Tip-In: Toronto Raptors' Post-Game Report - Fading Down the Stretch
by Adam Francis on Mar 29, 2010 8:12 AM EDT
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PrintIn the irony of all ironies, Hedo Turkoglu looked on from the sidelines, benched by coach Jay Triano, while the Toronto Raptors for the second straight game were unable to execute down the stretch, losing 97 to 94 to the Miami Heat.
With six minutes left in the game, the Toronto Raptors were up 11.
Then...the jump shots started to fly.
By my count, 10 of the Raptors final 12 shots were jumpers in fact and while some were makes, most didn't find the bottom of the net as had been the case the previous quarter.
The collapse was on.
While the Raptors were chucking them up, Miami took the opposite approach, mixing up their offense, using Dwyane Wade as the catalyst for what would amount to a comeback victory over Toronto, 97 to 94.
So where to point the blame after this one?
On Triano, the overseer of said horrible late game execution?
On Bosh, who after mixing his offence up nicely through three and a half quarters, morphed into "El Jumpo" and even took a 3-pointer during that final stretch, just for good measure?
On the point guards who were unable to find seems in the Heat's defence and exploit weaker defenders like Carlos Arroyo?
On Dwyane Wade, who was simply unstoppable last night, particularly down the stretch?
How about on me for not watching this game live, instead joyfully celebrating my Blue Devils return to the Final Four, and therefore watching the Raps match via replay later?
Maybe I'm off the hook (a bit), but the rest aren't. This was a collective effort in collapse and I'm afraid I can't simply pin it on one factor.
However to me the main issue wasn't necessarily a lack of execution, it was that the late fourth quarter revealed again, the true nature of this basketball club; they're a jump-shooting team which struggles immensely when those shots aren't falling.
If you watch the late fourth quarter again, you'll notice that the J's the Raps took were open looks. With the exception of maybe one or two late-clock scenarios, the rest were good scoring opportunities that just didn't drop. Now the counter-point here of course is that just because you have an open jump shot, doesn't mean you don't fake that shot, and drive it to the hole.
Fine. I agree. But look at this roster. Outside of Bosh, who the Heat began to aggressively double late in the game, Jarrett Jack is really the only Raptor who is well-equipped for this task. DeRozan's handle isn't there yet, Weems can be a bit out of control at times, Wright should put the ball on the deck as little as possible...etc, etc. This is a team of jump shooters so trying to get them to change mindsets, especially when the Heat begin to tighten up the D and put pressure on the offence to react, isn't an easy task.
And this isn't to let Bosh off the hook either. Again last night he was not nearly aggressive enough attacking the rim, and as proof, took only four foul shots all evening, none in that final and decisive quarter. The frustrating thing is that Jermaine O'Neal didn't even play, and while Joel Anthony is quite able as a shot-blocker, Bosh proved on a few occasions last night that he could throw down the hammer on the Canadian pivot's head. So why not do that all night?
The other major piece of this equation though is Dwyane Wade.
Yes Toronto crumbled in the crunch in terms of execution, and didn't get enough from their franchise player. However Mr. Wade played a huge part in this Raptors' loss too. He was unstoppable off the dribble, and when the Raptors did try to contain him with double teams and traps, he simply found open teammates who the buried shots. Udonis Haslem was the main beneficiary of Wade's goodwill on this night, and he finished with 23 points in the win.
So now what?
Does Jay go back to Hedo Turkoglu?
Post-game Triano bristled at even the mention of Turk's name so we'll see. My bet is they bring him in off the bench and see how that goes, although at this point who knows. This season is slowly turning into a circus instead of a playoff race, compounded by the fact that Toronto is now only half a game ahead of Chicago for 8th place in the conference.
The Raps take on the Bobcats tonight in another must-win situation, and the club will certainly have to execute much better down the stretch.
Toronto is suddenly seeing its season circle the drain and the only thing that will stop it is a solid win streak here.
Whether they do it with or without Hedo is another topic all together.
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On the Slippery Slope
As far as defense, Wade was not stoppable because of his elite capabilities and because the league encourages offense by allowing travelling and calling anything that even remotely looks like a foul. So Wade had a field day.
It was clear last nite in crunch time that the plan was to get it to Bosh and once they did, they stood and watched. They have all accepted that in times of need, Bosh shall provide.
So is that a flaw in the system or the players? Should they have another “crunch time” plan?
Tough question but I think it’s a bit of both.
On one hand, Bosh isn’t leading the offense like he should be right now. Too many jumpers, too much holding onto the ball.
On the other, the system isn’t working, and hasn’t for the past month essentially. Triano stubbornly keeps going with rotations that don’t work, despite evidence suggesting otherwise, and the club keeps falling flat on its face in key moments.
Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com
by Adam Francis on Mar 29, 2010 1:34 PM EDT up reply actions
bad loss
wade does travel ALOT thats why when he gets to the rim so easily and even a lil touch they call a foul..like out of the 3 fouls bargs did on wade, 2 of them werent even close to being fouls..just a joke, but it was interesting to hear jays comments after the game when it sounded like granger was asking him over and over why didnt turk play will he play tomorrow? jay seem kind of pissed and didnt want to answer the questions..is jay mad at turk? sending a message? i mean if turk is healthy and your benching him at this point in time when the season is on the line i dont know if this is a good move its not like his replacements did any better in ths game and turk has the play making skills to change a game thats what they brought him in for..not to sit him on the bench with 10 games left in the season
Check Grange’s post this afternoon on the “Hedo not playing” discussion:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/from-deep/no-hope-for-the-raptors-none/article1515947/
Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com
by Adam Francis on Mar 29, 2010 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Wow...
That Grange article really sheds a bright light on the dire situation the Raptors are in. Absolutely stunning how they’ve fallen off. How can a player earning that much not want to prove his worth? How can Turk just be satisfied with the pay and not feel accountable for anything? And isn’t an even bigger deal considering this is year ONE of his contract? Why isn’t that being talked about more? Since when do players just mail it in like this in the FIRST YEAR?
I'm just saying...
Did y’all catch the part about Bosh’s girlfriend living in New York? The writing is on the wall.
I enjoyed it....
Hedo on the bench? Magnificent! If Jay had done this in the first quarter of the season Hedo may have actually earned his way back into the rotation. Too little too late, he’ll just end up playing out of necessity now. But you have to admit, the Raptors played just fine without him for 3 and half quarters, maybe Hedo should only play in the last 5 minutes of close game so he can jack up the jumpers.
Sherwin comon you can’t hate on Wade.
oh no im not hating on wade at all..i love wade its just that he does travel alot, i mean opposing coaches and even players have said it themselfs that he travels alot thats why he had such a hell of game its tough to guard anyone in this league one on one but when your known for either traveling or palmin to get an advange but the refs barly call it its not really fair or even impossible to stop a player like that.i agree they should have benced hedo earlier in the season maybe it would have gotten him going a bit, but at a time in the season when your fighting for your playoff lives benching the 1 player (when going good) who can create his own shot and set up teammates i dont think is a smart move now..earlier in the season yes now i dont think so
It’s frustrating because with Bosh playing at a pre-All-Star break level, and the non-Hedo line-up, these past two games I think would have been wins. However now I’m not sure what’s going to happen. Jay’s rotations have been irrational all year and who knows, maybe Hedo gets put back in the starting line-up tonight!
Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com
by Adam Francis on Mar 29, 2010 1:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Stop tampering with the lineups
I have had it with Jay Triano constantly switching lineups. He has absolutely no confidence in players that are putting out an effort. I agree with Franchise’s assessment of players not stepping up, but I can hardly put Weems into that same category:
“…Weems can be a bit out of control at times”
For example: In the fouth quarter, Jay had put the starters back into the game. Weems replaced DeMarr. Weems hit an important shot to put them up by 2. Out of a timeout, Jay Triano messes with the lineup again and puts in a 2-point guard combo. Replacing JJ with Weems. What the hell is going on?
Weems has proven that he can hit a consistent shot and play defense… Why pull him?
I think that in your next piece, you need to talk about JT’s horrible lineup change (if you haven’t already). The team has absolutely no time to develop any cohesion with JT’s quick trigger.
It’s not a quick trigger that’s necessarily the issue. The issue is that Triano wants to always put the same stupid lineup to close out games, even though the statistics have not supported him. He’s always insistent about putting in Jarrett Jack and Jose Calderon down the stretch. He’s always going to try and match up with the other team rather than dictating the pace/outcome of games (something that shows a COMPLETE lack of confidence in his team and philosophy).
Kinnon "Vicious D" Yee
Author - RaptorsHQ.com Twitter @RapHQVicious
by Raptors HQ - Vicious D on Mar 29, 2010 11:04 AM EDT up reply actions
It’s mindboggling how stupid Triano is to keep trying Caldejack during crunchtime. That must’ve been the only time in the game where he actually missed Hedo. One third of his three-headed 4th quarter monster was missing.
JC and JJ together
They only played together for less than a minute, no impact either way except JC assisted on JJ’s desperation 3 pt shot with 2 sec left.
They did not play togrther vs Denver or Utah, your rant is usless.
Johnn19 – I think the point here is just that, the Jose-Jack duo HAD no effect at the end whereas Weems was being efficient. Sure, the duo didn’t cause the loss…but they certainly didn’t help try and get the win.
Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com
by Adam Francis on Mar 29, 2010 1:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Franchise, last night this team was showing remarkable fluidity on offence through the first 3 quarters. For the most part, the jumpshots they were taking were much better than the shots they took in the 4th. I saw the Raptors almost playing a Utah Jazz style basketball with the screens, cuts, and easy buckets. I saw 4-5 times when a big on the perimeter fired a bullet down low to a wide open big under the basket for an easy 2. We saw Bosh’s jams, Calderon alley-oop, Derozan willing his way to the bucket. The fact is that this team CAN be something other than a jumpshooting team. In fact, I think the reason we were raining 3s in the third quarter was because of how many easy buckets we’d been getting to that point. You can’t fault a team for taking wide open 3s when available. Either way, there is no excuse. They were playing some of the best basketball they’ve played for 3 quarters. Even the defence was stifling. Wade was a non-factor until the latter half of the third quarter. The only reason the Heat were in the game to that point was because of the offence provided by JOEL ANTHONY and Udonis Haslem. The Raptors are just unable to finish and that is the biggest thing that separates the contenders from the fringe teams like the Raptors – they tighten the noose when you’re down, they dont loosen it and get complacent. From my memory, the only time I remember the Raptors playing a complete 48 minutes of basketball and not letting another team back into the game was the Mavs game from January I think.
Agreed
Offence was beautiful through most of the match, especially in the third quarter. Bargs’ back-to-back 3’s were products of that motion and good open looks. I still thought they got open looks though in the fourth off curls etc and while the movement wasn’t as good, they were still open shots. Difference is the team kept firing them up even when they weren’t dropping and didn’t get to the cup. Super frustrating to watch…
Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com
by Adam Francis on Mar 29, 2010 1:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Players of the game
DWade got his 30 pts no problem, he does it every game.
The problems were Anthony with 6/6 13pts career game, and Haslem with
10/11 23 points, including 3 jumpers in the last 5 mins, along with 1 from Arroyo
while Raps made 1 jumper, CB/AB 0/5 all jumpers.
The only moves to the basket were by the PG’s, JC blocked, JJ fouled, 2pts FT’s.
And no one on Raptors stepping up with a great game except the PG’s with 30 pts, after sub-par games vs Denver.
CB with 19 pts and AB with 17pts & 5 turnovers are poor games in a MUST WIN !!!
Don’t like their chances in Charlotte, who are playing well at home 27-8 and Rap’s have trouble with them. Someone ( prob more than 1) needs to step up with a seasons best game to have a chance.
If you’re a Bargnani apologist, you’d have a tough time coming to his defence after Udonis Haslem shoots 10/11 from the floor and absolutely abuses Bargs with jumpers and off the bounce.
It would be nice to occasionally see Triano go with a defensive lineup down the stretch to close out a tight game instead of giving minutes to guys like DeRozan (Denver game when he went small) and the Jack-Calderon backcourt that we’ve been skewering for MONTHS here at the HQ!
by RaptorsHQ - Defensive Stance on Mar 29, 2010 12:01 PM EDT reply actions
I’ve done my share of bargs apologizing (and some bashing too) but man what a disappearing act last night in the fourth on both ends… When he’s swinging the ball ad nauseum it’s like, “dude, you’re not going to get an open lane or shot for anyone, time to force the issue” … of course you could say that about the whole team last night in the fourth…
t would be nice to occasionally see Triano go with a defensive lineup down the stretch
they really don’t have those players. As We have witnessed all year including preseason
He did suck in the 4th
But Bosh has disappared the last 20 games and you are a Chris apologist……. so…. I am waiting ;)
I’d hitch my wagon to Bosh over Bargnani 100 times out of 100.
by RaptorsHQ - Defensive Stance on Mar 29, 2010 3:07 PM EDT up reply actions
which means
you just refuse o aknowledge Bosh has sucked balls, This is not about who is the best, there was never an issue. This was about being blindfolded and DS still is. Bosh has been playing at the team detriment in this game, but you would not know by reading about it here.
8th spot
the way I see it is…The team is finally starting to play good basket ball and what we need from the Raps right now is some mental toughness. they cannot hang their heads on these last two loses. They have to take the positive keep playing good basketball and the W will come consistent good play and effort like the last 2 games will beat the sub 500 teams. .the Raps have some winnable games coming up out of the remaining 10…Clippers, Philly, GSW , Bulls , Detriot and New York are all under 500,, The Bulls on the other hand only have 3 sub 500 team left out of their remaining 9.. the Raps, Washington and Nets..they have the likes of CHA twice, PHX, MIL, CLE and Boston …so their schedule is a litte tougher than the Raps ..there is no more time to play around Raps simplie have their destiny in their own hands. If they keep playing hard they will be a tough match up against the Cavs.
On another note, JT is losing the team, Bad move benching Turk at this point in the season, I hope its just for the one game, If its more, JT can kiss his job goodbye at the end of the season………Raps4life……Come on Toronto lets get behind the Raps a cheer them into the post season, its useless going into the lottery with over 35 wins your pick will be 13 or 14th.
Raps4life the Raps have some winnable games coming up out of the remaining 10... Clippers, Philly, GSW , Bulls
How many games have they won against those teams this year? I like U were last week or week before have lost all faith.
LOST FAITH
I think there is a difference with our current scenario.
This is a Mutiny. Our captains loyalty (Bosh) is in doubt; Our coach does not have the respect of the Fans – and rightly so. This whole season of not laying down the law with Hedo; Refusing to alter the starting lineup – and have all these changes put in place to regress to the “old closing line-up” and lose in a way that just reinforces “Pretty much all the Critiques of Triano this Season” is a testament to why this team (while not disintegrating) is not performing to its potential.
As fans, we are bordering on Mutiny. I think that we deserve better from a Head Coach. What was that saying by Einstein that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and getting nowhere with it… (or something like that)
Loss of faith? Not yet… Mutiny? Hell yes….
Effort
I was looking more at the effort that the raps have finally been playing with. The Raps is a good team when their confidence and effort is their and 5 of these games are at home, they have come close on 2 good teams, one of which is the number 2 seed in the west, a couple wins and its very easy to get it going and turn things around. So I have no reason to believe that they will not beable to beat these sub 500 teams, afterall there overall record against sub 500 teams is very good and to add to it…its now crunch time…Like Bosh, Antwan says, you just have to put it all on the floor these last few games and so far they have been doing so for the most part of 48min…So my friend Davl lets just keep whatever faith we have left and send some positive energy the Raps way….that goes for all Rap fans stop being so pessimitic and try and get a pair of tickets for the Cleveland series and be a part of history when we send LBJ packing….lol
This next stretch is the true test
After the Bobcats tonight, we’re talking four straight winnable games…the true character of this team will be shown during this stretch.
Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com
by Adam Francis on Mar 29, 2010 1:55 PM EDT up reply actions
simply
Love the fan comments been reading for a few seasons I feel it for all of us Raptors Fans that are simply tired of underacheivement. This team lacks a wing who takes it upon himself to keep the troops together and remind them possesion after possession to play tough. This wing player should also be able to attack/defend his position. but sadly that wing player has eluded this team for nearly 6 yrs (after carter left). Antoine has the heart but not the skill, JJ has the skill but not the athletisim, Weems has the raw talent but the coach doesn’t encourage players to excel to there highet potential each nite …. woooo be onto Bryan Colangelo for not thinking this thing out better from Assistant GM to Scouts to Head coaching to players..it not making the grade for 3 yrs in a row now we are fans who see the problems and don’t get paid for this… that makes me wonder if the people who get paid to see this stuff really have the skill to do there job effectively that goes for everybody in the organization EVERYONE !!!! NO ACCOUNTABILITY …. not good for this city !!!!!
by raptor fan 4 life on Mar 29, 2010 1:53 PM EDT reply actions
Accountability
Think you hit it right on. This has been the problem all season and something that’s probably been underdiscussed.
Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com
franchise…not sure I share your optimism regarding what you call ‘winnable games’.
this whole hedo/bosh situation is getting ugly – and quickly. how the hell did this happen? 2 months ago we were talking about maybe catchin’ the celtics or atlanta for 4th in the east and now things have gotten so nasty a complete blow isn’t a complete write off anymore if they don’t even make the playoffs. crazy times.
guess it’s time to pull out the jays gear.
John Hollinger do you know what I just realized?
I look forward to reading the posts and comments on this website more than actually watching the Raptors play right now.
Comment of the week!
Meanwhile…getting ready to go home and watch what could be a very ugly one…
Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com
by Adam Francis on Mar 29, 2010 6:09 PM EDT up reply actions
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