It's always been said that winning is the key to getting respect as a franchise.
Coming off 56 wins, Eastern Conference Finals game 6 loss, and another division title - the Raptors still seem to fall short in the respect category.
The Boston Celtics landed Al Horford in free agency, leading to a lot of high projections for our divisional opponents. Bleacher Report is projecting 59 wins. When Celtics forward Jae Crowder was asked about this, he responded "That's a lot of wins, but I want to get past the first round of the playoffs. That's my goal...I think our ceiling is the Eastern Conference Finals. Toronto is not a team we're worried about . I think Cleveland is the top team. That's what it comes down to."
So, non-story or bulletin board materials to add to the list of players/media disrespecting the Raptors?
Another aspect of this to consider, when Kevin Durant went shopping for a new home that would give him "best chance to win", he gave Boston a meeting but not Toronto. Despite finishing behind us in the standings and our trip to the ECF, we were considered a worse opportunity to win.
So are the Raps forever to be overlooked until we win a title? Or can the Raptors change their perception within the association?
Coming off 56 wins, Eastern Conference Finals game 6 loss, and another division title - the Raptors still seem to fall short in the respect category.
The Boston Celtics landed Al Horford in free agency, leading to a lot of high projections for our divisional opponents. Bleacher Report is projecting 59 wins. When Celtics forward Jae Crowder was asked about this, he responded "That's a lot of wins, but I want to get past the first round of the playoffs. That's my goal...I think our ceiling is the Eastern Conference Finals. Toronto is not a team we're worried about . I think Cleveland is the top team. That's what it comes down to."
So, non-story or bulletin board materials to add to the list of players/media disrespecting the Raptors?
Another aspect of this to consider, when Kevin Durant went shopping for a new home that would give him "best chance to win", he gave Boston a meeting but not Toronto. Despite finishing behind us in the standings and our trip to the ECF, we were considered a worse opportunity to win.
So are the Raps forever to be overlooked until we win a title? Or can the Raptors change their perception within the association?
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