The playoffs are almost here, and the NBA will be declaring the 2018-19 champion in a few short months. Having won three of the last four championships, the Golden State Warriors are aiming for basketball immortality by winning their third consecutive title this season.
But the road won’t be easy for the Warriors, as the Toronto Raptors are among a handful of teams that can knock the reigning champs off their pedestal. Currently sitting at second place in the Eastern Conference, the Raptors have revitalized their chances at a title with a new coach and a new superstar leading their team. These are not the Raptors of recent years, and they are looking more and more like a real contender to Golden State.
Let’s explore three reasons why the Raptors have as good an opportunity as anyone to dethrone the Warriors.
3. Playoff Experience
You might be wondering why playoff experience is so valuable for the Raptors when they’ve been booted out of the playoffs by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers three straight seasons. Twice they were swept out of the postseason by the Cavs. That’s a huge psychological block for the Raptors to overcome.
While that’s true, it should be noted that James no longer resides in the East and this is a different team from the ones that endured those playoff losses. Gone are DeMar DeRozan and Jonas Valanciunas, two key members of the teams that suffered those embarrassing losses to the Cavs. They have been replaced by veterans who are familiar with a winning culture in sharpshooting guard Danny Green and former Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard from the San Antonio Spurs, as well as former Defensive Player of the Year Marc Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies.
More than any championship contender in the Eastern Conference, the Raptors have the benefit of having veteran players who know how to win in the postseason. That will come in handy with the long grind of going through several rounds before making it to the Finals, and they are familiar with the atmosphere of playing in big games when the stakes are highest.
2. The Marc Gasol Acquisition
The addition of Gasol at the trade deadline has made the Raptors a more efficient team. This is a testament to how well Gasol understands how this game is played and what he can and cannot do.
As good as the Raptors have been throughout this season, they have become better with the 11th-year man on board. His ability to initiate the offense from the post makes him the ideal big man for coach Nick Nurse’s system. He will keep the offense from stagnating by consistently hitting cutters and open shooters. Everyone else can just keep moving and finding seams in the defense, and Gasol will be able to spot them.
As noted by Mark Deeks of Sky Sports, the Raptors were prone to overdribbling prior to Gasol’s arrival. That style would be the death of them against the Warriors, who can destroy teams when they are too predictable offensively. Nurse installed an offense, even before he became head coach, that created more opportunities for everyone, not just the stars, though there still have been some stagnant moments. With Gasol around, he makes Toronto even more versatile and unpredictable.
When it comes to his matchup with the younger DeMarcus Cousins, Gasol is a terrific perimeter shooter who can take Cousins out of the painted area, making Boogie less effective. Though he’s no longer as spry as he used to be, the 34-year-old center is smart and strong enough to keep his counterpart from getting good positioning in the low post.
1. Defenders at every position
Perhaps the most optimistic reason why Toronto has a huge chance to dethrone the Warriors from their lofty pedestal is the number of excellent individual defenders they have. Kevin Durant has been unstoppable in the title round the past two years, winning Finals MVP both times. No one was able to keep No. 35 from dominating the competition at the highest level.
The Raptors have such a player. In fact, they have two of them. Leonard is the more obvious choice because he is familiar with Durant during their battles in the Western Conference when he was still with the Spurs. LeBron James also credits Leonard with being the best player to defend him. Ever.
Even when Leonard sits down, there’s still Pascal Siakam to defend Durant. If KD dares to drive down the middle, he’ll have the long arms of Serge Ibaka and Gasol to keep him from the basket.
Their length and versatility extend to the wings with Danny Green and OG Anunoby capable of shutting down Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Curry’s primary defenders would be Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet, but if the two-time MVP gets hot and neither can contain him, Green and Anunoby could take turns bothering him.
The Raptors are seventh in defensive rating, per NBA.com, much better than the Warriors are this season (16th overall.) But the Dubs are still No. 1 in offensive rating, which would challenge Toronto’s defense tremendously. Just the same, if there’s a team that can match up well with the defending champs, it’s the Raptors.
If they can get past the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics in the East, the Raptors would have a great chance at their first NBA title even if the Warriors are in their way.
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