Game 53: Milwaukee Bucks @ Toronto Raptors - Thurs January 31, 8pm ET - TSN1/4/5 + TNT

[Superjudge]

A very useful stiff that gets buckets and rebounds, too..

I definitely agree with you

[GOLDBLUM]

A very useful stiff that gets buckets and rebounds, too..

Our only player who can set a stiff screen.

[MixxAOR]

better be a stiff than a noodle

[Zak24gege]

Happens a lot since win over GSW early Jan.

[DanH]

Superjudge knows how to always be right. JV is a stiff, and also a really good player who is critical to his team's success - therefore obviously when SJ called him a stiff, being a stiff means being a really good player who is critical to his team's success. We should have known that, any miscommunication on that front is entirely our fault.

[Zak24gege]

You forgot to include Ibaka in the "bad night" group. Kawhi just showed zero interest in playing to win?

[Zak24gege]

Raptors have been winning against sub 500 teams whose turnovers and poor shooting exceeds the Raptors.y Winning over these types of teams is fools gold in that it doesn't push improvement as they simply play well enough to win and don't address the issues plaguing this team. They have a sub .500 record against teams having over a 0.500 W/L record. Not encouraging.

[DanH]

Raptors have been winning against sub 500 teams whose turnovers and poor shooting exceeds the Raptors.y Winning over these types of teams is fools gold in that it doesn't push improvement as they simply play well enough to win and don't address the issues plaguing this team. They have a sub .500 record against teams having over a 0.500 W/L record. Not encouraging.

18-14 against .500 and above teams. Not great, and it's slid quite a bit since earlier in the season. Still, that would rank 4th in the East and 6th in the West, so even with their struggles they are a top 10 team against winning teams. Obviously would like to push that up to top 5.

[Yuri Gagarin]

Bottom line is they were 1st in the L now theyre 4th and theres no reason to think that will change. All the excuses can be applied to every other team - building chemistry, injuries. At this point of the year we should be gaining not slipping. It seems the team is no better off than when they started but everyone else is getting their shit together

[DanH]

Bottom line is they were 1st in the L now theyre 4th and theres no reason to think that will change. All the excuses can be applied to every other team - building chemistry, injuries. At this point of the year we should be gaining not slipping. It seems the team is no better off than when they started but everyone else is getting their shit together

Well, the team is notably worse off than when they started. They don’t have a complete rotation. If you think Milwaukee, for example, has suffered through the same injuries we have then I’m not sure what to tell you.

The good news is, no one ever won an NBA championship in February. I’m not saying the signs have all been positive, far from it. But they definitely have time to, how did you put it, get their shit together.

[Zak24gege]

Watching Bucks annihilate Wizards 90 - 65 with 5 mins left in 3Q.

[Yuri Gagarin]

Well, the team is notably worse off than when they started. They don’t have a complete rotation. If you think Milwaukee, for example, has suffered through the same injuries we have then I’m not sure what to tell you.

The good news is, no one ever won an NBA championship in February. I’m not saying the signs have all been positive, far from it. But they definitely have time to, how did you put it, get their shit together.

I hope so but I dont know how injuries relate to guys blowing open 3s all season.

[DanH]

I hope so but I dont know how injuries relate to guys blowing open 3s all season.

Our success rate on catch and shoot threes is almost identical to last year. We just can’t hit those pull up threes (29% vs 34% last year, mostly due to Lowry losing his insane touch on those shots), which we are inexplicably taking more of this season than last (in spite of Lowry missing so much time and him being the only guy who should be attempting them, in theory anyway, besides Kawhi - who has also missed a pile of time).

[DanH]

As for how injuries could affect that (especially noting Lowry’s importance to that shooting question) - here are some interesting splits....

When Lowry is on the court:

Without JV, Lowry shoots 30% from 3, the team shoots 36%.
With JV, Lowry shoots 39% from 3, the team shoots 39%.

There is something to be said for the space a solid screen and an inside presence can get shooters.

[G__Deane]

As for how injuries could affect that (especially noting Lowry’s importance to that shooting question) - here are some interesting splits....

When Lowry is on the court:

Without JV, Lowry shoots 30% from 3, the team shoots 36%.
With JV, Lowry shoots 39% from 3, the team shoots 39%.

There is something to be said for the space a solid screen and an inside presence can get shooters.

And the calmness that knowing even a miss can result in a rebound ....