DanH wrote:
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Toronto's Round 2 Defence - Underrated or Lucky?
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9 time first team all-RR, First Ballot Hall of Forum
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CalgaryRapsFan wrote: View PostI actually think the fact that their defense is playing so well is part of the reason the offensive struggles are standing out so much. Such a good defense should be leading to more easy wins, yet every game has been a nail-biter. Even a semi-competent offense would have buried Indy in 5 games and Miami in no more than 6.
I don't think the defense is underrated. I just think the offensive woes are taking all the headlines, and rightfully so.9 time first team all-RR, First Ballot Hall of Forum
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DanH wrote: View PostGetting teams to sink to their level is a pretty hilarious, and seemingly effective, strategy. Remember, early in the year, they turned two matches against Golden State into fistfights and both came down to the wire.
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This will/could be the second round we win in where the other team has the best player on the court. Especially in basketball that is a giant obstacle to overcome. What we did to Indiana wasn't impressive because it was basically what they were. What we are doing to Miami is impressive because as barolt pointed out many many times they had one of the best offenses in the league 2nd half of the season. Whiteside went down in game 3. We were smothering them before that. We haven't lost in regulation to this team yet.
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charlottes defense was actually really good against the heat, but you're forgetting 2 things. One is that charlotte doesn't really have a rim protector. They gave up bismack biyombo for peanuts and it bit them in the ass hard. The only other big on their team with some skill as a rim protector, spencer hawes, was injured at the end of game 5 and didn't come back after that. Heat took advantage of this and kept bashing charlottes interior with hassan whiteside. Basically heat lucked out, there was no way they were winning had the hornets been 100% healthy.
The second factor is hassan whiteside. He really is one of the key parts of their offense, they need him in the paint for the rest of their guys to play a smoother perimeter game. Too bad for them though, JV was abusing HW when he was healthy, so HW didn't have as much of an effect against raptors as he did on charlotte.
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KeonClark wrote: View PostWell..if it's not getting it's just due, doesn't that make it underrated, basically by definition?
In the general media, the coverage of the unexpectedly bad offense is just overshadowing the coverage of the team's solid defensive play. Offense is sexier in general, and the Raptors' drop-off from the regular season is significant and alarming. The Raptors have two headlines, but "Raptors' 2 all-stars pull disappearing act and take the offense with them" is a much more click-worthy headline than "Raptors defense fuels playoff success".
The Raptors' defensive prowess may not be getting the amount of press it deserves, but the type of coverage it is getting is all positive and accurate. It might be semantics, but I think the question of being underrated would only come into play if people weren't noticing how good it's been or not giving the defense credit.
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I'll say it's underrated because the media is trashing the Raptors' game this playoffs. People say they're playing terribly, end of story. But the truth is, they're only playing half bad. Offensively, they haven't been good. Defensively, they have been great. You don't hear as much about the defense as you do the offense, and that's not doing this team justice in this post-season. Defense wins games, and that's why the Raptors are a win away from an ECF despite shooting struggles because of theirs. That should be the narrative.
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CalgaryRapsFan wrote: View PostNo. I think the defense is being given sufficient credit. The broadcasters speak about it non-stop during broadcasts, as the key reason why the Raptors are having success in the playoffs, despite their horrendous offense.
A lot of credit to Casey for coaching these guys to a really good playoffs showing this year; on defense anyway. They may make history tonight.
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