Samson and Tre go live from the Pint in Toronto to react to the Raptors destroying the Hawks in their season opener.
From Louis’ write up on the game:
“In a way, the Raptors assumed the personalities of their best offensive and defensive players, Ingram and Barnes. They were consistent and professional, like Ingram, never changing their approach. Their athleticism jumped off the page, like Barnes, resulting in transition dominance and bundles of offensive rebounds.”
“It is not an exaggeration to say that practically every Raptor played his role to perfection. The bench flat-out dominated. Even erstwhile weaknesses turned into strengths, at least for one night. And so the Raptors are 1-0, first in the East, after smacking a team that even plugged-in, intelligent observers believed to be clearly superior to Toronto coming into the season. The Ingram era is off to a blazing start.”
“Gradey was being used in a multitude of ways in the halfcourt tonight. His speed running off of pin downs is exhilarating and his movement shooting impressed tonight as well. Gradey was also great in transition, he was the recipient of many outlet passes and got himself some nice easy looks, he played his role on offense practically perfectly today. He was also putting in a lot of effort on defense as well, diving for loose balls, and getting his hands in the lane to break up passes.
Grade: A+“
“Quickley left a lot of meat on the bone tonight as a scorer, he had more than enough great looks tonight to put in more than 13 points. What he did do was make sure the Raptors pace was high, and really push the ball in transition and he was able to rack up assists tonight doing this. He is a much better jump shooter than he showed tonight, but its clear that he had value as a playmaker tonight. Solid defence, too.
Grade: B-“
“Barnes had a really complete game tonight on both ends of the floor. He made quick decisions as a passer, he had a few passes after screening that were eye-popping, including a touch pass to Poeltl for an easy layup. He used his size well tonight, and really imposed his will on the paint, and mixed in a couple of mid-range jumpers as well. His length was bothersome for Atlanta’s offense as well, he made a lot of their rim looks uncomfy.
Grade: A+“
Have a blessed day.
