Toronto Raptors NBA Playoffs News: Secures Spot in Eastern Conference Playoffs
NBA team Toronto Raptors have successfully secured a spot at the post-season playoffs with their win against the Detroit Pistons last Wednesday night, March 7, at the Little Caesars Arena with a close game that went into overtime.
As reported by nba.com, the Raptors are the first NBA team this season to comfortably secure a spot at the playoffs in the league for both the Western and Eastern Conference. Their star player, shooting guard DeMar DeRozan, excelled on the offensive end, racking 42 points and winning with a one-handed slam dunk to seal the game with a 2-point win over the Pistons.
With a sure spot at the playoffs, this makes this year the fifth straight year that the Raptors will be making an appearance at the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs. As far as the power rankings are concerned, the Raptors are sitting at the top, shortly followed by the Boston Celtics at second place. At this point, the two will be fighting to secure the top seed come playoff time in order to gain the most advantage in the upcoming playoffs.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Raptors coach, Dwane Casey, speculates that since his team are sitting atop the conference, other teams are inclined to perform at the highest level — which is exactly what happened, since the Pistons almost bested them during over time. The Pistons hit their stride during the second quarter, scoring 36 points, while the Raptors only scored 19 during this period.
In an opinion piece by CBC Sports, it is surmised that the Raptors' organization made some internal changes in terms of their mindset, which was probably caused by the doubt and "skepticism" they had received around the league after back-to-back seasons of getting bumped off the playoffs early by other Eastern Conference teams, despite performing well throughout those individual seasons.
As of now, the Raptors will have a chance to play against the Boston Celtics three more times before the playoffs begin.
