View from the Cheap Seats is kind of an extension of the newsroom. Whenever our three regular reporters, Calvin Daniels, Thom Barker and Randy Brenzen are in the building together, it is frequently a site of heated debate. This week: Can the Toronto Raptors go all the way to the NBA championship?
Soon to be extinct
I’m sorry to say, I don’t hold out much hope for the Raptors getting out of the next round of the playoffs much less going to the final.
They should have done way better against Indianapolis. Okay, the Pacers have Paul George, but Toronto was second seed in the East.
While most of the top seeds, Golden State, San Antonio and Cleveland, were dismantling their opponents, the Raps struggled to get out of the first round. Their all-star, DeRozan, didn’t even show up until Game 5, then slipped again in Game 6 before finally doing what he is capable of in Game 7.
That was exciting, but even so, the Raps almost let that final game go in the fourth quarter.
Okay, they might, just might, get past the Heat, who also went seven games and do not look championship-ready either, but there is no way they get out of the Eastern Conference with Cleveland looming.
The question is not about this season though, it is: what does Toronto have to do to reach the next level?
They have never had a franchise player and that is not going to change any time soon. And you don’t necessarily need it. Look at San Antonio. Yes, Tim Duncan is a hall-of-famer, maybe a couple of the other guys too, but they are a team that wins as a team.
And that goes right up to the front office. The Spurs have great management.
The Raps also have great management.
And, because of that, Toronto now has a great team. Seriously, they have all the components to be a San Antonio, except one.
They need a coach.
I like Dwayne Casey and I think he has done a lot for the Raptors, but he is not a Gregg Popovich.
Popovich, of course, may be the greatest basketball coach ever. Under his tutelage the Spurs have won five championships. This year, they had the fourth best record in NBA history. If it had not been for Golden State’s record setting year, we would be reveling at the accomplishment.
Yes, if Toronto wants to elevate itself to the level of the Spurs, the Lakers, the Celtics and the Bulls, it will need a coach. Sorry Dwayne.
—Thom Barker
We the North
We might be a hockey first nation when it comes to sport, but right now for many sport fans across Canada it is Toronto Raptors or bust.
In Saskatchewan and Calgary fans still have National Lacrosse League playoff teams to cheer for. The Calgary Roughnecks taking on Colorado in a one-game playoff, the winner to face our Saskatchewan Rush.
But the National Basketball Association does have a larger profile, (although I’m not sure why when watching the two sports), and so the Raptors rule.
It hasn’t been hard to become a Raptor fan of late. The last couple of seasons they have had stellar regular season records, finishing second overall in the east this campaign.
And the ‘We the North’ marketing strategy is one of the best in sport — maybe one of the best in advertising in general. It has made being a Raptor fan a case of national pride. They have grown the Raptor ‘label’ from a TO-based team, to one which carries the basketball hopes of a nation with them every time they hit the court.
That all said the Raptors have not been a good playoff team the few times they have made it to the second season.
Last year the team fell short being swept in the opening round to the Washington Wizards, a result which at best was a disappointment, if not an outright choke.
The team rebounded to have a big regular season, but expectations were/are high this playoffs.
The match-up had the Raptors facing seventh spot Indiana in the opening round. Toronto had 11 more wins during the regular campaign, and should have had an easier time of it than they did.
Paul George generally had his way for the Pacers who took it to seven games.
In the deciding game the Raptors led 78-64 headed to the fourth quarter and then held on to win 89-84 after being outscored 20-11 down the stretch.
It was a huge win as it marks only the second time in franchise history the Raptors have advanced to the second round. The previous time was 2001.
They will meet the Miami Heat, third in the east with eight less wins on the regular season, the Raptors winning three of four in head-to-head action.
This should be a better match-up for the Raps than the Pacers, and that should mean a date in the East final, which will do nicely to keep fans part of the ‘We the North’ brigade.
— Calvin Daniels
Underachieving Raps
Well! The Toronto Raptors FINALLY put an end to their first round playoff curse by (just barely) doing away with the Indiana Pacers, needing all seven games to oust the seventh seed.
The Raptors now advance to the second round to take on the Miami Heat, who also needed seven games to win their series against Charlotte.
Maybe they’ll play a little bit more loose and relaxed after advancing to the second round of the NBA playoffs for the first time since their first time back in 2001 and dominate the Heat.
Unfortunately, I don’t see that being the case. I do see the Raptors winning the series, but in six, maybe seven games. The fact of the matter is, the Raptors don’t quite know what it takes to win in the playoffs.
They put together a strong regular season, but have so far struggled in the playoffs. Sure, they won their first round series, but they had far too much trouble with the Pacers (read that as Paul George). That series should have been finished in five games maximum.
What they need is for DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry to play like their regular season selves. They also need the supporting cast of Jonas Valanciunas, Bismack Biyombo and DeMarre Carroll to chip in, both offensively and especially defensively.
The final thing that the Raptors need to do in order to be successful is to limit the amount of time coach Dwane Casey gets to coach. He’s a decent bench boss, don’t get me wrong, but he’s the eighth best coach in the NBA second round and WILL get outcoached every game.
In short, the Raptors will once again struggle against Miami but pull out a series win (just barely), before possibly getting lambasted in the East final by Cleveland.
—Randy Brenzen
