Top seed gives Raptors edge, but dangers still loom on road to NBA final

TORONTO The Toronto Raptors have never before had such a feasible path to the NBA final, but the road ahead will have no shortage of daunting obstacles.

Entering the playoffs as the top seed in the Eastern Conference gives the Raptors home-court advantage through to the final. That’s a significant edge for a Toronto team that tied Houston for the best home record in the league this season at 34-7.

But to get to the final Toronto would likely have to survive a second-round encounter with nemesis LeBron James, and then face the prospect of taking on the red-hot Philadelphia 76ers in the conference final.

Here is a look at a hypothetical path to the final for the Raptors:

FIRST ROUND — WASHINGTON WIZARDS Despite having home-court advantage, the fourth-seeded Raptors faced a humiliating first-round sweep at the hands of the Wizards in 2015.

Toronto will surely expect a different result this time around. Washington is still dangerous opponent, with all-star point guard John Wall, shooting guard Bradley Beal and centre Marcin Gortat returning from the 2015 Wizards team.

SECOND ROUND — CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

A conference semifinal against the Cavaliers is not what the Raptors envisioned when they locked up the top seed in the Eastern Conference. But unless the Indiana Pacers upset LeBron James and company in the first round, that’s what Toronto’s going to get.

THIRD ROUND — PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

While the Sixers finished one seed behind No. 2 Boston in the East, they should be able to beat the Celtics in a hypothetical second-round matchup and advance to the conference final. Without injured guard Kyrie Irving, the Celtics would be hard-pressed to beat a Sixers team that ended the regular season on a 16-game winning streak powered by young stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.