4 Teams the Raptors need to pass in the standings to reach the Playoffs

No. 1: Miami Heat

If the Chicago Bulls are a mediocre team that refuses to die, the Miami Heat are the dying embers of the sun. Just two years removed from a run to the NBA Finals, the Heat have undergone enough of a talent drain that they are not good enough to matter in the East heirarchy, but still have enough talent not to completely fall apart.

Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo are clearly better than anyone on the Raptors, but how much will each of those players be available? They have a variety of interesting pieces around them, from Terry Rozier and Tyler Herro in the backcourt to Jaime Jaquez, Haywood Highsmith and Nikola Jovic in the frontcourt. This team has the makings of a good team, but not a great one.

Miami will continue their quest for a star-level upgrade; they have missed out on names like Damian Lillard and Donovan Mitchell recently, but if they can push their way to the front of the line for a true upgrade, they will move significantly out of reach of the Raptors.

The odds of Toronto overtaking the Heat, who finished with 46 wins last season and are likely to be healthier this year, is infinitesimal. It's too steep of a hill for them to climb. However, the Raptors don't need to pass the Heat in the standings; they just need to win once in Miami in the Play-In Tournament to make it in as the eighth seed. The odds of beating the No. 10 seed in Toronto, then overcoming the Heat in Miami, is not exactly high, but it's not impossible.

The bar to getting into the Play-In Tournament after winning just 25 games a season ago is perhaps surprisingly clearable, but from there, actually getting into the Top 8 is close to insurmountable. The Raptors will be better next year, and likely move up the standings, but with seven locked-in playoff teams and a still-dangerous Heat team just behind, merely getting back to the postseason with this young core may be the goal for next season.