It’s been incremental, but there has been improvement in this team as the season progresses. We’re not going to morph into some serious playoff team that will be a pest come the post-season, but things are happening. Also, I should have had Evans dressed at PF in my fantasy league instead of Odom, but the truth of the matter is that we learned something last night about Reggie, he’s legit this season. He may not average 13.8 (5.2 offensive) for the season, but he’s giving something in the front court the Raptors have been missing since Davis, Oakley and (Jerome) Williams: a legit forward who gets at it.

Not hating on Bosh, him and Anthony Parker are my favourite Raptors of all time, but he was never an energy guy who went to war every-single-freaking-night. I’m not too proud to admit my mistakes, but I really thought the Raptors were in big trouble with him as the starting PF. However, the way he devouted himself to rebounding and defense like he has (and if you did, you’re the same liar who also claims to have known Bruce Willis was a ghost in 6th Sense), while his offensive production has become an after thought, reminds me of a poor mans Dennis Rodman.

Depending on their energy levels tonight, the same things the Raptors did against the Lakers, will give them a boost against the Blazers, namely rebounding and hustle.

I quickly checked in with Andrew R Tonry of Portland Roundball Society about his team:

I know his contract was structured interestingly, but it definitely raised an eyebrow or two (namely mine). How has he performed since getting here?
Who are we talking about? Wes Matthews? He’s show moments of brilliance, and all kinds of scrap and hustle. The contract people thought was a toxic offer may turn out to be a fine pickup after all. Some in Portland think he’s a Sixth Man of the Year candidate. Matthews is currently in terrific shape–December shape. And while he’s almost single-handedly turned around a game in Milwaukee, he’s had some bumps along the way.

With both Oden and Pryzbilla (and Pendegraph who got injured then released if I remember right) out, the Blazers were still able to start the season 4-1, with 3 of those wins coming on the road; what’s the secret sauce?
Until the Blazers re-stock their inside presence they will, as Charles Barkley always says, “live by the jumper, die by the jumper.” It’s that simple.

How long before Oden gets back, and what are the teams long term plans for him seeing as they, rightfully so, didn’t extend his rookie contract?
No on has any idea. Maybe not even Oden himself. He’s got tendinitous in the knee that’s slowing the recovery from a broken patella. At this point, few are expecting anything–it’s more of a, whatever he ends up bringing is gravy sort of situation.

What can you tell me about what happened with Pritchard?
Let’s instead talk about Rich Cho. People here don’t seem as upset anymore. Cho seems like a smart, uncompromising, ruthless dude–one who’s ruled by rationality number, while unconcerned by glamor and stardom. So far, so good.

Injury Report

Toronto
Ed Davis – Out (can’t remember why, but as someone said yesterday, never forget)

Blazers
Greg Oden – Knee
Joel Pryzbilla – Knee
Rudy Fernandez – Back
Fabricio Oberto – Heart palpitations, retired

Match-ups

PG – Jack vs Miller
Should really be Calderon vs Miller the way Jack has been playing of late, but I digress. When the Blazers settled for signed Andre last summer, I thought it was a pretty decent move to free up Roy to score more. The move seemed to work, and Miller is having a mini-resurgence in his 30s. He’s not a great shooter, but will knock them down if given the space. What he does a great job of is penetrating and getting into the paint. After last nights game, Jack really has nowhere to go but up, but he needs to be focused. Too many times last night, Fisher and Blake had WIDE-OPEN shots, and too many times they knocked them down. It’s really not as simple as it sounds, but all Jack (and Calderon) needs to do is limit Miller’s penetration, and force him to be a jump shooter; if Miller goes for 20 from the perimeter, I can live with it. I can’t live with Miller get into the paint, having the Raptors D collapse on him, then he finds a teammate for a good shot.

Edge: Even

SG – DeRozan vs Roy
The kid had a solid homecoming last night: loved his aggressiveness, took good shots for the most part, and made Kobe work on defense. That was really all we could ask for from DeMar. Tonight, I’m asking for the same thing. Wont be easy chasing Roy around the court a night removed from chasing Kobe, but that’s what is needed. Roy makes big plays from different spots on the floor (much like Kobe but not as devastatingly), and has a nights rest, so it wont be easy for DeMar until he finds his second wind early. Still, it will be nice to see these two chase each other around the court, but DeMar has a size/athleticism advantage he needs to exploit, should be fun.

Edge: Roy

SF – Kleiza vs Batum
Kleiza has to make a big adjustment from Artest’s physical style to Batum’s length and athleticism. He did a good job of attacking Artest off the dribble, something he needs to repeat to put some pressure on Batum’s offense since he’s either shooting threes or getting in the paint (both require legs).

Edge: Even

PF – Evans vs Aldridge
You can’t fault Evans for Gasol dropping 30 points (him being best big in the game and all), but he did a great job of protecting the glass against Odom (9rebs) and Gasol (7rebs); even grabbing 14 for himself. Aldridge is a different beast, he shoots well from the mid-range, and has some decent post moves. Closer to Bosh than Odom, but not as good as either; he is having a career year so far though. Reggie will need to keep Aldridge out of the paint and put a hand in his face when he’s going to shoot since he will own him on the boards. After playing Millsap, Gasol and Odom for the last two nights, this should be a tad easier for our boy.

Edge: Even

C – Bargnani vs Camby
He was bound to have a bad game offensively, but was pretty rough towards the end of the game. Some of that was not getting the ball in the right spot, but some of that was just plain bad. For those of you counting, Camby’s been playing since the second year the Raptors have been in the league; whodathunk he would be so durable? What’s kept him in the league is his defense (rebounding and shot blocking), both of which are a product of his ridiculous length. I can see Bargnani checking Camby on defense, since Marcus doesn’t have much of a post game and can only hit wide open jumpers. Keeping him off the glass will be paramount, and with his Andrea’s size, it shouldn’t be a huge stretch. That being said, he needs to commit to boxing out and hustling for loose balls. He did it against the Jazz, and I don’t see any reason why he can’t tonight against a front court that isn’t in the same league as either Utah’s or LA’s.

Edge: Bargnani

Keys to the Game

Stay Active
After last night’s game, Kobe Bryant had this to say about the Raptors:

They’re a very unorthodox team, you’ve got rebounders coming in from all over the place. You’ve got the floor spread, and very athletic guys that are crashing and jumping, so it’s just their style of play.

Sounds like a bit of a compliment if you ask me. What everyone’s been saying about the Raptors is the hustle and athleticism these guys have, and it seems to be giving teams some issues. Since the Blazers are a jump shooting team, the best way to counter them is to run folks around and make them work hard on both ends of the floor, so that in crunch time, you’re a bit flat. Will be difficult on the second night of a back-to-back, but it needs to be done.

Pound the Ball Into the Paint
The Blazers front court is ravaged by injury, and the Raptors are bigger, stronger and more athletic. They just don’t have the horses and you have to take advantage, simple as that. Against the Lakres, a far better front court, the Raptors scored 58 points in the paint. I don’t think I need to say anything more about this.

Don’t be afraid to play the bench
Both Weems and Barbosa played strong first half’s, but didn’t see the floor at the right times in the second (Weems didn’t see the floor at all). The bench was key in the 2nd quarter resurgence against the Lakers, but wasn’t properly utilized afterwards…do we see a trend developing here? Triano needs to manage substitutions much more efficiently and effectively. It’s not going to happen overnight (literally), but if he just rides the hot hand without concern for who’s feelings he’s going to hurt…it’s a step in the right direction (having a hard time expressing myself here, forgive me).

The Line

Vegas has the Blazers as 12 point favourites with an over/under of 202.5. I must admit, I’m a bit surprised by the big spread since the Raptors do match-up well, maybe I missed something or just not accounting for how tired they might be. Regardless, 12 points is ridiculous, I’d take that bet if I had a bookie.

The Game Thread in the RR Forums

Every year, this team has some sort of built in excuse that stirs debate among us about what to really expect/feel about this team. Taking care of business has been a big problem for the Raptors over the last couple seasons. Had they beaten the Knicks and Kings heading into to this rough stretch of games, they might have been able to come out on the other side much more intact. Instead, they are 1-3 heading into a 6 game stretch where the only winnable games are the Warriors (on the road) and the Bobcats; 2-8 seems about right to me.

Last year, the Raptors were able to stun the Lakers and steal the rug right out from under them; this year, not so much. If you thought the Jazz were badass, the Lakers are the most offensively efficient, as well as being the second best rebounding team in the league; all without Andrew Bynum. They’re also winning games with by an average margin of 13. Needless to say, the goal tonight will be to compete, work hard, build some momentum for when the schedule lightens up a bit…and not lose by 20.

I had a chance to speak with Phillip Barnett of Forum Blue & Gold about the Lakers:

The Lakers added Steve Blake and Matt Barnes (who was almost a raptor) over the summer. Can you talk about the impact that both these players are having on this team? I’m especially interested in Barnes, who I think was a perfect addition on the wing (in the mold of Ariza, but better defensively).
I think the addition of Steve Blake (to shore up the back up point guard spot) and Matt Barnes (adding even depth to the small forward spot) were two very good pick-ups for the Lakers this off-season. Steve Blake came in and picked up the Triangle Offense right away and has already developed some very good on-court chemistry with Lamar Odom. While I didn’t hate Jordan Farmar, I do love that his often push-the-pace, frantic style of basketball was replaced by the steady handed, better-shooting Steve Blake. He’s already knocked down a huge three pointer with 18 seconds left on the road against Phoenix and has helped to keep the bench’s turnover rate down.

As for Matt Barnes, I think his signing was about as underrated a signing there was this off-season. The Lakers spent a lot of last season trying to figure out how to back up the small forward position. Lamar Odom and Kobe got a lot of run at the three spot, increasing their respective minutes. Although he isn’t the full reason, Matt Barnes coming off the bench has reduced the number of Kobe’s minutes, and has made the minutes that he’s played a lot less effortless than what he was accustomed to last season. One of the things about Barnes that often goes unnoticed is the fact that he is a fantastic passer. Playing with so many run-and-gun teams throughout his journeyman career, he’s developed a “make the extra pass” mentality — something that has stood out to me more than anything else in his game. Then, of course, there is his ability to play tough perimeter defense — adding to what the Lakers already had in Ron Artest and Kobe. I think he’s still finding his way on the offensive side of the floor, but you can definitely see the upside of having a guy like Barnes on your side.

How do you see this team matching up against the Thunder come playoff time? I look at the West, and while the teams are still strong, OKC seems to be the only crew who can give the Lakers a real test come the post-season.
It’s hard for me to say at this point because this is a different Lakers team from what we saw last season. I know that we’re only 4-5 games into the season, but the Lakers do look like they’re heads and heels above what the Thunder are going to have to offer. OKC is in the middle of the pack of a lot of statistical categories, most notably offensive and defensive efficiency, hence their .500 record. But then again, we’re looking at such a small sample and completely ignoring all of the things that gave the Lakers problems last season. The Thunder are young, athletic and long. Serge Ibaka and Nick Collison gave the Lakers problems defensively and on the boards, Russell Westbrook is by far the fastest species either team has to offer and Kevin Durant is, well, Kevin Durant. The Lakers no longer have that glaring problem with their bench and now have one more defender they can throw at Durant in Matt Barnes. It’s a tough one to call with the season being so early, but as of right now, I think the Lakers don’t struggle as much this time around. If the playoff started with every team in the West healthy, I think the Lakers would have the most problems with Portland, Dallas and Houston because of their comparable size and veteran presences.

What happens with Bynum? Is it time to trade him before his injury problems totally ruin his value? Let me qualify: the kid has talent, moves well and is a beast; but at what point do you make the decision to not bet the future of the franchise on a guy who’s only played 82 games once in five seasons?
Ahh, the ubiquitous Andrew Bynum question. Here is what I believe the Lakers’ brain trust is thinking on this one: They have been to three straight NBA Finals, won the last two and are the favorites for this current season, even with Bynum’s injury. They’re going to take their time with him simply because they don’t need him right now. He’ll come back late in this calendar year, have some time to play himself back into shape through the second trimester of the season and will be healthy for the last stretch into the playoffs. Last year, they beat the Celtics with ‘Drew AND Kobe limping around on one leg. If they can have both of them healthy for this year’s postseason, it’s hard to imagine any team in the league beating them in a best of seven.

However, that is a huge if. Keeping Bynum is a huge franchise risk, simply because we don’t know what is to happen to his knees — or anything else for that matter — in the future. I think it’s a risk they’re willing to take because this is still a team that will contend with or without Bynum. Having him on the floor only helps their cause, and there aren’t too many other centers in the league capable of putting up the kind of numbers a healthy Andrew Bynum can on a night-to-night basis. Also, he gained a lot of trust from the organization when he went out there and battled through his injury. He didn’t always have the best of nights, but he finally, after five years, showed signs of being a warrior. Everyone had battled through some injury during last season, and seeing Andrew Bynum risk the future of his knee by banging bodies with the likes of Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Garnett really left a lasting impression on the Lakers.

We saw how sad it was for Jordan during the second comeback, and Kobe has that same manic drive. How many more years of elite play does Kobe Bryant have left in him?
Yes, Kobe does have a manic drive, but no, it isn’t the same as Jordan’s during his second comeback. Jordan’s was the manic-est of drives of all time. Not only did he come back, but he came back from running the team in the front office to running the team on the floor. He felt that Wizards team was so pathetic that only his presence could save them. Kobe’s is of the “I want to win, win every time, and win convincingly” variety — and he’s decided that he’s going to win by any means necessary. He’s trusting his teammates, hitting the glass, taking better shots and teaching the younger players. The Lakers are winning, and he seems to be enjoying these victories that what he had in the past. As for your actual question, I still think he has at least two more elite years left in him. I noted earlier that he’s playing fewer minutes, and in those minutes, he isn’t working as hard. This season, he’s using fewer dribbles, making quicker decisions and letting the bigs establish themselves. Considering the core of this team will be intact for the next few years, I think this is a trend we’ll likely see as long as they’re together. Kobe can still go out and get his 25-30 a game, but it’s going to be a relatively easy 25-30 points compared to the effort he had to put into scoring in the past. I’m not saying every night is going to be as easy as the first five games have been for him, but when was the last time he’s had a five game stretch where he averaged fewer than 35 minutes per game? You’d have to go back a long ways for that.

By all accounts, this is Phil Jackson’s last year on the bench; who takes over, Brian Shaw, or do they bring in an outsider?
I’m a firm believer in keeping the system intact. This Lakers team is a tight knit group with an offense that suits this collection of talent really well. With that said, I’d like to see them give Brian Shaw his first head coaching opportunity. He played for Phil Jackson during the early millennium three-peat team and has been on Phil’s bench for quite a while now. He’s as respected by the Lakers players as much as any assistant coach in the NBA. I think Jerry Buss would like to see more of a Showtime Era style of basketball, but I think he has to take into consideration that the Lakers, during Kobe’s regime, have not won a title running any other system.

Regardless of what happens, you just cannot replace a Phil Jackson. Whoever comes succeeds him as the Lakers head coach will have some Shaq-sized shoes to fill. Guys who we felt might have had a shot at this job in the past (Kurt Rambis now in Minnesota, Byron Scott who is now in Cleveland) are now head coaching for other NBA teams, making the coaching candidates narrowed down to Brian Shaw and everyone else. Shaw definitely has a leg up on the competition, but I wouldn’t necessarily say that anything is set in stone. It’ll be interesting to watch how this plays out, but if I had a vote, it would be Shaw.

Injury Report

Toronto
Niente

Los Angeles
Andrew Bynum – Knee
Luke Walton – Hamstring

Match-ups

PG – Jack vs Fisher
This is the only match-up where the Raptors have a legitimate shot at winning. You think Jack and Calderon play bad defense? Fisher just turned 36 and was being blown by off the dribble two years ago. Sadly, the guy is able to think the game, and will make some quality decisions throughout to account for his terrible defense. He doesn’t get into the lane much, so Jack should know that he will be camped out on the 3-point line waiting for the triangle to get him the ball (Hint: don’t leave him to double on someone, it wont help and you will get burned). Needs to be mentioned Blake will get some nice run at point, and he is a guy who’s young, in shape and has killed the Raptors in the past. Jack picked it up against the Jazz, posting 14pts 5ast, but he was doodoo against the Cavs and Kings.

Edge: Jack

SG – DeRozan vs Kobe
DeMar is on his way to being a legit 15-point a night scorer. However, to get to the 20 point plateau, he’ll need to get to the line more, and hit from beyond the arc once or twice a game. That’s how I see it, and I stand by it. Kobe is going to do whatever he feels like, from whatever point on the floor he wants too, and there is nothing DeRozan can do about it, sadly. I’m of the opinion that these sorts of games are good for DeMar since he can learn from Kobe via osmosis, at least I hope he does. Playing in front of a ‘home’ crowd with friends and family in the stands might prove to be distracting.

Edge: Kobe

SF – Kleiza vs Artest
Kleiza had some trouble getting off against Kirilenko; Artest is the bigger stronger version. It will be tough taking it to him head on, so it will be best to keep Ron-Ron on his toes and mix it up some. I really have nothing to say other than Artest is more of a perimeter player on offense; he likes to pop long jumpers. Those are easy to defend, just stay up on him and get him to put it on the floor. I don’t know, I got nothing on this match-up, I think Kleiza will score some, grab a couple boards and dish a few dimes, and I think Artest will do the same.

Edge: Even

PF – Evans vs Odom
Full Disclosure: I have Odom and Evans in my fantasy pool.

While he was grabbing a ridiculous amount of rebounds, the lingering question in my head was always “did something change, or was it a benefit of the match-ups that Evans was able to average 16.3 rebounds during the first 3 games of the year. Not trying to hate, but that rate was ridiculous for a guy who’s never averaged more than 9.3 (which came 7 years ago) a night. Last game against the Jazz, the first game against a real front line, we saw him fall back down to earth with the rebounding. Battling alongside Bargnani against Millsap and Jefferson is daunting for anyone in the league, and the two put in a pretty decent effort all things considered. Tonight it doesn’t get any easier as he gets to check Khloe Odom who is bigger, stronger, faster, longer and more gifted overall. I’e got Evans on the bench tonight, lets just put that way.

Edge: Odom

C – Bargnani vs Gasol
Bargnani’s offensive improvement has been more than incremental this season; figure about a 41% jump early in the season – nothing to shake a stick at. We saw that he stepped up to Jefferson and really delivered a solid performance against a quality opponent; even grabbed a couple rebounds. There was also some improvement on his boxing out, which is all I really want from the guy. Gasol is the best big man in the league, period. The only positive here is that when Gasol gets a breather, Bargnani wont have to contend with Bynum in the low block.

Edge: Gasol

Lakers are 13.5 point favourites…it’s not going to be a pretty outcome, but we should see a nice pace to the game; I’m going with the gamblers, bet the kids trust fund.

For those in the Toronto area, we have our first Raptor Fan Fridays at Sports Center Cafe. For those who aren’t, Live Chat will be bumping.

How bad is this ankle injury Bosh suffered last week against the Grizzlies? Frankly, I thought he was good to play, but the powers-that-be took advantage of a light schedule (although the Wizards ended up being anything but light) to rest the franchise before a stretch that sees us play 4 very good teams in a row.

Heading into tonights game, I’ve realized that I have slept on some of the Raptors recent achievements:

• 8-2 in their last 10 games; hottest team in the East.
• They have reduced their point differential to 0, mostly by improving their offense (109.3 over the stretch), but over their last 10, they have have actually tightened their defense up a bit surrendering 103.7 a game (a full point less than their current season average).
• 4 games out of 4th, and 5 games out of 3rd place in the East.
• On pace for 46 wins.
• 24-11 since December when everything turned around on a dime somehow.

Looking back now, the 7-13 start wasn’t horrible, but was the difference between a team fighting for 3rd or 4th in the East and a team that is barely holding on to 5th place in the standings. It is also the difference between beating the Lakers and Cavs on some nights, then dropping 2 games to the Pacers on others.

Tonight they host the Blazers at the ACC at 7pm, so I checked in with Ezra from The Portland Roundball Society, and asked the newest member of the TrueHoop Network a couple questions about this team:

Q. Talk about the Camby trade; will he be around next year when Oden/Pryzbilla return from injury?
A. It was a bit of a coup for Portland to pick up Marcus Camby for the expiring contracts of two players who had little (Steve Blake) to no (Travis Outlaw) role in the team’s future. The basketball culture is strong for the Blazers, and Camby seems stunned by the attention he received from the fans here—few defensive-minded centers who score less than eight points a night get standing ovations before even stepping onto the floor (like Camby did his first night in town). But, of course, that doesn’t mean he re-signs with the team either.

This team is hellbent on having two quality centers after it was exposed that Greg Oden’s knees are made of paper mache and Chinese drywall, and I think Camby’s future will be determined by Joel Przybilla’s comeback (which will take more time than Oden’s) and how the free-agent market shapes the Western Conference. Portland will want him back, but they don’t need him back.

Q. Does Bayless have what it takes to replace Blake?
A. Blake, yes. Miller, no. The problem with Bayless is that his potential is sky high, but he is not a “traditional” point guard and doesn’t mesh well with Brandon Roy’s style of play. But the franchise absolutely adores him, and he won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.

Q. Couldn’t you guys have gotten more for Outlaw?
A. Had he not been injured, absolutely. But once Outlaw went down with that foot injury, his trade value went with him. Plus the only team that really wanted him (Memphis) has a poor relationship with Portland that stretches back to last year’s Darius Miles incident (where Portland was fined by the league for sending a letter that more or less threatened any team that signed him with the intention of hurting Portland’s books). I think Outlaw is going to win a Sixth Man of the Year award sometime soon, and is a fantastic personality as well. Portland might try to re-sign him during the offseason, since I doubt he stays a Clipper once the season ends.

Q. New Orleans/Memphis/Houston are hot on your heals, are the Blazers a playoff team?
A. Thanks for reminding me. The problem—and I use that term loosely—is that the Blazers really overachieved this year. The fact that they are still in the playoff hunt after losing Oden, Przybilla, Outlaw, Nicolas Batum, Rudy Fernandez, and Brandon Roy for extended stretches of the year is shocking. After losing four of their last five (tonight’s Nets game not included in that equation), it seems like this team is running on fumes. Roy’s hamstring is clearly not healthy and he even briefly considered sitting out for the remainder of the season following last week’s game against the Clippers.

Thankfully the schedule is a bit more favorable for the Blazers in the second half, and most people think this team can limp into the playoffs as the eight seed. There, they will play the Lakers, who if I am not mistaken, are a team with limited talent, zero playoff experience, and no history of defeating Portland in the postseason whatsoever. That should work out just fine.

Q. Still wish you had Hedo Turkoglu over Andre Milelr? What would Portland fans think if the Blazers took Turkoglu back in a trade?
A. God no. I’ll always remember the day that deal fell through because it happened minutes after Sarah Palin resigned from the governor’s seat of Alaska. Without a doubt the news of Turkoglu rejecting Portland overshadowed the Palin story, which means a lot when you consider in how shamelessly liberal and progressive this city is (Google: “Little Beirut”). In a matter of a few short days Hedo was more hated in Portland than Palin. That’s saying a lot.

Hedo was just a poor fit for this team and fans were baffled that this franchise—which at that time had yet to renew the deals of Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge—would spend around $60 million on a player whose best days are most likely behind him. Hedo isn’t the devil, but he just wasn’t the right fit for what the Blazers are trying to build. Andre Miller, on the other hand, hasn’t been a perfect fit either, but after a few tough months he has eased himself into the roll the team requires of him.

I should have asked him how he feels about Oden being taken advantage of by some girl, and sending her some revealing pics of himself (NOT SAFE FOR WORK), but I gave him a pass. I mean, I would be proud too, but really?

If Bosh is a no go tonight, I have a few very serious concerns, and they revolve around the things Bosh does very well: scoring and rebounding. Sure Rasho had that breakthrough game, but you can’t look past the fact that they came against the Nets (16pts 7rebs 4ast), especially since against a young/mobile Wizards front court, he didn’t bring as much (10pts 1 reb).

This Portland team was very good defensively before Camby got there, and are even better now. Rasho needs to find the touch he displayed against the Nets, but more importantly, Amir and Reggie need to step up and score some points. During the last two games, the two have only contributed 19pts and 18rebs, not bad, but not quite enough. Rasho has done an admirable job the last two games, but realistically, he can’t be expected to carry the load in the middle. If Bosh plays, than all this moot.

Roy is on his 4th game back, and it only took two games for him to work the cobwebs and kinks out. Last night against the Nets he dropped 28pts 4rebs 4ast; we’re no Nets, but you have to think he can do the same. Since the all-star break, I have really appreciated DeRozan’s commitment to attacking the rim. Roy is definitely not 100% yet, and if DeRozan can run him around early, with Weems (Belinelli shouldn’t be taking any of Weems’ minutes away at this point) picking up where Kid Compton leaves off, we should see some favourable results.

What concerns me the most is what Ezra said about the Blazers over achieving – the sum of the whole being greater than the parts. That speaks to solid coaching, and players knowing their role. The Raptors best bet is to speed up the tempo and make the Blazers run; the Blazers are last in the league in pace averaging 89.9 possessions per game. They do have athletes, and get good shots (offensive efficiency of 107.3 is 6th best in the league), but if we make them run, and get them out of their comfort zone, good things will happen.