Raptors pre-playoff musings about Rounds 1 & 2

[BigCamB]

If a coach lost his team, he lost his team. When Roy Hibbert is sitting on the bench watching TV show previews on his phone while his team is down and his teammates are fighting on the court in an important game, something is very wrong and something has to change.

Maybe they have great playoffs and turn it around, and all of this goes away.. for now. If they look terrible in the playoffs too, I won't be surprised by anything. Well, except that George won't get moved and West probably can't get moved without seriously downgrading. Lance might be gone as a free agent, but it's Hibbert who's showing the worst body language right now. That said, Hibbert will be on an expiring contract, a rental, so while that's another argument for trading him, it will also diminish his trade value. There might be no fair value offers even if they wanted to trade him.

Firing a coach is an easier thing to do. Rick Carlisle was a great coach too until he lost his team some years ago, and then the Pacers fired him. It wouldn't be very surprising.

On top of all this I think they are fatigued as well..yes I know every team is, it's the end of the season etc.. but with the grinding style they play, if they lose any kind of edge they're not going to be nearly as good. I know every team (well maybe not) wants to win every game, but they were seriously desperate and intense from the get go trying to get that #1 seed. Might sound stupid, but I feel like they have burned themselves out a bit, both physically and mentally.

[Raps76]

On top of all this I think they are fatigued as well..yes I know every team is, it's the end of the season etc.. but with the grinding style they play, if they lose any kind of edge they're not going to be nearly as good. I know every team (well maybe not) wants to win every game, but they were seriously desperate and intense from the get go trying to get that #1 seed. Might sound stupid, but I feel like they have burned themselves out a bit, both physically and mentally.

I couldn't agree more with you guys and yet the funny thing is I think they pull it out against OKC and actually land that 1 seed. I don't think Atlanta holds up against them so which team will show up for the 2nd round?

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[Raps76]

So Indiana pulls it out against OKC and then those irritating Bulls hand us back the 3rd seed lol. What a race!

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[Niagara Raptor]

I think with indy if they are truly are a mess they will get bumped first round and if they don't, winning a playoff series could be the remedy that ails them and brings them together so by the 2nd round I don't think they are going to be an easy out

[Raps76]

I think with indy if they are truly are a mess they will get bumped first round and if they don't, winning a playoff series could be the remedy that ails them and brings them together so by the 2nd round I don't think they are going to be an easy out

That's how I feel, we can only hope if they take on Atlanta that they at least take them to the limit.

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[Primer]

Unless Indiana loses to Orlando in their final game of the season, they have the 1 seed locked up. They also get it if Miami loses either of their last 2 games, regardless of beating Orlando or not. I'd say 80% chance Indiana keeps the 1 seed, and maybe even higher than that.

The 2nd round matchup isn't as important as the 1st round matchup though, so let's look at that. We still have 3 possibilities which is crazy to me.
1. Things stay as is and we play Washington
2. Charlotte takes the 6 seed from Washington (2 wins and a Washington loss, or 1 win and 2 Washington losses).
3. Chicago takes the 3 seed and we play Brooklyn

Charlotte should get a win over Atlanta tonight seeing as how Atlanta is resting their starters. Miami needs a win over Washington tonight too, which means Charlotte could be the 6 seed by the end of the night.
Charlotte's final game is against Chicago, and the game should have seeding implications for both teams.

My ideal scenario is playing Washington in the 1st round, with Charlotte coming up not far behind. I really don't want to play Brooklyn in the first round with their playoff experience and veteran savvy (e.g. Refs will be giving calls to Pierce all damn night as he cries like a baby, can you tell I hate Paul Pierce?).

Basically, the season is almost over but the playoff seedings are still completely up in the air. Exciting time to be an NBA fan.

[Niagara Raptor]

I agree with all you said except charlotte
they have owned us in the regular season
I still think we would win but they are going to be tough

and side note ... love your avatar pic primer

[Primer]

I agree with all you said except charlotte
they have owned us in the regular season
I still think we would win but they are going to be tough

and side note ... love your avatar pic primer

Yeah, that's why I have Washington over Charlotte as preferred opponent. Or were you saying you'd prefer Brooklyn to Charlotte? Haven't seen anyone take that stance yet but it's not crazy talk. I think an argument could me made we match up better against Brooklyn, I just can't ignore the referee X factor, and the only team that gets less respect from the refs than us is Charlotte.

[Niagara Raptor]

id prefer charlotte than Brooklyn but maybe I misinterpreted but I felt u meant charlotte would be an easy out for us which I don't think they will be

[Niagara Raptor]

I think we would do great against Brooklyn except as you said the refs will screw us and how can we play are tough nose defense if we are getting the whistle against us all the time

[CalgaryRapsFan]

Despite the potential impact of the refs, I still think the Raptors could beat Brooklyn in a 7-game series. I'd much rather finish 4th to get the preferred 2nd round matchup against Indy, while also moving up 1 spot in the draft.

[Primer]

Despite the potential impact of the refs, I still think the Raptors could beat Brooklyn in a 7-game series. I'd much rather finish 4th to get the preferred 2nd round matchup against Indy, while also moving up 1 spot in the draft.

The cool thing is if we win tonight and Chicago does too, then we can rest our starters for the last game against the Knicks if we want to switch to the 4th seed (Chicago would have to win out). If we win and Chicago loses, we should definitely rest our starters against the Knicks, as we'll have clinched the 3 seed.

As far as 2nd round matchup, the Pacers are coming on strong now and Miami has been playing like shit. Is Indy really the better matchup still? That kind of uncertainty make me more focused on keeping the 3 seed.

Everything will be much clearer after tonight's games as there is potential for all the seeds being set.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

The cool thing is if we win tonight and Chicago does too, then we can rest our starters for the last game against the Knicks if we want to switch to the 4th seed (Chicago would have to win out). If we win and Chicago loses, we should definitely rest our starters against the Knicks, as we'll have clinched the 3 seed.

As far as 2nd round matchup, the Pacers are coming on strong now and Miami has been playing like shit. Is Indy really the better matchup still? That kind of uncertainty make me more focused on keeping the 3 seed.

Everything will be much clearer after tonight's games as there is potential for all the seeds being set.

Whether we have a legit chance against Indy or not, I'd still rather take my chances with them in round #2 than with Miami.

I understand preferring to face Washington in round #1, but I consider Brooklyn/Charlotte to be a wash. Plus, if this team is serious about being a threat in the 2nd round, it really shouldn't matter which of those 3 teams Toronto faces in round #1 with home-court advantage.

[Primer]

Whether we have a legit chance against Indy or not, I'd still rather take my chances with them in round #2 than with Miami.

I understand preferring to face Washington in round #1, but I consider Brooklyn/Charlotte to be a wash. Plus, if this team is serious about being a threat in the 2nd round, it really shouldn't matter which of those 3 teams Toronto faces in round #1 with home-court advantage.

With the way JV has been playing lately, you could make an argument Miami is the more favorable round 2 matchup. Their biggest weakness is effective big men, and JV should be able to reek havoc on their front line. Just a thought. I don't see Indy as all that much preferable to Miami.

[white men can't jump]

With the way JV has been playing lately, you could make an argument Miami is the more favorable round 2 matchup. Their biggest weakness is effective big men, and JV should be able to reek havoc on their front line. Just a thought. I don't see Indy as all that much preferable to Miami.

The thing is...Do you expect Casey to force a matchup that works to his advantage? I'm not trying to start a Casey-bashing fest here, but really, regardless of anyone's thoughts toward him, this has to be one of his most obvious weaknesses. He is reactive rather than proactive, especially in regards to lineups he uses.

With that in mind, a matchup like Indy is good, where Casey does not feel the need to react to an abnormal lineup by searching for weird options of his own.