This year, they’ve become a basketball teeter-totter and, while that may be fun in a playground, that isn’t what Casey wants or demands. His team’s record surprises him, but not as much as how they’ve gotten here. “I’m surprised by how much we’ve gotten better offensively, and how much we’ve dropped off defensively,” he said. “It’s like a pendulum. We’ve got to find a balance. When our ‘D’ drops, our offence seems to pick up, and when our offence drops, our ‘D’ has picked up. “I still think defence has to be our calling card in the playoffs. If we learned anything last year, it was once the playoffs start, it’s a different game. To get to 50-plus wins is the hardest step to take in basketball. I don’t know if our guys realize how hard it is. We have a lot of work to do in the second half.” He sounds like a coach fighting for a playoff spot, not one that has a 14.5 game lead in the Atlantic Division. There are 29 games to play in this somewhat spectacular season. To stay at their .679 winning clip, which is unlikely, that means winning 19 of their final 29 games. That would be 55 wins and, considering the schedule, seems next to impossible.
For every complaint about Casey’s coaching decisions during this season, there is hard evidence in the team’s record that should give even the most ardent doubter pause. Outside of the top team in the East and the top two teams in the West, no one can claim to be doing better than Casey. Toronto is taking care of home court, winning 70 percent of their games at the Air Canada Centre. However, they are almost as tough on the road winning 65.2 percent of their away games. Their record against Eastern Conference teams is a solid 70.6 percent and against the supposedly superior West, the Raptors have won 63.2 percent of the time. Casey receives almost constant criticism for his team’s record against +.500 clubs. The Raptors are 14-12. In the East, Atlanta is 17-11, the Bulls are 14-11 and no other team is above .500. In the West, Golden State at 17-7, the Grizzlies 17-11 and Houston 15-14 are the only teams with winning records against +.500 clubs. Your reality check is in the mail.
Five things to ponder during the Raptors’ break | Sportsnet.ca
More than anything, this is what Toronto — never mind just Raptors fans — crave. A reason to tear it up in the spring, with hope that the Toronto Blue Jays give the city something to latch on to through the summer. Ujiri has played this right from the start of the season, saying that all he wanted to see was progress, and suggesting that there were ways of measuring progress beyond a playoff win. He’s right, of course; the sports world is full of teams that make a surprise playoff appearance and then take a step back before achieving full bloom. And while the Eastern Conference isn’t exactly a juggernaut, there are matchup minefields for the Raptors — specifically, the Cleveland Cavaliers (now that they’ve found their sea-legs) and the Chicago Bulls. But the Charlotte Hornets can be a trip-wire, too. So can the Milwaukee Bucks.
Raptors GM credits Kyle Lowry for running with opportunity to lead team | canada.com
Lowry, at first, seemed to live up to his troubling reputation in Toronto as he battled Jose Calderon for minutes. He has called his relationship with coach Dwane Casey “rocky.” But the Raptors cobbled together a special chemistry last season, with Lowry as their leader. He led them through a playoff series with the Brooklyn Nets that captured the imagination of fans across the country. Then he signed a four-year, $48 million US contract extension in the summer to stay in the city that he once couldn’t wait to escape. And still, there were critics who predicted Lowry would get a fat body to go with his fat new contract. “People made all this stuff up, once he takes the contract, he’s going to take the contract and run, he’s going to come back out of shape, blah blah blah,” Ujiri said. “It’s not easy for people to keep hearing all this stuff, I think Kyle has handled it really well, I’m really proud of him.” Ujiri doesn’t take credit for Lowry’s growth in Toronto. He simply gave Lowry the opportunity, he said. Lowry did the rest. “He took the challenge. To give Kyle the credit, he challenged himself and he saw some of the things that he did well and some of the things he didn’t do so well, and he just challenged himself,” Ujiri said.
Unreal all-star experience for Raptors’ Kyle Lowry so far | Toronto Sun
While he is having fun being around the best players in the world, Lowry’s teammates are vacationing in various spots. He hopes they take a mental break from it all to come back fresh when the schedule resumes next Wednesday. “I want guys to shut their minds off on basketball this whole week and enjoy their break and then come back ready to work, and I think that’s what the mindset’s going to be,” Lowry said Wednesday. Before each of the Raptors took off though, they gave Lowry a message in the dressing room after the game. “Kyle’s an All-star, he has nothing to prove, we all wished him luck in there,” said head coach Dwane Casey. “He’s our all-star. He just has to play his game, play for his teammates. That’s the message going into the second half of the season — play for each other, play together and all the other accolades and wins will come.”
Raptors Top Five: All-Star Moments | TSN
Should he or shouldn’t he? That was the underlying debate going into the 2003 All-Star Game when Vince Carter – who had only suited up in 15 contests for the Raptors to that point – faced pressure to give up his starting spot for Michael Jordan, playing in his final NBA season. Carter had been injured for the bulk of the season’s first half but was voted in by the fans for the fourth straight season – he had been the league’s leading vote getter in each of the previous three. Meanwhile, Jordan – 13 years his elder and fellow North Carolina alum – was putting the finishing touches on his legendary career. This decision was not an easy one for the 26-year-old Carter and wasn’t made official until just before tip-off when, at the urging of his teammates, he stepped aside so Jordan could have one last chance to start.
NBA — How Kyle Lowry became a Canadian hero for Toronto Raptors | ESPN
Although Lowry’s numbers have dropped since DeRozan’s return — in that 16-game span, he’s shooting only 38.2 percent from the field, which may be related to calf, hamstring, and finger injuries — in general the Raptors have survived, currently holding the No. 2 seed in the East. In the process, a new kind of trust has emerged. Lowry once clashed with Raptors coach Dwane Casey, but the trust between them has grown such that not only does Lowry have the freedom to attack the paint out of the pick-and-roll, and run the offense the way he knows best, but Casey told reporters that he’d be willing to get in a “physical fight” with the other East coaches if Lowry wasn’t named an All-Star reserve. As Lowry has delivered for the Raptors, Canada has noticed. Lowry became an All-Star starter by fan vote, which was the product of a nationwide campaign with contributions from the prime minister — Stephen Harper — as well as the likes of Drake and Justin Bieber.
Kyle Lowry has blossomed into a star with the Toronto Raptors | The Chronicle Herald
And still, there were critics who predicted Lowry would get a fat body to go with his fat new contract. “People made all this stuff up, once he takes the contract, he’s going to take the contract and run, he’s going to come back out of shape, blah blah blah,” Ujiri said. “It’s not easy for people to keep hearing all this stuff, I think Kyle has handled it really well, I’m really proud of him.” Ujiri doesn’t take credit for Lowry’s growth in Toronto. He simply gave Lowry the opportunity, he said. Lowry did the rest. “He took the challenge. To give Kyle the credit, he challenged himself, and he saw some of the things that he did well and some of the things he didn’t do so well, and he just challenged himself,” Ujiri said.
Raptors’ DeMar DeRozan To Return To Compton High To Retire Jersey « CBS Los Angeles
DeRozan will be honored by his alma mater and the Compton Unified School District (CUSD) when his jersey will be retired during tonight’s game against Cabrillo High School, which marks the final game of Compton High’s season. The 2014 All-Star will also receive a framed varsity jersey before hoisting a banner bearing his No. 23 jersey up to the gym’s rafters during half-time. During his senior year at Compton High, DeRozan averaged over 29 points, nearly 4 assists and almost 8 rebounds per game over the 2007-08 season.
Raptors’ Casey: Terrence Ross needs to take advantage of athleticism | Fantasy News
“He’s been up-and-down,” said Casey. “He’s one of the best athletes in the league. But he needs to take advantage of that. Defensively, first, that’s where we need him to be top-notch. That’s the first thing. And I think, offensively, I’ve opened the reins up too much. … We need defence from him first. If he does that, that one thing, he can help us.”
Toronto Raptors: Are They Legitimate Title Contenders? | The Missing Leak
The Toronto Raptors have little experience in playoff games, especially series that are past the first round. Over the years in the NBA, we’ve repeatedly seen that experience in the playoffs is crucial to success. We’ve seen it with the San Antonio Spurs a number of times. LeBron James didn’t win a title until his third appearance. Teams that win championships usually have a few guys that have played for a title and can lead the younger players. When looking at the Toronto Raptors, it’s tough to find that type of experience on the roster. Indeed, the team is absolutely loaded with young talent. However, I’d be shocked to see the Raptors play for a conference title this season simply because of how valuable experience is come playoff time.
Warriors Hawks Blazers In Top 10 On Both Offense Defense – RealGM Wiretap
The Chicago Bulls ranked second in defensive efficiency last season and 28th on offense, but they are currently 9th on offense and just 13th on defense. Teams that contend for a championship in the NBA typically are in the top-10 in both categories, or are particularly dominant on one end of the floor. The current top-10 in efficiency differential consists of the Warriors, Hawks, Clippers, Mavericks, Blazers, Grizzlies, Raptors, Spurs, Rockets and Cavaliers. The old/young distinction is based on the average age of players who play 15 or more minutes per game.
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