Fansided

5 reasons the Toronto Raptors can win the NBA Championship

By Phillip Barnett

TORONTO, CANADA - JANUARY 30: The Toronto Raptors celebrate their win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 30, 2018 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Mark Blinch/NBAE via Getty Images)
TORONTO, CANADA - JANUARY 30: The Toronto Raptors celebrate their win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 30, 2018 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Mark Blinch/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OH – MARCH 21: Dwane Casey of the Toronto Raptors
CLEVELAND, OH – MARCH 21: Dwane Casey of the Toronto Raptors /

2. Coaching has been excellent in Toronto

The 2018 Toronto Raptors are a completely different team from the 2017 Toronto Raptors with essentially the same roster. Dwane Casey has tweaked his rotations, given a lot more responsibility to a fantastic bench unit and has gotten his two stars to buy into a brand new offensive scheme — eschewing one that both DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry were extremely comfortable in.

Much of the credit for the revamped offense goes to Casey’s lead assistant coach Nick Nurse. Nurse was brought in following the 2013 season and this is the first season in which his offensive style has been implemented in full. Nurse started the change this offseason with the young Raptors during summer league, creating rules for their intrasquad scrimmages that incentivized corner 3-pointers and penalized the mid-range jumper.

Casey said it was difficult to get DeRozan and Lowry to buy in early, but once they did, it created the new culture that Masai Ujiri felt the team needed, and the results are undeniable.

This is by and large the best regular season in Raptors history and Casey’s ability to eschew his ego and adapt to a changing NBA has allowed the Raptors to find themselves in the best position in franchise history to bring the Larry O’Brien to Canada.

Casey has been just as good as some of the most respected coaches in the NBA, and often times better considering how much he had to change this team. If Casey doesn’t win COY this season, it won’t be because he didn’t deserve it.

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