These Aren't Your Same Old Raptors

The Cleveland Cavaliers have done something resembling this before. They've looked flawed, vulnerable, and downright disinterested. They've struggled defensively. Each April, they've found the requisite extra gear to cruise to the Eastern Conference Finals. In consecutive years, that's included beating the Toronto Raptors, once in a spirited six-game series that didn't feel that close, and once in a four-game rout. They employ LeBron James, still as terrifying as ever.

As a result, there is some skepticism about what prescriptive value Thursday night's game has. That game—a historic 133-99 drubbing at the Air Canada Centre that saw the Raptors set a franchise high-water mark for regulation points and James lose by 25 points in consecutive games for the first time ever—has to at least re-raise the questions that were asked in each of the last two winters: Can the Cavs really rebound from being the second-worst defense in the NBA? As the roster ages, do they still possess that extra gear? Can James, still an unassailable MVP candidate, rally this group, kicking and screaming, on his 33-year-old shoulders?

There is a chance the people asking those questions will feel silly once again in April. We've been here and done this before. Even earlier this year, Cleveland seemed to take poorly to the chatter after a 5-7 start and railed off 13 wins in a row in response. James deserves the benefit of doubt, always, even if the Raptors tapped him out once in January.

"We're so fragile," James said after the game before later saying the Cavs have been "getting our ass torn up."

Thursday, though, was not only about the Cavaliers and the questions they face. They did not drub themselves by 34, much as the highlight package of their transition defense might suggest. The Raptors played a damn near flawless game opposite them, continuing their earnest season-long quest to answer the questions that have hung over the team like a specter in each of the last few regular seasons. The answers, for a night, were definitive, a glimpse into how a "culture reset" may produce an entirely different playoff opponent this time around.

Can the Raptors get enough contributions outside of their stars? On a night they were down Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka, the Raptors hung 133 points. DeMar DeRozan scored 13 of those. Fred VanVleet led the way with a career-high 22 points, already the ninth (!) Raptor to score 20 or more this season. The bench has been a strength all season long, and the speed and vigor they play with was far too much for Cleveland. The Cavaliers aren't getting any younger or faster, and while some of the names that made big contributions Thursday won't be in the playoff rotation, the Raptors' second-unit identity could be a real challenge.

Will the Raptors finally move the ball? Underlying the 120 points scored by the three non-star Raptors was a picture-perfect night for DeRozan, who continues to impress as a playmaker. He dished eight assists, seven in the first half, welcoming and even inviting the Cavs' aggressive corrals and empowering his young teammates to make plays underneath them and around the arc. This was without his biggest spot-up threat in Lowry and his pick-and-pop partner in Ibaka—life will be a bit easier when they're back. DeRozan's continued improvements have been a big story, and this will stand as Example 1A as to how DeRozan might need to operate against playoff-level attention. It was masterful. The Raptors dished 31 assists as a team, by the way, already the fifth time this year they've topped 30. They did so three times in total over the last four seasons. No team has improved their assist rate more.

"That is one of the best jobs of DeMar just taking what the game gave him," Dwane Casey said. "He let the game come to him. He was inviting and embracing the double teams and then picking them apart."

What place does Jonas Valanciunas have in a playoff series? Kevin Love is a great rebounder. The Cavaliers, as a team, are not a good rebounding team, due to a combination of effort level and a pick-and-roll scheme that leaves their own glass susceptible to brutes like Valanciunas, who was a soft whistle from putting up a 20-and-20 in three quarters. He is the first player to score 15 points and grab 18 rebounds in a game while playing under 20 minutes, per Basketball Reference. Valanciunas is sometimes a matchup problem on defense, and in a seven-game series the Cavs will more aggressively try to take him out to the 3-point line on Love and Channing Frye. He can tilt things back in his favor with performances like this, especially if he plays as well defensively as he did Thursday (he's actually been a lot better, in general, since about the start of December).

Do the Raptors have enough shooting? Maybe. The Raptors shot 18-of-42 on threes in this blowout, but it's very unlikely that VanVleet, despite joking "that's what I do," will hit 6-of-8 most nights. Still, they were down two of their best shooters in Lowry (also their best creator of threes for others) and Ibaka, and took advantage of open looks, shooting them confidently. The Raptors are only 23rd in the NBA with a 35.3-percent mark from outside, but they're shooting enough of them for that to be acceptable.

Will the focus on offense lead to slippage on defense? The Raptors rank fourth on the season in defensive efficiency. They've cleaned up their transition defense, often a big problem in the playoffs, ranking fifth in opponent points per-possession there and second following their own turnovers. They haven't even thrown the second LeBron Stopper at him yet.

Will any of these changes hold as the competition gets more difficult? This is a question they can't really answer until the postseason, but Thursday's a good start. The Raptors played Golden State, Boston, and San Antonio tight on the road but lost those games late, with a road win in Houston (down Chris Paul) standing as their marquee victory prior to this one. The Bucks aren't on that level, but their defensive style was an impetus for Toronto's system changes, and the Raptors beat them twice last week. And sure, they've beat the Cavs in the regular season each of the last two years, but nothing like this. Saturday, vs. the Warriors, should be telling.

"This game doesn’t make or break us," Casey said. "We still have how many more games? Whether we lost or won tonight this doesn't define us. We are still a work in progress."

More than anything, Thursday answered the most important question the Raptors have been asking themselves all season: Is the change in philosophy to vary the offense, become more dynamic, and adapt to the modern NBA style? Yes, absolutely. They've been very, very good in recent regular seasons, but never with this gear, with this depth, with this many ways to beat an opponent. This win can further galvanize the locker room, foster buy in, and stand as an example of why the Raptors are doing what they're doing.

None of this is certain to hold in April when the leverage turns up. Those practicing skepticism or cautious optimism are justified in doing so, because the Raptors have always stumbled in the postseason, even as they've won. Those May memories are still fresh in their minds, and that's why they won't get too high after Thursday's win.

"Regular season and playoffs are two different things," DeRozan warned. "I’m pretty sure next time we play them they're going to remember this game and it's going to be a whole different game. We have to be ready for that. That's the season. Just like we kept in mind what happened to us in the playoffs."

This is a different Raptors team, though. In energy, in confidence, and most importantly in style and identity. The bright lights of a TNT game against the Cavaliers, down two of their stars, certainly didn't leave room for questions about the upside of their new ideal. Write off Thursday from Cleveland's side as you see fit; it doesn’t mean the Raptors didn't still make one heck of a statement on their side.