Game #5: Toronto Raptors 90 - Charlotte Bobcats 92 (F)

[KazanTheMan]

Also, I'm watching OKC-DAL.....It doesn't even look like the same sport, that's how bad the Raps are playing

I know man, it's crazy

[white men can't jump]

So I'm watching OKC-DAL. Steven Adams is having a nice impact for OKC. He's got good floor instincts, above average athleticism and mobility for a C, good defensive presence....and just terrible offensive game with the ball. Still though, OKC doesn't need scoring. He'll get some open dunks playing with that group, and he'll give them a backup C who does some things they need with Perkins basically being as mobile as a practice dummy.

It makes me think how nice it must be to have a good scouting staff. I hope Masai and his staff do have the scouting acumen we've all so desperately dreamed of.

[Raptorsnz]

So I'm watching OKC-DAL. Steven Adams is having a nice impact for OKC. He's got good floor instincts, above average athleticism and mobility for a C, good defensive presence....and just terrible offensive game with the ball. Still though, OKC doesn't need scoring. He'll get some open dunks playing with that group, and he'll give them a backup C who does some things they need with Perkins basically being as mobile as a practice dummy.

It makes me think how nice it must be to have a good scouting staff. I hope Masai and his staff do have the scouting acumen we've all so desperately dreamed of.

Adams is a very good offensive rebound and is decent when he gets the ball in the post. That's a bit of Kiwi bias though

[NoPropsneeded]

Casey is as good as done. At this point i'd flip Casey with sam mitchell, he'd probably be a better colour commentator than a coach anyway.

[consmap]

I kind of tripped out during the last seconds of the game.
I'm not used to seeing a team that is leading in the final seconds of the 4th quarter take a buzzer-beater to end the game without the losing team fouling or anything. I was expecting the foul... and it didn't come. The clock ran out and the game was over, and all I could think was "Did that REALLY just happen?"

[mcHAPPY]

The problem with blowing up the team is they might be better


Seriously

[RandomGuy]

Analogy to DC fans. Oh well, I forgot Christianl.

[Axel]

I'm seriously curious if there is a stat for "passing", not assists, just actually stats showing how often a player passes the ball. I missed the first half, but the only times I saw Gay pass, was to Derozan (who defers to Gay way too much) or to a big at the top so he could get the ball back immediately. I thought Melo was a ball stopper, but Gay might be worse.

Gay's line of the night reminds me a lot of the criticism we've made of Demar. Yeah, he scored 20 points, congrats, but it took 21 shots to get there. Demar, no better. 14 points on 16 shots and only 2 FTA. How about those "real game" stats that some love to use?

At this point, Casey should bench Gay. He is playing selfishly on offence and the whole team is, terribly, deferring to him. Start Fields and play Ross off the bench.

[Axel]

Just a tour-de-force of ineptitude by Raptors.

— Eric Koreen (@ekoreen) November 7, 2013

[Superjudge]

Its tough, there isnt much behind Gay other than Fields, yet when you watch the game, if LF's shot were just a bit more rehabbed, he'd be twice the player Gay appears to be. It isn't a popular thing to say, but I couldn't care less, when I watch the games I rarely see Gay playing good solid Basketball, yet, Fields is constantly scoring on back door cuts, nice reads, good and fundamental flashes to the paint etc. If the guy could finish he'd be killer.

I hope fans here will start to see the difference between a good player and a "star" player eventually. The difference between Hype, and actual function. Critics such as myself aren't ever saying "Rudy Gay is a terrible athlete and basketballer", or "Kyle Lowry can't ever learn to run a team, he doesn't have the tools", and we certainly aren't saying "Landry Fields has a bigger ceiling than Rudy Gay". But, what we do say, and will stand by until the cows come home is this, you have "stars" and you have secondary players. Stars get huge money, the rest get decent money. When your bench players are the only players consistently doing the the little things to win, making the right passes, playing within the team concept and running the sets asked, than its on your stars to raise their level of effort to match that. Why don't we see Gay making smart cuts, or limiting his shots to great looks off screens? I used to hate the Heat, I don't anymore. The Heat are stacked, yes, but further to that, the heat follow the plan, each "superstar" works his ass off to do all the right things, to play the game right, and to make both themselves and their teammates better. They take good shots, swing the ball, and ALWAYS look for the best opportunity to score, not just the first opportunity to get it in the air.

I know I seem negative, but I'm not, I am a basketball fan first, BEFORE being a Raptor fan. And I call it how I see it and I have a good eye. Toronto, outside of a few guys right now, are hard to watch. The same guys keep doing it right, and they aren't stars. Last night, for me, Hansborough, JV, Amir, Fields, and to an extent Ross all showed they care about the team, and about winning, the rest were there to promote their own interests. I have no time for players like that.

[phez]

I'm seriously curious if there is a stat for "passing", not assists, just actually stats showing how often a player passes the ball. I missed the first half, but the only times I saw Gay pass, was to Derozan (who defers to Gay way too much) or to a big at the top so he could get the ball back immediately. I thought Melo was a ball stopper, but Gay might be worse.

Gay's line of the night reminds me a lot of the criticism we've made of Demar. Yeah, he scored 20 points, congrats, but it took 21 shots to get there. Demar, no better. 14 points on 16 shots and only 2 FTA. How about those "real game" stats that some love to use?

At this point, Casey should bench Gay. He is playing selfishly on offence and the whole team is, terribly, deferring to him. Start Fields and play Ross off the bench.

thats just assists. all the ball handling before the assist/shot is moot. in terms of rudy, we all know his playstyle, so his assist numbers would directly relate to what you're looking for.

[Superjudge]

thats just assists. all the ball handling before the assist/shot is moot.

Actually, I have heard NBA commentators talk openly about the idea of the second assist in Basketball, as in Hockey, because often the best passes are the keen movement that set up the last pass. So no, I don't agree that the ball movement before an actual assist is moot, not if you're talking about whether its important or not. You're not I hope.

[Axel]

thats just assists. all the ball handling before the assist/shot is moot. in terms of rudy, we all know his playstyle, so his assist numbers would directly relate to what you're looking for.

No it doesn't. Assists are specific. I'm looking for a generic count on the number of times that Gay physically passes the ball. Ball movement is important to an offence that isn't captured with assists.

[Superjudge]

Axel, I hear you bro... that total is VERY low. Gay is a black hole.

[rocwell]

RR Zarar pic: