While the Cleveland Cavaliers have been the team to beat in the Eastern Conference ever since LeBron returned in 2014, this year’s NBA Playoffs are already looking like they’ll be a completely different animal.
The Toronto Raptors are sitting pretty with the first seed in the East while the Celtics sit three games back, and the Cavs are fighting to hold onto third place at 10.5 games behind (only a half-game in front of the Pacers). In the West, the Rockets and Warriors are fighting neck-and-neck for first place, with the Rockets a half-game ahead.
In the East, the Celtics are rolling and have won six of their last seven games, but the Raptors are hot too. Toronto is scorching right now––the Raptors have won eight straight games, including a huge victory over Houston to snap its 17 game winning streak. Right now, this Raptors team scares me much more than the Cavaliers, and I feel like not enough Celtics fans are talking about that. So let’s open up the conversation.
While I did write a few weeks ago that the Raptors don’t intimidate me that much in the playoffs––they’ve never won a playoff series against a formidable opponent––I do believe they’re much more menacing than Cleveland, who’s gone 5-5 in its last 10 games.
Not only did the Raptors overpower the Rockets on a national stage, but they also hung 132 points on the Knicks today––their third 130+ point game of the season. Toronto is ranked fourth both offensively and defensively in the NBA, the only team ranked in the top five in both categories.
As Toronto and Boston continue to roll, the Cavs seem to be over their honeymoon phase and have come back down to Earth. They’re starting to look like the .500 team that their roster would indicate (without Kevin Love). LeBron simply doesn’t have the same starpower surrounding him that he’s had in the past, so there’s a chance he struggles in the playoffs as the third or fourth seed. Simply put, water is finding its level, and this is bad news for Cleveland.
Listen, I’m not trying to make the Raptors out to be anything more than they are, as they might not even have the tools to beat the Celtics in a seven game series. But right now, they pose more of a threat to Boston’s path to The Finals than Cleveland does. It may just be God’s Plan that’s boosting Toronto right now, but I hope I’m not the only one who’s expecting Boston vs. Toronto in the Conference Finals––it would certainly be refreshing.
(Photo and stats via NBA.com)
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