By this point, most Raptors fans have come to terms with the fact that this team is aiming to make the playoffs this season. We’re not all in agreement about whether it’s good for the franchise to grab a seventh or eighth seed and then get destroyed in the first round, but that is what the 2012-13 Raptors are realistically aspiring to accomplish.
The Toronto Raptors haven’t been invited to the post-season party since 2008, so it would be kind of nice to end that drought — assuming, of course, that it was a sign of greater things to come in future seasons. However, this off-season has shifted the balance of power in the Eastern Conference in a way that should leave little doubt that the Atlantic Division — you know, the division in which the Raptors reside — is the strongest division in the Conference. Matter of fact, it could very well be the deadliest division in the whole league in 2012-13.
