Wednesday Windmill: The Toronto Raptors are legit contenders

The Toronto Raptors' 15 game winning streak came to an end on Wednesday as they lost to the Brooklyn Nets 101-91 in Brooklyn. It was the longest winning streak in franchise history. The Raptors are now 40-15, just 6.5 games back of the 46-8 Milwaukee Bucks.

Earlier in the year, I wrote about how we shouldn't sleep on this Raptors team and it looks like I was right. What I like about them is their combination of depth and stardom. Pascal Siakam (23.7 points & 7.5 rebounds) is a legit star with a great supporting cast around him in Kyle Lowry, Fred Vanvleet, Serge Ibaka, Norman Powell, OG Anunoby, and Marc Gasol. The only guy in that group not scoring in double figures on average is Gasol. The rest of those guys are. That's six guys scoring in double figures every night! That's just scary!

Most assumed that with the departure of Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors would sink back into the middle of the Eastern Conference standings and maybe win a playoff series if they caught a break. What made me doubt those assumptions is what I said above. I felt Siakam had the pieces to be the face of the franchise and that he had a really good supporting cast around him. On top of that, as sensational as Leonard was last year, people forget that it really was a team effort to bring the first NBA championship to Toronto. Everyone contributed. It wasn't just Leonard.

Emboldened by winning a title with the help of Leonard, the Raptors now have the confidence to go toe-to-toe with anyone in the NBA. Especially the rest of the Eastern Conference. With the way they've been playing, they shouldn't be afraid of anyone.

As for whether or not the Raptors win the NBA championship, I would be lying to you if I told you I thought they would win it all again. When you lose a guy as good as The Claw, it's hard to defend an NBA championship. Most teams who lost a guy of his caliber would be in rebuilding mode or at least not contending for another title. That said, the fact that the Raptors are contending once again does give me hope that they might repeat or at the very least come out of the East once more. The only team standing in their way is the Bucks and as good as they've been in the regular season, there's reason to doubt their ability to get it done come playoff time.

If the Raptors keep playing like they've been and the Bucks falter a bit, don't be surprised to see them back in the NBA Finals. They have a new star in Siakam, a quality supporting cast around him, and experience. We The North isn't done just yet.

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