Round and round
Who will Raptors face to open the playoffs? We look at the three possibilities
Four games remain before the post-season begins — and three potential opening-round possibilities for the Raptors as the NBA’s stretch drive promises to be a wild ride.
As early as tonight, when Indiana comes to town having played a home tip versus Golden State last night, the Raptors can wrap up the East, a mere formality following Toronto’s win over the offensively challenged Celtics.
By as early as later tonight, the first two seeds in the East will be cemented, though Boston got the crushing news yesterday that superstar point guard Kyrie Irving will not be returning this season after undergoing further knee surgery.
Seeds No. 3 through 5, a group that consists of Cleveland, the red-hot Sixers and the Pacers, can switch from night to night. But the real intrigue, at least if you’re the Raptors, comes at the bottom end of the Eastern pecking order.
Entering Thursday night’s play, one half-game separated Miami, Washington and Milwaukee.
The team that lands the eighth spot will travel to Toronto next weekend as Game 1 in the best-of-seven series tips off.
The Raptors have a postseason history with each, the Bucks having matched up against the Raptors most recently last spring when Milwaukee jumped out to a 2-1 lead only to be blitzed by the Raptors once Norman Powell was inserted as a starter.
Two years ago, the Heat and Raptors met in the second round, a drag-it-out, grind-itout matchup that went the distance. Home court was the deciding factor as Toronto won Game 7.
And the year previous, the Wizards blew the Raptors off the floor in a dramatic sweep that exposed Toronto on many levels.
Obviously, the Raptors can’t pick their first-round opponent. Too often in sports, teams looking for a certain matchup wind up getting bitten in the rear end.
The Wizards remain the wild card in the East, a long, athletic team with talent whose length has given the Raptors all kinds of problems every time they’ve met.
Depth is an issue with Washington, but a John Wall and Bradley Beal backcourt, when playing at a high level, can do a lot of damage.
Miami plays a physical style that will get to you, goad you into committing stupid fouls and challenge you on every possession. But the Heat lacks shot makers.
The Heat is well-coached and plays host to the Raptors in the season finale next Wednesday, the same night Milwaukee plays at Philly, while Washington travels to Orlando.
The Bucks are long and athletic and with Giannis Antetokounmpo virtually unstoppable when he gets into the paint,quite dangerous.
Twice this season — each game played at the ACC — the Bucks and Raptors required overtime, the first playing out on New Year’s Day when DeMar DeRozan went off for a franchise-record 52 points.
Bucks, Wizards or Heat — one will emerge as Toronto’s opening-round opponent.
Toronto will be favoured, as it should, and home court will be a factor, even though the Raptors lost Game 1 at home in the previous post-season matchups against Washington, Miami and Milwaukee over the past three springs, a nasty habit the Raptors have developed.
Washington was in Cleveland on Thursday night, a place the Wizards are comfortable having beaten the Cavs in the first game coming off the all-star break.
The Wizards are home Friday night to Atlanta and then close out the season with a back-to-back, home to Boston next Tuesday and then on the road in Orlando.
Miami plays at New York on Friday, with its following tip on Monday against visiting OKC.
The season finale versus the Raptors could mean so much and yet so little depending on the standings and how the Raptors approach the game based on the players they dress and the minutes they dole out.
Milwaukee was playing host to Brooklyn on Thursday night.
The Bucks go to New York to play the Knicks on Saturday, return home to play Orlando on Monday and wrap up the regular season with an away tip against the Sixers.
In a series against any of these potential opponents, if the Raptors take care of business at home, they’ll advance, but it won’t be easy.
The East is deep, but all roads lead through Cleveland and LeBron James, who is eyeing his eighth consecutive trip to the NBA final.
If everything aligns, there could be a second-round matchup pitting Toronto and Philly, the first time the franchises will have met since that epic Game 7 series when Allen Iverson and Vince Carter exchanged 50-point games.
From Philly native Kyle Lowry to former Raptors architect and current Sixers GM Bryan Colangelo, there will be plenty of sub plots if Toronto and Philadelphia do meet up.
But first things first, which in the case of the Raptors is to wrap up the top seed in the East and then watch as Miami, Washington and Milwaukee jockey for playoffs seedings.
Who travels to Toronto next weekend for a first-round duel? Entering Thursday’s play, it’s anyone’s guess.