It’s an open secret. The Toronto Raptors are making the playoffs. Last time the Raptors made the playoffs, Katy Perry just kissed a girl and Bae was calling out all the single ladies. The magic number is five. It’s been five years since the Raptors made the playoffs and they need a combination of five Raptor wins or New York Knicks losses in order to clinch a playoff spot. But we aren’t just talking about playoffs, we are talking about home court advantage. That’s the goal Raptors should have in mind heading into the last 14 games of the season.
Sitting at 38-30, Raptors need to take care of business over the next 30 days. In order for the Raptors to secure the third seed, they need to fend off Chicago, Brooklyn and Washington over the next three weeks. This means winning the Atlantic Division, securing a third seed in the East and maybe, just maybe, winning 12 out of the 14 remaining games to win 50 games for the first time in the history of the franchise. Achieving 50 wins is a tad unrealistic but the boy (Drake) can dream. With five of the remaining games against Atlantic Division foes, Raptors can seal the deal on the Atlantic Division by sweeping those games.
Looking at the remaining schedule, the Raptors have the winnable games against the Atlanta Hawks, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Boston Celtics (x2), the Orlando Magic, the Milwaukee Bucks (x2), the Philadelphia 76ers, the Detroit Pistons and the New York Knicks (x2). That is 11 games against teams below 500 and in the Eastern Conference. The remaining three are against Houston, Miami, and Indiana. The strength of the remaining schedule is exceptionally weak and Raptors should comfortably win 10-12 of the games. The Raptors are tied with the Charlotte Bobcats for the easiest schedule remaining in the Eastern Conference, with the average opponent winning 41 percent of their games.
If the Raptors clinch third place, they would be looking at facing an inexperienced Washington Wizards team, which would be an ideal match up for the first round for the similarly inexperienced Raptors. But if Brooklyn slips up and ends up in sixth, this could cause problems for the Raptors. Brooklyn owns the best record in the league since the calendar flipped to 2014 and is currently on a three game winning streak. They are firing on all cylinders and have come together at a perfect time. Facing Brooklyn in the first round could mean an early exit for the Raptors from the playoff dance. The other team Raptors (or any other) fans do not want to see in the first round of playoffs is the Chicago Bulls. They are a well-oiled machine on defense and make you earn every single point for the whole 48 minutes. Tom Thibodeau expects perfection from his Bulls and they play their hearts out. How far the Raptors go depends on who their opponent is in the first round but the Raptors can go toe to toe with any one of the previously mentioned teams.
This is an exciting time for a Toronto Raptors fan. The playoffs are close and anything can happen. This team has pleasantly surprised everybody and played their hearts out. It is fun to watch them play and this is the type of team that the city can rally behind. Jonas Valanciunas, Amir Johnson, Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Terrence Ross the Boss, Patrick Peterson, Chuck Hayes, and Greivis Vasquez have given this city new energy and vibe. Here’s to hoping that this article didn’t jinx them and that they continue to march on deep into May.
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