Tough loss, harsh lessons and, luckily, another one tonight

Yes, that was a tough loss, no question about it.

They were in control for about 41 minutes before it got away and, yeah, there’ll be nights when they’ll have six- or seven-minute lapses they can get away with, you can’t have them at the end.

But, luckily, no time to dwell on it; they’re already in Charlotte, I’ll be there later this morning and there’s another game tonight.

A quick dissection of Tuesday.

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THREE POINTERS

The next step

By all measure, DeMar DeRozan off to a solid start to the season, bigger and stronger and more willing to absorb contact and able to withstand it.

So what’s next?

Better court vision.

Teams are starting to send a second defender at him – the Sixers did it from the baseline when he was on the post a lot of last night – and since his ball-handling still needs some work, he’s got to recognize what’s coming more quickly and either move the ball rapidly or go the basket right off the bat, before the second guy get there.

Too many times he holds and waits and either dribbles himself into the double or is forced to take a long two fadeaway from the baseline, which might be the worst shot in the game.

It’ll come, I’d imagine, because he’s shown development in his game; but the sooner it comes, the better for all.

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Time to relax a bit

Really, all this angst over Jonas Valanciunas not playing in the fourth quarter last night really is a tad misplaced.

There was no defensive matchup for him when the Sixers went small and he’s not nearly polished enough offensively to take advantage at the other end. Sure, he’s going to be good and he had a solid game against a more traditional lineup but, really, there wasn’t anywhere they could use him in those final few minutes. And, yes, Dwane was asked specifically about it.

“He could have come in in Amir’s situation (after Johnson fouled out) but I thought we needed some shooting on the floor with those small guys. We went with Andrea on the floor at the five, which sometimes we do.

“I thought JV did an excellent job in the first half when they were big … so I felt like Andrea was a better fit to go against Dorell Wright or Thaddeus Young.”

He’s right. That’ll change in the future when Jonas is more polished and confident offensively but, right now, that’s the way things need to be.

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Kyle?

As expected, a tad rusty and a bit over-aggressive at moments and I’m not entirely sure the medical staff would have been happy with 30 minutes.

But just getting him back made everything seem a bit smoother and once he gets his legs fully back, we’ll be able to see what this team can do.

No clue what that will be but at least he takes all kinds of pressure off the backcourt rotation, as he did Tuesday night, and his presence is almost as important as his play.

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More?

Would hate to disappoint.

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So, let’s see.

In the last week, Alex Anthopoulos has added two starting pitchers, a starting left-fielder, perhaps a whole new middle infield, a backup catcher and a manager.

Yeah, that’s kind of productive, isn’t it?

Know what I don’t get?

The backlash to the John Gibbons announcement; it makes no sense and would seem to come with, as usual, no real connection to reality.

Did they want someone with major league experience? Yep. And they got a guy with four years of it.

Did they want someone players respected and who demanded accountability? Yep. And they got one.

Did they want someone who is connected in some way to the franchise but who also has other major league coaching experience? Yep. And they got him.

Yes, I realize he’s no Manny Acta or Jim Riggleman or any of the other retreads whose names were mentioned; but he’s also not some greenhorn thrown into a job that might be over his head.

If you look around at the criteria, rightly or wrongly, laid down by the general manager, it’s filled.

Every hire’s a gamble, that cannot be questioned; but this one is mitigated the experience and the familiarity.

It’s a good one, in my opinion.

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No, they’re not from Charlotte but they are pretty good (I saw ‘em on some awards show and actually paid attention, which should tell you something because I remembered them) so …

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Hey, let’s do mail.

I’m going to be very busy Thursday, Friday, Saturday with flights and Grey Cup stuff so let me maybe get started this afternoon.

Click. Write. Send.

If you don’t mind, that is.

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Some kid took 108 shots and scored 138 points in 36 minutes of some NCAA Division III game last night?

Yeah, I’d love to be his teammate.

And the next time someone kills Andrea for 25 points on 27 shots, I’m going to say … “yeah, but it could be worse. Remember the college kid?”

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They have these pre-game timing sheets for every game that break down the various episodes leading up to the game to very specific moments.

It’s usually 7:02 p.m. for one intro, maybe 7:04 p.m. for the next. There’s a 30-second time for the horn to blow the players off the court and then, generally, a 7:08-7:10 tip.

Saw something on the one before last night’s game I’d never seen: They had the 90-second love-in (you know, the hugs and kisses on the court) as a separate entity.

And, no, they didn’t call it the Love-In or Happy Time but they came up with a name that’s about perfect.

Homage!

Well done, Philly.

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Yeah, travelling on the busiest travel day of the year is bound to be fun and uneventful, right? With the four hours sleep I’m going to get and the game I have tonight, please excuse me if I’m a tad crabby in the IGBT.

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Comments

[P C]

I'm gonna have to disagree hard with Casey and your's assessment of not playing Big Val. The Sixers didn't "play small" for the entire fourth quarter. We had a seven footer who they had to pay attention to at both ends of the floor and man, Jonas was playing top shelf. Ripping rebounds, and fighting down low, altering their shots inside, etc. That loss has multiple factors and to my eyes a big one is the momentum shift that crescendoed for the last q. To not go back to Jonas after a short rest was kinda mind-boggling. Casey speaks well and has the required excuse ("play small, shooters needed") but that was a pretty awful coaching strategy. He needs to be active and not re-active. Make Collins adjust. It's a game of match ups, and we got played.

[coachd]

Hi Doug,
Sometimes it's not that a team loses, but how a team loses. The disturbing trend so far this year with the Raps is how badly out-coached they've been.Last night was another example.You can blame the players all you want, but when a team consistently has terrible quarters and there is no discernibble improvement over time that's on the coaching staff. It's not just the players that need to step up.

[Canadian Paul]

Did the coach utter the words "That loss was on me" last night? Wow, did Doug Collins teach him a lesson or what...

[Tim H.]

"please excuse me if I’m a tad crabby in the IGBT."

You, crabby? Never! (I'm sure some people will find different adjectives, though!)

[Dan]

Jonas was playing pretty well last night and didn't seem to be getting called for touch fouls like he normally does. I think the reason you go with him over Amir last night is he was clearly having the better game. Their stats for the year are almost identical so why not stick with the guy who is having the better game. Is Amir really that much more polished on the offensive end. His outside jump shot has improved just enough to hurt the team more then it helps. If he were worse shooting the ball he may pass up some of those shots he shouldn't be taking. Regardless it was the guard play that killed them in the 4th and throughout the game. Derozan and Calderon struggle enough on d as it is. Playing the barely 6 foot Lowry at the two is not going to help. Richardson and Young both scored well above their season averages.

[Steve]

I think there would be a lot more belief in the justifications for not playing Jonas in crunch time if the match-ups we did put out there were getting the job done. Alas though here we are discussing the aftermath of another fourth quarter collapse.

[Michel G]

"There was no defensive matchup for him when the Sixers went small." What happens when teams like the Sixers (who often go small) play against the Lakers? Howard and Gasol will always play. Are teams like the Sixers going to revert to a more traditional lineup? Or are they going to stick to the small lineup no matter the consequence? Thanks Doug.

Blogger's note: It would depend entirely on the makeup of the team; not many can play effectively "small."

[AT]

well the good news about the kid scoring 138 is that is pushes the Kobe 81, one notch down the list of all time high points in a game

[LakeSimcoe]

"Andrea was a better fit to go against Dorell Wright or Thaddeus Young"

That's quite true--unfortunately, AB himself did not realize this and did not take his advantage and fumbled the last play....

[David in Oakville]

Good Morning Doug,

Heard this stat on CBC this morning and I wonder what you make of it... all three wins have come on the 2nd game of a back to back. If the RAPS win tonight, they will be four for four in the 2nd game of back to backs. Early season anomaly or something worth looking into?

Blogger's note: Anomaly, I think

[Dave B]

Yeh Kyle was back but his 5 for 14 shooting and 0 - 4 from t/he three point line didn't help much and may have contributed to the late game collapse. Also, if Andrea was shooting 25 on 27 shots there would be less complaining. The last stats I saw is that he is shooting around 37 percent this year. That would be 18 - 20 points on 27 shots.

Let's hope they play better tonight.

[Rob.V]

Dude, there seems to be a reluctance to use more of the zone this season. Last year (and in Dallas) it was quite effective. Has coach mentioned at all why they have moved away from this. I ask because they are losing games this season in small stretches, so I'm surprised that they wouldn't mix it up and throw in a little more zone (even for a possession or two) when other teams are making a run.
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A couple of more stops in the 4th last night and they win that game.

[chris]

Scouting report if you're playing Toronto -- go small, and they take all their bigs out.

(except Bargnani, who plays small anyway).

[Cluck Kent]

Everyone has an opinion, some more informed than others. I respect your opinion on Gibbons, but mine is not the same. I watched more baseball in those days but I can't profess to having any inside information. Nonetheless, what I saw was a guy who was too high on himself and his position to be really effective in it and I think the players recognized him as a bag of hot air. John Gibbons, please - prove me wrong! I would love to see the Jays have a successful season. But it takes a special talent to manage pro atheletes and I believe a big part of that is self confidence not empty ego. But by golly, I really hope I'm wrong and you're right about him.

[Liam]

Trade BarnYAWNi please!

[lee in ottawa]

We could not close a game under Sam, we could not close under Jay, we cannot close under Casey. I give up, what is it. Oh perhaps poor talent. Just saying.

[Peter]

I understand your reasoning for going with Bargnani instead of Jonas, but there have been a number of poor 4th quarters this year where Jonas has sat, in games where when he was on the floor, they've played well.

Jack made a comment last night that I kind of liked. You need to find your five best guys, but you also need to find your "best five" as in, your best group of 5 players.

Sometimes I wonder if Jonas may not be one of the top 5 players on the team, but perhaps his presence makes the other 4 players, the best group of 5 to have on the floor. He certainly has a defensive presence, and he runs the floor as well or better than any big we have. I'd like to see the coach go to him when he's having a solid game.

[deaner]

More and more of these late quarter collapses have to be put on the coaching staff. The substitution patterns are not condusive to winning, timeouts taken far beyond the point they should have to stop a run, and not adjusting to the offensive schemes of the opposong teams. Nick Young is a perfect example. Hes on fire, and the Raps still try to cover him one on one. Whats up with that?? Is that the defensive scheme Casey writes up?

Casey might not be the long term solution here. I think his sample size is big enough now that we can make some judgements about his ability to run a team. To see the Raps going down the path to another .300 season, one has to wonder how long he gets away with being mediocre at best.

Hopefully Rogers opens the war chest at the end of the season like they have done for the Jays, get some real players in, replace BC with a younger, more agressive GM, and get a real, seasoned NBA veteran HEAD coach, not an assistant, to run the team.

Thank god for the TOD !!! Raptors who?

Cheers

Blogger's note: Less than a full season, including one camp? Wow. That's rush, and incorrect, rush to judgement.

[Tom]

From my perspective watching the fourth quarter, it was the lack of help defence on the blow-by's. They must have done it a half dozen times, where the isolated Jrue on Jose and he would get past him and have an open lane to the basket. Where was the help?? Both Amir and Bargnani never came to help protect the rim!!!

I'm by far not a coach, but I would have loved to have seen JV in the game to protect the rim and for the way he was playing defence. I think it was a bad decision by the coach to try and go small to match up. Jose couldn't defend Jrue and they needed someone behind him actually defending...

[nasko]

Hey Doug,

Not sure I agree with coach Casey about playing small. Both games he tried it and both games he lost. I think he should of sticked to his line up that was working and see where that takes him. I can't see it being harder on D than it was and on offence pound the ball inside and see how Philly's small line up handles our bigs. Obviously he knows a lot more about basketball than me, but I think both losses to Philly are on him getting out coached by D Collins. Cheers

[Steve]

"Where was the help?? Both Amir and Bargnani never came to help protect the rim!!! "

Well that's just it isn't it. We go with a "shooting lineup" and manage to give up more buckets than any other quarter and then just to rub it in put in our poorest offensive quarter as well. Very frustrating to watch.

[Penny]

Hi Doug - it seems that in most of the Raptor's 4th quarters, the offense completely changes from the first 3 quarters. Everything slows down to a crawl and then someone (usually Kyle or DeMar) tries to go 1 on 2 or 3 very late in the shot clock. Do you know if this is the play that Casey is calling?

Blogger's note: No, it's not all the time

[DR]

If Jonas was in, and we watched thaddeus young blow by him time and again, and get out in transition everyone would be saying the same thing; "Bad coaching".... Its one loss by a young raptors team still learning to play together with a ton of room to become a consistent team against a philly team that has been to the playoffs two years in a row.

Also, whatever happened to letting coaches develop? Doug Collins, Doc Rivers, Pop, they all started somewhere. Why one season does Dwane immediately have to go? Toronto fans are the same across every sport.. quick fix. Its been 2 years since bosh left, takes time to grow a young team.

Thanks Doug for a consistently excellent blog!

[GM]

Even though it's troubling they can't hold onto a lead in the fourth quarter, I was encouraged by last night's game. I think they're starting to gel (don't laugh!). Are all these people wringing their hands over the losses the same people who were liking the promise of JV and Lowry and even Ross? They're growing into their roles and the team will be better, it looks like. Give them a chance -- and no, that's not the same as saying give Colangelo a chance. But he is the one who drafted JV, who we all agree is going to be pretty good, and traded for Lowry, who we all agree is already pretty good, and Ross, who most of us think will be a fine player.

As for whether JV should have played the 4th, I think he should have, too, but it's not the end of the world. Coach made a decision -- a bad one, in retrospect -- and I'm sure he'll learn from it. Sometimes that's what it takes. Had they won, it would have assured him he made the right call. I tend to think coaches should never react to what the other team is putting out there unless they're getting hammered. And they weren't getting hammered until the 4th. At the very least, it was worth a try to throw JV out there just to see how it worked.

And even though I'm a big Bargs and Calderon supporter, I read a good point by one of their critics last night: You can't, on the one hand, cite defensive matchup problems as the reason JV isn't playing and then on the other hand let Bargs, Calderon and maybe even DeRozan play, because there'll be defensive matchup problems there, too. But I think JV would have done well. He's got good foot speed, so isn't going to be terribly plodding. He goes after rebounds hard and maybe could have snared a few more in the 4th. He's got a decent face-up jump shot. And he's a good free throw shooter.

Someone here mentioned Holiday beating Jose for a drive at least half a dozen times. You don't think Holiday gets layups and beats other point guards every single game? The guy is quick and does that to everyone. Also, Jose played over 37 minutes. You realize how many possessions are in 37 minutes? A helluva lot more than half a dozen. As an exercise, watch any other NBA game and pay only attention to one point guard and just track how many times he's beaten. I think a lot of the Jose bashers are a tad myopic and see only his play.

[jdh57]

Hey Doug

Can’t agree with your comment about JV not playing in the fourth quarter

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result.

We seen the Raptors blow leads in the fourth quarter many time this season with JV not on the court. It’s time to try something different, maybe the results will be different, too