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Indiana at Toronto


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  • 3 weeks later...

I guess Davis is starting after all. I'm watching Raptors Game Day and Sherm and Amber both said he is starting.

 

Devlin also tweeted it.

 

Glad Casey came to his senses and didn't start Magloire because he "matches up" better with Hibbert. Lets be honest, at this point in his career, Magloire doesn't match up with anybody. I like him as a vet presence, but his actual time on the court should be minimal.

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So I guess it takes Bargnani getting injured for DeRozan to realize that he is at his best when attacking?

 

He got the game started by getting to the line and making a layup, then he stepped outside for jumpers. He is so much better when working inside-out as opposed to just settling.

 

14 points for him in the 1st quarter already.

 

Time to watch the Leaf game, though, so I'll post my thoughts after I watch it on League Pass later tonight.

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What a sad game really. I thought the raptors played well defensively and they played much better offensively. There were a lot of bad turnovers and most importantly they need execute when they got to the charity stripe.

 

Derozan is soft player that lacks killer instinct. This guy in my mind offensively has loads of potential. He is too caught up of getting his in the flow of the offense it’s really pathetic. Derozan needs to become more aggressive and attack the basket more in order for him to be successful.

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The problem with that is DeRozan doesn't have the handles or a good enough first step to be able to continuously attack the basket, so he has to rely on scoring within the flow of the offense. You can get by with having a tight handle and a slow 1st step like an Evan Turner or you can get by with having a weak handle and an explosive first step like Leandro Barbosa, but you can't get by without either one and, unfortunately, DeRozan lacks both.

 

You could see it countless times in this game. He would put the ball on the floor but he wouldn't be able to create enough seperation between himself and his defender because of his lack of explosiveness. When that didn't work, he was forced to try and get creative with his handle and all that really resulted in was him attempting a sloppy behind the back move and eventually he would lose control of the ball and needed to kill his dribble.

 

It isn't necessarily that he doesn't want to be aggressive on offense because in this game, unlike others this year, he was trying to get into the paint. He just simply doesn't have the ability to do it on a consistent basis. That is why he is so much better in transition because it is usually either one dribble pull up or one dribble and extend to the hoop. He doesn't have to create space for himself, which he really struggles with, because the floor is already open and all he has to do is focus on finishing, which he is solid at doing.

 

Unfortunately for us Raptors fans, these two areas of weakness are two of the more difficult things to improve on. You can improve your shot through hard work and it has been done many times, but not too many people are able to go from being a weak ball handler to a good one (it is doable, though) and even less people are able to improve their first step. I'm not counting him out by any means, but the idea that DeRozan is going to develop into some 20-25 point per game 1st or 2nd option just doesn't seem plausible.

 

 

The Pacers are quickly becoming one of my least favourite teams in the league with their constant complaining. They want to play a rough, physical style of game, a style of game that will inevitable lead to fouls being called against them, yet they bitch to the refs after every single whistle. David West, Dahntay Jones and Danny Granger are the absolute worst at this. You breath on them and they think they should get a call and none of them have ever committed a foul based on their reactions to every whistle.

 

It is why I like George so much. He plays physical but take his calls in stride and rarely complains to the ref because he knows that if you are going to play like this, you are going to get some fouls called on you. If any Pacer had a right to complain about some of the calls tonight, it was George but he kept his mouth shut and played.

 

Speaking of Granger, loved seeing him stink up the joint and then get himself ejected after the one good play he made in the entire game. The guy has way too high of an opinion of himself for such an average player. You think he is the second coming of Jordan out there with the way he acts. It is pretty entertaining really.

 

For the Raptors, there really wasn't much to say. They played hard, very physical but at the end of the day, that physicallity is basically what cost them the game. They simply committed way to many fouls and gave the Pacers too many free points. They also really missed Bargnani down the stretch as their offense was completely dependent on Barbosa flailing at the rim.

 

 

 

 

On a final note, I applaud Casey for the excellent tanking decision to leave Jamaal "I've airballed 3 of my 9 free throw attempts this season" Magloire on the court during the crucial final possession. It was even better that he decided it would be a good idea to inbound the ball to him and give the Pacers the opportunity to commit a foul and send him to the charity stripe where he could have the opportunity to airball another one, which, of course, he came through with flying colors.

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Damn, Magloire hit nothing but air on TWO free throws...that's rare to see that happen twice in one night, and boy, those shots were super short.

 

I used to like Granger, but I'm starting to see this attitude in him. It wasn't too long ago I stated he was a second option, at best, and I'm not really sure he could be a second option on a championship team...yet, he's got this "swag" he plays with, thinking he's the savior in Indiana, when he's really not that big of a deal anymore.

 

Sean, did Ed Davis get hurt on that play?

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Which play are you talking about?

 

I don't recall seeing Davis really wincing or anything like that and I know that he was out there to finish the game. I also haven't read, heard or seen anything that suggests he was hurt during the game, so I think he is fine.

The play with Granger, and then DG stood over Davis as he was laying there on the floor (and DG was thrown out of the game). I only saw the highlights, didn't watch the game, so...

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The play with Granger, and then DG stood over Davis as he was laying there on the floor (and DG was thrown out of the game). I only saw the highlights, didn't watch the game, so...

 

Ahh, no, he was fine.

 

He actually got up about 2 seconds after Granger stood over him and started laughing at him for getting himself thrown out. :lol:

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