2017-18 Toronto Raptors and General NBA Thread - Page 31 - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Jbo · 05-07-2018, 08:24 PM

We all knew it was over game 2

Senator Clay Davis · 05-07-2018, 08:31 PM

I think most of us had it over after the first game. To blow that game just told you they still are not ready, which is such a sad statement considering this is the third year in a row it's gonna happen, now with TEN straight losses to the Cavs in the playoffs.

Machiavelli · 05-07-2018, 08:48 PM

Pray tell, what is the point of the regular season?

savemedrzaius · 05-07-2018, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Machiavelli

Pray tell, what is the point of the regular season?

For the Raptors zero point. It doesn't matter where you finish when you play Lebron IT'S OVER.

If I was a regular guy with season tickets to the Raptors I would not be renewing. This team is the best it gets for them and it's still nothing in the playoffs.

I'm thinking next season fan interest is at an all-time low.

I know I won't be following the regular season. I won't be paying attention to the Raps again unless they make the conference finals. Which we all know ain't happening anytime soon.

The Big Chill · 05-07-2018, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by savemedrzaius

For the Raptors zero point. It doesn't matter where you finish when you play Lebron IT'S OVER.

If I was a regular guy with season tickets to the Raptors I would not be renewing. This team is the best it gets for them and it's still nothing in the playoffs.

I'm thinking next season fan interest is at an all-time low.

I know I won't be following the regular season. I won't be paying attention to the Raps again unless they make the conference finals. Which we all know ain't happening anytime soon.

How will you know if they make it if you're not following them anymore?

RichKlit · 05-07-2018, 09:14 PM

I couldn’t even watch the game and I always watch. I may be wrong but Ibaka to me was supposed the be the missing piece and he’s awful compared to his salary.

savemedrzaius · 05-07-2018, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Big Chill

How will you know if they make it if you're not following them anymore?

Well to me following a team means actually watching games and reading articles about them, etc.

I follow sports in general so when I visit TSN I still kind of know what's going on. It would be hard not to know if they made it. I just don't think it's worth it to become emotionally invested in this team.

Otto-matic · 05-07-2018, 09:25 PM

Raps remind me of the Washington Capitals. Fantastic regular season but falls completely flat in the playoffs. Hopefully they can retool and figure out how to beat the Cavs.

Beninho · 05-07-2018, 09:26 PM

Time to blow it up, I ain’t watching this choking core next year. Demar is so scared of lebron it’s comical. Did nothing when lebron was on the court. Team has zero Alpha type players. Demar was supposed to be this but he’s proved time and again he isn’t. Raptors are a bit better version of the hawks from a few years ago. Team needs to be rebuilt from top to bottom and acquire players that can play on both ends of the court. When your two best players are below average defensively this shouldn’t be surprising.

St. Pats · 05-07-2018, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beninho

Time to blow it up, I ain’t watching this choking core next year. Demar is so scared of lebron it’s comical. Did nothing when lebron was on the court. Team has zero Alpha type players. Demar was supposed to be this but he’s proved time and again he isn’t. Raptors are a bit better version of the hawks from a few years ago. Team needs to be rebuilt from top to bottom and acquire players that can play on both ends of the court. When your two best players are below average defensively this shouldn’t be surprising.

Nothing about the Raptors is surprising. They just don't get it and most of their fans don't either. They actually think the regular season wins mean something. They incredibly believe that the likes of DD, Lowry and Ibaka will perform in the playoffs when teams actually crank it up and play defense.

They are woefully soft both physically and mentally and have a mental midget pulling the strings. Rinse and repeat and likely they just do the same crap again next year with the usual excuses.

Joborule · 05-07-2018, 10:38 PM

Wise thing for Raps to do is blow it up and aim to be contenders again 3-5 years from now. Ain't gonna be making noise with the current core.

CaptainCrunch · 05-07-2018, 10:44 PM

Pretty gutless performance by the Raps. They basically packed it in after they had their hearts broken in game one.

After that it was one kick to the nards after the other and the Raps didn't fight back.

I laughed tonight when the Raps were down by 20 in the 3rd quarter and the ending was no longer in doubt. And one of the Raps, made a admittedly decent stop on a dunk attempt and he's walking around waving his finger around like uh uh denied, and I'm like. Man you look stupid.

Winsor_Pilates · 05-07-2018, 11:21 PM

I don't follow the NBA too closely, but one thing I always notice with the Raptors is how Demar & Kyle are very defensive and sad in post game interviews after losses.

I understand players being upset after a loss, but the self pitty, hat over the face thing they always do stands out to me vs other athletes.
I never see a confident we will bounce back attitude that's actually believable.

I_H8_Crawford · 05-08-2018, 03:42 AM

In last 10 playoff games, cavs 3PT% (45.4%) was higher than Raps FG % (45.2%).

Derozan finished -74 in 4 games!

Lol

Senator Clay Davis · 05-08-2018, 06:13 AM

As I continue to reiterate, blowing this team up is going to be very, very difficult. If the NBA really is going to be gung-ho against tanking, it might not allow the kinds of trades the Raps would have to make to go into the tank. Masai is not a bad GM, so it's not like he can simply get took on some trades. Really the only scenario that is realistic is firing Casey and hoping Stackhouse can bring the edge these guys desperately need. But Masai is gonna have to work some magic to try and get rid of Ibaka and possibly Lowry. Lowry is the better player, but there are few natural fits for him. Ibaka is obviously finished as a meaningful player, trading him is like trying to trade Bargniani, though that obviously worked out pretty well.

But clearly the biggest problem this team has is mentally. Losing this series is one thing, but they were totally humiliated in two games and had a spectacular collapse in another. Only one time did they actually put in a professional effort. Casey did a #### job, no doubt (getting outcoached by a guy almost universally accepted as the worst coach in the NBA tells you that), but even if he delivered an elite coaching job, the players don't have what it takes mentally anyway. No matter how flawed the game plan or coaching decisions were, that doesn't explain the players putting in a trash effort.

I also agree it becomes difficult to justify watching the regular season, which, speaking of tanking, is an ironic problem the NBA doesn't seem to recognize is probably more of a threat than tanking: the boredom of going through an entire season knowing the Finals matchup is basically set already. That's worse to me than tanking cause I can avoid watching tanking as a fan of basketball. To literally be at the point where watching the playoffs is pointless? Yeah, Adam Silver needs to start realizing where the real problem with this league lies. If competitive balance were better, tanking wouldn't need to happen outside of years where a LeBron type is out there. Alas, tanking in the hopes of ending up like the Sixers is literally the only hope for about 20 franchises. Never mind when the league inevitably expands and dilutes the talent pool even more.

Strange Brew · 05-08-2018, 09:27 PM

Chris Paul with an incredible fourth quarter, finishing with 41 points.

Going to be very tough for the Rockets next round obviously, but since I have a rooting interest in the team, I have hope. A lot of things will need to break right for them, but that's why they play the game.

CaptainCrunch · 05-08-2018, 09:58 PM

This is another reason why a luxury tax doesn't do anything to help the competitive balance of a league.

If Toronto wants to compete they're going to have to pay luxury tax and buy a better mix of players.

SuperMatt18 · 05-09-2018, 08:37 AM

NBA is and always has been a league where the team with the best stars wins. Really you need to have at least 2 elite players to compete in this league right now, or just have Lebron James on your team.

Lebron

Curry
Durant

Harden
Paul

Really Derozan & Lowry aren't in the same league as those guys, especially since they continue to be average to poor defensively. And the problem for the Raptors now is that even if Lebron goes to the West I feel like Philly and a healthy Boston both easily pass them next year.

savemedrzaius · 05-10-2018, 03:10 AM

I really thought this season was going to be different for DeRozan but he was still.horrible for the most part in the playoffs.

It's gotta be an anxiety thing so they need him to go to a sport's psychologist and get that handled.

jayswin · 05-10-2018, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by savemedrzaius

I really thought this season was going to be different for DeRozan but he was still.horrible for the most part in the playoffs.

It's gotta be an anxiety thing so they need him to go to a sport's psychologist and get that handled.

It's more than that. His dad is very ill and he's been battling bad depression the past few months.