Raps squeak one out against Magic: The running diary

With the Raptors playing the Orlando Magic Tuesday night in advance of a highly anticipated showdown on Thursday (nationally televised in the US!) against the Chicago Bulls, every tuned in basketball fan north of the border was thinking “trap game.” The Raps had already beaten the Magic handily earlier in the season, and with the team tops in the NBA at the moment, a win seemed to be a foregone conclusion.

So, too, did me writing a full-fledged recap of this game, until I was pulled into work late last minute (quick tangent: if you value your sanity, DON’T work election campaigns). Instead, with time and words at a premium, you get a running diary (click here for Zarar’s quick reaction). Let’s get down to it.

Pregame

Two quick notes here: first off – does anyone out there like these camo uniforms? I realize the significance of them and all (it is Remembrance Day), but good lord almighty are they difficult to take. If you genuinely like these, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
Secondly: Rod Black informs the viewers that BRUNO is in the active rotation tonight! Excitement level for this game just went from “meh” to “Mehhh????” Here’s hoping we see a blocked 3 pointer.

1st Quarter

12:00: No surprises in the starting lineup for the Raps. Orlando goes with Payton/Fournier/Harris/Frye/Vucevic, which is long on athleticism and, well, length, but short on defence.
11:00: Lowry with a neat drop-off to T-Ross for an early 3 pointer. I like what’s appeared to be the Raptors’ ongoing strategy of getting him involved in the offence early – he needs it to stay engaged. The team is completely different when he’s hitting out there.
10:10: Jonas goes one on one with Nik Vucevic for the first time. It’s arguably the game’s most intriguing individual matchup. Jonas shanks a dunk attempt but is able to corral the rebound and finish strong.
8:55: I can’t decide if I like Elfrid Payton’s hair, or if it’s just too Sideshow-Bob-ey. Leaning towards the latter.
7:57: Channing Frye cans a 3 – he has 11 of Orlando’s first 13 points, and they have an early 13-9 lead. Match-ups like this are going to be nightmares for Amir, and with the league tending towards shooting bigs, it’s an area that the coaching staff is going to have to work to address. James Johnson, methinks.
6:30: Vucevic with a nice jumper from just outside the painted area, and Jonas tries to answer with the exact same shot on the next possession. Guess how that turned out? Know your limit, play within it, big man.
6:00: We’re into the first commercial break, and the Magic lead 18-14. Early thoughts: the Raptors need to tone down the sloppiness – Terrence Ross, in particular, has missed two breakaway layups, and, for the love of Bruno, will someone please get out on the perimeter and contest a 3?
5:10: We get the tip that Elfrid Payton’s dad was a bit of a CFL legend (second all time in sacks!). Dial is turning a bit more to “like the hair.” What can I say, I’m a sucker for Canadiana.
3:30: Vucevic beats Jonas easliy down the floor for a breakaway dunk, and Evan Fournier scores on the fast-break on the next possession. Casey calls for Hansbrough to try and up the effort level. He’s now checking Vucevic – I have a feeling this won’t end well.
3:10: Hansbrough HACKS Vucevic on what should have been an uncontested dunk (captured in the article photo). Winds up being called a flagrant 1. Casey, you brought this on yourself.
3:10: Vucevic misses both free throws. Hansbrough: “That was my plan all along!”
2:50: We head to commercial break after a Lowry turnover leads to Evan Fournier free throws. So this is where all the turnovers have been hiding. 26-19 Magic. Too early to be worried, but this doesn’t look good so far.
1:00: Luke Ridnour and Ben Gordon check into the game, much to the joy of fans of NBA Live ’04.
0:00: A missed DeRozan jumper (he’s 2 of 8 to start the game) ends the quarter. 32-24 Magic. Two big things to look at here: first, Channing Frye is en fuego (he’s 5 of 7 for 13 points), and second, can someone do something about this turnover situation? The Magic are scoring at will in transition, mostly because of sloppy possessions that are giving this athletic Magic team lots of easy looks. Slow it down, take your time, everything will be alright.

2nd Quarter

12:00: The Raps go with their 5 man bench unit to start the second, and, aside from a really scary individual matchup in Hansbrough/Vucevic, I’m happy to see them. These guys do play a lot of iso ball, which should limit the turnovers somewhat. Here’s hoping someone heats up.
10:02: Aaron Gordon is a more hyperactive version of James Johnson. In related news, he might be my new favourite player.
9:30: Vasquez, surprisingly, seems to be the one who has settled things down a bit for the Raptors, driving through the lane to set up a Patterson 3. Seven point game. An in-game graphic says the Raptors only have four turnovers thus far, which seems impossible.
8:45: Lou Williams draws fouls like Bob Ross draws little trees. Dude is a wizard. He heads to the line as we come back from a commercial break. Jonas has replaced Hansbrough, with Casey hoping for a size advantage after Vucevic comes out. He’s guarding Channing Frye on the defensive end, which scares me to no end.
7:26: Frye, mercifully, misses an open 3. James Johnson misses an open layup on the other end. Missed fast break layup count is now at 4 for the Raptors.
6:55: Missed fast break layup count now at 5.
6:20: The Raptors, realizing that it’s 2014, finally start taking the ball at Ben Gordon. James Johnson works him down in the post, which winds up with an Amir Johnson putback. Basketball’s an easy game, sometimes. Magic by 9.
5:14: In case you were wondering whether Lowry still has balls of steel, he just took an Aaron Gordon charge. The size of freaking globes, those things.
4:50: With the starters back in, a DeMar DeRozan jumper brings Orlando’s lead down to 5. Things seem to have settled down a tad, particularly when it comes to the defensive rotations. It helps that Orlando’s outside shooting has cooled off, too.
4:10: Jonas bricks a free throw before making the second. Something about him seems off tonight. I can’t quite put my finger on it. It might just be having to deal with a load like Vucevic in the post, who Orlando is clearly running their offence through.
2:59: Valanciunas gives up an easy rebound to Channing Frye, who pops out and hits an uncontested 3. Dwayne Casey calls a good timeout with the Raptors down 9, but something clearly has to change, here. There’s no fire in this team right now.
2:40: I know Casey’s handcuffed somewhat by the rotation, but it scares me that the answer to “we need more strength on the boards” is apparently “Tyler Hansbrough.”
1:50: Nothing makes me immediately discount a TV drama then when Matt Devlin’s plug ends with “ONLY…. on Bravo.” National TV against the Bulls, this is not.
1:29: DeMar heads back to the locker room early. No reason is given, though I have a feeling it might be simply due to frustration more than anything.
0:31: Kyle Lowry gets called for a carry as he single-handedly tries to pull his team closer before the half (he’s got the last 5 for the Raps). It’s almost surprising to type as I’m sure it is to read. Also, Evan Fournier more points than any Raptor. It’s just been that kind of half.
0:00: The half ends with the Raptors down 60-51, and it honestly could have been more if not for this team’s supernatural ability to continue to get to the line (they’re 11/13 at this point). Not a happy living room right now.
0:00: Bruno is seen heading to the locker room in his warm-ups. Living room’s a bit happier.

Halftime: Assistant Coach Bill Bayno points out the Raptors’ issues with transition defence and a lack of intensity as reasons for the Raptors’ early deficit: “we have a target on our backs, and they came out and punched us in the face.”

First off, let’s take a second to think about how shocking it is that the Raptors can be legitimately described nowadays as a team with a “target on their backs.” After the last decade, that’s nothing short of amazing. To add to Bayno’s comments, it’s clear that the Raps need to do a better job of chasing Orlando shooters off the 3 point line – their traditional-style bigs aren’t doing them any favors, matchup wise – and find a way to generate some open looks. With the long-armed Magic, perhaps it’s a bit of creativity in transition that’s lacking, instead of taking looks-open-oh-shit-it’s-not layups. Also, Bruno.

3rd Quarter

11:40: Evan Fournier twists through the lane for a layup. He’s making mincemeat of Terrence Ross right now – not for a lack of effort, which is concerning.
10:50: Kyle Lowry now has the Raptors’ last 10 points, dating back to the second quarter. You can always count on him to pick the team up when they need him. Let’s see if the rest of the guys follow.
9:00: I will say this for Terrence Ross: even though he’s struggled tonight on defence, his effort level has not wavered at all, and he’s contributing offensively, mostly as a kick-out option. It’s nice to see the maturity coming along.
8:22: Last 3 possessions for Jonas: blocked from behind, misses put-back at the hoop, offensive foul. It’s really not his night.
7:20: “DeRozan with 2 assists tonight… He’s got to… read… how they play him, and look for others at times.” Jack Armstrong informing us that passing the ball is, indeed, a part of basketball.
5:33: 72-62 Magic after a gorgeous turnaround jumper from Vucevic over Amir’s outstretched arms. He hasn’t put a ton of points on the board – he has just 9 – but his hands are all over this game. He’s got 5 assists to this point out of the low post.
4:20: “Honey, who is that homeless person on the floor?” “Oh, that’s just Luke Ridnour.” Good lord, man, get a shave.
3:41: After working the shot clock down to 2, DeMar throws up a contested 3 that is easily blocked. It seems that, apart from Lowry, the rest of the team is still asleep – they’re having a really tough time putting any sustained runs together, and at times they’ve just looked downright lost. Thank God for Lowry, though. Without him, this game would be over already.
2:25: Evan Fournier finally looks human, airballing a 3 and reminding us that, yes, this is indeed Earth.
2:00: Platoon swap out of the break with the Raptors down 9. Two consecutive turnovers to start their second half as a unit. Starting to get legitimately scared this game might slip away.
0:00: Raptors still down 11, 83-72, after 3 quarters. Very little positives to take from the 3rd, besides the fact that Kyle Lowry is absolutely playing his ass off on both ends. It might fall to him to bring the team over the line.

4th Quarter

11:50: A Tyler Hansbrough and-1 is called back for a lack of continuation. I assume the ref had a stroke at actually seeing Hansbrough finish through contact at the rim, because that was a BRUTAL call.
11:00: Eugenie Bouchard outs herself as a Heat fan! I’ll have to have a serious chat with her once we’re happily married 5 years from now.
9:49: We’re tied. It all happened so fast – but an 11-0 run from the Raptors second unit out of the quarter has completely turned the game around. Lou Williams has been the catalyst (man, can get shoot in tight spaces), but it’s been a serious change when it comes to the team’s energy level on defence and out in transition that’s been the difference. The starters had better take these guys out for dinner after the game.
9:45: I’m still stunned about what just happened. Three quarters of bad basketball mitigated by a minute and a half. Man. This Raptors team.
8:45: Greivis Vasquez is such an emotional player, which both helps and hurts him. Running on adrenaline after the Raptor run, he bricks a way too early in the shot clock 3 on one end, and commits a careless foul on the other. Orlando’s back up 3, and he’s 1 of 8 on the night. He’s quickly pulled for Lowry, rightfully so.
7:15: I’ve been hard on Hansbrough, but he’s doing a really credibly job of keeping Vucevic away from the hoop right now. That, along with James Johnson doing James Johnson things, has really changed the look of Orlando’s offence. #AllHustleNoMuscle
6:40: Patrick Patterson hits a huge 3, giving the Raptors the lead, celebrates with the Tiger fist pump/scream combo. Reminds us, once again, that this team really, truly gives a shit. It’s my favourite thing about the Raptors right now.
5:30: Lou Williams draws a charge on Tobias Harris. He is EVERYWHERE right now. His best game as a Raptor, by far.
5:15: Lou Williams brings the missed open layup count to 6. I shouldn’t have said anything. Dammit.
3:50: Williams exits for Terrence Ross after some truly excellent minutes. I was hesitant to start the year, but if he can bring that most nights, count me as firmly on the bandwagon.
3:20: I was about to type out how I wished Casey had kept Williams in the game, but Terrence Ross just nailed a 3 off a DeRozan dish to tie the game at 95. Guess that’s why I’m not an NBA coach. Well, that, and my general lack of basketball knowledge.
2:20: Evan Fournier hits a 3 to give the Magic the lead back after a James Johnson dunk. Rrrr.
2:00: Can I also add: James Johnson is the Lou Williams of the Raptors’ defensive setup. He can, at times, completely change games on that end on his lonesome. This quarter, he’s stood up multiple Magic drives and also blocked Channing Frye in the post.
0:38: James Johnson misses a chance in the lane to put the game away with the Raps up 1. He’s probably not the guy you want taking that shot, despite his defensive excellence.
0:13: Johnson grabs a huge board, his 10th, after an Orlando miss, leading to an intentional foul to stop the clock. Patterson is ultimately fouled and sent to the line.
0:11: Patterson misses the first. Petey, my heart!
0:10: Patterson hits the second. If anyone gets the reference in that last line, post it in the comments. I’ll buy you a beer. No Googling.
0:05: Tobias Harris blows a weird turnaround jumper that would have tied the game. Oh, right. It’s the Magic.
0:00: Ross hits two free throws. 104-100. Ball game. Mood is happy, once again, in the living room.
0:00: No Bruno, though :(. Next time.

Well, there you have it. Three bad quarters, followed by one really good one to close things out, and the Raptors end up with a pretty forgettable victory. The biggest positives to take away from this were the performances of Lowry, Williams, and Johnson, who were outstanding. It also serves as another reminder that this team is never out of games, even when it feels as if they should be by all accounts.

That all said, a win is a win is a win, and regardless of how harrowing it was, the Raptors now stand at 7-1 with a huge matchup against the Bulls looming. I have a feeling that a lack of motivation won’t be an issue there.