The Raptors play the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday and with a victory, Toronto fans can begin the hunt for playoff tickets.
Even though this is good news for the Raptors, the way Toronto can clinch has caused a bit of confusion as the team’s magic number to clinch the Atlantic Division is at two, meaning any combination of two Raptors wins, two Boston Celtics losses or a Toronto win and Boston loss means the Atlantic officially belongs to the Raptors.
In laymen’s terms, the reason why the Raptors can clinch against the Pistsons is because the Celtics and Charlotte Hornets still have a game left against each other. For a more detailed explanation, we defer to crack team at the Sportsnet Stats department breaking down the full situation using two scenarios.
Scenario 1: If Boston were to run the table and also get to 43 wins, that would mean that Charlotte (who is in ninth place) could only get to 42 wins, because Boston and Charlotte play each other on March 30. Therefore, the Raptors (with 43 wins if they win on Tuesday) would beat out Charlotte for a playoff spot.
Scenario 2: If Charlotte were to run the table and get to 43 wins, that would mean Boston could only get to 42 wins, because they play each other on March 30. Therefore, the Raptors (with 43 wins if they win on Tuesday) would earn a playoff spot by winning the Atlantic Division, beating out Boston.
Overview: So in either scenario, a Raptors win against the Pistons on Tuesday night would clinch a playoff spot.
Should the Raptors clinch a playoff spot on Tuesday, this would mark the first time since the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons they’ve made the playoffs in consecutive seasons.
Toronto is coming into Tuesday’s contest with Detroit having won four of its last six games and will likely be preparing for it without all-star point guard Kyle Lowry, who has missed the Raptors’ last two games with a back injury and is listed as questionable.