Raptors @ Horcats Friday April 5th 7pm on SN1

[GLF]

The only excuse for not playing Danny in the 4th and giving Lin 10 min on this game is minute/load management. If Nurse's decision was that a loss was acceptable so long as Danny's minutes were down, then maybe you can rationalize it, if not, then it was just poor coaching.

I'd like Lin to succeed like everyone on the team, but I feel like every time he's on the floor the other team invariably goes on a run. He's been a negative on both ends of the floor. To me he should only see the floor this year at the T-Wolves game, and that is only if we have clinched finals homecourt by then (in the event we get there).

Exactly. Lin is such a minus player on this team. He needs to not be getting any minutes come playoff time. And him and Norm together has been terrible since the trade. They should NEVER be on the floor together. The moment they are teams usually go on a big run. And as I always say once you give a team confidence and let them get into a groove sometimes bringing back in your starters can't always save you. Cause now the other teams starts hitting everything. I REALLY hope Danny's low minutes was rest and trying to see other lineups and give those stupid 9th man players some more run. If it wasn't and this is what's to come in the playoffs we're screwed.

[GLF]

That's the issue at hand. We are now tied in losses. We have the tie breaker, but I would not count on GSW losing so for us to secure home court advantage we need to win our last 2 games. JLin has been the +/- loser almost evety game. He was a brutsl pick-up. Career over.

He's been terrible with us but I think a big part of it is we aren't using him properly. We have Fred running the team while he stands in the corner doing nothing like he's some shooter or something. I bet you when he goes to another team next year he plays well again. Cause he was playing well on Atlanta before he came here. But yea he's brutal. Him and Norm. The moment either of them come in the game (more so Lin than Norm) teams start making a big run. And I think most of it is because we usually play them together and play them with the all bench lineup or the lineup that only has one starter. We run better as a team when we have at least 2 starters in the game at all times. One is better than none but it usually doesn't save us enough

[DanH]

A lot of people over-reacting to Green sitting late in this one. They are pretty clearly being careful of his minutes before the playoffs. They must be aware of The Danny Green Effect TM. Anyway, they know by now that the Green looks work great. Worth trying to find lineups that work without him - of which they have basically zero, as far as I can tell.

I do think FVV will get chances to close games, but probably not in Green's spot. More likely they find more and more opportunity to go small and play him in Gasol's place against small ball looks in the playoffs.

[G__Deane]

I baffled why Gasol continues to take so few shots and ends up with 2-6 points. Yeah passing, yeah assists but I need 10-15 points and 5-10 rebounds as a minimum from my starting C. Is that too much to ask? Get a bit more selfish Marc and get yours!

[Demographic Shift]

A lot of people over-reacting to Green sitting late in this one. They are pretty clearly being careful of his minutes before the playoffs. They must be aware of The Danny Green Effect TM. Anyway, they know by now that the Green looks work great. Worth trying to find lineups that work without him - of which they have basically zero, as far as I can tell.

I do think FVV will get chances to close games, but probably not in Green's spot. More likely they find more and more opportunity to go small and play him in Gasol's place against small ball looks in the playoffs.

Yeah... I think your spot on with this....however I think your still wrong from 4 years ago to argue with me on Biz playing 18 straight minutes against Sacto... I carry grudges and I am still right.

But I digress.

I swear last night the Raps were getting close just to try out plays...Yes thats prolly untrue .. but what is true is that Nurse is settling on who is going to play in the playoffs and who is going to be waving the towel and doing grade school histrionics cheering from the bench...

OG got extended run with what was a playoff lineup to assess where he fits.. expect the same against the Heat.
Same with Norm. Its between him and OG who is 8th....
Nurse is still trying to see if Lin can snap out of his very observable funk .. have to love Nick to give a guy who is willing to donate a kidney for a meaningful playoff run a chance to show he is worth it......


But from the very biased and partisan DS decision desk....
Right now the Magnificent Seven (TM - MGM Movies) is going to be ... Lenoard, Lowry, Gasol,Siakam, Green Ibaka and VanVleet. (sorrry claw reborn) .
And as of today... Next up will be OG.. followed by Norm.. followed by Lin.... everyone else... well.. get those towels and sideline routines when dunks are made and threes rain down in order.

I like our odds to
1. Crush our opening round draw
2. Get by Philly in 6
3. Take on the Bucks for the ECF.. head and shoulders these two are the best teams in the east. Buckle up. It goes 7 and the Raps win it.

[G__Deane]

All ther second guessers need to chill.
According to Donnovan Bennett,
"Danny Green was on a strict minutes restriction, playing less than 19 minutes on the night."

[007]

We play at 9am tomorrow? What the fuck?

[slaw]

I baffled why Gasol continues to take so few shots and ends up with 2-6 points. Yeah passing, yeah assists but I need 10-15 points and 5-10 rebounds as a minimum from my starting C. Is that too much to ask? Get a bit more selfish Marc and get yours!

He passed up a few open looks last night but I think the bigger issue is that they seem to struggling to get him consistent looks. He's also probably the 4th option on the floor, so there's that. But he is going to need to take and make some shots in the playoffs. He needs to at least appear to be a threat.

[GOLDBLUM]

We play at 9am tomorrow? What the fuck?

If you’re in Vancouver ..looks like, yup.

(SUNDAY NOON START??? against Miami fighting for their playoff lives? If our noon start history has anything to say, gonna guess we’re not gonna have homecourt vs GSW)

[Jclaw]

If the never ending crazy stories that come from the world of basketball rise their head again....we may see the Bizzarro Raptors with the Brazilian Kevin Durant help out the actual Raptors when Memphis plays Golden State on the last night of the season.

[golden]

All ther second guessers need to chill.
According to Donnovan Bennett,
"Danny Green was on a strict minutes restriction, playing less than 19 minutes on the night."

But if you're trying to protect a guy from injury, then why bring Green back into the game, cold, for the most stressful possession of the game? That's just asking for trouble.

[GOLDBLUM]

If the never ending crazy stories that come from the world of basketball rise their head again....we may see the Bizzarro Raptors with the Brazilian Kevin Durant help out the actual Raptors when Memphis plays Golden State on the last night of the season.

If only JV were available (sorry, Shao, I know that kind of talk makes one an enemy of the people.)

[G__Deane]

But if you're trying to protect a guy from injury, then why bring Green back into the game, cold, for the most stressful possession of the game? That's just asking for trouble.

No idea. But the point is he was (is) on a minutes restriction, not a situational restriction. Fans don't seem to want to believe that Nurse, Masai and the medical team know more about what's going on than we do

Don't you think that if Nurse was f'ing everythign up, Masai would have called him on it 80 games into the season or is this an organizational plan, one that has them 2nd overall in the NBA ..... no WE KNOW as professional fans that FVV shouldn't play, Lin should never play, Marc should shoot more and Green should play injured .....

[inthepaint]

No idea. But the point is he was (is) on a minutes restriction, not a situational restriction. Fans don't seem to want to believe that Nurse, Masai and the medical team know more about what's going on than we do

Don't you think that if Nurse was f'ing everythign up, Masai would have called him on it 80 games into the season or is this an organizational plan, one that has them 2nd overall in the NBA ..... no WE KNOW as professional fans that FVV shouldn't play, Lin should never play, Marc should shoot more and Green should play injured .....

I don't see anyone complaining that Green was on load management. If anything he's the one guy needing that right now. Especially if he's banged up. Now, if people don't know he's on a minute restriction, It is possible they will assume this was a coaching/tactical decision to have FVV close the game instead of him, and that's what people are questioning. There's a difference.

Right now with the seed locked, what's happening is a combination of rest, rhythm, last minute experimentation, and chasing finals homecourt.. So yes, as a fan is okay to discuss the pros and cons of what Nurse is doing on the last week of the regular season to balance these 4 elements. Having the 2nd best record in the league doesn't make him immune to that, a lot of the work to achieve that happened well before Lin and Gasol even got here, so discussing their ideal role going forward it's exactly what we should expect on these last week of he reg season.

[G__Deane]

I don't see anyone complaining that Green was on load management. If anything he's the one guy needing that right now. Especially if he's banged up. Now, if people don't know he's on a minute restriction, It is possible they will assume this was a coaching/tactical decision to have FVV close the game instead of him, and that's what people are questioning. There's a difference.

Right now with the seed locked, what's happening is a combination of rest, rhythm, last minute experimentation, and chasing finals homecourt.. So yes, as a fan is okay to discuss the pros and cons of what Nurse is doing on the last week of the regular season to balance these 4 elements. Having the 2nd best record in the league doesn't make him immune to that, a lot of the work to achieve that happened well before Lin and Gasol even got here, so discussing their ideal role going forward it's exactly what we should expect on these last week of he reg season.

What we KNEW wsas Danny was coming off an injury so rather than ASSUME Nurse was f ing up, why not more logically assume that Danny was on a minutes restriction? Which he WAS. Or that he was feeling a little tender after the half?

Answer? Some fans are just dying compalin about Nurse no matter what. If we lose to the Bucks in 6 or the GSW in 5, it will be Nurse's fault like we were the favourite. Just a little tired of the non-stop Nurse bashing. He's done pretty well in a tough year with so many injuries, the load management and so many new players both at the beginning of the year and at the trade deadline.

He's sure not perfect but a hell of a lot better than Casey imo and willing to be judged by the post season. Just like Kawhi btw

ymmv ....