April Come They Will
I am writing this on the night of April 1. So it's April back in Toronto and EST areas as well by now. For sports fans, this means a few things. 1) The regular seasons in the NBA and the NHL are winding down. 2) Baseball is just starting. 3) The Masters is around the (Amen) corner, etc, etc.
Both the Leafs and the Raptors played on Sunday my time (Saturday over there). Both faced terrible teams that aren't going anywhere (the Senators, the worst team in the NHL, and the Bulls, owner of the fourth-lowest winning percentage in the NBA), but you couldn't have scripted contrasting results.
The Leafs continued to play down to the level of their competition, losing 4-2 for their second straight loss to the Sens in the nation's capital.
With four games to go and the March swoon almost certain to carry into April, I am just not convinced that this team has what it takes to turn it around in time for the playoffs.
The Raptors, meanwhile, trailed the Bulls briefly in the first quarter before taking a firm control of the game in the 2nd en route to an easy 124-101 victory. No, these guys didn't stoop down to the level of the Bulls. The one word that comes to my mind that can best describe this victory is "professional."
My thoughts on these two teams' recent play.
Woe Leafs Woe
The Leafs dominated the run of play against the Senators, which is a small victory in itself after getting humiliated by the same Sens in Ottawa two weeks earlier by 6-2.
But against what is essentially an AHL squad, with basically no one over 25 on the blue line, controlling the game isn't enough. We're supposed to handle these guys with ease. There's no way the Senators, as they're constructed after shipping key guys like Stone, Duchene and Dzingel, should even be able to skate with us, let alone beat us in two straight home games.
As much as I hate the Senators with passion, I do give them some credit for showing up to play the Leafs. But the latest loss really falls on us: more specifically, shoddy goaltending by Sparks, who let the first two goals through the five-hole, and some incredibly shaky defensive coverage, though that is nothing new with the Leafs any more.
In the last 4 games, we face two playoff-bound teams and two teams battling for a wild card spot. No easy game there. We pay another visit to Nassau Coliseum to play the Islanders, who, like the Senators, have absolutely dismantled us so far in the regular season. That 6-1 loss on Feb. 28 in John Tavares' return game was, to me, the most humiliating and embarrassing loss of the season so far. The guys didn't show up. JT's teammates owe him one, for sure.
Then we host the Hurricanes, who, at this writing, are one point up on the Habs for the second wild card spot. Tampa comes to town later in what we Leafs fans hope will be the preview of the second round in the playoffs. But of course, unless we can start playing drastically better, we'll be lucky to even force the Bruins to 7 games like we did last year.
We close out the season at Montreal. Chances are, Montreal will still be battling for a playoff spot and will need either a win or a point against us that day.
But here's a funny thing. Well, maybe not so funny. Because we failed to clinch a playoff berth vs. Ottawa, the Habs still have a chance to catch us for the third place in the Atlantic! They have 92 points, five behind the Leafs with three games to play, one fewer game than the Leafs. So, if the Habs win out and the Leafs lose every game, the Habs will take the third seed with 98 points. We may or may not get a wild card. I don't know if this possibility, however unlikely it is, has been really covered in the Toronto media.
That's incredible, and not in a good way. I was gloating not so long ago how we were on our way to the playoffs and the Habs were going to be outside looking in. I hate the fact that the fourth-place team in our division still has a chance to overtake us, and I hate it even more that the team in this case is Montreal.
It's an illustration of how terrible we've been in recent weeks. Montreal was beating teams like Winnipeg and Islanders to get themselves in this position.
The Leafs? We've lost to the worst team in the league twice in two weeks.
Meanwhile, in Jurassic Park...
If you're still here... up above, I used the word "professional" to describe the Raptors' win over the Bulls.
We had some really tough schedule earlier in the season but we've been mostly playing scrubs. Lakers, Knicks (twice), Bulls (twice), Cavaliers (though we lost!), Pelicans, etc, in March. We'll wrap things up vs. Magic, at Nets, at Hornets, vs. Heat and at Wolves.
Minny is gone. At this writing, Magic, Nets, Heat and Hornets all have a shot at reaching the playoffs. Going to be an interesting stretch for us: no stacked opponent, but teams that have given us some trouble earlier (especially Magic and Nets).
I've felt so much more at east watching the Raptors methodically (or sometimes not so methodically) beat up on inferior opponents that are supposed to be beat up. Whereas the Leafs were struggling to find any offensive rhythm against the teams like the Senators or the Flyers, the Raptors have been using these games to really fine-tune their offensive schemes and improve the overall flow of their attacks.
I've especially loved the way the guys are moving the ball. It's great having a playmaking big like Marc Gasol on the team. One interesting stat: Gasol scored 2 points in three of his past 5 games. In the other two games, he scored exactly 17 points each. But he's that rare player who can affect the game in a positive way without having to score so many points. When he has the ball at the top of the key, everyone starts moving and cutting. And Gasol more often than not makes the right pass, either to directly set up a shot attempt or to get a hockey assist on an eventual bucket.
Serge has been sharing the starting duties at the 5 with Gasol since the trade. Coach Nurse has gone on a matchup basis. If the other team has a more traditional, big-bodied 5, Gasol gets the nod. In other instances, Ibaka starts at center.
Against the Bulls, because we didn't have enough healthy bodies, Gasol and Ibaka started together (for the first time, I believe, though they have played together in the same unit in spurts). I think this works better than the ineffective JV-Serge combo from last season because 1) Gasol doesn't need the ball in his hand on offense all the time 2) With Serge protecting the rim on defense, Gasol can take care of the lane or perimeter with his smart positioning, whereas JV wasn't half the defensive player that Gasol is and he wasn't even much of a shot blocker despite his size.
In other words, Gasol and Serge can co-exist without getting in each other's way so much.
If everyone is healthy (and that's been a big if all season for us), Coach Nurse can use these final few games to do even more lineup experiments.
(Yes, yes, he's already been forced to send out more than 20 different starting lineups already, and we've had just one damn single game with the absolute full squad all season. Nurse has already had to be a bit of a mad scientist.)
I'd like to think it was against the Knicks last week when Nurse sent out a small lineup with Siakam at the 5, joined by Kyle, FVV, Green and Lin. That's a bit extreme even for me. Obviously, if Kawhi were available, he would have taken Lin's spot, and that'd be a great lineup, if you ask me. Kyle, VanVleet, Green, Kawhi and Siakam will give you 1) five scorers who can shoot the 3-ball 2) five great defenders who can switch on pretty much anyone, except for maybe those two PGs 3) five guys who can run the floor and get transition buckets, either on a slam or a pull-up 3.
Plus, if we go with those five, maybe the other team will try to exploit that by putting in a giant 5. That will only play into our hands. Sure, we may give up some size down low, but we'll be running 'em into the ground. And how many centers can really guard Siakam one-on-one? Not many.
Kawhi hasn't been playing much. I just hope he'll be healthy and ready for the playoffs, that's all. It honestly won't bother me if he is shut down for the remainder of the regular season, as long as it means we'll see vintage, 2014 NBA Finals MVP Kawhi. If I had Kawhi on any of my fantasy basketball teams, it'd be a much different story. His absence would be killing me in the fantasy playoffs. But I don't own him anywhere. So I am cool.
One other difference between the Raptors and the Leafs... The Raptors have long clinched a playoff spot. If any team could be forgiven for kinda cruising into the playoffs, this is it. But no, they've been sharing the ball, shooting the lights out from downtown, and generally playing like they can't wait for the playoffs to begin.
Hey, at least one of the two teams is putting in the work.
On a parting note, the Blue Jays are working on some magical streak that I am too afraid to write about here for fear of jinxing it. Of course, I already have jinxed it. I just know it.
Both the Leafs and the Raptors played on Sunday my time (Saturday over there). Both faced terrible teams that aren't going anywhere (the Senators, the worst team in the NHL, and the Bulls, owner of the fourth-lowest winning percentage in the NBA), but you couldn't have scripted contrasting results.
The Leafs continued to play down to the level of their competition, losing 4-2 for their second straight loss to the Sens in the nation's capital.
With four games to go and the March swoon almost certain to carry into April, I am just not convinced that this team has what it takes to turn it around in time for the playoffs.
The Raptors, meanwhile, trailed the Bulls briefly in the first quarter before taking a firm control of the game in the 2nd en route to an easy 124-101 victory. No, these guys didn't stoop down to the level of the Bulls. The one word that comes to my mind that can best describe this victory is "professional."
My thoughts on these two teams' recent play.
Woe Leafs Woe
The Leafs dominated the run of play against the Senators, which is a small victory in itself after getting humiliated by the same Sens in Ottawa two weeks earlier by 6-2.
But against what is essentially an AHL squad, with basically no one over 25 on the blue line, controlling the game isn't enough. We're supposed to handle these guys with ease. There's no way the Senators, as they're constructed after shipping key guys like Stone, Duchene and Dzingel, should even be able to skate with us, let alone beat us in two straight home games.
As much as I hate the Senators with passion, I do give them some credit for showing up to play the Leafs. But the latest loss really falls on us: more specifically, shoddy goaltending by Sparks, who let the first two goals through the five-hole, and some incredibly shaky defensive coverage, though that is nothing new with the Leafs any more.
In the last 4 games, we face two playoff-bound teams and two teams battling for a wild card spot. No easy game there. We pay another visit to Nassau Coliseum to play the Islanders, who, like the Senators, have absolutely dismantled us so far in the regular season. That 6-1 loss on Feb. 28 in John Tavares' return game was, to me, the most humiliating and embarrassing loss of the season so far. The guys didn't show up. JT's teammates owe him one, for sure.
Then we host the Hurricanes, who, at this writing, are one point up on the Habs for the second wild card spot. Tampa comes to town later in what we Leafs fans hope will be the preview of the second round in the playoffs. But of course, unless we can start playing drastically better, we'll be lucky to even force the Bruins to 7 games like we did last year.
We close out the season at Montreal. Chances are, Montreal will still be battling for a playoff spot and will need either a win or a point against us that day.
But here's a funny thing. Well, maybe not so funny. Because we failed to clinch a playoff berth vs. Ottawa, the Habs still have a chance to catch us for the third place in the Atlantic! They have 92 points, five behind the Leafs with three games to play, one fewer game than the Leafs. So, if the Habs win out and the Leafs lose every game, the Habs will take the third seed with 98 points. We may or may not get a wild card. I don't know if this possibility, however unlikely it is, has been really covered in the Toronto media.
That's incredible, and not in a good way. I was gloating not so long ago how we were on our way to the playoffs and the Habs were going to be outside looking in. I hate the fact that the fourth-place team in our division still has a chance to overtake us, and I hate it even more that the team in this case is Montreal.
It's an illustration of how terrible we've been in recent weeks. Montreal was beating teams like Winnipeg and Islanders to get themselves in this position.
The Leafs? We've lost to the worst team in the league twice in two weeks.
Meanwhile, in Jurassic Park...
If you're still here... up above, I used the word "professional" to describe the Raptors' win over the Bulls.
We had some really tough schedule earlier in the season but we've been mostly playing scrubs. Lakers, Knicks (twice), Bulls (twice), Cavaliers (though we lost!), Pelicans, etc, in March. We'll wrap things up vs. Magic, at Nets, at Hornets, vs. Heat and at Wolves.
Minny is gone. At this writing, Magic, Nets, Heat and Hornets all have a shot at reaching the playoffs. Going to be an interesting stretch for us: no stacked opponent, but teams that have given us some trouble earlier (especially Magic and Nets).
I've felt so much more at east watching the Raptors methodically (or sometimes not so methodically) beat up on inferior opponents that are supposed to be beat up. Whereas the Leafs were struggling to find any offensive rhythm against the teams like the Senators or the Flyers, the Raptors have been using these games to really fine-tune their offensive schemes and improve the overall flow of their attacks.
I've especially loved the way the guys are moving the ball. It's great having a playmaking big like Marc Gasol on the team. One interesting stat: Gasol scored 2 points in three of his past 5 games. In the other two games, he scored exactly 17 points each. But he's that rare player who can affect the game in a positive way without having to score so many points. When he has the ball at the top of the key, everyone starts moving and cutting. And Gasol more often than not makes the right pass, either to directly set up a shot attempt or to get a hockey assist on an eventual bucket.
Serge has been sharing the starting duties at the 5 with Gasol since the trade. Coach Nurse has gone on a matchup basis. If the other team has a more traditional, big-bodied 5, Gasol gets the nod. In other instances, Ibaka starts at center.
Against the Bulls, because we didn't have enough healthy bodies, Gasol and Ibaka started together (for the first time, I believe, though they have played together in the same unit in spurts). I think this works better than the ineffective JV-Serge combo from last season because 1) Gasol doesn't need the ball in his hand on offense all the time 2) With Serge protecting the rim on defense, Gasol can take care of the lane or perimeter with his smart positioning, whereas JV wasn't half the defensive player that Gasol is and he wasn't even much of a shot blocker despite his size.
In other words, Gasol and Serge can co-exist without getting in each other's way so much.
If everyone is healthy (and that's been a big if all season for us), Coach Nurse can use these final few games to do even more lineup experiments.
(Yes, yes, he's already been forced to send out more than 20 different starting lineups already, and we've had just one damn single game with the absolute full squad all season. Nurse has already had to be a bit of a mad scientist.)
I'd like to think it was against the Knicks last week when Nurse sent out a small lineup with Siakam at the 5, joined by Kyle, FVV, Green and Lin. That's a bit extreme even for me. Obviously, if Kawhi were available, he would have taken Lin's spot, and that'd be a great lineup, if you ask me. Kyle, VanVleet, Green, Kawhi and Siakam will give you 1) five scorers who can shoot the 3-ball 2) five great defenders who can switch on pretty much anyone, except for maybe those two PGs 3) five guys who can run the floor and get transition buckets, either on a slam or a pull-up 3.
Plus, if we go with those five, maybe the other team will try to exploit that by putting in a giant 5. That will only play into our hands. Sure, we may give up some size down low, but we'll be running 'em into the ground. And how many centers can really guard Siakam one-on-one? Not many.
Kawhi hasn't been playing much. I just hope he'll be healthy and ready for the playoffs, that's all. It honestly won't bother me if he is shut down for the remainder of the regular season, as long as it means we'll see vintage, 2014 NBA Finals MVP Kawhi. If I had Kawhi on any of my fantasy basketball teams, it'd be a much different story. His absence would be killing me in the fantasy playoffs. But I don't own him anywhere. So I am cool.
One other difference between the Raptors and the Leafs... The Raptors have long clinched a playoff spot. If any team could be forgiven for kinda cruising into the playoffs, this is it. But no, they've been sharing the ball, shooting the lights out from downtown, and generally playing like they can't wait for the playoffs to begin.
Hey, at least one of the two teams is putting in the work.
On a parting note, the Blue Jays are working on some magical streak that I am too afraid to write about here for fear of jinxing it. Of course, I already have jinxed it. I just know it.
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