Game #15: Toronto Raptors 91 - Los Angeles Clippers 80

[DanH]

LAC 28/32 open
LAL 18/25 open
UTA 16/22 open
GSW 22/29 open

Last 4 games. Take what you will from that. It certainly suggests that even based on that baseline, the LAC game was bad for leaving guys.

[Demographic Shift]

I'm being punked right?

No... I just learned how to import an image into a post.... :-)

All I am saying is that the league is a "what have you done for me lately" place..
Paul Pierce hasn't done much this year .. at least so far...

[Demographic Shift]

Crawford was averaging 22 ppg in the four games prior to this one, including a 37 point night. Just wondering how that fits the theory.

Are the Raptors giving up the three ball on D this year? I hadn't noticed. The perimeter D is generally tighter than last year.

Also Blake and Paul were just super flat. That was the longest the two of them went in a game without either of them scoring - ever. It was a weird one overall.

Crawford had a game where he lit up Detroit for 37 this year. He also had one where he logged a deuce. For the year even with those two statistical anomalies he is averaging 13 pts a game and his 3pt average is a tepid 28%.

Raps are pretty much identical to last years 3PT FG% allowed on defense. 343 this year vs .346 last year. We ranked 12th and 15th respectively.

However where we have really made a concerted effort to get better on interior defense and overall FG% allowed we are light years better than last years team. Last year we ranked 26th and gave up an allowed fg% of 459.. this year we are 10th and allow .434. It helps that both Lou and Grevis who were Calderon class on the ball defenders are gone and Joseph who plays good man on man has replaced their minutes. That they have noticeably slowed down the track meet that opposing guards put on us on their way to the basket right down the lane last year is great.

Paul did have an off game. Griffin I wonder about. Sometimes I think if you add his shoe size and his IQ it totals his number. He almost took himself out of that game. Bad fouls that limited his playing time. 6 turnovers. And then he pouted his way out of the offense.

[KHD]

This guy was the MVP and once led the league in scoring too. Just not this year.
Time marches on and waits for no one. Not even the truth. Even 12 games in.

this argument just keeps getting dumber

[Demographic Shift]

this argument just keeps getting dumber

Sorry dude...I don't speak or understand rookie

[mcHAPPY]

Sorry dude...I don't speak or understand rookie

KHD is a Superstar.

Watch your manners, lowly All-Star.

This is coming from an Icon.....tread carefully.

[Just Is]

I really don't understand how there's even a debate that giving up 28/32 open threes is even a good thing.

[Axel]

I really don't understand how there's even a debate that giving up 28/32 open threes is even a good thing.

In DS's defence, there is credence to the thought of giving 3 point looks to Josh Smith as a good thing. Problem I have with it is that even non-3 point threats can hit them at a high % when left open (look at Amir Johnson) and that the game in question had too many open looks for all players.

[Demographic Shift]

In DS's defence, there is credence to the thought of giving 3 point looks to Josh Smith as a good thing. Problem I have with it is that even non-3 point threats can hit them at a high % when left open (look at Amir Johnson) and that the game in question had too many open looks for all players.

Great discussion.... we have no broken bones and all our teeth.... and we killed the two days between games...

Hope tonight we see maximum effort from those able to play to kick Cleveland's collective miserable *sses back across Lake Erie to that arm pit they call home.