The Toronto Huskies (wait, are they the Raptors again now?) still have a case as the second-best team in the Eastern Conference at 7-2. The Atlanta Hawks (7-2) and Charlotte Hornets (6-3) are both off to excellent starts to the 2016-17 season, but the Raptors — for once — have the benefit of the doubt for having been there before. After all, they were the second seed in the East last year and made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Tonight’s opponent, however, is why discussions over second-best in the East are essentially moot at this point: the Cleveland Cavaliers are far and away the best team in the conference until proven otherwise, and no one — no matter how second-best — is close to breaking into their single-occupant top tier.