Toronto Raptors — Philadelphia 76ers — At the end of the day, what’s the difference?
Tuesday night marked the start of the Eastern Conference Finals as well as the night the NBA held its annual Draft Lottery. The latter took place before Game 1, which featured the Raptors and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the ping-pong balls finally fell the Sixers way. Philadelphia was awarded the No. 1 overall pick in June’s NBA Draft, while the Los Angels Lakers and Boston Celtics also came away winners getting the 2nd and 3rd overall picks.
After the lottery completed, the East Finals did as well; the Cavs proved in Game 1 that they are the class of the East. While the Raptors have had an entertaining year, what’s the difference between them and the 76ers? The difference is that the Sixers have the first pick in this year’s draft and Toronto does not. They have NO chance to beat Cleveland and therefor, NO chance to win the NBA title. This isn’t meant to rip Toronto — They’ve had an admirable season.
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It’s very, very hard to win an NBA title. There is zero parity in the NBA, and it’s a big issue for the the league. With the way that the league is presently constituted, it’s very difficult for teams to build sustained success. That said, it’s better to be in the “tank” like Philly, LA or even Minnesota than be in NBA “purgatory” like Toronto or the Atlanta Hawks. The Toronto’s and Atlanta’s, as currently constructed, will never win a title, and it’s probably the league’s fault. However, sometimes you need to know how to beat the system, so to speak. Philadelphia, as embarrassing as the last four years have been, is in a better position to win a championship than the No. 2 seed in the