If raps lose yet again in first round ......

[douby leave me]

oh noes the sky is falling!

we are not owed a coronation or a cakewalk through the playoffs. it was always going to be a battle. people still get way too down when things aren't perfect, and way too high at the first hint of success. i think that attitude reflects on the raptors' players too, and it's a big reason they don't play to their potential. why do you think they play better on the road?

i saw a lot of overconfidence in the media and the fanbase before the series, but that doesn't mean the raps are going to lose. it says a lot to me that zarar picked the series to go 7. i am still fervently hoping for a series win!

all that said, i decided one thing before the first regular season game this year: if the raps lose in the first round this year, i will not watch another game with casey as coach and derozan on the roster.

[mjt20mik]

oh noes the sky is falling!

we are not owed a coronation or a cakewalk through the playoffs. it was always going to be a battle. people still get way too down when things aren't perfect, and way too high at the first hint of success. i think that attitude reflects on the raptors' players too, and it's a big reason they don't play to their potential. why do you think they play better on the road?

i saw a lot of overconfidence in the media and the fanbase before the series, but that doesn't mean the raps are going to lose. it says a lot to me that zarar picked the series to go 7. i am still fervently hoping for a series win!

all that said, i decided one thing before the first regular season game this year: if the raps lose in the first round this year, i will not watch another game with casey as coach and derozan on the roster.

You may just be lucky and not see both of them on the team next year.

[douby leave me]

I read this title of this thread and thought it was one of those ... " If raps lose yet again in first round, I will ....".

lol happy to deliver

[Nilanka]

It's just the unwillingness to value possessions that boggles my mind.

In the playoffs, every trip down the floor should be treated with the magnitude of a tie game with under 2 mins left. If holding the ball for 15 seconds, and launching a contested 20-footer over George is considered a poor shot to close out a game, it's a poor shot in the 1st quarter too.

[GLF]

I want to clarify something:

It's not that I thought that we would sweep, it's that I thought that we should be thinking sweep when we win 56 games and get the two seed.

If you win 56 games, get the two seed, have your third straight year of home court advantage and win total increasing, you shouldn't be worried about a first round matchup or you're doing something wrong.

You shouldn't. But this is the Raptors. When it comes to this team you always have to be worried.

[GLF]

It's just the unwillingness to value possessions that boggles my mind.

In the playoffs, every trip down the floor should be treated with the magnitude of a tie game with under 2 mins left. If holding the ball for 15 seconds, and launching a contested 20-footer over George is considered a poor shot to close out a game, it's a poor shot in the 1st quarter too.

Exactly. And the fact that they won't MOVE THE FUCKING BALL! Like is it really that hard? Because they are making it seen hella difficult. Like you cannot score on Paul George. Get the fuck over it and move the gawdamn ball. And the fact that Kyle and Demar keep stating that the shots they're taking are good shots and they are just rushing it as their excuse is crazy to me. How can you have faith in this team when their two "best" players say things like that. It means they aren't learning and they are going to keep taking these horrid shots. The other thing that's killing us is Kyle ALWAYS has to get injured close to the playoffs. I knew Demar would play like ass this series because of Paul George but I was hoping Kyle would be the usual Kyle. We can win this series without Demar playing well but BOTH of them can't be playing this shit at the same time if we expect to win. At the end of the day our offense relies heavily on them, which is all Casey's fault, so if they both get shut down it's pretty much over. But we do need to stop turning the ball over so much. You can't beat any team much less a really good transition team like Pacers with that many turnovers. They aren't a good half court team. Keep them in the half court and stop turning over the ball.

[Nilanka]

Of note is that the entire NBA universe is seeing first-hand how to stop DeRozan. Even if we knock off the Pacers, you better believe Deng and Winslow are going to study exactly what George did, and turn it up a notch (or three).

[mjt20mik]

Of note is that the entire NBA universe is seeing first-hand how to stop DeRozan. Even if we knock off the Pacers, you better believe Deng and Winslow are going to study exactly what George did, and turn it up a notch (or three).

If he hasn't figured it out in 4 games... i doubt he will for the rest of the series.

[white men can't jump]

Of note is that the entire NBA universe is seeing first-hand how to stop DeRozan. Even if we knock off the Pacers, you better believe Deng and Winslow are going to study exactly what George did, and turn it up a notch (or three).

Pretty sure most teams around the league already knew how to stop us. The strategy has been pretty similar defensively from all 3 of our playoff opponents over these years.

[Chr1s1anL]

Of note is that the entire NBA universe is seeing first-hand how to stop DeRozan. Even if we knock off the Pacers, you better believe Deng and Winslow are going to study exactly what George did, and turn it up a notch (or three).

Got to give Paul George more credit than that. Someone posted that PG has more charges drawn than every team in the playoffs. Deng isn't going to regain his quickness all of a sudden. Winslow isn't going to grow 4 inches in the next week or so. I think Charlotte would be a way tougher match up for DD. If Batum is able to play.

[Raptor Jesus]

We solemnly vow, by the old gods and new, that we will do something worthy of getting into Game of Zones NEXT YEAR

[Nilanka]

Got to give Paul George more credit than that. Someone posted that PG has more charges drawn than every team in the playoffs. Deng isn't going to regain his quickness all of a sudden. Winslow isn't going to grow 4 inches in the next week or so. I think Charlotte would be a way tougher match up for DD. If Batum is able to play.

DeRozan doesn't have a quickness advantage over old man Deng....

[S.R.]

DeRozan doesn't have a quickness advantage over old man Deng....

All you need is height/length and the ability to not bite on pump fakes. Speed is not required.

[Nilanka]

All you need is height/length and the ability to not bite on pump fakes. Speed is not required.

Exactly, which is why every team has the personnel to render DeRozan useless.

George deserves some credit, sure. But Otto freakin' Porter deserved the same credit last year.

[slaw]

Exactly, which is why every team has the personnel to render DeRozan useless.

George deserves some credit, sure. But Otto freakin' Porter deserved the same credit last year.

Then why don't they just stop him every game? I mean if he's that fucking terrible and easy to defend, then how is he even in the NBA? And, I am not being facetious. If he is so easy to stop, then how does he score 24 points a game? I mean, if every team has the personnel to stop him, then why don't they? If you can make him useless that easily then surely it's not a chore to do so and you can focus on the other guys. Why hasn't this happened?

I'm just wondering if Indy's third ranked defense, which has schemed to stop him, and one of the top 5 perimeter defenders in the NBA have anything to do with it?