Toronto Temperature: The Raptors are scorching hot!

I don’t know if you heard, but last year, Masai Ujiri traded for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green and the Toronto Raptors won their first ever NBA Championship. Had you heard this great news? Surely you had and surely you thought, “wow, there’s no way it could ever get any better than this”.

Surely, it shouldn’t but surely it has. The defending champion Raptors are currently enjoying a 15-game winning streak after beating the Indiana Pacers in a home and home series, Brooklyn in a spectacular fit of defense to close the game and a fourth quarter waxing of the new look, same results Minnesota Timberwolves. But, that’s not it. That’s not why this season is “better” than last season, it’s because those wins are followed by top shelf content like this.

Come for the Lowry highlights, stay for the Ibaka edit, relish in Matt Devlin calling Serge’s shot “for the win” when there was still 28.9 seconds on the clock and the Raptors were only up one and Indiana had the ball.

This year is just more fun and so much of that fun is attributed to the highlight of this week’s column. Who could it be?!?

Who’s Hot

OG Anunoby, Trendsetter

Serge Ibaka rightfully gets a lot of the credit for all the glorious noise about scarfs but because he’s so personable and unbelievably handsome, this humble columnist believes he might be getting too much of the credit. Hell, OG’s name is in the header here and it leads with Ibaka’s name. It’s time that OG gets some respect put on his name.

Toronto Raptors

The all-grey tracksuit with grey socks and an orange head scarf with orange Suicoke sandals? Double Louis bags to boot? Stop it, OG. You better stop!

OG Anunoby, Troll

Incredibly, none of the missing credit is lost on Anunoby and he will be the absolute first person to hop into the comments and tell you, or as it so happens to be in this case, Serge Ibaka, all about it.

“Computer, enhance the first image of Thomas Mooney’s tweet”

At this point, OG has fully revealed himself as the elite troll that he is and it couldn’t be more spectacular. More so, though...

OG Anunoby, Terrific Basketball Player

OG is a monster of a basketball player. All of that stuff above is a glorious topping on what Anunoby has become this season: an elite defender that can guard 1 through 5, an above-average three-point shooter who cuts with purpose and is learning to make the right pass on the move. None of this was showcased more heavily than in his career game against the T’Wolves.

More importantly for OG, this gem was the follow up to a game-winning defensive stop against the Nets. Perhaps some consistency will begin to find Anunoby?

Who’s Not

American Media, Asleep at the Wheel

It’s really been a great week for Toronto because Raptors Twitter (the best NBA Twitter of all) has been dunking all over every American media personality/show that was, is or has been wrong about the Raptors this season.

Stephen A. Smith was last heard saying that Kawhi wouldn’t have an easier time repeating this year if he stayed with the Raptors instead of going to the Clippers and some certain members of NBA TV had the Raptors missing the playoffs entirely!

The only person we’re here for is, somehow, Kendrick Perkins?

Sustained Effort, Nitpicking

All right, if there is one area that is a bit unsettling during this remarkable win streak it’s that Toronto has had a penchant for easing their way through some of these games knowing that they have a gas-pedal moments where they completely annihilate teams in the span of 4-6 minutes. This tendency is all well and good in the regular season, but it’s a scary notion come playoff time. Yes, there will always be lulls and runs in today’s NBA, but for the Raptors to have sustained success come April, that gas-pedal effort on both ends of the court is going to have to be more consistent and present throughout the duration of the game.

Nothing Else, Too Hot

Seriously, that’s it. The Raptors are so hot that there just isn’t a third not-hot thing about them. Even Patrick McCaw is scorching right now, shooting 53% since he donned his mask. Enjoy the ride!