Game #50: Toronto Raptors 110 - Portland Trail Blazers 103

[GLF]

It absolutely was. That game still haunts me. One thing I can take away from the win last night was that, more than getting the win, our team rose to the challenge. To me last night was like a playoff game: charged competition, crazy environment, refs swallowing the whistle. And our guys counter-punched every punch and showed tremendous resolve, grit and, most importantly, they delivered under the pressure. That's a fucking awesome sign!

Agreed! They just have to get those last 3 mins of a tight game together and then I will have more faith. Because if they continue to play the way they've played this season in those important 3 mins they will not win in the playoffs.

[LJ2]

Agree with this but have some points/venting to add.

Derozan took a bunch of shots in a row - mostly aggressive drives so it's hard to fault him too much - but he wasn't looking to pass at all at the end of the third.

Ross was pissed/disappointed when he was taken out with 6 min to go in the 4th. Understandable, he had just made a couple nice shots. Would have liked if Casey had kept him in but he loves that KL/CoJo backcourt so much.

PP is so mobile that when he closes out he runs 8 feet past the shooter. That was frustrating. The only shots Leonard hit in the 2nd half were wide open foul line jumpers because PP ran by him - and he did the same to Crabbe in the corner (though that may have been BB).

Speaking of Leonard, when Portland was trying to catch up late in the 4th, I would have preferred the Raptors had hedged hard or trapped Lillard instead of dropping back to give him a running start to attack. Much less dangerous to leave Leonard open in my opinion. But I suppose you want to keep things constant and simple in the regular season or something...

Speaking of trapping, the one time our guard gets trapped and he has to burn a time out. You'd think after it happened so often in the playoffs and even a couple times this season that they would teach the players what to do. Maybe the coaches did and JV forgot or didn't recognize it, but I hope that's an emphasis going forward towards the playoffs. Not something they throw together after Game 1 of a series.

Lastly, man, it's going to be so painful to watch these guys try to hold on to a lead in the playoffs. Stall to run down the clock into a single pick and roll and hope that creates a good shot. And I'd say mostly it doesn't but Kyle and DD and even CoJo have the ability to make some tough shots to bail them out. It has worked but I can't see how you can depend on that. It's torture.

I laughed when I read this cause there was a point in the 2nd quarter when the Blazers scored and the Raptors wanted to get out and run right back at them. 2Pat dashes to inbound the ball, but his momentum carries him almost into the camera men. Comic gold.

[3inthekeon]

We're catching a break in our next game. Caldwell-Pope out till the after the All-Star break.

[Barolt]

We're catching a break in our next game. Caldwell-Pope out till the after the All-Star break.

I want to see us do a better job on Jennings this time around.

[slaw]

Are we now pretending that Powell starting over Ross has anything to do with Ross?

It's Casey being Casey, nothing more.

No, it's a coach keeping his rotations intact. Just like Stotts did buy moving the seldom used Mo Harkless into the starting role with Vonleh out.

I get that not everyone watches a tonne of teams other than the Raps but, Jebus, this just happened with the opponent in the game last night. But yes, only Casey does it cause he's terrible.

[S.R.]

Haven't had a chance to read all the posts - was it pointed out that the Raps hadn't won in Portland since 2006? And that was a one point OT win. Haven't won there in regulation since 2002 (Vince Carter! Scottie Pippen!).

[iblastoff]

Haven't had a chance to read all the posts - was it pointed out that the Raps hadn't won in Portland since 2006? And that was a one point OT win. Haven't won there in regulation since 2002 (Vince Carter! Scottie Pippen!).

Yeah it was pointed out. It only took for Portland to lose all their starters except lillard too.


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[MixxAOR]