Dwane Casey was asked about the Oklahoma City Thunder, and he repeated part of the question. “A litmus test?” said the coach of the Toronto Raptors, before the actual game. “Well, I don’t know if it’s a litmus test, but it’s a hell of a test, I know that.”
On paper, the Raptors and the Thunder occupied similar neighbourhoods. Fourth- and fifth-best records in the NBA, a notch below the teams people consider true contenders. Oklahoma City also has two top-five players, and lives in a tougher part of the league, but you can compare the two teams this season, right?