When Should The Raptors Finish The Best Record Essay

The Raptors will finish the 2017-18 regular season with the best record in the Eastern Conference.
No, this is not a claim that the Raptors are better than the Celtics or the Cavaliers. No, this is not a prediction that the Raptors will represent the East in the NBA Finals. No, this is not a biased opinion of a Torontonian who has loved and followed the team from day 1.
This is a proclamation that the Toronto Raptors, as currently constructed, with what lies ahead until mid-April, are in the best position to finish #1 in the East.
For the purpose of this article, we’re only considering Boston, Cleveland, and Toronto as possibilities for the East’s best record. Washington lost ground when Wall went down. Milwaukee has not been able to make

The benefit of getting those out of the way, is the Raptors now have exactly ONE road game remaining vs. the West, on January 20 in Minnesota.
Have you seen Cleveland’s remaining schedule? Eight games left against the Western Conference, including trips to San Antonio and Oklahoma City. They also have a brutal 10-day stretch in mid-March where they play 5 West teams during a 6-game road trip. With Cleveland currently sporting a 7-6 record vs. West, and more importantly, 1-4 on the road, it’s fairly safe to assume a few more L’s are in their future out West.
This is the part where Celtic fans chime in, “8 games? Hold my beer.” Boston still has 11(!) road games remaining vs. the West. January has already included a trip to London, England. The month doesn’t end there as the Celtics will soon embark on a 4-game western road trip that ends with visits to the highest heights – in terms of record (Golden State), and actual elevation (Denver). Post-All-Star break doesn’t get any easier for Boston. March is bookended with a 3-game road swing that includes Houston and Minnesota, and a 4-games-in-6-nights western