Casey was asked about Kyle Lowry’s profanity-laced mid-second-quarter-huddle takeover when the Raptors were at their lowest and quite frankly looking like they couldn’t care less about the game. Lowry didn’t even let Casey get started as he launched into his tirade punctuated by multiple cuss words and then angrily stomped away from the huddle. It was one of the few things Casey actually liked in the game that wound up a 117-107 Raptors loss. “I was glad to see somebody had a give-a-crap level,” Casey said sounding a lot like the hockey coach he shares the Air Canada Centre with. “That’s what it has to be about and it shouldn’t be just one guy. I should have two, three, or four guys upset and teed off that we are playing that way. I shouldn’t be the only one jumping up and down and going crazy and cursing guys out or getting on guys. It should be all the guys caring.” For most of the first 24 minutes Tuesday night the needle on the give-a-crap meter was barely pushing past zero as the Raps got down by as many as 22 in the first half before righting the ship somewhat in the second for a more respectable 10-point loss.
He’d also been speaking about the need to move the ball more on offence. Instead, the Raptors wound up with just 18 assists on the night. “I’ve been saying it all year, and you guys are tired of hearing it … and I’m sure (the players) are, too. It’s not going to change. It’s the truth. You don’t win in this league without being a defensive-minded team and sharing the ball offensively,” a slightly frustrated sounding Casey said, repeating a theme he’s touched on many times during this slump. The Spurs have won six straight games. The spiraling Raptors, meanwhile, have lost a demoralizing nine of their last 10 games, including a 103-98 defeat at the hands of the league-worst New York Knicks.
Was that first-half beating, complete with Lowry’s emotional tirade, the kick in the ass they needed? “It’s nine [losses] out of 10 [games],” Toronto’s all-star responded, irritated at the implication they might require added motivation following this latest loss, 117-107 to the defending champs. “[Expletive]. We need to play. We don’t need no kick in the ass. We’ve literally been getting our ass kicked. So we shouldn’t need that type of first half. We should be able to go out and do it.” Lowry’s post-game F-bomb was a rarity for him and to his credit he caught it immediately and apologized to the cameras and recorders that captured it. But that brand of unbridled passion, similar to what he unleashed on his teammates during that earlier timeout, needs no apology. They could use more of it.
“I shouldn’t be the only one jumping up and down, looking crazy and cursing guys out. It should be all the guys caring, because we put a lot of sweat equity into this and we can’t let it go down the drain right now. We work too hard to let it go and we have to be more like we are in the second half. All I need is seven or eight guys to put their hands in the circle, be committed and play like we did in the second half.” – Casey, on a fiery Lowry taking over a huddle during a Raptors timeout
Everybody was hitting shots in this one. What’s best about Marco is he rarely ever forces a shot, and when he’s hitting those open looks, he’s as dangerous an offensive bench option as there is in the league from the perimeter. Still…the defense. I should probably stop holding that against him. I’ll just dock it a tiny bit.
Final Score: Spurs wipe out Raptors, 117-107 | Pounding The Rock
The Raptors came out with a sense of urgency, but the Spurs just wore them down too much in the first half, and Toronto couldn’t fully recover. Terrence Ross couldn’t find his groove on offense, shooting 2-for-9. Valanciunas had to sit early in the third quarter with four fouls. No one on the team was hitting from deep. Some life shown from Demar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry and Amir Johnson in the third cut the Spurs lead to 11 just before the end of the third, but a Matt Bonner corner three put it right back up to 14 to head into the fourth. The Raptors wanted to speed the game up to lightning speed for the fourth quarter, and were able to reduce the lead to six ith just under three minutes to go. As bad as it is to have a 26 point lead cut down to six, I never found myself too worried. Perhaps it’s an effect of how well the Spurs have been playing lately, or maybe I’m just a biased, optimistic Spurs fan. Whatever the case, my gut feeling that the Spurs wouldn’t lose this game held true. After an impressive comeback from Toronto, the Spurs held on. Although they gave up a big lead in what seemed like a walk through the park, it was still a fun win. Tony is continuing to shine, Danny was knocking down his threes, Tim Duncan didn’t miss all of his shots (Yay!). I think Kawhi had about five dunks? Maybe 20? I’m not sure. He ended up with 24 points, 11 boards and FIVE steals. It’s like you can literally see him getting better every second he’s on the floor.
San Antonio Spurs Hold Off Toronto Raptors for Sixth Straight Win | Air Alamo
Three-point shooting was a big key for San Antonio in the win as the team converted 11-of-18 attempts from deep compared to Toronto’s poor 8-of-26 effort. The Spurs also did a great job of getting to the line, making 24-of-30 tries. The Raptors finished the game 13-of-18 from the charity stripe. Both teams rebounded the ball well with Toronto barely edging out San Antonio 46-45 in rebounding. Ball control was also great with the Spurs just committing 11 turnovers, only nine giveaways for the Raptors.
Spurs keep streaking thanks to more steals and slams from Kawhi Leonard | Pounding The Rock
What no one could disagree with, however, was the Spurs came out with decidedly more energy and effort for the opening half, especially the first quarter where they snatched nine offensive boards –four by Leonard– to Toronto’s one. With Manu Ginobili missing the game due to a stomach flu, Gregg Popovich opted to play his three big guns heavy minutes early on, with Leonard going the whole period and Parker and Tim Duncan subbing out with just 57 seconds to go. Parker zoomed past for three layups and Danny Green hit a pair of early threes and the Spurs were up 28-17 after one. It was more of the same in the second quarter, though the Raptors finally showed some life on the boards against the second-string. Green swished two more bombs, getting a four-point play on the latter, and moved past Sean Elliott to fourth all-time in Spurs history with 564 made threes. Marco Belinelli rained in a couple too as the bench finally got into it, and Aron Baynes added seven points inside. The Spurs shot 61.1 percent in the quarter while holding the Raptors to 34.6 percent, and led comfortably 61-41 at half.
About A Win: Spurs 117, Raptors 107 | Project Spurs
While Parker and Leonard provided San Antonio provided San Antonio with 47 combined points, Danny Green also chipped in 19 points, as he had a consistent rhythm beyond the arc, where he lit up the outside by making 5-of-6 three pointers in 26 minutes. While Green had the hot hand, so did some of the Spurs’ other shooters, as Marco Belinelli went 2-of-2 from beyond the arc, Patty Mills 1-of-4, and Matt Bonner 2-of-2. As a team, the Spurs shot 11-of-18 from beyond the arc on the night. Parker mentioned after the game that where San Antonio was struggling to make threes on the road during the Rodeo Road Trip, they’ve found a consistent rhythm as of late back at home.
Spurs overcome sluggish second half for sixth straight win | Spurs Nation
Danny Green is nothing if not honest. He was yanked just 35 seconds into the game after sending Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan to the foul line. His transgression? Forgetting Gregg Popovich’s directive to avoid reaching on DeRozan, who has adopted James Harden’s tactic of holding the ball out on drives in the hopes of drawing shooting fouls. Green returned to knock down five 3-pointers, moving past Sean Elliott for fourth place on the Spurs’ career list with 565 makes.
San Antonio Spurs Player Grades in Win Over Toronto Raptors | Air Alamo
It looks like we may have to change the grading system tonight after Kawhi Leonard’s effort against the Raptors. An “A+” just doesn’t give enough justice to the kind of night the 23-year-old had. Leonard flashed max-contract material on Tuesday with his 24 points, 11 rebounds, and five steals. His defense was also great, limiting Toronto forward Terrance Ross to a poor 2-of-9 shooting night. Did we mention he also put Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas on a poster? Need we say more.
Raptors Comeback in San Antonio Falls Short, Lose 117-107 | Raptors HQ
The usual symptoms were present once again tonight: Terrence Ross and DeMar DeRozan settling for too many long twos (a combined 10-for-27 from the field) and Jonas Valanciunas was less than stellar on defense and on the boards in 21 minutes of play. There were positives: Amir Johnson put up 16 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, perhaps aware of all the talk about his decline in the last few days. Lowry shot 10-for-19 from the field, scoring 32 points in the process. We’ve reached a point where the lackluster play has extended to beyond just a small sample size to wonder if things will continue to be this way for the rest of the season. A first round match-up against the Washington Wizards — who haven’t been lighting the league on fire in the past few months — still remains favorable, but having confidence in the Raptors coming out as the better team over a seven-game series is at an all-time low right now.
Toronto Raptors Lose Again, Ujiri Provides Interesting Quotes | Tip of the Tower
The same issues continued to plague the Raptors last night as the teams propensity to settle for long twos, accompanied by lacklustre defence, kept the Dinos trailing for most of the game. All wasn’t negative though. In perhaps his best performance since returning from injury, point guard Kyle Lowry shot 10-for-19 from the field, scoring 32 points and keeping the Raps in the game late in the fourth quarter. But as his been the case recently, the Raptors late-game charge was too little, too late. At this point, doubt is probably creeping in to the mind of Raptors’ fans. Amid this losing slump, having confidence in the Raptors over a seven game playoff series is difficult to maintain.
Toronto Raptors: Is Amir Johnson Set to Leave Toronto? | Tip of the Tower
Along those lines, another important question to ask regards the long-term future of Amir Johnson. He was a fan favourite with the Raptors long before the current team became popular, but there are concerns about if he will remain in Toronto past this season. The 27-year old (I can’t believe his age. It seems like he’s been around forever.) will become a free agent at the end of the 2014-15 campaign. And given his ongoing battle with injuries, combined with his dip in form this season, there is every chance the Raptors will not re-sign Johnson in the summer. I should stress, this doesn’t mean Toronto won’t attempt to negotiate a new deal altogether. However, I can see there being a decent-sized gap between what the team and Johnson (or more specifically his agent) believe he is worth. What will likely factor in is how Masai Ujiri and company decide to measure Johnson’s worth, when deciding what to offer him. For example, from a statistical standpoint, the 2005 NBA draft pick is on course to record the worst rebounding average (5.8) of his six-year tenure in Toronto.
Toronto Raptors prioritizing acquiring a Canadian player is nice, but unnecessary | National Post
“It is on our minds, to get a Canadian player, or Canadian players,” Ujiri said after the forum. “We’re studying it. I even considered last year hiring somebody to concentrate on just Canadian players. I think I’m going to go through with it. The growth of the game here is so big. It’s the fit. We’re at a time where we feel we can maybe take our time and study it a little bit so it’s the right fit, and not do it just to do it. It’s going to come. There’s no doubt in my mind. It’s an obligation that I think we have to fulfill.” It is that last part that is a bit curious. As cool as it would be to see a Canadian player in his prime playing for the Raptors, it no longer feels as if it will take a concerted effort to make it so. A funny thing has happened as Canadians have come rushing into the NBA since 2011, with eight first-round picks in the last four drafts: It has become less and less notable when a Canadian has made his annual or twice-yearly appearance in Toronto. Last week, there was no sense of occasion when Tristan Thompson came to the Air Canada Centre, because we now know it is going to keep happening and happening and happening.
Masai Ujiri wasn’t exactly speaking at a local fish fry, let’s give this collective some credit, but this sort of on-record nonsense doesn’t make Ujiri, the Raptors, or Canadian basketball fans look good. Raptor fans would no doubt love to see a Canadian-born player on their roster, but they’d pass on dozens of Canadian additions if it meant adding someone who could help with the team’s defensive rebounding woes. They’d love Andrew Wiggins on their roster, but not because he’s Canadian. They’d want Andrew Wiggins because he’s Andrew flippin’ Wiggins – the NBA’s Next Great Thing.
Raptors’ Williams wants extension | Toronto Sun
The Raptors’ instant offence off the bench has thoroughly enjoyed his first year in Toronto and would like to extend his stay. As a free agent at the end of this year, Williams was asked in a Q and A with ESPN about his plans for the future. The response seemed to indicate that he had already requested an extension with the team. Williams though said Tuesday he only meant to say he had discussed it with his agent, not with Raptors management.
NBA – Toronto Raptors’ Lou Williams’ road to Great White North | ESPN
ESPN.com: A lot of the shots you shoot are off-balance, fadeaways. What’s up with that? LW: I can’t shoot straight-up. I’ve always played crooked. One of my coaches says I play backwards. I do everything backwards. I don’t have coordination. It’s weird to watch me play. … It’s just something I’ve developed over time, fading away from guys, using my size. I have bigger defenders on me, and it’s just about creating space.
Masai Ujiri: “There will be a Canadian player on the Raptors” | CBC Sports
Another thing that was clear during his appearance is that Ujiri has a lot of passion for growing the sport of basketball in Canada, which is great news for the next wave of emerging Canadian talent.
Quick Stat Hits: Jonas Valanciunas and the Raptors’ Defence – Raptors HQ
Historically, Jonas Valanciunas has had some growing pains. Typically for his career, he’s tended to have one of the worst net ratings on the team. The offence sputters with him on the court, and the defense in particular falls through the floor. This has been true even for the first part of this year. But over the past 15 games, JV has suddenly become one of the only bright spots in a terrible run of basketball. In that time, Jonas has ranked second out of the regular rotation guys in on-court defensive rating, behind only James Johnson. Meanwhile, he’s posted middle-of-the-pack on-court offensive ratings compared to the rest of the team. He’s also become our only reliable rebounder. With him on the court, the team puts up a 23.7 Offensive Rebounding percentage (ORB%) and a 75.8 Defensive Rebound percentage (DRB%), both average numbers. Without him? 20.3 and 69.3. Very poor.
Photo by D. Clarke Evans/NBAE via Getty Images
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