3 In the Key - Toronto Raptors Game Day Preview vs. Bulls

by RaptorsHQ - Archives on Jan 14, 2009 12:00 AM EST in 3 in the Key

Howland has been looking forward to watching this guy.

The back-to-back losses against the Boston Celtics were heartbreaking. So much effort, so much determination, yet the team has little to show for its performance. It’s true that there are many positives to take from the last couple of games, but the harsh reality of it all is that the past two losses have essentially wiped out the Raps solid start to 2009. The Raps are now 4 and 6 in their last ten and remain on the outside of the play-off race looking in.

The past two games really had a playoff feel to them. The atmosphere during both games was electric, the game play was physical and both teams really got after it. For the Celtics this type of match-up is a regular occurrence as every other team in the league is looking to knock off the defending champ and make a statement. For the Raps, these types of games are the exception rather than the rule and that is what makes me nervous about tonight’s match-up against a team in turmoil like the Chicago Bulls.

The Bulls, a game and a half up on the Raptors in the standings, are a team searching for an identity and a team with many issues. I mean where do you begin when trying to describe the mess in Chicago? Everyone in the league knows that the Bulls would deal Larry Hughes for the two scoops of raisins in a package of Kellogg’s Raisin Bran but yet can’t find a taker, Ben Gordon is playing for Ben Gordon, the injury bug has taken its toll (re: Luol Deng and Harry Potter who have now returned), Mr. Noah is becoming a prima donna, Tyrus Thomas is more of an enigma than the Andrea Bargnani from two weeks ago, Coach Del Negro seems to be loosing more control by the day and rookie sensation Derrick Rose is being exposed to all of this. The scary part is all of this is just the tip of the ice-berg.

Knowing all of this it’s a little easier being a Toronto Raptors fan. The Raptors franchise has its issues but somehow they pale in comparison to the circus in Chicago. One thing these teams do have in common is that they both lose to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Bulls loss coming just a few short days ago.

Now losing to the Bulls wouldn’t be the same thing as losing to the Thunder, but it is pretty darn close. The Raps have shown now that they can compete with the best. They have not beaten the best, but they can compete. If the Raps can keep the level of intensity high, then beating the Bulls should not be that difficult of a task. The real question is then, "Can the Raps keep up the intensity?"

I think it would only be natural for the Raps to let their guard down after the past two games and consequently play down to their competition. In some ways I actually expect to the Raps to start off sluggish based on recent history. The reality is playing down to the competition is something the Raps have done a lot all season. It’s also true to say that the elite franchises in the league don’t. Playing down to one’s competition is not in the make-up of the likes of the Cavs, Spurs, Celtics etc. These teams know they are better, play to a certain standard and let the results speak for themselves.

Some have suggested that the Raps have shown that they are ready to turn the corner. I for one think we will get a real sense of whether that is true tonight. If the Raps come out a play like they did the past few games and handle their business on home court with relative ease then yes, perhaps this team is ready to turn the corner and start climbing its way back into contention. If the team struggles and fails to do away with the Bulls however, I think all the "corner turning" conversation should quickly come to an end.

So what do the Raps need to do to ensure there is no Boston hang-over? Here are tonight’s three keys:

1. Rebounding: There is really very little that can be said about the Bulls front-court that would be considered positive. Any time your best player up front is a career journeyman (Gooden) you know there is little to get excited about. If there is one thing the bigs for the Bulls can do however is rebound. Noah, Thomas and even Aaron Gray are all effective rebounders who can create second chance opportunities for players like Ben Gordon. If the Raps want to secure the W they need to limit second chance points and really get after it on the glass. Another solid rebounding performance by Andrea Bagnani would go a long way but the guys I will be watching are Moon and Joey Graham. Moon only had 1 rebound on Monday in 22 minutes of action and Graham only grabbed 3. Both players need to make concerted efforts to get on the glass.

2. Stop Penetration: If you watched the post-game interview with CB4 yesterday he essentially called out Will Solomon for double teaming at the worst imaginable time leaving Paul Pierce wide open for a three. If there is one thing the Raps don’t need to do much of in this game it’s double team in the post. The emphasis for the Raps defensively has to be preventing dribble penetration and focusing on the point of attack aka Derrick Rose. The Raps need to man-up, trap on occasion and force the ball out of Rose’s hands. Help rotations will be key but this should be easier without having to double.

3. Get Physical: The Bulls are slowly getting healthy as Deng and Hinrich are both back and looking to get into the flow once again. The onus will be on the Raps to make both of these guys as uncomfortable as possible and prevent both of them from getting into a groove. The Raps need to play physical with both of these guys. Hard fouls and picks will hopefully force these guys to shy away from contact and take ill-advised jump shots. Neither player is fond of contact if the Raps bring the game to the Bulls the results should be positive.

HOWLAND

NOTE: This weeks blogger Power Rankings can be found here.

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Comments

I dont understand,"play down to the Bulls" when thay are the team we are chasing.

by d279 on Jan 14, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Pre Madonna? Oh, I think you meant "prima donna," though what you wrote was pretty funny too.

by Jdbar on Jan 14, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

He means that the Bulls as a team are actually playing worse right now then the Raptors have been the past week and half - 2 weeks. The Raptors took a bit of a tumble after Smitch got fired and they now look like they have made the adjustment to Triano's system. So "playing down" to a team ahead of you may seem counter intuitive but technically the Raptors are the better team on paper even if it hasn't played out that way on the court.
I still really think that a trade between Toronto and Chicago (Gooden/Hughes for Oneal) would do both teams wonders. Hughes is probably no longer an elite wing player but he is still light years better than anyone we currently have and his contract is the exact same length as Oneals so neither team gets stuck in 2010. True, Chicago would shed 8 mill in the offseason when Gooden leaves but Oneal has had a massive impact on Bargnani (his d was ahead of his o this season and I believe Oneal is the one who helped him with that) and I am willing to bet he could help Noah and Thomas both polish their games and their attitudes. Oneals presence in Chicago would also help that team as they are still a young team who lack a locker room leader like Oneal can be (for good or ill). I doubt it will happen though as it makes way too much sense and the NBA never does what makes sense.

by McGateway on Jan 14, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

BC has an opportunity to take advantage of another team's misjudgement starting on Friday as Miles will most likely get some time with OKC hurting the Blazers bottom line. If BC is smart he should jump on them now and offer a few expiring contracts to the Blaze for anything that might help this team. The Blazers may be willing to pay the luxury tax but they will have little wiggle room in FA and Trades until they dump some salary. Not sure what the two teams could do but Moon and Parkers Salaries are both expiring and maybe that could be a starting point for discussions.

by McGateway on Jan 14, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Jdbar -

Nice catch, it was getting late when I was putting this together.

Obviously we are behind the Bulls in the standings but as of late Toronto is playing a lot better than the Bulls. Against the Celts the Raps showed that they can play at a high level, Chicago has not shown this ability.

What would be very interesting tonight would be to listen to the Swirsky broadcast on Chicago radio.

by HOWLAND on Jan 14, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

HOWLAND, pre-madonna, with the meaning you had in mind, is actually spelled as "primadonna", pre-madonna actually means "whatever" happened before Madonna and Tyrus Thomas is still too much out of control to be regarded as such a "Wise old man" :))

PS, I know, I manage to mess the spelling up too and I even have the English spelling checker to help me out

by renato on Jan 14, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Jdbar, you posted it while I was writing. TO be honest "prima donna" with a space in between means first lady in a temporal fashion like "the first of many" where primadonna means the most important, or one who believes she is. Ok, I am splitting hair, but damn it if Italian is not a complicated (sophisticated) language. At least now you understand why NOT to trust any google translation from Italian :))

by renato on Jan 14, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

how ridiculously unfair does it seem that the raps had to play boston twice on a back to back, on the road for the second game?

Still if they are going to make for that elite status they have at least get a split...

Every game now is almost a must win, but there are plenty more guaranteed losses coming, like phoenix on saturday...

At least the problems seem obvious at this point and the trend upward...

by axl on Jan 14, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Jdbar he wrote prima donna wut u smokin dawg?

by syMMetry on Jan 14, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

nvm shoulda read all the comments, dont i look stupid lol

by syMMetry on Jan 14, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

first time visiting your site and a good game preview. if the Raps start as sluggishly as we all fear then it might be too late to implement any of the three game keys listed above. unfortunately they aren't good enough to play their way back into games...

by Mattt on Jan 14, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

I think that the smooth integration of JO back into the line up would make the rest of the Raps season and get Triano a contract. There are plenty of minutes for 3 big men. In those games that JO was healthy, or showed signs of it, he was the best Raptor. Integrating those three would be huge. But, JO coming of the bench is a 22 Million dollar if.

by EaseMyPain on Jan 14, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

when are we raps fans going to get some confidence in the Raps. I am slowly loosing faith in our fans. Booing the Raps when ever they miss a shot even if the team is up 16 is simply ridiculous and only shows that personal bias trancends from the media to the fans. Raps fans are probably the worst in the league for this. No matter who we play there is always doubt written that the Raps will lose...Playing Phoenix is a gaurantee loss with fans like you it probably is. But I see the Raps winning there next 5 games. Chicago is no match for the Raps, the games against Boston could have easily gone 2-0 for the Raps hadn't it been for some good defence and a lot of miss opportunities by key players on the Raps. Chicago is no where close to a Boston and this will be an easy victory for the Raps. Come on be positive, be optimistic leave your pessimism for the leafs that is why they have not win in 42 years the same reason the Argo went from a good team to well you know about the Argos and its not the teams, its the media and the fans in this city why there has never been any champions in this god bless city for so long. heck the blue jays won and the next year there was no one in the stands...Toronto fans, you will one day force the Raptors out of town with you lack of basketball sense. Booing a team that is up 16 points for a miss shot....don't get me started.

by RAPS4LIFE on Jan 14, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

RAPS4LIFE,sometimes the booing is misunderstood,its not the shot,its whose taking it.When you have the leagues 2 time defending 3pt champ and Bargs on the floor and an individual chooses to launch a three,ya I would boo his sorry ass as well...if its the Slanted headband wearing new dad ? or for that matter Mr.Bosh !!!

by d279 on Jan 14, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

personally I'm tired of people questioning other people's "fanhood" and calling people out en mass on the net because of some perception that may or may not be true and is impossible to prove either way... you don't like booing, don't boo... you want to talk basketball, talk basketball...

by axl on Jan 14, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions