The Raptors are a team on the hunt for a signature, validating win. We know this team can land some haymakers against the league’s best; ask the Celtics and Nuggets, for example. Because of their depth, ingrained hard-playing identity, and the might of a healthy Scottie Barnes, we probably haven’t seen the last Raptors flirtation with a major upset — but do they have the goods just yet to pull one, or many, off?
It seems Toronto’s at least cleared the benchmark of being competitive against the league’s mushy middle. They’re leaving the dregs in their wake, and on any given night pitted against one of the 20 pretty good teams in the league, you don’t need to squint to see how these Raptors, top half in both offense and defense since the return of Scottie Barnes, can pull out a result. Wins this week against the Heat and Pacers, or further back against the Wolves, help prove the Raptors have graduated at least one difficulty level since their 2-12 start.
I like video games. A lot, in fact. And for me, the more punishingly difficult, the better. Sure, it’s nice to solve the beats and rhythms of a game and fall into a flow state that doesn’t require peak attention or min-maxing to be successful. But for a game to truly be worth the time sink, I want it to absolutely kick my ass. Make me question the worth of my very existence, and I’m handing out top marks. Getting skunked by the same boss fight 50 times is the price of improving your craft; the release when you nail the combos and drop your foe (like that MFer Hornet in Hollow Night) are worth the pain.
This is what I hope the Raptors mindset is going into their next three games against three of the five or six most title-worth teams in the league. The Thunder, Mavs and Knicks are all varying degrees of awesome, with New York’s defense the only unit across the three teams not ranked in the Top-10. It’s very possible Toronto will be out of its depth.
This mini gauntlet of games is gonna poke and prod at all the things the Raptors should want examined for their efficacy. OKC’s off-kilter roster and coach will test Darko Rajakovic’s in-game tactical acumen and the problem solving of the team’s best players (especially if Jakob Poeltl is in fact out with the illness that has him questionable at the time of writing). Dallas’ leading duo of shot-making wizards are sure to challenge the Raptors’ recent refinement in the crunch time department. Toronto’s steady defensive uptick has been encouraging, but can it envelope the Knicks’ league-leading offense?
If they drop all three contests, that’s OK, and expected. They’ll serve as the exact measuring stick a young team with burgeoning ambition needs to gauge how to get from here to there, steeling them with ever-so-precious reps against the best of the best.
If they do pull some results, it won’t necessarily mean they’ve mastered the game; beginner’s luck and all that. But it could certainly indicate this ascending squad won’t be stuck on their current level for as long as you’d maybe expect.
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Today on the podcast I went solo to talk about a grab bag of topics, including Gradey Dick’s impending return to the lineup, the coming rotation crunch, the not very good East and the announcement of the Toronto Tempo as the new WNBA team’s name. Enjoy the show!
