The Raptors’ season opener is the new vs the old.

When you think of the Toronto Raptors, you don’t think of them as an old team. However, when they kick off their season against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto has the distinct advantage of being an established team. The Cavs, for their part, are a new team, and we’ll have to see the way they operate together. Does that give Toronto an advantage on Wednesday night?

If the Raptors want to be successful, they will have to win the battle around the basket. There were also communication issues for the Raptors during the preseason. It’s nothing to be overly concerned about, but the Raptors are just going to have to clean up their fundamentals.

The Raptors’ defensive advantage is their length and switchability. That will be important for Toronto when they try to keep up with some of Cleveland’s quickness on their roster.

Cleveland is a difficult team to beat on the offensive interior and defensive glass to try and get second opportunities. A benefit the Raptors have is that Cleveland is limited in how they can spread out Toronto’s offence.

We understand what Toronto is, and there’s some mystery around the Cavs. The Raptors are 3.5-point favourites for the game, and it’s a very fair line.

This is a winnable game for the Raptors, and Toronto fans should be disappointed if they don’t walk away with the win.

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