 | Amir Johnson, PF Shot Chart 40 MIN | 5-9 FG | 0-0 FT | 13 REB | 4 AST | 2 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 10 PTS | -9All over the glass. Made a big target rolling for Vasquez to hit with a pass. No threes. Set the perfect pick on Kemba Walker to get Kyle Lowry wide open for the game-tying three. He deserved more than 8 shots, but you wont hear him complain. I really have nothing else to say. Amir just plays his position the way it should be played. |  |
 | Jonas Valanciunas, C Shot Chart 23 MIN | 5-9 FG | 0-0 FT | 6 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 10 PTS | -2Here’s an idea: take your promising sophomore, whisper things like “franchise player” in his ear, and don’t give him minutes when it matters. Seriously, he sat from the 5:31 mark in the 3rd till overtime, then was just thrown out there cold. What is f****** going on here? Really? He started the game playing very big banging with Jefferson in the post, but yea, he got Casied and saw sparing/sparse minutes. Way to develop talent. |  |
 | Kyle Lowry, PG Shot Chart 41 MIN | 6-14 FG | 2-2 FT | 4 REB | 6 AST | 2 STL | 1 BLK | 5 TO | 17 PTS | -11I want to call him Buckets from now on. That was a stone cold three to send the game into overtime. Pulled down a couple very timely offensive rebounds, distributed the ball. The Raptors need to trade him ASAP if this tank is going to work. Score would be higher, but Kemba really took advantage of him all game. I said in my pre-game that the key match-up would be the point, and Kemba won that by himself. |  |
 | DeMar DeRozan, SG Shot Chart 41 MIN | 11-26 FG | 8-10 FT | 6 REB | 1 AST | 3 STL | 1 BLK | 2 TO | 30 PTS | -1The offensive was there: 30 points on 26 shots. The defense was there: 3 steals including a big one on Kemba to send the game into overtime. Whenever he put it in his head to take the ball to the rim, he did it. His off-the-ball movement was world class. The Bobcats couldn’t contain him, and rightfully so, he’s a tough cover. That missed foul shot wasn’t on you. I mean, you missed it, but you did your share tonight. | |
 | Terrence Ross, SG Shot Chart 24 MIN | 2-9 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 5 PTS | +1There was a few minutes at the start of the 2nd half where he hit a three in transition, and played tough defense on Henderson, but man, that was his worst game since the Gay trade. |  |
 | Tyler Hansbrough, PF Shot Chart 19 MIN | 3-4 FG | 0-2 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 6 PTS | +5Had a ridiculous block on Zeller in the 2nd quarter, and played hard despite looking like he’s not fully recovered. Have to appreciate that warrior mentality. | |
 | Patrick Patterson, PF Shot Chart 24 MIN | 2-3 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 4 PTS | -4Did what was expected, but 17 of his 24 minutes should have went to Jonas. Why didn’t those minutes go to someone who will be here long term? Why, Jesus? |  |
 | John Salmons, SF Shot Chart 25 MIN | 3-7 FG | 3-4 FT | 6 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 11 PTS | +3As much as I don’t like Salmons, he makes good decisions, and hits his shots. I was uber comfortable with him |  |
 | Greivis Vasquez, PG Shot Chart 29 MIN | 4-15 FG | 1-2 FT | 4 REB | 8 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 9 PTS | +84-15 totally negates the 8 assists. I like his game, I like that he looks for the pass first, but his shot selection was Gay-levels tonight. Not only were the shots bad, the timing was worse. | |
 | Dwane Casey Garbage. Stop. I know what you’re going to say: “at least he got the team to foul tonight!” Stop. Just, stop it. If he didn’t make that call, he wouldn’t have made it out of the ACC alive. That call was made out of fear, not good coaching or learning. Straight fear. He cost the Raptors the game in the 3rd when his unwillingness to call a timeout to stem a slow Bobcats comeback erased a 16 point Raptor lead. I hate Casey. |  |
Four Things We Saw
- What did we see? We saw Kemba Walker, whom many Raptors fans wanted to draft (I was 50/50 on Walker and Kawhi), murder this team. He has taken the Raptor Killer mantle from Jamal Crawford.
- When the Raptors attacked the paint off the dribble, or cut to the basket without the ball, good things happened. We saw this with DeRozan over and over, but what killed them from the middle of the 3rd quarter onwrads was the stagnant, iso-ball on the perimeter. The Bobcats closed out on the Raptor shooters with military precision every time. It was a beautiful thing to watch, if you weren’t a Raptors. Otherwise it was a crappy thing to watch; you had to respect it, though.
- The only person to play less than Ross and Valanciunas was an injured Hansbrough. What exactly are we doing here? Why do these kids log 23 and 24 minutes in a game that goes to overtime? Ross I get, he was having an off game, but in a game that saw the Raptors dominate the pain on both ends, which also saw Jonas giving the Bobcats front court great difficulty, he gets 24 minutes.
- Expect Lowry to be traded soon; without him, the Raptors don’t keep this game this close. Masai was sweating.
