In case you weren’t scoreboard watching on Monday night, the Chicago Bulls beat the Indiana Pacers 89-77 to pull within a mere two percentage points of the Toronto Raptors for third in the Eastern Conference.
The Bulls have been right on Toronto’s tail for the better part of two months now and with Chicago oh so close to finally taking over that third seed, the Raptors absolutely cannot falter now.
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Watch Raptors vs. Cavaliers live on Sportsnet ONE starting at 7 p.m. EST
At the moment, a third-place finish in the East would mean a playoff encounter with the Washington Wizards, a team that has about as much second-season experience as the Raptors, making that matchup far more appealing than a first-round date with either Chicago or the Brooklyn Nets.
The Raptors should want to draw the Wizards. The best way to accomplish that is to keep the Bulls at bay and remain locked into the third seed because even though Washington is just 1.5 games back of Brooklyn for fifth, the Nets play 11 sub-.500 clubs in their last 13 games, while the Wizards play just eight in their last 12.
Fortunately, Toronto gets a soft spell over its next four games, playing the Cavaliers in Cleveland and a home-and-home against the Boston Celtics, before travelling to Orlando to face the Magic.
All three are teams that the Raptors should easily handle, giving them a great opportunity to force some breathing room between themselves and the Bulls.
It all begins with the Cavaliers on Tuesday night. Here are a few things to look for in the game:
An opportunity for rest
Given the weak competition, Tuesday’s matchup gives coach Dwane Casey a great chance to rest his players. With just 13 games to go, the Raptors can’t afford an untimely injury at this juncture, as evidenced by the recent drop in the team’s play due to Patrick Patterson’s elbow injury. (According to a release sent out by the team, the six-foot-nine forward is healing well and feeling good enough to take part in contact drills and scrimmages.)
It’s certainly vital that Toronto gets these next four games, but being able to give DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry and Amir Johnson some time off while also taking care of business would be a double win for Casey and his staff.
Canada Basketball takes centre stage
Canadian basketball was on full display in the first weekend of March Madness, with 24 ballers from north of the border taking part in the first four days of the tournament.
Shifting back to the NBA, Tuesday’s Raptors-Cavaliers matchup pits Canada’s only NBA team against what has become the nation’s adopted NBA club.
Brampton, Ont.’s Tristan Thompson and Anthony Bennett were selected fourth- and first-overall by the Cavs in the 2011 and 2013 drafts, respectively, and are the highest-drafted Canadian players ever.
Thompson has enjoyed a good start to his NBA career, with career averages of 10.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. He’s a force on the low-post, plays excellent defence and projects as a solid starting big man in the NBA for years to come.
Bennett, on the other hand, has had a disastrous rookie campaign, putting up some of the worst-ever numbers by a No. 1 pick.
Making matters worse, after dealing with some knee soreness in late February, Bennett was diagnosed with a left patellar tendon strain just a few days before his 21st birthday. The injury has forced him to miss Cavs’ last seven games.
Bennett could return on Tuesday against the Raptors, but no word on his status has yet been made public.