Hi, this is Fred Wallace with ” Off the Wire “,….. proudly sponsored by Pete’s Auto Body.
Pete’s Auto Body; because we care about our community….
The National Basketball Association season opened last night with games in Milwaukee and L.A.
For the Toronto Raptors, the 21-22 season commences tonight when they host the Washington Wizards.
The Raptors beat Washington in their final pre-season game, seemingly months ago, to finish the exhibition schedule at 3 & 2.
What does 3 & 2 mean when the points don’t count ? Absolutely nothing, really
I’m sure some people will take any number of messages away from the 5 game set before the regular season, but tonight is where it matters for real
Are the Raptors for real, in terms of a playoff spot ?
They missed the post season last year, finishing 12th in the Eastern Conference with 27 wins, 7 less than they needed to get to the playoffs.
In fairness, it was a displaced year with Toronto playing out of Tampa Bay due to COVID and thus not having any true ” home games “. So what does playing at the Scotiabank Arena represent for the Raptors ?
The biggest question for me is, how do you compensate for the departure of Kyle Lowry, the heart and soul of the Raptor rise over the past decade, now that he plays for Miami ?
Toronto does have some capable names at the top of their depth chart; Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, O.G. Anunoby, with Gary Trent Jr expected to produce and those that know basketball better than I suggesting Scottie Barnes is NBA ready
But are the Raptors ready to bridge the gap between non-playoff team and post season entrant in the NBA Eastern Conference ?
The answer begins unfolding tonight in Toronto against the Wizards.
For Pete’s Auto Body, I’m Fred Wallace.