The Toronto Raptors are 11.5 games out of the playoffs. The Atlanta Haws are 10.5 out. You might be wondering “what’s so strange about that?” In ‘04/’05 the Raps missed the post-season by 26 games; the Hawks by 46. So we’re looking at an improvement, right? Well, I don’t think so.

17 games into the season and the Raptors are out by 11.5! 15 games in an the Hawks are out by 10.5! At this pace both clubs will miss the dance by 60 games. And you know what, I wouldn’t be surprised.

The Raptors picked up their first road W of the season in Atlanta last night, beating the Hawks 102-101. The game basically was basically over when Joe Johnson took an inbound, down 2 with 2.5 seconds left, and stepped out-of-bounds. Now it was close, and I’m not sure he even stepped out. Had he stayed on the court the lane was wide open for an easy lay-up that would have sent the game to OT.

Is my point that the Raptors should have lost? They should lose every game. But I think Toronto would have taken this one, even if it had gone to extra time. Atlanta’s defense is just so incredibly bad that I’m sure Charlie Villanueva would have pulled another easy layup to win it.

You’ve got to look at the box-score to really appreciate this game. Joe Johnson went off for 34 points and 10 assists. He was the most talented player on the floor, and he showed it. Chris Bosh was 8-14, and could have scored at will. Same with Al Harrington who was 12-19 for 24 points. Atlanta shot 55%. Toronto finished at 49%.

What did this one tell us about the NBA’s two worst teams? Toronto is, surprisingly, on the way up. Atlanta is going to be bad for a very long time.

Al Harrington is a free agent at the end of this season, and he’s not coming back to Atlanta. Josh Smith is a tremendous talent, but he has a ton of maturing to do. He picked up 1 board and 8 points against a team that gives up 104 points/game and 43 rebounds. 6 Toronto players were in double figures last night. Atlanta had 4.

The Hawks are ahead of the Raps in the standings by virtue of having played a couple less games. They give up 97 points/night. What immediately strikes you about this team is a complete lack of defensive presence. Toronto is bone-dry on defense, but Chris Bosh and Charlie Villanueva are going to turn into something under the boards. Atlanta has Zaza.

If you can’t beat the Raps at home, then you can’t win 15 games in David Stern’s NBA. The Hawks were 13-69 last year, and that’s just pathetic. I’d really be surprised if they won 12. And that’s 12 out of 82! If either Harrington or Johnson goes down this is a team that could finish the season with a single-digit win total.

NBA Standings