Nobody is picking the Toronto Raptors to return to the NBA Finals again after they won it in 2019.
But optimists can find a path to the finals.
Brandon Ingram, who lit up the Miami Heat with 38 in a crucial game late in the season, was often the go-to guy on a Team USA with Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Halliburton at the FIBA World Cup in Manila in 2023.
Thanks to Miami beating Atlanta on the final day of the regular season, the Raptors managed to avoid facing the NY Knicks, who have beaten Toronto in 9 straight games.
Toronto will like their chances against Cleveland and even against number one seed Detroit, a young team who lack playoff experience.
If Toronto can reach the Eastern finals, they will likely face whoever survives the heavyweight slugfest between New York and Boston. This has been Indiana’s path to the Eastern finals in previous seasons.
Toronto isn’t the same team that won the championship in 2019. There’s nobody left from that team, which had been a contender in the East for years only to run into LeBron in the playoffs before he bolted west to the Lakers. The Raptors current coach Darko Rajakovic, in his third season, has never coached a game in the playoffs. But his team is built on consistent defence, similar to the dynasty under former coaches Dwane Casey and Nick Nurse.
Raptors also have a nucleus of rising stars such as Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett who are hungry to gain respect around the league.
The key is Ingram. He has the length to shoot over defenders and take over games. Raptors’s fans have long been comparing him to Kawhi Leonard, who led them to a championship. Now is Ingram’s time to shine. He could turn out to be the star of the Eastern conference playoffs.
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