My Thoughts on Kyle Lowry's Game 1

I'm a big Kyle Lowry fan. In fact, I'm a Kyle Lowry Over Everything kind of guy. When DeMar DeRozan got traded, I was sad - heartbroken, but the fact that we still have Lowry makes things easier to accept.

I too, get disappointed with Lowry's past playoff struggles offensively. Scratch that, not offensively, just the scoring part. He would have that bad scoring game that would dictate the perception of Lowry for the entire series, if not the entire post-season.

This reputation would stick regardless of how he would carry the team as the only person keeping all the parts together. How bad the team looked when he's on the floor. Whenever he doesn't score more than 15 points or if he doesn't shoot at a high percentage to compound a low scoring game, everyone was quick to throw Lowry under the bus.

I'm disappointed too. I too think that Lowry could have done better scoring wise. After re-watching the game, it sucks to see the Magic leaving Lowry wide open, pretty much daring him to hit that shot.

I guess -- and maybe this is how much of the Raptors fanbase felt --- it's disappointing because we've seen how good Kyle Lowry is. From 2014-2016, he was our Kyrie Irving or Dame Lillard. Even in 2017, he was the guy that would try to bail us out of a rut.

Unfortunately, that "peak Lowry" or "MVP Lowry" is long gone. I accept that, given his age and mileage. Right now, I see him as a Dallas Mavericks-era Jason Kidd. However, even Kidd scored well enough (he developed his 3pt shot), but not enough to get to his peak scoring average.

I don't know what to expect from Lowry heading into game 2. The Raptors played mostly 5-out offence, and the way the Magic packed the paint, there's very little opportunity for him to drive for a layup. So yeah, it's gonna come down to him hitting his open 3s.

If anything, Lowry might lose his scoring ability, but there's one thing that I don't expect him to lose anytime soon: Impose his will and determination. We've seen that a lot this season, especially in the latter half where Lowry went into this mode where he stepped up his intensity, the teammates followed suit, and that was the game.

I hope to see that version of Lowry tonight.

Overreaction: Game 39/82 - No Show/Good To See You, Deebo

The Raptors no-showed one of the biggest games of their regular season. With all the lights, media, hype, etc. focused on the Raptors and the Spurs, majority of the Raptors let Kawhi down. Siakam showed up, and tried his best, but he's best at when he's somewhat under control. Same thing can be said with Moose. When you ask him to do more than the little things that he can do, it's not a good thing. Serge Ibaka, FVV, Delon Wright, Danny Green, OG Anunoby all no-showed and were disappointing at best last night.

Are they being too soft because of their friends?

Playing Deebo and Yak for the first time, there's a lot of emotions going on that might have taken some of the Raptors out of their game. It's evident - the start of the first and third quarters were a disaster. It's up there as one of the worst games I've ever seen for the Raps.

JV said in the summer that they need to learn how to put foot on the neck or something along that line. In this case last night, the Raps need to set aside any emotion about the game and just be professional and try to win the game.


Take away the first quarter brainfart, and you have a game where you can count on Kawhi to try to win. Unfortunately, that's not how it goes.

The Raptors PG - FVV and Delon even up to now still cannot execute the offense. Delon at least was not getting killed on the defensive end. Either way, all they did was pound the ball too much to get the offense going.

Nick Nurse should take some blame too, as he was front and centre on how Danny Green and FVV were crapping the bed last night, it should've been a quick hook when you have decent players that can take the minutes (Wright and Powell).

There were a few bright spots on a forgettable game, such as:

CJ Miles hit a rhythm 3. It was wide open, yes, but it was at least 1.5ft away from the 3pt line and he made it easily. Small victories.

Chris Boucher, my son, came in and did what I expect him to do: Hit his 3s and block/alter shots. He finished with a team high +9, to go along with 1 3PM, 2Reb, 1Blk. Heck, his 3PM made pop call a timeout.

As mentioned earlier, Moose came in to battle. Unfortunately, he felt compelled to do more than what's expected from him, and that's where his issues came up.

Can we finally say that Norm Powell is back? Can we say that the GoDaddy curse is lifted? How long before we officially lifted JV's curse label? When he's in control, he's a big time role player.

I'm not disappointed about the loss, I'm disappointed about the effort. Or lack, thereof.

All in all, I'm happy for Deebo. Just like coach Casey's win in Toronto, he could not have scripted this better. This is probably the only acceptable L in the Raptors history.

Overreaction: Game 38/82 - New Year, New Career High

• Kawhi with a career night and pretty much got what he wanted and even took Joe Ingles' soul in the process. I mean, what can that accountant do to Kawhi?
• Joe Ingles and Donovan Mitchell combined for 7/28 shooting. Thank god we have Kawhi and Danny Green.
• Not to be outdone, Pascal Siakam also had an under the radar career night. 28 points and it looked very easy. He could've gotten more if he forced the issue a bit more.
• I know it's not gonna happen this year, but I can't wait to see a stronger and more skilled Siakam. I think there's another gear to his improvement.
• Norm Powell came in and did what most of us Raps fans hope he would do: be a spark off the bench, playmake, and hit the occasional 3. With him out there playing like this, the Raps don't really need to give Lorenzo Brown his minutes (Sorry Lorenzo).
• I thought CJ Miles's 3 minutes weren't a waste, he has a couple of steals/loose ball rebound. Let's start with small victories for now when it comes to CJ.
• I also thought this would be a game where Chris Boucher could come in handy, but I guess Nick Nurse does not think the same.
• Moose with an equally good as an equally bad game. I'm not sure if the good wipes out all the bad he's done all game.
• It would be interesting to see whether the Raps will bring Boucher and Malachi (either or?) for the trip. The Raps go to Texas to play the Spurs and DeMar on Jan 3rd, then go to Milwaukee to face Giannis and the Bucks on Jan 5th. The 905 plays on the 4th and the 5th back to back.
• Speaking of Spurs and DeMar, they just announced that Lowry is getting anti-inflammatory injections for his back, and there's no timetable for his return. So yeah, I expect him to play on Thursday against his best buddy DeMar.

Overreaction: Game 36/82 - Thank God We Got Kawhi as a Throw-in

I guess before I go on and on about the Heat game, I want to address the lack of overreactions for games 34 (W @ Cavs) and 35 (L @ Philly). The reason behind that is because the Cavs were the Cavs, and the Philly is a schedule-loss based on the injuries that are plaguing the team right now.

Hey, wasn't that a really good comeback, or not?

The way the Raptors, especially Kawhi and Pascal Siakam started, I was ready to go with "Oh, must be the hangover" excuse.

If there's any confirmation that I was looking for that the Raps would take an L last night, it was Serge Ibaka who came out with his vintage garbage game. He was totally outclassed by Hassan Whiteside on both ends of the floor.

Whiteside or most traditional bigs would almost always be a bad matchup for Ibaka. He's just smaller - Ibaka's listed at 6'10" which makes him around 6'8.5"-6'9" range, compared to Whiteside's listed at 6'11.5" if not 7' in most sites.

Speaking of Whiteside, Greg Monroe came in and provided excellent minutes against Whiteside. He just isn't that great against players of similar size and with comparable size. Especially if they have some offensive skills.

Here's a big challenge for Fred VanVleet. What does he do when his teammates, especially Kawhi and Serge are struggling? In the first half, FVV looked as if he's overthinking the situation when this happens, it's written all over his place and it says something like "What would Kyle do in this situation?"

I don't know what's real and what's not -- the last time the Raptors and the Heat played a close game, and I'm not even talking about that stupid Dwyane Wade game where we let him do as he pleases because it was his farewell tour, but it's either one of the following could be true:

• Nick Nurse and the Raptors defended well what Spoelstra wanted to do for the last possession;
• Spoelstra doesn't have a true point guard that can run the plays and he was stuck with giving the ball to Wade or Justice Winslow to do something.

Speaking of Winslow, I'm really impressed with his transformation this season. We've seen some signs of life last year, but this year he could be a candidate for MIP. He's fixed his body, looking much leaner and athletic. His handle looks better (hey, he can use his off hand to dribble now!), but most importantly, kudos to whoever fixed his shot. It looked totally different from how he shot a few years ago.

There was a big discrepancy in FTM (Raps 19/23, Heat 6/12). Those missed FTs for the Heat definitely affected the game, as some of those misses came in the fourth quarter. I think I even saw Whiteside shoot an airball. What's surprising is the Raps got 23 attempts, and the Heat only got 12. I was not looking at the stats during the game, and with how much Kawhi and Nurse were pissed off about the lack of calls, I would have thought that it was the opposite.

Going back to Moose, I'm really impressed by what the bench provided last night. OG's lockdown defence, Moose containing and keeping Whiteside busy, Delon Wright showing the tip of the iceberg with what he can do, and Norm Powell with his 3rd straight good game. This group kept that Raptors afloat in the first half, preventing the Heat from running away with a blow-out, and continued the comeback that the starters initiated in the 3rd quarter. No CJ Miles last night, and understandably so. Powell had 5pts and 3 assists, which meant that he was directly responsible for creating 11 points in 16 minutes. In fact, Norm, Delon, and OG had at least the same # of assists as FVV.

Another game that Kyle sits with an injury, and I'm starting to get a bit concerned. Is this the type of injury that would linger on and off the season? If yes, why are we being stubborn with letting Kyle play meaningful games in October/November/December like the one in Philly if he's not 100% (or even 90%)? Now what? He'll miss the next 3 games so that he can get aggressively treated so that he can play against his best friend Demar next week?

Speaking of Kyle and DeMar:

Lastly, how about Nick Nurse and his adjustments? He doesn't get a lot of credit, but his 3rd quarter adjustments this season are really on-point. The sub pattern, zone defense, taking advantage of mismatches. He's damn good.

Overreaction: Game 33/82 - Game 1 of the Mooscher Era

The Pacers were in a lose-lose situation. Oladipo is not 100%, coming off a back-to-back. Still, there's no excuse for them to lose a game against a team that's missing 3 of their top 6 players, and one of them is banged up (Danny Green). Especially when you were up 17 against a team that can't seemingly buy a bucket. There's just no excuse for them not to win the game.

More thoughts about the game:

• Excellent job by Nick Nurse throwing things at the wall and figuring out what would stick, and here are some things that I'd like to note:
• Zone Defense
• Pascal Siakam at C
• Got the Pacers move away from their usual plays and made them iso on the post
• Quickly trying to see what would work between CJ Miles/Malachi Richardson/Lorenzo Brown
• Victor Oladipo was bad for most of the second half. I know he's not 100%, but do you need to be 100% to get the ball across to beat the 8-second count? That was a costly turnover.
• Speaking of Siakam, a couple of his moves are getting stopped more often than not now, so I guess that's the scouting report effect. The few times he was successful, he was able to beat his man because he had the space/head start. Something to keep an eye on.
• Chris Boucher made his appearance - finally - and I thought he played better than I expected him to.
• He was not shy to shoot, no hesitation, and that's a good thing because unlike with Brown, he's shooting "his shots." Those shots are the shots he's taking and making on a regular basis in the G-League.
• As expected, opposing bigs will try to muscle him down low. It was evident during his first half minutes.
• It looks like my hunch on Boucher's PNR defense is true
• What should not be missed is the way he adjusted in the second half. I thought he did a good job fighting in the post, and staying vertical instead of letting his man take the shot and try to block it in the air.
• I've never been upset and happy at Kawhi on the same game. That's normally reserved for DeMar up until this season, but he's filling in nicely. I didn't like how he gave up on that play where he was looking for a foul. Obviously he was frustrated, but that's a DeMar move FFS lol. Not complaining too much because when it mattered, he grabbed the game by the neck and got us the W.
• Ok, Moose is good offensively. But if he doesn't have the ball, he's a liability on the offense. Defensively he's bad. But he's fun to watch lol.
• A lot of people hate on Lorenzo Brown - and coming from someone who saw his MVP season, I think it's justifiable. But unlike those people, I'm not hating on Brown. I'm just disappointed. I saw what this guy can do, but for some reason, he can not get comfortable enough to do the things that he's capable of offensively.
• More on Brown - I've never seen Brown play with better defense and with more hustle than he did against the Pacers. IMO this game is better than any of his games where he got the post-game interview.
• In regards to the last play, I guess this is the time where we get to say "part of the ball" LMAO

Overreaction: Game 21/82 - Dwyane Wade's Farewell Tour

I don't know what kind of nonsense coach Pop is talking about questioning Kawhi's leadership attributes. Personally, neither Kawhi nor our boy Deebo that he got are real leaders. Why? Because this guy is the real leader:

Kawhi's finally part of Lowry's entourage. Oh, he's definitely staying now. #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/GlKvjKN0ZK

— JD Quirante (@jdkeyrants) November 24, 2018

• Kawhi looks like he's getting closer and closer to his old form. It's two straight games now where Kawhi's asserted his will not just defensively, but offensively. Can't wait until we get to see this guy 100%
• Speaking of Kawhi, he forced a lot of issues in the fourth quarter - he's either trying to get the dagger or he's trying to get more crunch time reps. They looked ugly for the most part in the 4th quarter.
• Dwyane Wade looked great and he dropped 35 points making people like me nostalgic and remember how good he was.
• Speaking of Dwyane Wade, Delon Wright really need to stop playing like the little bro and start taking what he deserves. He was too soft on Wade the entire night - too respectful on defense, and was not trying to take advantage of an obvious athletic and physical edge he's got over an ageing Wade. Between him and OG, Wade found a way to lube up his joints and start cooking.
• I don't care what other people say, Pascal Siakam is the MIP
• During the TSN broadcast, Leo Rautins pointed out that CJ Miles looked great shooting 3s off the bounce. I'm not sure if this is true, but it's worth looking into.
• Is Kyle Lowry better than our CFL quarterback? he was throwing those bombs from far away
• Should teams start defending Lowry as if he's Steve Nash? he's starting to look more and more like Steve Nash right now.
• Going back to Wade and Kawhi, it was a really nice gesture of Nick Nurse for him not to put Kawhi on Wade -- that is, until late in the fourth when the nonsense needs to be stopped. Wade was quickly put back where he belongs - the bench.

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 4/82 - Four-oh

• Kawhi is starting to look more and more fluid with his moves, and this is a good thing (or bad for the rest of the league).
• I'm eating crow when it comes to Serge. I had really low expectations coming into the season, and I thought that he'll be a liability and a dead weight on the roster. Kudos to Nick Nurse for finding out a way on how to better utilize him.
• How good is Kyle Lowry? I keep telling everybody, he may have taken a step back defensively, but not offensively. Last year, he was basically cruising at 80% for most of the time, and with fewer minutes so that FVV and Delon Wright can develop. Now we're seeing Lowry at his finest.
• A bit of a concern - when it's all bench unit, it feels like FVV is having a hard time setting up others based on their offensive sets. I don't have data to back me up, but it feels like more often than not, the possession ends up late clock and FVV has to iso.
• Minor annoyance with Siakam --- if he's in the starting lineup, his role is not a playmaker, but a finisher. between Lowry and Kawhi, there's more than enough ball pounding between the two. He should be more aggressive and look to score especially if he's got Jeremy Lamb guarding him.
• I liked Malachi's garbage time minutes. Aggressive, taking advantage of the chance to play.
• Instead of commenting on how I liked how Powell and CJ Miles worked through their struggles, I'd go a step further and say I liked how Nick Nurse is taking the opportunity to get those guys back into their groove.
• It's great to see the Biz. He'll always be one of my fav non-all-star Raptor.
• How long before the Hornets figure out that Nic Batum-is-a-good-player is a scam?
• I'm really impressed by the Raps defense through 4 games, and it feels like there are a couple more gears that they can go as their cruising speed. Scary.
• I'm out like DeRozan watching Raps game - I'm typing this while watching the Spurs-Lakers game.

Thank you, Dwane Casey

Dwane Casey is a good coach. For almost a decade, the Raptors were a joke, and it took Dwane Casey's hiring seven years ago to bring the team, and the organization to where they are now. Five playoff stints in seven years are no joke. However, even Casey as a coach has plateaued. While Casey improved his coaching for the past three years, he was not able to elevate the team in the playoffs for three consecutive years.

If you don't follow the Raptors, it's easy to judge the Raptors for letting go someone who might win the Coach of the Year. Dwane Casey's done a great job this season. This regular season. However, like last year, Casey is being judged not by what he did in the regular season, but his performance in the playoffs.

Blaming Lowry and/or DeRozan is easy. Even Ibaka. However, they were not responsible for the offensive and defensive schemes. Nor the ATO or SLOB/BLOB plays. Sure, the stars are often involved in most of those plays, but the coaches are responsible for putting the players where they can perform the best. Lowry/DeRozan/Ibaka have two more years to go at it, and removing Casey from the equation should give us a better picture where this organization is heading in the next five years.

Just look at Al Horford. Al Horford was the best player in Milwaukee Bucks vs Boston Celtics. They have Giannis and  Khris Middleton, who are better than Horford. Al Horford, once again, was the best player in the Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics. The 76ers have Embiid and Ben Simmons. The best player in the east playoffs outside of LeBron? Al Freakin Horford.

The Boston Celtics are winning despite missing their top two players. They are winning despite having to play a bunch of young guys. They are winning because of elite coaching.

I've said this before and will say it again. In the playoffs, you need to have either an elite coach or elite player(s) on your team. Some teams have both. In the playoffs, what a team did in the regular season have been thoroughly investigated by the opposing team's coaching staff by the time game 1 would have started. Dwane Casey and his coaching staff failed to counterpunch in the playoffs - for three years.

Dwane Casey is a good man. He's a good coach. Rebuilding teams should go get him. It's just that in Toronto, it's time for him to go. I just wish they never went through that stupid press conference two days ago. It doesn't look good, and Casey does not deserve that kind of treatment.

I'm sad to see him go, but it's not like Masai is firing a guy who's not at fault here. It's also not fair that Casey had to pay for some of Masai's blunders.

I just keep going back to game 82, and I wonder if I'm penning this piece on Casey if Fred VanVleet did not dislocate his shoulder.

Still, Thank you, Dwane Casey. It was frustrating at times, but it was fun seeing this team grow under your tutelage.

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: Raps 106, Pacers 99 (CJ Miles Revenge Game)

• We Won This Game When: CJ Miles came alive with his 3pt bombs in the 4th
• Turnover Machine: The starting lineup of DeRozan/Ibaka/Lowry had 8 turnovers in the first half, while the Pacers only had 3. Jakob Poeltl had 3 turnovers of his own in the first half alone.
• Should We Be Concerned: The Raptors' haven't fared well whenever a team brings the physicality to them, and the majority of their losses came from those game plan.
• Is It Worth It: The Pacers came in hungry, physical, and really tough but at the expense of two of their players getting injured (Miles injuring the same ankle twice and Bogdanovic).
• Tim Duncan Bunnies: JV had a million rebounds, but a lot of them were from his own misses, a few times more than once in one possession.
• Hot and Cold: CJ Miles continues his weird starting cold and getting hot at some point.
• Throwback Thursday: As an old school head, I love watching Al Jefferson operate in the post.
• Road To The Six: It looks like Malcolm Miller will become the first Road To the Six convert. Tonight, his defensive prowess was on display.
• Missed Opportunity: Sad to hear Norm Powell coming down with an injury. 
• Difference Maker: Siakam's stats might not look impressive, but his activity in the 2nd half was a huge factor for their turnaround
• Riding the Hot Hand: DeMar DeRozan missed the majority of the 4th period as Casey rode CJ Miles until he got injured with 4:14 left in the game.
• Floor Leader: Kyle Lowry's effort to get every loose ball possible is admirable, but seeing him clean the floor several times while risking injury isn't just something I'd like to see at this point.

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 103, Hornets 98

We won the game when: With about 5 minutes left in the game and up by 2 (88-86), the Raptors tightened up their D and made some clutch plays. A back to back trifecta by Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan and an And-1 by DeRozan shortly thereafter gave us the cushion that we need to win the game.
Miller time: Malcolm Miller got the start instead of Norman Powell. He missed a couple of shots and looked completely not in-sync with the starters, which is to be expected.
JV3: It's been a while since he hit 2 in a game, and it's great to see those shots go down for him.
The struggle is real: Norm got his chance to play late in the second half, and it was disappointing.
Ibaka and his old bones: Ibaka started off hot and went cold in the 2nd half. It feels like this is starting to be a trend.
Slumping bench mob: Offensively - we haven't seen them put on the jets on anybody lately.
Jak with an off-night: Need to fact check this, but the Hornets might be his Kryptonite.
JV's revenge: JV finished with 18pts, 13rbs, 2blks -- with key rebounding effort in the clutch, completely outplaying Dwight Howard.
4th quarter slump: The Raptors are only scoring 20.5 points in the 4th on their last 4 "close games" which is not a good thing.

JV w/ the perfect celly. @BMO Game Highlights: https://t.co/6NqvY6uRpP pic.twitter.com/AgJJSzcGsW

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 5, 2018

Overreaction: Raps 102, Wiz 95

• We won the game when: CJ Miles hit that corner 3 fading to his left, which is really hard to do especially for a left-handed.

Unconscious pic.twitter.com/Bpyv5jZPUG

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 3, 2018

• Shut up and dribble: Kyle Lowry with a boneheaded move by getting T'd up in a close game.
• National TV jitters: The starting lineup looked very stiff and very much under the spotlight, as the Wizards tried to run away with the game in the 1st quarter, opening up an 18-4 lead.
• Mobile Center: Jakob Poeltl provided what JV and Ibaka couldn't do: quick rotation, a better "show" on PNR, active hands with the deflections, and interior defence, to a point where he's never too late to recover.
• Miles' spacing effect: the interior was so wide open when DeMar operated for that rever layup. The Wizards couldn't afford to leave their man to double DeMar.
• DeMar's passing effect: DeMar was routinely passing to the open man the entire game (even though they were not hitting them) was also a big factor on that clutch reverse layup by DeMar. He's never been this open in any of his clutch drives.

That boy clutch. pic.twitter.com/W520WS5Dui

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 3, 2018

• Slumping Powell: OG got the night off due to his sprained Ankle, and Powell failed to capitalize on this opportunity. He looked tentative, out of sorts, and his defence did not deter Bradley Beal from having a good game.
• Miller time: Miller got some non-garbage time burn midway through the 2nd quarter - He hit a corner 3 but looked a bit lost on the offensive end, as it looked like he didn't know where to position himself to space the floor as the play unfolds.
• Bounce Back: JV had a nightmarish 1st quarter but came back to redeem himself in the 3rd quarter. However, his defence (help and in pnr action) got him riding the pine in favour of Poeltl.
• Bebe sighting: Bebe got some burn because JV got into foul trouble in the 1st half, and he came in ready. He provided quality minutes, netting 4 points -- including an And-1 (FT did not go in), and he's got an uncredited block.
• No heavy lifting by the All-Stars: Lowry and DeMar did not have to go the extra mile to get the W, and that's a good thing.
• There's an app for that: Noah Basketball and Noahlytics looks like a bust, judging by the way the Raptors shot the 3 tonight.
• Shot-ready: How good was CJ Miles tonight? His shot preparation before catching and all the way to the release is so good. So damn good. I'm out of words. (Bonus: Listen to his SoundCloud below).

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 123, Piston 94

• We won the game when: The starters hung it up on the pistons in the 3rd quarter
• A good sign: Kyle Lowry shooting 6-8 from deep, 6-10 overall. Since returning from his injury, he only had 4 games where he had at least 50% FG. Tonight makes it 5 in 18 games.
• Should we be concerned: CJ Miles ain't exactly killing it on the offensive end, and he's looking more and more of a liability on the defensive end.
• Disappointing night: "Hey, you are way better than Drummond" Masai yelled at JV. Drummond is now a 2x all-star, and he's the better player today. Still, I was expecting a better fight from JV.
• Bounce back: Good to see  OG Anunoby bouncing back from a horrible streak of games where he's been producing eggs.
• Bounce back 2: It's garbage time, but good to see Norm looking sharp. Is it time to see him back with the 2nd unit instead of Miles?
• Not going to be intimidated: Loved how Jak, Siakam, and FVV didn't back down from Blake Griffin's bullying.
• Multi-faceted player: back in 2011-2014, if you would tell me that DeMar is capable of getting 20pts without volume shooting AND drop 7 dimes on the same game, I'd say BS. It's amazing that we're currently watching DeMar DeRozan for almost a decade, and his game is still growing.
• Growth spurt: Siakam was thrown into the lion's den last season when Sully got injured. But watching his game grow in the G-League throughout last season, I'm not expecting this rapid development from him. He could be a really important piece for this Raptors' playoff run (and maybe the Raptors future too).
• Flying under the radar: Delon Wright shot almost 29% from the perimeter prior to his injury, and he's now just below 37%.
• Positive aggression: This game might be Jak's best game in terms of showing aggression, power, and excellent motor movement. I didn't know he had those lateral quicks to guard Blake Griffin, and that dunk tho.

REDEMPTION! pic.twitter.com/tOmOHaiGrx

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) February 27, 2018

• Anger issues up north: I'll shamelessly put my tweet below

Why does Blake Griffin seems to have anger issues every time he's in Canada? If I'm the @DetroitPistons trainer i wouldnt be anywhere near Blake after the game #rtz #WeTheNorth

— JD Quirante (@jdkeyrants) February 27, 2018

• Lost opportunity: I wanted the camera crew to focus Dwane Casey's face as the clock was about to expire and the Pistons still trying to score. I'm almost convinced that he would've said BAMF!
• #BB3: Bebe 3. no need to elaborate. I'm gonna go back to this post and update this with the video.

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

How the ASG Team Selection Went Down

LeBron: Alright Wardell, we've both given ourselves the night to think this over, let's get started and pick teams!

Inner Steph: What's this mofo up to now?

Steph: Leggo, let's get started and give the people what they want!

LeBron: are you guys all ready?

Inner Lebron: Alright King, let's think strategy.  Let's think big picture. Let's cause an internal rift so that we can divide and conquer the Warriors once we meet them in the Finals.

LeBron: For my first pick, I select KD!

Steph: 😱

Kevin Durant: On to my next chapter!

Draymond Green: KD, you snake! 🐍

Inner Steph: dammit, I knew it. At least he hasn't seen through my plan yet. It'll be fun to see LeBron ice Kyrie, and Kyrie tries to win the MVP over LeB***h. I know he'd rather have me pick Kyrie, but where's the fun in that?

Steph: Ok, my first pick is The Beard!

James Harden: Steph, you be the chef, and I'll be cooking all day! 👨‍🍳

Draymond: Imma call Myers and ask for the trade right now 😡!

Giannis: *Looks at the voting results* Dray only got... 41 player votes. I mean, he didn't make it as a starter, right?

LeBron: Good pick!

Inner LeBron: I see what you're doing here. This ni*** out here tryna make a fool outta me by having me pick Kyrie, putting me in a tight spot. Should I pick him over DeMar? Damn if I do, and damn if I don't smh.

LeBron: Since you picked "The Beard", my next pick is "The Brow"

Inner LeBron: Let's see you guys guard me, KD, and AD

Inner Steph: Crap, he just took my pick. Hmm, Bob said to enjoy the weekend, but use this opportunity for tampering 🤔. Let's get on the Greek Freak's ear so that he can force a trade next year.

Steph: Alright, since we are going with nicknames, I'm taking "The Greek Freak"

Inner LeBron: Boogie or Embiid. Tough choice here. Embiid's gonna play at the Rising Stars, party after the game, and will party the entire Saturday. Man, that's like a back-to-back-to-back. Jo-Jo's gonna suck, he's gonna play like Ibaka on the second day of a back-to-back, I can't have a starter with a DNP-Rest, so imma have to go with Boogie.

LeBron: I got Boogie next

Steph: Ok, so Jo-Jo's with me

Inner LeBron: Got an image to protect, so I can't look like the bad guy if I don't pick Kyrie. Oh well.

LeBron: My last pick would be Kyrie

Kyrie: Let's get this, brother!

Inner Kyrie: See, the earth is flat, and the sun and everything revolves around LeBron 🙄

Steph: Done, I got DeMar

DeMar: last pick FOH #proveem

LaMarcus: Why are you pissed DeMar? at least you're not the last pick overall

Draymond: Yooooo who invited LaMarcus? I thought this is for all stars only?

Steph: Ok, let's finish this up, I gotta go before Ayesha finds out that I'm not home.

LeBron: Aiite, make your pick Wardell

Inner LeBron: Please pick Kevin

Steph: I got KAT

Draymond: That's it, pick me LeBron! 😡 😡 😡

Inner LeBron: mofo stole my pick! WTF the next best player available is Russ, it'll be weird having KD and Russ on the same team. Hmmmm what to do? Alright, I'll just tell him that I heard rumours that the guys on the other team think that bush face should have won the MVP award last year.

LeBron: I got Russ

Everybody except KD: *whistles*

Kevin: What? Team LeBron rawr!

LeBron: Wait, where's Russ?

Victor: we were walking together and both got held up at the security. Apparently, nobody knows me nor heard of my name 😢 I got in after showing my youtube highlights.

Jimmy: Oh crap, I knew it was him! I saw a bunch of security guards arguing with a homeless guy that looks very agitated trying to make his way to the door. He keeps shouting "WHY NOT?!?!" when they wouldn't let him in.

Inner Steph: Wow, might as well name his team Team Cavs errr Team Dysfunction.

Steph: LeBron, since you've watched The Godfather a million times, I'll make you an offer that you can't refuse: Let me take Jimmy Buckets and Klay and I'll let you keep the best backcourt in the East, Kristaps, and Dipo. What do you think?

LeBron: But you already have DeMar, I don't think we're allowed to trade since Woj already leaked the starters 💣

Steph: Haha you're funny, I'm talking about the self-proclaimed best backcourt in the NBA - Wall and Beal.

Bradley Beal: Why do we have to be on the same team?

John Wall: LOL

Draymond: I swear if I get the chance to play against you, I'll kick you in the nuts!

Dame: that's not how you beg to get picked, Dray

Kyle: We're the best backcourt in the East!

DeMar: Wizards best backcourt? FOH #proveem!

Inner LeBron: That looks like a sweet deal, and besides, who would want these Raptors who can't shoot smh. Wardell should have 4 picks left to my 2 picks, and he should be able to get Kevin Love with one of those picks.

LeBron: Deal!

Inner Steph: oooh he fell for it! now, let's finish this up and complete his Team Wreckage 😏

Steph: alright, since you have 2 picks left, and since I get the pick first in this round, that means I get to pick 3 players before you get your turn again 😏

LeBron: I knew you're up to something!

Steph: here we go - Dame, Kyle, Draymond. Boom!

Inner LeBron: a**hole forcing me to pick Kevin. No point to make him the last pick, he'll just go emo on me all over again

LeBron: Ok, I got my brother, Kevin

Woj: LeBron's last pick is LaMarcus 💣

LeBron: F U Woj, how did you know that

Steph: Do I have to announce that I picked Al?

Woj: I ain't even tweeting that 💣