Brian Scalabrine says Raptors will win East

[jambr380]

I'm probably the only one who thinks this way but I'm hoping for the following at the end of the season:
1. Mil
2. Tor
3. Indy
4. C's
5. Philly.

-C's take on Philly in first round with HCA and beat them handily.  C's either sweep or lose 1 at most.
-C's then take on Mil and beat them in 6.  C's manage to take one in Mil by shutting down everyone but Giannis such that even with the blatant superstar calls Giannis gets, it's not enough to overcome the C's team effort.
-C's then take on Tor in ECF and take them in 6 as well by grabbing a game in Tor.  Tor isn't the playoff patsy it used to be before they got Kawhi but the C's have too many better players and overwhelm Tor in the end.
-C's take on GSW in the finals and take them in 6 following the same pattern of grabbing one of the first 2 road games and winning at home. 

My philosophy is that if you are the best team, you can beat anyone and everyone in a series.  Going through the best the league has to offer makes a title that much more satisfying and lays to rest any question that the winner is indeed the best team in the league.

it won't play out this way even if the C's do win the title since it's unlikely Indy can hold that 3rd spot which is crucial to keeping Mil, Tor and Philly from having to play each other and knock one of them out.

I understand your philosophy, but have to agree with you that you are probably the only one who thinks that way. While I believe we can take Philly in round 1, that is definitely a worst-case scenario. Hopefully Indy falls to 5 and the top 4 will be set.

Personally, I prefer to take on MIL over TOR - probably because we beat them last year without Kyrie and Hayward - but those 4 teams will definitely be fighting it out for a championship berth. I believe it is really anybody's game.

[Briantir]

I'm probably the only one who thinks this way but I'm hoping for the following at the end of the season:
1. Mil
2. Tor
3. Indy
4. C's
5. Philly.

-C's take on Philly in first round with HCA and beat them handily.  C's either sweep or lose 1 at most.
-C's then take on Mil and beat them in 6.  C's manage to take one in Mil by shutting down everyone but Giannis such that even with the blatant superstar calls Giannis gets, it's not enough to overcome the C's team effort.
-C's then take on Tor in ECF and take them in 6 as well by grabbing a game in Tor.  Tor isn't the playoff patsy it used to be before they got Kawhi but the C's have too many better players and overwhelm Tor in the end.
-C's take on GSW in the finals and take them in 6 following the same pattern of grabbing one of the first 2 road games and winning at home. 

My philosophy is that if you are the best team, you can beat anyone and everyone in a series.  Going through the best the league has to offer makes a title that much more satisfying and lays to rest any question that the winner is indeed the best team in the league.

it won't play out this way even if the C's do win the title since it's unlikely Indy can hold that 3rd spot which is crucial to keeping Mil, Tor and Philly from having to play each other and knock one of them out.

I understand your philosophy, but have to agree with you that you are probably the only one who thinks that way. While I believe we can take Philly in round 1, that is definitely a worst-case scenario. Hopefully Indy falls to 5 and the top 4 will be set.

Personally, I prefer to take on MIL over TOR - probably because we beat them last year without Kyrie and Hayward - but those 4 teams will definitely be fighting it out for a championship berth. I believe it is really anybody's game.

Winning a championship getting to the finals will require a little bit of luck I don't care how good you are matchups are a key part in all of this.

[Moranis]

I still refuse to believe the Celts will not, at the very least, get to the east finals this year.

The playoffs is different.

Last season the #1 seed Raptors couldn't even win one game against the #4 Cavs.

Raptors have lost 10 straight playoff games against LeBron's Cavs dating back to 2016. Let that sink in. They just aren't built for withstanding LeBron James in the postseason.

Just checked the remaining schedule for the east top 4 Raptors have the easiest remaining schedule  they should finish first unless the bucks just sweep all their remaining west coast road trips.

If the Raptors finish first then I want the Celtics to finish 4th (on the condition that the 76ers finish 3rd and the Pacers 5th).
I prefer having a little tougher first round series, which we should win anyway, with the chance that the 76ers could knock-out the Bucks for us. I believe we are slight underdogs to the Raptors as well (especially without HCA), but I truly fear playing the Bucks.

Why would you want that? The Celtics are like 1-13 in Toronto we won't win a game in Scotiabank arena, we match up better against the Bucks and beat them last year without Kyrie.

The fact that the Bucks have never won a playoff series and like if we beat them game 1 I could see them mentally tapping out.

Toronto won't not with Kawhi and Danny Green those guys are proven Champions...

I'd rather take my chances against Kawhi than Giannis. Not only is Giannis by himself a force to be reckoned with, he has a great supporting cast that fits him perfectly and an outstanding coach in Budenholzer. Giannis has a chance these playoffs to prove that he has become the best basketball player in the world.

Who's the Bucks second best player? Khris Middleton? Kawhi will shut him down over 7 games... Let Giannis have his close out the rest of the Bucks... Defensively the Bucks legit load the paint they don't really play man to man and force you to shoot 3s.

 It's all about game planning in my opinion the Bucks are easy to game plan against besides Giannis who else on that team will drop a 40 bomb?

Siakam dropped 44-10  his last game and has had multiple 30+ games this season... Danny Green is cold blooded killer in the playoffs from 3.

 Toronto is harder to game plan against especially now that they got Gasol and he's going to create cutting lanes for Kawhi, Lowry, and Siakam.

 

Morris, Rozier, Brown, Tatum should be better then Brogdon, Snell, Lopez... I just don't trust a team that's never won a series playoffs is different everyone's record is 0-0 and I feel like Boston and Toronto just aren't playing to their level during the regular season because why should they? take a note from Lebron's book coast the regular season they turn the switch up in the playoffs.

Will the Bucks get better during the post season? I don't think so but Boston and Toronto will... I don't believe in Philly.

Bledsoe and Middleton have both scored 40 in their careers (Middleton did it last year, Bledsoe 2 years ago).  They have a whole lot of other players that have dropped over 30 multiple times (Brogdon, Mirotic, Lopez, Hill, Ilyasova).  The Bucks have plenty of offensive firepower.

[slamtheking]

I'm probably the only one who thinks this way but I'm hoping for the following at the end of the season:
1. Mil
2. Tor
3. Indy
4. C's
5. Philly.

-C's take on Philly in first round with HCA and beat them handily.  C's either sweep or lose 1 at most.
-C's then take on Mil and beat them in 6.  C's manage to take one in Mil by shutting down everyone but Giannis such that even with the blatant superstar calls Giannis gets, it's not enough to overcome the C's team effort.
-C's then take on Tor in ECF and take them in 6 as well by grabbing a game in Tor.  Tor isn't the playoff patsy it used to be before they got Kawhi but the C's have too many better players and overwhelm Tor in the end.
-C's take on GSW in the finals and take them in 6 following the same pattern of grabbing one of the first 2 road games and winning at home. 

My philosophy is that if you are the best team, you can beat anyone and everyone in a series.  Going through the best the league has to offer makes a title that much more satisfying and lays to rest any question that the winner is indeed the best team in the league.

it won't play out this way even if the C's do win the title since it's unlikely Indy can hold that 3rd spot which is crucial to keeping Mil, Tor and Philly from having to play each other and knock one of them out.

I understand your philosophy, but have to agree with you that you are probably the only one who thinks that way. While I believe we can take Philly in round 1, that is definitely a worst-case scenario. Hopefully Indy falls to 5 and the top 4 will be set.

Personally, I prefer to take on MIL over TOR - probably because we beat them last year without Kyrie and Hayward - but those 4 teams will definitely be fighting it out for a championship berth. I believe it is really anybody's game.

Winning a championship getting to the finals will require a little bit of luck I don't care how good you are matchups are a key part in all of this.

oh I agree but that's why I acknowledged I'm probably the only one that wants to take on the best the league has to offer and beat them to win the title. 

[gpap]

Despite us underachieving so far, I am going to disagree with Scal and pick us to win the East.

I think Milwaukee will fade and Toronto will hit a wall.

We have too much talent and I am also not convinced that we aren't at least a little capable of flipping the switch
(see 2009-10 Celtics.)

I say we win the East!

Maybe a little crazy but I am sticking with it.