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Perhaps the point was lost because of their relatively quiet summer, but the Toronto Raptors are returning in near totality one of the best teams in the league last year.
To recap: the Raptors won 56 games (fourth in the league), were one of five teams with multiple All-Stars, advanced to the Eastern Conference finals, then took two games off the Cleveland Cavaliers, the eventual NBA champions.
And yet, Toronto isn't mentioned in any talks for championship contention. Even within their own conference, they're afterthoughts. Even the likes of the Boston Celtics (who won eight fewer games than the Raptors last season and who lost in the first round) have been given shorter odds to win the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
There's good reason to doubt the Raptors. For one, they needed 14 games to get past an overachieving Indiana Pacers squad and a broken Miami Heat side. Two, there's that tricky matter of LeBron James' ownership of the Eastern Conference.
But the Raptors have a strong team that's playoff-tested, and if a few things break Toronto's way, there's a chance the dinos from up North could represent the East in the Finals.
Lowry and DeRozan squash playoff struggles
Toronto's two stars DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry have mastered the regular season. They just need to find some way to replicate their success in the playoffs.
Before the Raptors shocked the world by taking two bites out of Cleveland, the narrative around Toronto's backcourt concerned its shooting woes. Through the first round of the playoffs, Lowry and DeRozan ranked as the fifth- and 12th-worst playoff performers over the past three decades. They both finished the playoffs shooting under 40 percent from the field.
Worse yet, their struggles were in line with their past failures. John Wall and Bradley Beal tormented Lowry and DeRozan in Washington's sweep in 2015, and the Raptors fell in seven to an over-the-hill Nets team the year prior. There's not a good track record for these two when it matters most.
It's not like they're incapable. DeRozan finished eighth in scoring last season, while Lowry's stellar two-way performance earned him an All-NBA team nod. These two are established veterans who shouldn't be fazed by the spotlight, yet they keep coming up short.
Lowry needs to work on staying healthy. He has been banged up in each of Toronto's last playoff runs. As for DeRozan, he struggles to get his offense when teams focus on stopping the drive and avoiding fouls. Correcting those two issues would make a world of difference.
Because if Lowry and DeRozan can actually play to their potential in the postseason, the Raptors could hurt Cleveland at its two weakest positions on defense.
Valanciunas takes the leap
Bismack Biyombo became a folk hero across Canada for his heroics against the Cavaliers, but he only got a chance to shine after Valanciunas sprained his ankle.
The last time Raptors fans saw Valanciunas at full fitness was when he pulverized Hassan Whiteside to the tune of 16 points and 12 points in a half during Toronto's second-round series with Miami. The game before that, Valanciunas rescued the Raptors from an 0-2 series deficit by dominating the fourth quarter and overtime.
Those performances punctuated a mini-breakout for the big Lithuanian where Valanciunas legitimately looked like the Raptors' best player throughout the first two rounds. He dominated the low post, effortlessly drained 15-footers, feasted on the glass (including a 19-rebound outing against Indiana), while providing sturdy rim protection.
That potential has always been there for Valanciunas, but it's only appeared in flashes. He's a passenger in most games, happy to play his part behind Toronto's two lead guards. He rarely demands the ball, and so his teammates often forget about him. Raptors head coach Dwane Casey also keeps Valanciunas on a tight leash when it comes to his ham-fisted defense in the pick-and-roll.
What Valanciunas showed during the playoffs was more of that potential. If he can embrace the role of being the third option by providing a steady supply of interior scoring while also dominating the glass and protecting the paint, the Raptors would be a much more balanced team.
LeBron isn't at his best
All the improvements in the world for Lowry, DeRozan, and Valanciunas won't mean a thing if LeBron James is anywhere close to his best.
After the Raptors tied the East Finals at two games apiece, James coolly said that he felt "a sense of calmness," before mercilessly smashing the Raptors by 38 points in Game 5. A similarly lopsided affair took place in Game 6 as the Cavaliers advanced with ease.
James prefers to save all his energy for his annual trip to the Finals, but when needed, he can take his game to another level that the Raptors simply can't match. That's evidenced by Cleveland winning their four games by a combined margin of 114 points, while Toronto scrapped their way to two wins by a total margin of 21 points.
It doesn't help that the Raptors lost Biyombo, who was their only capable defender against James. Defensive ace DeMarre Carroll continues to be hampered by persistent knee issues, and James danced around him with ease during the playoffs.
The East is his so long as James is fit. It's been that way since 2010, and it's not changing any time soon.
