ICYMI from Raptors Republic…
The Floor is Yours: Featuring DeMar DeRozan and the Raptors’ Supporting Cast | Raptors Republic
SO, WHERE WOULD THE RAPS BE? They’d be staring at a gaping 0-2 hole with this entire fan base (along with the rest of the basketball world) ripping them to pieces.
DeRozan needs to personally thank everyone for all of these contributions and for even giving him the chance at redemption. The momentum shift otherwise likely would have been to difficult to overcome. Instead, DeMar finds himself in a position to help lead the charge. Lowry led off the duo’s comeback tour with a bang, now DeRozan’s on deck.
The supporting cast has owned the floor, and our trust. Will DeRozan at least end Thursday night with a .500 record?
How the Pacers may adjust to Jonas Valanciunas | Raptors Republic
Go small
Valanciunas got in foul trouble in Game 1 in part because of GAHHH CONSPIRACY SCOTT FOSTER RABBLE but also in part because of Myles Turner. Going smaller could make things tougher on Valanciunas defensively, requiring him to come out a little further from the rim and contest jumpers, then recover back in help. He’s gotten better at that this season, and the Pacers don’t have bigs who can extend beyond long twos, so it might be tenable. The Pacers might have to start Turner, anyway, if Ian Mahinmi (back) can’t go (more on this in a second).
That might also let them hedge on to ball-handlers and still recover onto Valanciunas better. When Valanciunas isn’t the screener, the Pacers could try to use a smaller player to get under him fronting the post and getting hands in the way on his catch, trying to exploit Valanciunas’ still-developing decision-making. So long as Valanciunas is disciplined on the defensive end, the Raptors would probably be fine with this approach, as his rebounding advantage would be even more pronounced and he’d be a major post threat against any non-Mahinmi big.
Going small might be something the Pacers look to do at the four, too, inserting Solomon Hill (who struggled in Game 2 but is a really nice DeRozan switch option on 2-4 screens) or C.J. Miles (whose shooting could help get their offense going). That wouldn’t have a profound impact on Valanciunas beyond the glass, but the Pacers may look to do it to gain an edge elsewhere since they’re getting hammered on the boards, anyway, and it makes the Scola-Valanciunas pairing even less livable.
Terrence Ross questionable for Game 3, and other practice notes | Raptors Republic
“He’s doing fine,” head coach Dwane Casey said. “Going by NBA protocol, we have to wait and see…We’ll see how he feels, but there’s no sense of concussion from the neurologist.”
Ross is being called questionable for Thursday, and he’ll likely be a game-time decision. If he can’t go, and maybe even if he can, Norman Powell stands to play a significant role once again. While Ross hasn’t stood out yet in this series, his quickness on the defensive end, particularly in transition, and the gravitational pull he has on an opposing defense playing off the ball are important to what the Raptors’ second unit like to do.
Links from the Internets…
Cory Joseph on nice run for Raptors but let’s keep cool about it: Arthur | Toronto Star
“I don’t worry about (being ready for this), I really don’t. I don’t worry about doing well, or doing bad. I mean, if the opportunity’s given, I’m going to go out and play hard. Simple. Like I said, we’re not going to war, we’re not in the army. It’s basketball. You go out, you play hard, and you can be satisfied with yourself.”
Joseph boils things down like that. It’s clear he has internalized the Gregg Popovich perspective that allows you to take your dedication to the game seriously, while realizing it’s a small part of a much bigger, more serious world. And while Lowry and DeRozan have tried to find their playoff feet, Joseph is dancing. In his 48 playoff minutes for Toronto, Joseph has made 11 of his 14 shots, 11 of his 12 free throws, and piled up 34 points, six assists, four rebounds, two steals and three turnovers. The Raptors have blitzed Indiana with Joseph — and the bench mob — on the floor. If you want to jam the smallest possible sample into the biggest possible frame, his player efficiency rating is 32.9 in this series so far. Steph Curry’s was 31.5.
Don’t get excited. This is not — not — predictive. It is, right now, a nice little run.
“He’s young, but he’s been in San Antonio for many years,” says veteran forward Luis Scola. “That’s like an advanced, speed-up school for playoff basketball, you know? The other day he was asking how many playoff games I have played, and I knew where was going: he was just trying to show off that he had played more playoff games than me, being the oldest player on the team.
“So for him it’s natural.”
‘Lowry & The Reserves’ lineup continues to be Raptors’ game changer | Sportsnet.ca
The lineup that played without him — well, a reasonable facsimile of that lineup — has been dynamite all season long. Kyle Lowry has been starting the second and fourth quarters playing with four reserves—Cory Joseph, Terrence Ross, Patrick Patterson and Bismack Biyombo— for months now, and it works splendidly. It did again on Monday. In the first half, the lineup was a plus-four. In the second half, with Powell in the injured Terrence Ross’s place, the lineup was a plus-seven. You might remember that the game’s final margin was, conveniently for this sentence, 11.
“Cory’s reading the game at a high level so that gives Kyle a chance to get off the ball and be more of a scorer,” DeRozan said on Tuesday. “You have Bismack out there, able to rebound and contest shots. Terrence, before I hit Terrence (at the end of the first half on Monday), he’s able to knock down shots. It’s just a deadly combination when our starters go out and that group come in to still feel confident. It’s big.”
The lineup has been a consistently stabilizing force for the Raptors. In 297 total minutes this season, it outscored opponents by 16.4 points per 100 possessions. Before Lowry is given too much credit, that group with DeRozan in Lowry’s place was the second-most effective Raptors lineup, with its advantage at 13.7 points per 100 possessions in 218 minutes. Of lineups that played at least 200 minutes together, Kyle And The Reserves had the fourth-best net rating in the league. Predictably, the three lineups ahead of them— one each from the Clippers, Warriors and Thunder— featured mostly starters and a bevy of all-stars.
The Best Sixth Man In The NBA Is Two Toronto Raptors | VICE Sports
Among those “others” are a pair of Toronto Raptors that totaled one third-place vote between them, but who would have made for a neat pick if voters were allowed to share their votes between teammates. The Raps had the second-best bench in the NBA this season, behind only the ridiculous San Antonio Spurs, and Cory Joseph and Patrick Patterson—PatPat was the recipient of that third-place vote; shout out to ESPN.com’s Ramona Shelburne—were the driving forces behind that success.
Joseph and Patterson shared the court for 1,529 minutes, a period of time during which the Raptors outscored their opponents by 8.9 points per 100 possessions. Of the top 250 two-man pairings in minutes played league-wide, that figure ranks 44th overall, and third among the duos in which both players came off the bench. It’s also 7.5 points per 100 possessions better than the Raptors fared in the 2,427 minutes during which Joseph and Patterson were not on the floor together.
A great part of their value comes on the defensive end of the floor, where their work helped lift the Raptors from 23rd in defensive efficiency last season to 11th this year. Both can guard multiple positions, which is a must in this age of small, quick, pick-and-roll heavy lineups; when teams have to switch on defense constantly, on and off the ball, it’s vital to have players who can hang with any match-up. In this pair, the Raptors have two of the best. Joseph’s ability to defend either guard slot helped unlock one of the NBA’s best five-man groupings (Lowry and The Bench). Patterson’s quick, light feet helped him contain pick-and-rolls out to the perimeter and seamlessly switch onto smaller players toward the end of possessions.
Hello Indianapolis! #WeTheNorth
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Raptors’ defence-first off-season pays off | Toronto Star
“I’m not trying to reshape anything,” Joseph, who has played his best basketball of the season over the last two games, said of the improved defence this year. “I guess that’s Masai’s job, to figure out the pieces to the puzzle.
“He went out there and he felt like the team needed defence. He got the players that he has right now, with us out there working hard and doing the things that coach Casey says and trying to (bring) them onto the court.
“In terms of trying to reshape the whole thing, I just go out there and play my game.”
Casey said that the priority was — or always should have been — defence, even last year when the Raptors were swept out in the first round by Washington.
“We have the same defensive philosophy we have (now), same approach, same emphasis, but it’s a personnel-driven league and those (signings) came in and helped change the culture,” he said.
“Masai and Jeff (Weltman, executive VP of basketball operations) went out and did a good job of finding players that fit our identity and what we’re trying to do, whereas Lou and Greivis were good offensively but they didn’t fit what we were trying to do defensively,” Casey said. “No disrespect, they’re both scorers, excellent offensive players, but we had that in Kyle (Lowry) and DeMar (DeRozan). So to compliment them they did a good job of going out and finding guys like Cory and Bismack and DeMarre.”
Raptors, Pacers top units not performing up to ability | Toronto Sun
Not surprisingly, record-setting Golden State boasted four of the five top groups this season in terms of net rating (points scored per 100 possessions minus points allowed), but the Raptors actually tied one Warriors permutation for fifth-best (Charlotte had No. 3), with an average net rating of 32.
Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Terrence Ross, Patrick Patterson and Jonas Valanciunas played together in 32 games and were downright dominant, posting the third best offensive efficiency of any group (not surprisingly behind two Golden State variations).
The reasoning is pretty easy — spacing and size. When Ross and Patterson heat up, they knock down about 40% of their three-point attempts. Opponents must respect them and that opens up lanes for Lowry and DeRozan to either get right to the rim, shoot an open three (mostly Lowry) or find Valanciunas for easy baskets. Valanciunas is also an excellent rebounder, as is Lowry and DeRozan is solid, which makes up for shortcomings there from Ross and Patterson.
“You’ve got to be confident.” @kyle_lowry7 tells the media at today’s practice. #WeTheNorth
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DeRozan dilemma turning point for Raptors: Feschuk | Toronto Star
Lowry spent a bit of Wednesday insisting DeRozan doesn’t need to do a single thing differently come Game 3. Never mind common sense. Never mind 27 per cent. He needs to keep doing exactly what he’s been doing.
“I think he still has to shoot the ball. I think he still has to be aggressive and shoot the ball,” Lowry said.
And what of the idea that, with the world-class defence of the longer and stronger Paul George effectively rendering DeRozan irrelevant, the Raptors would be better off to punish Indiana by swiftly moving the ball into other hands?
“(DeRozan’s) main job is to score for us and make plays second,” Lowry said. “I think he’s going to be fine. If shots fall, it’s a different tone.”
That last part, at least, is true. If shots fall, if DeRozan gets closer to his regular-season field-goal mark of 45 per cent, if the referees are suddenly convinced his trips into the paint are drawing whistle-able contact . . . if that all happens it’s very possible the Raptors do what they’re supposed to do, which is win a best-of-seven playoff series for the first time in franchise history.
By the Numbers: Why DeRozan is poised to bounce back in Game 3 | Sportsnet.ca
While he’s shot poorly in past years, he’s never shot this poorly two games in a row, let alone three. So he’s shown an ability to bounce back in the past, and expecting him to do so to some degree Thursday is a safe bet.
Also, contrary to popular belief, he has been able to get to the line in the playoffs, particularly in the Brooklyn series when he earned double-digit free-throw attempts five times. His rebounding and assist numbers have also been good, with 4.6 boards and 4.2 assists per game in the playoffs to date.
On the backs of those peripheral stats, he had an 18.2 player efficiency rating in the 2013–14 playoffs (league average is always 15) and a 15.7 figure in 2014–15. In two games this season, thanks in part to yet another poor showing in a Game 1, he’s sitting at 1.8.
Raptors by the numbers: What’s behind DeMar DeRozan’s shooting woes? | Eh Game – Yahoo Sports Canada
How exactly has George been so effective stifling DeRozan? By rushing his process and taking him out of his comfort zone. DeRozan has never been a particularly effective catch-and-shoot player; he thrives with the ball in his hands and when he’s dribbling downhill. 45.9% of his shot attempts over the first two games were preceded by one or no dribbles; in the regular season it was 32.7%. It’s a reasonable explanation for why DeRozan’s shooting rhythm is off and why he’s not drawing fouls at his normal rate.
George isn’t going anywhere for the next three, four or five games. One solution for the Raptors is to run more off-ball screens or cuts to create separation for DeRozan to get the ball in space where he can gather himself with at least two dribbles before shooting or driving with the intent of finishing at the rim. Casey has also talked about DeRozan committing to being more of a facilitator on the floor as he works to find his shot.
The Raptors need DeMar DeRozan to be better. | Sports on Earth
As Toronto figures out how to provide more minutes to its optimal five-man units, it is worth noting that the Pacers are not a great offensive team. They ranked among the bottom 10 teams in offensive efficiency during the regular season, scoring 100.2 points per 100 possessions. They’ve remained at that level in the playoffs, scoring 100.6 points per 100 possessions in the first two games. Outside of George’s 30.5 points per game on 54.1 percent shooting, the rest of the team is shooting 38.4 percent from the field. The Pacers are more prone to offensive droughts than the Raptors, especially when coach Frank Vogel has to leave George on the bench.
All of this means the Raptors can easily overcome DeRozan’s shooting slump and win this series (which is tied, 1-1, heading into Game 3 on Thursday). That’s especially true if Valanciunas continues to dominate and Casey finds additional time for lineup combinations that include Lowry, Joseph and Patterson, who outscored opponents by 15.8 points per 100 possessions when they were on the floor together this season.
But DeRozan’s shortcomings matter because these playoffs also act as an evaluation of how this team should be constructed moving forward. DeRozan will likely opt out of his contract and become a free agent this summer. At age 26 and as one of the best scorers in the league, even another below-average postseason will not dissuade teams from offering him a maximum-level contract.
What’s wrong with Toronto Raptors’ DeMar DeRozan? | Raptors Cage
DeMar isn’t struggling just because he’s taking bad shots, he’s struggling because Indiana brings an elite defence to the table and he’s yet to figure them out. Paul George is no slouch either. He brings athleticism, length and even more so – a commitment on the defensive end of the floor. He’s an All-NBA player, and many have apparently forgotten the epic series’ George had defensively against the Heat where he guarded LeBron James one-on-one. Not only that, but DeMar is getting lit up by George on the other end of the floor which probably isn’t helping his confidence or energy levels.
Jonas Valanciunas evolving into powerhouse Raptors need in playoffs | Toronto Sun
When he wasn’t taking careless fouls by reaching in or not keeping his hands up in Game 1, Valanciunas was a presence on the floor.
In the decisive second half, he played only nine minutes and six seconds before he fouled out.
During that 24-minute stretch, the Pacers scored 57 points, made seven of 10 three-balls and scored 13 points off 10 Toronto turnovers.
In Game 2, the switch flipped, Valanciunas dominating down low and on the glass as the Raptors pounded the Pacers in the first quarter en route to a rather easy victory to tie up this series.
Now comes the hard part for Valanciunas, now that the focus of attention will be and must be on stopping him, at worse containing him in the paint and limiting his effectiveness to impact a game.
Whether it’s pushing Valanciunas away from the basket, fronting him more aggressively, sending an extra defender on the catch and forcing him to make the right decision, Game 3 will tell a lot about Valanciunas, his patience, resolve and composure.
It’s coming because the Pacers cannot win if Valanciunas remains that wrecking ball on the boards, producing 11 offensive rebounds in Game 1 and posting his second successive double double in Game 2 with a 23/15 night.
Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas Q&A | ESPN
Q: “Traditional” centers could be a dying breed in today’s NBA as teams play small-ball lineups and a more pace-and-space oriented game. How do you view it?
A: I will try to make sure they’re not going to forget about centers. I’ll keep reminding them. You’ve got a lot of guys that can shoot 3s and who are good rebounders. The league is full of guys that can do different things, but I think you still need a center that can rebound the ball and score in the low post.
Pacers Hoping to Contain Valanciunas | Indiana Pacers
Neutralizing Valanciunas extends to the Pacers’ offense as well. He fouled out of Game 1 after playing just 21 minutes, and had four fouls in Game 2. The Pacers don’t have a classic low-post threat to go at him even if Mahinmi plays, but can attack the basket to try to draw him as a defender. They also can put him in pick-and-rolls on the perimeter to take him away from basket and perhaps commit fouls, and can put him in transition to try to wear him out.
Vogel always has the options of a lineup or rotation change, and might not have a choice if Mahinmi can’t start, or can’t play many minutes. Jordan Hill is waiting in the wings, having been dropped from the playoff rotation. He’s not built to defend Valanciunas, but as the Pacers’ best post-up scoring threat might be able to put pressure on him at the other end.
Vogel did not divulge whether he would make personnel changes for Game 3. Monta Ellis showed up for Wednesday’s practice, but abruptly returned home to attend to a personal matter. Vogel said he will be available on Thursday, however. If Mahinmi is healthy, the only possibility for change would seem to be at the “four” position, where Lavoy Allen has started the past two games. Vogel, however, isn’t in hint-dropping mode.
“We’ll see tomorrow night,” Vogel said. “Certainly we’re pondering changes, yes.”
Jonas Valanciunas and the Indiana Pacers’ big (solvable) problem | Indy Cornrows
Strengthen the weakside defense:
The Pacers looked as helpless against the screen-and-roll last night as the Raptors looked against Paul George’s scoring outburst in the second half of Game 1. With Ian Mahinmi clearly limited by a sprained lower back, the Pacers needed to adjust to the fact that their center’s body wasn’t going to allow him to both contain Lowry as the driver and recover to Valanciunas as the roller.
They didn’t.
There isn’t going to be much Monta Ellis can do here to stop Valanciunas from crashing to the rim, but he at least needs to make the effort as the weak side help defender to try to bump him from his spot. Toronto could have ran, and succeeded with, this play on nearly every possession last night because Indiana’s help defenders were slow to rotate even when Mahinmi wasn’t on the floor.
Here, Paul George could have sneaked in and grabbed the pass intended for Valanciunas, but because he was reluctant to leave his man open behind the arc, he ended up foregoing helping the helper until it was too late. Of course, if the Pacers want to better avoid playing whack-a-mole with Toronto’s scoring threats, then their guards need to avoid getting caught behind the ball-handler at all costs.
Toronto Raptors: Jonas Valanciunas Has Been X-Factor | Hoops Habit
Despite the fact that he fouled out in the series opener, Valanciunas scored 12 points and posted a franchise-record 19 boards, breaking his own Raptors record for most rebounds in a postseason contest. Valanciunas pulled down 18 rebounds in Game 1 of the team’s first-round playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets in 2014.
With the team in need of a spark to prevent its postseason from slipping away, the Raptors big man set the tone early in Game 2; scoring 13 points on 6-for-7 shooting in the opening period, helping Toronto build an 18-point lead in the first half.
Valanciunas would finish with team highs in both points (23) and rebounds (15), and if not for coming out of the game in the third quarter due to foul trouble, his stat line would have been even more impressive.
To put Valanciunas’ production into proper perspective, the Pacers’ frontcourt trio of Myles Turner, Ian Mahinmi and Lavoy Allen combined for 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Ian Mahinmi plans to play through his back pain — again | USA Today
Mahinmi was asked about his sprained lower back, which he sustained in Monday’s loss, and if he’d be able to go for Thursday’s Game 3 of the Pacers’ first round series against the Raptors. The Pacers could use every big body available to them as Jonas Valanciunas is doing his best Bill Russell impersonation, averaging 17.5 points and 17.0 rebounds so far this series.
Mahinmi explained how every player hopes to enter the postseason close to 100 percent healthy. Then he explained that for most starters in the NBA that hope seldom becomes reality.
Unfortunately for Mahinmi, who has produced the best season of his eight-year career with the Pacers, he acknowledged that he does not expect to be close to full health again this season. If he plays Thursday – or any games thereafter – he will be doing it with a damaged body.
Raptors’ Norman Powell is key to winning | Raptors Rapture
It wasn’t just that he slowed the Pacer’s offensive plans, it’s that he also shut down George’s play-making abilities. The defensive plan set in by Dwane Casey was brilliant. Rather than George coming around screens and making plays above the break, the on-the-ball pressure from Norman and friends forced him to start the offense in the post (where even Kyle Lowry got his hands on a couple of balls). Throwing different looks at him throughout the game was huge too since Carroll, Powell, and DeRozan kept George from getting too comfortable. The defense limited George to one assist on the night and zero secondary assists. That is a big change from his game one’s 6 assists and 3 free throw assist performance where he routinely carved up the Raptors’ interior defense and kicked it out to shooters.
There is no telling how much damage George could have done if he was given more freedom from the defense. Stopping him on the point of the attack has been a historically bad defensive category for the Raptors, but Powell was able to step up and limit George on his drives and force him into two pointers.
Lowry: ‘No relief’ for Raptors heading into Indianapolis with series tied | Sportsnet.ca
From a confidence standpoint, the Raptors should feel pretty good about heading out on the road as they, along with the Cleveland Cavaliers, boasted the best road record in the Eastern Conference with 24 wins. With that said, Toronto was a little shaky at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, going 1-1, with that lone win coming in overtime.
A major deciding difference in those two games played in Indiana this season for the Raptors was that in their overtime win they were able to limit the Pacers to just single-digit fastbreak points (just seven), and in that loss they surrendered 14. So far in this playoff series, Indiana has managed 13 and 17 fastbreak points in Games 1 and 2, something Toronto will need to limit if it wants to find success on the road.
“They’re innately a running team – especially with Monta Ellis, he got going, he got them back in the game with his transition game the other night,” Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said. “But we’ve got to do a better job of getting back, make sure we locate our man quickly and mainly stop the ball.”
Problems with Solutions: Game 2 answered some questions for the Raptors | Raptors HQ
Carroll’s insertion into the starting lineup was not all bad though. It led the Raptors back to the group that annihilated teams for much of the regular season: the aforementioned Lowry plus bench unit of Cory Joseph, Ross, Patterson and Bismack Biyombo. This is the lineup that outscored teams by 16.4 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com. It was also a lineup we barely saw in Game 1.
Still, the rotation questions kept coming. After an unfortunate collision between DeMar DeRozan and Ross, the latter had to be taken out of the game per the league’s concussion protocol. Casey had no choice but to go back to Powell again, to slow George and to fill the role of Ross in the Raptors dynamite Lowry plus the bench lineup. (We need to give this group a nickname.) As the tight (sphincter) third quarter gave way to the rollicking fourth, the Raptors finally looked to have found their groove.
But these substitutions were done out of necessity, injury and foul trouble essentially forcing Casey’s hand. The final decision was much more powerful: DeRozan, the Raptors’ other All-Star, sat the entirety of the fourth quarter.
“I think he [DeRozan] understands that group was running, rolling pretty well,” said Casey afterwards. “He’d be the first probably to tell you ‘let that group roll’.” It was hard not to notice every time DeRozan sat last night, the Raptors looked a touch sharper on defense, and a step faster on offense. The ball moved around more coherently, with possessions going in a stronger direction. This is not all DeRozan’s fault, as he is being checked by George, one of the elite defenders in the world. But it does not exactly help DeRozan’s resume, or possibly his sense of self (though he won’t admit that), to have his lunch eaten by the Pacers’ disciplined defense.
Raptors have more room for growth in series against Pacers | Toronto Sun
There may yet be another defensive agitator the Raptors can throw at George who has already seen plenty of DeRozan, Carroll and rookie Powell.
“James Johnson is feeling better, so we’ll see where that goes,” Casey offered. “It gives us some other guys to look at Paul George and try to slow him down. He’s such a great offensive player that it’s going to take more than one person to try to slow him down. He’s a big part of what they do.”
Johnson hasn’t played since April 8, the last regular-season meeting between the Raptors and Pacers. He has been dealing with some plantar fasciitis and it’s only now starting to calm down again. Whether the Raptors need him or not remains to be seen but it’s one more option that underscores the advantage the Raptors have when it comes to roster depth in this series.
The point is the Raptors have room and options to get better defensively.
Toronto Raptors’ bench proving to be a driving force against Indiana Pacers | The Globe and Mail
“Cory’s success has been all year, Bis has been having a solid year, and then the rest of us have picked it up and we found our groove a couple of months ago,” Patterson said. “We’ve carried it into the playoffs.”
Biyombo, Patterson and Joseph are all enjoying career playoff stats in several categories, including points. Joseph, who played a handful of minutes in 41 playoff games for the San Antonio Spurs and won an NBA title there, is putting that postseason experience to good use. He’s averaging 24 minutes a game in these playoffs along with 17 points.
“He has been that warm blanket throughout the year,” Toronto coach Dwane Casey said of Joseph.
“Even though he is a young kid, he has had 41 playoff games. No matter what you say, that is huge. When you have that type of experience – I mean this is an experience league – experience wins in the NBA.”
Joseph, 24, is appearing in his fifth postseason. In Toronto’s Game 2 win, he played the entire fourth quarter, when he scored six of his 16 points to help keep the Pacers from clawing back.
Listen to The HeadQuarters: Episode 28, brought to you by Rasho Nesterovic | Raptors HQ
This week Sean Woodley is joined by Raptors HQ’s Mitch Robson and Hardwood Paroxysm’s Kevin Yeung to review Games 1 and 2 of the Raptors-Pacers series, consider why DeMar DeRozan has struggled so mightily against Paul George, shout out the fantastic play of Jonas Valanciuanas, Patrick Patterson and Cory Joseph, analyze Dwane Casey’s rotation, rage about the lack of love for Patterson and Joseph in Sixth Man voting and answer listener questions. This episode is brought to you by Rasho Nesterovic.
Analyzing The Toronto Raptors “Ram Pick & Roll” | Hashtag Basketball
The Raptors love to make use of “Ram pick and roll” down the stretch of games because the set is simple in nature and allows for the ball to be in one of their best player’s’ hands while strategically capitalizing on a weakness of the opposing defense. It’s a very common set amongst NBA teams, but the Raptors are a terrific example of how to methodically pick a defense apart by using it.
Raptors forward Jason Thompson ends 588-game playoff drought | USA Today
Drafted 12th overall in 2008, Thompson spent his first seven seasons in Sacramento, and played in more games than any player in Kings history (since the franchise relocated in 1985). Not only did his Kings teams never make the playoffs, but they won an average of 26 games per year, and they never eclipsed the 30-win mark. He was trapped in the abyss of a wayward franchise, and he finally made his way out.
Thompson was traded over the summer to the Golden State Warriors, only to be waived in February in order for the team to make room for Anderson Varejao. He was signed by the Raptors a week later.
“You never knew if it was going to happen,” Thompson told CBSSports.com. “You never knew if the grass would be greener on the other side. I’m here and I’m glad I’m here.”
Toronto Raptors at Indiana Pacers: Game 3 preview | Toronto Star
KEY MATCHUP
Valanciunas vs. Mahinmi
Jonas Valanciunas is forcing a global audience to learn the ins and outs of his phonetically challenging name, averaging 17.5 points and 17 rebounds through Games 1 and 2. Unless Indy coach Frank Vogel makes a change before tipoff, it falls on Mahinmi, the eight-year vet from France (three points and four rebounds per game so far) to try to contain Valanciunas. He’s battling a sore back and played 22 minutes in the Game 2 loss.
What to watch for in Raptors-Pacers Game 3 | Toronto Sun
WHAT CAN THE PACERS DO ABOUT VALANCIUNAS?
The Raptors big man has had his way in the series thus far and has been Toronto’s most impactful player. Paul George spent a good portion of his Game 2 post-game lamenting the Lithuanian giant’s dominance over his team and pointedly suggested that would have to stop. The wrinkle in the ointment is that if the Pacers elect to double Valanciunas, it will mean less defensive attention for Lowry or DeRozan. Lowry believes the focus will remain on himself and DeRozan. If that is the case, the only improvement can come from the Pacers bigs who have not — to this point in the series — been able to match JV’s physicality.
Raptors-Pacers Preview | Yahoo
Still, with Valanciunas leading the way, the Raptors have outscored the Pacers 88-56 in the paint and outrebounded them 96-71. That’s been huge since Lowry has shot 7 for 26 and fellow All-Star DeMar DeRozan has gone 10 for 37.
”He’s rolling hard, he’s rebounding the ball extremely well,” Lowry said. “When teams are trying to take myself and DeMar out, he’s got to have big games for us.”
George and George Hill have played a key role in slowing Toronto’s backcourt, but the Pacers are still looking for answers against Valanciunas. The fourth-year center had 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting with Ian Mahinmi on him in Game 2 after doing his most damage in the opener against Myles Turner with eight points on 3-of-6 shooting.
”We’re doing a good job on Kyle and DeMar but (Valanciunas) has stepped up,” George said. “He’s who is causing us the problems and we’ve got to figure it out.”
Raptors at Indiana Pacers: Game 3 Preview and 3 keys | Raptors Rapture
Make Valanciunas a superstar. There is no one, and I mean no one on the Pacers lineup who can lockdown JV once he gets going on the blocks or makes mid range jumpers with confidence. Add in his ability to hit free throws as a big man, and Vogel will need to consider double teaming him, allowing for a certain All Star to finally get loose…
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