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Good piece by Zach Lowe on Raptors....says/points out that Irving & Love are weak links....and other stuff.
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/15...s-weakest-link
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/15...s-weakest-link
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I hope JV is 100% or really close to it. A healthy JV in same form as he was right before he went down would be someone the CAVS are just not equipped to deal with. Tristan can't even handle Bismack, JV would score at will. Who would they put on him ? LeBron? They need his energy on offense and JV is just too big, so no... Tristan would be eaten alive. Mozgov would at very best slow JV down just a little on post ups, but we'd have an easy time defending the CAVS and every other Raptor would score at will in transition.
The only lineup that poses us a problem with JV in is when Frye is at the 5 and is knocking down his shots from outside. This is where Patterson and Bismack frontcourt comes in. Last game the CAVS went on a run in the 4th with Frye on court, but after that initial onslaught where they scored on 11 straight possessions, the Raps finally figured out a way to defend this lineup and the Cavs went 1-8 the rest of the way. So we do have an antidote for that too should the CAVS try it out again on us.
JV being back though gives us another look, another dimension that the Cavs haven gotten neither from us so far in these playoffs, nor anybody else. Sure, Detroit had Drummond, but he's good for alley-oops and open dunks, otherwise you just send him to the charity stripe and get the possession of the ball right back. This is not going to work against JV. They have nobody to defend him and they can't foul him, cause he's gonna make them pay from the stripe. The additional attention that he will get from the entire Cavs team inside is going to open up even more looks for our 3 point shooters since the only way they can stop JV is going to be double and triple teams. JV will have to be aware and make the right pass, but I trust him to make the right play.
I see both Bismack and JV being used in this game. Maybe a split of 24 and 24 minutes. You play one or the other depending on match-ups. The only question that I really have is who do you start ? Logic says that you should start JV if Cleveland start Thompson for the reasons I mentioned above and bring in Bismack when they go with Frye. On the other hand, do you mess with the rhythm and the flow of the team they got going with Bismack? Heart says no, we want to hold on to that which kept us going. But we're on the road again, it's going to be a different game. Should we change our tactics, should we surprise them by starting JV and would it work? Should we start Bismack and hope we get the same results we got the last 2 games? Will Casey surprise us and give us a lineup that we've never seen before at some point in this game - JV and Bismack on the floor together? Even if it's for a couple of minutes? Can we experiment if we're up or tied? Should we experiment if we're down big?
One thing is sure though, we have to come out with the same energy as in the last 2 games and we have to build a big 1st half lead and continue to stomp on them, because otherwise the Cavs will make their runs and are very likely to win if this is a close game through the first half.
But I believe in our RAPS. They win this, we take the series in 6 for sure. Just demoralize those guys early in the game. Make them think "here we go again... they running us down". Cavs don't have enough tough, resilient guys. The only resilient Cavs are Dellavadova and James. JR Smith has no consciousness, so he's neutral, but everybody else is pretty fair-weather. Love and Irving are good when Cavs are up big, so are the rest. The game can be won by simply winning the first half by a large margin and this is what we should aim for.
GO Raps and GO fair Refs !Comment
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It's actually hilarious that all of a sudden curry and Thompson are getting flak for being too ball dominant.Raptorsnz wrote: View Post
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Zipping the ball around works and looks great when you're frontrunning or cruising but when adversity hits the NBA always seems to come down to who can just get a bucket for their team. It's why a team like Atlanta who theoretically plays 'better' basketball than us got ram-rodded by the Cavs two years in a row.Comment
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When those illegal screens by Draymond don't work: they can't do anything.Only one thing matters: We The Champs.Comment
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I just realized something completely insane!!!
If we were to make the NBA Finals and we would play against OKC it seems, we would have HOMECOURT advantage!!!
This is crazy!Comment
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Good stuff.Bendit wrote: View PostHeir, Prince of Cambridge
If you see KeonClark in the wasteland, please share your food and water with him.Comment
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Miek has done a great job of stepping up in JV's absence. Go Raps!OG is our kingComment
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so we all got the private message as to where Miekenstein lives in case this goes south tonight?For still frame photograph of me reading the DeRozan thread please refer to my avatarComment
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Really excited to see JV tonightComment
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Yeah man! ... Found it hilarious he lives just a few miles down the road from my place! We can all have a post-pummelation of miek celebration if we lose ... or a Raps win celebration at my place afterwardsthead wrote: View Post
... Watch out Miek! ... no stress though
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Holy Shit.
I'm In Iceland.... so out of touch with the planet.... when I left, Toronto was 2 down and looking bad.....
WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK.
WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Ok So I haven't even seen the highlights yet, but hey, 2-2, anyone asked in November would have taken it....and maybe JV getting close?????
Toronto..... finals?
Tim and Sid are echoing what i have been saying about calls....the NBA doesn't want Toronto.
But Toronto wants Toronto.
From the edge of Nordic hell.........GO RAPS ...... Sending you all the Viking spirit!Comment
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that is one of my favourite bob sagat moments of all time.golden wrote: View Post
#WeTheMiekComment
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I'm going there for my honeymoon! Can you PM me any great spots you find/things to do. Or not. Enjoy ICELANDSuperjudge wrote: View PostFor still frame photograph of me reading the DeRozan thread please refer to my avatarComment
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