The Toronto Raptors are set to kick off Game 1 of their opening round playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets Monday night and despite not having the likes of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Spencer Dinwiddie not in the lineup, the Raptors are not taking the Nets lightly.

"These guys, they know what to expect," Raptors general manager Bobby Webster told TSN's First Up. "The message in the locker room right after the Denver game has been the message the last two days on the practice court, which is 'We’re not taking anyone lightly.' You guys know what happens in the playoffs. You have to be ready from the jump and regardless of the names on the backs of those jerseys, those guys want to win just as much as we do and so if you don’t come with the same intensity for 24 seconds on the shot clock or 48 minutes of the game, you’ll get beat."

In their eight games in the NBA's bubble in Orlando, the Raptors went 7-1 as the defending champions look to retain their title and they'll do so without last year's Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard.

However, this time around, the Raptors will have the services of OG Anunoby, who missed the entirety of the team's championship run in 2019 after an emergency appendectomy right before the playoffs.

"He’s a huge bright spot," said Webster. "I think for him it starts in the defensive end, it's him taking that pride in actually dominating and really impacting the game on the defensive end. And you saw it, whether you put him on LeBron one game, or you put him on Bam Adebayo, he’s ready for those challenges. And at the same time offensively, he’s continuing to come along on the offensive end, whether it’s shooting the ball now or attacking the rim, you’re seeing it in all facets of his game. He continues to improve on both ends."

One of the key moves that put the Raptors over the top last year was the acquisition of Marc Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies. His experience and leadership was a big add to an already veteran-laden Raptors' squad.

"He doesn’t talk a lot," said Webster of Gasol, "but when he does, obviously people listen and his message is always one of team first, defensively it’s covering for each other, you know he kind of quarterbacks the defence from back in the paint."

Without fans in the stands due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Webster knows it's going to be a much different atmosphere in this year's playoffs in the NBA bubble.

"It will be a good, maybe social experiment for us to look back on and say ‘How much did that atmosphere play into certain players playing well or not playing well or at least psychologically?'" said Webster.