3/13/14

Raptors Playoff Push Doesn't Have Me Excited

I have been racking my brain trying to figure out why I am not excited about this Raptors run to returning to the post season. I do admit I enjoy the way the Raptors play a lot this season. The mix of defensive intensity and offensive firepower has been significant and enjoyable. Still I find myself being somewhat disinterested by it all.

I am sure the uncertain future of Kyle Lowry is a big part of this but I don’t think it is all of it. I guess I look at this and feel that we have seen this story before for the Raptors. Toronto has been having an unexpected and great season that happened in the midst of a down point for the Eastern Conference. I also am pretty confident in saying at best the Raptors get to a second round. There is no chance the Raptors beat Miami or Indiana in a 7 game series.

In fact when you look at the potential first round opponents it does not inspire a ton of confidence about the Raptors being successful. Match-ups with Chicago, Brooklyn and even Charlotte would concern me. The only match-up that gives me some confidence in the one with the Wizards. Even in that one I could see the Wizards winning.

I recall the last time the Raptors made the post season where Raptors fans drooled for a match-up with Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. That didn’t work out so well for the Raptors as it turned out. The same could happen with Wizards just as easily in my view.

The game on Monday was very entertaining against Brooklyn but in the end the Raptors fell short in a game where they could have made a major statement and secured their playoff position somewhat. As good as the Raptors have been they have had a lot of games where they have played well and fought hard but come up short. The Nets have beat Miami 3 times in 3 tries this season. The Raptors have had some competitive games against Miami but in the end fell short.

At the end of the day I have seen the Raptors in the playoffs, I have seen them win a round once as well. What I haven’t seen is them enter a post-season as even a dark horse candidate to make the NBA Finals. The Raptors if they keep all of this together and continue to improve might have a chance to be that. History of the Raptors suggests it likely won’t last. Maybe this time is different and maybe I have just been beaten down to having little faith.

The one thing that does bring a smile to my face is having DeMar DeRozan develop into a legit All-Star Talent and heading to his first post-season. He has worked so hard for his own individual success as well as it being part of some team success.

I am also thrilled for Amir Johnson who has given back to Raptors fans perhaps more than any other Raptor in this team’s history. There is only one guy that I would even consider in comparison is Jerome Williams who reminds you a lot of Amir.  I had said to Amir after one of the many times he has talked with me for the DNB that I believed he would be remembered in that same light as the JYD for years after his days playing were behind him. He seemed genuinely touched by the suggestion of that.

Perhaps the greatest example of his giving nature is his Roll with Amir Event that is entering its fourth year. This year going all medieval as the event will be taking place at Medieval Times in Toronto. It is without a doubt the most unique and from the heart gesture I have seen by an athlete in any sport. This is a guy that legitimately loves his fans and takes the time to plan out cool events and contests to show them that he does. Often times by taking money from his back pocket to put these events on.

So for those guys I am extremely happy. As a Raptor fan of 19 years and someone that has covered this team for 6 of those years I am far less excited. I just feel like I have seen this all before and have a hard time seeing a different outcome for this group as compared to ones in the past. Some of the same issues still remain to be proven if things can really change.

Can The Raptors keep a guy like Lowry? More importantly can they actually build on the existing talent they already have. You have heard for many years a lot of people say that winning will cure all the issues the Raptors have had with attracting free agents and keeping their own talent. That theory is going to be put to the test once again. Which in the past the Raptors have won and still had these issues. If Vince Carter as one of the top 3 players in the NBA can’t attract people to come here honestly can anyone on this group stand a better chance? Chris Bosh certainly failed at it so much so that he decided to leave.

The Raptors while no one will debate have had a miraculous turnaround still have not taken those big steps to make it to the next level. Those should naturally come in the future after all this is just a season of success. The question is can they honestly maintain this level of success and that leaves me with a lot of doubt.

Masai Ujiri and Tim Leiweke are both very talented and intelligent people at what they do. I just believe the Raptors have had a lot of talented people prior that couldn’t find the answer to basically the same puzzle that lies ahead for them. I hope for Raptors fans they have the answers but I am not as blindly faithful in it happening just based on the history of what we have seen.

If all you require is the Raptors to be competitive and fun to watch they have already achieved that goal. If you desire something more than that, I am not sure anything is different from past versions of success we have seen in Raptors history. Time will tell but for whatever reason my passion or more to the point my belief is not very strong that anything will change.  

22 comments:

  1. you sir are an idiot

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  2. Really. so insightful. Hey I get it not a lot of people were going to like this. It's easy to get caught up in all the hoopla of what the Raptors are doing. Where they will stand a year from now is the bigger issue. Which remains a bigger question mark than what people are willing to admit. Also if your going to insult someone why bother with the Sir nonsense. I have been doing this for 6 years and have watched this team from conception. While you can disagree with what I have to say and many have over the years. Something I am not is an idiot. I just don't happen to agree with your point of view. I was the same idiot as you call me that said Jose Calderon would never be a winner here long before it was cool thing to say. Was off the Bargnani bandwagon long before that was the in thing as well. My track record on figuring out this team is just as good as most people out there.

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    1. The playoffs will decide a lot of things for this franchise. Is casey the right coach going forward. can he get us to 2nd rnd, how does he perform in 2nd round. lowry`s performance will dictate how much money masai is willing to spend on him. can derozan be 1st option.....2nd option......3rd option.....do we need a backup center or a starting power forward. what is missing from our bench......playoffs this year is necessary for us to figure out how to build this team for the future. If you have been covering this team for 6 yrs, you should be excited. if you are not, you sir are an idiot.

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  3. Very insightful James, keep up the good work. I find the team to be good with a mixture of young talent and savvy veterans. As a fan, I really want them to beat Miami once this season and continue to be the under the radar team going into the playoffs. I think Toronto can attract talent south of the border. Demar DeRozan can be that young talent to attract veterans to this team the same way James Harden did with Dwight Howard. Besides Toronto as a city has changed since Vince Carter and arguably since Chris Bosh.

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  4. yea, you need to to stop living in the past. We have new management with a track record of success. Things are just begining to change in Toronto. Give it time and enjoy the moment your witnessing right now. In order to be a championship team you have to take steps. Just like the Bulls and pacers. Successs does not happen over night and I for one am proud of what the team is doing and i look forward to seeing what pieces our GM will add to this team to make them better next season. Dont worry, be happy.

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  5. Way back machine....Colangelo had a successful record too. I hear the whole steps argument but with a major part of that not under contract I can't just ignore that...if you can great for you.

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  6. The Carter Raptors were able to lure Hakeem from Houston (where he could have retired a lifetime Rocket) in the hope of winning a championship. That team was not scuttled by its inability to attract free agents, but rather the ridiculous contracts that killed the team (Davis, JYD, A-Dubb). In other words, the problem is not somehow intrinsic to this franchise or city. It was simply bad management. I'm not ready to anoint Ujiri the savior, but if this team can stay away from cap killing contracts and develop a winning culture, the sky is the limit. Obviously only time will tell

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  7. I came here thinking that I was going to hate this article, but your aside about Amir was great. I truly hope he stays in Toronto for a very long time, perhaps for the remainder of his NBA career. He's always so active around the city and has even appeared in local artists' music videos. Just a stand-up guy who prides himself of bringing the intangibles each and every game.

    I will say this: regardless of whether Lowry stays or not, you have to be excited about what this upcoming play-offs experience will mean for the young players on this team -- and if we win a round, what it'll mean for this franchise going forward. Surely that, in and of itself, should instill some excitement!

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    1. Thanks glad you enjoyed it. I am despite my own personal feeling very thrilled for both Amir and DeMar that I have had the fortune of talking to them for their careers as Raptors.

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  8. I'm guessing the malaise is in part that the East is really bad this year. This is somewhat similar to the last time the Raps made the play-offs when the rest of the conference was trying to tank.
    While this may not be a team to contend, some pieces are there to go forward. Tross, JV, Amir, PPat--even TH on the cheap are all pieces that could work going forward.
    As much as Lowry is the MVP of this team right now, I can still see Masai making a move.
    Who knows?
    All I know as after years of BC, I'm actually excited by what I see on the floor.
    Live for today, James.

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  9. Find a new sport if you can't get excited because you might be waiting a while.

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    1. Excitement is not a requirement for me in doing this. If it was would I have lasted 6 years prior to this one. Besides the games individually have been very entertaining and exciting as I believe I noted her but if not here have said in the past.

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  10. I understand you were just trying to write something different at this point in the season when everything else has been discussed and debated extensively. But you are not right and this was unnecessary.

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    1. I never TRY and do anything in terms of what I am writing. Does a lot of time it go off in a different direction? Yes it does cause I feel we get a lot of same thing from media in general. Not putting that down I think many people do great jobs at it. I just seem to have always had a different view of things that I hope makes people enjoy what I do regardless of if they agree with it or not.

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  11. Only God knows the future bro, instead of worrying if this is just a redo of 06/07 or 00/01 let's just enjoy what we have at the moment and celebrate making our first post season run in 5 years. We might lose in the first round again and Lowry might walk in the offseason, and that would suck, but only God knows so instead of worrying let's just enjoy.

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    1. I will just say God has better things to do than worry about basketball. If God exists which personally I believe he does I would hope this is the case.

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  12. With people like you as the face of our fan base how can we ever look forward to anything good? The reason this season has been a blessing is because we weren't expecting it. Look at the Pittsburgh Pirates, no one expected this resurgence from them and it totally caught the baseball world by surprise, and it even resulted in Andrew McCutchen winning the NL MVP. Granted do I believe there will be a hardware winner amongst this current batch, probably not at least this year, but that's a realistic point of view. But it revitalized the fan base. Look I think the Drake thing is STUPID as ALL HELL, but fans dig it, people are coming in to "big up" the Raptors, and I honestly can't say the last time I felt GOOD about ANY Toronto team - granted I'm just a Jays, Leafs, and Raps fan. But do yourself a favour man, savour the moment, look at the cup half full, and enjoy it. Your neurosis isn't letting you enjoy what we already have, only lamenting what we might not have moving forward.

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    1. I am always a person in all things that looks forward. It is just how my mind works. I don't think people understand the fact that I am just expressing my take on it. Do I get that many people would like to live in the moment and say be damned with what comes next. Sure. Those for the most part will be the same people bitching the loudest if my grim expectations are anything close to the reality.

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  13. Turn off the TV and go to back to sleep. It appears that to you this fun season of Raptors Ball is just a bad dream.

    I don't mind your negative opinion but, this post is weak and confused writing. Next time just write "I am sad and don't know why."

    Look at the numbers this Raptors squad is a very good offensive and defensive team over 3/4 of the season. Still don't believe it, look at our losses post Rudy Gay. We were always a few possessions from victory. How many games were write offs until the 4th quarter? Unlike some fans this team can survive adversity.

    Any team at any time can rise and fall. Winning teams is not always about talent but also about effort and how can you possible slight the effort on the court this season? Frustration based on previous years performance is reasonable. Allowing that baggage to poison you is a wee bit pathetic.

    When do we stop being an underdog? When we start winning big games. We are finally at the point where we are playing big games and you can't get excited? "Grim expectations..." I suspect win or lose your bitching will be as loud as anyone's.

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    1. Nothing good or bad about basketball impact on if I am happy or sad.As far as the Raptors being an underdog what happens in July not April and May will determine that.Nothing about the team's effort was questioned in this so not sure what that has to do with anything written here.

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  14. you are missing the point that this has nothing to do with living in the moment. we should be excited about the future. the regular season is pointless with such a bad eastern conf. playoffs will be the real measuring stick.

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    1. Well that's what a lot of people have been saying to me in comments. My point is what happens In July will determine the future far more than what happens in the playoffs. Assuming you keep Lowry and build off this season than what happens in the playoffs does become far more relevant.

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