Everything (2016-2017) Regular Season Game Threads

[rocwell]

Who's watching Hawks-Wizards?

Atlanta's defence looks really good.

[Sinbad]

Who's watching Hawks-Wizards?

Atlanta's defence looks really good.

They're completely frustrating the Wizards. A healthy, motivated Dwight Howard is one of the best defensive players of this generation.

[golden]

Casey is one of the best motivators in the league. That's clear.

But in terms of Xs and Os and managing a rotation, there's a lot of coaches I'd rather have.

I would amend that to be more precise that: Casey, "backed up by Masai holding the player's accountable" is the best motivational team in the league. Casey without Masai gets no respect from Lowry, for example.

The usual suspects will jump in and get offended by those comments, but it's documented history that is backed up by interviews, articles, etc...

[Abbas]

GAME #2: Cleveland Cavaliers 94 - Toronto Raptors 91

Game one is in the books. The excellent performances by Demar and Jonas are in the past now. Its time to focus on the future now...
LeBron, Irving, Love & Co. come to Toronto to face OUR TORONTO RAPTORS.
Not only will we need a good performance from Demar and JV again, but Kyle will have to play like Kyle again....
To be a champ you have to BEAT THE CHAMPS. It's time to get the W and give ourselves an early advantage on the bracket sheet.


Line Ups

Toronto
Klye Lowry - CJ
DeMar DeDrozan - TR
DeMarre Carroll - NP
Pascal Siakam - PP
Jonas Valanciunas - JP

Cleveland
Uncle D.Less
Jr. Brick
LeBitch, LeQueen, LeFlop, LeCry
D.Less's cousin Kevin
Role Player from Brampton


Lets start a streak so I keep making these amazing threads

And oh yeahh....
First National TV game of the season!

[KHD]

They're completely frustrating the Wizards. A healthy, motivated Dwight Howard is one of the best defensive players of this generation.

ha, i completely forgot that dwight went to atlanta somehow.

[JamesNaismith]

While I agree with you, I also do think Casey's shortcomings in terms of rotations and Xs and Os does sometimes hurt the Raptors.

100%

I also agree with the sentiment of give me a coach that players like, respect, trust and is able to motivate over a X and Os coach BUT it's really quite painful in how Casey has never been able to or perhaps doesn't know how to incorporate more movement into the offence. Pretty much EVERYTHING is an iso with perhaps a pitch out 3 to Ross, Pat or DeMarre.

If that ball would swing around more guys like DeMarre, Norm, Pascal and even Ross can have a field day rim running. In fact that's where Carroll was such a great tool in ATL because when the court is properly spaced and the ball whips around he's actually great at finding the seams in the defence to either cut into an open lane for an easy basket or be able to nail an open 3. Instead it's the high PnR ad naseum with up until the Playoffs next year was an iso for DeMar or a pick and pop or drive for Kyle...with again the rare pitch out to a 3 pt shooter which makes us insanely predictable.

If he could even use a double screen where they use JV in the high PnR with the roller setting a pick on another wing or post to allow JV or whoever sets the high pick to drop the ball from the high post on a back cut it would help tremendously. Just adopting a simple philosphy of preaching passing on a good shot for a great shot would make a world of a difference. Of course in big moments or various stretches of the game you look for your go to guys (Kyle, DD and hopefully now JV too) but if he just preached some ball movement this team would be MUCH better. I know there are tons of sets Pops runs but as a general overview that's how the Spurs are set up....Kawhi, LMA and Parker can iso and are used to create the offence but the others are constantly moving in to openings in the defence for a good shot, if there is an even better one the ball further rotates and they kill teams that way.

Anyways it's a ramble but it kills me how much better we could be if we did the same and it would also make the "other guys" feel far more engaged in the game and play with more energy knowing they will get some looks too. All that said, just incorporating JV more should make a pretty big difference.

[jerome]

too bad national tv games are not on league pass. Please message jerome a link tomorrow if you have one

[tDotted]

Who's watching Hawks-Wizards?

Atlanta's defence looks really good.

Well, they do have the best defensive frontcourt in the league

[DogeLover1234]

100%

I also agree with the sentiment of give me a coach that players like, respect, trust and is able to motivate over a X and Os coach BUT it's really quite painful in how Casey has never been able to or perhaps doesn't know how to incorporate more movement into the offence. Pretty much EVERYTHING is an iso with perhaps a pitch out 3 to Ross, Pat or DeMarre.

If that ball would swing around more guys like DeMarre, Norm, Pascal and even Ross can have a field day rim running. In fact that's where Carroll was such a great tool in ATL because when the court is properly spaced and the ball whips around he's actually great at finding the seams in the defence to either cut into an open lane for an easy basket or be able to nail an open 3. Instead it's the high PnR ad naseum with up until the Playoffs next year was an iso for DeMar or a pick and pop or drive for Kyle...with again the rare pitch out to a 3 pt shooter which makes us insanely predictable.

If he could even use a double screen where they use JV in the high PnR with the roller setting a pick on another wing or post to allow JV or whoever sets the high pick to drop the ball from the high post on a back cut it would help tremendously. Just adopting a simple philosphy of preaching passing on a good shot for a great shot would make a world of a difference. Of course in big moments or various stretches of the game you look for your go to guys (Kyle, DD and hopefully now JV too) but if he just preached some ball movement this team would be MUCH better. I know there are tons of sets Pops runs but as a general overview that's how the Spurs are set up....Kawhi, LMA and Parker can iso and are used to create the offence but the others are constantly moving in to openings in the defence for a good shot, if there is an even better one the ball further rotates and they kill teams that way.

Anyways it's a ramble but it kills me how much better we could be if we did the same and it would also make the "other guys" feel far more engaged in the game and play with more energy knowing they will get some looks too. All that said, just incorporating JV more should make a pretty big difference.

I wonder what Ross looks like in the alternate universe where GS took him instead of Barnes. I wouldn't be surprised if he just bounced around the league as a bench shooter or becomes an All-Star.

[JamesNaismith]

I wonder what Ross looks like in the alternate universe where GS took him instead of Barnes. I wouldn't be surprised if he just bounced around the league as a bench shooter or becomes an All-Star.

Unless Ross can magically lock in, remain focused and most importantly CONSISTENT. Then he is what he is but he is best suited on a team that uses a ton a ball movement. SAS, GSW and before ATL would have been great fits for him because they whip the ball around and EXPECT and CREATE a wide open shot for their shooters.

The problem for Ross is he isn't mentally engaged in a game unless he hits a couple of jumpers and he doesn't know how to get himself going and Kyle and DD don't make it a point at all. Instead when he's on court with them he's forgotten and only used to bail out on end of clock situations OR he comes in with the bench but then again usually it's pretty poor movement because it's again a painfully predictable offence where CoJo drives while someone sets a pick for Ross to run out and take a 3. The only time we ever see ball movement is that one line up where CoJo, Lowry, Ross, Pat and Biz are all on the court and if I recall that lineup had our BEST point differential because there is a very obvious theme there....a guy that cuts hard to the rim and shooters running all around the wings for open shots while another guy rebounds (actually at the core of GSW and previously ATL just they didn't have stars as well but anyways). ATL used Teague (cutter and shooter), Korver, DC, Milsap (shooters) and occasionally Al (rebounder)...you see the same thing on roids in GSW. It's such a simple concept that for whatever reason we don't get it.

I bet even if we used DeMar to create with shooters around and swing the ball we'd be far better. That's of course making probably a piss poor assumption DD would not get tunnel vision. But whatever, point is it's just frustrating that Casey doesn't incorporate that shooting and movement into the offence. Pops does exactly that...now he starts off his offence allowing one of Kawhi, Parker or LMA to create/iso (like DeMar, Kyle or JV would do) but he incorporates movement so Green, Manu or Kawhi can swing the ball for an open shot. Pops understands while does have Green, he doesn't have a Curry, Klay, Draymond and now KD but he can iso to beat them up a bit and open the court by swinging the ball around so his guys can either nail a 3 or find cutters. Funny we have Ross, Carroll and PP yet can't seem to incorporate intitiating the offence with our main guys but swing the ball for a better shot if it's not there. *sigh* moving on...

[lewro]

I wonder what Ross looks like in the alternate universe where GS took him instead of Barnes. I wouldn't be surprised if he just bounced around the league as a bench shooter or becomes an All-Star.

Well, likely Ross would have been picked much later in the 1st and maybe gsw would take Drummond but I know it's hypothetical.
I liked in game 1 that he made a really good def reb. And, he made a really crisp swing pass to reverse the ball. Occasionally ive seen his eyes light up when a lane opens for a drive or a steal but seeing him engaged in fundamentals is really encouraging. I've been sucked into the Ross camp too many tho. Happy if he can just do enough to up his trade value.

[Scraptor]

I know we will win this game because I have ESPn.

[Sinbad]

Why on earth would a LeBron rematch get shoved to SN1? I get that the World Series airs on the main SN channels, but the TSN lineup is ridiculous.

TSN1: CFL Football
TSN2: Figure Skating
TSN3: That's Hockey/World Series of Poker/NHL Hockey
TSN4: CFL Football
TSN5: UFC Classics/UFC Unleashed/NHL Hockey

[The Great One]

Why on earth would a LeBron rematch get shoved to SN1? I get that the World Series airs on the main SN channels, but the TSN lineup is ridiculous.

TSN1: CFL Football
TSN2: Figure Skating
TSN3: That's Hockey/World Series of Poker/NHL Hockey
TSN4: CFL Football
TSN5: UFC Classics/UFC Unleashed/NHL Hockey

UFC Classics? Figure Skating? CFL Football? Poker? over last season's ECF matchup?

Ridiculous. Smh.

[Sinbad]

UFC Classics? Figure Skating? CFL Football? Poker? over last season's ECF matchup?

Ridiculous. Smh.

I can't stand it. It's bad enough that SN and TSN collude not to air any out-of-market games at the same time as any Raptors game [which they could never do with hockey games] so as not to split the ratings, but when a marquee match-up rolls around, it gets shoved to an expensive specialty channel? Baffling. Whether or not we're on ESPN or TNT doesn't bother me. I'd much rather have the networks stop pinballing the Raptors around.