Overreaction: Game 7/82 - The Curse Is For Real

What a bummer. No Kawhi. No Giannis. No FVV and no OG. Did I expect the Raptors to win? To be honest, no. But I expected them to put themselves in a position where they have a chance. A chance that never happened. The Milwaukee Bucks pulled away in the 2nd half and the Raptors' wheels fell apart. Admittedly, I was barely paying attention to the game, as I spent pretty much the entire game carving our jack-o-lantern pumpkin with my little one.

• 22 points on a 10/16 shooting for Pascal Siakam. Is this his career high? He looked great playing extended minutes, and I really hope that he can sink at least 1 of every 4 threes that he would hoist up. While the box score only shows 2 assists, he had a few situations where the receiver did not finish, and he has at least 2 hockey assists.
• My Serge Ibaka apology streak just won't end. I've been eating crow when it comes to Ibaka-baka-baka as I've written him off this season. Now, he looks like he's an important cog for this Raptors team.
• CJ Miles' Go-Daddy curse is back, and this time it's worse. If he's not bricking shots, he's turning the ball over. You know it's bad if you played worse than Malachi and Lorenzo Brown.
• Kyle Lowry's shooting went back to earth, and what an unfortunate time for it to happen. It also didn't help that the Bucks defense focused on contesting his shots and making him more of a passer. I doubt that will be the case next game.
• Is it just me or Norm doesn't get the ball a lot whenever he's on the same floor with Ibaka? Norm posted a modest 2/3 FG tonight, yet as a starting SG, he should have been more aggressive and have more shots than that.
• Defense needs a lot of work - whether it's switching or just plain communication. It was terrible tonight.
• I know this is Delon's 1st real game, but at his age and given he's in his contract year, I expect a jump in terms of what he can bring to the table - and I'm still waiting.
• I love that Nurse is willing to enable and empower his non-starters, giving guys that are on the end of the bench to build up confidence. Malachi played decent tonight, hitting a 3, playing good positional defense a few times, and showing more effort and defensive awareness than before.
• Is it Casey or.... Well, let's look at this. Lowry's hit a new gear, DeRozan is flourishing in San Antonio, Alfonzo McKinnie is playing really well for the dubs, and the Raptors offense looked better and different from Casey's tenure. Ibaka and JV had been great for the most part. Was Casey holding them back?

Overreaction: Game 2/82 - Who's the best team in the East again?

• Kawhi scares me, and the man is hella rusty.  Just imagine if he's back to form.
• Siakam got the start again, this time with Ibaka. He had his moments, but it wasn't a good game for him. Still a work in progress.
• Speaking of Ibaka - I apologize to #mafuzzy #aveclasse Serge Ibaka. I was expecting a good game from him based on the opposing team, but I was not expecting him to be REALLY GOOD!
• OG had a lowkey good game - 9pts on 4-6 shooting with one 3pt make, but he was part of the stifling closing 5 for the Raps.
• I really feel that FVV is over-dribbling at times -- and I think that's mainly because the players were too slow to go through their offensive sets. Once they get more reps, I expect the ball to stick less and see a much more fluid ball movement.
• Long shot, long rebound. At least, that was ingrained to me as a wannabe baller growing up. Yet the Raps can't figure that part out. Two games in, and they're bleeding offensive rebounds. If it weren't for those miscues, they would be blowing the Cavs and the Celtics out of the water.
• Kyle Lowry is at his best when he is the best role player on the team. He was all over the floor tonight, and it was a good thing. He had enough to come up with the clutch shots late in the game.
• If I am those other GMs, I'd monitor the Jaylen Brown situation closely. I thought he played well enough to close the game yet Brad Stevens went with Scary Terry.
• I actually downplayed the importance of this game when I was asked by my friends and coworkers today - I told them that hey, Kawhi is still getting his conditioning, Hayward and Kyrie are coming back from surgeries, and these two teams won't look the same 2 months from now. But damn, it felt like a playoff game tonight.
• Are we still doubting Nick Nurse? I know it's only 2 games, but these are 2 games that looked drastically different from what we've seen last year -- and he's pushed the right buttons on key situations.
• It'll be fun to rewatch the game again tomorrow!

Overreaction: Raptors 122, Mavs 115 (aka Best Practice Game Ever)

• We Won the Game When: Carlisle decided it was time to keep turning the ball over
• Best Fixed Game Ever? The game felt like Carlisle had the full Raptors playbook and defended every set play beautifully. They even trapped Derozan frequently, which is something that DeMar will see in the playoffs.
• Siakam's Offensive Tool Kit: Pascal was doing a lot of things offensively tonight, and his face up game is starting to look more and more fluid.
• Pick Someone Your Own Size: It was fun to see VanVleet and Barea go toe to toe.
• Inbound Nerves: I'm starting to become less and less confident with CJ Miles inbounding the ball. He's committed a few now in the clutch. I hope this does not become a trend.
• DeMar's Off-Night: DeMar couldn't buy a basket (well defended most of the time) going 8-23, but got to the line 14 times, and still hit a clutch 3 to tie the game in OT.
• Ghosts of Daddy's Past: Seeing Doug McBuckets hit those 3s bring back past painful memories of Chicago Bulls owning the Raptors.
• No JV in the 4th: With Nerlens Noel and Dwight Powell on the frontcourt, the Ibaka-Valanciunas frontcourt pair looked slow and old. Casey countered with a Siakam-Ibaka and the defence got better.
• Clutch FTs: JV came in OT with 13 seconds to go, and was sent to the line multiple times. How many centres in the league would be utilized on this type of scenario where they are trusted to take and make FTs?
• Dallas Future in Toronto's Hands: Toronto's own - Dwight Powell has been on a tear since the All-Star break. His ceiling just keeps getting higher and higher.

Overreaction: Raptors 121, Piss 119. Casey bets on VanVleet.

• We Won the Game When: Amid the confusion and plays/ defence breaking down, DeRozan drove down the middle to draw all the defenders only to find VanVleet for the corner jumper. Impressive confidence.
• Finding Mojo: Norman Powell got the start, and it looks like he got his mojo back. Tonight might be his best game this season.
• Baka: In Japanese = "stupid." Ibaka had a very stupid game tonight.  Missing a lot of wide open shots, fouling instead of defending, and getting thrown out. What a hat-trick.
• On the Decline: Hot take here, but it feels like Kyle Lowry's offensive game is really on a decline. Yes, he's still all over the place getting rebounds, steals, assists, etc. but it's hard to rely on him anymore as a scorer. I don't know and maybe he doesn't know when he'll be able to score. Far cry from the last 2 years when he was scoring at will. But hey, he came alive with 2 4pt plays when the Raptors made a run.
• Bebe #Utilized: Bebe only played a few minutes, but he did a decent job at being a scarecrow in the middle, even blocking Blake Griffin's shot. Hat-tip to the Raptors coaching staff for coming up with a strategy to lead Griffin towards the middle where Bebe's waiting for the block.
• On the Job Training: Pascal Siakam got an unexpected start in the 2nd half since Ibaka got thrown out, and he was put into a tough task trying to defend Griffin who tried to bully him as often as possible. Siakam did an admirable job without fouling a lot and even came up with good defensive stops along the way.
• Nothing Was the Same: The bench doesn't look the same without Siakam and Delon Wright. VanVleet struggled to run the offence, there are less movement and not a lot of opportunities for points off turnovers.
• Hubie Brown Says: Hubie Brown is an institution. If Hubie Brown said it's an offensive foul, it's an offensive foul. I mean, Hubie authored the rules of the game with Naismith FFS.
• Crunch Time Minutes: I thought the way Powell played well enough that he deserved the crunch time minutes, especially with how VanVleet had been playing. Benching him in favour does two things:
• It breaks Casey's philosophy of riding the hot hand; and
• It upholds Casey's philosophy of always playing VanVleet in the 4th.
• DeMarvelous DeRozan: DeMar DeRozan 2.0 was on full display tonight. His mid-range was on point, he got to the line when he needed to, he hit his threes, and more importantly, he was finding his teammates setting them up for an assist, the last one on a VanVleet game-winner.

Overreaction: Raps 106, Hawks 90

• Norm Showing Some Pulse: Norman Powell played really well during his first stint in the first half. He was all over the place on defence, and everyone in the building was relieved to see that corner 3 go down.
• Oh Brother(s): Tony Brothers seems to have something against DeMar and Kyle. However, the refs altogether were horrible on both sides.
• Raptors Playing Down to the Competition: The starting lineup with a slow start and the bench came in just as sluggish. It was really ugly for 3 straight quarters.
• Miller Looking Good: Malcolm Miller with a better 2nd career start. He's looking more comfortable out there - although he needs to do a better job at moving to a different spot so that he can be easily found via the drive and kick.
• DeMar's Got Us: DeMar DeRozan pretty much carried the team in the first 3 quarters.
• should we be concerned? -  The Raptors were pretty much bricking everything from the perimeter until CJ Miles came alive
• Dominant 4th by the Bench: The bench mob did not just step on the gas in the offence, but also locked down the Atlanta Hawks by limiting them to 13 points in the 4th.
• Playoff Crunch Time Lineup: I won't be surprised to see the same Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowry, CJ Miles, DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl lineup in the playoffs. Most especially in crunch time.
• Stiffbaka: Ibaka looked old, slow, and stiff versus younger springier Atlanta studs.
• Block Party: Poeltl was amazing with 3 blocks, JV with 2 blocks, I believe both from Schroeder's cat, and surprisingly, Fred VanVleet with 2 blocks!

Overreaction: Raps 117, Magic 104

• We won the game when: Pascal Siakam pressed the R2 button the entire 4th quarter
• A good sign: OG's 2nd straight game where he was not invisible on offence
• Should we be concerned: OG went down with a mild ankle sprain

OG Anunoby sustained a sprained right ankle and will not return tonight at Orlando. @Raptors

— RaptorsMR (@RaptorsMR) March 1, 2018

• Partners in crime: Pascal and Poeltl provided excellent 2 way play the entire game and shut down the Magic in the 4th
• Should we be concerned 2: When CJ Miles is not hitting his shots, he looks like a liability out there
• Powell with a dozen of donuts: Powell played 10 uneventful minutes with zeroes across the board
• Misleading stat line: The Raptors only committed 12 turnovers, but it felt like they committed way more than that
• An Exercise of patience: excellent job by DeMar DeRozan not forcing the issue and trusting his teammates
• An exercise of patience 2: Kudos to coach Casey for letting the bench mob work through their struggles in the 2nd half and not putting Lowry/DeRozan til halfway through the 4th. Great learning moment and more tight game reps under their belt.
• Friends forever: It's very touching to see the Raptors holdovers go meet TRoss and our father Bismack Biyombo after the game

Overreaction: Raptors 119, Bucks 122

• We lost the game when: Near the end of the first half, down 4, DeRozan fouled Middleton for an And-1 and got T'd up. Went into the half down 8, and that's the cushion that they tried to erase for the majority of the 2nd half.
• Should we be concerned: Lowry's offence has been sputtering and showing no signs of an upward tick. Not only is he struggling to score from the perimeter, he hasn't been able to get to the basket like he used to.
• A good sign: Siakam continues to be a revelation as the season progress. His D is so well ahead of his offensive game, and I won't be surprised if he's one of the most improved players next year.
• Should we be concerned 2: OG's defence is good, but he's not doing much else other than doing a good job staying in front of his man. Even Roberson would get a rebound and/or assist/steal every game.
• A good sign 2: Poeltl and Siakam can bring it against the Bucks. Last year, they were unplayable. If we can find the right mix with Poeltl and Siakam during crunch time, we should be able to take care of these reindeer easily.
• Battling demons: This game showed 2 sides of DeRozan. The new version where he demonstrated that a. He can and will pass,  b. He'll hit perimeter shots,  and c. He can score inside against the Bucks' defence. We've also seen DeMar lose it for a few possessions where he went pure iso and just drove with his head down, which led to turnovers/bricks.
• Big 3: We didn't lose because Giannis was hitting those long 2s; We lost because we let old man Jason Terry, John Henson, and Thon Maker. 
• A good test: The bench (mob) squad often feast on other team's bench players, and some starters but nothing like this kind of playoff atmosphere. I expect the kids to learn from this experience and get better.
• Bad Call?: Siakam was playing well in the 4th quarter, why did Casey had to replace him with Ibaka? Siakam's side was always stronger in defending the high pick and roll that the bucks were running.
• Incompetent zebras: 3 referees, with all 6 eyes on the basketball. How can they miss the and-1 foul on JV? which led me to call out our airport security brothers and sisters:

Calling to arms all of our brothers and sisters working at the airport security to put a wanted poster of all the refs that wronged us and give then every hard time possible before they leave the Canadian soil #rtz #WeTheNorth

— JD Quirante (@jdkeyrants) February 24, 2018