Not many expected the Toronto Raptors to keep their standing as one of the elite teams in the NBA following the departure of last year's Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. But alas, Toronto has managed to remain a top-2 team in the East throughout the regular season.
Entering the bubble games in Orlando, experts still pegged the Los Angeles Lakers, the L.A. Clippers, and the Milwaukee Bucks over the Raptors as the favorites to win the 2020 NBA championship. Only a very select few believe Toronto can go back-to-back.
Nearly a week into the season's return, the Raptors are undefeated so far with two impressive victories. Their convincing 15-point win over the Lakers on Saturday definitely turned some heads towards the overlooked defending champions. Likewise, their 107-103 victory over the Miami Heat on Monday showed that they know how to win in tight situations.
Following the Lakers game, LeBron James spoke highly about Toronto. The four-time MVP praised their team from top to bottom, detailed their strengths, and most importantly acknowledged why they were the defending champs.
The King is spot on. Toronto has wasted no time in flexing its championship DNA in their two games in Disney World.
The Toronto Raptors Are Legit, Championship Ready
With that, let's take a look at their two games in Orlando so far.
Toronto didn't have a good shooting night against the Lakers. They shot just 41 percent from the field as a team. They, however, did their damage on the other end of the floor, holding Los Angeles to just 92 points on 35.4 percent shooting. Toronto also held Anthony Davis to just 14 points on 2-of-7 shooting. Kyle Lowry led the team with 33 points, a career-high 14 rebounds, all while fighting and hustling against bigger guys on the defensive end.
Against Miami, the Raptors shot just 43 percent from the field, but did convert on 50-percent (16-of-32) of their three-pointers. Fred VanVleet was the man of the night, dropping a career-best 36 points to go along with 7 triples. Not only that, he also made arguably the biggest play of the game: a clutch defensive stop with Miami looking to tie the game near the end.
NEED A STOP?
CALL @FredVanVleet pic.twitter.com/HycukJYEjf
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) August 3, 2020
What have these games shown so far?
One, any player from the Raptors can step up at any given time. Lowry shined versus the Lakers. Against Miami, VanVleet showed why he deserves a big payday this coming off-season.
Two, they are so good defensively.
While they are just a middle of the pack offensive team, the Raptors bank on their elite defense (no. 2 defensive rating, per NBA.com) as their main recipe for success. Their games against Los Angeles and Miami showed just how much of a juggernaut this team is on that end of the floor.
Toronto plays a scrappy and intelligent brand of defense that requires all five players on the floor to be in sync. Their defensive rotations are often on point and they always communicate with each other. Likewise, Coach Nick Nurse employs different and unpredictable defensive schemes throughout the game to confuse opponents. The range varies from traps, full court presses, zones, and much more.
An important recipe for their success is that they actually have the right personnel to employ this juggernaut. They have two guards, though undersized, in Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet who scrap and fight despite lacking in height. All-Star Pascal Siakam has proved to be a versatile defender who can also switch out onto guards in the perimter.
Toronto also has two of the smartest defensive big men in the league in Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol. Moreover, they have long and versatile perimeter defenders such as O.G. Anunoby and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson on the wings.
The Raptors don't have that big name superstar that the Bucks, Lakers, or Clippers have. But they do have a few weapons who can take over games on any given day, as we saw against the Lakers and the Heat.
Likewise, without that one superstar they can just dump the ball to to get them a bucket, their offense relies heavily on ball movement. In times when the offense turns sour and doesn't work, their defensive backbone will always give them a chance to win.
Finally, this team is also extra motivated. With all the chatter about how they can't repeat because of Kawhi's departure, this team carries a massive chip on its shoulder and is out to prove their championship pedigree.
Don't sleep on the Toronto Raptors.
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