How a DeMar DeRozan tweet sparked a mental-health dialogue in sports – The Globe and Mail
The Toronto Raptors all-star guard pulled back the curtain on something few rich and famous athletes disclose publicly – his own mental well-being. Since then, DeRozan has spoken about the loneliness and darkness that often follows him and how family and basketball act as his escapes. DeRozan’s disclosure inspired Cleveland Cavaliers centre Kevin Love to speak out about his own struggles, penning an article in The Players’ Tribune.
Raptors Practice: DeMar DeRozan – April 29, 2018 – YouTube
It’s only the second round of the NBA playoffs, but it will feel like a virtual NBA finals for the Toronto Raptors.
The Raps will square off against their old nemesis, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers , with the winner advancing to the Eastern Conference championship.
DeMar DeRozan Nike Kobe A.D. Mid PE | HYPEBEAST
It looks as if Toronto Raptors all-star guard DeMar DeRozan is on the verge of receiving yet another pair of signature Kobe kicks. Earlier this month, DeRozan was presented with a fire red Kobe 1 Protro PE, with this new Player Exclusive coming in the form of the Nike Kobe A.D. Mid.
Raptors Practice: Dwane Casey – April 29, 2018 – YouTube
NBA Playoffs 2018: Which outcomes do you want to see for the Raptors? – Raptors HQ
f you ask any member of the Raptors which team they’d like to face in the next round of the NBA playoffs, they will wisely tell you it doesn’t matter. In fact, DeMar DeRozan has already said as much — he doesn’t really care. Nor should he. For Toronto, the number one seed, any team put in front of them should be one they defeat — yes, even if it features LeBron James, or the young upstarts in Philly.
That said, it doesn’t necessarily mean we can’t think about it and harbour our own preferences. So let’s talk about it. Here are the four outcomes on the horizon for the Raptors on their way to a possible appearance in the Finals. Let’s figure out which one is the best for our future well-being.
Not long after the Toronto Raptors applied a healthy dose of antacid to the queasy stomach of the team’s fan base on Friday night, and right about the time Kyle Lowry was nagging DeMar DeRozan at the interview podium like an annoying little brother, Washington started having the what-now discussions about the Wizards.
As in, what should be done now with that roster? The Wizards are built around three huge contracts — John Wall, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter will make a combined US$70-million next season — and after an early playoff exit it’s reasonable to wonder if that core has already bumped into its ceiling.
Raptors Practice: Fred VanVleet – April 29, 2018 – YouTube
The Raptors used 52 different lineups in the series, and yet tied for sixth most minutes is the VanVleet-led all bench unit, which made a brief appearance in Game 2 and otherwise was missing until Game 6. The other lineup tied for sixth? The Lowry-Wright-DeRozan-Miles-JV fivesome literally only used in one contest, to close Game 5.
As for those attempts to cover for VanVleet’s absence, they didn’t go well. Take a look at the most used bench lineups for the series and their on-court ratings.
Series with Cavaliers what Raptors have spent all year prepping for – Sportsnet.ca
“The way we play now is the mistakes of what we had from them series, you know? Going down in them. That’s what made us better,” said DeMar DeRozan, following a late-Sunday practice in preparation for his third playoff clash with the Cavaliers. “That’s what made us at this point where we’re at now — being top of our conference, having the confidence that we have, and the style of play that we go out and play with.
“A lot of us have been through them series that went down and lost, and with that we gained a tremendous amount of experience, of understanding what comes with it, what it takes to be the team at that level. And I think we worked our butts off this past summer, this whole year, to be in this position we’re in now.”
Toronto Raptors on Instagram: “B💰Y”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiLQkDEA2AY/?hl=en&taken-by=raptors
Raptors’ VanVleet still sore but ready for King James | Toronto Sun
Not that there was ever much of a question about VanVleet finding a way.
“There was a lot of discomfort but it’s all part of the journey,” he said. “Nothing serious. No long-term implications or anything. Just one of those things that is going to bother me a little bit.”
VanVleet’s return had the expected impact on the team. They looked more like themselves and just more confident as a whole with him back on the floor and they are going to need all the confidence they can muster taking on LeBron James for a third consecutive year.
Raptors vs. LeBron will define the franchise | The Star
“When you are in the moment you don’t feel like it, but you look at the history of the league, there has always been a team that you had to leapfrog over,” said Raptors coach Dwane Casey, two days before Game 1 of Toronto’s second-round series with the Cavaliers. “And that has not changed. It’s always been that way. The years I was in Seattle (with the Sonics), we had to go through Chicago.
“The years before that it was Detroit, and before that it was Boston, so there’s always going to be a great team you have to go through. And … we have worked hard to get to where we are, and we just have to continue to go, and not get caught up in the hoopla of who we are playing. Just do what we do and play our game as hard as we possibly can, no matter who it is.”
Toronto Raptors on Instagram: “It’s Ralph tho.”
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Series Preview: Toronto Raptors get another shot at LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers | NBA.com
Who guards LeBron? This should be the first question of every preview of every playoff series of every season of James’ career since he first started qualifying in 2006. Toronto’s past two defensive-minded wings – DeMarre Carroll and P.J. Tucker – didn’t get the job done. Now the Raptors will be leaning on rookie OG Anunoby, who gives up precious bulk. James helped Cleveland to its 2-1 record in the regular season showdowns, scoring more (29.3 ppg) and shooting better (57 percent overall, 40 percent from the arc and 80 percent from the line) than he did against the rest of the league.
Third time the charm? Raptors to face Lebron and Cavs | Toronto Sun
For a third consecutive year, and second in two years in which the meeting takes place in the second round, the Raptors and Cavs will meet in the playoffs.
Toronto has yet to best the Cavaliers, taking them to six games two years ago and then getting swept last season.
But there are any number of differences heading into this one that at least on paper give the Raptors an edge.
