Clippers 109, Raptors 118 | Boxscore | Quick Reaction | Reaction Podcast
Believe me, the frustration over the Raps’ recent stretch of uninspiring basketball is mutual — and I’m not just saying that because I’m still in disbelief over the Patriots covering the spread without holding a lead the entire game. Note to self: Bet with your gut, not with your rooting interest.
However, if you’re willing to look beyond the mediocrity and shift your focus to the big picture, there’s plenty of room to make the best out of a bad situation. Perhaps your shortlist of positives would look similar to mine:
1. What were the odds of Masai pulling the trigger on a deal before this team’s mini-collapse took place? Better yet, what were the odds Masai would fulfill the wishes of the vast majority…Well, while the level of likelihood is debatable, the probability percentage has since skyrocketed.
2. DeMar DeRozan’s time on the shelf coupled with Cory Joseph’s episodes of inconsistency certainly contributed to the Raps falling back to the pack. Food for thought, though: How important was it watching Norman Powell, and to a lesser extent Fred VanVleet, fill the void? I’d say it’s reassuring on two different levels but both revolve around roster flexibility:
A) Whether through injury or trade (the latter specifically referring to Terrence Ross and/or Cory Joseph), both Powell and VanVleet can help soften the blow from any potential loss at their respective positions.
B) Joseph has done too much for this team to think his benching in favor of FVV was anything more than Casey sending a message, so this is particularly directed at Powell’s playing time: Powell not only held the fort down while DeMar was out, he set up shop like it was business as usual. So much so that this team’s rotations (even when fully healthy) should officially be reexamined. He’s forced his way into this squad’s current core whether DeMar was ready to come back or not — there’s room to get creative. Which reminds me, I’ll need to touch on DeRozan in a bit; hint: he might have come back with a bang.
3. Let’s give the Eastern Conference shakeup a bit of perspective. Bad news first: As most of you already know (coming into Monday night), the win column for Boston, Washington and Atlanta all hit 75 precent or better over their last 20 games. The Raps over the same span: A disappointing .45. Hell, even the Pacers have snuck back into the conversation as a seven-game winning streak has brought them back to life and helped close the gap that separates the East’s second and sixth seeds to just 4 games.
The good news: For the foreseeable future, there’s no such thing as a meaningless game. Whether the Raps are facing a bottom-feeder or a member of the elite, we’re bound to get our money’s worth each and every night. I mean, the players and coaches still have to hold up their end of the bargain in the effort department, but simply put: the season’s just getting good!
Sunday’s matinee vs. Brooklyn offered some quality patchwork after falling apart in Orlando, so it’s as good a place as any to provide the starting point for a hopeful reboot. Now, with that “shortlist” out of the way, did Monday’s clash with the Clippers follow suit?
Win or lose (though it’s getting tougher to say that as the East gets more chaotic), all I was personally looking for were signs that promoted the mission of this team getting their act together, and vice versa.
Should I include the second-night-of-a-back-to-back asterisk? Not when both teams would need it, so feel free to toss that convenient caveat out.
Encouraging Signs:
With the team struggling to gain their footing out of the gate, particularly by failing to stay with 3-point shooters and having little to no success in the pick and roll, I can only assume preparing for the worst was a common theme among onlookers. But, satisfaction came shortly after as the Raps got out of their own way far more quickly than in numerous games over the past few weeks — communication began to make sense and passing lanes started to get disrupted. The latter was highlighted by Bebe’s denial at the top of the key which he followed up with a one-on-one fast break dunk that showed off just how athletic of a big-man he is.
Enter DeMar DeRozan:
His individual isolations can have a negative effect when the game is on the line (the supporting cast can’t exactly learn to be clutch when they’re never really given the chance), but if you needed a reminder of just how many quality opportunities open up for the rest of team when DeMar is on the floor, Monday brought it all back. Individually, DeMar picked up right where his midrange/floater/get-to-the-line game left off. He even added a couple threes to reminds us that if he ever hit from downtown consistently, Isaiah Thomas wouldn’t be hogging all the darkhouse-MVP spotlight. DeMar was present for a reasonable amount of the club’s recent slide so I’ll stop the gushing and hold him accountable, but there’s no denying what he means in the grand scheme.
Now, where to start in regards to Jonas Valanciunas… First off, kudos to the gameplan for making sure he was highly involved from the very beginning for the second consecutive game. JV actually had his jump shot falling throughout the game’s entirety. And if that wasn’t enough to get excited, even with the mini-run of success he’s currently enjoying, I can’t recall a game where his footwork, hands, and one-on-one confidence against above-average defenders in the post operated at such a high level. Let’s just hope involving the guy, who still has a chance to develop into this team’s missing third piece, with so much regularity becomes the new norm — even if he struggles! He feeds off the level of confidence the people around him have in him.
As for Lowry, a regular day at the office of doing damage from downtown while pushing the pace when it needs to be pushed is always encouraging. A shoutout also has to go out for passing Mo Pete to become the franchise’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made. Though, perhaps his biggest impact last night was made on Cory Joseph. A player at the same position will snap out of a funk eventually with Lowry setting the example on a nightly basis. And on this night, Cojo got back to his calculated and determined self.
Vice Versa:
This matchup will never be confused with a defensive battle — 130 combined points in the first half and a 97-82 Raps’ lead entering the 4th is a good indication. But I can’t sit here and say the final outcome was all the Raps’ doing. Other than Blake Griffin using his physicality to will his way to a triple-double (not to mention furthering the notion that this team needs help down low), the Clippers never made a concerted effort to mix it up inside.
That makes sense when you rank 8th in threes per game and 4th in percentage. But what’s discouraging is other than DeMarre Carroll making life tough for J.J. Redick, the Raps seemed content with giving L.A. the opportunity to shoot themselves out of an off night.
Mind you, if a team continues to be ineffective, why stand in their way? Well, when one of a team’s defensive weaknesses is stopping their opponent’s strength, an opportunity to make progress shouldn’t be taken lightly. Besides, with the Raps’ tendency to lose their intensity after mounting a sizeable lead, the Clippers could very well have been in a position to steal the win.
Some might say that’s nitpicking, or even trying to find a hole that wasn’t there — especially on the aforementioned second night of a back-to-back. I’m definitely open to hearing you out but when you add in all the easy buckets that missed 3-pointers can (and did) cause, the Raptors were just playing with fire when they could have really sinked their teeth into the defensive side of the game. But I digress.
Last but certainly not least, I doubt anyone will have mixed feelings on this issue:
I get that there’s a rotational pecking order, and I get that playing time often comes down to the size of a player’s contract. But either get creative or get on the phone — Norman Powell CANNOT go back to the role he had beforehand. Not after what we’ve all recently witnessed. And don’t tell there’s no room with DeRozan back. Powell comes with too much positional flexibility for that to remain a valid counterpoint. I’d even go as far to say that Powell is now third in line when it comes to creating his own shot, and that probably could have been said months ago.
I can only imagine what was going through the minds of this fan base as we all waited for Powell to make an appearance. Perhaps this sounds familiar: The 10-minute mark of the 4th quarter with the Raps up by double digits won’t cut it anymore! Like clockwork, though, he promptly hit a three, played sound defence and executed a near halfcourt alley-oop in the limited minutes he received.
But hey, it’s a good problem to have, right? While that may be true, even good problems eventually have to be addressed.
In the meantime, T.O. is seemingly back in business. Perhaps I should learn to take what I can get.
