Expectations...
My love/obsession for my Toronto sports teams borders on unhealthy. I am glad I have this platform so I can just get things off my chest and move on (at least until I have more things to write and complain about).
There really wasn't much else to say about the latest Leafs game. The Raptors play the Hawks in a few hours, and I expect that to be a game about which I'll have little to say, whether we win or lose.
(And no, I try not to end sentences with a proposition. Not an issue I want to deal with.)
Anyway, I am going to go ahead and write down a few thoughts that popped up after the Leafs-Wild game. I needed some moments to organize them so they made sense in written/typed words.
Here we go.
(This is me trying to figure out what to write in this blog.)
When I watch the Leafs lose to teams like the Islanders and the Wild (granted, without a full, healthy lineup), Mr. Pessimism in me rears his ugly head. As talented as this team is, and as entertaining as this team can be, I feel that our ceiling this year is probably the 2nd round in the playoffs.
Then when I watch the Raptors beat teams like the Warriors, Bucks and Pacers without a full lineup, I get all giddy thinking about just how deep this team could go in the playoffs. The ceiling, I feel, will be the NBA Finals.
Two different leagues, two different sports, and obviously contexts are very different as well. But let me just jot down some comparisons.
The Leafs are still 2nd best in the East and 3rd overall in points in the NHL (we and Vegas have 56 points but we have 3 games in hand). But it doesn't look like we're going to catch the Bolts, who are 10 points ahead after the same number of games (42).
Boston and Buffalo are battling for 3rd place in our division. But let's say it's going to be Tampa-Toronto-Boston in the end. Then we'll play those Bruins in the first round for the 2nd straight year.
Look, I am not an old school guy when it comes to playing "heavy" hockey in the playoffs, to borrow Babs' term. I don't believe in having to carry muscle and play a different brand of hockey than in the regular season in order to win playoff games. I still have faith in speed and skills. I know Babs loved having Komarov, Martin, Polak, etc, but I'd rather have Johnsson, Ennis, Dermott any day of the week, thank you very much.
Having said that, there's something about the way we play sometimes that leads me to believe we won't be able to get past the Bruins in the first round if we meet again. Can't quite pinpoint it, and I don't even think it's because we lack brawn.
(FWIW, the Bruins have beaten us 5-1 and 6-3 this season, while we took one game 4-2.)
There have been losses when we didn't have our legs, when we were so egregiously sloppy with the puck, and when we just got pushed around from start to finish. In all honesty, over the past month or so, the only "quality" teams that we've beaten are the Jackets on Dec. 29 and Buffalo on Dec. 5. That's it. Otherwise, we've either defeated teams we're supposed to beat (Vancouver, Florida, Detroit, Rangers) or lost to teams that we should be able to beat more regularly if we were to go deep in the playoffs (Tampa, Preds, Boston).
In the NBA, the Raptors have played more games than any team (42) and also have more Ws than any team (30). We have never had Kawhi on the second game of back-to-backs and we're still 7-1 in those situations. Kyle was out for about a dozen games and we managed to hang tough.
And here's my thing about the Raptors and the Leafs.
Even though the Raptors have been either 1st or 2nd overall in the entire league pretty much all season, there are opponents that make me think, "These guys are going to be tough to beat." Bucks, Celtics, Sixers, Pacers, and a whole bunch of teams out west, like Warriors, Rockets, OKC, Lakers, etc. I don't take too many teams lightly.
The Leafs very briefly had the best record in the NHL earlier in the season, and have mostly been 2nd or 3rd overall. In other words, somewhat of a similar position as the Raptors. But other than Tampa and Boston, maybe the Capitals in the East, and maybe the Preds and the Jets in the West, there aren't too many teams that strike fear in me as a fan. And we have beaten the Jets in back-to-back games this season, and handled the Caps on the road as well. Even the Flames, I feel like we can handle them in a seven-game series.
I think that kind of explains my pessimism about the Leafs and the opposite for the Raptors. I "expect" the Leafs to be better and I am disappointed when they don't meet the bar. I feel like the Leafs are a better team, or at least can be a better team, than their record. And there have been too many "bad" losses for me this season that left sour taste in my mouth. Losing to teams like the Wings, Canes and Panthers ain't no fun.
I often "hope" the Raptors will beat this team and that team, and when they do pull out victories (two over the Warriors, for instance), then I start wondering if I should book my flights to Toronto in June for a championship parade. I feel like the Raptors are playing just about as well as I'd expected them to before the season, maybe slightly better.
And there have not been major "bad" losses for this team. Getting destroyed by the Magic 116-87 last month has been our worst defeat so far this season, followed by the loss to the Spurs. Almost every other loss, I can make an excuse for the boys.
That 124-109 loss to the Bucks after winning the first 6 games to start the season? Hey, no Kawhi, and we were probably due for a loss at that point. Falling to the Blazers on Dec. 15? We had a letdown after beating Clips and Warriors on back-to-back days. Celtics handing it to us in OT in November? Kyrie went off, and nothing you can do about it when he does his thing. And so forth.
Not sure I can do the same with the Leafs. We lost those games because we were bad. I can't be the same apologist for the Leafs that I am for the Raptors.
I guess the bottom line is it all comes down to my expectations for these teams.
I have no idea how I've reached this point.
There really wasn't much else to say about the latest Leafs game. The Raptors play the Hawks in a few hours, and I expect that to be a game about which I'll have little to say, whether we win or lose.
(And no, I try not to end sentences with a proposition. Not an issue I want to deal with.)
Anyway, I am going to go ahead and write down a few thoughts that popped up after the Leafs-Wild game. I needed some moments to organize them so they made sense in written/typed words.
Here we go.
(This is me trying to figure out what to write in this blog.)
When I watch the Leafs lose to teams like the Islanders and the Wild (granted, without a full, healthy lineup), Mr. Pessimism in me rears his ugly head. As talented as this team is, and as entertaining as this team can be, I feel that our ceiling this year is probably the 2nd round in the playoffs.
Then when I watch the Raptors beat teams like the Warriors, Bucks and Pacers without a full lineup, I get all giddy thinking about just how deep this team could go in the playoffs. The ceiling, I feel, will be the NBA Finals.
Two different leagues, two different sports, and obviously contexts are very different as well. But let me just jot down some comparisons.
The Leafs are still 2nd best in the East and 3rd overall in points in the NHL (we and Vegas have 56 points but we have 3 games in hand). But it doesn't look like we're going to catch the Bolts, who are 10 points ahead after the same number of games (42).
Boston and Buffalo are battling for 3rd place in our division. But let's say it's going to be Tampa-Toronto-Boston in the end. Then we'll play those Bruins in the first round for the 2nd straight year.
Look, I am not an old school guy when it comes to playing "heavy" hockey in the playoffs, to borrow Babs' term. I don't believe in having to carry muscle and play a different brand of hockey than in the regular season in order to win playoff games. I still have faith in speed and skills. I know Babs loved having Komarov, Martin, Polak, etc, but I'd rather have Johnsson, Ennis, Dermott any day of the week, thank you very much.
Having said that, there's something about the way we play sometimes that leads me to believe we won't be able to get past the Bruins in the first round if we meet again. Can't quite pinpoint it, and I don't even think it's because we lack brawn.
(FWIW, the Bruins have beaten us 5-1 and 6-3 this season, while we took one game 4-2.)
There have been losses when we didn't have our legs, when we were so egregiously sloppy with the puck, and when we just got pushed around from start to finish. In all honesty, over the past month or so, the only "quality" teams that we've beaten are the Jackets on Dec. 29 and Buffalo on Dec. 5. That's it. Otherwise, we've either defeated teams we're supposed to beat (Vancouver, Florida, Detroit, Rangers) or lost to teams that we should be able to beat more regularly if we were to go deep in the playoffs (Tampa, Preds, Boston).
In the NBA, the Raptors have played more games than any team (42) and also have more Ws than any team (30). We have never had Kawhi on the second game of back-to-backs and we're still 7-1 in those situations. Kyle was out for about a dozen games and we managed to hang tough.
And here's my thing about the Raptors and the Leafs.
Even though the Raptors have been either 1st or 2nd overall in the entire league pretty much all season, there are opponents that make me think, "These guys are going to be tough to beat." Bucks, Celtics, Sixers, Pacers, and a whole bunch of teams out west, like Warriors, Rockets, OKC, Lakers, etc. I don't take too many teams lightly.
The Leafs very briefly had the best record in the NHL earlier in the season, and have mostly been 2nd or 3rd overall. In other words, somewhat of a similar position as the Raptors. But other than Tampa and Boston, maybe the Capitals in the East, and maybe the Preds and the Jets in the West, there aren't too many teams that strike fear in me as a fan. And we have beaten the Jets in back-to-back games this season, and handled the Caps on the road as well. Even the Flames, I feel like we can handle them in a seven-game series.
I think that kind of explains my pessimism about the Leafs and the opposite for the Raptors. I "expect" the Leafs to be better and I am disappointed when they don't meet the bar. I feel like the Leafs are a better team, or at least can be a better team, than their record. And there have been too many "bad" losses for me this season that left sour taste in my mouth. Losing to teams like the Wings, Canes and Panthers ain't no fun.
I often "hope" the Raptors will beat this team and that team, and when they do pull out victories (two over the Warriors, for instance), then I start wondering if I should book my flights to Toronto in June for a championship parade. I feel like the Raptors are playing just about as well as I'd expected them to before the season, maybe slightly better.
And there have not been major "bad" losses for this team. Getting destroyed by the Magic 116-87 last month has been our worst defeat so far this season, followed by the loss to the Spurs. Almost every other loss, I can make an excuse for the boys.
That 124-109 loss to the Bucks after winning the first 6 games to start the season? Hey, no Kawhi, and we were probably due for a loss at that point. Falling to the Blazers on Dec. 15? We had a letdown after beating Clips and Warriors on back-to-back days. Celtics handing it to us in OT in November? Kyrie went off, and nothing you can do about it when he does his thing. And so forth.
Not sure I can do the same with the Leafs. We lost those games because we were bad. I can't be the same apologist for the Leafs that I am for the Raptors.
I guess the bottom line is it all comes down to my expectations for these teams.
I have no idea how I've reached this point.
(This is me clapping for myself for finishing this entry.)
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