McHale: ''I think Raptors will get past 1st Round''

[Doc]

Words coming from the great Kevin McHale. Nice to see we're slowly catching more and more people's attention around the league.

Caught this via bena2005 over at the RealGM who heard it this evening.

It's done airing on nba.com

It was a live stream video so no text.

Someone tweeted and asked him what does he thinks of the new raptors

He said he really started to like them since the last 20 games, he's been watching them more, Bargnani is becoming alot better, and Bosh got his rhythm every game. ''I really do think they can win a playoff series, they're definitely a lot better, but in the 2nd round the competition will be harder probably vs. Cleveland, Orlando or Boston, but if they don't get past the 1st round, it will probably be a 7 game series.''

[.40 Cal Flakes]

Cool. Meaningful words coming from an NBA great-he knows his stuff man. If the Raps manage to make it out of the first rd I think I'll go crazy with hysteria!

[MattyG-Ray]

Nice to hear that an experienced source thinks we can possibly make it to the 2nd round, and if not we will push a team to 7 in the first round. I would like to point out though, that if McHale was saying the Raptors were a one and done team that would not make any noise in the playoffs, everyone would be calling him an idiot and pointing to his track record as a GM in Minnesota. Just saying...

[T.L.]

McHale is a legend no doubt and well respected in the league. Though I've always preceived him as a nice guy, which would inturn have positive remarks.

I would look forward to Raptors playing better and growing as a team going forward each and every game in the 2nd half, not to get too high on remarks and have results speak.

If the Raps have a good run in the playoffs would be awesome.

[JibbaJabba34]

If the Raps manage to make it out of the first rd I think I'll go crazy with hysteria!

If the Raps get out of the first round, the city of Toronto needs to have a parade down Yonge street the way they do when their beloved Leafs even MAKE the playoffs!

[Mack North]

Nice to hear a little chatter from south of the border. I just really can't wait for Chris Webber to eat his words from the beginning of the season, "The Raptors won't make the playoffs and Bosh is definitely gone!". He lost some respect from me when he called that timeout on Michigan, he lost it all when he made that comment. You too Steve Smith(but at least you said they'd make 7th or 8th seed and he'd bolt)...

[Apollo]

reading between the lines it sort of sounds like he feels the Raptors will draw the Hawks in round one. That would be one darn exciting series.