The Raptors have been playing from behind all season. They started without Pascal Siakam, the defense as a whole collapsed for nearly a month, COVID ravaged them for a stretch of weeks, and now here they are with a turn of good health and dominating.
They played with intellect and composure in the week from hell. They got the Louis Zatzman co-sign and deep dive. Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, and OG Anunoby are #1, #2, and #3 in minutes per game in the NBA. If there were any type of cosmic power above, the Raptors would have no doubt met the payment for whatever toll this almighty lesson of humility would cost.
In the Eastern Conference (which has perhaps finally cemented itself as the better conference??) the battle for seeding is a bloody one. It’s a claustrophobic sprint towards the finish line and the Raptors have emerged as one of the fastest runners heading into the second half. In the middle of January the Raptors went on a 7-game stretch where they played really strong basketball on the aggregate. Their record in that 7-game stretch? 2-5. Losses to the Pistons and the Dame-less, CJ-less, Norm-less Blazers stung harder than you could imagine. There was no shame in losing out to the Suns, the Heat, or the Mavericks – all of whom were playing fantastic basketball at the time. But, as the Raptors chase a top-4 seed, one thing is clear: this team can get up for games against the league’s very best, and like Rocky they can take punches and give them until the very end. They just have to win the easy ones.
This upcoming stretch against OKC, Houston, Denver, New Orleans, and Minnesota represents a significant opportunity for the Raptors to beat the teams they should. By record, OKC and Houston are the 3rd and 4th worst teams in the league. The gameday previews will adequately handle the level of stress Raptors fans should feel about each of them on the day of. You beat those teams, they’re free wins if you don’t leave your game at the hotel.
As destitute as Denver has been without Jokic, he’s still one of the best players in the league and the defending MVP. It wouldn’t take anything out of the norm for Jokic to pick apart the Raptors on the way to a win for his squad. Jokic has the patience and manipulation to make fools of the Raptors heavy rotation, just like Doncic does. While I don’t think there’s any one player who can put a stop to Siakam’s offensive dominance, Aaron Gordon is close to the platonic ideal of a Siakam-defender. Every player who gets minutes on the Nuggets is circumstance away from scoring 20+ and the Raptors will have to be very on the ball to stop that from happening. That game isn’t guaranteed.
Despite sitting at the back end of the play-in seeds, the Pelicans made a move to become a better team today. CJ McCollum joins a team that was already trending in the right direction behind pseudo All-Star, Brandon Ingram’s offensive brilliance. In addition to that, the trio of ascending rookie, Herb Jones, newly minted power forward Jaxson Hayes, and always beyond solid center, Jonas Valanciunas – they have cobbled together a front 3 that taps into a lot of the same benefits that the Raptors funkiest lineups do, and teams rightfully have trouble containing them. Jose Alvarado more than likely has this game circled on his calendar, understanding it’s an opportunity to lineup against Fred VanVleet and try to will an off night into existence. The Pelicans can play their game, and win doing it.
And finally, the Timberwolves. The team that swiped Chris Finch from the Raptors mid season, and most closely resembles the Raptors on the defensive side of the floor. As far as talent, they are an endlessly interesting collection of it. Dirk Nowitzki has already acknowledged KAT’s trajectory as a shooter and the threat it might pose to his status as the greatest shooting big of all time. Anthony Edwards is one of the most imposing athletes in the NBA right now, has packaged that with a burgeoning jumpshot, and in doing so presents as one of the NBA’s most explosive scorers. D’Angelo Russell has finally tapped into defensive viability, and even though the offensive numbers aren’t as high as they’ve been in the past, he orchestrates the Wolves offense better than anyone else. They’re just behind the Nuggets for the 6th seed out west.
These are good teams.
When it comes to fending off the likes of the Celtics, Nets, and Hawks the Raptors need to cling onto every opportunity they get. There is real value in winning games against the the ruling class of the Eastern Conference and the Raptors have done that. It shows who they can beat when they’re at their best. But, a win is a win. When the Raptors lose to flatly inferior opponents they’re asking themselves to beat great ones to get back to .500. Everyone loses games, but the Raptors have an opportunity here to cement themselves as one of the top-6 teams in their conference before they hit the All-Star break.
No let downs, fellas. Handle your business.
Have a blessed day.
