Top-Seeded Raptors Get Swept, Become the New Maple Leafs

Published on 8-May-2018 by Biff BoJock

Basketball - NBA    NBA Daily Update

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Top-Seeded Raptors Get Swept, Become the New Maple Leafs

In any sport, playoffs are just different.

Where some top clubs pad their records by beating up on weaker opponents during the season, for example, most of the cupcakes rarely make runs in the post-season, even a bloated one.

With playoffs, for another example, series matchups evolve in a rapid fashion that isn't possible otherwise.

But still.

 

The Toronto Raptors have the regular season figured out.

Check that home record, and dude's broke .500 on the road:

Toronto actually looked decent in dumping Washingon over the course of six games. They got a couple of extra days to zero in on the Cleveland Cavaliers, who were busy being dramatic against Indiana.

However, that advantage got wiped out when LeBron's crew woke up and did their bit to continue the Cavs' recent mastery over TO.

 

Basically, yes.

Talk turned to Cleveland holding a hex over the young Raptors. After all, they'd eliminated Toronto the past two post-seasons, and had just taken away home court.

 

In reality, if there's a hex, it's surname is James. Dude laid tracks on them at season's end and picked up where he left off in this series. Toronto joins a number of other clubs who just can't stop him.

And now, after four straight losses, they don't need to hassle with it until next season. Cleveland's 128-93 blowout was virtually a foregone concluson:

 

By now what else is there to say?

 

That works.

Cleveland's now swept two top seeds in the last three seasons. Atlanta never recovered.

It's bad enough Toronto sports fans have had to adapt to their beloved Maple Leafs morphing from habitual losers into playoff disappointments, where the frustration bites even more.

The Raptors also must overcome serious stigma this summer, and not over the regular season. That's only meaningful for springtime seeding after this year.

 

If any group wants to see LeBron move elsewhere, it could be the Raptors. But with their current luck, he'd probably choose another team in the East.

So they'd be better advised to fix what's broken -- like their defense -- themselves.