Top 10 in Offense and Defense

[S.R.]

I still don't like the offensive system was just pointing out that were top 10 in both. Makes me feel a little bit comfortable in the playoffs because even if our offense struggles which it inevitably will we can play good enough defense to grind out wins potentially which was absolutely not the case last season

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This is a huge difference over last year's team and part of the reason they were within one FGM of the second round the year before. There were some ugly games & quarters in that Brooklyn series, and the defense kept them in it.

[S.R.]

This team will have a much better playoff showing if they're healthy and continue to play the smarter basketball we've seen the last couple of months as well as the defense that's improved so much over last season's. If DeMar and Lowry revert to hero mode and force the ISO offense, the Raps are screwed.

Does this defense have an extra playoff gear? Even during the regular season you'll see good teams crank it up for a few minutes or a quarter to put a team away, and you know that's what they're capable of.

[LJ2]

I'm impressed, but I know it won't matter unless it translates to playoff sucess, for most fans.

[golden]

Why is this a problem... Nobody thinks we can beat Cleveland unless lebron channels his 2011 finals.

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Actually, I think a lot of people are kind of wait-and-see on if the Raps can even win a first round matchup in the playoffs against anybody. The RR "expert" round-table weighs in on that topic....

5. This team will mostly only be measured by whether or not they win a playoff series. Has your confidence level in them doing so changed since the start of the season?

Blake Murphy: My confidence is probably slightly higher. The defense came together more quickly than I expected, even with Carroll struggling and missing time, and the fact that they’ve won a few tough games solely on their defense is encouraging. Being able to play both ends makes them a little bit more matchup-proof (though the East is probably still going to come down to matchups). I probably would have put their odds of making the second round a shade below 50 percent before the season, and now I’d probably go a shade above. That might seem too negative still, but there’s still a lot to prove in a jumbled conference.

Zarar Siddiqi: No. That needle hasn’t shifted. I can’t pick a single playoff team in the conference right now where you’d, without hesitation, say the Raptors would win that series.

Gavin MacPherson: My confidence in them may have shifted a little bit but I’m still not convinced they can get it done. Casey seems improved this year but it’s hard to ignore the fact that the was badly outcoached in consecutive first round upsets. The offensive strategy is still exactly what a quality defense wants to go up against and the mental toughness of players like Ross and Patterson is still very much in question. Right now I don’t think anyone will sweep them but I don’t think they stand a chance against the Cavs, Bulls, Heat or Hawks in a 7 game series and would struggle with the Pacers or Pistons.

Kiyan Sobhani: The Raptors are more equipped as a team to get to the second round this season, but so is the rest of the East, which somewhat counteracts that. If the Raptors face someone like Miami, I have huge doubts if they can overcome a 7-game series with an experienced and rejuvenated Heat team. Will Carroll be not only back, but back to his best? That’s a huge factor.

Tamberlyn Richardson: Honestly one recent response increased my belief exponentially. The sarcasm and commitment to why he performed the way he did spoke volumes for me. The other night during the broadcast I found a fact they dropped very telling: Only 3 teams have remained above .500 every day for the past 2 seasons (Golden State, Chicago, and Toronto). I would have bet money the Spurs were one of the 3, but that speaks to the franchises commitment to improve. The fact the past two post seasons get lumped together annoys me because we were ONE PLAY from making the second round in 2014 which is a far cry from being swept. I’d rather the years were reversed, but I do feel more confident this team is headed in the right direction than I did last season.

Michael Holian: I predicted a playoff series win in the Roundtable before the season started and my confidence has not wavered. We’ve yet to see this squad operate with their optimal lineup in place for a prolonged period of time. Only time will tell whether that ultimately proves worthy of advancing into Round 2 but now is not the time to change my beliefs. Even if a move is not made to improve the roster, the eventual return of DeMarre Carroll can essentially be viewed as a trade acquisition. Their track record makes it easy to have doubts, but the first half of the year has provided a sufficient amount of reasons to think they’ll get over the hump.

Shyam Baskaran: Hasn’t changed much. The Raptors lost in 2014 because it was their first experience in a long time, and they just fell short to a Nets squad with a wealth of playoff experience. And last year, the sheer exhaustion of Lowry late in the season and lack of offensive ball movement killed the Raptors, against a Wizards team that peaked at the right moment with John Wall playing some of the best ball of his career. This year, the east is much improved and while the Raptors seem better on paper, only time will tell if a) the Raptors can improve their standing in the conference for better seeding and home court advantage, and b) if they match up well against the opponent they end up paired with. At the beginning of the season and now, I still feel that we’ve got a slightly better chance this year at a first-round win than the in past 2 years. But that can change quickly.

Nick Reynoldson: If we have a fully healthy squad. We got this. If not, depending on the injured party…The brooms could come out again.

Tim Chisholm: No. I expected them to have a shot to win a series at the start of the season and I think that they have a shot now, but the team’s toughness comes and goes, and that is a big concern and a reason why it’s hard to peg them as a shoo-in for the second round. They may well win a series as constructed if they get the right matchup, but at this point you’d like to feel more certain considering where they are meant to be on their growth curve. You don’t mortgage the farm to get a slight bump this year, but you can’t let the inaction of a season ago repeat itself, either, with the east looking improved and the stakes involved for many being so high in this upcoming postseason.

http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2016/...ors-midseason/

[JWash]

I still don't like the offensive system was just pointing out that were top 10 in both. Makes me feel a little bit comfortable in the playoffs because even if our offense struggles which it inevitably will we can play good enough defense to grind out wins potentially which was absolutely not the case last season

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[JWash]

The problem is, Cleveland was missing Kyrie for most of the season so far, and has been miles better with him. The Warriors and Spurs might have the best offense and best defense ever, respectively.

Why is this a problem... Nobody thinks we can beat Cleveland unless lebron channels his 2011 finals.

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[golden]

Yeah, why exactly is that a problem?

Not necessarily a problem, but if the style the Raps are playing isn't sustainable in the playoffs, then the rankings would be giving a false sense of security towards the ultimate goal. So, if they get wiped out in the first round, then the i-told-you-so'ers are going to be saying we should have blown it up a lot earlier.

Projecting whether or not this team's nice regular season results can translate to the playoffs (i.e. players, style, etc...) is highly relevant. Masai, Casey, Lowry, Derozan all are on record in multiple interviews saying that's what matters.

[Barolt]

I guess problem was a bad choice of wording. Was just trying to say that I think statistically, we look way better than we actually are as a team. It's easy to find statistics that would put us top 3-5 in the league, but does anyone really feel like we're that good?

[Chr1s1anL]

Casey has done a great job this year

[Mess]

Yeah, why exactly is that a problem?

[planetmars]

The problem is, Cleveland was missing Kyrie for most of the season so far, and has been miles better with him. The Warriors and Spurs might have the best offense and best defense ever, respectively.

But 27 other teams have that same concern. Raptors aren't top 3 in the league.. but I'd say they are about top 6-7 which is pretty good considering their history.

The only test is what they do in the playoffs, but we can't really know until it happens.

[Barolt]

The problem is, Cleveland was missing Kyrie for most of the season so far, and has been miles better with him. The Warriors and Spurs might have the best offense and best defense ever, respectively.

[planetmars]

OKC misses by one slot (2nd in ORTG, 11th in DRTG), ATL by two (6th, 12th), MIA by 1 (11th ORTG, 6th DRTG).

GSW (1st, 4th), SA (3rd, 1st), Cleveland (4th, 5th), LAC (5th, 10th) all made it.

Pretty good company. All playoff contenders in that list.

[rocwell]

Championship team.

[DanH]

How many other teams are top 10 in both? I assume GSW and San Antonio. Probably Cleveland. Any others?

OKC misses by one slot (2nd in ORTG, 11th in DRTG), ATL by two (6th, 12th), MIA by 1 (11th ORTG, 6th DRTG).

GSW (1st, 4th), SA (3rd, 1st), Cleveland (4th, 5th), LAC (5th, 10th) all made it.