Grizzlies 105, Raptors 120 | Boxscore | Quick Reaction | Reaction Podcast
With the amount of time and effort we all put into following this team, it’s safe to say the regular season grind doesn’t just take its toll on players and coaches. If you’re like me, you usually go through a mini back-and-forth therapy session before any opening tip, and Wednesday night was no different:
1. A plea to the Basketball Gods (doesn’t hurt to try):
Any chance you’ll start maximizing our entertainment dollar rather than carrying on with your usual cruel sense of humor? I mean, how much more intrigue could have been taken away from this matchup in such a short amount of time? It even had the potential for hardcore TFC fans to periodically check in during the franchise’s biggest game in history!
I can’t pretend that I wasn’t keeping tabs (the other way around), either, but in case you’re just a casual Raps enthusiast, here’s a short list of what was stolen from us:
A) If this really was Vince Carter’s last chance to suit up in Toronto, what were the odds that it would get kiboshed by a hip injury in the game prior to it taking place?
Let’s just hope that when word of the club’s 100th straight sellout was announced, a reminder of just how much Vince meant to such an achievement transpiring in the first place started to circulate along with it — even though something tells me a proper finale is still to come.
B) When you consider the fact that Mike Conley also went down Monday night (for 6-8 weeks), and then added that casualty to a lineup that was already going to be without Zach Randolph, Chandler Parsons and Brandon Wright, one quickly realizes that Memphis fans have much more to complain about.
BUT, when two of the biggest offseason contracts went to two players (Conley and DeRozan) who were annually considered to be “on the outside looking in” when it came to belonging to the league’s elite, who then proceeded to take their respective games to another level after they got paid, the potential for fireworks was promising to say the least. And similar to what Kiyan Sobhani stated in the Quick React — “the Lowry transition-three remains one of my favourite things in basketball” — there’s not much that tops watching a player continue to silence his critics.
C) It’s no secret that when it comes to guarding dual-threat bigs, the Raps’ defense remains a work in progress. And while Marc Gasol represents that category without a doubt, any time the opportunity to also go up against Randolph (especially in the 2nd unit) is missed, the amount of lessons learned going forward are certainly diminished. Every lesson counts while there’s still time reap their rewards.
2. I wonder, though: Perhaps I’m going about this all wrong:
Perhaps I should lay off the Basketball Gods. Maybe I should even relish the fact that Toronto gets to face such an injury-plagued squad after escaping the mismatch of Joel Embiid.
I still firmly believe that the Raps’ recent tour through the gauntlet of the NBA’s upper class was a beneficial wake-up call, but with Atlanta and Cleveland waiting in the wings, perhaps they learned their lesson and this soft schedule in between is exactly what they need.
Besides, even without the marquee storylines, this matchup had underrated potential to aid the big picture:
- The chance to make needed progress in the department of overcoming a possible letdown.
- The notion of the game being well in hand by the time the 4th quarter rolled around which would give Lowry and DeRozan the added rest every single Raptors fan wished could happen more frequently.
- Another possibility that the 905ers would gain valuable experience.
- An opportunity for the supporting cast (namely Cory Joseph, DeMarre Carroll and Patrick Patterson) to continue trending upward.
- DeMar vs. Tony Allen
Alright, I needed that, but that’s enough therapy for one day. So, how did all of the above actually pan out?
Well, if I’m not mistaken, Dwane Casey did his best Doc Rivers impersonation in the middle of the first quarter — only his anger was directed at Bebe and not the Refs. Bebe’s inexperience was exploited early and often: Highlighted by Gasol baiting him into foul trouble, coaxing him to leave his feet outside the paint, and taking advantage of the outrageous cushion Nogueira repeatedly gave him on the perimeter.
Now, considering I flipped over to catch what BMO Field was up to, I can’t be certain. But with already 8 turnovers in the bag, a J.R. Smith impression may have also taken place. With the amount of uncontested shots going up, somebody must have gotten caught saying what’s up to Vince Carter near the Grizzlies’ bench.
The early going wasn’t all ugly, though, as Pascal Siakam was his usual active and disruptive self even in limited minutes. But what really stood out was his growing catch radius and ever-improving passing skills. It’s only a matter of time before those flashes pop up more consistently.
The overall erratic transition defense and the seemingly unwillingness to check shooters tightly started to shape up as the second half unfolded. Though, when a team’s half-court set kicks it into overdrive, less defensive prowess is needed. It also somewhat explains how a team can shoot 55% from the field (which included a season-high 16 from downtown) while putting up those aforementioned 20 turnovers at the same time.
Anybody else need to be singled out?
1. With double-digit boards (13) for the first time this season, Patrick Patterson arguably played his best game of the year.
Throw in going 4 for 6 from behind the arc (he’s now 16 for 32 over his last 6 games) and he earned every bit of of his added minutes he as spent time at the Five down the stretch with the team’s closing unit. PP kept numerous possessions alive.
2. His defense will aways keep his value afloat, but the re-emergence of Cory Joseph on the offense end continued. He ended his 2-game drought of zero trips to the line with a season high 8 free-throw attempts. Not to mention pulling down a season-high 8 rebounds.
He takes after Lowry in two specific areas: 1) Welcoming contact. 2) Individual assertion. And his knack for getting to the rim when the team absolutely needs him to make good on an individual effort was once again on display.
3. After a few episodes of leaving his feet to force a pass only to create a turnover, DeRozan was eventually able to defuse Tony Allen’s havoc.
And as far as Raptors fans are concerned, Russel Westbrook shouldn’t be viewed as the only one who registered a Triple Double last night — 29 points, a +16 and 11 free-throw attempts were just as impactful as a “normal” one. Though, with 9 boards and 6 dimes, he did come close. DeRozan’s overall numbers may have dipped lately but the status quo remains when it comes to his 4th quarter clutch.
4. Other than 17 points and going 6-11 from the field, Carroll came up short in almost every other counting stat. An unusual outcome considering he was one of the few Raptors who played mistake-free basketball for the majority of the game. As he continues to re-discover his shooting touch and gets timely rest, he’s just about over the injury hump. Back-to-backs might be in his near future.
5. Needless to say, but I’ll do it anyway, with four more treys last night, K-Low is on a 2.0 threes per game mission over his last nine (I rounded up). And he continuously bailed out a squad that was teetering back and forth all game.
But the moment at hand presented bigger things to think about. I don’t think anyone would be shocked if Memphis takes a bit of a nosedive with Conley on the shelf — as Memphis’ well documented Net Rating of 6.5 with Conley on the court and -13.8 with Conley off, screams out loud.
The situation begs a few key questions:
(Knock on wood) What would become of the Raptors if Kyle Lowry suffered a similar injury fate? Or, even deeper: What would become of the Raptors if the future elephant in the room of him potentially leaving town becomes bigger and bigger as the offseason goes along?
6. As for Memphis fans: Perhaps a long-term silver lining can be the opportunity opened up for Troy Daniels. The 25-year-old, on his third team in four years, was cool, calm and collected last night — hitting contested shot after contested shot. You know, the ones the Raps actually did contest. There might be something there.
In Closing:
Despite the turbulence, there’s plenty to be said about being able to eventually put away inferior teams. We can also take solace that the NBA doesn’t employ an aggregate scoring system.
TFC. Clap Clap Clap! … TFC. Clap Clap Clap! … TFC. Clap Clap Clap!
P.S: Despite every national writer shooting down the rumors, the writing may be on the wall unless he’s willing to take less years. But for now, Edwin Encarnacion is still in play… Fingers. Crossed.
