Raptors will be good barometer for Bulls
The two-team race everyone was expecting between the Bulls and Cleveland for the top spot in the Eastern Conference already has a party crasher.
The Bulls will face the No. 1 team in the East on national television Thursday, but it's the Toronto Raptors in the surprise role of conference leader, not the Cavs. Toronto is 7-1, with the Bulls a game behind at 6-2.
"They're playing as well as anybody in the league, so it will be a great benchmark to see where we're at," Mike Dunleavy said. "We've played a few opponents that weren't in the playoffs last year. We've gotten wins, but we want to see where we're at against one of the elite in the Eastern Conference."
Actually, the Bulls haven't played any opponents yet who were in the playoffs last year. Cleveland is obviously a title contender now that LeBron James is back home, and the Bulls lost that game in overtime.
Toronto's schedule hasn't been much better. The Raptors are 5-0 at home and their lone loss was at Miami by 5 points.
Raptors are dino-mite:
The Raptors finished with the same record as the Bulls last season (48-34), so their fast start isn't a big surprise.
The team is well-constructed, beginning with rising star DeMar DeRozan. A college teammate of Taj Gibson at USC, DeRozan is averaging 21.9 points. Point guard Kyle Lowry is off to a good start. There's another athletic wing in Terrence Ross, and size in the middle with Jonas Valanciunas and Amir Johnson.
The significant new addition is guard Lou Williams, averaging 10.9 points off the bench. Depth became a strength last season when Toronto landed Patrick Patterson and Greivis Vasquez from Sacramento in the Rudy Gay trade.
"They have a really solid 10-man rotation," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "Lowry is terrific. I had a chance to be around DeMar DeRozan with Team USA and he's a legit superstar."
Bull horns:
Through Tuesday, the Raptors lead the league in scoring at 107 points per game. The Bulls rank sixth, believe it or not, at 104 points, and are third in 3-point shooting percentage at 39.8 percent. … The Raptors are getting some mileage out of the slogan, "We The North." It's designed to unite Canada around the NBA's lone team outside the U.S.