Two of the hottest teams in the NBA meet with the OKC Thunder hosting the Toronto Raptors. This edition of TIP3 special guest Blake Murphy checks in to offer hot takes on the team North of the border.
This is the first meeting between the OKC Thunder and Toronto Raptors. The Thunder luck out getting the Raptors on the second night of a back-to-back series. Toronto entered Boxing day first in the East, on a six game win streak and had the fewest losses in the Conference. They fall back to second after the loss in Dallas, just their second in 14 games .
Per usual TIP 3 examines each game prior to the tip and asks an authority who can shed light on the opposition. Lending insight on the Toronto Raptors is Blake Murphy, Managing Editor of Raptors Republic, an ESPN True Hoop Affiliate. In addition, you can find Murphy’s musings and brilliance on The Athletic and Vice Sports. Follow him on twitter and check out the best Raptors site going.
Since I’m also a columnist at Raptors Republic and live in Toronto this TIP3 felt a little surreal given Blake and I’ve discussed some of these topics prior. I answered three questions back on the OKC Thunder which I’ve included following Murphy’s responses.
With that let’s dive into the TIP3 for this evening….
TI 1 – Ceiling for Raptors – how good are they?
The Raptors held the Eastern Conference top spot for all of one day. Boston (16) and Cleveland (13) had extensive win streaks. Many fans south of the border were surprised the Raptors were close enough to overtake those two squads.
The Raptors are also only one of three teams who rank top ten in the big three categories (offense, defense, net). The other two squads are the Western rivals of the Thunder – the Warriors and Rockets.
Like the OKC Thunder the Raptors franchise has a recent history of success. But aside from one Eastern Conference Finals trip. Toronto haven’t translated their regular season success to the playoffs. Masai Ujiri called for a culture reset, which turned out to mean incorporating the youth, increased assists and player movement. Moreover, Ujiri wanted his All-Star backcourt getting more rest.
Toronto’s stats and placement indicate the new culture is working.
So, a multi-tiered question. Can the Raptors continue to build upon their early success (win the Conference even)? Why has the new style been so successful? And, who in particular benefits the most from the change?