Just as the Raptors are set to emerge as an elite team in the Eastern conference, rival teams put themselves in position to surmount them. The high level of off-season activity has allowed teams to reinforce, or in some cases, entirely revamp their rosters. Essentially, what this means for Toronto is that improved teams like Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Indiana and New York will greatly increase the degree of competition. The Raptors have stayed true to their team, but with new opponents, comes new rivalries.
Looking back at the 2015-2016 season, the Raptors arguably had one main competitor worthy of the status of rival: The Cleveland Cavaliers.