Game # 5 Jazz at Raps Thursday January 7th 7:30pm on TSN

[Dvdvideo]

This is OK for our team right now and wins but I really hope this doesn't become a serious ongoing issue late into the season, it will eventually ruin everything. They will say our team is bad, that we earned nothing, and on top of it we will get to see the raps play against d-league teams instead of nba stars. It's bad for the NBA in Canada in many ways.

Oh ya and I freaked out when I saw Thursday, lol, thought I missed it for a second......

[Puffer]

No problem with playing depleted teams. These can be high-level practices against opponents who are fighting for placement on a team or to become part of the regular rotations. They will be high energy and not saving anything. And the Raps will continue integrating their players into their roles. And Nick can continue experimenting and teaching. Hope they get three more opportunities like this.

[Jclaw]

Quick...without peeking, name a member of the Utah Jazz who is playing tonight

[planetmars]

Spread is only -11.5. Vegas must not think that highly of the Raptors.. or they really like the Jazz G-league team.

[The Great One]

Sweep the leg. Beat the shit out of them.

[Jclaw]

We make up 20% of Zach's 10 things this week (though the second one is pretty fluffy). The first one tho..

3. Here come the weird, gigantic, fascinating Toronto Raptors?


Are the Raptors secretly becoming the most interesting team in the league? They're whole again, and up to 18-17 -- tied with Cleveland in the loss column for the No. 6 spot in the East.

Nick Nurse has dispensed with centers in the starting lineup, opening with Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, and Scottie Barnes next to the Gary Trent Jr./Fred VanVleet guard duo. That group is super switchable after VanVleet, and he's stronger than you think.

The Raps of late have started second and fourth quarters with this bad boy: Barnes, Anunoby, Siakam, Chris Boucher, and Precious Achiuwa. For years, fans have wondered if the future of basketball is five 6-8 dudes wrecking stuff. Hi, it's happening right now in Toronto.

It's one thing to be switchable, quite another to be switchable and huge. Offenses know how to counter switches. Those actions -- slipped screens, well-timed cuts -- open tiny passing windows before the defense completes its switch. To be a good switching team, you need help defenders fast, smart, and long enough to flash into those windows -- and then rotate back outside:


https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/sto...ival-cleveland

[KeonClark]

We make up 20% of Zach's 10 things this week (though the second one is pretty fluffy). The first one tho..

3. Here come the weird, gigantic, fascinating Toronto Raptors?


Are the Raptors secretly becoming the most interesting team in the league? They're whole again, and up to 18-17 -- tied with Cleveland in the loss column for the No. 6 spot in the East.

Nick Nurse has dispensed with centers in the starting lineup, opening with Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, and Scottie Barnes next to the Gary Trent Jr./Fred VanVleet guard duo. That group is super switchable after VanVleet, and he's stronger than you think.

The Raps of late have started second and fourth quarters with this bad boy: Barnes, Anunoby, Siakam, Chris Boucher, and Precious Achiuwa. For years, fans have wondered if the future of basketball is five 6-8 dudes wrecking stuff. Hi, it's happening right now in Toronto.

It's one thing to be switchable, quite another to be switchable and huge. Offenses know how to counter switches. Those actions -- slipped screens, well-timed cuts -- open tiny passing windows before the defense completes its switch. To be a good switching team, you need help defenders fast, smart, and long enough to flash into those windows -- and then rotate back outside:


https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/sto...ival-cleveland

What a damn shame that Zach is behind a paywall now. And the 2nd, fluffy piece is hilarious

The sad Raptor

As the Raptors prepared to inbound in the second quarter Sunday, a repetitive thudding noise pierced Toronto's mostly empty arena -- cleared of fans under virus-related rules. The sound emanated from off camera -- a metronomic bum, bum, bum. It sounded like ... applause? But who was clapping? And why were they only clapping -- and not yelling, or shouting encouragement? Why were they so enthusiastic at such a ho-hum moment?

The camera zoomed out, revealing the source: the Raptor mascot, kneeling alone in the corner -- a showman without an audience.

What a sad symbol of these sad times.

Later in the game, the Raptor donned a dress suit and sat with Toronto's broadcast duo of Matt Devlin and Jack Armstrong. He scrawled a note, telling Devlin and Armstrong he loved them. It was a cry for help -- the scribbles of a beloved entertainer robbed of his purpose.

[KeonClark]

And here's the rest of what jclaw was posting from zach about our gang of 6'9s, because fuck ESPN:

There are just arms, everywhere. Arms, arms, arms. Toronto is No. 2 in forcing turnovers, and I expect a climb up the overall defense rankings if they keep this team intact.

Switchability is helpful in transition defense, and the Raptors need to be airtight there because they bombard the offensive glass. With so many like-sized guys, they don't have to worry about finding the "right" matchups.

Nurse plays with defensive matchups in ways that help Toronto's offense. He often uses Siakam on opposing guards, leaving Barnes or Anunoby defending centers. If Toronto gets a stop, Siakam can drag that mismatch to the other end -- posting up for buckets, or sucking in help that unlocks trail 3s. (Siakam is back playing at his All-NBA level from two seasons ago.) Barnes and Anunoby can exploit those same size advantages.

Switching everything on defense doesn't help as much if the opponent can do the same against your offense. The Raptors have enough good one-on-one players to combat that.

I don't know if Masai Ujiri built toward this vision on purpose, or if it kind of cascaded from one decision to another, but I'm intrigued.

[GOLDBLUM]

We make up 20% of Zach's 10 things this week (though the second one is pretty fluffy). The first one tho..

3. Here come the weird, gigantic, fascinating Toronto Raptors?


Are the Raptors secretly becoming the most interesting team in the league? They're whole again, and up to 18-17 -- tied with Cleveland in the loss column for the No. 6 spot in the East.

Nick Nurse has dispensed with centers in the starting lineup, opening with Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, and Scottie Barnes next to the Gary Trent Jr./Fred VanVleet guard duo. That group is super switchable after VanVleet, and he's stronger than you think.

The Raps of late have started second and fourth quarters with this bad boy: Barnes, Anunoby, Siakam, Chris Boucher, and Precious Achiuwa. For years, fans have wondered if the future of basketball is five 6-8 dudes wrecking stuff. Hi, it's happening right now in Toronto.

It's one thing to be switchable, quite another to be switchable and huge. Offenses know how to counter switches. Those actions -- slipped screens, well-timed cuts -- open tiny passing windows before the defense completes its switch. To be a good switching team, you need help defenders fast, smart, and long enough to flash into those windows -- and then rotate back outside:


https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/sto...ival-cleveland

[slaw]

This is nuts. Could really get a series of wins under our belt for just being in a different country. Take that free agents!

We've talked before about whether the border might be a competitive factor but it's always been unclear which way the double-edged sword would cut. Very interesting to see how this plays out the next month or two.

[GOLDBLUM]

And here's the rest of what jclaw was posting from zach about our gang of 6'9s, because fuck ESPN:

Agreed. Please keep posting their content against their wishes

[Dvdvideo]

We need this win, for Puffer! (It worked last time, so I'm rolling with it) Go raps.

[bertarapsfan]

We make up 20% of Zach's 10 things this week (though the second one is pretty fluffy). The first one tho..

3. Here come the weird, gigantic, fascinating Toronto Raptors?


Are the Raptors secretly becoming the most interesting team in the league? They're whole again, and up to 18-17 -- tied with Cleveland in the loss column for the No. 6 spot in the East.

Nick Nurse has dispensed with centers in the starting lineup, opening with Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, and Scottie Barnes next to the Gary Trent Jr./Fred VanVleet guard duo. That group is super switchable after VanVleet, and he's stronger than you think.

The Raps of late have started second and fourth quarters with this bad boy: Barnes, Anunoby, Siakam, Chris Boucher, and Precious Achiuwa. For years, fans have wondered if the future of basketball is five 6-8 dudes wrecking stuff. Hi, it's happening right now in Toronto.

It's one thing to be switchable, quite another to be switchable and huge. Offenses know how to counter switches. Those actions -- slipped screens, well-timed cuts -- open tiny passing windows before the defense completes its switch. To be a good switching team, you need help defenders fast, smart, and long enough to flash into those windows -- and then rotate back outside:


https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/sto...ival-cleveland

The #wethenorth era is clearly behind us.. we now usher in the #WeTheLimbs age

[Ebonhawke]

The #wethenorth era is clearly behind us.. we now usher in the #WeTheLimbs age

Raptors' lockerroom

[Puffer]

Raptors' lockerroom

Ha Ha Ha. Too true.