In one last game before the All-Star Break, the Toronto Raptors welcomed the Detroit Pistons for the first game between these two teams this season. The Pistons are the top team in the East this season, their team-building efforts from the past few seasons coming to fruition.
While fans were disappointed to see the Raptors lose, it proved a thesis that has rung true all season long: The Raptors’ hot start set unrealistic expectations for the ceiling of this current team.
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Here’s the thing — they are one season removed from being a tank machine. They make some good moves (ie, getting Brandon Ingram), Scottie Barnes is playing like an All-Star and a potential All-Defence kind of guy, and those are nice improvements from last year. Yet, the idea that they were going to even contend in the Eastern Conference was way too premature for this iteration of the team. That’s before you think about Jakob Poeltl missing a bunch of time, and some unexpected turns in the road as well.
They go on a HOT win streak at the beginning of the season, which is great for vibes. Yet, that set a standard that this current roster just isn’t equipped to maintain. We can acknowledge there have been some exciting improvements this season, while still admitting there is work to be done before this team will have some serious motion in the playoffs.
So, when the No. 1-seed Detroit Pistons come to town and deliver a 113-95 loss to the Raptors, why freak out? Why catastrophize? Why sit there and lament about what they should or shouldn’t have done at the deadline when none of the available moves would have changed much about the situation?
There is way more things to be happy about this season without freaking out over every loss. For the first time since 2020, the Raptors have two players heading to the All-Star Game. Their coaching staff was selected to lead one of the All-Star teams. They have multiple players in the Rising Stars game as well. Not saying the All-Star Game is the be-all and end-all of the year — but the representation is exciting and shows improvement from this team. It shows the league is noticing them and their improvements as well.
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This wasn’t meant to be a championship year. It wasn’t meant to be a Conference Finals year. The Raptors are actually fairly on schedule rebuild-wise, and this one loss against the Pistons isn’t reason to go on a dramatic spiral about it all. Unless that brings you joy??
Instead of wasting more energy on a bad loss, I will instead be heading into my All-Star Break ready to rewatch Piper and Paul’s bronze medal Ice Dance program 100 times, go into a Biathlon-lore rabbit hole, and watch some Skeleton. Enjoy your All-Star Break, friends.