It was only six months ago that the Raptors were picked by some pundits to win the East.

The regular season did not go quite according to plan, however, and the Raptors wound up as the seventh seed in the NBA Eastern Conference.

But according to Detroit Pistons coach Rick Carlisle, no one should be surprised to see the likes of Antonio Davis, Chris Childs, Morris Peterson and Keon Clark stepping up in the playoffs for the Raptors, despite the absence of Vince Carter.