The Raptors’ First-Round Ceiling: Why Toronto is Currently ‘That Team’ in the East

The Toronto Raptors are happy after a 30-point victory against the Dallas Mavericks, but they are still not completely satisfied.

The Raptors have been exposed recently in games against teams higher than them in the standings, and that is affecting their position in power rankings across the internet.

NBA.com, John Schuhmann (12, no change)

Dallas Mavericks guard Brandon Williams controls the ball as Toronto Raptors guard Jamal Shead tries to defend. | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

"The Raptors remain that team, the one that beats the teams below it in the standings and loses to the teams above it," Schuhmann wrote.

"The Raptors have four more opportunities to pick up a win against the Pistons (x 2), Celtics or Knicks. Three of those four games are on the road, but they’ll host the Pistons on Sunday, having never led in the first meeting (which was also in Toronto)."

The Athletic, Law Murray (12, down 2)

"The Raptors went 21-21 in the middle two quarters of this regular season. The strong start to this season continues to keep them out of the Play-In Tournament part of the standings, but the Raptors have been decidedly average for a while now," Murray wrote.

"Toronto does force a lot of turnovers, with All-Star Scottie Barnes leading the way with 1.6 steals in the third quarter of the season. But this week did little to show that Toronto is a real threat to win a playoff series."

Clutch Points, Brett Siegel (11, down 1)

"Since pulling close to the Knicks and Cavs inside the top four of the East standings, the Toronto Raptors have dropped four of their last six games and are now 2.5 games back of Cleveland for the East's 4-seed," Siegel wrote.

"If the Raptors are not careful, they could wind up falling into the play-in region of the standings, as the Magic and Heat continue to rise. A tough week approaches for Toronto, with three games against solidified playoff threats in Houston, Phoenix, and Detroit."

Overview

The Raptors are exactly where they are supposed to be. They are beating the teams that they are worse than and not taking the opportunity to beat teams that are ahead of them in the standings.

That puts them right on the fringe of the top 10 in the NBA, but only eight teams can win a playoff series, so that makes them unlikely to advance out of the first round at this point. In order for the Raptors to break that ceiling and get into that second-round conversation, they need to showcase something different that they haven't been able to show this season.

The hope for the Raptors is drawing a first-round matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers, whom they have already beaten three times this season. That being said, the Cavs look very different than they did early in the season when all these matchups took place. The Cavs traded for Los Angeles Clippers point guard James Harden at the trade deadline. It remains to be seen how the Raptors will match up against a Harden-led Cavs roster.

In order to do this, the Raptors have to put their best foot forward and execute on their principles flawlessly. They have to rely on what got them to this point in the season.

The Raptors have shown that they can compete with these teams in the top tier of the league, but they have not been able to come out on top in the end. The only exception came against the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road back in January, but they will have to do more than that if they want to be taken seriously as a contender.