We are a nightmare playoff matchup

[Financials]

I'm not even that scared of Cleveland. Get 'em down 3-2 and LeQuit could show up and KLove will start eyeballing the Lakers cap situation. Does anyone think JR Smith is a champion? That team is still full of babies in important roles, just like us.

Although I'm not sure we'll hang onto 2nd, I do think it's impressive we've lasted so long through injury and some rough times, some shoddy D.

lol, lequit is still better then anyone on this roster.

he has been in like 6 finals now , kyrie irving is a top 10 player as of right now, jr smith is better then anyone on our bench..

chill with the hype - we are not even CLOSE to cleveland post-trade. you guys are so delusional...

oh and jr smith has more post-season experience then anyone we got , lol

[RoleModel]

I really believe this team will at least make the second round. That's why I don't post as much because I want to avoid the negativity.

[Gianni13]

This is a POSITIVE only thread. Negatives, stay out!

[Korr]

Milwaukee and Charlotte might legitimately upset us in a series. But yes, we do have a good shot at getting to the 2nd round this year. It would be disappointing not to.

[MVP-]

As stupid as it sounds, I think the fact that we ignore play calls will be beneficial in the playoffs.

If memory serves me right, set plays usually stop working after the 2nd or 3rd game in a series, and offense on both ends just breaks down into exploiting mismatches and ISO ball.. and we at least have experience in the latter.

Pretty much. Look how we bounced back in game two, gave the ball to DeRozan and everyone got out of the way. Then they turned around and did it with JJ/PP.

[visionquest]

If Raps can take care of the ball, yes they can be tough to beat.

We dont have many good ball handlers.

[Inevitable]

We can beat anyone if our chuckers get hot and shoot well.

[ThomasMRiddle]

This is a POSITIVE only thread. Negatives, stay out!

If the negatives stay out of ACC come playoff time and only real fans pack in - THEN we'll be the loudest, most obnoxious match up in the NBA.

[yodamaster]

Guys, lets be honest.
As I said, with our style of play we could easily be shut down and lose 1st round as a poster above mentioned.
BUT
The DNA of this team has the ability to catch huge chemistry and fire at any given time. This goes FAR!

It's our job as fans to stick with it. We were a vetoed trade away from being in continued misery.

LETS RELISH THIS OPPORTUNITY.

raptor fans can be finnicky but that's part of the charm, fanbase that lack that fanaticism and passion for the team is lame.
if raptor fans only cared about excellence then we would have moved off to cheering lakers or spurs... or if fans didnt care enough and didn't make enough noise, raptors might just have followed grizzlies out of canada...

so i can say fire casey, dump masai, and waive that waste of oxygen ross every time we lose a game... why the hell not.

[artsncrafts]

Its random if they play well or not, have to hope 4 out of 7 game series we play well. Roll some dice and you can see our chances!

[VinBaker6]

As stupid as it sounds, I think the fact that we ignore play calls will be beneficial in the playoffs.

If memory serves me right, set plays usually stop working after the 2nd or 3rd game in a series, and offense on both ends just breaks down into exploiting mismatches and ISO ball.. and we at least have experience in the latter.

Didn't Wettman say that the team is playing a style that's conducive to playoff success? It's going to be hit or miss, but you're right, set plays are nothing after a couple games in the PO. Players have to make plays.

[Tacoma]

I'm not even that scared of Cleveland. Get 'em down 3-2 and LeQuit could show up and KLove will start eyeballing the Lakers cap situation. Does anyone think JR Smith is a champion? That team is still full of babies in important roles, just like us.

Although I'm not sure we'll hang onto 2nd, I do think it's impressive we've lasted so long through injury and some rough times, some shoddy D.

lol, lequit is still better then anyone on this roster.

he has been in like 6 finals now , kyrie irving is a top 10 player as of right now, jr smith is better then anyone on our bench..

chill with the hype - we are not even CLOSE to cleveland post-trade. you guys are so delusional...

oh and jr smith has more post-season experience then anyone we got , lol

Here... try on these fanboy rose colored goggles and then you're see more "clearly":

[Rhythm043]

Honestly, I don't think us fans even realize what's happening here. We have barely been here before.

THIS team is about to set a franchise record in season wins. Man, the 82 game season is a grind. We lose 3 games and all of a sudden we are on the verge of catastrophe. We win 3 games and we are on the verge of claiming the East.

As Aaron Rodgers says, R-E-L-A-X!

We might be a bit of a streaky team but we have a few things really going for us:
1. Chemistry
2. Catching on fire
3. Playoff experience

Yeah, we lack a few things too: a closer, a centre who doesn't play the 4th, catching a cold streak, etc.

but in the PLAYOFFS, we are a nightmare match-up!
Here's why:

- This team, in any given time, can catch huge fire! We've all seen it. In a 7 game playoff series, that can be deadly!
- We've been here before. Last year, with essentially the same team. That's a huge advantage.
- Our home crowd is easily one of the best (if not the best) in the NBA.
- We have a window of opportunity. We have a great record vs Wsh, Chi lost D. Rose, Atl is not proven (in playoffs) and the rest of the East is below our level. The ONLY team I think we lose to 10/10 times is Cle.

We can talk about what can go wrong too. Lets not though! The damage we can do this year does not have a cap on it.

I would not be shocked to see Raps in EC Final.
I would not be shocked with another heartbreak 1st round loss either.

Can we catch the fire? We have it in us.

Finally a positive post around here. I believe they have a great opportunity too with D Rose going down. Better chance now than last week for sure.

[Nils_the_Clean]

If we make it past the 2nd round doesnt that mean we'd have to beat CLE or ATL?

I still think we're a better team than CLE but we have no chance with the refs.

I do think we can still steal one from either team

We are not better than Cleveland after that trade, stop that right now. They are DEEP, full of Talent, not to mention they have the BEST Player on the court every game.

I agree with you OP. We're streaky team. I just pray Lou/Vasquez & Pat are hitting in the playoffs. Lou does not have a history of performing in playoffs which worries me.

Yep. Cleveland is a far better team at this point. As far as I can see they have one of the best rosters in the league. Beating them in a 7 game series is impossible.

They have a chance against Atlanta though, and I think that would make for an excellent series.

I'm still looking at that first round matchup though. There are no guarantees with this squad. There's no reason they should drop a 7 game series against Miami, Milwaukee, Brooklyn or Washington, but it COULD happen.

Again, no guarantees.

[Morse Code]

I just feel like that's an extremely simplistic breakdown of it. Yes we're streaky and can win or lose games by making our missing shots, but the types of shots we take, and how we get them is what will determine whether or steak is good or bad with respect to shooting percentages.

[Mikistan]

If we make it past the 2nd round doesnt that mean we'd have to beat CLE or ATL?

I still think we're a better team than CLE but we have no chance with the refs.

I do think we can still steal one from either team

We are not better than Cleveland after that trade, stop that right now. They are DEEP, full of Talent, not to mention they have the BEST Player on the court every game.

I agree with you OP. We're streaky team. I just pray Lou/Vasquez & Pat are hitting in the playoffs. Lou does not have a history of performing in playoffs which worries me.

Ill believe it when they beat us. 5-5, no refs

Not saying they're not good, but we should be 2-0 on them right now

we've played them 3 times...
we lost a friday night game at home when the crowd for some reason was dead (i was there and was pissed cause I was looking forward to that game since i bought my seasons) and we didnt get rebounds late which lead to Lebron being wide open for a 3 pointer (how you lose the best player in the league is beyond me)
then we lost 2 games later back in cleveland where Raptors drop their first game in 40 outings when leading after three quarters in loss to Cavs

1-2

[chuckdevlin]

We are not better than Cleveland after that trade, stop that right now. They are DEEP, full of Talent, not to mention they have the BEST Player on the court every game.

I agree with you OP. We're streaky team. I just pray Lou/Vasquez & Pat are hitting in the playoffs. Lou does not have a history of performing in playoffs which worries me.

Ill believe it when they beat us. 5-5, no refs

Not saying they're not good, but we should be 2-0 on them right now

we've played them 3 times...
we lost a friday night game at home when the crowd for some reason was dead (i was there and was pissed cause I was looking forward to that game since i bought my seasons) and we didnt get rebounds late which lead to Lebron being wide open for a 3 pointer (how you lose the best player in the league is beyond me)
then we lost 2 games later back in cleveland where Raptors drop their first game in 40 outings when leading after three quarters in loss to Cavs

1-2

my bad lol

[RoseBeforeHoes]

Honestly, I don't think us fans even realize what's happening here. We have barely been here before.

THIS team is about to set a franchise record in season wins. Man, the 82 game season is a grind. We lose 3 games and all of a sudden we are on the verge of catastrophe. We win 3 games and we are on the verge of claiming the East.

As Aaron Rodgers says, R-E-L-A-X!

We might be a bit of a streaky team but we have a few things really going for us:
1. Chemistry
2. Catching on fire
3. Playoff experience

Yeah, we lack a few things too: a closer, a centre who doesn't play the 4th, catching a cold streak, etc.

but in the PLAYOFFS, we are a nightmare match-up!
Here's why:

- This team, in any given time, can catch huge fire! We've all seen it. In a 7 game playoff series, that can be deadly!
- We've been here before. Last year, with essentially the same team. That's a huge advantage.
- Our home crowd is easily one of the best (if not the best) in the NBA.
- We have a window of opportunity. We have a great record vs Wsh, Chi lost D. Rose, Atl is not proven (in playoffs) and the rest of the East is below our level. The ONLY team I think we lose to 10/10 times is Cle.

We can talk about what can go wrong too. Lets not though! The damage we can do this year does not have a cap on it.

I would not be shocked to see Raps in EC Final.
I would not be shocked with another heartbreak 1st round loss either.

Can we catch the fire? We have it in us.

This just about sums it up for me. Either one could happen and it wouldn't surprise me.

[Mister Ze]

Toronto has to position themselves so that they don't end up playing the Cavs in the second round; we can lose to them in the Eastern Conference Finals instead.

Obviously the first round is the main focus but the 6-8th seeds look like it will come down to the last game.

[cruwinas]

We are a nightmare team to watch.

And we have a coach, lost in translation.