The Raptors are the lone Canadian franchise in a league made up of 30 teams. So it should come as no surprise that Toronto has seemingly found it difficult garnering much mainstream attention in the United States over the years, especially when it wasn't factoring into the title picture.
Chris Bosh was named to five All-Star teams during his seven-season run (2003-10) north of the border, but it wasn't until he took his talents to South Beach that he started receiving widespread recognition for his ability. Now, seeing his former squad as the top team in the Eastern Conference, the current free agent feels the Raptors are still being viewed as an afterthought when their level of play should be deserving of more praise from both the fans and media.
"That’s what’s messed up about playing in Toronto … they’re in first place in the East," Bosh said as a recent guest on The Bill Simmons podcast, according to Sportsnet's Dave Zarum. "They’re three and a half games behind the best record in the NBA. Nobody’s even talking about it. C’mon! In this day and age where everybody watches their screens everywhere, nobody’s talking about the Raptors."
Current Toronto star DeMar DeRozan has extended his range and become a more versatile scorer and playmaker in 2017-18. However, to Bosh's point, DeRozan is usually found down the pecking order of viable candidates in the Most Valuable Player race behind favorite James Harden.
"DeMar DeRozan isn’t even top-two in MVP (discussion)," Bosh said. "They’re talking about Anthony Davis before DeMar DeRozan, both deservedly so. (James) Harden’s gonna win it, we know that. But as far as two and three are concerned. …
“Usually in this instance we’re not even talking about it if you’re in first place. It’s not even a conversation. It’s Harden vs. DeRozan, and it’s up to them two to duke (it) out (in an MVP race). Nobody’s talking about DeMar, and he’s playing amazing basketball."
Toronto sits with a 48-17 record after snapping the Houston Rockets' 17-game winning streak Friday night at the Air Canada Centre. With 17 games remaining, the Raptors already have more victories than Bosh ever won with the team in a single season.