I am guessing much of the success of the Raptors is an emergence of Siakem close to superstar level.
But, I really don't know as haven't seen them.
Starting end of this week the Raptors have a 20 game stretch that includes 3 v the Bucks, a trip out west, and many other games against playoff teams or playoff caliber teams.
During their 15 game win streak it’s not like they’ve been facing murderers row and similar to last season they corrected a bit when the games got tougher.
Still, they are a decent team that Milwaukee will likely need to deal with in the playoffs.
I watched Raptors vs Pacers this past weekend and was very impressed with Toronto. I think they’re deeper than last year and guys like Van Vleet and Anunoby have really improved.
They’re still very good on defense, but without K. Leonard, I think Bucks can take them in a 7 game series. They are much better than I thought they would be with out Leonard though. They won’t be an easy out by any means.
The Bucks probably match up with the Raptors defensively as well as any team in the league. If they do match up in the playoffs, it probably won't be until the ECF.
Right now the Eastern conference is starting to sort itself out this way.
1. Milwaukee
2/3. Toronto (6.5 back); Boston (8.5 back)
4. Heat (11.5 back)
5/6. Philly (13.5 back), Indiana (15.5 back and fading).
7/8. Brooklyn/Orlando (these teams are 4.5 games clear of the 9th ranked team)
The 3/6 and 4/5 games in Round 1 are going to be really tough. Boston/Indiana and Miami/Philly are almost tossups. 1/8 and 2/7 should be 4 or 5 game series (unless Durant somehow shows up).
If the Bucks and Raptors do meet, the advantages Siakam has in terms of athleticism against most teams are neutralized by Giannis (also by Ben Simmons if that series happens). Ibaka presents the same challenges that Horford does in terms of defending the pick and roll with Lopez (but if M. Gasol is on the court that allows Brook to match up there).
The Raptors' chances to win that series would come down to what they really came down to last time. Can Lowry and Van Vliet dominate Bledsoe/Matthews/DDV/George Hill?
A year ago, the Bucks struggled to win games without Giannis. This year, they haven’t lost. This indicates that there have been some steps forward by the rest of the team, and that the additions have been a positive influence. they shoot the 3 better this year, they play better defense. That’s the improvement of adding a veteran like Matthews and Hill a season more comfortable. RoLo has been as advertised, and Matthews better than most thought. They have not been forced to rely on DJW and Sterling Brown. Veterans matter when you’re trying to win a Championship.
But Middleton and Bledsoe are both better this year too. Perhaps the Bucks commitment to them has been what they needed to just play, and this be better. Brogdon’s presence may have affected that chemistry. I doubt that was the intention of letting Brogdon go, but it may have been the result.
If you are in the East you do not want to be any lower than the 2 seed as you could face a tough matchup in round 1.
The 4/5 in particular will be interesting as it currently would be Miami and Philly. That would be a fascinating matchup because both teams are powerhouses (on paper anyway) and it would mean someone would get bounced in round 1.
Music City posted:A year ago, the Bucks struggled to win games without Giannis. This year, they haven’t lost. This indicates that there have been some steps forward by the rest of the team, and that the additions have been a positive influence. they shoot the 3 better this year, they play better defense. That’s the improvement of adding a veteran like Matthews and Hill a season more comfortable. RoLo has been as advertised, and Matthews better than most thought. They have not been forced to rely on DJW and Sterling Brown. Veterans matter when you’re trying to win a Championship.
But Middleton and Bledsoe are both better this year too. Perhaps the Bucks commitment to them has been what they needed to just play, and this be better. Brogdon’s presence may have affected that chemistry. I doubt that was the intention of letting Brogdon go, but it may have been the result.
I vividly remember well before the '18-'19 season ended hearing from some talking head last year who had a reliable source within the Bucks organization that there was 1 member of the starting lineup of 2018-2019 who definitely wasn't coming back in '19-'20 and he wouldn't say who it was at the time. I figured it was either Bledsoe, Lopez, or Middleton as maybe one of them wanted to be in a different market or whatever. Bledsoe may have already been under contract when I heard that but I can't remember for sure if that was the case at the time.
I was shocked when it turned out to be Brogdon who wanted out. He always was this impressive guy they called "The President" because he was so intelligent and had a charismatic presence about him. I kind of get the feeling that he wasn't really willing to share the PG duties with Bledsoe and one or the other had to go and the Bucks picked Brogdon as the guy to move.
The Bucks probably would have done well with either guy at PG, but the bottom line, they really couldn't possibly play much better than they are right now at 46-7 and not just winning but winning at margins at a historically good clip.
I think that's a little overblown. I think the Bucks were happy to extend Bledsoe on a team friendly deal. They knew a team might throw big $$ at Brogdon and the Pacers did.
I think a good way to think about this is the following:
If at the trade deadline the Bucks would have traded the 2021 first round pick they now have, Wes Matthews, and Robin Lopez for Malcolm Brodgon, would all the NBA pundits (or us) have thought that improved their chances to win the title? I don't think that would have happened at all.
Heck, even if they traded the 1st round pick for Brogdon and kept everyone else, I don't think it would have improved their title chances that much.
Who in the league right now would improve their title chances more than having Bledsoe as your point guard? It's a short list, but filled with future HOFers or All-stars: Chris Paul, Damian Lillard, Kemba Walker, Kyle Lowry, Devin Booker, and maybe Mike Conley. Some people would list Kyrie, but he's a POS teammate. Those guys are all max or supermax-level players.
So, there's maybe 5 guys in the league that position you to win with a Giannis-centered offense better than Bledsoe and they would all cost double the salary or more. Brogdon is not near that level. He's basically George Hill.
MichiganPacker2 posted:So, there's maybe 5 guys in the league that position you to win with a Giannis-centered offense better than Bledsoe and they would all cost double the salary or more. Brogdon is not near that level. He's basically George Hill.
This right here...