The Raptors seem to be back on track once again after delivering their all-too familiar slow postseason start. The team was spanked at home in a very lackluster effort to begin their playoff run last Friday 97-83. Yes, it was an ugly loss, but it was not a telling loss. Torontonians have seen this all before with the team going to seven games in two of the last three years in the first round.
The Raps got off to a slow start and went the distance against the Pacers last year and also went to seven with the Nets in 2014. Who can ever forget Masai Ujiri shouting “%$ck Brooklyn!”? The team this season has a bit of a lesser matched opponent in the consistently inconsistent Milwaukee Bucks. They finished second in the Central by the skin of their teeth, narrowly edging out Indiana and Chicago. Nothing against the Pacers or Bulls but the Bucks were written off by many months ago. They managed to string together a late magical run though to get to this point. Also, thankfully, the Raps came to their senses in game two and it’s an even series.
As for the Raps year thus far, aside from a few hiccups and injury setbacks, they’ve been fairly steady. They’ve stayed close to or atop the Atlantic all year and have been considered contenders the whole way. Now that they’ve finished second in the division and lost their first game, their odds could be extremely high paying. The Raptors are undervalued as the fourth pick to win the East according to TopBet, the team is sitting at +4,000 to take home the gold.
So, what needs to happen from here for this team to win you some cash? Well, they need to escape round one. Once that happens their odds increase heavily and not just because other teams will be headed home…potentially.
The Celtics are getting pasted by the eight-seed Bulls in their series and the Cavs have their hands full with Indiana. Now, while the Pacers have dropped their opening pair of games, Raps fans know just how deadly that team can be when up against the wall; PG13 can make things rated R pretty quickly.
Once they’re through to the second round, they’ll likely face the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs were the best team coming out the East all year long but stumbled in 2017. The team fell off the tracks a few times and they ended up finishing second in the conference. With that said, they’re still the powerhouse squad to beat and the Raps couldn’t have a better test in front of them.
If all goes according to plan and the Raps make it to the third round, the world is their oyster and a one-way ticket to the finals should be in the cards for this year’s rendition. If (and potentially when) that’s the case, that +4,000 oddset could net you some serious cash.
