Raptors Clinch 7th Straight Playoff Berth with Win over Stephen Curry, Warriors

The Toronto Raptors sealed a berth in the 2020 NBA playoffs with a victory over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.

Few fans expected the Raptors to suffer a precipitous drop following the offseason departures of Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. The nucleus of the roster remained, so Toronto had the pieces to return to the postseason.

Not even the most diehard fans could've foreseen the success the Raptors have enjoyed in 2019-20, though. The team is 44-18 and 1.5 games up on the Boston Celtics for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Although they would be an underdog in a seven-game series against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Raptors have a genuine shot at repeating as conference champions.

According to NBA.com, Toronto ranks 12th in offensive rating (111.2) but second in defensive rating (104.9). It speaks both to head coach Nick Nurse and the players themselves that they could lose one of the NBA's elite defenders (Leonard) yet maintain an elite-level defense.

Nurse famously deployed a box-and-one defense in the 2019 NBA Finals to frustrate Stephen Curry. He has continued to rely on that tactic at times while throwing in a variety of other tactics as well.

Veteran center Marc Gasol praised Nurse's approach, per Sportsnet's Steven Loung:

"He's been very creative, unafraid and he's got the conviction to just try new things. It's not always going to be perfect, but we're going to scramble around and we believe in what we all do and we always have open minds as players and we understand what it's for.

"I always think it's good to have things in your back pocket just in case because it throws teams off rhythm, and I don't see why not, because basketball's also about creativity and trying different things."

In Pascal Siakam, the Raptors might also have the kind of scorer who can carry the offense in the playoffs.

Depth and offensive balance are great for managing the workload of the regular season. The postseason often requires somebody to lead the way, though. 

One reason Toronto toppled the Bucks in last year's Eastern Conference Finals was the way in which they stifled Giannis Antetokounmpo. The 2019 MVP averaged 22.7 points in the series, compared to 27.4 points in the first two rounds. His field-goal percentage also fell from 52.2 to 44.8.

The Raptors are counting on Siakam to have a Leonard-like role on offense, and it might not be a bad bet. The winner of the Most Improved Player award a year ago, he has taken another step in his fourth season.

Siakam entered play Thursday averaging 23.7 points while shooting 46.1 percent from the floor and 37.0 percent from beyond the arc.

The Raptors signed Siakam to a four-year, $130 million extension in the offseason, banking on him successfully taking over for Leonard as the franchise cornerstone. And he has done exactly that.

Toronto is effectively playing with house money. The team is playing better than projected, and no outcome in the playoffs—even a first-round exit—will be too deflating for the fanbase so soon after the 2019 title run.

Like many other franchises, the Raptors have cleared the decks for the 2021 offseason, when Antetokounmpo could headline the free-agent class. The Athletic's John Hollinger reported last October they'll likely be among the suitors for the Bucks star.

The next few months will show whether Toronto actually needs to go big-game hunting next year to win its second championship.