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Season's Over, Three 5-Game Winning Streaks, Four Games Back, Four Blown Calls

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  • #16
    2KJ wrote: View Post
    Yeah, those really sting. But the nba is rigged tbh. Look how they gave the 8th seed to the lakers, with all due respect to kobe. Esp I think raps are in much better shape atm than milwaukee. but raps could have made it too if they won those must-win games in feb and march (esp those against sub .500 teams).

    Future always looks bright, but at least the raps now have a decent core. they just add and replace some pieces and they should be better next season. Patience is a virtue. Look at the Leafs this season finally got things clicking!

    Oh and derozan is right, John Hollinger is a clown! 33 wins???. LOL
    FYI - Lakers beat Houston and are now the 7th seed

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    • #17
      The 3 five game winning streaks are nice but deceiving. It means that they've have been inconsistent. 15 of their 34 wins have come from the streaks, so in the remaining 67 games they've gone 19-48. I wouldn't be pointing this out if their final record was due to winning more consistently. Their final record is bolstered by the 3 five game winning streaks.

      I think they'll most probably be a play-off team next year and hopefully for years to come but it would be wise if the Raps. brass approached the off-season as a 19-48 team and not a 34-48 team. That way needs would be looked at more critically.
      Last edited by Eric Akshinthala; Thu Apr 18, 2013, 11:51 AM.
      Attitude Is A Choice.

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      • #18
        I don't remember exactly what games they were, but there were about 5 games throughout the year where I felt that if the raps won(or in a few cases competed), it would demonstrate they were a playoff caliber team. I know one was the OKC game back in early Jan. at the tail end of their first big streak, if they had competed (and possibly even one) then I was willing to start thinking playoffs were a possibility. Of course the game was over at half time or early in the 3rd quarter. That last Bucks, obviously, was another game where I was willing to revive my playoff hopes.

        In every single game that I identified as being a good indication of their ability to be a playoff team (I know that this was subjective and arbitrary) they lost. Every single one. And this isn't a case of me being negative, because every time I wrote them off as a playoff team, they'd win a string of games and I'd start to think if they can keep up this pace, or if they can keep up this level of play then there's a chance. But when push came to shove, and I was a the point where I was thinking, if they can win this game then we've got a shot at the playoffs.

        But that's the thing about seasons, every team that didn't make the playoffs can split it up into their best segments. "Gee, if we can only play like we did for that stretch in (fill in appropriate dates) then we're a playoff team." You can't throw out the first 30 games. Yeah, the schedule was relatively harder than a lot of other teams, but we still played those games.

        For me the real difference between good teams and bad teams is NOT talent, but mental toughness and I don't mean giving hard fouls (although there's nothing wrong with that) it's the ability to NOT take possessions off. The goal of basketball isn't to win a championship, or a playoff series, or a single game. The goal is to win EVERY SINGLE POSSESSION. Once you start doing the right thing on every possession (regardless of whether any particular shot actually goes in, either for you or the opposition), you magically win games, playoff series, and have a chance to win the whole darn thing. It's execution and consistency. And the only way you demonstrate that you have the ability to play at a high level is to do it, every single defensive possession and every single offensive possession.

        I'm always confused that fans of bad teams like to split up stretches of any given season and point to it as evidence that they have the "potential" to compete with the best. I hate to burst their collective bubble, but they don't. The coach or the players don't have the most important indicator of success. Execution. And all the splitting does is sugar coat that fact.

        I think the raps will make the playoffs next year, and I think they even have the talent to challenge for home court advantage in the first round, but they got to start showing consistency and execution. They lose to may possessions both on offense and defense by sloppy play/mental errors. It's the mental game that needs to improve the most and it is reflected in the fact that the raps cannot sustain good play for long stretches.

        Next season (or during any playoff game), try a little experiment, after every possession, just put a check under the team that won that possession (whether any points were scored or not) if the offense took a bad shot it's a check for the defense, if the offense gets an open look or an easy basket due to the defense falling asleep or not getting back in time, give a check to the offense. I'm betting you'll find what I've found, regardless of the runs or the lead changes, the team that wins the most possessions wins the game. Over a 7 game series, it's easy to see a trend, to see which team is better at execution, and that's the team that inevitably wins.

        The fact that their are stretches were the raptors play at a high level is not an indication that they can compete for a playoff spot.

        The fact that they are unable to sustain the level of play that would allow them to compete for a playoff spot is a good indication of how far they are away for Milwaukee and every other playoff team.

        Anyway that's my rant.

        Go Raps.
        Last edited by ezz_bee; Thu Apr 18, 2013, 12:48 PM.
        "They're going to have to rename the whole conference after us: Toronto Raptors 2014-2015 Northern Conference Champions" ~ ezzbee Dec. 2014

        "I guess I got a little carried away there" ~ ezzbee Apr. 2015

        "We only have one rule on this team. What is that rule? E.L.E. That's right's, E.L.E, and what does E.L.E. stand for? EVERYBODY LOVE EVERYBODY. Right there up on the wall, because this isn't just a basketball team, this is a lifestyle. ~ Jackie Moon

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        • #19
          The average sports fans are probably the most predictable people on earth.

          I got 17 reasons for you to buy a season ticket p3t3ypablo
          reason #4 - 4 blown calls that cost us the playoffs.
          Buy now to have 41 chances to boo the evil refs who are part of the corrupt NBA conspiracy!
          Last edited by Letter N; Thu Apr 18, 2013, 03:30 PM.

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          • #20
            ezz_bee wrote: View Post

            Anyway that's my rant.

            Go Raps.
            That is right. We (fans,me including) tend to get over excited by a few good games only to get our hopes crushed at the next DUMB loss from the Bobcats...It really IS the mental game that most needs work. It isn't like Rudy doesn't have the talen,Derozan the work ethic or the Raptors as a whole organization - the resources. It just the mental preparation of the players and to some extend the coaches. Of course the GM also can not be innocent as he assembled this roster. So as simple as it sound while actually very hard to accomplish the solution is execution.
            Excuse my English.

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            • #21
              Letter N wrote: View Post
              The average sports fans are probably the most predictable people on earth.

              I got 17 reasons for you to buy a season ticket p3t3ypablo
              reason #4 - 4 blown calls that cost us the playoffs.
              Buy now to have 41 chances to boo the evil refs who are part of the corrupt NBA conspiracy!
              I'm not your average brainless sports fan who eats up everything the front office says. I've played basketball my entire life at a high level, and thoroughly understand the game, probably more so than most people on these boards. I've just been a die-hard Raptors fan since the begninning because it's my hometown, and I often like to look at as many positives as I can to keep myself sane throughout losing seasons and the offseason. I see so much negativity around here (a lot of which I agree with but it just frustrates me to talk about it) so I figured a short post about some positives would be nice. As for the 4 blown calls, aside from taking a shot at the league/Stern, I just wanted to point out the irony that we finished 4 games out, and that it's pretty typical for the Raptors to encounter something like that, no? It's not something I would use as a promotion for a great team next season, not at all.

              Speaking of the average/typical sports fan, this is exactly why I rarely post on these forums; it's typical to only see positivity after nice wins, and negativity the rest of the time. Let's not forget making assumptions about other members or bashing people when they don't share your opinion 100%. Now THAT describe the average sports fan to me, don't you think, Letter N?

              So happy I got involved in NCAA ball this year. Although fans can be crazy in different ways, the atmosphere is almost always positive, passionate and full of excitement. Love it!

              Btw, ezz_bee, I agree with a lot of what you said about the mental toughness. That is obviously a big reason we've lost so many leads and close games. Clearly if we have been up in the 4th quarter in 18 games that we lost, we have some talent to be in that position in the first place. The longer the Raptors stay together and grow together as a team, the more mental toughness and confidence they will have to close out these games and to stop the overall streakiness throughout the season. That's why I believe making MORE drastic changes yet again would actually be detrimental to the team. They're pretty close... don't mess with a good thing because it takes time!
              Last edited by p3t3ypablo; Thu Apr 18, 2013, 06:30 PM.

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