Raptors losing leads & is the NBA a country club sport?
Samson Folk & Trevon Heath dive deep into the Raptors and the NBA at large.
From Louis’ piece:
“Toronto’s gameplan was to survive with Wembanyama in the game and thrive when he sat. They did that. The Raptors found far more consistent points when he sat, which is a requirement to beat superstars’ teams. With Poeltl on the floor against Kornet, the Raptors also threw Quickley against those lesser defensive lineups of the Spurs. He jetted into handoff triples and generally looked much more comfortable offensively than he has in some recent contests. He finished with 20 points on 12 shots. The gameplan was intentional and effective, as Toronto bullied its way to layups when Kornet was protecting the paint.
The thing about the Spurs is that they, like Kasparov in his prime, are goddamn lions. You can’t turn your back for an instant or they’ll crush your windpipe, gouge your organs. Resting on a 12-point lead, Rajakovic thought he could buy rest for both Barnes and Ingram at the same time to start the fourth quarter. The Spurs immediately reeled off a 7-0 run to force a Raptors time out and a Rajakovic mea culpa. Barnes re-entered the game, but the Spurs had found the dynamic offensive potency that they had lacked all night. They hit triples, cut the lead to a single point in mere minutes. Took the lead.
Still, this is not another case of the Raptors simply being exposed against better teams. Toronto played 45 very strong minutes and had approximately a three-minute stretch at the start of the fourth quarter that doomed them. Toronto stayed committed to the gameplan. Toronto defended exceptionally. Toronto found workarounds to a half-court offence that simply couldn’t go near the rim. All that is remarkably impressive, win or lose.
The Raptors aren’t championship contenders, and losing to one of them — even if it is a pattern on the season — is expected, if disappointing for the team. Karpov didn’t beat Kasparov no matter how well he played in that world championship, no matter how much weight he lost over those several months. Neither did the Raptors beat the Spurs. But both Karpov and the Raptors can be proud of their performances regardless.”
Have a blessed day.
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