Ho-hum Win
Being this Saturday morning game on my end, I didn't watch our 126-110 victory over the Cavs in its entirety. And considering the opponents, I probably didn't need to. It was a scheduled W for us.
Well, maybe not so much. Danny G, the only Raptor to have played/started every game this season, joined Kyle, Serge and JV on the sidelines for this one. Think about that for a moment. That's 3/5 of our typical starting lineup, plus our best scoring option off the bench.
I guess it's a good thing we ran into a team like the Cavs, one of the worst in the NBA. We didn't necessarily need to be at full strength to beat these guys. But it turned out we needed everything and a bit more from the guys that we did have.
We won by 16, but for a good stretch in the second half, the other guys were still in this thing.
We scored 40 in the third quarter, BUT WE GAVE UP 41!!! I mean, Kawhi had a bunch of 3-point plays on strong drives to the basket, and Pascal and OG were doing their things, but WE GAVE UP 41 TO THE CAVALIERS IN ONE QUARTER!!!
I am sorry, but that's just unacceptable. We shouldn't even be allowing 41 in one half to these guys. Thankfully, we held them to 17 in the final frame.
My thoughts:
Oh Kawhi You So Good
If only he has played more games, Kawhi will be in the thick of MVP conversations. Remember Toronto fans actually chanted "M-V-P!" in his second game as a Raptor??
This is about as good a time to start that chant as any... With so many players down and out, Kawhi has been carrying the Raptors on his back in the past couple of weeks... But even a homer like me would have to admit he will not have played enough games by the end of the season to really warrant MVP considerations.
(An aside: I love these one-name (or first-name, in particular) stars in the NBA. It wouldn't feel right typing "Leonard" when referring to our No. 2. Magic Johnson was always just Magic. Shaq, Kobe, LeBron, Giannis (just because his family name is impossible to type), etc, etc.)
Anyway, there were times when I was sorta, kinda concerned about Kawhi-centric iso ball... But now, WE NEED HIM TO HAVE THE BALL IN HIS HAND AND DO HIS THING!!!
I referred to a series of 3-point plays from Kawhi. Here's one:
He kept his head down and drove to the paint with a purpose and authority. There was no stopping him. He was a ruthlessly efficient 12-of-16 from the field. Even went to the line a dozen times and made 11 from the stripe.
Even with Kawhi in rhythm, we couldn't put away the Cavs in the 3Q. Taking into account all the guys that were absent, I still think we should've had an easier time beating these guys.
Kawhi has already been ruled out of tomorrow's game vs. the Sixers because it's our second straight game. Other than JV, who's out a few more weeks, the other guys may or may not play.
The sound you heard was the sigh of relief from Ben Simmons. In our first two games against the Sixers, Simmons committed 18 turnovers, with Kawhi guarding him most of the time.
We've beaten them 129-112, and 113-102, the second game with Butler in their lineup. But they're still a top-four team in the East, waaaay better than the Cavs.
Going to be another challenge for Coach Nurse. He'll have his 13th different starting lineup tomorrow.
OG, Oh My!
OG finally had the type of an aggressive offensive game that he's so capable of. Had 21 points with 8 boards. And wouldn't we all like to see more of these?
Love that reaction from the bench. Serge in his three-piece suit. Speaking of which, JV also looked dapper in his bow tie. Danny G showed up in jacket, shirt and slacks (or dark jeans?), straight out of an after-work Friday dinner.
Back to OG, who also made 3 from downtown. He shot with more confidence today, it seemed. For young players whose roles and minutes can change often, confidence can be a fleeting thing. He was a starter for the majority of last season, but with Kawhi and Green in the fold, OG is almost a full-time reserve now. He only starts when those big guns sit out.
Because OG is seemingly such a quiet and introverted kind of guy (I say "seemingly" because who knows what goes on in his private life? He just may be a rah-rah guy who just turns off that switch when he's on the court), it's really difficult to read/gauge what's going on inside.
Someone like Norm Powell gets visibly frustrated. And that's perfectly fine, too. You can tell this guys wants to do well and help the team, and when things don't go his way, you can see how it gets to him.
With OG, when he's taken out of the game, it's impossible to tell whether he's just had an outstanding stretch of play or whether he's being lifted because of foul trouble or some mistakes he's made. His facial expression is always the same (except when, of course, he fouls a jump shooter in the final seconds of a three-point game and gets away with it, like he did here. Look, I know I linked to this clip before, but I love it so much I felt compelled to do it again!)
We have a Raptors-Leafs twin billing tomorrow, the first since Dec. 12 when the Leafs visited the Canes and the Raptors were at Staples vs. Clips. We won both games then.
Those games didn't overlap, either. The Leafs had a 9 a.m. puck drop and the Raptors game began a little past 12:30 p.m. Tomorrow, the Leafs host the Rangers at 9, and the game at Philly begins about 30 minutes later.
On a weekday, I would have been able to have both games on. But since it's Sunday, I don't know if I'll be able to watch both. I may be lucky to concentrate on one game.
Well, looks like the Leafs should have a far easier time than the Raptors will. I think I'll go for basketball and then watch hockey later.
Well, maybe not so much. Danny G, the only Raptor to have played/started every game this season, joined Kyle, Serge and JV on the sidelines for this one. Think about that for a moment. That's 3/5 of our typical starting lineup, plus our best scoring option off the bench.
I guess it's a good thing we ran into a team like the Cavs, one of the worst in the NBA. We didn't necessarily need to be at full strength to beat these guys. But it turned out we needed everything and a bit more from the guys that we did have.
We won by 16, but for a good stretch in the second half, the other guys were still in this thing.
We scored 40 in the third quarter, BUT WE GAVE UP 41!!! I mean, Kawhi had a bunch of 3-point plays on strong drives to the basket, and Pascal and OG were doing their things, but WE GAVE UP 41 TO THE CAVALIERS IN ONE QUARTER!!!
I am sorry, but that's just unacceptable. We shouldn't even be allowing 41 in one half to these guys. Thankfully, we held them to 17 in the final frame.
My thoughts:
Oh Kawhi You So Good
If only he has played more games, Kawhi will be in the thick of MVP conversations. Remember Toronto fans actually chanted "M-V-P!" in his second game as a Raptor??
This is about as good a time to start that chant as any... With so many players down and out, Kawhi has been carrying the Raptors on his back in the past couple of weeks... But even a homer like me would have to admit he will not have played enough games by the end of the season to really warrant MVP considerations.
(An aside: I love these one-name (or first-name, in particular) stars in the NBA. It wouldn't feel right typing "Leonard" when referring to our No. 2. Magic Johnson was always just Magic. Shaq, Kobe, LeBron, Giannis (just because his family name is impossible to type), etc, etc.)
Anyway, there were times when I was sorta, kinda concerned about Kawhi-centric iso ball... But now, WE NEED HIM TO HAVE THE BALL IN HIS HAND AND DO HIS THING!!!
I referred to a series of 3-point plays from Kawhi. Here's one:
He kept his head down and drove to the paint with a purpose and authority. There was no stopping him. He was a ruthlessly efficient 12-of-16 from the field. Even went to the line a dozen times and made 11 from the stripe.
Even with Kawhi in rhythm, we couldn't put away the Cavs in the 3Q. Taking into account all the guys that were absent, I still think we should've had an easier time beating these guys.
Kawhi has already been ruled out of tomorrow's game vs. the Sixers because it's our second straight game. Other than JV, who's out a few more weeks, the other guys may or may not play.
The sound you heard was the sigh of relief from Ben Simmons. In our first two games against the Sixers, Simmons committed 18 turnovers, with Kawhi guarding him most of the time.
We've beaten them 129-112, and 113-102, the second game with Butler in their lineup. But they're still a top-four team in the East, waaaay better than the Cavs.
Going to be another challenge for Coach Nurse. He'll have his 13th different starting lineup tomorrow.
OG, Oh My!
OG finally had the type of an aggressive offensive game that he's so capable of. Had 21 points with 8 boards. And wouldn't we all like to see more of these?
Love that reaction from the bench. Serge in his three-piece suit. Speaking of which, JV also looked dapper in his bow tie. Danny G showed up in jacket, shirt and slacks (or dark jeans?), straight out of an after-work Friday dinner.
Back to OG, who also made 3 from downtown. He shot with more confidence today, it seemed. For young players whose roles and minutes can change often, confidence can be a fleeting thing. He was a starter for the majority of last season, but with Kawhi and Green in the fold, OG is almost a full-time reserve now. He only starts when those big guns sit out.
Because OG is seemingly such a quiet and introverted kind of guy (I say "seemingly" because who knows what goes on in his private life? He just may be a rah-rah guy who just turns off that switch when he's on the court), it's really difficult to read/gauge what's going on inside.
Someone like Norm Powell gets visibly frustrated. And that's perfectly fine, too. You can tell this guys wants to do well and help the team, and when things don't go his way, you can see how it gets to him.
With OG, when he's taken out of the game, it's impossible to tell whether he's just had an outstanding stretch of play or whether he's being lifted because of foul trouble or some mistakes he's made. His facial expression is always the same (except when, of course, he fouls a jump shooter in the final seconds of a three-point game and gets away with it, like he did here. Look, I know I linked to this clip before, but I love it so much I felt compelled to do it again!)
We have a Raptors-Leafs twin billing tomorrow, the first since Dec. 12 when the Leafs visited the Canes and the Raptors were at Staples vs. Clips. We won both games then.
Those games didn't overlap, either. The Leafs had a 9 a.m. puck drop and the Raptors game began a little past 12:30 p.m. Tomorrow, the Leafs host the Rangers at 9, and the game at Philly begins about 30 minutes later.
On a weekday, I would have been able to have both games on. But since it's Sunday, I don't know if I'll be able to watch both. I may be lucky to concentrate on one game.
Well, looks like the Leafs should have a far easier time than the Raptors will. I think I'll go for basketball and then watch hockey later.
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