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TORONTO – While the Toronto Raptors were settling at home after a first duty-free trip to a 4-0 win on the West Coast, fans might ask themselves the following question: what team could possibly do obstacle to this mastodon in the making?
Hyperbole perhaps after the 128-112 victory of the Raptors against the New York Knicks at the Scotiabank arena. But 12-1 is 12-1. Each victory extends the best start in franchise history and allows the Raptors to remain at the top of the NBA standings.
As much to celebrate it a little.
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And then, the Knicks head coach, David Fizdale, knows a little better about what a world-clbad team looks like as the Miami Heat badistant of the LeBron James era, facing Kawhi Leonard in the consecutive finals of the NBA.
The Knicks head coach, in his first year, was not doing much.
"Last year, the team had 60 wins and knocked on the door," said Fizdale. "You add champions [Danny Green], MVP candidate [Leonard] for the team, more versatility for the team, and you have to count them for a chance to get there …. They are legitimate, they are strong, they compete, they share the ball, they are fast, they are sporty. They have all the ingredients.
"It's just a question if they can stay together and continue to connect."
The win on Saturday night will not enter any museum, but the Raptors have done enough to keep the Knicks at bay and win their victory, helped by a career record of 23 points (on only seven shots) of the very fast Pascal Siakam . . In 13 games, Toronto has not yet played a match in possession of the ball. It's very stressful. If the Raptors have been a cause for concern, it is because their once powerful bench has been somewhat spattered. As if they were at the right time, they clashed in a rare "off" night for Leonard (12 points on 2 shots out of 7) and Kyle Lowry (10 points and seven badists). The three players OG Anunoby, Jonas Valanciunas and Delon Wright shot 17 of their 24 shots on the ground, with the bench taking control of the game in the second quarter and again late in the third.
But things could start to warm up a bit for the Raptors. They must, right?
If Toronto did not encounter much competition on the ground during his race, he had a shock by relaxing for the Knicks: Jimmy Butler, a high-performance two-way wing that can keep other wings from Elite and close the games further in the game – had been traded by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
He joins the Philadelphia 76ers and a core that includes two superstar-type clashes in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons and there is no doubt that things have immediately improved in a conference where Giannis Antetokounmpo seems determined to bring the Milwaukee Bucks to new heights and the Boston The Celtics have the deepest range on this side of Oakland.
The fact that Butler was treated was not a surprise – it's hard to remember a player who did everything possible to get away from the city. The fact that he was heading east was not a shock either: it would have required a spectacular offer from T-Wolves President and Head Coach, Tom Thibodeau, to negotiate him in the West. The timing? Minnesota are on a five-game losing streak and are already behind the eight playoff balls. They could allow Butler to stop holding them hostage.
"I expected that to happen. Obviously, the trip to Minnesota has been difficult, "said Raptors head coach Nick Nurse. "I watched their entire match last night [Saturday]. I guess I was not totally surprised this morning [the trade] went down. This certainly brings a very good player to our gym a few more times, so we are looking forward to seeing him. "
Not so emerging from the East was going to be a real walk, no matter how popular the Raptors were. But it's clearer than ever that, no matter how good their team is in the Kawhi era – whatever their duration – arriving at the place where the Raptors want to go in the post-season has the potential to leave scars.
"There are a lot of tough teams and these teams are getting stronger, so let's see what happens," said Raptors guard Fred VanVleet. "I think we have a very high ceiling and a lot of talent. We really did not respect our standards. It will be exciting to see. No matter who can be beaten in sets, but I like our chances. "
But with 13 games played and 69 left, it's hard to imagine that the Raptors will suddenly stumble. They are deep in every position. They are even 3-1 on the road in the matches as Leonard stays out.
Is another team going to get up though?
You must think that the Celtics, who run at 7 am-5am and are unable to score, will recover from themselves. And given Antetokounmpo's determination to win the MVP title and raise the Bucks (9-3), they stand out as a scary opponent.
Will Butler and the new Sixers (8-5) appear as opponents of the dynamics created by the Raptors?
On paper, they look great, maybe more after the trade.
But the Raptors look great on the wood.
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