SUMMARY
This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
In case some people already forgot, the Toronto Raptors are still the defending NBA champions.
Amid all the buzz around the other star-studded teams of the league, the Raptors have quietly clinched the second seed in the Eastern Conference without reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard.
Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets have been putting up an admirable fight in the Orlando bubble despite an extremely depleted roster of castaways and role players.
This series will involve two teams with feel-good stories, but only one will still be smiling at the end, and many already know who that will be.
Personnel
It’s not even a debate here on which team has the better roster right now.
Without Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie, DeAndre Jordan and Taurean Prince, the Nets are playing without 5 of their top 7 players and are just fighting for survival day in and day out.
Caris LeVert can average all the points and assists he wants, sure, but a Big 3 of LeVert, Jarrett Allen and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot simply won’t cut it against the healthy defending champs.
Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol are all primed and ready for a possible title repeat run, and they surely won’t allow a ragtag Nets group faze them for the bigger challenges up ahead.
Problems
As mentioned before, the Nets have 5 big problems heading to the playoffs, and the names are listed above. No matter what they do from here on out, they will always go back to their personnel issues, and really, no one can fault them for using that excuse.
As for the Raptors, there aren’t really any noticeable problems, which is most likely the reason why this Leonard-less roster is still here near the top.
Their chemistry is top-notch, their egos are non-existent, and their rotation goes 9 to 10 men deep, with Norman Powell, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Terence Davis gobbling up the remainder of minutes left for grabs.
Maybe they will have issues on perimeter defense given how their starting back court players are just 6-feet tall apiece, but Toronto’s defensive schemes are so fluid that it really won’t matter much in the long run.
Prediction
The Nets play their hearts out. There’s absolutely no question about that. This current roster has really no business being in the playoffs, but they gave many teams legitimate scares in the seeding games thanks to unlikely heroes having extended playing time.
With that being said, the reality of the situation is that the Raptors are expected to walk all over these Nets like a doormat as they warm up for the tougher rounds.
Don’t be surprised if this series, and the Nets’ gallant stand, is over in 4 or 5 games. – Rappler.com
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