Toronto Raptors: Which teams threaten their championship hopes?

Golden State Warriors

While the Raptors have lost both games against the Warriors this season, they were by a combined nine points. Many teams would only hope to be that close in contests against the defending champions.

Their most recent game almost saw the largest comeback in team history, but just fell short by two points. It also does not help that the team gave up 81 points in the first half, which sparked a major turnaround in the second half.

It is hard to know how a finals with the Warriors would play out but many would probably expect the Raptors to struggle, given how their last win against Golden State was back on Mar. 02, 2014. Since then it has been a tough go for Toronto, losing eight straight games but being close contests for the most part.

Both teams are the only ones in the league to rank top five in both team offence and team defence. It is no surprise given the number of blowout games both teams has dished out this season, but there is a clear advantage Golden State has over Toronto.

They have been in three straight NBA Finals winning two of them; the Toronto Raptors have never been to a final and have only one conference finals appearance. They might have an easier road to get to the finals, but the Warriors will be tested if they cross paths with the Rockets.

It is always going to be tough to bet against a team that features a starting lineup of Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Zaza Pachulia. Then again, this is a much different Raptors team than past years, so there is always hope of a much different outcome.

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Which team would give the Toronto Raptors the toughest test in their quest for a championship? Let us know in the comments below.