A microcosm of what's wrong with the Raptors came early in the third quarter of yesterday's game, when, after a great drive +1 by Bargnani, the Raptors waste the next three possessions with early-in-the-shot-clock 3pt attempts by Solomon, Bargnani, and Bosh. Portland goes on a run, and the Raptors spend the rest of the game playing from behind. An up-tempo offense does not mean bringing the ball across center and taking a 3. The best up-tempo offenses are constantly looking for easy scores on offense by making the defense work hard. And when you force the opposition to work hard on defense, you increase the likelihood that they'll make poor decisions or settle for easy shots on offense. The player I've been most impressed with the last couple games has been Graham (who used to be a player I hated), because it's clear that he gets what the coaches are telling him; his defense still needs work but on offense he drives hard and either gets a bucket or takes his pound of flesh.
I'm not sure what to say about Bosh right now. He's always been a classy individual, but it seems right now like he's sulking a bit: just doesn't seem to have his usual effort, and very poor decision making.
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