Haven't got a chance to watch too many games yet this season but I'm really enjoying the style they are playing this year and the roster they have assembled. Bebe looks like a huge find now that Casey has been forced to give him minutes. Extremely intelligent player.
Yeah, not to mention a couple plays in a row where they settled for long-range jumpers and never got back even afterwards. Still, a solid game. I feel like this team can play against anyone in the league, but they still have significant lapses against weaker teams in the league. I look forward to a JV/Bebe center rotation once JV's healthy.
That was an exciting game against Golden State. It also can get frustrating at times with some of mistakes. I like DeRozan and Lowry but sometimes they can be frustrating whenever they force the ball to the basket. Take away those bad shots and Raptors could have beaten the Warriors. Tough to lose on the game when Lowry missed the last free throw. I am not sure why Casey called a timeout before Lowry's free throw. He just sort of lose the momentum there I think. I mean they were so pumped up on Lowry scoring on a layup then was fouled. Then Casey iced it by calling a timeout?? I think Lowry would have made that free throw if he shot it right away. I guess too late for second guessing now.
That was an exciting game against Golden State. It also can get frustrating at times with some of mistakes. I like DeRozan and Lowry but sometimes they can be frustrating whenever they force the ball to the basket. Take away those bad shots and Raptors could have beaten the Warriors. Tough to lose on the game when Lowry missed the last free throw. I am not sure why Casey called a timeout before Lowry's free throw. He just sort of lose the momentum there I think. I mean they were so pumped up on Lowry scoring on a layup then was fouled. Then Casey iced it by calling a timeout?? I think Lowry would have made that free throw if he shot it right away. I guess too late for second guessing now.
That isn't a "sometimes" thing with these two. It's every single game in the 4th quarter.
And it's a coaching issue as much as it is the two of them.
Extremely easy team to defend against in crunch time.
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"OOOOOOHHHHHHH those Russians" - Boney M
I think it's a combination of Casey and Derozan. First off, Derozan's only offence is to get to the rim because he's awful at everything else. He can't shoot and to top it off he looks for his shot way too much. I hope he doesn't sign a max, because he's just a limited player overall. If he's not getting calls he's a mediocre player.
Casey is awful offensively. This year they're still running last years offence, where they try and get mismatches and isolate that mismatch which works against bad teams, but I don't think it works against the good ones. Funny thing is that they've got players like Carroll and Joseph from pass first teams and they still try to isolate them. Seeing Carroll isolate is a nightmare.
I credit Masai for admitting his errors and giving up on the identity of last years team, but the identity change won't be complete until Casey is gone. He is one coach that just simply refuses to adapt.
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^ Meh. Griffin just had his hands up under the basket. Garnett didn't have to go over his hands or reach around him or anything. Griffin may as well have not been there.
Wins this year against the Spurs, Hawks, Thunder, and Cavs. Also close loses against the Warriors.
Losses against the Kings, Nuggets, and Knicks.
They really could've been at the top of the east a quarter way into the season
I don't think so at all. It's a question of motivation. IF they go into these big games with their lack of offense this year they know they are going to be thumped. So the intensity of their defense rises in response to that possibility. The effort they showed was also sustained throughout the game. No way can a team keep that up during the regular season. It will be burn out and injuries. Amazing they did it with two regulars out of the lineup.
If they could get to the point where they play defense on a consistent smart basis that would be very good. Then when they face the top opponents they can just play the same good D but up the intensity.
Second game in a back to back, last game of a seven game road trip, and they played double OT yesterday they didn't have any energy in this game in the few minutes I watched.
Interesting thing I caught in the standings though. The Raptors are in second place after today's activities. Not too shabby for a team missing their second best player and top offeseason signing for a good part of the season.
