How the Toronto Raptors match up against the top of the East
Miami Heat
If you thought the Raptors were a surprise, the Heat must be blowing your mind. They’re in the top-10 in both offense and defense and have been killing teams on their home floor.
As good as they’ve been, they’ve benefited pretty heavily from a relatively weak schedule. According to Power Rankings Guru, the Heat has had the seventh easiest schedule thus far. But hey, you’ve got to beat the teams in front of you.
Heading into this year, outlets like Bleacher Report were predicting this Heat team to be a touch over .500. Maybe they start to come back down to Earth once that schedule toughens up.
They’re long, they’re gritty, and they’re not fun to watch your team play against.
Better Player
Jimmy Butler is undoubtedly the Heat’s go-to guy.
In the first three-quarters of a game, Siakam’s a better player. However, when it comes to the fourth and OT – especially in a tight game – you’d be foolish to bet against Jimmy Buckets. It’s kind of what he’s known for.
They both impact the game on two sides of the floor.
Siakam’s a little more versatile defensively and scoring-wise, however, Butler has shown a high passing ability this season. Spicy P has the advantage in points, rebounds, and usage with higher shooting percentages on three’s and two’s.
On the other side of the ball, Siakam can defend just about any position, while Butler is pretty much stuck to wings and guards.
Siakam gets the edge, but it’s not by much.
Better Supporting Cast
On paper, the Raptors should have this category locked up. Guys like VanVleet, Lowry, Marc Gasol, and Ibaka surely have better resumes than what the Heat throw out there. But, the guys near the bottom of their rotation have had some struggles.
The unproven players in South Beach have been performing out of their heads. Seven of them are averaging more than 10 points per game. That’s pretty much three-quarters of their rotation contributing.
Rookies like Kendrick Nunn and Tyler Herro are likely to fall off a little while Lowry and Ibaka will probably improve from their recent struggles.
The Heat have been great, and a big part has been the guys not named Jimmy Butler. They’ve been playing well above their heads and whether or not that’s going to change in the future, they’re the better group.
Better Coach
Eric Spoelstra has been considered one of the best minds in basketball over the past half-decade or so. And for good reason. Not just anyone can get the end of their rotation playing the way the Heat are.
But, Nick Nurse is developing into one of those great minds.
Both teams have quite obviously bought into their respective systems and have had success doing so. Both of these guys have their teams playing hard and physical, which is a sign of respect for the coaches.
Nurse is great, but Spoelstra has more experience.
Despite having a solid case, the Heat have the advantage in this one. It’s not because they have more talent than the Raptors, it’s that they match up well against them.
With that being said, Butler very well could blow this whole thing up come March.