Game #49: Toronto Raptors 104 - Phoenix Suns 97

[Barolt]

Well, then, in the absence of any data to the contrary, I'll ride it out with my rose-coloured glasses and believe that significantly different circumstances may very well result in a different outcome.

If there's no historical precedent for a team winning in the playoffs off a lackluster starting lineup and dominant bench, that's a mountain of data that says we can't succeed in the playoffs on our current formula.

[jimmie]

If there's no historical precedent for a team winning in the playoffs off a lackluster starting lineup and dominant bench, that's a mountain of data that says we can't succeed in the playoffs on our current formula.

And yet... I don't see the numbers. Are you sure you're not just assuming this is the case? I'm sure you can find some numbers to support your case, you seem to be pretty good at that.

[Jclaw]

For all the suggestions that Casey should switch up starter/bench roles. consider this. Down his #1 and # 2 ideal starters at SF, he had a choice to mix up the roles and start Ross (a past career starter) or start a rookie. And not just a rookie, a second round pick from this year's draft who has barely played in the NBA. Casey, who has shown his distaste for rooks in the past, went with that instead of making new role cards. I think he's riding this group til Carroll comes back. Come hell or high water.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

In fairness to Casey, this season seems eerily familiar to the 2006-2007 Raptors who unexpectedly won the Atlantic Division crown, largely due to their bench play.

That team's starting lineup (Rasho, Bosh, Garbo, Parker and Ford) only had to keep the game close, and then the bench brigade (Calderon, Mo-Pete, Bargnani, Graham, Jones/Dixon/Humphries) would provide a huge boost against the opposition's 2nd unit.

In crunch time, there would usually be a mix of starters/backups on the court (Bargnani, Bosh, Mo-Pete, Parker and Ford), providing a balance of on-ball defense and shooting.


I've been one of those fans trumpeting the 'start Patterson for better balance' recommendation since the preseason, but I understand Casey's hesitancy to change things, given the team's success (especially winning 12 of their last 13 games).

I just hope that should the time come when the team struggles for a stretch, whether it's during the regular season or come playoff time (when 2nd units don't have the same ability to impact games), he proves to be more adaptable than he has in the past.

[3inthekeon]

The Patterson-Scola flip in the starting lineup seems to make sense to many here, one would think it would have come up in the beat reporters conversations with Casey. Has anyone heard or read Casey's explanation as to why he's continuing to keep Scola with JV other than "continuity"?

[KHD]

The Patterson-Scola flip in the starting lineup seems to make sense to many here, one would think it would have come up in the beat reporters conversations with Casey. Has anyone heard or read Casey's explanation as to why he's continuing to keep Scola with JV other than "continuity"?

well, he doesn't make adjustments (his words). just keep pounding the rock.

[KeonClark]

The Patterson-Scola flip in the starting lineup seems to make sense to many here, one would think it would have come up in the beat reporters conversations with Casey. Has anyone heard or read Casey's explanation as to why he's continuing to keep Scola with JV other than "continuity"?

"He's got that old man at the ymca game"

[ogi]

"He's got that old man at the ymca game"

We need a Casey soundboard

[Katman]

The Patterson-Scola flip in the starting lineup seems to make sense to many here, one would think it would have come up in the beat reporters conversations with Casey. Has anyone heard or read Casey's explanation as to why he's continuing to keep Scola with JV other than "continuity"?

Maybe its something simple like the starters score enough, the bench won't with Scola.

[OldSkoolCool]

Maybe its something simple like the starters score enough, the bench won't with Scola.

The CoJo-Ross-Scola trio in preseason was astronomically good

[DanH]

Maybe its something simple like the starters score enough, the bench won't with Scola.

Well, we don't know for certain, since the main 3 bench guys (outside of PP, so Joseph, BB and Ross) have played only 19 minutes together with Scola, but in those 19 minutes they have a 115 ORTG and a 75 DRTG, good for +40. Crazy good even in a small sample.

Then you look at the two man combinations with those guys (these all have much, much larger samples than that 19 minute lineup).

Scola-Joseph: +7.6 net rating, 105.1 ORTG
Scola-Ross: +2.2, 105.4
Scola-Biyombo: -1.4, 104.7

All solid offensive scores. And look at his numbers with the starters.

Scola-Lowry: -1.0 net rating, 104.2 ORTG
Scola-DD: -0.7, 104.9
Scola-JV: -2.1, 103.9

Every starter pairing with Scola is worse than their bench counterpart's pairing with Scola, both in net rating and in offensive rating.