Last season, the Toronto Raptors finished the season with the most wins in franchise history and an Atlantic Division title. For the 2014-15 season they have a good chance to make team history once again, not only by winning more games than any team in franchise history, but by actually advancing in the playoffs further than any team from Canada ever has.
We The North: Raptors Aim to Go Further Than Ever Before
Being from Canada I get to see every Raptors game on television and that can either be a good or a bad thing. There is usually always a game on, but for years the Raptors have been hanging out at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings and haven’t been close to competitive. That changed last season when the team got the first playoff birth since 2008, when Chris Bosh was still the number one option. A team record 48 wins and a division title were nice, but the Raps were ousted in the first round against Brooklyn.
There were questions heading into the off-season regarding some of the Raptors’ key players including Kyle Lowry, the key to much of the success of the team, and someone who probably should have been the in the All-Star game. General manager Masai Ujiri had a solid summer, re-signing Lowry, as well as contributing reserves Patrick Patterson and Greivis Vasquez. He also made a couple of key acquisitions in James Johnson and Lou Williams. They also added two draft picks in Bruno Coboclo from Brazil and Uconn’s DeAndre Daniels. With a returning starting five of Lowry, DeMar Derozan, Amir Johnson, Terrence Ross, and Jonas Valanciunas, along with Williams, Vasquez, Patterson, Johnson off the bench, Ujiri has upgraded his team this off-season.
With the Raptors returning as division champions there will be some pressure to live up to higher expectations this season, however with Boston and Philadelphia presumably both gunning for high draft picks, the uncertainty regarding Brooklyn, and the perennially underachieving Knicks, I think Toronto should be heavy favorites for another division title. In terms of their position in the East, anything short of a top four seed would be a disappointment after finishing in the top four last season. The obvious choice for tops in the East is Cleveland, with the acquisition of Lebron and Kevin Love and the return of Derrick Rose and addition of Pau Gasol should make Chicago much better this season. The injury to Paul George makes things a bit more interesting for the rest of the middle of the pack, and I expect the Raptors to be fighting for a top 3 seed with teams like Miami, Washington, Charlotte and the like. The overall depth of a weak East yet again and the fact that Toronto will play a large chunk of its season against East and Atlantic Division opponents should allow for themto make a strong push for a top seed and at least home court advantage in round 1 of the playoffs.
This season may be their best chance to advance in the postseason. The Wizards are still a young team, and have not shown they are ready to win, although the addition of Paul Pierce will help them there. The Heat will be a tough team to beat come the playoffs, but losing the best player in the world will surely see them drop off this season. The aforementioned Paul George injury leaves big question marks for Indiana. Atlanta, while always in the picture never are able to seriously contend and I don’t see them contending this year, as much as I love Al Horford. Charlotte is probably still a year or two away from making any real noise in the playoffs.
It is probably a lot to ask from a team that has only been into the second round once in franchise history (a loss to the Finals bound 76ers in 2001), but this could be the year for Toronto to advance further than it ever has. With Lowry returning and hopefully with some positive growth for Derozan and Valanciunas through their experiences at the FIBA World Cup in Spain this summer, they can return form this off-season an improved team. The World Cup experience can only have helped someone like Derozan, who has the talent and is already an all-star, but needed to have some winning experience and learning from some of the best players and coaches in the country.
With the combination of summer acquisitions, player development, and a changing landscape in the Eastern Conference, this could be the best year the Raptors have ever had. If they can secure a top three seed in the East, that will put them in a good position to win at least the first round, which would be an accomplishment in itself.
However, every team that succeeds catches a break or two throughout the season, and if they can make their way into the second round for a potential match-up with Chicago or Cleveland, anything could happen. They certainly wouldn’t be favorites against either of those teams, but the injury history of Chicago and the general chaos of the playoffs could see Toronto find its way into the Eastern Conference finals for the first time ever.
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