Analyzing the Toronto Raptors competition in the East

The East is loaded like never before. As we look towards the playoffs, who are the Toronto Raptors biggest competitors in the conference?

We’re almost halfway through the 2018-2019 season, and there are currently four teams that appear as competition to the Toronto Raptors: The Indiana Pacers, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Boston Celtics. The East is particularly stacked at the top of the conference, and the race for the finals seems to be between these 5 teams.

It took seven games for the Lebron James led Cleveland Cavaliers to beat the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics last season. The Bucks and Sixers weren’t as impressive in the playoffs although have made tremendous improvements since. It’s possible that the Raptors could face-off against two of these teams come playoff time, three if they don’t start to turn it around soon.

Toronto is likely going to be fully healthy by February, which should allow them to gel prior to the playoffs. The month of December was rough with injuries. The Raptors seem to be taking every precaution with most of their players, a wise move considering the stakes.

So who is Toronto’s biggest competition in the East, and what do the Raptors need to do to survive come playoff time.

Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers have been playing great basketball, only 1.5 games back of the 1st seed, with a 26-12 record. They are second in the league in defense with a defensive rating of 102.5. Their offense is not as effective, and they are ranked 16th in the league in offensive rating, four spots ahead of their rating last week.

The Raptors were able to beat the Pacers in a game not too long ago on December 19th. The Raptors without Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka, and Jonas Valanciunas came back from what seemed to be a blowout loss, only to fight back in the 4th and come away with the win.

Indiana may not be considered an immediate threat to the Raptors, but with the defense they have been playing, they should be. They are able to keep the ball out of the paint, forcing other teams to shoot from the outside. Especially with the Raptors recent slump in 3-point shooting, its something they need to be consistent with, to beat the Pacers.

Philadelphia 76ers

There was good reasoning to believe that the Philadelphia 76ers would not work post-Jimmy Butler trade, but the team has proven otherwise. They have gone 16-8 since acquiring the 4x All-Star, and they sit in 4th place in the East, 1.5 games ahead of Boston.

Having played three games verse the Sixers, the Raptors are now 2-1 against them, with one game to go. In their most recent matchup, the Raptors were blown out, while not having Kawhi Leonard, Valanciunas, and Ibaka. This allowed Joel Embiid to shine with large minutes against Monroe. The Raptors were outscored in the paint, likely due to the injuries they had at center. The result of a Raptors and Sixers match-up could be based on whichever teams bigs outperform the other.

Milwaukee Bucks?

The first overall seed if the playoffs started today, it’s time to fear the Milwaukee Bucks. They have a new coach, a coach that has helped bring them to the top in the first half of the season. Milwaukee is in the top 5 in both offensive (113.4) and defensive (103.9) rating.

Lowry has had trouble in both games versus the Bucks this season. In the first game he shot 3-14 and in the second, he was held to zero points, which is not something you would expect from a 4x All-Star. He was still a major contributor in both games, finding his teammates to score, but his scoring is likely the key to beating the Bucks in a possible match up.

Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics are definitely competition to the Toronto Raptors. The Celtics are a defensive threat and rank 4th in defensive rating and 10th in offensive rating. They have the 6th ranked three-point field goal percentage, something that the Raptors have struggled as of late.

Boston’s main facilitator, Kyrie Irving, is one player the Raptors need to control. Kyrie scored a game-high 43 points against the Raptors on November 16th, and the Raptors still only lost by seven points. By eliminating his scoring whilst focusing on their own, the Raptors and Celtics seem evenly matched.

It’s still early to determine who poses as the Raptor’s biggest competition, with less than half the season over, but these 4 teams have proven why they belong at the top.