https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DYVXBCJluU
A statement from our president Masai Ujiri. pic.twitter.com/ykekTq53XM
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) August 20, 2020
Raptors getting creative against LeVert, Nets in NBA playoffs – Yahoo!
To make a long story short, the Toronto Raptors have made life miserable for Caris LeVert.
LeVert was a bonafide star in the seeding games, averaging 25 points per game and earning All-Bubble Second Team honours while leading the walking wounded Brooklyn Nets to a 5-3 record. He scored 37 and went toe-to-toe with Damian Lillard as the Nets nearly knocked the red-hot Portland Trail Blazers out of playoff contention.
However, it’s been a different story against the Raptors. Through two games, LeVert is shooting 10-for-36 from the field and averaging 15.5 points. In Game 2, LeVert shot 2-of-14 from the first quarter onward as the Nets fell into a 2-0 series deficit against the defending champions. LeVert’s shot chart so far looks like a literal bloodbath.
The Raptors, of course, have made LeVert the focus of their second-ranked defence. And in keeping with how they guarded all season, head coach Nick Nurse is throwing the book at LeVert. In two games, Nurse has used at least seven different strategies against LeVert, which is ludicrous even by his standard.
Raptors have slowed down LeVert to put Nets on the ropes – Video – TSN
Brooklyn’s Caris LeVert was one of the hottest players in the NBA bubble during the seeding games, but so far the Raptors have done a good job of slowing him down. Fred VanVleet has started games on him, but the Raps are crowding him, sending multiple defenders and showing LeVert different looks. Josh Lewenberg has more.
Small Raptors lineup effective in Game 2; Is there utility vs. Bucks or Celtics? – The Athletic
Would it be useful against Boston?
There is a risk in letting what your opponent wants to do dictate what you do. If they go small, maybe there are advantages to staying big, and vice versa. Boston is the best example of this because they’re armed with a lot of guards and wings; their theoretical smaller units are pretty enticing on paper. It was one of the key matchup points we were expecting to discuss before Gordon Hayward’s injury; Hayward’s injury limits their wing depth and the potential utility of those lineups while also making a screening threat a bit more important with one less isolation scorer.
Whether the Celtics will have an appetite to go smaller is unclear right now in a series against Joel Embiid. On the season, they played 998 possessions without a centre with a plus-5.2 net rating. Only half of that sample came without Hayward, and that half of the sample was much less effective (plus-1.7 net rating). Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum still make up a good four-fifths of a smaller lineup, but replacing Hayward with Grant Williams, Semi Ojeleye, Romeo Langford, Brad Wanamaker or Carsen Edwards is a bit tougher for size, spacing or both. (Grant Williams is the best bet as the small-ball centre; he is strong and cool.)
The Celtics going small themselves doesn’t necessarily dictate if Toronto can. Enes Kanter probably requires a bigger body on the glass if he’s getting the backup centre minutes, but he is usually only comfortable in a more conservative defensive scheme a smaller lineup might take advantage of. Robert Williams is probably a better fit for the Raptors series with his combination of rim protection and vertical threat. (Boucher might be a nice counter in that regard.) Daniel Theis can pull Gasol or Ibaka from the paint a bit but not enough to necessitate downsizing.
Again here, the Raptors would probably prefer for their bigs to be playing well and dictate their own terms, maybe even going bigger at times. Playing small can play into some of what Boston likes to do at both ends of the floor, and that might hold with Hayward out. The Rockets had some luck with their five-out approach against the Celtics in February, but some of Boston’s worst defensive nights on the year were against standard or bigger teams (San Antonio, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Indiana).
“There’s also sometimes you don’t want to give in to playing small if they’re playing small,” Nurse said. “You want your big guys to be able to play and combat that they’re playing so small. And you’ve gotta weigh that sometimes, too. You can’t be super hard-headed sometimes about that. Sometimes you’ve gotta go with a smaller matchup. So there’s all kinds of stuff working there.”
Game 3: Nets look to get back in the series against the champs – NetsDaily
Player to watch: Pascal Siakam
It hasn’t been the best showing on offense for Toronto’s leading man two games, but he’s definitely doing others and helping key Toronto’s defensive attack. For a young star like Siakam, being able to be a reliable scorer, good passer, and ace defender allows you to always be engaged and making an impact somewhere.
All eyes are on Caris Levert, and even more so now that Harris out as well. The shot isn’t there so far, but his playmaking has been A+ so far as he put together another double digit assist game. He played 39 minutes on Wednesday and it feels like he might have to go 40+ from here on out. As long as he’s aggressive and finding good shots, he’ll keep the Nets in it.
Game 2 Turning Point: When the Raptors’ OG Anunoby got hit and said enough – Raptors HQ
As you can see in the clip and the appended GIF, Kurucs sets the screen on OG and then does a little appending of his own by lifting his shoulder into the face of Anunoby, knocking him flat on his back. It was an out-and-out dirty play, and not a surprising one from Kurucs, who has spent both games of this series (and most of his career) careening out of control around the court. In fact, his play had gotten bad enough that Brooklyn coach Jacque Vaughn went with Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (who, admittedly, has been on fire) in Kurucs’ place in the Game 2 starting lineup.
Anyway, the refs looked into the play and deemed it a common foul — rather than a flagrant — which gained the Raptors little, save for possession (and the return of Jarrett Allen in Kurucs’ place). Anunoby had been shaken up by the play, staying down for several seconds, but he was now clearly — such as it is when you’re consistently stone-faced — pissed off.
On the very next trip down the floor, with the Raptors still searching for their first lead of the second half, Anunoby got the ball on the wing and decided he had had enough. Let’s watch:
The “angry” headline in that tweet applies. Anunoby dunked that ball with purpose — both to get the Raptors the lead and to show the Nets they shouldn’t mess with him. After a VanVleet miss and a LeVert make, the ball found OG on the wing once more and he tried it again, this time blowing by LeVert to meet Allen at the rim, drawing the foul. Two free throws later, the Raptors had reclaimed the lead — and this time they did not relinquish it until the final buzzer sounded.
Anunoby didn’t score again in Game 2 and only finished with six points on 2-of-8 shooting. But for a few minutes there, as the Raptors finally got going on both ends of the floor to seal the victory, OG looked every bit the fearsome forward we’ve expected him to be. And with his teammates playing off that vibe, the Raptors kept up their winning ways, ultimately sealing Game 2 with a defensive stand.
In all, it wasn’t the prettiest game for Toronto, but much like OG’s game: they got the job done with brisk authority.
The Raptors are in good shape, but more offence from Marc Gasol could go a long way | The Star
Those are concerns for another day, for sure. But it’s not exactly comforting to know that Gasol, at age 35, went scoreless in 17 minutes in an out-of-sorts Game 2. In 85 career NBA playoff games, it was the first time the Spaniard has put up a goose egg, according to numbers available at Basketball-Reference.com.
“Marc had a tough one” is how Nick Nurse, the Toronto head coach, summed it up.
At least Ibaka, after a 22-point performance in Game 1, scored eight points on nine shots in Game 2, after which the head coach praised Ibaka for being “energetic,” if not efficient.
“I mean that’s the nice thing about having them (both),” Nurse was saying on Thursday. “That’s kind of my job, is to figure out who’s got it on the night and who to have in there … This is the playoffs. It changes every game, good to bad, and it usually moves itself around, as we found out last year.”
That’s the positive way to spin it, for sure. If we’re using last year’s results as a harbinger of near-future performance, then it’s worth betting on the imminent arrival of something the Raptors came to expect during their 2019 run to the championship — specifically, the Marc Gasol bounceback game. The mercurial centre had his share, probably the most dramatic of which came at his team’s neediest moment of the Eastern final against the Bucks. Gasol, if you’ll remember, shot a combined 3-for-20 from the field in the opening two losses, scoring just two points in a dismal Game 2. But he helped save the season with a strong performance in a vital Game 3 win, going a crucial 4-for-8 from three-point range en route to 16 points — a bit of production that helped spread out Milwaukee’s defence and unlock some much-needed space for Toronto’s slashers.
Indeed, while it’s in Gasol’s nature to be a pass-first facilitator, it’s still important for him to look for his shot — especially when the defence is blatantly giving it to him. To do otherwise is to bog down the offence.
Statement from Masai Ujiri | Toronto Raptors
Thank you to everybody who has expressed disappointment and concern regarding the video that was recently released. My family and I are deeply grateful for your care and consideration.
The video sadly demonstrates how horribly I was treated by a law enforcement officer last year in the midst of my team, the Toronto Raptors, winning its first world championship. It was an exhilarating moment of achievement for our organization, for our players, for our city, for our country, and for me personally, given my long-tenured professional journey in the NBA. Yet, unfortunately, I was reminded in that moment that despite all of my hard work and success, there are some people, including those who are supposed to protect us, who will always and only see me as something that is unworthy of respectful engagement. And, there’s only one indisputable reason why that is the case – because I am Black.
What saddens me most about this ordeal is that the only reason why I am getting the justice I deserve in this moment is because of my success. Because I’m the President of a NBA team, I had access to resources that ensured I could demand and fight for my justice. So many of my brothers and sisters haven’t had, don’t have, and won’t have the same access to resources that assured my justice. And that’s why Black Lives Matter.
And that’s why it’s important for all of us to keep demanding justice. Justice for George. Justice for Breonna. Justice for Elijah. Justice for far too many Black lives that mattered. And justice for Black people around the world, who need our voice and our compassion to save their lives.
Those are the ties that bind us.
With love and determination,
Masai Ujiri
Koreen: Masai Ujiri’s countersuit is a powerful tool against cynicism – The Athletic
It’s easy to dismiss Kelly’s statement, and Strickland’s supporters, but they might be the most important elements in all this. There is clear evidence that Strickland, and not Ujiri, initiated contact in the confrontation. After Strickland initiated it, he exacerbated it. You cannot watch the video and disagree. It is irrefutable if you have fealty to facts.
That’s the rub: There are plenty of people who have no desire to learn the truth, and there are those in power relying on that ignorance to further their agendas. It’s why this case could make those seeking to see genuine, lasting, systemic change be cynical about the possibility of it happening. The Sheriff’s office is an institution, and institutions exist to perpetuate their own importance and power. If the office is willing to cover its eyes and dispute facts this clear, it’s easy to imagine what it might do in the absence of such evidence.
It’s why the Strickland incident is about so much more than a few “scumbag” officers, to borrow Lowry’s phrase. (Lowry knows this, too.) It’s why there is power to Ujiri’s countersuit. Those seeking change need proof that the powerful can actually be held accountable. Communities that have been subject to systemic racism have been victimized by that failure far too often. It’s why the tweet below from the Toronto Star last week was met with such widespread mockery. (The “#Breaking” in the tweet referred to the release of the study, not to its findings.)
“Obviously we all are all privileged, and Masai is pretty privileged in his world, and you just stop and think about how good we got it, because there’s people who are going to be in that same situation walking down the street who don’t have money to fight the case, who don’t have 20,000 people in the stands and don’t have the abilities to countersue,” said Raptors guard Fred VanVleet. “How many times do cops do that without the bodycam on, without the arena footage?”
VanVleet’s point is essential, as is the logical flip side to it, as pointed out by both VanVleet and my colleague Kavitha Davidson: If this can happen to Ujiri, a high-powered man in the middle of a 20,000-seat arena in which the vast majority of people know who he is, imagine what happens so often in the shadows?
Raptors’ Masai Ujiri: Altercation with officer happened ‘because I am Black’ – ESPN
On Thursday, veterans Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka once again backed Ujiri in his fight.
“It [the video] shows why we’re supportive of the social [initiatives] that are going on right now,” Lowry said.
“It shows why we’re supporting of the Black Lives Matter. It shows why we need to get out there and vote. It shows why we need to get those guys to arrest the murderers of Breonna Taylor because there’s police officers like that officer out there who are scumbags, basically.
Ibaka added that the situation was “sad” because he felt like no one believed Ujiri’s side of the story at first.
“As a Black president in the NBA, as a Black man, it’s hard. As a Black person, you against a white cop, in this country, you know, it’s hard. Nobody is going to believe you,” Ibaka said.
“Things should never be like this in all other places. No matter where you come from, no matter your color, things should never be like that. Like I said, if Masai didn’t have that money or if he wasn’t in the position he is now, he’d be guilty. Thank God now everyone can see what happened that day. This connected us to understand this fight is far from being over. We have to stick together and we have to fight this fight together.”
“Mr. Strickland has promulgated disparaging and dehumanizing lies about Mr. Ujiri’s character in an attempt to justify Mr. Strickland’s wrongdoing … however, video footage and a number of eyewitness accounts establish that Mr. Ujiri was the victim of Mr. Strickland’s intentional conduct and that Mr. Strickland used unnecessary violence and profanity to escalate what should have been a peaceful encounter,” the counterclaim reads.
Ujiri said Thursday that his position gives him an advantage to take on a cop where others don’t have that luxury.
“What saddens me most about this ordeal is that the only reason why I am getting the justice I deserve in this moment is because of my success,” his statement read. “Because I’m the President of an NBA team, I had access to resources that ensured I could demand and fight for my justice. So many of my brothers and sisters haven’t had, don’t have, and won’t have the same access to resources that assured my justice. And that’s why Black Lives Matter.”
It is a point not lost on the Raptors’ players, who have steadfastly supported Ujiri since the incident and continue to hammer home messages denouncing police brutality and social injustice.
“It shows why we’re supporting of Black Lives Matter,” all-star point guard Kyle Lowry, who eventually escorted Ujiri onto the court to celebrate last June, said Thursday. “It shows why we need to get out there and vote. It shows why we need to get those guys to arrest the murderers of Breonna Taylor (killed in March in Kentucky), because there’s police officers like that officer out there who are scumbags, basically.”
Ujiri’s reputation around the NBA is unsullied and players, general managers and team presidents were taken aback by allegations he could have precipitated a violent attack.
‘This is why we kneel’: Rautins compares his Game 6 NBA Finals experience to Ujiri’s – Video – TSN
Leo Rautins, who walked onto the court with ease after Game 6 of the NBA Finals, strongly states that the only difference between him and Ujiri is that he’s white and Ujiri is Black, and says what happened in Oakland is the reason we kneel.
Let’s be clear, the NBA deserves to be commended for its leadership among professional sport leagues in addressing racial and gender equity. But despite the NBA’s apparent progressiveness, much more work is required to stem the anti-Black racism demonstrated in the behaviour of some fans and personnel employed in stadiums. As we see in this incident, the behaviour of institutions the NBA partners with, such as police forces, affects the sport.
Several videos have been released that clearly point to Mr. Ujiri attempting to get on to the court to celebrate the 2019 championship with his team. The newly released video reveals Mr. Ujiri reaching for his pass in his suit jacket inside pocket, and being denied the ability to show it. Mr. Strickland shoved Mr. Ujiri twice and he retaliated, pushing Mr. Strickland back once. Eventually, of course, Mr. Ujiri reached the court, but the celebrations of the Raptors’ championship victory were marred by initial reports incorrectly framing him as the aggressor in the scuffle, bringing the team president’s reputation and judgement into question. Mr. Strickland subsequently sued Mr. Ujiri, claiming injuries.
Some argue that Mr. Ujiri did not have the correct pass, or should have pulled out his credentials earlier. This refrain will be familiar to anyone with knowledge of racist restrictions on the travel of Black people in apartheid South Africa, or Canadian practices designed to confine First Nations to reserves. The military, police and sheriff’s deputies have been using unjustified violence, stereotypes and lies related to showing a pass as tools of white supremacy since the 1800s.
It is naive to think that this is the first time Mr. Ujiri has faced anti-Black racism in the sport world and beyond. Mr. Strickland might have taken a few seconds to read the pass, note the credentials and acknowledge that he did in fact have the right to be on the court, but who gets a “pass” in those situations? Not a Black NBA player attending his university graduation ceremony during playoffs, not a Black NFL player kneeling during the national anthem, not Black MLB players or stadium workers being berated by racist fans, and definitely not a Black president of an NBA team.
Michelle Obama felt the need to clarify her famous statement, “When they go low, we go high,” acknowledging the need for new tactics to combat anti-Black racism. Ms. Obama set the record straight and stated, “going high does not mean putting on a smile and saying nice things when confronted by viciousness and cruelty.”
What occurred to Mr. Ujiri was a cruel anti-Black racist act.
He will now have to “go high” and prove his innocence in court, a painful reminder of the failure of sporting institutions, even those with predominantly Black athletes, to eliminate anti-Black racism from their spaces.
Did I miss something? Send me any Raptors related article/video/tweet/anything: rapsfan@raptorsrepublic.com
