Stick around in enough games, and you’ll eventually sneak one out here and there. The Raptors managed to play with the lead for most of this game and when the Rockets huffed and puffed, like most half-decent NBA teams do, the Raptors suppressed the run, and managed to produce enough timely offense that the back-to-back weary Rockets fizzled out.
It’s a comfortable win which had the Raptors shooting a ridiculously high 65% in the first half, a feat that yielded an even scoreline by the end of the first, and eventually materialized into a 12-point halftime lead. The main difference between the two frames being the Raptors easing up on the fouls and reducing Houston’s trips to the line. The lead was extended to 15 in the third and you’re thinking that this is going to be a blowout, what with Houston’s legs going tired, but some good play from Dragic (put Bayless under a lot of pressure), and some unexpected production from Patrick Patterson and Chandler Parsons later, this came to be a five point game late in the third.
At that point you would’ve bet on Houston completing the comeback and making this a tight game heading into the fourth, where the Rockets’ individual playmaking ability would serve as the advantage. Scratch that. The Raptors put the pedal to the metal, and nine points from Barbosa combined with six from DeRozan in the fourth put this to bed. The key basket for me was Barbosa’s corner three which made it a 89-83 game. If Houston scores on the other end of that sequence, it’s a four point game, a Raptors timeout, and self-doubt creeping in. It’s a game of chance, sometimes.
Some things that caught the eye:
– Good help and individual defense from Amir Johnson. He played Scola really well and didn’t let the latter’s weight advantage be a factor by backing out quickly in post-ups and always keeping the Argentian guessing as to his defensive strategy. What made this more impressive is that he managed to provide help on Lowry et al. when they drove to the rim. Some guys in the league can play 36 minutes and be productive throughout, Amir Johnson is not one of those guys, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Last night’s minute allocation of 29 is just about right for him. He’s a perfect sub.
– DeMar DeRozan’s post-up game looked nice, he hit a couple nice fadeaways, one very Kobeusque over Lowry, one over Martin, and also had his mid-range jumper going. Credit to this teammates for setting solid screens and getting him free in baseline and elbow positions. He’s got a line of 23/3/4, and honestly, that’s what was expected of him on a consistent basis this year, these kinds of games were supposed to be the norm instead of rarities. If he finishes this season strong, we can’t be lured into evaluating his season just based on a strong finish. He hasn’t had any injuries to deal with, he’s gotten consistent playing time, and it’s been a matter of production/self-improvement, of which he hasn’t shown enough. I don’t care how this season concludes for him, it has been quite a disappointment and he hasn’t taken the step I expected him to take.
– Ed Davis v Patterson: On paper, it was a decent battle between the back-to-back picks, one which Patterson won quite handily. There weren’t many Ed moments here (can’t really have them when you go 6/3) which is a little disappointing. Patterson was able to back him into the post a little too easily, and Davis’ response was always…shall we say…timid. A word I’d hate to associate with any player, let alone Ed Davis whose reputation of being anything but preceded him. The repertoire of offensive moves is limited, and the jump-hook is turning into quite a predictable feature of his game. He needs to expand lest he turn into Kevin Willis.
– Passing in the interior: Some of those 31 assists on 45 field goals leading to 59% shooting happened in the paint, and they were nice to watch. Amir, Gray, and Davis all picked up two assists each, to complement Calderon’s 12. I always felt that how well a team passes in the paint is an indication of just how “in tune” they are as a team. It’s those little cuts a big makes in the paint to force the guard to make a pass, or a big-to-big pass made possible because of guard penetration leading to a pass-off, leading to an interior rotation, leading to the assist. Bang-bang-bang. I don’t know how much of it was Houston’s poor defense or the Raptors just feeling it, but I’ll take Casey’s offense looking the Phoenix Suns’ for a night or two.
– Kyle Lowry negated: In the past you might’ve feared a PG like Lowry coming in, tearing Calderon a new one, and cutting open the Raptors in the fourth. You’ll recall the likes of Devin Harris and Raymond Felton doing this in the past, and you’ll notice it doesn’t happen too much anymore. Many reasons for it: better overall defense under Casey, Calderon playing better, but most of all, Calderon actually making the point guard work on defense and scoring as well. When your man scores consistently throughout the game, it’s like you’re taking a constant punching which is bound to deflate you in some sort of way. That saying about a great offense being the best defense is sometimes true.
– Under pressure PGs: Houston tried to pressure Bayless and Calderon through various points in the game, it’s how they got back in it in the third as well. It was interesting to see how the two guards handled the pressure, Calderon certainly more composed and patient in dribbling out of pressure, and Bayless too often stricken with panic and trying to get out of it by over-dribbling or attempting a low-percentage pass. Growth in a player is often cited as an evaluative criteria, and Bayless isn’t showing much of it.
I suppose when measuring talent level on a team, the offense will be the focus, and looking at the Raptors when you have to start with Bargnani. Yes, he’s shown great improvement, but it’s only been for 13 games! That’s it! If you take those thirteen games out of this season, it’s actually quite bleak in term of improvement shown by players not named Bargnani. A huge part of me wants Bargnani back just so he can reassure me that this season was worth something, because it sure as hell wasn’t worth watching the “core” of DeRozan, Bayless, and Davis!
If Bargnani’s improvement is true, then it’s good news but does lead to a bit of a conundrum. He’s currently 26, and let’s say he hits his peak next year and maintains a high level of play (I’m talking potential All-Star here), who is he going to pair with? Usually you peak with players around your own age, of which there aren’t many on the Raptors. Our last two lottery picks (DeRozan and Davis) are both 22, and don’t look ready for primetime by a stretch, and suppose if they do manage to hit their stride in three years, Bargnani will be 29 by then, leaving the Raptors with a window of contention of about two years (till he’s 31) before he starts declining.
Assuming the Raptors turn into a mediocre team starting next season with Jonas, that takes them away from the top picks in the draft, making the upcoming draft even more critical because if the Raptors do become mediocre, their chance of drafting top-level talent diminishes. The upcoming draft could very well be the last time in a while the Raptors have a high enough pick to draft a potentially All-Star caliber player, because the next step in this saga (depending on Jonas’ impact), is a graduation to the late lottery like teams such as Houston, Detroit, New Orleans, Indiana, and Utah. Once you become a team which is good enough to accomplish nothing, it’s very easy to get stuck in a rut. To avoid the rut, a team better have enough talent that takes it from very bad, to mediocre, to good, and finally if lucky, to great. If you get stuck at mediocre, it’s a dangerous game.
