The Toronto Raptors shrugged off some early struggles to put together a great season in 2021-22.
The Raptors seemed destined for a rebuilding year before the calendar flipped to 2022, starting 14-17. They are 39-31 now, meaning they have gone 25-13 since that 17th loss in late December, a stretch that includes separate win streaks of five, six and seven games.
As the postseason fast approaches, here are three reasons why the Raptors can make noise in the Eastern Conference.
Why Raptors can make noise in Eastern Conference
There is no clear favorite in the East
The Eastern Conference could produce just about anyone when it comes to the Finals. Some teams will have a better starting position in the playoffs, of course, but that does not always mean much. The Miami Heat have the first seed right now, followed by the Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics.
Still, the Raptors will feel comfortable they can beat any of those four teams in a seven-game series, just like the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers. Toronto has fared well against the playoff competition in the East, with three victories over the Bucks and two wins over the Nets and Heat. Cleveland is the only team mentioned above who the Raptors haven't beaten this season.
When we say there are no favorites, that does not mean the Raptors are outright better than any of these teams. Even Brooklyn, currently behind Toronto in the standings, has a better roster than Toronto with Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons available. The Bucks are obviously defending champions, the Bulls are very strong when healthy, the Celtics are on a roll and so on down the list.
However, any of these teams are beatable, and rest assured that Nick Nurse's team knows it.
They can still avoid the play-in tournament
The Raptors own seven seed right now, which means they would have to advance past the play-in tournament to make the playoffs. They will have home-court advantage for the play-in, though, crucial for a team with fan base as rabid as Toronto's.
Don't dismiss the possibility of the Raptors surging into sixth place before the end of the regular season, though. They are just one game behind Cleveland in the loss column with 12 left to play, including a crucial home matchup with Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and company on March 24th. Needless to say, both teams would much rather get the six seed than face the prospect of an initial play-in matchup with Kevin Durant and the Nets.
Toronto is a team on the rise
The Raptors were plagued by a very poor start to 2021-22, but are set to enter the postseason with tangible momentum in wake of an impressive second half. Standoout rookie Scottie Barnes has leveled up of late, too, averaging 19.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game on 61.1% true shooting since the All-Star break, per NBA.com/stats.
Form entering the playoffs is very important. The Raptors are among the best teams in the NBA record-wise over the last 11 weeks. They have been able to post huge win streaks, keep their players motivated and use their core of young players to preserve some strength for later portions of the season. It is naive to discuss Toronto as legitimate title contenders, but we have seen equally crazy things happen in the NBA before.
For now, let's just say the Raptors will make serious noise come the playoffs.
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