Toronto Raptors 2013/14 Season

[octothorp]

Best fourth quarter team in the league in the regular season, and they've shown that's not a fluke. Remember that this was statistically the least clutch team in the league last year, and look at how far they've come.

[jayswin]

Hopefully this older Nets team really starts to show their age in game 5. It's going to be electric in Toronto for this game.

[bluejays]

Originally Posted by Machiavelli

They let a big lead slip away, but what a gem of defensive effort in the fourth quarter. Wow. Proud of these guys no matter what the end result.

I'm not so sure about the D. Both teams were awful in the last quarter in putting shots away. Open shots weren't going down for either team. Patterson and Amir stepped up on the glass though, so a big plus there, but coverage was pretty bad to me. Brooklyn just didn't capitalize.

[The Big Chill]

It's hard not to get mad about the reffing, but if we do pull off a series win, the next series will be even worse. Have to find ways to overcome these obstacles, and smarter shot selection is the best way to do that.

Good win though!

[OzSome]

Damn, I missed the game today. Doing major spring cleaning and completely forgot the game. What was the final score?

[keenan87]

87-79 Raps

[Hockey_Ninja]

http://instagram.com/p/nUUjzYxHNB/

[darklord700]

Both teams hand't played well in this series. If the Raps were in it, I wouldn't be watching this series right now. The other 7 series have better play or drama but this is one scrappy series.

Now it's best of 3 with the Raptors having home court. Game 5 is gonna decide the winner of this series.

[OzSome]

So Game 5 is not until Wednesday night? Way too long in between games.

[darklord700]

Originally Posted by OzSome

So Game 5 is not until Wednesday night? Way too long in between games.

The league scheduled it so all round 1 Game 7 are on Sat/Sun.

[bluejays]

Originally Posted by darklord700

Both teams hand't played well in this series. If the Raps were in it, I wouldn't be watching this series right now. The other 7 series have better play or drama but this is one scrappy series.

Now it's best of 3 with the Raptors having home court. Game 5 is gonna decide the winner of this series.

Even if the Raps win game 5, they're going to be in tough to put them away. The key to winning these upcoming games is to:

A) Collapse down the middle while defending. Too many guys have been able to stroll in without consequence. Throw Hansborough in there early to establish a hard foul or two to set the tone then take him out.
B) Play both Pierce and Livingston closer. Both these guys have been getting way too much space. Time to close that gap and give them minimal room to move.
C) Play smart on offence. Take the buckets when they can, but also be team conscious. Don't take stupid run and gun shots when it's unnecessary. Their opposition may be old, but they play smart. If they Raps play smart, they have the athleticism advantage and that should help. Using a tempo change when they know it'll put Brooklyn at a disadvantage will be key.

[Tyler]

Basketball!

[Hockey_Ninja]

If we beat the Nets how would we fair against the Heat?

[Trojan97]

Originally Posted by Hockey_Ninja

If we beat the Nets how would we fair against the Heat?

Losing in 6 at best. With that said, it would be an incredible opportunity for them to learn how far they still have to go heading into next season. I'm not looking forward to the amount of complaining about officiating coming out of Toronto if they meet though (and I'm a huge Raptors fan).

[kmart]

Looks like Brooklyn is paying the price of karma for benching their starters for the last few games of the regular season. The Wizards just got past the Bulls in 5 with what looks like a relatively easy match up with the Atlanta Hawks in the second round. Even if Brooklyn wins they're getting bounced in the second round.

The NBA needs to work on reseeding these match ups, a 5 v 8 match up would be disaterous for ratings and unfair for the teams who won games to get a higher seed. If the Raps, Wiz, and Hawks do win it would only be fair if the Raps got home court advantage in the second round.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Hockey_Ninja

If we beat the Nets how would we fair against the Heat?

0 wins. One if we're really lucky.

[Hockey_Ninja]

Originally Posted by kmart

Looks like Brooklyn is paying the price of karma for benching their starters for the last few games of the regular season. The Wizards just got past the Bulls in 5 with what looks like a relatively easy match up with the Atlanta Hawks in the second round. Even if Brooklyn wins they're getting bounced in the second round.

The NBA needs to work on reseeding these match ups, a 5 v 8 match up would be disaterous for ratings and unfair for the teams who won games to get a higher seed. If the Raps, Wiz, and Hawks do win it would only be fair if the Raps got home court advantage in the second round.

They should just make it the best 16 teams in the league. How is it that a team with a losing record in the East can make the playoffs? Makes no sense.

[kmart]

Originally Posted by Hockey_Ninja

They should just make it the best 16 teams in the league. How is it that a team with a losing record in the East can make the playoffs? Makes no sense.

I know it sounds like a good idea theoretically, but the travel for a first round series would be such a pain. Could you imagine the the Clippers travelling to Toronto or New York 2-3 times a series, even after earning a fairly good seed?

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by kmart

I know it sounds like a good idea theoretically, but the travel for a first round series would be such a pain. Could you imagine the the Clippers travelling to Toronto or New York 2-3 times a series, even after earning a fairly good seed?

Considering the average 3 day layoff between games for the NBA in the playoffs, travel is really not a concern. It'd be much better to have no conferences, the East is historically weak right now and the West is historically difficult. Need some balance.

[darklord700]

How would it look if the Lakers play the Celtics in the first round of the playoff if there were no conferences? It just feels weird as the Lakers always play in the Finals against the Celtics, not before.