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The 2015/16 Raptors Power Rankings Thread

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  • #31

    Mamba Mentality

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    • #32
      SI has us at 7 (up two) - http://www.si.com/nba/2015/11/30/nba...sell-westbrook

      It feels like we don’t really talk about it, but Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are the East’s best backcourt. It’s thanks to them that Toronto hasn’t missed a beat without the injured Jonas Valanciunas: see Lowry’s 27 points, six assists, four steals and no turnovers in a win over Cleveland, and DeRozan’s four straight 20-point games.
      CBS has us at 6 (up EIGHT) - http://www.cbssports.com/nba/story/2...r-on-the-court

      Came out of the West Coast road trip strong, got a signature win over the Cavaliers, snuck out a victory against the Wizards Saturday before a back-to-back loss to the Suns Sunday. This team is a legit Eastern Contender and not enough people are talking about it. They have significantly fewer weaknesses on their roster than last year. One warning sign: their offense is held up by their free-throw rate, for the second straight year. You cannot rely on that come April.
      NBA dot com has us at 7 (up one) - http://www.nba.com/2015/news/powerrankings/11/30/week5/

      Six of the Raptors' last eight games have been within five points in the last five minutes, including a pair of thrillers over the weekend. Cory Joseph hit the game-winner in Washington on Saturday, but had a couple of late turnovers against Phoenix on Sunday. Bismack Biyombo is supposed to bring defense, but the new starting lineup has allowed 112 points per 100 possessions in the four games Jonas Valanciunas has missed.
      And ESPN has us at 6 (up one) - http://espn.go.com/nba/powerrankings/_/week/5

      After a league-high 12 road games already and with a home win over Cleveland on Drake Night to savor, Toronto needn't dwell too much on Sunday night's narrow home loss to Phoenix on the back end of a back-to-back. Getting more of what they've seen so far from Luis Scola, who's shooting a bonus .500 from the 3-point line, is a fun sidebar.

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      • #33
        Thanks for posting. With all the hate on this forum. You almost forget were actually a good team.
        @Chr1st1anL

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        • #34
          Bismack Biyombo is supposed to bring defense, but the new starting lineup has allowed 112 points per 100 possessions in the four games Jonas Valanciunas has missed.
          Hmm
          "Stop eating your sushi."
          "I do actually have a pair of Uggs."
          "I've had three cups of green tea tonight. I'm wired. I'm absolutely wired."
          - Jack Armstrong

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          • #35
            This team is a legit Eastern Contender and not enough people are talking about it.
            Only one thing matters: We The Champs.

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            • #36
              JimiCliff wrote: View Post
              Hmm
              Obviously JVs fault

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              • #37
                SI has us at 8 (down one) - http://www.si.com/nba/2015/12/07/nba...y-lebron-james

                Kyle Lowry poured in a career-high 41 against the Warriors, and his team gets credit for pushing Golden State to the brink a second time. The Raptors have been extremely competitive through the first quarter of the season and should take advantage of juicy home tilts with the Lakers, Bucks and Sixers this week.
                NBA dot com has us at 7 (unchanged) - http://www.nba.com/2015/news/powerrankings/12/07/week6/

                The Raptors got a big win with a big comeback in Atlanta on Wednesday and took the Warriors down to the wire again on Saturday. But they've lost three of their last four games and have put themselves in double-digit deficits in the first half of each of their last five. For the season, they've been the league's third worst first-quarter team, getting outscored by 11.6 points per 100 possessions.
                ESPN has us at 8 (down two) - http://espn.go.com/nba/powerrankings/_/week/6

                Teams with real playoff aspirations don't spend time dwelling on moral victories, so we're hesitant to shower too much love on the Raps after they played Golden State as closely as anyone has -- for the second time -- only to come up agonizingly short (again). Playing down to weaker competition, as Toronto tends to do, tends to kill that buzz.
                and CBS has us at 7 (down one) - http://www.cbssports.com/nba/story/2...ense----not-3s

                The Nuggets loss was bad, but this team is still playing well. They put up a fight vs. the Warriors which counts as a win here, and they still have a top-10 point differential per 100 possessions. The Jonas Valanciunas injury is really apparent for stretches, though.

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                • #38
                  magoon wrote: View Post
                  First quarters are a huge problem. This team is always fighting to climb out of a hole.
                  "We're playing in a building." -- Kawhi Leonard

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                  • #39
                    So hard to get a read on this team. We're like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

                    I will say this: I do think our ceiling is slightly improved from last year. We may end up with the same wins or worse, but I think the team is more robust. We can beat better teams, and our losses are more situational than structural.

                    I don't think we'll go past the second round, but it's something. And who knows what's out there in trade-land. Houston and Chicago both have a glut of PFs both ripe for the plucking.

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                    • #40
                      Toronto*(16-9)*
                      Pace:*96.1 (25)*OffRtg:*103.9 (6)*DefRtg:*99.4 (9)*NetRtg:*+4.5 (6)*
                      The Raptors are without two starters, but their four-game winning streak (with a win over the Spurs) has been a result of better starts. After losing five straight first quarters, they've won four straight (by a total score of 108-84), with DeMar DeRozan (31 points on just 17 shots) and Luis Scola (24 points) giving them some early punch. DeMarre Carroll could be missed against Paul George, Nicolas Batum and Dwyane Wade this week.*

                      http://www.nba.com/2015/news/powerra..._tw_sf16952906
                      @Chr1st1anL

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                      • #41
                        Chr1s1anL wrote: View Post
                        Toronto*(16-9)*
                        Pace:*96.1 (25)*OffRtg:*103.9 (6)*DefRtg:*99.4 (9)*NetRtg:*+4.5 (6)*
                        The Raptors are without two starters, but their four-game winning streak (with a win over the Spurs) has been a result of better starts. After losing five straight first quarters, they've won four straight (by a total score of 108-84), with DeMar DeRozan (31 points on just 17 shots) and Luis Scola (24 points) giving them some early punch. DeMarre Carroll could be missed against Paul George, Nicolas Batum and Dwyane Wade this week.*

                        http://www.nba.com/2015/news/powerra..._tw_sf16952906
                        Yup, NBA.com and SI have us at #5 this week ... right behind the true contenders GS, the Spurs, Cavs and OKC.

                        But everybody has the same top 4, followed by a "pack" of Eastern-Conference teams (Indiana, Celts, Charlotte, Miami, Bulls, Hawks, Raps).

                        The thinking seems to be that with the injuries not stopping the Raptors from racking up "signature wins", the Raps are among the best bets to stay in the hunt for a good seeding ... with players sure to return to bolster the squad.

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                        • #42
                          Hero Team Of The Week, bitches!

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                          • #43
                            I think our last two runs through the playoffs show us that rankings mean very little but.....does it not seem strange to long suffering raps fans that the team can be ranked #5 this week (behind the ho hum warriors/spurs/thunder and cavs) and it doesn't rock our world? Every once in a while, you've got to stop and appreciate things

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                            • #44
                              Jclaw wrote: View Post
                              I think our last two runs through the playoffs show us that rankings mean very little but.....does it not seem strange to long suffering raps fans that the team can be ranked #5 this week (behind the ho hum warriors/spurs/thunder and cavs) and it doesn't rock our world? Every once in a while, you've got to stop and appreciate things
                              Outside the GSW,Spurs,Thunder and Cavs and the awful Sixers, Nets, Bucks,Lakers, NOP the rest is just a blob no real difference.

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                              • #45
                                GSW/SAS/OKC only West teams in ESPN's top 10 this week. Teams 4-10 all from the East.

                                Crazy.
                                "We're playing in a building." -- Kawhi Leonard

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