Final W of 2018
This could easily have been another ugly loss for the Raptors, but the boys ratcheted up their D intensity and pulled out a 95-89 win over the Bulls at home.
This was an early, 8 a.m. start over here, instead of the usual 9 or 9:30 a.m. After working just one day last week, I was back at it this morning, and I had to file something right away. I only watched parts of the first half, but enough to see that we were down 20-14 at the end of the 1Q.
Man, 14 points in the opening quarter at home against one of the NBA's worst teams, coming off an embarassing loss to the Magic. This had all the makings of another stinker.
Thankfully, things changed for the better. My takes.
(But first, some Siakam slam. He had 20-12.)
Laboring (or Labouring)
When shots aren't falling (and we won despite shooting only 37% from the field), you've got to really bear down on the defensive end and keep the other team from scoring easy buckets. Now, it feels weird to type that we had to do that kind of stuff against a team like the Bulls, but that's just the state of the Raptors right now. No Kyle, no JV, CJ getting his 2nd straight DNP-CD, Coach Nurse scrambling to get his rotation sorted out, etc, etc. In times like these, you just have to grind it out any way you can, regardless of the opponents.
We went on a quick 8-0 run in the 2Q to tie the score at 25. And when we were leading 31-28, this beauty happened:
Boucher has been getting some minutes here and there of late. At first glance, he seems to have the physical tools (long, athletic, gifted with a 7-foot-4 wingspan) and if he can polish up his offensive game, he could be a useful asset off the bench. Now, somebody please tell Jack Armstrong how to say "Get that garbage outta here!" in French!
2nd Chance Scoring
Missing so many shots gave us the chance to grab offensive rebounds, and we had 17 of those (led by Siakam's 6) to the Bulls' 7. Overall, we had a 24-10 advantage in 2nd chance points, and outrebounded them 52-44.
And our guys continued to make life hard on the Bulls, and their young players got sloppy with the ball at times. I saw a lot of rookie mistakes, too, like back-court violation and players just stepping out of bounds on the corners. LaVine jacking up shots is hardly new (he was 3-of-17).
We shot only 27% from downtown ourselves, but the few shots we made came at key junctures, I felt, including two straight by Delon and Siakam to put us up 74-65 two minutes into the 4Q. And they came after some great ball movements, too.
When we were down early, we didn't panic and just kept plugging on. It's easier to do that against the likes of the Bulls. We get the Jazz, Spurs, Bucks and the Pacers to start the new year (the last two on back-to-backs) and I am seriously bracing myself for a 0-4 stretch there. I'd be happy with 1-3.
When we visit the Bucks at 10:30 Sunday morning, the Leafs host the Canucks at 9 on HNIC. I don't think I'll even watch the Raptors that day because I have this feeling that it will be an ugly loss for us. If we win, I'll enjoy the game later. If we lose, I'll forget that the game ever happened.
Final Thoughts
With this win, the Raptors closed out the calendar year 2018 with the NBA-best 62-24 record. I know, I know, the regular season numbers don't mean much to some people, but hey, it's still a great accomplishment. The last time I checked, you still have to win regular season games to get to the playoffs.
I am pleased that the Raptors did what their hockey cousins couldn't do: winning the last game of 2018.
On that note, I'd like to wish you all a very happy new year. Please keep on reading in 2019!
This was an early, 8 a.m. start over here, instead of the usual 9 or 9:30 a.m. After working just one day last week, I was back at it this morning, and I had to file something right away. I only watched parts of the first half, but enough to see that we were down 20-14 at the end of the 1Q.
Man, 14 points in the opening quarter at home against one of the NBA's worst teams, coming off an embarassing loss to the Magic. This had all the makings of another stinker.
Thankfully, things changed for the better. My takes.
(But first, some Siakam slam. He had 20-12.)
Laboring (or Labouring)
When shots aren't falling (and we won despite shooting only 37% from the field), you've got to really bear down on the defensive end and keep the other team from scoring easy buckets. Now, it feels weird to type that we had to do that kind of stuff against a team like the Bulls, but that's just the state of the Raptors right now. No Kyle, no JV, CJ getting his 2nd straight DNP-CD, Coach Nurse scrambling to get his rotation sorted out, etc, etc. In times like these, you just have to grind it out any way you can, regardless of the opponents.
We went on a quick 8-0 run in the 2Q to tie the score at 25. And when we were leading 31-28, this beauty happened:
Boucher has been getting some minutes here and there of late. At first glance, he seems to have the physical tools (long, athletic, gifted with a 7-foot-4 wingspan) and if he can polish up his offensive game, he could be a useful asset off the bench. Now, somebody please tell Jack Armstrong how to say "Get that garbage outta here!" in French!
2nd Chance Scoring
Missing so many shots gave us the chance to grab offensive rebounds, and we had 17 of those (led by Siakam's 6) to the Bulls' 7. Overall, we had a 24-10 advantage in 2nd chance points, and outrebounded them 52-44.
And our guys continued to make life hard on the Bulls, and their young players got sloppy with the ball at times. I saw a lot of rookie mistakes, too, like back-court violation and players just stepping out of bounds on the corners. LaVine jacking up shots is hardly new (he was 3-of-17).
We shot only 27% from downtown ourselves, but the few shots we made came at key junctures, I felt, including two straight by Delon and Siakam to put us up 74-65 two minutes into the 4Q. And they came after some great ball movements, too.
When we were down early, we didn't panic and just kept plugging on. It's easier to do that against the likes of the Bulls. We get the Jazz, Spurs, Bucks and the Pacers to start the new year (the last two on back-to-backs) and I am seriously bracing myself for a 0-4 stretch there. I'd be happy with 1-3.
When we visit the Bucks at 10:30 Sunday morning, the Leafs host the Canucks at 9 on HNIC. I don't think I'll even watch the Raptors that day because I have this feeling that it will be an ugly loss for us. If we win, I'll enjoy the game later. If we lose, I'll forget that the game ever happened.
Final Thoughts
With this win, the Raptors closed out the calendar year 2018 with the NBA-best 62-24 record. I know, I know, the regular season numbers don't mean much to some people, but hey, it's still a great accomplishment. The last time I checked, you still have to win regular season games to get to the playoffs.
I am pleased that the Raptors did what their hockey cousins couldn't do: winning the last game of 2018.
On that note, I'd like to wish you all a very happy new year. Please keep on reading in 2019!
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