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GAME #65 Houston Rockets vs Toronto Raptors on Tuesday March 5th, 2019 at 8:00 pm EST

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  • MACK11
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    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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  • golden
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    slaw wrote: View Post

    And, I think an excellent point that also explains one of the reasons JV has contributed so much in Memphis: he's playing at a different level from the guys around him.
    This is why tanking seldom works, even when superior talent is infused - they never get these type of reps. And why winning cultures just keep on succeeding, even with few (or zero) lottery picks. JV is bringing that winner's mentality to a young team that is welcoming that veteran leadership. He's never missed the playoffs his whole career. He expects to win. It's a great fit.

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  • Zak24gege
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    slaw wrote: View Post

    And, I think an excellent point that also explains one of the reasons JV has contributed so much in Memphis: he's playing at a different level from the guys around him.
    Have watched most of the games since the big trade and all three of the guys involved are playing well with JV (starting) and Delon (Starter, 6th man) having key roles. Even Bruno is starting as some of the regular bigs are injured. Definitely highlights the depth of talent more than anything else here in Toronto!

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  • slaw
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    KeonClark wrote: View Post

    Underrated point made by nurse in the last couple sentences. This is far and away the best team hes ever played for and going from Atlanta to Toronto overnight is almost like 2 different leagues of basketball. Teams turn it up to 11 against the Toronto's and the golden states and the Houston's and the philly's. You gotta be ready every night for playoff style ball at this time of year, cause your opponent has had you circled on the calendar for weeks.
    And, I think an excellent point that also explains one of the reasons JV has contributed so much in Memphis: he's playing at a different level from the guys around him.

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  • Zak24gege
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    golden wrote: View Post

    You read opposing team player quotes the day after they've beaten us and the respect level is so high. Beating the Raptors has definitely become a statement game / turning point for lesser teams and a measuring stick for other contenders. #WeTheHunted.
    My attitude towards JLin and Nurses comments is that excuses are for losers. Teams that are fighting to get into the playoffs will play the Raptors tough and this should not be a surprise to anyone. Lin just has to play better, he has been awful so far. Good news is that he will play better.

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  • golden
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    KeonClark wrote: View Post

    Underrated point made by nurse in the last couple sentences. This is far and away the best team hes ever played for and going from Atlanta to Toronto overnight is almost like 2 different leagues of basketball. Teams turn it up to 11 against the Toronto's and the golden states and the Houston's and the philly's. You gotta be ready every night for playoff style ball at this time of year, cause your opponent has had you circled on the calendar for weeks.
    You read opposing team player quotes the day after they've beaten us and the respect level is so high. Beating the Raptors has definitely become a statement game / turning point for lesser teams and a measuring stick for other contenders. #WeTheHunted.

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  • KeonClark
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    planetmars wrote: View Post
    More Lewenberg (on twitter):


    Interesting stuff from Lin as well. He says he hasn't had a coach like Nurse (that gives his PGs this much freedom) since D'Antonio in New York, says he's still getting adjusted to it again. "It's a player's dream, it's a blessing, and it's my job and my time to capitalize on it"



    Some good insight on why Lin has struggled early in his Raptors tenure from coach Nick Nurse:
    Underrated point made by nurse in the last couple sentences. This is far and away the best team hes ever played for and going from Atlanta to Toronto overnight is almost like 2 different leagues of basketball. Teams turn it up to 11 against the Toronto's and the golden states and the Houston's and the philly's. You gotta be ready every night for playoff style ball at this time of year, cause your opponent has had you circled on the calendar for weeks.

    Leave a comment:


  • planetmars
    replied
    More Lewenberg (on twitter):


    Interesting stuff from Lin as well. He says he hasn't had a coach like Nurse (that gives his PGs this much freedom) since D'Antonio in New York, says he's still getting adjusted to it again. "It's a player's dream, it's a blessing, and it's my job and my time to capitalize on it"



    Some good insight on why Lin has struggled early in his Raptors tenure from coach Nick Nurse:

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  • Zak24gege
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    KeonClark wrote: View Post

    Important to remember hes been here 6 or 7 games. He'll be fine the guy didnt forget how to shoot the day he got traded.

    with that said, hes never been a lights out shooter, just an average one. So anybody expecting that is in for a rude suprise. Hes a slight upgrade on delon Wright. Hes not as good as fred van. It'll sort itself out.
    I expect, like all things in life, his shooting will trend towards the mean...which suggests he should go 7 - 9 with 3 / 3 from behind the arc!

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  • LJ2
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    golden wrote: View Post

    Maybe not, but he does know what he wants the team to be: a swiss army knife that can play any style at any time. He's using the regular season to get the team ready for the opposition adjustments inthe playoffs that will force you away from the style that gave you regular season success. He's forcing them to be uncomfortable, play with different guys and learn how to make plays when your primary schemes / top players are game-planned against. Interesting experiment and Nurse will hailed as a genius if it works.
    That's not an easy thing to accomplish with veterans. Not just because they've been playing a certain way for so long, but because the physical demands it requires. With only one shot at it this year with a damn good roster I don't know why Nurse would take such a risk. If it pays of he's the GOAT, if the Raptors flame out in the playoffs then he's going to be severely scrutinized.

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  • KeonClark
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    Zak24gege wrote: View Post

    In the case of JLin, His shooting has been awful. Making mid-range jump shots is not an integration thing. A guy who has been on 8 teams in 8 years should have plenty of integration experience.
    Important to remember hes been here 6 or 7 games. He'll be fine the guy didnt forget how to shoot the day he got traded.

    with that said, hes never been a lights out shooter, just an average one. So anybody expecting that is in for a rude suprise. Hes a slight upgrade on delon Wright. Hes not as good as fred van. It'll sort itself out.

    Leave a comment:


  • inthepaint
    replied
    DanH wrote: View Post

    This is the same as the suggestion to give Serge minutes at the 4 beside Gasol that's been floating around since trading for Gasol (before that, really, all season I've been saying they could roll Serge and JV beside each other, Gasol is just an even easier fit there). Restricting two of your top, what, 5-6 players to sharing 48 minutes is silly.
    There would be lots of time where Lowry would have just one of Serge/Gasol (like now), same with the group of Kawhi/Green/Siakam. There would probably be times where you would have both FVV & OG (and maybe the 9th man) on the court as well while 2 or 3 of the starters are sitting. And yeah you're not gonna get 2 of Lowry/Ibaka/Gasol and 2 of Kawhi/Green/Siakam on the court at all times because the means 4 starter caliber players on the floor at all times and that's probably not realistic, but the goal in my opinion should be to move away from the all bench units, and try to have at least 2 or 3 starters anchoring the floor at all times. Teams like Golden State, Milawaukee and Philly aim for that. Unless it's garbage time you don't see a lot of Curry + all bench, Giannis + Bench or Embiid + Bench. So yeah they try to have 2 of their top players on the floor for almost the whole 48.

    I'm Ok with Ibaka at PF too. I guess who you'd call PF & C when they're both in would also depend on who they're guarding, and that will vary from what kind of lineup the opposing team would have, but all in all I think they would work well on the floor at the same time, especially if Lowry is also with them. I personally prefer Serge closer to rim because he's been a better rebounder than Gasol and a better shot blocker, but Gasol is also an excellent interior defender and Ibaka is mobile enough to defend the perimeter, so I think either way would work well. I think this is a look we might see more often down the road.

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  • Zak24gege
    replied
    bertarapsfan wrote: View Post
    Im willing to give Jlin and Marc a couple more weeks until i can start any criticism. It's hard to be placed into a winning team in the middle of the season and seamlessly fit in. Its especially hard when we dont have a set rotation and guys minutes and court pairings are changing on a game to game basis. Marc has shown flashes already when he plays with the starters. For lin it must be hard as his role has changed alot game to game. He got the start after like a week here after preparing to be a backup PG. I think 5-6 more game and we can really judge how these dudes are gonna fit with our team. JLin has been concerning lately but i think hes a guy who really needs a defined role to perform at his best. The fact these guys are both veterans and have high bball IQ will help them speed up this integration hopefully..
    In the case of JLin, His shooting has been awful. Making mid-range jump shots is not an integration thing. A guy who has been on 8 teams in 8 years should have plenty of integration experience.

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  • golden
    replied
    MixxAOR wrote: View Post
    To me it looks like Nurse doesn't know who his team is.
    Maybe not, but he does know what he wants the team to be: a swiss army knife that can play any style at any time. He's using the regular season to get the team ready for the opposition adjustments inthe playoffs that will force you away from the style that gave you regular season success. He's forcing them to be uncomfortable, play with different guys and learn how to make plays when your primary schemes / top players are game-planned against. Interesting experiment and Nurse will hailed as a genius if it works.

    Leave a comment:


  • DanH
    replied
    inthepaint wrote: View Post
    One thing that Matt/Jack said a couple of times is the possibility of Gasol at the 4. It's a long shot, he played C his whole career, but I think it would actually untangle some conundrums on the rotation:

    Lowry/Kawhi/Siakam/Gasol/Ibaka

    Gasol elevates Lowry's offence, Lowry elevates Ibaka's offence. The idea would be having Gasol play the high post as a 4 near the top of the key, working the the 2-man game with Lowry. He could screen for Lowry's 3 (it is very difficult to go over a Gasol screen and to block a 3pt shooter that is confortable putting up deep 3's like Lowry), but also popping to the 3pt line like he did in Memphis (instead of always rolling to rim like he's been doing here).

    Lowry would still have the effective bread and butter pn'r with Serge (or pop to Serge's elbow range). Having both on the court could also open up action where both come up to the top of the key for double screens/pin downs bringing both opposing bigs out of the paint, which would open things up for baseline cuts by Siakam or Kawhi. Both Siakam & Kawhi are good rebounders, so even if the 2 bigs are out on screen action at the top of the key, the wings can crash the boards (or one can stay in the corner 3, as both are good 3pt shooters from there).

    I don't know if it's mathematically doable for minutes but in this setup, I'd try to have at least 2 of Lowry/Ibaka/Gasol on the court at all times (they all played together before and have good chemistry), and 2 of Kawhi/Green/Siakam (the 3 of which also have good chemistry) always on the floor as well. Then I'd round up a tight 8-man rotation with FVV (for the 1 & 2 spots) and OG (for the 3 and 4 spots). I'd get another insurance 5 as your potential 9th man (eg Gortat) and Lin/MCaw/Norm would only see time if there was injuries.
    This is the same as the suggestion to give Serge minutes at the 4 beside Gasol that's been floating around since trading for Gasol (before that, really, all season I've been saying they could roll Serge and JV beside each other, Gasol is just an even easier fit there). Restricting two of your top, what, 5-6 players to sharing 48 minutes is silly.

    Leave a comment:

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