Some Fun Stuff
I gotta admit that Roy Halladay post was difficult to write. Emotionally draining, almost.
I am going to do some fun stuff. I meant to finish this off Thursday night (my time) but got too tired in the end and put it off until Friday afternoon.
Let me start with the Leafs' 6-3 win over the champs. Finally a win on home ice. We were due. Then I'll do some Raptors.
Line Juggling
The Leafs Nation calls it the "nuclear option," something the team would only do in extreme circumstances. Matthews and Marner played on the same line in 5-on-5 situations for the first time all season.
Now, Babs sometimes likes to load up on his top line right after a penalty kill. We have seen Matthews-JT-Marner together for odd shift here and there after a PK.
But for regular 5-on-5 shifts, this was the first time the two buddies were on the same line. And what do you know, they were joined by their best friend on the team, Patrick Marleau.
Marleau has four sons. And he's got two more sons on the Leafs team in Matthews and Mitch. Those three are inseparable off the ice. And you'd think their on-ice chemistry would be off the charts.
Well, Matthews ended his dry spell with a goal, but it came on a power play. Ironically enough, with Marleau leaving Kadri's line, it was the new third line of Brown-Naz-Nylander that was the best for the Leafs in this victory.
The points were there: Naz with a hat trick and an assist, Nylander with 3 helpers and Brown with 2 assists. And they were buzzing around the net all night. Nylander played with an extra spring in his step. Naz seemed rejuvenated after getting that poke-in goal late in the first.
And his third goal for the trick was a beauty. Brown's shot went off both posts and the puck came to Kadri, who had the stick down all the way and snapped it into the open net. Holtby had no idea where the thing was.
Nice to see Naz finally get some goals. After back-to-back 30-goal seasons, he has been lost in the shuffle since JT's arrival. On power plays, he's stuck in an awkward spot (not quite net front, not the half-board) where it's difficult to score regularly. He's only scored 3 goals on PP, after netting 12 PPGs in each of the past two seasons.
At least from what I can tell, though, he's handled his reduced offensive role like a pro. He's still a valuable defensive force. And when teams play matchups, JT and Matthews lines will draw the top two lines of the other team. Naz should start exploiting matchsup against third or fourth lines. Brown-Kadri-Nylander won't be scoring 9, 10 points every game. But they can still put enough pressure on other teams' third or fourth lines.
If this is the trickle-down effect of Babs' line juggling (in another change, Kapanen took Marner's RW spot next to JT), then I'll gladly take it. Kapanen continued to flash his considerable offensive skills, and looks like he could be a solid addition to any of the top three lines.
With Johnsson out with concussion, Trevor Moore was recalled from the AHL and played on the 4th line. Looks like a useful bottom-six winger to have around for the short-term.
The Leafs had been scuffling on home ice, and it's certainly nice to get a W before the All-Star break.
And while I was sleeping, the Canadiens have moved past the Bruins into the 3rd place in the Atlantic Division. Both the Leafs and the Bruins have 2 games in hand, but still, I didn't think those Habs guys would be this good this late in the season.
If the Habs somehow hold on to that spot the rest of the season, well, we'll play them in the first round.
I feel far more comfortable facing Montreal than Boston, to be honest. I guess Carey Price can be a difference maker in a 7-game series, but the Habs don't really strike me as a team to fear in the playoffs.
The Leafs fans, by law, are supposed to hate the Habs. I actually don't have any feelings toward them, one way or another. I just don't pay that much attention to them. And maybe that's worse than hating...?
Compared to other Canadian teams this year, the Habs aren't that compelling. Edmoton has McDavid and all that drama (coaching change AND GM change the same season!). Vancouver has Pettersson kid who is super fun to watch. Winnipeg also has firepower. And how about them Flames? They're the 2nd best team in the NHL now. The Senators have their own drama and I just can't stand that team.
But the Canadiens? If they make the playoffs with that squad, it'd be a major bit of news in itself. But I think they'll fall off. That'd be a shame, though. I would love to see the Leafs have the honor of eliminating them in the playoffs!
Now some NBA.
Kawhi Speculation
Kawhi has missed a bunch of games this season, including the past four, as part of the Raptors' "load management."
Despite not playing a full season so far, he was still named an All-Star Game starter earlier today.
Nice to have this representation, though I'd rather Kawhi take more time off during the All-Star break and keep himself fresh for the playoff run.
Maybe the Raptors haven't been as transparent about managing Kawhi's playing schedule as some fans would have liked. Earlier this month, Coach Nurse said Kawhi was going to start playing back-to-backs soon, but that hasn't happened. In fact, he sat out both games of our most recent back-to-back set this week. Kawhi isn't said to be injured, though he had some tough stretches with double OT vs. Wizards and a hard-fought game against Boston.
We have two more back-to-backs left this season, both in March. Maybe he'll play in those because it'll be nearer to the playoff time and you don't want to be resting too much and risk losing some of your sharpness.
Anyway, my impression is the team is doing the best it can to keep Kawhi happy, and the team's more than willing to go along with whatever his camp (or his uncle) wants to do.
Either way, as much as I'd love to see him play every day, I can live with these DNPs as long as he'll be there for us for every playoff game. If we go to the Finals, that's four 7-game series over about a two-month span. And playing one playoff game will probably take the same mental and physical toll as playing two or even three regular season games, depending on the opponent.
Will Kawhi still be with the Raptors after this season? That's the question on the minds of many fans like yours truly. Personally, I will only start worrying about his next destination once our season is over. It could be April, May or June.
But then this story came out about Kawhi's purchase of a home in Rancho Santa Fe, a community in San Diego.
I know nothing about the area, but the story tells me it's about a 3-hour drive from the Clippers' practice facility, and that's not taking into account Cali traffic. And he's from the area anyway, so he just bought this place to spend his offseason.
I suppose the timing is rather interesting but hey, the guy is a multi-millionaire. He can buy any house he wants whenever he wants and wherever he wants.
And remember, Kawhi has also bought a home in Toronto. Where he buys his house really doesn't mean anything to me.
Meanwhile, the team's been playing some solid ball. And no one feels better about CJ Miles' resurgence than I do. I always have a soft spot in my heart for shooters in the NBA, and CJ has been draining some shots of late. He was going through some rough patches but hey, shooters gotta shoot, right?
He won't get as much action with Kawhi back in the mix, though if he continues to shoot like he has the past four games (he'd gone 9-of-16 from deep in 3 games before making 1-of-4 vs. Pacers), Coach Nurse will be more than happy to plug him in. He's finally gone over 30% from downtown for the season.
Man, can't wait for our game against Houston tomorrow. Is Kawhi going to guard James Harden? He's averaging more than 40 points a game over a 20-game stretch. Has scored 30 in every game since Dec. 13.
Honestly, I think keeping Harden under 30 points will be impossible. He can score 20 points just from the free throw line. A couple of layups here and there, and a couple of 3s, and that's 30 points right there. It just seems that easy for Harden these days.
I have Harden on one of my two fantasy teams this year. For my sake, I hope Harden scores 60 points and we beat the Rockets by something like 120-110.
I am going to do some fun stuff. I meant to finish this off Thursday night (my time) but got too tired in the end and put it off until Friday afternoon.
Let me start with the Leafs' 6-3 win over the champs. Finally a win on home ice. We were due. Then I'll do some Raptors.
Line Juggling
The Leafs Nation calls it the "nuclear option," something the team would only do in extreme circumstances. Matthews and Marner played on the same line in 5-on-5 situations for the first time all season.
Now, Babs sometimes likes to load up on his top line right after a penalty kill. We have seen Matthews-JT-Marner together for odd shift here and there after a PK.
But for regular 5-on-5 shifts, this was the first time the two buddies were on the same line. And what do you know, they were joined by their best friend on the team, Patrick Marleau.
Marleau has four sons. And he's got two more sons on the Leafs team in Matthews and Mitch. Those three are inseparable off the ice. And you'd think their on-ice chemistry would be off the charts.
Well, Matthews ended his dry spell with a goal, but it came on a power play. Ironically enough, with Marleau leaving Kadri's line, it was the new third line of Brown-Naz-Nylander that was the best for the Leafs in this victory.
The points were there: Naz with a hat trick and an assist, Nylander with 3 helpers and Brown with 2 assists. And they were buzzing around the net all night. Nylander played with an extra spring in his step. Naz seemed rejuvenated after getting that poke-in goal late in the first.
And his third goal for the trick was a beauty. Brown's shot went off both posts and the puck came to Kadri, who had the stick down all the way and snapped it into the open net. Holtby had no idea where the thing was.
Nice to see Naz finally get some goals. After back-to-back 30-goal seasons, he has been lost in the shuffle since JT's arrival. On power plays, he's stuck in an awkward spot (not quite net front, not the half-board) where it's difficult to score regularly. He's only scored 3 goals on PP, after netting 12 PPGs in each of the past two seasons.
At least from what I can tell, though, he's handled his reduced offensive role like a pro. He's still a valuable defensive force. And when teams play matchups, JT and Matthews lines will draw the top two lines of the other team. Naz should start exploiting matchsup against third or fourth lines. Brown-Kadri-Nylander won't be scoring 9, 10 points every game. But they can still put enough pressure on other teams' third or fourth lines.
If this is the trickle-down effect of Babs' line juggling (in another change, Kapanen took Marner's RW spot next to JT), then I'll gladly take it. Kapanen continued to flash his considerable offensive skills, and looks like he could be a solid addition to any of the top three lines.
With Johnsson out with concussion, Trevor Moore was recalled from the AHL and played on the 4th line. Looks like a useful bottom-six winger to have around for the short-term.
The Leafs had been scuffling on home ice, and it's certainly nice to get a W before the All-Star break.
And while I was sleeping, the Canadiens have moved past the Bruins into the 3rd place in the Atlantic Division. Both the Leafs and the Bruins have 2 games in hand, but still, I didn't think those Habs guys would be this good this late in the season.
If the Habs somehow hold on to that spot the rest of the season, well, we'll play them in the first round.
I feel far more comfortable facing Montreal than Boston, to be honest. I guess Carey Price can be a difference maker in a 7-game series, but the Habs don't really strike me as a team to fear in the playoffs.
The Leafs fans, by law, are supposed to hate the Habs. I actually don't have any feelings toward them, one way or another. I just don't pay that much attention to them. And maybe that's worse than hating...?
Compared to other Canadian teams this year, the Habs aren't that compelling. Edmoton has McDavid and all that drama (coaching change AND GM change the same season!). Vancouver has Pettersson kid who is super fun to watch. Winnipeg also has firepower. And how about them Flames? They're the 2nd best team in the NHL now. The Senators have their own drama and I just can't stand that team.
But the Canadiens? If they make the playoffs with that squad, it'd be a major bit of news in itself. But I think they'll fall off. That'd be a shame, though. I would love to see the Leafs have the honor of eliminating them in the playoffs!
Now some NBA.
Kawhi Speculation
Kawhi has missed a bunch of games this season, including the past four, as part of the Raptors' "load management."
Despite not playing a full season so far, he was still named an All-Star Game starter earlier today.
Nice to have this representation, though I'd rather Kawhi take more time off during the All-Star break and keep himself fresh for the playoff run.
Maybe the Raptors haven't been as transparent about managing Kawhi's playing schedule as some fans would have liked. Earlier this month, Coach Nurse said Kawhi was going to start playing back-to-backs soon, but that hasn't happened. In fact, he sat out both games of our most recent back-to-back set this week. Kawhi isn't said to be injured, though he had some tough stretches with double OT vs. Wizards and a hard-fought game against Boston.
We have two more back-to-backs left this season, both in March. Maybe he'll play in those because it'll be nearer to the playoff time and you don't want to be resting too much and risk losing some of your sharpness.
Anyway, my impression is the team is doing the best it can to keep Kawhi happy, and the team's more than willing to go along with whatever his camp (or his uncle) wants to do.
Either way, as much as I'd love to see him play every day, I can live with these DNPs as long as he'll be there for us for every playoff game. If we go to the Finals, that's four 7-game series over about a two-month span. And playing one playoff game will probably take the same mental and physical toll as playing two or even three regular season games, depending on the opponent.
Will Kawhi still be with the Raptors after this season? That's the question on the minds of many fans like yours truly. Personally, I will only start worrying about his next destination once our season is over. It could be April, May or June.
But then this story came out about Kawhi's purchase of a home in Rancho Santa Fe, a community in San Diego.
I know nothing about the area, but the story tells me it's about a 3-hour drive from the Clippers' practice facility, and that's not taking into account Cali traffic. And he's from the area anyway, so he just bought this place to spend his offseason.
I suppose the timing is rather interesting but hey, the guy is a multi-millionaire. He can buy any house he wants whenever he wants and wherever he wants.
And remember, Kawhi has also bought a home in Toronto. Where he buys his house really doesn't mean anything to me.
Meanwhile, the team's been playing some solid ball. And no one feels better about CJ Miles' resurgence than I do. I always have a soft spot in my heart for shooters in the NBA, and CJ has been draining some shots of late. He was going through some rough patches but hey, shooters gotta shoot, right?
He won't get as much action with Kawhi back in the mix, though if he continues to shoot like he has the past four games (he'd gone 9-of-16 from deep in 3 games before making 1-of-4 vs. Pacers), Coach Nurse will be more than happy to plug him in. He's finally gone over 30% from downtown for the season.
Man, can't wait for our game against Houston tomorrow. Is Kawhi going to guard James Harden? He's averaging more than 40 points a game over a 20-game stretch. Has scored 30 in every game since Dec. 13.
Honestly, I think keeping Harden under 30 points will be impossible. He can score 20 points just from the free throw line. A couple of layups here and there, and a couple of 3s, and that's 30 points right there. It just seems that easy for Harden these days.
I have Harden on one of my two fantasy teams this year. For my sake, I hope Harden scores 60 points and we beat the Rockets by something like 120-110.
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