A Beautiful Game
Winning is always fun. Fans can never get enough of those Ws.
And the Raptors' 118-95 rout of the Celtics on home court was particularly gratifying on so many levels. And the lopsided score doesn't even tell half the story.
Where do I start? The great ball movement? Check, with three of the first four buckets being assisted and Kyle (11) and Gasol (8 in just 23 minutes) feeling particularly generous. Dialing in from long distance? Check, with 17 three-balls made from 36 attempts. Defense? A big check, with as we limited the Celtics to 13 points in the 2nd quarter, contested shot after shot, and held them without an offensive rebound in the first half.
It was just a beautiful game to watch. We've had some memorable battles against the Celtics this season and it was good to take the final meeting in such convincing fashion.
I think the fans also got a glimpse of what the Raptors are capable of doing come playoff time with everyone healthy and on the same page (more on this 'same page' thing later). Fred VanVleet was really the only missing piece today. Gasol and Lin (Gasolin?) are rounding into form with the new team. Kyle, when he's "engaged" as Coach Nurse likes to say, is the engine and the driver of this team. He doesn't even need to score in double figures to make his impact.
And what more can we Raptors fans say about one Pascal Siakam?
And I didn't even type Kawhi's name, even though he had 21 points in only 26 minutes on 15 shots. Norm drained 3 from downtown, giving us a nice spark off the bench.
The way we played so well together as a team was in stark contrast to the way the Celtics just came apart at the seams.
It wasn't just today. They've been dysfunctional all season long, and the team that, on paper anyway, should be challenging for the best record in the East, if not in the entire league, may not even get home court in the first round of the playoffs.
How much of that falls on Brad Stevens, widely regarded as one of the brightest coaches in the NBA? Or should the players shoulder the blame?
It's a chicken-or-eggs thing: has losing led to griping among players, or has players' inability to get along led to losing?
I came across some interesting quotes from Kyrie in an AP gamer story. Stevens and Marcus Smart said something to the extent that the guys have to be on the same page and have to be more connected.
To which Kyrie said: "That's Marcus' opinion."
Kyrie looked out of sorts in this one. As much credit as our defense deserves for his 7 points, 3-of-10 shooting day, Uncle Drew didn't appear all that interested in trying to beat us.
Stevens also said something about his players taking too many "shortcuts" on defense.
And what does Kyrie think?
"I don't know. It's up to Brad."
Oh, really?
It's up to the coach to draw up schemes, etc. And it's 100 percent up to the players to execute those or at least pretend they're trying to execute them.
When you're a professional athlete, playing at the highest level of your sport, do you really need prodding from your coach to try harder? If you can't motivate yourself, why even play in the NBA?
Say what you will about having basketball smarts to play D. I tend to think that most of defense comes from efforts.
Well, I saw little of that from the Celtics. Not that I am complaining, of course!
And the Raptors' 118-95 rout of the Celtics on home court was particularly gratifying on so many levels. And the lopsided score doesn't even tell half the story.
Where do I start? The great ball movement? Check, with three of the first four buckets being assisted and Kyle (11) and Gasol (8 in just 23 minutes) feeling particularly generous. Dialing in from long distance? Check, with 17 three-balls made from 36 attempts. Defense? A big check, with as we limited the Celtics to 13 points in the 2nd quarter, contested shot after shot, and held them without an offensive rebound in the first half.
It was just a beautiful game to watch. We've had some memorable battles against the Celtics this season and it was good to take the final meeting in such convincing fashion.
I think the fans also got a glimpse of what the Raptors are capable of doing come playoff time with everyone healthy and on the same page (more on this 'same page' thing later). Fred VanVleet was really the only missing piece today. Gasol and Lin (Gasolin?) are rounding into form with the new team. Kyle, when he's "engaged" as Coach Nurse likes to say, is the engine and the driver of this team. He doesn't even need to score in double figures to make his impact.
And what more can we Raptors fans say about one Pascal Siakam?
And I didn't even type Kawhi's name, even though he had 21 points in only 26 minutes on 15 shots. Norm drained 3 from downtown, giving us a nice spark off the bench.
The way we played so well together as a team was in stark contrast to the way the Celtics just came apart at the seams.
It wasn't just today. They've been dysfunctional all season long, and the team that, on paper anyway, should be challenging for the best record in the East, if not in the entire league, may not even get home court in the first round of the playoffs.
How much of that falls on Brad Stevens, widely regarded as one of the brightest coaches in the NBA? Or should the players shoulder the blame?
It's a chicken-or-eggs thing: has losing led to griping among players, or has players' inability to get along led to losing?
I came across some interesting quotes from Kyrie in an AP gamer story. Stevens and Marcus Smart said something to the extent that the guys have to be on the same page and have to be more connected.
To which Kyrie said: "That's Marcus' opinion."
Kyrie looked out of sorts in this one. As much credit as our defense deserves for his 7 points, 3-of-10 shooting day, Uncle Drew didn't appear all that interested in trying to beat us.
Stevens also said something about his players taking too many "shortcuts" on defense.
And what does Kyrie think?
"I don't know. It's up to Brad."
Oh, really?
It's up to the coach to draw up schemes, etc. And it's 100 percent up to the players to execute those or at least pretend they're trying to execute them.
When you're a professional athlete, playing at the highest level of your sport, do you really need prodding from your coach to try harder? If you can't motivate yourself, why even play in the NBA?
Say what you will about having basketball smarts to play D. I tend to think that most of defense comes from efforts.
Well, I saw little of that from the Celtics. Not that I am complaining, of course!
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