Filling in for Sam, so this is the bare-bones edition.
Quick Recap: Memphis Grizzlies Rise From Mud, KO Toronto Raptors 92-86 – Grizzly Bear Blues
1) I wanted to explain to Jeff Green that James Johnson was just a fling. Yes, he’s an athletic forward too, but we just went slumming for a few weeks last year because his neck tat made him seem dangerous and cool, but we’d never bring him home to Mom and Dad. You’re different, Jeff. You’re for real. (But we do keep that vine of The Dunk under our pillow.) 2) Speaking of Jeff Green, he finalized his onboarding process by fouling a three-point shooter in the first quarter. Someone put his certificate in the mail — he’s officially a Grizzly. 3) The Raps finished 5-28 from 3-point range, but the Grizzlies committed three three-shot fouls. Progress?
3sob.com | Memphis Grizzlies control 4th quarter to a 92-86 win over Toronto Raptors
The Grizzlies started the 4th quarter on a 11-3 run to take a 71-64 lead. Nick Calathes, Jon Leuer and Marc Gasol all played a role in the run. With 5:51 left in the game, the Grizzlies led 71-67. The Raptors countered the Grizzlies run with a 6-2 mini run of their own pulling back to within 3 at 73-70. However, the big fella, number 50, Z-BO, scored two straight buckets to put the Grizz back up 7 with 3:34 to go. The Raptors would not get any closer until the final buzzer and the Grizzlies closed the game winning 92-86, splitting the season series with the Raptors, 1-1. Former Grizzlies player, James Johnson played 8 minutes and did not score or attempt a FG in his return to FedexForum. Toronto’s three starting wings/guards Vasquez, Lowry and Derozan were a combined 10/43 from the field, 2/13 from 3P, and scored 29 points in the game.
Raptors 14th on Forbes’ list of most valuable NBA teams | Toronto Star
The Toronto Raptors ranked 14th on Forbes Magazine’s annual list of the most valuable teams in the NBA with an assessed value of $920 million. This year’s ranking marks a four-spot leap for the Raptors, who are worth a whopping $400 million more than they were in 2014. The team’s operating income is $18 million and revenue is $151 million, according to Forbes. Those numbers were $29 million and $149 million, respectively, last year. Making the playoffs for the first time since 2008 “fueled a 25 per cent rise in TV viewership and seven per cent gain in gate receipts,” Forbes said, while sponsorship revenue jumped from 11th best in the league to seventh.
As Kyle Lowry Goes, So Do The Raptors | Raptors Watch
Since DeRozan made his return to the team, Lowry’s production and efficiency has dropped significantly on both ends, though more so on offense. He’s averaged 13.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.0 steals on an ugly 36.5 percent shooting from the floor and an even worse 17.9 percent shooting from downtown. What enlarges the importance of the disturbing drop in his three-point percentage (33.2 percent for the season) is the fact that over the last four games he’s taken seven attempts per contest. Seven! That means Lowry is settling for a lot of jumpers and getting to the rim far less. This is a guy who takes 15.9 shot attempts a night. So nearly half of those have come from deep during this most recent slump. As the old saying goes, you live by the three, you die by the three. Or in this case, the Lowry.
Raptors’ offence flat in loss to Grizzlies | Toronto Star
“I think right now we’ve hit that full reset button and our defence is completely ahead of our offence,” said Kyle Lowry. “That’s one of the things we’re struggling with right now. I think once our offence catches up with our defence we’ll be back to a hell of a team, going out there and winning more games. “It takes a while. We’re just getting our all-star back in DeMar and we’re trying to figure it out again. Like I said, we hit the reset button, we started really focusing on defence and I think our defence is way ahead of our offence and once everything comes together we’ll be all right.”
Raptors Grind Admirably But Fall to Grizzlies 92-86 – Raptors HQ
There may be an argument for putting DeMar DeRozan on some sort of minutes cap going forward. For the second straight game, he didn’t look like he had his legs under him. He played 33 minutes nonetheless, going 2-for-11 for just six points. Keep in mind, the former All-Star is coming back from his first injury of any kind, and may need additional in-game rest before he’s back to form.
Getting paid in U.S. cash a bonus for Raptors living in Toronto | Raptors | Spor
“Yeah, a lot of people don’t understand that we get paid in American money, than it gets converted over to Canadian or Canadian money gets converted to American money,” Raptors forward Patrick Patterson told the Toronto Sun on Wednesday. “That sucks that the dollar is going down,” he added, speaking for Canadians in general, not himself. “It’s definitely impactful as far as my contract and my salary goes, as far as getting paid from that standpoint,” he added.
Did Kyle Lowry get voted in as All-Star game starter? | Raptors Cage
I’m not sure who Ming Wong and HOOPmag is, however if this is true, this means that Kyle Lowry will be starting the All-Star game. For the sake of all Toronto Raptors fans, let’s hope that this is true.
Toronto Raptors: Best Season in Franchise History? | Raptors Rapture
Here’s another stunning stat: the Raptors are shooting better than 50% (50.4%) from within the arc. They have only averaged higher than this season’s mark once (2009/10), when they shot 51.2%. This is huge for a team that shoots as much as they do, because it means they can count on half of their two-pointers to fall. It’s hard to imagine a team losing often with 50/50 shooting.
Raptors 14th on Forbes richest NBA teams list, Lakers top | Toronto Sun
The Toronto Raptors ranked 14th out of 30, up from their #18 spot in 2014, and increased their value from $520 to $920 million. The average NBA team’s value rose to $1.1 billion from $634 million last year, a jump Forbes said was driven primarily by the NBA signing expanded national media deals with broadcast partners Walt Disney Co and Time Warner Inc. There are now 11 NBA teams worth at least $1 billion, up from three a year ago, Forbes said in a statement. The colossal rise in average team value is the biggest one-year gain since Forbes began tracking team valuations in the four major U.S. sports leagues in 1998.
HoopsHype – The worst bobblehead fiascos in the NBA
Bebe’s philosophy: ‘Just keep working.’ | Sportsnet.ca
Today I’m living a very different life than in Spain. In Spain last year I was playing 30 minutes a game. Now I don’t have a chance to jump out onto the court. But it’s not making me give up, it’s making me have more motivation to work hard and stay ready for my opportunities. I don’t want to stay on the bench. Still, I know that might not change soon. But I can’t give up. I have to understand that this is a process, and that every rookie has to go through this—especially being on a successful team like us. I know that maybe a rookie on an unsuccessful team might get to play more, but if you’re playing for a good franchise you don’t always have the same chance to play. I have friends on other teams, like Nene, Barbosa, Al Horford, Pau Gasol. They talk to me, help me, and explain that everyone goes through the same process at some point, and to stay ready, relaxed. Just keep working and don’t give up. So I’m Ok.
Lucas Nogueira, forward/centre 5 games, 1.2 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 29% FG, 6.0 PER Incomplete Nogueira’s hair and personality suggest he is the life of the party. He is the Funny One to Caboclo’s Shy One (if the Raptors were a boy band, of course). On the court, he is a world away from production, although you can see a glimmer of rim protection when he plays.
All post-game videos here.
