3 in the Key - Raptors' Game-Day Preview vs Pacers
by Sean Tepper on Jan 13, 2012 8:15 AM EST
in 3 in the Key
Email
Print
With the Toronto Raptors set to host the Indiana Pacers tonight, will DeMar DeRozan finally be able to get out of his slump? The HQ's Sean Tepper weighs in on tonight's action
The Toronto Raptors have seen things go from bad to worse over the last six days, as their record has dropped from a promising 3-3 to a dismal 4-7.
The last time I wrote a game preview about the Dinos, they were taking on the then 1-6 New Jersey Nets who were in the midst of a six games losing streak. In that article, I said that it was impossible for the heavily favoured Raptors to lose, stating how well they’ve been playing defence and how injury-riddled the Nets were as my main arguments for their success.
"Like every other Raptors fan, I'm prepared to be let down and disappointed but right now I'm just enjoying the ride and with the New Jersey Nets in town tonight, that ride shouldn't end anytime soon," I foolishly wrote.
Well not only has that ride ended, but it has crashed and burned.
Since getting embarrassed on their home court by arguably the worst team in the Eastern conference, the Raptors have reverted back to their 2011 selves. DeMar DeRozan has been struggling mightily, the offense cannot find any creative ways at getting to the basket and the defense can`t seem to come up with the big plays we were spoiled with in the first few games of the season.
Personally, I blame myself for jinxing them.
If Tuesday night's 93-78 beat-down at the hand of the Washington Wizards marked the team's lowest point, Wednesday's seven point loss to the equally pathetic Sacramento Kings was the season's most heartbreaking loss.
Meanwhile, things are looking very good for the Indiana Pacers, the team the Raptors face tonight, as they look to improve on their impressive 7-3 start. Despite Danny Granger’s early struggles, the Pacers seem to be clicking as a unit and may prove to be a legitimate playoff contender come April.
As of early Friday morning, whether or not Bargnani, who had an MRI yesterday on a strained calf, will play is very much up in the air. If the Dinos are forced to play without their seven foot center, here are three things that they’ll need to do to ensure a win.
1) DeMar DeRozan: Now I know that we are only 11 games into the 2011-12 season, but the Raptors need to at least be somewhat concerned about DeMar DeRozan’s sluggish start. Since they played the New Jersey Nets last Friday, DeRozan has been a non-factor on offense, combining for 44 points and shooting a dismal 31 per cent from the field over his past five games. With that being said, things may start to turn around for the young forward, as he scored 22 points on 9-16 shooting from the field when he played the Pacers earlier this season. For a person who has been touted as Toronto’s best and most talented player, DeRozan’s going to have start playing like it, especially if the Raptors take to the court without Bargnani, who injured his calf in Wednesday’s game.
2) A Tale of Two Teams: At the beginning of the season, the Raptors were playing extremely well offensively and managed to win games by playing timely defence. More recently however, it’s been the exact opposite. While the Dinos are still playing well defensively, their offence has been unable to get in a groove, with Bargnani and Barbosa proving to be the team’s two most consistent offensive players. The last time that these two teams played, all of Indiana’s starters put up double digit points, and that simply cannot happen again if the Raptors want to come away with a much needed win. On the offensive side, if Bargnani isn’t well enough to play, a lot of the team’s offensive success will rely squarely on Barbosa’s shoulders, as he is coming off of a 24 point night against the Sacramento Kings and is averaging close to 16 points off the bench. It is also worthy to note that Linas Kleiza played extremely well in his first game back from injury, as the fifth-year forward put up 10 points on 50 per cent shooting from the field.
3) A Must Win Game: Again, I know that we are still in the early parts of this season, but this is a must win game for the Raptors. Why? Because after this game, the Raptors will play 11 of their next 14 games away from the Air Canada Centre. Add that to the fact that they will be playing their next five games against the Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Portland Trailblazers (at home) and Los Angeles Clippers respectively, and the last thing that the Toronto Raptors will want to do is head into that road trip on a three game losing streak. Regardless of how they perform in the aforementioned games, a win against Indiana will go a long way in boosting this young team’s morale.
SEAN TEPPER
82 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
thinking about this a little more
when I read what you said about his being said to be one of the most talented players…this got me to thinking about a very difficult part of the game to teach…the head part.
The part where talented players need to learn to calm themselves. Learn to play withing themselve, learn to understand the pro game flow and then go along with it.
Learn to relax and play WITH teammates and shut out the screaming expectations in your ear that make you JUST enough affraid to make the move right when you are supposed.
This mental thing is sooooo difficult to teach…and lear.
Pros in tennis struggle with it every match. Many lose to lesser players because they lose the head game during the match. Perhpas it was the crowd screaming for you opponant in 98 degree temperatures.
Whatever…you lost the head game.
22 years old and playing in a big time league.
Go ahead, kid. Relax. You only go around one time. Give it a break. HAVE FUN!
Yep
The game is more mental than physical.
Every player who plays regular rotation minutes in the NBA has talent, otherwise they wouldn’t be there.
What separates the stars from the wannabees is more mental than physical. Having he right mental attitude and developing a high basketball IQ are paramount if someone wants to become a star in the NBA.
Pacers are a solid team
a starting five that makes sense, good role players, and a more than decent bench.
And Paul George is the kind of player that could really shut down DeMar, though recently DeMar would be enough to shut down DeMar.
not expecting much from tonight’s game tbh.
Around the tickers:
Ok, so I was wrong. Mike “who?” James did make it back to the NBA. I thought I was imagining it when an unnamed bull’s jersey came into action the other night looked awfully familiar.
Danny Ainge couldn’t disagree that the Celts look too old. No duh?!
Big Baby was a Big Baby last night after blowing off an autograph seeker who turned into a heckler. Baby left then turned around and came back to confront the guy. Davis was upset, and upon returning to the scene asked the autograph seekers, “Who said that? You talking (bleep) to me?!”
39 Free throws for Howard last night?!?! Hmm Hack-a-Ho much? 40-20. Yikes.
Big Men issues abound all over the NBA! You know its an issue when Kwame Brown is getting headlines.
Danny Granger will host the dinner he tweeted about during the NBA lockout. Sunday’s event at Bankers Life Fieldhouse is for many of the part-time employees who did not get paid. Awesome.
He’s scoring machine and a ferocious shot blocker, but now Knicks star Amar’e Stoudemire can add amateur tattooist to his resume.
random question/comment
I always thought Kwame’s 7 mil 1year contract was a bit out of left field. (and a bit retarded to boot) But now I’m beginning to wonder if it was to add an expiring contract to add to a deal in hopes of obtaining Dwight. (Ellis + Kwame + something else for Dwight + Hedo?)
by Not so Friendly Stranger on Jan 13, 2012 9:48 AM EST up reply actions
Talking About D12 and His FTA Last Night
What has gone viral in the NBA world is that D12 attempted more FT in last night’s game vs GS than any player ever has in a regular season NBA game. He eclipsed Wilt’s previous record of 34 FTA in game which he did in as I recall in a game in Nov 1962.
However, also of note with regard to D12 FTA in last night’s game that is being ignored by the NBA media is.
1. D12 missed more FTA last night than anyone has in the history of the NBA in a regular season game. Shaq once had 39 FTA in a game and missed 21 but that was in a playoff game in as I recall 2000.
2. D12 missed more FTA last night than Mark Price did in the entire 92-93 season when he shot 305 FT and made 289. LOL
He Actuall Has The Most Attempts FTA In A Season
with fewer misses than D12 had last night.
BasketballReference.com
Jose of course only missed three free throws in all of 2008-09 but he took only 197 FT as I recall.
While I was watching the game I knew D12 had missed a lot of FT in the game. So I decided to create the query on BasketballReference.com during the game.
That was what I found. LOL
Side Note : All Star Voting Returns
Andrea and Jose are about where I would expect them to place in popularity voting…
Anybody shocked that DeMar didn’t even register on the tally?
Not I, after watching him this season, although I was a firm believer he was going to be very nearly there this year… Where did he come off the rails so hard?
"the Truth"
Andrea Status To Be Updated At Today's Shootaround
The Raptors will update his status at shootaround on Friday after doctors and the training staff discuss the situation.
There are several degrees of calf strains, but each usually forces an athlete out of action for at least a couple of days, with more serious ones taking weeks to months.
Bargnani was not noticeably limping following the Kings game
PLEASE...
IF he is even slightly not ready…let him spend the evening watching from the bench drinking a glass of cold beer, stretching and getting a BIG mean Swedish woman rub down on his calf!
Enough already…we know he is good. Now let him get good and healthy. The Bench and others will soon be back and then they can begin the job of winning.
Andrea - All-Star Game
AndreaBargnani (Staff) 2012 All-Star SMS text voting for Canadian Fans http://t.co/eA99vqBE
About 6 hours ago by Andrea Bargnani Toronto Raptors – Forward
AndreaBargnani (Staff) ASG Only 18 days left to vote! http://t.co/Oz62oX92
About 6 hours ago by Andrea Bargnani Toronto Raptors – Forward
AndreaBargnani (Staff) You have 20 days left to vote!!! http://t.co/Oz62oX92
About 2 days ago by Andrea Bargnani Toronto Raptors – Forward
I just tweeted him this LOL
Buddahfan Buddahfan
@AndreaBargnani – You could get more votes if you could get a picture of you and Tebow.
10 seconds ago
not to nit pick...
While the Dinos are still playing well defensively, their offence has been unable to get in a groove, with Bargnani and Barbosa proving to be the team’s two most consistent offensive players.
This just jumped out at me like Kim K’s butt and not in the good way. Barbosa consistent? He had a stretch of 9/10/3/2/3 and hasn’t reached double figures in more than half our games.
This really isn’t a must win game, in fact we won’t have a must win game all year. We are not a good team, we play hard and have some talented players that I really enjoy watching, Amir, Andrea, Jose and Derozan (well half the time this year). I will cheer for them and hope they do win. But our bench is awful; Carter, Magloire, Davis, Barbosa are just going to be over matched consistently. While Barbosa is avg 11ppg off the bench He’s doing it on 41% shooting and over two turnovers. Bayless will help that group with his speed but we just do not have the talent to win. In fact going 0-6 in this next 6 game stretch could go a long way into getting into that top 3 pick range. Again I don’t want them to lose but I am trying to be realistic.
If Bargnani is out tonight, our top post option will be Amir. While I love what he brings, he is not a #1 post option in the NBA. Even Buddah has said this is a bad scenario for the Raptors and Buddah drinks Amir’s own personal Kool-aid.
Actually I Have Cut Back
You can only drink so much Kool-aid and I am now also drinking Jonas, Linas, Lithuanian basketball and DeAndre Jordan Kool-Aid. So I have had to cut back on the Amir Kool-Aid LOL
London 2012 hoops – Go Team Lithuania.
DJ was a monster late in the Clippers win over the Heat. It was a great game and DJ stepped up big time in the 4th quarter and overtime. So much so that he kept Reggie out of the game late.
Reggie by the way has already begun building up his fanboy club among Clippers fans. LOL
Go Clippers
good stuff eh?
I am drinking the Jonas Kool-aid as well, it goes great with appetizers or the main-course, I even perfer it to a good sauvignot.
Don’t see Lithuania doing that great at 2012, well by that I mean winning, definitely could medal.
I actually watched a few clippers game and have been very impressed by them. I think they are missing a big man off the bench, by that I mean a player like Zaza who is big takes up space and can provide some post presence on offence. But their depth is extremely underrated Foye, Gomes, Williams, Evans off the bench are fantastic. Plus they have a very well rounded starting line up that has a ton of talent.
I Agree
I don’t recall who they were but in addition to Kleiza Team Lithuania had I believe two other of their key players out in last summer’s Eurobasket 2011 tournament.
If they are entirely healthy plus Jonas having a year to physically grow up and improve his game I agree that a metal for them is very possible.
Probably
USA
Spain
Hopefully Lithuania.
Probably Won't Watch The Game Tonight
If Andrea is not playing. LOL
Bulls at Mean Greenies is ESPN’s early game tonight.
That Is Why I Won't Be Watching
especially since it appears Jamaal will start ahead of Ed.
Amir
Jamaal
Butler
DeRozan who is now under-performing
Jose
Where are the points going to come from is right. Not worth watching unless you are a masochist or Pacers fan.
heres hoping..
The Big Cat has the game of his life. haha.
I Love Linas's Attitude and What He Brings
I just hope he is healthy for the London 2012 games.
Actually Lithuania still has to qualify for the men’s 2012 London hoops games. A healthy Linas and healthy Jonas will go a long way in making that happen.,
Go Team Lithuania.
Expecting a loss
The Pacers are a good team and the Raptors are not. I don’t think there is much chance of Toronto winning tonight’s game, especially if Bargnani is less than 100%. Then again, you never know. I am hoping to see a good fight out of the team tonight and if they somehow actually win the game then that is a bonus.
DeMar
He seems to have lost confidence in his offensive game ever since DeShawn Stephenson held him to 3 points and he got benched in the 4th quarter against the Nets. Hope he can get back on track soon.
I just finished watching the "Behind the Draft"
while in the meantime reading this forum’ s thread ad Draft night. Kudos to most of you for having been behind this pick also when it was about going against the vocal …… majority :)
more like very vocal minority. Do not confuse Toronto’s ignorant basketball media with most of the fanbase. Yes there are a lot of casual fans who were unhappy with the pick but most knowledgeable fans were fine with it. Especially since it signaled that BC finally “got it”.
Actually
with the exception of Doug Smith the so called basketball media was totally against. On the Globe and Mail, they left there an article, called “Yet again the Raptors underwhelm” till late September.
I believe also the guys at Raptorsnation went ballistic. To their credit they corrected their aim after a couple of days.
Yes he was Ed Davis’ year:
http://www.raptorshq.com/2012/1/10/2697354/was-ed-davis-the-wrong-pick-for-the-raps
I Thought We Were Talking About The Ed Davis Year
Did I miss something here?
No need to answer the question. LOL
Wasn’t here for the reaction to the pick, but suggesting JV a year and a bit ago made a few people sick.
I for one was happy and spent a considerable amount of time quelching the fire BC around the office.. there were some very angry rap fans here at work at the time.
Don't Count Me In That Group
I was ecstatic when the Raptors drafted Jonas and posted such on RaptorsHQ on draft night.
For my part
I was responding to the possibility of the team drafting Donatas Motiejunas specifically. However, as this post was in December 2010 and not near the draft, I think it is fair to say there was significantly less information available on Jonas at that time as opposed to June.
Fair enough.. Wasn’t targeting you specifically. Aside from 5 people in the city of Toronto who had even seen him play (if at that), no one could be blamed for thinking Bargs part 2.
is it that time of the year already?
http://www.nbadraft.net/2012mock_draft
Austin River….. brrrr
at 12:5 of "Behind the draft"
when they ahd announced Thompson to the Cavaliers, was Maurizio Gerardini’s reaction “That’s bullshit”? haha
well
everybody in that room had that impression, he was just more colorful
On a side note, I would be careful before saying Gerardini does not have basketball knowledge, he is regarded by everybody, I mean everybody as one of the best at what he does. and he has connection with all organizations in Europe. I have no evidence of his involvement with JV buyout but the story had to be heisey enough for the cavs to pass on him, we got him in waiting the minimum.
Got to give it up to the Pacers
Despite being locked in the wasteland between the lottery and being a true playoff contender, the Pacers have made some shrewd moves to bring themselves back to respectability. For example, their mid-round picks have worked out well – Paul George (10th) and Tyler Handsborough (13). Hibbert has developed into a solid big man that still has potential to develop further. A sneaky good acquisition in Collison. Good recent off-season acquisition in West as his contract length lends to limited exposure. All in all, the Pacers have done a pretty good job of maximizing their opportunities as two seasons ago they looked like a bit of a hot mess.
Yep
Larry (in case you don’t know his name) has done a pretty good job. Doubt those decision were done by the collective “Pacers”
Sure Larry, whatever...
I think it was fair to say the Pacers in this instance. Not sure what exactly you are taking exception to….. Did you interpret that I was trying to slight Larry Bird in some way? If so, its not the case.
It's been a while
The Pacers have had some years in the wilderness, but it looks like they are putting together a nice team now. I don’t think the current pieces really add up to a title contender, but it does look like they will be a solid playoff team for a number of years.
No
I interpreted as …………….
You can fill in the blanks. It should be interesting to how you fill in the blanks.
Done with conversation.
MAS, pretty sure he means Larry did it all on his own and no credit should be implied due to the "Pacers" as an organization...
It’s ALL Larry, ALL the time…
Unless you’re a member of the “Larry Doubters Club” …
"the Truth"
LOL @ "Larry Doubters Club"
Sometimes Buddahfan loses me…
ahh but then one has to ask
are they good enough to be contenders over the next few years or will they be in the playoffs for 3+ years straight and knocked out early each time?
by Not so Friendly Stranger on Jan 13, 2012 2:53 PM EST up reply actions
Good Question
We will have a good indication of the possible answer to your question before the Raptors make their next draft pick. LOL
Good point...
However, they do have some good assets (trade) and relative cap flexibility. I suppose the alternative option was to dump Granger a few years ago and go full on rebuild, which may have worked out better (and if I was a Pacers fan at the time I would have advocated for this). However, considering they opted not to take this path, LARRY BIRD (Larry Bird alone, in a room by himself, with no help at all) made some pretty good moves with what he had.
I Heard He Was On The Phone
talking to Isiah Thomas for Paces GM? before each player move Larry made?
Bargnani Out For Maybe A Week or More
WolstatSun Ryan Wolstat
Here’s what I wrote before the Bargnani news came down: bit.ly/z8Hn9i
3 hours ago
WolstatSun Ryan Wolstat
I wouldn’t expect to see Bargnani play until late next week at the earliest
3 hours ago
RaptorsPR RaptorsPR
#Raptors @AndreaBargnani is doubtful for tonight with a left calf strain. Status is listed as day-to-day.
3 hours ago
rest him
If he was playing like last year I would say play him but this year he is good. He is our best player, (there I said it). We need his health more than we need a W.
We have no must win games this season. None.
Rebuilding teams don’t need to win games. I hope at the end of the season we don’t start clicking and win a bunch of games against teams that are sitting players to rest them for the playoffs, thus hurting our draft position.
Casey must put his system in place, but he doesn’t need to win this year at all.
by defensive rap on Jan 13, 2012 5:48 PM EST up reply actions
Discussing the Pro and Cons On This Subject
is definitely at a minimum a six pack discussion. LOL
Bargnani's Defense In The Paint?
It appears that Bargnani is doing a great job playing Center under Casey his season. LOL
No must win games
I want the team to play hard and play to win, but healthy players is the biggest issue. Really, Casey has a pass this year, the guys are buying in and there’s nothing really to gain by playing above their heads for a unsustainable success.
O/T - Bulls On Track To Go 55 - 11 This Season
People laughed when I said the Bulls not lose 10 games this season. The door is still open. Will the Bulls walk through it?
Not saying it will happen but it still is possible and early returns are looking promising.
Not With Me You Won't
I don’t eat breakfast. LOL
Seriously, I eat only one regular meal a day, lunch.
The odds are in your favor, but I wouldn’t recommend taking the short side of the bet at this point. The return wouldn’t be worth the risk. LOL
I’ve got Derrick Rose and Deng on my fantasy team, so I’ve watched almost every Bulls game this season. They’ve been extremely impressive. I’d say that right now, It’s the Bulls, Heat or Thunder as the odds on favorites for the title. After the Heat and the Bulls, its a massive drop off in the east.
To be honest ,I’d feel its a massive drop off after the Thunder and Lakers in the West aswell… sure Portland might be on par with the Lakers record wise, but they dont have a big enough star to carry them through the playoffs. Denver’s the same. The Spurs look solid , but then again they have looked solid the past few years and done nothing in the post season… and with Memphis having injury issues and the Mavs spontaneously combusting that leaves is with just 2 possible contenders in the West, out of seemingly 6 or so last year …
by Shadowseeker on Jan 13, 2012 6:38 PM EST up reply actions
ping pong balls
Tonight it looks likely we pick up some more.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
NBA Playoffs Content Module
Related FanPosts on Raptors HQ
Related FanShots on Raptors HQ
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
