Following Monday’s win over the Orlando Magic, Dwane Casey and the Toronto Raptors still sit atop the Eastern Conference with a lofty 19-6 record. But as crazy as it may seem, there are many skeptics in Raptorland still waiting for the bubble to burst.
Some finicky fans like to point out that the Raptors have benefited from a home-heavy schedule—one sprinkled with a lot games against sub-par teams (and a couple against top teams missing key players). But that argument doesn’t carry a ton of weight around the NBA.
Coaches (not just Casey), players and general managers will counter that any team can be beaten on any given night. And you need look no further than the last few days around the Association for evidence: Milwaukee beating Phoenix at the buzzer (and defeating the Clippers two days earlier), Orlando topping Atlanta, the Lakers ousting San Antonio, and New Orleans taking care of Cleveland despite a 41-point barrage from LeBron James and the loss of Anthony Davis partway through.
Cliche or otherwise, a win is a win.
Granted, Toronto’s schedule will get tougher and may come back to bite them. A six-game road stretch that takes them to Chicago, LA (to face the Clippers), Denver, Portland, Golden State and Phoenix between December 23 and January 4 looms large at present. But the Raptors have built up such a cushion in the Atlantic Division that it would be all-but-impossible for them to lose first place by the time 2015 rolls around. Heck, at this point, many would wager the division is already wrapped up—and the season is only 25 games old!
But a second-straight Atlantic crown isn’t a sure thing yet. Despite holding Orlando to a measly 82 points on Monday night, the Raptors still have obvious issues on the defensive end of the floor. Casey cannot explain what has happened to his club’s intensity when it comes to stopping opponents. He gets the focus and attention to detail he wants from his players in spurts, but not for a consistent 48 minutes.
Fortunately the slack has been picked up on offence, where the Raptors have been an absolute juggernaut on most nights. And even without their best scorer, DeMar DeRozan, the team has won six of nine games, including three out of four at home.
Thus far, here’s how Toronto’s record breaks down:
Home: 12-3
Road: 7-3
vs Atlantic Division: 3-0
vs Eastern Conference: 12-4
vs Western Conference: 7-2
Pretty impressive.
So where is the naysaying coming from?
Perhaps it’s the 19-6 record itself. It’s the start you’d expect from a championship-calibre team. And the Raptors aren’t a championship team. Not yet.
What they are is a good team that’s trying to become a great team. And as Casey points out on a near-nightly basis, they’re a team that isn’t yet good enough—even at 19-6—to look past any opponent.
As long as the rebounding and defensive issues linger for Toronto, Casey will not rest. He wants—and needs—to see more. And he cherishes every win because he knows how hard they can be to come by. That’s what sets him apart from the skeptics.