Can anybody put a finger on what makes these Raptors make life so difficult on each other pretty much every time out on the court?
The team ranks right up at the top in terms of close games played and is that rare really good team (at least if you are taking wins into account) that never blows out an opponent.
Golden State, San Antonio and Cleveland have plenty of games where the starters play three minutes or fewer in the fourth quarter. That never happens with the Raptors. Not only that, it’s a rarity that the youngsters even get on the court at all. Every game seems to come down to the wire (and there have been some where the starters had to re-enter a blowout that had suddenly gotten too close for comfort).
That’s not a big deal at the moment, since Toronto only plays one game in eight days, thanks to the London trip, meaning there will be a chance to get some rest. But it would bode well for the squad’s playoff chances if DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry can average even a couple minutes fewer in the second half of the season than they have so far. Luis Scola appears to be feeling the impact of playing more minutes than he has in years as well.
The Raptors only win games by an average of 3.5 points, very similar to the L.A. Clippers (3.6), who have an almost identical win-lost record. The Spurs win by 13.9 points, the Warriors 12.2, the Thunder 8.0, the Cavs. 6.4.
Chicago is another weird team, boasting a 22-13 record (all stats before Sunday’s games), but winning by only an average of 1.9 points. Dallas is even odder and perhaps just very lucky, winning by just 0.6 points a game, but starting the year 21-16.
Back to the Raptors-Sixers, Ish Smith is a great story, but life shouldn’t have been so difficult against Philadelphia on Saturday, back-to-back or not.
SURPRISE
It was pretty shocking to see Terrence Ross first taking warmups before the game against Philadelphia. A night earlier, he had sprinted to the locker room yelling out, “ow, my back.” Then he had grimaced in the locker room and audibly yelled in pain several times.
Thought there was no chance he’d be able to suit up, based on seeing how other players have been debilitated by back spasms. But there he was, not only in the lineup – crucial since DeMarre Carroll obviously is not – but he pulled the team out of an ugly hole to start the game almost by himself and provided both a spark on the court and perhaps a mental shot in the arm just by being out there with his teammates. He’s still not consistent, but Ross is a big piece of this team.
IT’S PAT
After a really horrible game in Washington, Patrick Patterson sure atoned himself. He hit a pair of massive threes and as 3-for-4 overall with some pretty good defence thrown in.
The Raptors still need an upgrade at the four, but when Patterson’s playing well, like Ross, this is a much better team.
NOT BAD
Toronto held Washington to 15 points in a game-changing quarter on Friday, and the Sixers to 18 in another the next night.
And Jonas Valanciunas deserves attention for doing whatever he wanted to against Philadelphia big men, especially Jahlil Okafor. He was a huge plus while on the court and has five assists over his past two games after compiling only seven over his first six games since returning from injury. This was only the third time in his career Valanciunas has put up a combined five assists over a two-game span. Casey has been lauding him recently for recognizing situations better and for making great reads and dishes.
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Inability to win easily could come back to bite Raptors; Ross shows heart; Valanciunas passing it around
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