One of the biggest surprises of this NBA season has been the Toronto Raptors. Last season, they finished 30-52 and didn’t even qualify for the Play-In. The franchise, which won the championship in 2019, had taken a hard tumble. Of course, from such a low point, the only place to go is up.

And up they’ve gone. The Raptors have won eight straight games and currently stand at No. 2 in the wide-open Eastern Conference with a 14-5 record. What’s even better is that the Toronto fan base has turned the Scotiabank Arena into a very intimidating environment for opposing teams.

One person who saw the writing on the wall was Kendrick Perkins, who had written in October that too many NBA fans were sleeping on the Raptors. He predicted that they would be a Top 6 seed in the East. Big Perk explained on the latest edition of the Road Trippin podcast how a run-in with Scottie Barnes helped shape his opinion about the team.

“‘I’m telling you, man, watch out for us this year,’” Perkins recalled Barnes’ words before elaborating on it.

“He [Barnes] just felt like people were overlooking them. The season hadn’t even started. We [are] 2-3 months away,” added KP.

The former Celtic then took a good look at Toronto’s roster and realized they had some ‘dawgs’ on the team, like Brandon Ingram. “Let’s not forget that Brandon Ingram is a certified bucket when engaged,” he said.

Yes, BI averaged 22 PPG a season ago and is maintaining that average this year as well. He dropped a mean 37 points in the Raptors’ 110-99 win over the Cavs a few nights ago.

Perkins then mentioned how head coach Darko Rajakovic was an assistant on the Thunder when he was on their roster. “I know the type of fire Darko had,” Perk said before sharing a story of when the mad Serbian yelled at Russell Westbrook.

“Bro, he walked into the film room, and he instantly starts going at Russ. ‘You got to get over this f****** screen. This is unacceptable!’ I’m like, ‘Oh sh**. Who the f***… Darko? Okay.’ For a guy that’s sitting on the back of the bench to be able to come in and going at one of your best players, I’m like cool,” said Perkins.

“Darko [is] gonna have them boys fired up. So when you think about how they play, if they get your a** down there in Toronto, they are establishing a dangerous place to play in,” KP added.

It’s true. We saw how passionate the Canadian fanbase was for the World Series. Imagine what the city will be like when the Raptors get back to the playoffs.

Of course, it’s still very early in the season. Teams tend to get hot and then cool off before the All-Star break. There’s no guarantee that the Raptors can maintain this high level of play, but they are unlikely to thin out either.

The East has never been more up for grabs. Detroit is proving that right now by being the Conference’s best team.

One thing is for certain. The playoffs are going to be very interesting this year with a wave of new teams competing.

Will experienced squads like the Knicks or Cavaliers go further than they did a year ago, or will organizations like Detroit or Toronto make a shocking jump? It’ll be fun to see. Let’s just hope everyone stays healthy.