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Morning Coffee – Thu, Nov 15

12-3 😕 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0BD8CLKv5o 10 things I saw from Raptors-Pistons (Nov. 14) – The Defeated Outwitted: Raptors got schooled twice with just two seconds left. First, the Raptors got caught on a sideline play where Glenn Robinson popped free and caught a clean lob to finish the game on a layup, but Pascal Siakam showed incredible recovery…

12-3 😕

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0BD8CLKv5o

10 things I saw from Raptors-Pistons (Nov. 14) – The Defeated

Outwitted: Raptors got schooled twice with just two seconds left. First, the Raptors got caught on a sideline play where Glenn Robinson popped free and caught a clean lob to finish the game on a layup, but Pascal Siakam showed incredible recovery to block him on the play. Second, with 1.2 seconds left, Nick Nurse made a point to put Jonas Valanciunas into the game to guard Andre Drummond, and Valanciunas gets caught sleeping on a switch and Reggie Bullock squeaks past him to catch the inbound and lay it in with time expiring.

Final Score and Recap: Raptors choke away lead, lose to Pistons 106-104 – Raptors HQ

Now in Detroit, Casey has a weaker team, his Pistons are now 7-6, despite the presence of two certified All-Stars in Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond, who had a relatively quiet 11 points (on 5-of-15) and 14 rebounds. A part of him has to be standing on the outside looking at the Raptors, now 12-3 with NBA Finals aspirations, thinking one of two things: that should be me, or more specifically in this context: I want to beat those guys. Well, wish granted.

The Raptors had a few things going for them for much of the game. Most significantly, Kawhi Leonard was playing his efficient brand of machine-like basketball for most of the game’s first three quarters with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting, plus nine rebounds, four assists, and three steals. He’d finish, however, with just seven more points (26 in total), and six turnovers — including one that cost the Raptors the game. With the game tied at 104, Leonard drove down the wing and somehow just… dribbled it off his foot out of bounds. It’s the kind of play no one would have expected — and yet, there it was. Pistons ball.

“You just gotta laugh at it, learn from it, and move forward,” said a typically terse Leonard. “It happens a lot,” he went on to say about his late turnover. “Me trying to drive hard. It happens to a lot of players. I really don’t count it.”

How the Raptors found themselves in that situation, despite the aforementioned 19-point lead, can be chalked up to a few things. First, the team shot just 4-of-20 (ayo!) from three, with no one on the team hitting more than one shot from deep. To add insult to that particular stat, shortly after Danny Green hit his first three of the game he was injured on a screen and left with back soreness.

Another element working against Toronto was the relatively poor quality of the Raptors’ bench play. The squad was without Serge Ibaka on the night, along with C.J. Miles and Norman Powell, and opted to start Jonas Valanciunas so as to best combat Drummond. For awhile, it worked — mostly because lightly-used Greg Monroe stepped in at centre for 17 points (on 8-of-10 shooting) and nine rebounds, and OG Anunoby put in some solid minutes for seven points, three rebounds, and two assists. The bench was a problem overall though: Fred VanVleet had another bad game, this time going 2-of-8 from the field for four points, plus five assists, Delon Wright was invisible, and Malachi Richardson is just not ready.

“They made a good run,” said Lowry of the Raptors’ gradual slide out of the game. “A couple of possessions, we had some bad offensive possessions, they made like four threes in a row, or four threes that were big, two in the corner, or couple of them, one off a pin-down, a three in the corner actually.

Dwane Casey comes through with karmic win in return to Toronto – Sportsnet.ca

“Don’t let the sweet persona fool you. Behind the scenes, Coach is a fighter.”

That’s the backdrop against which to properly assess an unprecedented night at Scotiabank Arena; Casey’s first visit to Toronto since he was unceremoniously fired for the sin of not being able to beat LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

It was his fight that was on display as Casey grinded every minute of the game. He took no plays off. He never does.

His reward? A buzzer-beating 106-104 win where Casey drew up not one but two out-of-bound plays in the final seconds of a tie game. The final basket capped off a 19-point second-half comeback against the team that sent him packing and against his former assistant hired in part to be an improvement on Casey’s in-game decision-making.

Perfect, really. The guy so often questioned for not being strong in the tense final moments of NBA chess matches knocked over the king on his home court.

“You get criticized for a lot of things,” said Casey afterwards. “People have their own perception. The perception (of me) is ‘he’s a communicator, he’s a hard worker, he’s a grinder,’… (people) saying ‘He can’t do this, he can’t make decisions, he can’t do that.’ I just smile at it.”

 

Raps lose tough one at the buzzer in Casey revenge game | Toronto Sun

The Toronto Raptors feel-good start to the 2018-19 season is experiencing its first real challenge.

It comes in the form of some short-term injuries that through last night had cost the Raptors two of their five starters and at least one member of the first unit off the bench.

That and a sudden inability to find the range from behind the arc have led to the first two-game losing skid of the season after the Raptors fell 106-104 to the Detroit Pistons in the first return to Toronto of former head coach and reigning NBA coach of the year Dwane Casey.

Casey and company enjoyed this one quite a bit while in the Raptors locker room, there was real anger having wasted a 19-point lead halfway through the third quarter for their second consecutive loss.

“We lost this game,” Greg Monroe who, filling in for the injured Serge Ibaka, had his best and most impactful game in the loss said. “The last game (New Orleans ) they came in and beat us. They did a really good job, but (last night) we had control of the game, we kind of relaxed, had too many turnovers, too many easy buckets for them. We have to be better in those situations and put the game away.”

Despite that lackadaisical final 18 minutes, the Raptors still had numerous chances to win the game in the final minutes, but couldn’t find a way.

But three turnovers by the normally sure-handed Kawhi Leonard in the final five minutes and some real miscommunication on what turned out to be a buzzer-beating winner by Reggie Bullock off an inbounds pass from former Raptor Jose Calderon.

Kyle Lowry managed to toe the line post-game of showing his former coach Dwane Casey some well-earned respect while getting across his own frustration at the way this one ended.

“That’s still my guy, he’s still the guy that helped me get to where I am,” Lowry said. “It’s a good win for him and I’m sure he’s happy but we are not happy and I’m not happy for him. We should have won the game.”

Lewenberg: ‘That moment meant a lot to Casey’ – Video – TSN

The Raptors looked to be on their way to a comfortable win, but Dwane Casey’s Pistons rallied from a 19-point deficit to stun Toronto. Josh Lewenberg discusses how much this win meant to Casey and how big of a concern this loss is for the Raptors.

Dwane Casey and Raptors organization need to talk it out, while Raptors players need to do the same among themselves – The Athletic [subscription]

Casey is not fooling anyone. He was fired because the team he led had reached a ceiling, eliminated three straight years by Cleveland, having lost 10 playoff games in a row to the Cavaliers. He struggled to make real-time adjustments in playoffs series, all of which culminated in an embarrassing sweep to an ordinary Cavaliers team last year. To be clear, the Raptors lost all of those series primarily because their roster was just not good enough, and Casey would surely have liked a shot with this team, imbued with defensive killers Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. You can get why he feels like he got the short end of things, not getting the opportunity to take this revamped roster to the next level. But to feign ignorance about the rational reasons for his dismissal is just dishonest.

Casey was class personified for most of his tenure in Toronto, and Nurse was a benefactor in his success. Hurt feelings are legitimate, but he could not have honestly believed Nurse would pass up a real shot at being a head coach just like the Raptors could not have honestly believed Casey would not feel scapegoated when he was fired.

“You get criticized for a lot. People have their own perception,” Casey said when asked if it was especially satisfying to get a win based on late-game execution. “The perception is he’s a communicator. He’s a hard worker. He’s a grinder. ‘I respect him.’”

That Casey used Nurse’s own words was not an accident.

“I’ve been in this league for a long time, I’ve seen everything there is. Execution, knowing end-of-game plays, I’ll put them up against anyone in the NBA. People have to hang their hat on something, saying he can’t do this, he can’t make decisions. I just smile at it. I look at my track record, defensively and offensively, and (would put it up) against anyone in this league. With that said, it does feel good to be able to execute, not just against this team but anybody. You want to make sure you put your players in the best position to win. That’s what it’s about. It’s not about me.”

Except it is clear that it is, at least a little bit. There are too many adults involved in this situation for one of the 10 or so most important people in franchise history and that franchise not to be on good terms. With time, maybe. For now, pettiness reigns on both sides.

 

SIMMONS: Happily ever after ending for Casey on fairy tale return to Toronto | Toronto Sun

But here we are, with the Raptors 15 games into a new season, with 12 wins and three losses for Nurse the first-year coach, a win turned into a loss Wednesday night and after all the drama, the angst, the reality, the anxiety, the attempts at defining and explaining who did what to whom, there is a surprising win-win in all of this.

Ujiri has the team he wants with Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, at least for this season and who knows how much longer.

Nurse has his first head coaching job in the NBA. It only took forever to get here. Casey provided him with the opportunity to get in the league and when Casey could have used some support from Nurse after the horrible sweep by the Cleveland Cavaliers last May, his friend wasn’t there. That doesn’t mean as much today as his 12-3 record. First time coaching. Superb record. The drama is partly who cares drama now. So much is working out for Nurse in the early going, and never mind the fans barely acknowledged him on Wednesday night and the Raptors let a win turned into a loss.

And yes, after going through the indignity of winning coach of the year and getting fired after a record season, and wondering about misplaced personal loyalties, it was worked out well for Casey. He is coaching the Detroit Pistons, a franchise with a few stars and a roster in need of building. He is surrounded by the kind of basketball people he has hoped to be surrounded by in Toronto. And he’s getting serious money, five years, somewhere around $40 million US. Life changing money for a guy who never made a lot over the years. Now his kids and his kid’s kids will be taken care of forever.

So Ujiri wins. And Nurse wins. And Casey wins on a night when his Pistons made a last second bucket to win a game they had no business winning.

It’s all happily ever after. For now. For everybody involved as we now return to the scheduled portion of the regular season.

Raptors vs. Pistons: Nick Nurse owes everything to Dwane Casey, so this is awkward – SBNation.com

In an office lined with books and posters of jazz musicians, Nurse sits silently in the dark — his way of fending off unnecessary stimulation — pondering the differences between him and Casey.

“Coaching philosophy-wise…” he pauses and turns to the side, his wrinkled eyebrows lining eyes that peer down thick-framed glasses.

He wraps his hand on his closed MacBook a couple of times. Nurse comes off as a terminal thinker. When media members ask him a question he hasn’t pondered before, he’ll often turn his gaze to the ceiling and bob his head back and forth. The gears are constantly grinding.

“I don’t know. I can’t really think of what the differences are,” he says, playing into an obvious question: Why fire Casey and hire Nurse, an assistant who is presumably similar to him?

But they are different, right? Casey was a merchant of order. Nurse seems to embrace chaos.

“I wouldn’t phrase it that way either. I embrace structure, right? But I do believe in freedom of action and freedom of choice a little bit. But I’m not comparing that, that [Casey] didn’t either.”

There is truth in what Nurse is saying. Casey proved adaptable when Ujiri called for a “culture reset” last summer. The defensive architect shifted his focus to offense. Summer scrimmages featured a four-point line. Casey wrangled two stars, Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, into sharing the ball and economizing their shot selection. He mandated 30 triples per game. He grinned and bore it when they clanked off the rim for weeks. He held up his end of the bargain.

In the end, it wasn’t enough.

Maybe with Leonard and Green, two shooters replacing two non-shooters in DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl, Casey’s sensibilities would have been enough. With Poeltl and Lucas Nogeiura no longer causing a log-jam at center, maybe he would have moved Valanciunas to the bench and elected to play more small-ball.

Maybe Casey would have changed the starting lineup, but he certainly wouldn’t have changed it nearly every game on the basis of matchups, like Nurse has. Casey settled into three main lineups last year: the starters, the bench mob, and the closing lineup, which featured Fred VanVleet in place of O.G. Anunoby, with an occasional mix-and-match of big men. He believes in continuity. Nurse wants the Raptors lineups to be so interchangeable by the end of the year that he’s trying to eradicate the word “unit” from his vocabulary.

Detroit Pistons: Bullock hits buzzer beater in Casey’s return to Toronto – Piston Powered

The game flipped when Casey inserted his bench late in the third quarter; a unit that some would call a collection of misfits and spare parts. However, early on this season, the bench has sparked a number of key runs in Piston wins, and even kept them in games where they came up short.

The insertion of Stanley Johnson guarding Kawhi Leonard turned around the game for Detroit as well. Leonard had only had 7 points for the rest of the game after having 19 with six minutes left in the third, coupled with four turnovers.

The seldom used Jon Leuer also got some action over Zaza Pachulia in the pivotal run late in the third, and was a plus five with four points and four rebounds.

Those numbers aren’t eye-popping, but Leuer had an impact along with Langston Galloway (13 points, six assists, plus seven) and Stanley Johnson (12 points on 5-of-8 shooting, plus five).

Detroit went on a 28-13 run led by these players over a 10 minute span, to make it 92-88 with less than eight minutes in the game.

Johnson had two big triples to pull Detroit within one, and then Reggie Jackson hit two shots to put Detroit up 100-97. The offense had some of the typical late game problems that have hurt them in previous losses late, with a lack of ball-movement and execution and a few too many hero shots.

Toronto took advantage of this and tied the score at 104 on a Leonard 10-foot pull-up jumper with 38.8 seconds remaining.

This time however, Detroit got just enough offense and the right recipe on the defensive with some timely stops to put themselves in position to win.

Detroit misfired on its possession with less than 30 seconds left, but received good fortune when Leonard dribbled the ball out-of-bounds off his foot with two seconds on the clock.

The Detroit Pistons took advantage and scored a win on the Bullock buzzer beater.

 

Pistons vs. Raptors final score: Detroit wins 106-104 after miraculous comeback in Dwane Casey’s return to Toronto – Detroit Bad Boys

f you were only to watch the first 60 percent of this game, you would have thought it was another aimless game for Detroit, as they found themselves down by 19 points with 3:13 left to go in the third quarter. At this point, for most Pistons not named Blake Griffin, their energy level looked depleted, the urgency was non-existent, and it appeared that Detroit was well on their way to being blown out by 25+ points.

Then… something happened.

Detroit slowly started to chip away from Toronto’s lead – kicked off initially by the token Ish Smith freelance offense, who finished the night with eight points and five assists. Ish knifed his way through Toronto’s defense, finding easy buckets for himself and the surrounding bench players on the floor. Even Jon Leuer saw some action, putting in a couple buckets that helped the Pistons knock the Raptors lead to 11 points come the end of the third quarter.

Then, in the fourth quarter, one of the most crucial aspects to Detroit’s comeback (aside from another monster game from Blake Griffin – 30 points, 12 rebounds, three assists), was the play of Stanley Johnson. Johnson (12 points, one dime and a couple boards) played phenomenal defense on Kawhi Leonard, and hit back-to-back three pointers

Detroit Pistons win one for Dwane Casey on Reggie Bullock’s buzzer-beater against Toronto Raptors – Detroit News

The crowd was stunned at the outcome, as the Pistons (7-6) clawed their way back in the final 15 minutes, behind Stanley Johnson’s defense on Kawhi Leonard and Blake Griffin’s 30 points and 12 rebounds.

An elated Casey clapped and joined the celebration on the far end of the court, as the Pistons won their third straight on the road and ended their six-game losing streak against the Raptors (12-3).

“I felt good for the players because we were 19 (points) down but didn’t give up or give in and they kept scrapping,” Casey said. “That’s got to be who we are each and every night and we’ve been working on that. Tonight, we were successful with it, against a very good team.”

Game Centre: Buzzer-beater gives Dwane Casey’s Pistons win over Raptors | The Star [subscription]

Upholding the tradition: The biggest roar of the night outside of the ovations for Casey was directed at OG Anunoby, who continued a time-honoured Raptors tradition by dunking on Andre Drummond with Toronto’s first basket in the second quarter. James Johnson would be proud. Honourable mention goes out to Fred VanVleet, who left Reggie Jackson’s head spinning on a drive for two in the third quarter.

 

Raptors’ Nurse considering ultra-modern, positionless lineup – Sportsnet.ca

Pascal Siakam, Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, OG Anunoby, and Serge Ibaka. No point guard. No designated floor-runner. No positions at all, really. Just five big, athletic dudes playing basketball.

“I’m hoping to get to an even more versatile lineup,” Nurse said before his Raptors fell in agonizing fashion, 106-104, to the Detroit Pistons. “And you’ll say, ‘Who’s bringing the ball up the floor?’ And I’ll say, ‘Oh, well, maybe Pascal. Or maybe Kawhi. Maybe OG.’”

It doesn’t matter, does it? A lineup like that would be as flexible as any the Raptors could deploy. What roles everybody plays would be decided instinctually, on the fly, in the heat of the moment. Who brings the ball up the floor? Well, who came down with the defensive rebound?

If Siakam brought the ball up the floor, Green and Anunoby could space the offence from beyond the three-point arc while Leonard or Ibaka posted up. If Leonard was on the ball, Ibaka could set a screen for him while Siakam and Anunoby both cut into the paint and Green faded to the corner. If Anunoby was carrying the ball, well, he might just try to go end to end.

All five can shoot. All five can create. All five can defend multiple positions. Playing together, they’re going to create all kinds of problems.

That’s why the NBA’s been moving in this direction for years. Why try to fit your personnel into rigid lineup archetypes from decades ago? Why not try to build a roster of pure athletes — versatile, positionless specimen who can do it all — throw them on the floor together and let them figure it out? And, in turn, challenge your opposition to figure them out.

Raptors HQ Roundtable: On the rise of Siakam and OG, the 76ers with Jimmy Butler, and more – Raptors HQ

2) Has Pascal Siakam reached his ceiling yet? If not, what does his full potential look like?
Sully: I believe that Siakam hasn’t reached his ceiling because there is one obvious area he can still improve upon: his shooting. If he can knock down not only the three-point shot but also hit the shots from mid-range at a high percentage and with consistency, then I think that is where we see Siakam’s peak.

Where Siakam’s ceiling and full potential would cap off, though, would be improving his game in the post, on the fly decision-making on both ends of the floor, and the ability to run transition offense with the credibility of a true point guard. He still has a couple of more years left to become a complete dominant athletic forward.

Josh: If the jump shot doesn’t develop, then I would say Pascal is pretty near his ceiling, but if we’re confident his jump shot will come around — and given how much he’s improved in his two-plus seasons so far, there’s no reason to doubt that he’ll continue to get better — then he’s nowhere near his ceiling.

As for his potential, he really reminds me of Scottie Pippen; Pippen was a lanky, raw athlete from a small school who came into the league as a relative unknown and quickly became a great defender, while his play-making and scoring developed a little more slowly. Sounds just like Siakam! That’s a high bar, but Siakam’s got that potential.

Justin: Siakam has shown us he’s capable of 23 point-games. He can shoot threes. He looks confident. And he can get to the line. Now it’s a question of ‘can he sustain this kind of form for more than one week?’ And that’s what he’ll be working on doing every game. It’s amazing how something like trusting your potential can elevate you to another level and that’s what I think about when I’ve watched Siakam this season. He’s a 23-year-old kid who’s learned to trust himself. And now we’re seeing the results of that.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-b4uCkdfNc

Player Outlooks: Pascal Siakam a Growing Threat On Offense – Raptors Rapture

So where does an AK47-like Siakam fit in with Toronto? One thing Siakam appears to be doing this season is making a case to have more offensive looks come his way in the future. He’s grown every season in the league thus far, especially this season, so it shouldn’t be surprising.

Defenses will ultimately begin to take him seriously, so his current statistics should be taken with a grain of salt — however, Siakam seems to be in a confident place offensively and ready to perform either way.

This is what needs to improve though: his long range shot, obviously, and his finishing ability around the basket. Either dunk the ball or make the layup. Far too many times Siakam is leaving the ball hanging on the rim because of an out of control move. If he wants to be an offensive option, he has to clean up those wild shots around the basket.

Let’s say he does these things — cleans up his post game and finds himself a consistent long-range shot — again, where does that leave him?

I’m operating in best-case-scenario territory here, and I’m assuming Kawhi Leonard loves what he sees in this roster and in his future with the team, ultimately deciding to re-sign with Toronto. Kyle Lowry is still incredible, but the reality is that he’s an aging point guard. He’s going to get a visit from Father Time sooner than later.

The team needs a second option who can provide more than 30 minutes per night on average. My suggestion for the role would be Siakam.

NBA — How nine teams are navigating their biggest chemistry questions – ESPN

Chemistry question: Will Kawhi Leonard fit after such a public divorce from San Antonio?

New star, new coach — what could go wrong? Well, so far, so good in The Six.

Despite concerns about trading away DeMar DeRozan, the cornerstone of what easily has been the best stretch in franchise history, the Raptors have come out flying to start the season, and even after losing to the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night have a 14-2 record.

What has made things work so well? Kawhi Leonard looking like an MVP candidate again certainly helps. So, too, does Kyle Lowry playing some of the best basketball of his career. But head coach Nick Nurse also deserves a ton of credit for the work he’s doing with this team.

By getting the roster to buy into fluctuating lineups and rotations based on who the opponent is, and how they play, the Raptors have become one of the most versatile teams in the league — and have taken advantage of their depth and athleticism across the roster. With veterans such as Serge Ibaka having renaissance seasons and youngsters such as Pascal Siakam coming into their own, the Raptors suddenly have one of the strongest rosters in the league and have emerged as the early favorite to reach their first NBA Finals. — Tim Bontemps

 

Free from ‘San Antonio Mafia,’ Kawhi Leonard Is Everything Raptors Hoped for | Bleacher Report

Celebrate a big play with a shimmy or pantomime or any extravagant use of added energy? Forget it.

The same goes with words. It was assumed Leonard did not like to be interviewed because in San Antonio he rarely was. The media who are around him on a regular basis in Toronto, however, say he can be perfectly engaging and then suddenly an invisible timer will go off in his head that will make him abruptly end the interview. Same goes with actual sentences. Once he feels he has conveyed whatever he wants to say, he will stop, even if the sentence isn’t complete.

General manager Bobby Webster accompanied the team on its four-game swing, presumably for the front office to take every and any opportunity to get to know him better. With one of the stops being in L.A., it would also be prudent to be around to monitor with whom he might cross paths, as well, but Raptors players and executives downplay the idea that they’re in any way anxious about fighting off Leonard’s other suitors. Lowry said he will not make a point of trying to convince him to stay. “I don’t ever do any of that stuff,” he said. “My teammates are my brothers. Above anything else, I want them to do whatever makes them happy.”

Perhaps out of deference to his friend and former teammate DeRozan, Lowry has been circumspect publicly about how much Leonard has improved the team. But a league source said Lowry privately has expressed amazement at just how good Leonard is. “Lowry has told people, ‘This guy is something else,'” the source said.

Is it something that could propel the Raptors to their first Finals appearance? That remains to be seen. All that seems certain is this: He’s something other than he was made out to be in San Antonio last season. For the Raptors, for now, that appears to be plenty.

 

10 NBA players off to a hot start | Larry Brown Sports

2. Kawhi Leonard, Raptors

No one knew what to expect from Kawhi this season. He was stepping into a new situation in Toronto, and his health was unclear — would he return to 100 percent after missing practically all of this season with a quadriceps injury? The answer is clear: yes. Yes, yes, yes. Kawhi is back. The two-way stud is playing 32.6 minutes per game, and he seems to have fit in perfectly with the Raptors, who have looked like the class of the East when he has suited up. Further, Kawhi is hitting 38.1 percent of his three-point attempts, and his 7.7 rebounds per game are a career high. A Leonard-Butler showdown in the playoffs would be a lot of fun — two enigmatic superstars fighting for their reputations, for their next contracts, and for East supremacy.

Did I miss something? Send me any Raptors-related article/video to rapsfan@raptorsrepublic.com. I’m also on Twitter.