greater achievement for Canadian basketball and the Toronto Raptors franchise.
But alas, that special weekend is now over. And as Raptor fans begin to swipe left in their Score apps, looking toward the upcoming games, it’s time to let the All star dust settle and look at what’s ahead. The league now gifts it’s players with a full week off, as there are no games scheduled Monday through Wednesday, with only 6 teams taking to the court on Thursday, while the Raptors and the remainder of the league kick things off Friday.
The Raptors will start it off against the Chicago Bulls on the road in the Windy City against a team that has had the Raptors’ number in both matchups this season. The Bulls outlasted the Raptors in December at the United Centre behind incredibly strong bench play from Tony Snell, Aaron Brooks, and Bobby Portis who completely outplayed T-Ross, Bismack, Patman and company. The Bulls also beat the Raptors at the ACC in early January with an incredible fourth quarter rally, spurred by Jimmy Butler’s 42 points, of which 40 were dropped in the second half. The Raptors will be looking to exact revenge on the Bulls, who will be without the services of Jimmy Buter this time around.
For the Raptors, who now have 2 bonafide multi-year all-stars, the time is now. With the trade deadline looming this Thursday, the Raptors will be one of the few teams in the league that could be legitamely considered “buyers”. With Lowry and DeRozan in the core prime of their careers, and the team on pace for its best finish in franchise history, the intriguing question for Masai will be – what now? Do we stay convservative, with what’s working, and hope for the best in the playoffs? Or do we make a splash (that could backfire) now? Stay tuned to Raptors Republic for all of your trade deadline coverage. ICYMI: Blake’s piece on the Raptors’ trade assets.
For Dwane Casey and the players however, the only focus will be the schedule that lies ahead. The Raptors have played 52 games with a record of 35-17. Here’s a breakdown of what’s remaining in the 82 game schedule leading up to the playoffs.
Raptors Schedule Lookahead and Breakdown
Remaining Games: 30
Remaining Home Games: 17
Remaining Road Games: 13
Games against Teams 500 or Better: 19
Games against Teams Below 500: 11
Aggregate Record of Teams: 806-804
Average Win Percentage of Teams: 50.062%
The Raptors will, however, play better teams over the next 30 games, than they have been used to these past 15 games. The Raps boasted a franchise-record 11-game winning streak in January and early February, but did so playing against some of the lesser opponents in the league. Things won’t be as easy for Dwane Casey’s squad coming up, with matchups against Chicago (twice), Cleveland, Memphis (twice), Boston (twice), OKC, the Spurs, Rockets, and Hawks (three times). Granted, the Raptors have shown the ability to beat (or at least compete with) all those teams this season, but things will be tough nonetheless. As the quest for 50 wins heats up (likely the benchmark for solidifying the number 2 seed in the East), the Raptors will be hard-pressed to keep victories coming early and often during the unofficial second half of the season. The good news? 17 of their final 30 contests are at home – the Raps are 18-6 at the ACC this season.
Interestingly enough, both All Stars for the Raptors make less money than the sought-after free-agent signed by Ujiri this past summer, DeMarre Carroll. Junkyard Dog 2.0 has been out for the past month and a half, following arthroscopic knee surgery in early January. Although he had no timetable for a return at that time, a return during the regular season is probable given the magnitude of the procedure, hopefully with at least 10-15 games in the regular season left, prior to playoff action.
The Raptors have gone an absolute tear without the services of Carroll, but will almost surely need his toughness, tenacity on defense, and three-point shooting stroke against the likes of Jimmy Butler, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Paul George upcoming. Carroll will also be desperately needed in the playoffs, following significant disappointments at the 3-spot the past 2 playoff appearances against Joe Johnson and Paul Pierce. It only begs the question for Dwane Casey and company – how good can this team be at full strength with Carroll and James Johnson (also injured with an ankle issue) at their disposal? At the current moment, they look like the clear number 2 seed in the East, likely to win a first round playoff matchup. But all of that can change – fast.
Friday’s matchup against the Bulls tips off at 8:00 EST from the United Centre.
