The Soundtrack of DeMar DeRozan’s Life – Bleacher Report
The NBA is now a game where big men sometimes do not venture inside the three-point line. That is where DeRozan puts in his work, having steadily molded his game as Kobe Bryant’s heir. As others dial it up from behind the three-point line, trying too hard to be Steph Curry, DeRozan is becoming more efficient in shooting darts from inside the arc.
“I know a lot of guys was trying to transition to the three-point game, but for me, I think it’s dope when I hear people say I’m the last of a dying breed, or, ‘The mid-range game is not dead. He’s keeping it alive. Mid-range king and blah blah blah,'” DeRozan says. “All this. It keeps hope alive and lets people who may be a fan of mine look at it and realize I ain’t got to shoot 10 threes. I could perfect this and be just as great.
“At the end of the day, I know I could shoot threes, but my mindset has always been, you got to stop me from doing this to make me do that.”
Zach Lowe’s 2017 NBA All-Star picks for East, West – ESPN
The six best guards should all get in, but it’s worth shouting one last time: There is no case for any of them to start over Lowry. The lack of support for Lowry among fans, media, and fellow players has been borderline shocking. Maybe the Spooky Mulder contingent of Toronto fans is right that people ignore what’s popping in the T-Dot — except that Lowry’s co-pilot is starting!
Perhaps Lowry just doesn’t look the part of a superstar. He’s small, and he doesn’t manipulate every possession with the slow precision of Chris Paul. Paul’s control over the game is almost ostentatious: “I AM CHESS MASTER!” Not so with Lowry. He doesn’t have an identifiable go-to move other than pulling from Curry-level range. He doesn’t dunk. He gets a lot of mileage from coaxing mediocre defenders into dumbass fouls.
10 things I saw from Raptors-Grizzlies (25–1–2017) – The Defeated
Superstar center: Remember when we had dreams of Jonas Valanciunas turning into Marc Gasol? Maybe that day is still coming (it’s not) but holy shit would Gasol be perfect. He torched the Raptors for a career-high 42 points tonight with five threes and a handful of gorgeous passes. There was a BS foul at the end that gave Gasol two free throws to win this one, but nevertheless Gasol was awesome.
Raptors can’t beat the odds | Toronto Sun
The Raptors would eventually corral Gasol and get him under some measure of control, but again that didn’t really happen until the second half. It’s those poor starts and the amount of energy expended getting back into games that is hurting this team.
“It’s a long year,” coach Dwane Casey said. “Guys have to stay together, stay positive. I didn’t feel any quit whatsoever out of our group (Wednesday) and that’s important. I told them: ‘Your true fans, everyone will still be behind you. Just stay together and grind it out. We are going through a grind time. We will be stronger after this, coming out of this.”
Give the Raptors full credit for making this a game. Even after that lull in the third, they almost pulled this one out.
The Raptors were given multiple opportunities to send this one into overtime but a missed three by Terrence Ross on the next to last possession and another at the buzzer from Lowry with Tony Allen and Gasol giving him very little room, ensuring the Toronto losing streak would be extended.
Grizzlies’ Gasol gives big lesson as Raptors lose fifth straight | Toronto Star
It was a confluence of typical events of late that allowed the Raptors to extend their longest losing streak to the longest for the franchise since February, 2015.
They were abysmal defensively until something clicked in during a fourth-quarter rally. The Grizzlies, behind a career-high 42 point night from Marc Gasol, shot 53 per cent through the first three quarters until Toronto held them to just 11 points in the fourth.
And Toronto’s offence sputtered most of the night; they were a collective 10-for-34 from three-point range as Patrick Patterson missed seven of his eight attempts, Terrence Ross was 2-for-7 and both had crucial misses in the final two minutes.
“Some of it is rhythm, some of it is guys playing in different positions and some of it is just missing shots,” Toronto coach Dwane Casey said. “I have to do a better job of drawing things up for them, get them different looks, whatever it is. I have all the confidence in the world in our shooters. You have to continue to shoot them, take them with conviction, take them with confidence and they are going to go in. You don’t forget how to shoot the basketball.”
Gasol’s Grizzlies outlast the Raptors, 101-99 – Raptors HQ
Indeed, Toronto could’ve run away with this thing if they could just make some shots. Raptors wing players bricked countless open shots, as the team shot just 29.4% from three-point range. The biggest culprit here was Patrick Patterson, who shot 1-for-7 from three in 27 minutes, including a big miss with under two minutes left. Terrence Ross was just 2-for-7, and looked rushed on many attempts. Jared Sullinger, bless his heart, was 0-for-6 from the field as his jump shot currently looks like it took eight months off instead of four.
Norm Powell did his part, filling in for DeMar DeRozan in body and spirit, as he scored 21 points on 21 shots. Inefficient as he was, it’s refreshing to see Powell playing with confidence. His drives to the rim encouraged Memphis to bring help, and although he missed a few layups, he also made a couple passes that began swing sequences. He’s becoming an effective downhill player who knows his role; it’s when he falls in love with the jumper that he loses a bit of momentum.
This Raptors loss shouldn’t be taken too negatively, though. This was a schedule loss — a cruel overnight trip across the country after playing the second best team in the Western Conference. They played a tough-nosed team to a final possession for the second straight night, and came up just short.
Game Rap: Raptors 99, Grizzlies 101 | Toronto Raptors
ANOTHER TOUGH FINISH
Like the third quarter against the Spurs the night before, the Raptors stepped up defensive efforts in the fourth, holding the Grizzlies to 26 percent shooting. It was nearly enough to allow a comeback, too, with a four-point play by Kyle Lowry bringing the Raptors within two with 2:18 remaining. Lowry followed that up with a jumper to tie the game with 1:31 remaining, but free throws from Marc Gasol put the Grizzlies ahead by two with 36.2 seconds on the clock. Toronto would have two opportunities to score and take the lead, but the Raptors were unable to complete the comeback on the road.
Gasol leads Grizzlies past Raptors, 101-99 | Memphis Grizzlies
Gasol scored the Grizzlies’ first 16 points over the opening 3:21 of the contest, making 14-of-25 from the field, 5-of-10 from three-point range and 9-of-10 from the free throw line by the end of the night. He has scored 28-or-more points in four straight games and has scored 154 points over the last five (30.8 points), marking his career-high over any five-game stretch. Gasol has also now scored 30-or-more points in consecutive games for the second time in his career (Nov. 21-23, 2014). His 23 first-half points tied a season-high for a Grizzlies player (Troy Daniels, Dec. 3 vs. LAL). His five three-pointers marked a career-high.
Both teams started the game on an offensive tear, shooting a combined 25-of-41 (.610) from the field (Grizzlies: 12-19, .632; Raptors: 13-22, .591) and scoring 66 points in the first quarter. It was a Grizzlies season-high for first quarter field goal percentage.
The game was tight throughout before the Grizzlies went on a 9-2 run to finish the third quarter with a 10-point lead (87-77). The Raptors clawed their way back in it, eventually tying the game with 1:31 remaining. Gasol, however, hit two go-ahead free throws with 36.3 seconds left before Kyle Lowry’s three-pointer missed as time expired.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPs2wZwAlnu/
Quick Recap: Memphis survives, beats Toronto 101-99 – Grizzly Bear Blues
However, the Raptors weren’t giving up. Thanks to a pair of free throws with 4:47 remaining, Marc Gasol reached 40 points, a new career high for him. But then the Raptors immediately cut the lead down to 6 with 3:32 left. An and-one three pointer by Kyle Lowry then cut the deficit to two points with two minutes remaining. Lowry came in clutch again and made another jumper on the next possession to tie the game up at 99. On the next possession, Marc was fouled and made two free throws to give Memphis the lead. After terrific defense by Memphis, Toronto came up empty on offense. So Memphis escaped a late game scare, 101-99.
For the Raptors, Kyle Lowry ended up with 29 points, while Norman Powell had 21. For Memphis, Marc Gasol ended with an impressive 42, and Tony Allen had 15 points and 11 rebounds. In addition, Zach Randolph had 16 points and 8 rebounds in his starting role tonight for the Grizzlies.
Gasol scores career-high 42 points in Grizzlies win – Commercial Appeal
Gasol turned into a one-man wrecking crew on offense. His point total represented the 10th time an individual amassed at least 40 points in in a single game in franchise history.
Gasol became the fourth NBA center to record a 40-point game this season, joining Sacramento’s DeMarcus Cousins, New Orleans’ Anthony Davis and Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns.
It didn’t take long for Gasol to put his imprint on the game. He made his first six shots and scored the Grizzlies’ first 16 points of the game.
The Grizzlies led 87-77 entering the fourth quarter. Their defense kept the Raptors out of the paint and held them to one shot on most possessions. Toronto was shooting just 40 percent through three quarters.
Memphis sewed a cushion during the final minute of the third quarter.
Both teams were shorthanded.
Vince Carter baseline 360 layin #sick #gdoat #wethenorth pic.twitter.com/3eukVIoY9b
— Sam Holako (@rapsfan) January 26, 2017
Every true contender in the modern era has rested players down the stretch, opting for the long game instead of staring at the standings. Last season, LeBron James averaged 35.6 minutes per game in the regular season, but led the NBA Finals in minutes. The Cavs won the first championship in franchise history.
In 2015, when Golden State won the championship, Steph Curry led the team in minutes, with 32.7, and not a single player on the roster cracked the top-40 in minutes played per game. The year before, Tony Parker led the champion San Antonio Spurs with a staggeringly low 29.4 minutes per game played. Those organizations are armed with the faith that when things aren’t going well, the course will eventually be righted.
Why this is a more complicated question for the Raptors than, say, the Spurs or Warriors or Cavs, is that Toronto has spent two seasons on the precipice of greatness, but it doesn’t know yet if it can swim with the sharks.
Should they be more concerned about wear-and-tear, or the fact that the Boston Celtics are just 1.5 games behind them? Or could they pull a double-whammy, much like what the Spurs just did to the Raptors, and rest players while the replacements bolster their cushion for the second seed? It is hard to play the long game when you have to make those considerations.
Raps drop fifth straight after missing another last-second shot – Video – TSN
For the second straight night the Raptors were unable to hit a last second bucket and dropped their fifth straight game. Rod Black and Leo Rautins discuss whether it’s time to hit the panic button in Toronto.
Kyle Lowry Plays: ‘Who’s Better?’ – NBA.com
Kyle Lowry tells Trey Kerby whether her or DeMar DeRozan is better at ice skating, and ordering at a restaurant.
Raptors’ defence has abandoned them amid recent struggles – Yahoo Sports Canada
The cornerstone for almost any good defence is protecting the rim and not allowing opponents easy shots in the paint. Unfortunately for the Raptors, this has been an area the team has struggled with all season.
Against Toronto, teams are scoring an average of 43.1 points per game in the paint, a mark that has the Raptors among the worst in the league (26th overall). By comparison, the Raps were a top 10 defence protecting the lane a year ago, allowing opponent just 38.7 points inside the paint. Once again, the scoring increase is the second largest in the league this season.
Although the Raptors are currently ranked in the top 10 in opponent fast-break points allowed, giving up an average of 12.2 points on the break, they were fourth overall last season having surrendered just 11 points per game.
Raptors need three wins to avoid a losing January | Toronto Sun
After leading the league in offensive efficiency at just north of 114 points scored per 100 possessions in November and December (stats via NBA.com), the offence has dipped by just over five points per 100 possessions this month, only the 10th-best mark in the NBA. A significant drop in three-point accuracy (40% over the previous two months, to just 34.3% in January), fewer assists and more turnovers have been the main culprits on that end.
The dip at the other end has been more troubling. Toronto’s defensive efficiency this month has ranked just 20th and the point differential has been nearly even. Opponents have been shooting significantly better on three-pointers this month (38.9% vs. 36% in November and 34% in December) and are getting to the free throw line far more often (26.6 attempts after only 20.4 attempts in December), obvious signs of defensive stagnation.
NBA Midseason Grades: Trust The Process, Not The Knicks | SI.com
Want to know the surest sign that the Raptors have arrived? The Basketball Intelligentsia has spent the last four months scrutinizing Toronto with an intensity that’s reserved only for contenders. That’s the blessing and the curse of life with two All-Stars and an Eastern Conference finals trip in the rearview. Excitement over the mere prospect of 50 wins has rightfully given way to a more pointed discussion of Toronto’s abysmal 0-7 record against the Warriors, Spurs and Cavaliers.
Did I miss something? Send me any Raptors-related article/video to rapsfan@raptorsrepublic.com
