This turtle probably didn’t have a chance.
He was smaller, unassuming, and completely unaware. As I sat on this screened-in patio in Sarasota writing the pre-game news and notes last night, this turtle stumbled along the shallow bank of a man-made pond with a large, three-tiered fountain in the center. You’d think a man-made pond would provide reprieve, but it backs on to a narrow, swampy stream extending from a nearby lake, separated by only a few feet of brush. It’s close enough that this pond, about 50 meters long and 25 wide, and probably only a few feet deep, is inhabited by a few alligators.
As I furiously updated the post with the news that Terrence Ross would sit once again, drinking yet another of Florida’s fine IPA offerings (my Untappd is off the chain this weekend), the smallest of these alligators, about seven feet in length, lurked. The turtle, clueless as he meandered about the fringe where grass dropped off abruptly into six inches of mud, was being watched. The gator, eyes and a bit of the upper jaw showing out of the water, stalked closer. The turtle’s fate would become inevitable once the space between them had closed to a reasonable distance.
I would love to describe what happened next in gory detail, but the truth is that once the Ross (and Jrue Holiday) news was complete, I was called away to dinner (at an awesome place called Owen’s Fish Camp where a gator killing a turtle would have fit right in along the old-time swing band playing banjos and fiddles while shrimp were blackened over a roaring fire next to a trough of Miller Lite).
The truth is, I never learned the fate of that turtle. But what happened after I left probably wasn’t much different than what the Toronto Raptors did to the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday, a game I only just caught this morning (and apologies for the delayed recap).
The Pelicans entered incredibly banged up, down six players for the remainder of the season and out Holiday for Saturday’s game. That rendered D-League signings Tim Frazier and Jordan Hamilton big parts of the rotation, made for a bizarre and laughable starting frontcourt of Alexis Ajinca and Omer Asik, forced a pair of would-be combo-forwards to man the wings, and generally left the Pelicans too low on talent to compete against any team that showed up with the requisite attention and energy to win a ball game.
The Raptors did that, despite being on the second night of a travel back-to-back. After losing in Houston in pretty deplorable fashion a night earlier, in a game that saw both of the team’s stars and their head coach lose their composure and walk away frustrated, the Raptors could have trotted out a skeleton squad of their own. They would have been justified in getting Kyle Lowry or DeMar DeRozan or anyone else rest, trusting the reserves to take care of a weakened Pelicans outfit. Instead, head coach Dwane Casey, perhaps just adhering to a long-term fatigue management plan but perhaps wanting to send the message after two shaky outings that the Raptors haven’t yet done enough to warrant taking nights off, opted to play everyone except for the injured Ross and DeMarre Carroll.
DeRozan responded with one of his most efficient games of the season, cruising to 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting . When he wanted to get to the rim, he did, and when the Pelicans blitzed because they didn’t have anyone with a prayer of checking DeRozan straight up, he distributed, dishing five assists within occasionally cramped spacing. Lowry had another off scoring night but moved the ball well and shifted into a facilitator role.
They combined to play just 59 minutes, which is great for a team that has occasionally struggled to put teams away decisively enough to get their stars rest. Lowry and DeRozan deserve credit for playing well in their minutes and helping stretch the lead out early, and the rest of the team more than held serve when they hit the bench for the evening.
A night earlier, Norman Powell and Jonas Valanciunas were the only Rapotrs who really stepped up on off nights for the stars. On Saturday, both played extremely well again. Valanciunas put up an easy 10 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and was able to defend comfortably against a less mobile interior attack from New Orleans. He made Asik look like Sad Judge Reinhold when he quits his job in Fast Times at Ridgemont High instead of Happy Judge Reinhold when he gets an EP credit for Mock Trial With J. Reinhold.
And Powell, well, it’s getting more and more difficult by the game to accept that he’s going back to a bench role for the playoffs. It’s going to happen, because Casey’s going to shorten his rotation like all coaches do in the playoffs, and there’s just not a lot of room for Powell one-through-three when everyone’s healthy. That’s not a knock on Powell by any means, it’s simply the reality of the team’s roster construction and his place in the pecking order – he’s probably the 10th or 11th man, working as a defensive matchup specialist if the Raptors draw an opponent with an off-ball terror (whereas James Johnson would have that role against a bulkier, more ball-dominant scorer, and Jason Thompson could have it against some frontcourts).
But he’s making that eventual shift tough on Casey, seemingly getting better by the game. His defense still jumps off the screen, even as he’s grown comfortable on the offensive end, and while the Pelicans don’t really have anyone who proved a tough test, Powell was making a difference both ways. He’s knocking down threes, he’s attacking closeouts and kicking it back out off the bounce, and there may not be anyone on the roster as adept at picking back up in transition after being slotted in a corner at the other end. He’s rarely out of place, is making good decisions, and has been a shammgodsend during a lengthy Carroll absence. His role may shorten in the playoffs, but he could still be a major factor by providing Casey with an extra body he can trust down the stretch, which will help get others to the postseason better rested.
Patrick Patterson stepped up, too, having one of his better offensive games on the season and really taking advantage of a plodding Pelicans defense. I’d go down the list and give everyone the dap they deserve, but that’s what the Quick Reaction was for.
The Raptors came out strong, took care of business, and never looked back, turning things over to the bench mob, who likewise took care of business. By the end of the night, the Raptors had blown out the Pelicans, 115-91, a fate that always seemed as inevitable as that turtle’s, so long as the Raptors wanted it.
And with that, Toronto has tied a franchise record with 49 wins. They’ll look to hit 50 for the first time ever against a much tougher test Monday, against the NBA’s Alligator Snapping Turtle in Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
