Toronto Raptors forward Andrea Bargnani reacts after making a three-point shot against the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half of their NBA game in Toronto, March 31, 2010.MIKE CASSESE/Reuters
The arithmetic of getting to the NBA playoffs seems straightforward for the Toronto Raptors.
With eight games left in a 12-day span, for both the Raptors and the Chicago Bulls, and a two-game lead in the race for the last payoff spot, it should come down to who has the most comfortable schedule - and that favours Toronto.
"We have to stay solid in what we do, definitely not fall into bad habits, like not playing hard," said Chris Bosh, eyeing the next two games the Raptors have against non-playoff teams, at Philadelphia Saturday and at home to Golden State Sunday. "There's tons of things to look after on defence - closing out, blocking, rebounding, boxing out. We want to keep winning on our minds and know what position we are in. I don't care if we're playing a Little League team, we're going to try and win the game."
Coming off a 114-92 trouncing of the hapless Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday, the Raptors opened up a two-game lead for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Bosh scored 34 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Andrea Bargnani added 21 points but the surprise the night was the eight-for-eight perfection from the floor of Sonny Weems, who got a starting assignment four games ago and took advantage to make an impression. The entire team shot an impressive 61 per cent from the floor.
"You can't get too comfortable because you can always slide back down," Weems said. "Last year I wasn't even a player, I was in a suit. Today, I count my blessings. You've made it, but you haven't made it. My goal is to be one of the best players in the league. You can't get overconfident. An injury could happen at any time."
Both Toronto and Chicago have eight games left but the Bulls have a tougher schedule. Toronto has eight games in 12 days, a compact end to the season, but based on current standings, six of Chicago's opponents are playoff teams, while Toronto has only three.
After the 76ers and Warriors, the Raptors need to gather themselves for three difficult games in four days: at Cleveland against the Cavaliers, Tuesday; home the next night against the Boston Celtics; and in Atlanta Friday to face the Hawks - three of the top four teams in the East. Toronto closes out the regular season against the Bulls, Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks. Chicago is in Washington to play the Wizards Friday, but then has to face Charlotte twice, Milwaukee, Cleveland, the New Jersey Nets, the Raptors and Celtics. Of that lineup, only the Wizards and Nets are non-playoff material and the game against the Raptors is at the Air Canada Centre.
Toronto can't afford to get sloppy. Even if the team had a clear path to the postseason, the Raptors need to be gearing up for playoff-calibre basketball.
"I've been in their position before," Bosh said of the down-and-out teams who can afford to play loose and take chances. "Sometimes teams like that are tough to play. It's a little more challenging to create your own energy, and they're just out there throwing everything up. In my rookie year, we beat Milwaukee toward the end and they went from fourth seed to eighth seed. We were just shooting anything. The game meant something to them but it didn't matter for us, we weren't in the playoffs … we have to keep that in mind and respect everything we play."
The insertion of Weems and Antoine Wright as starters for the Raptors has been accompanied by some added energy on defence and for the running side of offence.
"Guys are starting to know what their roles are, if you're a shooter or a stopper," Toronto head coach Jay Triano said. "The effort in the defensive end is what wins playoffs. We had it going for a big stretch of the season, but then lost some confidence in each other. Guys were getting blown by, and if you helped out, someone wasn't going to help you. We're getting that confidence back now as a team."