Raptors Analysis: Toronto, the Pride of a Nation

The Toronto Raptors are looking to lock up a playoff seed in the East this year, and it seems like it should be a fairly easy feat.

The Raptors are the only team in the NBA from north of the border, and Canada could not be prouder of its collective sons.

The Raptors are starting to look like a force in the East, something that hasn't been said about the team for quite a while.

The Breakdown:

The Raptors are sitting pretty as the fifth seed in the East currently, and should easily be able to hold off the Wizards, Sixers, and Hawks.

With that being said, the Raptors have the tools to make somewhat of a run this year in the playoffs, especially with the emergence of second-year guard Jose Calderon.

In his 48 starts for the injury-plagued T.J. Ford, Calderon has averaged 13.6 PPG, 9.4 APG, 3.3 RPG, and 1.2 SPG.

Not bad for an undrafted international project.

Chris Bosh is once again playing at his All-Star level, and statistically, he has fallen off a bit from last year (22.6 PPG, 8.9 RPG this year vs. 22.6 PPG, 10.7 RPG last year).

But that's a good thing. Why? Simple. He doesn't have to do it himself.

Bosh has a reliable point guard in either T.J. Ford or Jose Calderon, and his team has good balance for the first time.

With Bosh being the dominant post presence that he is, the team knew that down low was not an aspect of the team that needed to be changed. But there was some change, mostly from within, meaning that players grew into roles that could help benefit the team.

Here are the crucial roles on the team and the players that have stepped into them:

The Playmaker: There needs to be a facilitator to an offense. The often-overused phrase "Quarterback of a basketball team" fits perfectly for this role, as a true playmaker works to find players no one else sees and sets up plays never thought possible. This is the guy who can squeeze passes into all those tight places, and is always being thanked by whoever is lucky enough to get one of the easy buckets these guys constantly dish out.

Toronto's Playmaker(s): T.J. Ford, Jose Calderon

The Shooter: Every team needs an outside presence, someone to stretch the floor and open up space for the guys down low. These players need to be respected enough as legitimate outside threats that the defense will draw away from post players in order to free up easy buckets down low, and make defenders pay for falling asleep on them. These snipers are a post player's best friend.

Toronto's Shooter(s): Andrea Bargnani, Jason Kapono, Anthony Parker

The Penetrator: Stop your chuckling. The penetrator is the guy who will draw multiple defenders his way whenever he has the ball. This doesn't necessarily mean that he will get double-teamed on every touch, but it means that the defense must shift over in his direction whenever he catches a pass. The penetrator's driving ability scares defenses so much that often times centers and power forwards will leave their men in order to guard the basket once this guy even catches the ball, let alone when he puts it on the floor.

Toronto's Penetrator: Jamario Moon

The Big Man: The players in the paint may possibly play the biggest role in their team's success. Knowing that you can dump the ball off to your big guy and let him take care of business is the greatest feeling in the world for a point guard. Guys like these can wear down defenses with their fundamental, back to the basket moves and physical banging down low. The building blocks to a franchise, these are the go-to guys down the stretch when a winning team needs to close out a game. And that's important.

Toronto's Big Man: Chris Bosh

The Enforcer: Last but not least, it's time to give credit to the guys who help on the defensive side of the ball. These are the guys that make opponents shudder when they think about driving the lane, and the guys that can make the biggest post players seem oh so small with their ferocious swats and, sometimes, hard fouls. Now listen. That doesn't mean these guys are dirty players. It simply means that they own the painted area on the defensive side of the floor, and they'll make sure you know it.

Toronto's Enforcer(s): Chris Bosh, Rasho Nesterovic, Primoz Brezec

These are the players that have played a crucial role in Toronto's success this year, and will continue to help their team during the playoffs.

There are also some players whose skills aren't quite at the level to make as big of an impact as these guys, but still make their presence felt on this team.

Players like Carlos Delfino, Joey Graham, and Kris Humphries won't make enough of an impact while they're playing to make you notice them, but they provide much-needed rest for the more crucial players, and most have more potential that they have yet to tap.

Toronto should make a good run this year, and in years to come as well.

The Raptors are the pride of Toronto right now, and for the NBA, they are the pride of their nation.