Knicks 80, Raptors 83 – Box
Preseason concludes with a win in Montreal, one where the Knicks minus Calderon put up a fight in the first half, somewhat spurred by a Raptors defense that didn’t quite know how to defend Carmelo Anthony.
Once Dwane Casey sorted things out at halftime and came up with a couple schemes to get the ball out of ‘Melo’s hands (mostly doubling), the Raptors forced enough turnovers to rock the Knick boat and built a lead in the fourth. The Knick comeback fell short after a couple empty possessions, the last one due to an unforced error. And that was that.
The main item to note here is that Dwane Casey played a rotation that most closely resembled what the regular season lineup would look like. DeRozan and Lowry played 28 minutes each, Ross played 31 and Johnson 26. It was interesting to note that Greivis Vasquez and Lou Williams played 20 minutes apiece, which meant that Lowry and DeRozan were both kept under 30 minutes. Is this a strategy that Casey will employ to keep the starters fresh, or just a chance event? .
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Good Stuff
From a tactical perspective, the Raptors did a few things very well.
Guards vs Bigs
Their ball-handling on the perimeter (when they weren’t carelessly turning it over) is very good and coupled with good screen usage, it puts them in one-on-one situations with opposing bigs, and they did very well to finish. Granted, it’s only the Knicks whose defensive strengths lie more in pressuring the ball than defending the paint, but it was still impressive to see the Raptors guards finish with confidence.
‘Melo Adjustments
Dwane Casey made some adjustments in how Anthony was being defended. From single-coverage through James Johnson and Terrence Ross, the Raptors gave him a few different looks, with help coming through varied ways and frequencies. It forced players like J.R Smith into making plays, which is always good for whoever the Knicks are playing on the night.
Seeking the Break
Kyle Lowry was seeking fast-break opportunities after every missed shot in the second half, and accelerating as soon as he got the ball in his own half. He was the fastest player on the court end-to-end and that’s saying something with Shumpert and Hardaway there as well. His shape now affords him feints in transition and he sent the defense the wrong way on numerous occasions, as he carved space for his drives.
Some coaching…
Dwane Casey did some coaching, and chose to foul with the Raptors up three late, not allowing the Knicks to get a three-pointer off. The strategy paid off.
Bad Stuff
“Once you hear the details of victory, it is hard to distinguish it from a defeat”, noted Jean-Paul Sartre, the French existentialist philosopher. I never him but I bet he was a total downer to be around. The kind of guy that when you go to a dance party talks about how his friend hurt his hip while dancing, and had to have hip replacement surgery, only for it to get infected and that’s when the Gangrine kicked in.
Second quarter
The Raptors coughed the ball up and the Knicks ran it back. Turnovers are an unsightly thing and when it’s your point guards committing them, it makes them even worse. The combo of Williams and Vasquez, who I thought were decent offensively, were overrun in that second quarter where the Knicks rode some good play from Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony to a halftime lead.
Shumpert sucks
DeRozan had a good offensive game, once again shooting 50%, but did get stripped and suffocated by Imam Shumpert a few times, and took some of those jumpers that we all know about. It doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, it’s just that you don’t want to see your All-Star get turned over by riff-raff, even if it’s for a brief period in the game.
No letups
The 25-11 third quarter had the Raptors holding a 6-point lead which was extended to 8, and that should’ve been game-set-match against this Knicks team. Wasn’t to be as the second-unit was yet again pressured by those pesky Knick guards, and the quarterbacking of Vasquez in combination with some shoddy play from Patterson had the Knicks humming again. Tim Hardaway Jr. (9 in the fourth) got them back, and Lowry and DeRozan had to be re-inserted to see matters through. Chalk it up to a loss of concentration, after all, Montreal is a city you can’t wait to go out to.
Watch for the 15th Spot
Steimsma, Hamilton, and Cherry didn’t play, and apparently the Ujiri would huddle after the game with Casey and the coaches to decide who the spot would go to. By the time you read this post, they might’ve even announced it. The deadline is 5pm on Saturday, and my money is on the foul machine known as Steimsma making it, even though on the pod we agreed how Hamilton might be the better choice. Bebe was thrown out there for a workout today, but I don’t know if he’s ready to contribute for more than brief stints.
Readiness
This preseason probably went about three games too long. At the same time, it was probably too short for guys like Noguiera and Patterson, who had injury issues to deal with. Kudos to Dwane Casey for tracking the minutes well, since most of the team looks to be just about in peak form in time for the season.
If you consider that the goal of training camp/preseason is to get in shape, not get injured, drill defensive principles, and practice some foundational offensive stuff, you have to be happy. The Raptors’ key guys have had very good runs, the offense has looked solid, and though there were defensive drop-offs, as we saw in this game as well, the Raptors were able to recover through refocusing. Good enough, I say.
Wednesday night, then. See you then.
Photo Credit: Dave Sandford, NBA Entertainment via Getty Images
