Toronto Raptors Are Peaking At The Right Time

The Toronto Raptors are hitting their stride at the ideal moment. They seem to be the only threat to unseat the Cleveland Cavaliers as champions of the Eastern Conference, although the Boston Celtics could have provided an interesting test if they had made a blockbuster move at the trade deadline. They didn’t end up doing this, and it might be beneficial to their team chemistry in the long run.

The Raptors, though, are in an interesting place because of their last postseason. They were swiftly swept from the playoffs by the Washington Wizards, and it looked like Toronto might need to make a major roster shakeup to become a true contender. But with the way the Cavaliers have struggled to get along on the court lately, there could be an opportunity for a dark horse team to upset Cleveland in the playoffs.

Kyle Lowry is playing the best basketball of his life. He is more than capable of shutting down Kyrie Irving and also averaging 20 points per game in a series. DeMar DeRozan has grown into one of the best shooting guards in the league, although it will be intriguing to see who has to check LeBron James in the potential series between these two teams. Dwane Casey definitely deserves consideration for coach of the year, and if the Raptors advance a couple rounds, they’ll give the people of Toronto something to cheer about.

They are currently on an 11-game winning streak at home, and that is better than every other team except the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors. Lowry recently scored a career-high 43 points against the Cavaliers, and this bodes well for the Raptors.

“It’s just making sure my body was right and making sure my mentality was right,” Lowry said to NBA.com. “It’s a long season, it’s a grind and we put our bodies through a lot. We get paid really good money to do it, so I know the resting thing is not too popular with everyone, but in the end we want to be able to put out the best product possible.”

Toronto’s record (40-19) is respectable, but they must finish out the season strong to ensure that they get the first or second overall seed. They are on the right track, and the team appears to be peaking at the correct time.