Breaking Down the Toronto Raptors' 2012-13 NBA Schedule

December

December kicks off with a nice little five-game west-coast swing against the Denver Nuggets, Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz, LA Clippers and Portland Trailblazers.

And to me, this could very well be the key to the season.

If the Raps are indeed entering the month five or six games below .500, this road trip could go a long ways in determining whether the club makes the playoffs or not. It may sound ridiculous but remember how terrible this club has been on lengthy Western Conference road trips the past few seasons. Last year the Raps grabbed a few surprising wins in Utah and Phoenix on their biggest jaunt, but that was more of the exception than the rule. In the past in fact the club has been more likely to see an early loss or two on such a trip, snowball into a complete sweep and if that happens, the Dinos could find themselves in too big a hole to climb themselves out of in terms of the playoff picture.

And to compound matters, after the Western swing, the Raps go home but face Brooklyn, Dallas and Houston.

This stretch could be a killer, and the month ends with another road swing, a three-game one versus San Antonio, New Orleans and Orlando.

So much for a Merry Christmas.

Record prediction for December- 5 and 9.

January

The tide turns a bit in the Raptors' favour this month.

Six straight home games to start Jan, including matches against clubs like Sacramento, Charlotte and Milwaukee.

The Raptors also face the Chicago Bulls in the middle of the month, and with the Bulls likely being minus one Derrick Rose, that bodes well too.

The second half of the month gets tougher on paper, as the Lakers come to down, and Toronto heads off to Miami and Orlando to face the Heat and Magic.

Record prediction for January- 9 and 6.

February

19 and 27.

In this exercise, that's what the Raptors' record is to start the month of February. It's hard to say where the other Eastern Conference clubs will be record-wise, but if indeed Toronto is this far back, they've got a lot of work to do to make up ground.

Unfortunately to start the month the club faces the murderer's row of the Clippers, Heat, Celtics and Pacers and while the bulk of those are at home, the club will need to pull off a few upsets to keep pace.

The All-Star break means that there are only 12 games this month for Toronto, and while there appear to be easier ones (on paper at least) later in Feb, again, those first four matches are key to what could be Toronto's slim playoff hopes.

Record prediction for February- 5 and 7.

March

In the past, March and April have traditionally been "home-heavy" months for the Raps as their schedule is typically front-loaded with away games.

But this year things are different, with nine of the club's 15 games away from the friendly confines of the ACC.

As well, a strange four-game road trip, starting in Milwaukee and ending in Los Angeles against the Lake Show makes for some tough prognostication.

However on paper, this is definitely the weakest month in terms of the level of competition the Dinos will be facing, with only seven of the 15 games being against clubs that made last year's playoffs.

Oh...and two matches against the Bobcats don't hurt either.

If the Raps want to make a final playoff push, this is the month to do it.

Record prediction for March- 8 and 7.

April

If the club's record follows my prognostications to any degree, it will be heading into the final month of the season with a record of 32 and 41.

This would represent an improvement already over the previous year percentage-wise, but it's a mark that still likely has the Dinos sitting on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture, looking in.

However Toronto's final nine matches are promising.

April begins with two winnable games against Detroit and Washington and even the next two against Minnesota and Milwaukee look like potential W's.

Unfortunately the Raps' play the Bulls twice after that in a home-and-home affair, and with Derrick Rose back in tow and Chicago potentially fighting to make the Dance, these look like tough gets.

As for the final trio of matches, they could go either way. On one hand, Brooklyn, Atlanta and Boston don't exactly appear to be easy wins. Even the Hawks, minus Joe Johnson, can put up a good fight, and the other two should be battling it out for the division lead.

But if these clubs have playoff spots locked up, especially the Celtics, we could be seeing them rest key players down the stretch, giving the Raps a few more shots at W's.

Record prediction for April- 5 and 4.

Final 2011-12 Record - 37 and 45

Now considering Toronto won only 27 per cent of their games in 2010-11, and last season, won only 35 per cent, a 37 and 45 record would give the club a win percentage of 45 per cent and would be another step in the right direction.

But would it mean playoffs?

Not unless the East gets hit with a malaise that has yet to be seen in the modern era of NBA ball.

That means it's back to the lottery for the Dinos however in the unenviable position of having a late lottery pick in what currently looks to be a soft draft class.

But hey, it's not even August yet so let's not get too negative about things just yet.

Besides, based on last year's schedule I would have pegged Philly to miss the playoffs and instead, they ended up just a win away from the Eastern Conference final.