I'm Zubin Mehenti.

Final game of the first half done for the champs.

The Toronto Raptors have their franchise record 15 game winning streak snapped by the Brooklyn Nets, But even with that little blip aside, it's been outstanding first half of the season.

Tim Bottom line.

How they've been able to do this.

Sounds cool.

I Well, I think they changed the culture of the entire organization, was what they did a year ago, when this is a team now that believes, and they think of themselves differently than they did prior to winning a championship.

So even though you lose quite letter, did you lose the finals?

M v p.

You lose one of the best players in the league.

Bottom line is that locker room is now a championship locker room, and there's a lot of guys in there that had a big part in that.

So now you automatically believe that you belong on that stage and that goes a long way in the n B A.

So you've got a lot of guys that are holdovers from a year ago that experienced that they were part of that.

But you have to now expect those guys to take a step forward with increased roles, with Kawai Leonard leaving and they've done it.

So there are very tough group.

They're a group that believes in themselves, and then they are exceptionally well coached.

No question about it.

The long travels.

Well traveled.

Nick Nurse earning that championship.

Take Ally out of the picture.

That's a big one to take out.

But if you do, what's the difference between this year's team in last year's championship outfit?

Well, for me, clearly it's the emergence of Pascal Seaq, Um, is a number one offensive option in this legal offensively, You know, it's one thing to play next to a guy like Kawai Leonard and take advantage of your ability to get single coverage, your ability to slash when Kawai is getting double teams.

And all those things of Pascal Seaq, Um does because he moves so well without the ball.

It's a whole another thing now to take your game to a point where you're 23 24 point score, where you are initiating offense with a live dribble where you're running high ball screen Pascal seaq Um has worked on his game, to the extent that now he has proven he can carry an offense a lot of nights.

And he's a well deserved All Star now, no forward in this league and a guy that a lot of teams covet around the MBA.

And we didn't know if he was going to be comfortable in that position until he had to be in that position, which he is now.

Finally, without that star.

Next time.

No tomorrow.

Rosen Noko i Leonard.

It's passed up.

Pascal seaq Um, show offensively, and he is more than bin up for the challenge from Micro.

Let's go, Macro taking a big picture Look, where do the Raptors rank among your Eastern Conference title control?

Well, it's really crowded at the top.

Obviously, Milwaukee's on an unprecedented run here at the start for that organization, and they've got now a lot of distance between them and everybody else.

There's five teams lumped together, and I look at those five teams.

I actually think Tehran is the most complete of the group, so I think they are the team that really represents the biggest challenge to the Milwaukee Bucks, and I think It's a legitimate challenges.

You gotta remember another thing they have going for them.

They knocked out the bucks a year ago, and that was the team that came up with a game plan and committed to it that limited Janos Onset scoop.

Oh, in that Siri's.

He really struggled with the way that they basically zoned him up.

So they've got that going for him as well.

They're thinking Okay, Yeah.

The books having a great season.

We know we've beaten before in the postseason.

We're confident we get to that point.

We could do that again.

So I actually think Toronto right now is the most complete team of that next five that are trying to catch the books.

So the Bucks air looking at 70 wins.

They should perhaps be looking, though, at the Raptors hot on their tail.

Last thing.

What is the possibility that this team could go back to back and repeat?

Well, I wouldn't lay money at it on Vegas unless it was your money.

I'm not going to do that with my own money because, look, obviously you've got the Lakers and Clippers out west, and I think one of those teams is going to be the favorite.

You've got the bucks and what they're doing right now.

And this is a team that I think feels like they've got some unfinished business.

But you take those three out of the mix and then you have the Raptors.

So is it.

Is it inconceivable that the Raptors could end up in the finals by knocking off a team like walk in the conference finals?

Obviously, I don't think so.

I just said that.

So then it's.

Do you really think they could knock off a team like the Lakers or Clippers that they got to the N B A Finals?

If you're on that stage, you've deserved to be there.

They proved it last year.

You can get it done, so I'm not going to rule them completely out as defending.

I just think it would be a little bit of a long shot right now, even though this team could find themselves in the conference finals again, which a lot of people didn't expect going into the season.

No question, they've got a long deserved rest coming up.

They won't even begin the second half of the season until Friday, February 21st when they take on Phoenix.

Tim.

Thanks God, Thanks for watching ESPN on YouTube.

For more sports highlights and analysis, be sure to download the ESPN app and for live streaming sports and premium content, subscribe Teoh, ESPN plus.