3 rivals Toronto Raptors fans can laugh at due to chaotic starts
By Mike Luciano
The Toronto Raptors have managed to keep scrapping out wins despite the fact that many of their biggest names have been impacted by some concerning injuries. Even contenders like the Miami Heat don’t have the juice to keep up with some of Toronto’s best bench players.
Thanks to an O.G. Anunoby masterclass and Scottie Barnes getting back in the swing of things, Toronto was able to pull off an impressive victory against the Miami Heat and move to 9-7 on the season. Considering the tough schedule they have had, that’s no small feat.
The Raptors went into the season expecting to be involved in a dogfight for a postseason spot. Not only was the Eastern Conference as a whole much deeper, but the Atlantic Division was hyped up by many as the best of its kind in the NBA. Boston is winning, but the rest of this group has been a mess.
With one-fifth of the season already in the books, the Raptors and their fans should be thrilled with the fact that they are having a better season than four of their most hated rivals. Even when the bench depth is being stretched to breaking point, Toronto’s situation compared to these three is favorable.
3 rivals the Toronto Raptors are outperforming
3. Detroit Pistons
Is it fair to call the Pistons a big rival when they’ve been bad for the last few years and aren’t in the same division? Considering the geographic proximity, the Dwane Casey factor looming over the meetings between these two, and the Cade Cunningham/Scottie Barnes comparisons, there’s some tension here.
With Cunningham struggling to be healthy early in this season, one of the game’s least efficient offensive players in Killian Hayes has taken many of his minutes. Detroit is currently 27th in points scored and 29th in points allowed, which could lead to some really hard questions about Casey’s job security.
The Toronto Raptors are doing much better than the Pistons.
While Casey is 9-4 against the Raptors in his Pistons career, Troy Weaver might not be thrilled with his results against the rest of the conference. His playoff appearances with the Raptors feel like they came a half-decade ago thanks to his Pistons losing.
The Raptors not only took over Detroit’s arena in the first meeting of the season between the two sides, but Dalano Banton (of all people) led the squad to a win. Cunningham is terrific, but he appears to be the only thing trending upward in the Motor City.