Everything (2016-2017) Regular Season Game Threads

[Scraptor]

I agree with lewro. Last night was the first time I've seen JV actually respond to being ignored.

I wish I had a video of the play before, because it wasn't even like the way he is usually ignored, he was literally the only player on both teams within ten feet of the basket. And there were clean lanes to get the ball to him, and we passed it around the perimeter.

It's no coincidence he didn't run up the floor the next play. But it's not even that he didn't run, he didn't even join the play at all and we played 4-on-5.

I also noticed that during one of Demar's free throws he and DeMar didn't low five.

Obviously you don't want to overanalyze but it's definitely something to keep an eye on. The fact that Casey benched him is troubling for sure (unless it was knee/rest-related).

Also, I appreciate what DeMar is giving us out there but I am a little nervous about him getting habituated to Kobe-type usage. He's second in the NBA being Westbrook at 37.6%. No one else is above 35% usage. If he starts slumping is he just going to keep shooting his way out of it?

Winning solves everything, for now. But this style of hero-ball (successful as it may be) seems even less robust than last year.

[Joey]

Game #9: NY Knicks 107 - Toronto Raptors 118

vs.



Projected Starters

New York	Toronto
PG - Derrick Rose	PG - Kyle Lowry
SG - Courtney Lee	SG - Demar Derozan
SF - Carmelo Anthony	SF - Demarre Carroll
PF - Kristaps Porzingis	PF - Paskal Siakim
C - Joakim Noah	C - Jonas Valanciunas

Last Meeting
GAME 80 - APRIL 10, 2016 TORONTO 93, NEW YORK 89
DeMar DeRozan converted a tiebreaking three-point play with 1:05 left on a night he became Toronto's No. 2 career scorer, and the Raptors beat the New York Knicks 93-89. DeRozan finished with 27 points as the Raptors pulled within two games of Cleveland for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Kyle Lowry scored 15 points and Jonas Valanciunas had 14 for the Raptors, who set a franchise record with their 23rd road victory. The Knicks raced to a 21-10 lead, but Toronto recovered to take a 54-51 edge into halftime, then built its own double-digit advantage that the Knicks wiped away in the fourth quarter ... DeRozan drove baseline to beat two defenders and make a layup while being fouled, giving Toronto an 89-86 lead



Noteworthy
• The Toronto Raptors will host the New York Knicks in the first of 16 Atlantic Division games Saturday night at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors won the season-series last season against all four division opponents – Boston (3-1), Brooklyn (4-0), New York (3-1) and Philadelphia (4-0). Toronto has not lost a season-series against a division rival since the 2012-13 season.

• As part of the NBA’s Hardwood Classics Nights, the Raptors will wear Toronto Huskies uniforms for the first time since 2009-10 and the third time in team history. On November 1, 1946, the Toronto Huskies faced the New York Knickerbockers at Maple Leaf Gardens, marking the first game in NBA history.

• DeMar DeRozan is the only remaining player from when the Raptors last wore Huskies uniforms.

• Saturday marks the first of six home games the Raptors will use an alternate Toronto Huskies court. Milwaukee was the first team to use a full alternate court last season.

• MOST TOTAL POINTS THROUGH 8 GAMES - Michael Jordan 307 (1986-87), Rick Barry 303 (1966-67), Michael Jordan 303 (1988-89), Michael Jordan 281 (1989-90), Tiny Archibald 276 (1972-73), DeMar DeRozan 273 (2016-17), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 273 (1970-71), World B. Free 273 (1979-80).

• DeMar DeRozan scored a game-high 34 points as the Raptors rallied to defeat Charlotte 113-11 last night. DeRozan became the first player since Michael Jordan in 1986 to record 30+ points in seven of the first eight games to start a season. In the last 50 years only three players have started a season recording 30+ points in eight of the first nine games – Michael Jordan (1986-87), World B. Free (1979-80) and Tiny Archibald (1972-73).

• Toronto enters Saturday’s game ranking first the NBA holding opponents to 91 points (11.3) off turnovers through the first eight games. The Raptors are tied with Charlotte for the fewest turnovers in the NBA (11.4).

• Toronto leads the NBA averaging 14.0 screen assists (when an offensive player sets a screen for a teammate that directly leads to a made field goal by that teammate). Jonas Valanciunas ranks second behind Washington’s Marcin Gortat in the NBA averaging 6.2 screen assists.

• Lucas Nogueira has recorded 20 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks over the last two games (Nov. 9-11). He is shooting .818 (9-for-11) from the field and a perfect 2-for-2 at the free throw line.



Injury Updates
Jared Sullinger - Out Left foot surgery

Delon Wright - Out Right shoulder surger




GO RAPS!!

[lewro]

Name the last time JV didn't close out a game he started before last night.

I can't be bothered to look this up. there was certainly debate between biz vs jv for mins and usage the whole 2nd half of last season for the same reasons we saw last night. i can remember jv being a healthy scratch for all of game 4 vs cavs and i think i remember biz closing games over jv but its not the point.
Casey's preferences are made clear by who finishes, not who starts, as evidenced by scola/siakam vs pat and the recent usage of norm powell.
thats fine, but it certainly doesn't make jv look like a part of the big 3. certainly didnt look like it last night. thats the issue, how is jv used and what is his role? he looked like big 3 vs detroit. now he looks like kanter. thats not big 3. ffs, we've invested 5 years into this guy. biz was a cast off and bebe has 325 career mins. theyre both likely career backups. that says a lot about jvs fit. if he splits 24 mins/gm with bebe and is used only as an offensive pylon/rebounder than we might as well get bogut. bogut would not constitute a big 3 on this team. thats a role player. we need a big 3 if we are serious to compete with a big 3 in the cavs and a big 4 in gsw. not to mention even the clippers. i cant imagine any of those teams splitting equal or lesser mins between a role player and one of their core guys and calling it a big 3/4.

[The Great One]

Most of the match ups have been favourable so far to start the season. Most of the teams we have played have had C's that JV can play against. I expect same thing that happen to JV tonight, will happen against Warriors. Maybe even tonight if Knicks play Porzingis at C in the 4th Q.

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+1

[007]

Playing the Knicks was more fun when we had their draft pick, but I'd still love a beatdown

[KHD]

I agree with lewro. Last night was the first time I've seen JV actually respond to being ignored.

I wish I had a video of the play before, because it wasn't even like the way he is usually ignored, he was literally the only player on both teams within ten feet of the basket. And there were clean lanes to get the ball to him, and we passed it around the perimeter.

It's no coincidence he didn't run up the floor the next play. But it's not even that he didn't run, he didn't even join the play at all and we played 4-on-5.

I also noticed that during one of Demar's free throws he and DeMar didn't low five.

Obviously you don't want to overanalyze but it's definitely something to keep an eye on. The fact that Casey benched him is troubling for sure (unless it was knee/rest-related).

Also, I appreciate what DeMar is giving us out there but I am a little nervous about him getting habituated to Kobe-type usage. He's second in the NBA being Westbrook at 37.6%. No one else is above 35% usage. If he starts slumping is he just going to keep shooting his way out of it?

Winning solves everything, for now. But this style of hero-ball (successful as it may be) seems even less robust than last year.

is this even a question?

[lewro]

I agree with lewro. Last night was the first time I've seen JV actually respond to being ignored.

I wish I had a video of the play before, because it wasn't even like the way he is usually ignored, he was literally the only player on both teams within ten feet of the basket. And there were clean lanes to get the ball to him, and we passed it around the perimeter.

It's no coincidence he didn't run up the floor the next play. But it's not even that he didn't run, he didn't even join the play at all and we played 4-on-5.

I also noticed that during one of Demar's free throws he and DeMar didn't low five.

Obviously you don't want to overanalyze but it's definitely something to keep an eye on. The fact that Casey benched him is troubling for sure (unless it was knee/rest-related).

Also, I appreciate what DeMar is giving us out there but I am a little nervous about him getting habituated to Kobe-type usage. He's second in the NBA being Westbrook at 37.6%. No one else is above 35% usage. If he starts slumping is he just going to keep shooting his way out of it?

Winning solves everything, for now. But this style of hero-ball (successful as it may be) seems even less robust than last year.

i dont have the video either but the play that i think set him off was in the last few minutes of the 2nd quarter. lowry took kemba on the block and jv flashed at the elbow wide open. that is a shot jv can make. lowry fully looked him off. to get shrugged off so lowry can get a post look is really ironic considering jvs skill set, his lack of use there and how he is often expected to pass out of that situation so lowry can get an open jump shot.
id imagine after how jv performed vs the pacers and game 1 vs detroit that he'd be upset. hes been the dutiful soldier to get lowry and dd open looks for years. dd and lowry constantly look for each other and have their bro-mance. great guy jv. he deserves better. other than dd, we've invested more in jv than any other current player and probably top 10 in the history of the franchise. thats not a role player.

[The Great One]

Boston demolished the Knicks last night. Melo got ejected early in the game. Those guys would come out firing tonight.

[Jangles]

W. 109-94.

[KHD]

Most of the match ups have been favourable so far to start the season. Most of the teams we have played have had C's that JV can play against. I expect same thing that happen to JV last night, will happen against Warriors. Maybe even tonight if Knicks play Porzingis at C in the 4th Q.

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By my count there are ~25 teams in the league that play a starting center that JV can match up with pretty well from a physical standpoint, so i'm not sure what your point is.

[Chr1s1anL]

By my count there are ~25 teams in the league that play a starting center that JV can match up with pretty well from a physical standpoint, so i'm not sure what your point is.

My point is that JV is good in certain match ups. It's not who teams have starting but, who they have closing out the games.

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[Lupe]

By my count there are ~25 teams in the league that play a starting center that JV can match up with pretty well from a physical standpoint, so i'm not sure what your point is.

I think he was just saying that there are some centers JV just doesn't match up well with. Not most of them obviously but a few. Porz is a good example because when the Knicks play him at 5 he has enough size to not be mismatched defensively but can pull JV way out of the paint where he's vulnerable defensively. Similar situation for Draymond, although i don't really see him defending a JV post-up well.

[enlightenment]

Guys, JV is about the only reason we got to the second round. He single handedly won us multiple playoff games before he went down. Who knows what would have happened if we had him for Cleveland!

Lets relax comparing Bebe to him until Bebe shows any worth in the playoffs. Chill with the trade talks, we are a good team as built.

[KHD]

Guys, JV is about the only reason we got to the second round. He single handedly won us multiple playoff games before he went down. Who knows what would have happened if we had him for Cleveland!

Lets relax comparing Bebe to him until Bebe shows any worth in the playoffs. Chill with the trade talks, we are a good team as built.

bebe has played like 2 good games and people are ready to anoint him the new future C of the team. So, business as usual in raptor-land.

[DanH]

Let's smash them and show them just how super a team they have.

Raps have been pretty fun to watch this year. Let's keep it rolling - smart offence, tough defence.