The Washington Wizards will inevitably be considered the underdogs in their first round series against the Toronto Raptors. Last year against the Bulls, virtually every NBA pundit picked the Wizards to lose against the Chicago Bulls. Of course, the Wizards went on to win in five games.

The Raptors will have home court advantage and will undoubtedly be considered the favorites against the Wizards. Similar to their match up against Chicago, the Wizards aren’t too worried about the “expert” picks. In fact, they’re confident about their chances against the Toronto Raptors, via the Washington Post:

“A lot of us wanted that matchup because they beat us so many times in the regular season so we’re looking forward to it, man,” Beal said. “We know it’s going to be a tough task. We know it’s tough to play up there with their crowd behind them so we got to bring our A-game.”

In a recent interview with ESPN, Paul Pierce noted the Toronto Raptors’ lack of an ‘it’ factor:

“We haven’t done particularly well against Toronto, but I don’t feel they have the ‘It’ that makes you worried,” Pierce said. “There isn’t a team I look at in the Eastern Conference that makes me say, ‘They are intimidating, we don’t have a chance.’

Needless to say, despite their 0-3 record against the Toronto Raptors during the regular season, Paul Pierce and Co. are looking forward to the playoffs.

But does Pierce’s critique of the Raptors’ lack of an ‘it’ factor have any truth behind it?

While some will quickly write off Pierce’s critique, there is some value behind it.

Unlike the Atlanta Hawks, who’ve built superior coaching staff and roster, the Toronto Raptors have been inconsistent this season. The Cleveland Cavaliers have the ‘it’ factor because of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love, but do the Raptors have anybody or anything that should particularly scare the Washington Wizards?

At first glance, it’s hard to see anything that Washington should be afraid of.

Kyle Lowry has dealt with back issues this season and he’s struggled mightily over the past few weeks, shooting just under 35 percent from the field in his last four contests. DeMar DeRozan has carried the team offensively and their big men, specifically Jonas Valanciunas and Amir Johnson, have left a lot to be desired this season.

DeMar DeRozan on Pierce’s comments:

“He said something last year, he’s just gotta say something. Just let him talk, I could care less what he said. He just better hope Chicago — or however it gotta work — win or something, so he won’t see what the ‘It’ is.”

Even though the Raptors have dominated the Wizards during the regular season, they took a significant dip after their three meetings. Like the Wizards, the Raptors went through a disappointing slump after the All-Star break. Their own players cited lack of confidence and swagger as a reason for their struggles.

The Raptors dropped two games versus the Boston Celtics and another one versus the Brooklyn Nets this month. They haven’t gained much momentum before the end of the season and their wins haven’t been noteworthy.

The Eastern Conference isn’t scary and the Raptors certainly shouldn’t be feared.

Their lack of an ‘it’ factor is important, especially during the NBA Playoffs. They don’t have the playoff experience that Washington has, and on paper, the Wizards are just as talented as Toronto.

Toronto doesn’t have the ‘it’ factor that’s needed to compete for an NBA championship, but I’m not sure the Washington Wizards do either. However, unlike some of the players on Toronto’s roster, the Wizards have talent that knows how to succeed on the big stage. Players like Paul Pierce, Marcin Gortat, and even Rasual Butler have all experienced a lot of success in the postseason.

The same cannot be said for the Raptors.

If Washington could figure out how to combat the match up issues that the Raptors will present, then they should have a legitimate chance to move on to the semi-finals. Toronto’s lack of ‘it’ could be key for the Washington Wizards