It continues to be a wild, wild ride

Well, wasn’t that something?

Sure, teams get up early and leads disappear all the time, it’s part of the game; letting a four-point lead with nine seconds to go in the fourth quarter is, well, inexcusable and quite extraordinary.

Yes, this is one delightful team to cover sometimes; and overtime is a stress-inducing part of the gig. Surprised myself by getting the gamer in on time.

-

THREE POINTERS

Everyone's fault

So DeMar can't throw the ball inbounds and has to blow the final timeout -- and everyone who wonders why they don't waste timeouts in second or third quarters instead of waiting for a TV timeout should realize now why they don't -- and then Jose has to throw an impossible pass at a bad angle to someone who's covered and everyone wants to blame someone.

Blame 'em all, especially the players.

You know what you do in those situations?

You get open any way possible. You run your man dead into a screen, you surreptitiously elbow someone in stomach to create space, you grab someone's jersey or shorts to get open, you push off.

You make a man's play. You do not let someone hold you, you do not slip a screen. It's Basketball 101 and it is not coaching, it is playing and those guys played too passively when force was called for.

-

Know the situation

Yes, there were all kinds of one-off mental lapses in that one to fill a “How Not To Play” book; here’s one you might have missed.

There are about 17 seconds left in the third quarter, Raptors are up one and have a last shot. Everyone on the court should have known that the Sixers had a foul to give and would take it at an appropriate time. If they didn’t know, they weren’t as aware as I was and that’s inconceivable because I was probably talking about fashion or Yuengling in the IGBT thing.

And this is not piling on because I don’t know what anyone else would have done but there is no way in the world that Kyle Lowry should have dribbled the clock down to about four seconds before starting his move because as soon as he went, he got grabbed with the foul the Sixers had to give and it left the Raptors with 1.4 seconds left to inbound the ball and get a shot off.

They didn’t score, of course, and they would have had a far better chance if Lowry had gone with eight seconds to go, got fouled with about six seconds left and they might have had a better look at the buzzer.

The next time you hear someone talk about “basketball plays” that’s precisely the kind of thing they’re talking about.

-

Sorry means …

Virtually nothing.

Yes, the Raptors got another “oops, we blew it” note from the league over the non-shooting foul call at the end of Wednesday’s loss to Chicago.

What else?

Well, as Dwane put it in a chat before the game, mostly because he didn’t have a whole lot else he could say, at least it shows the complaint system works to some degree.

And if it ends up that enough teams show enough evidence that some specific referee is a serial incompetent, it could cost that ref playoff assignments and the money that goes with them.

But that’s about it and that’s not going to be made public so big whoop to the mea cupla – the second one – from the league.

-

More? A little bit sure.

-

PUCKS TONIGHT!

Yay?

-

Forget Jrue. You say Holiday in Philly, I say Billie.

-

Remember in last week’s mailbag, the question about Natalie Achonwa and the answer about how we’ve been writing about her for a while as the “next big thing” in Canadian women’s basketball?

Here you go; others are, too.

-

Not surprisingly, the big story in the locals was Jrue Holiday after that gem of a game.

-

So between flying and trying to race to practice and writing something about something and a Mighty Red Tigers coaches meeting tonight, there might be time for mail.

Click. Type greetings. Send.

-

Hey, remember the story yesterday about The Nicest Customs Lady ever?

Well, it got the memory going and pardon another story that has nothing to do with anything but this one’s kind of good, I think.

Stump and I are coming back from some long trip, we’re a bit blurry and probably tired and could very well have had a few the night before.

We’re in line at Canada Customs to get back in our native land, Stumpy’s already at the podium about 20 feet down to my left; I’m worn out and bit cranky and just ready to go home when I hear:

“Hey, Smitty! Smitty! Doug!”

It’s Stumpy and I acknowledge him with a nod, the Customs dude looks perplexed and Stump says, quite loudly:

“What city are we coming from?”

It’s Chicago, I kind of look grumpily and tell him that, he relays the information to the Customs guy by saying, “guess it’s Chicago” and the dude waves him on.

Yes, once a season gets going cities, days and the like all tend to blur together for all of us.

At least once in a four- or five-game trip, I will get back to the hotel after being out somewhere and have to head to the desk, hand my key to whoever’s there and ask: “What room am I in, I forget?”

-

I apologize in advance to the fans of these teams but I am virtually certain that San Francisco and New England will be the combatants in the Super Bowl two weeks hence.

Write it down, take it to the bank. Don’t take it to the bookie.

-

 

 

 

Comments

[Marcus Rush]

Panic set in for this team last night and coach Casey has to share that blame. First the early hook for Jose when they are still up 9-11 points and half the 3rd quarter still to play. If there is one thing we know about Jose is that in a match up with Holiday Jose will hold his own. Holiday will get his points but so will Jose. Holiday absolutly destroyed Lowry and Lowry did not respond. This is not entirly on Lowry as the help wasn't there on certain plays but given his so called defensive prowess he has to do a far better job. After a recent win the coach was apologizing to Lowry for not getting him enough minutes... what was the coaches response last night regarding Jose...and this was in a loss.

After the Sixers had scored to cut the lead to two why not just inbound the ball while the Sixers were in scramble mode. If you don't get it in then call the time out. Might have worked except his best foul shooter was on the bench. Far too many time outs by this coach late in games. This team plays far better when they are un scramble mode. This team does not respond well coming out of his time outs so some of the blame here has to be shared.

[Ray]

Doug, watched the game on NBA Broadband. The Sixer player shoved Anderson out of bounds on the in-bound play. It was egregious, to say the least, and a clear foul. They showed the reply numerous times. You should check it out.

[john]

Hey Doug, I was getting so bad at remembering my room number in hotels I started taking pictures of it with my phone. Same with parking spots at Pearson.
-
Any thoughts to Lowry's frustrated foul out at the end of the game? Why bother doing that with a few seconds left, why not just walk to your bench?

Blogger's note: Frustration happens

[gavin]

I like D Casey in many respects. However, I have seen this team have trouble inbounding a damn basketball too many times. It is not surprising they cannot figure out how to close out basketball games, they cant even figure out how to inbound a ball. Its either Casey's fault or the guys are just such mental midgets that they fold under pressure this much.

[AT]

Doug, who is Stumpy?

Blogger's note: Sam's friend Steve

[Filip T]

Coming from a San Fran fan, sorry means...nothing.
Thanks for the great blog Doug.
Go Niner!

[Steve]

@Ray: We all know that, and I'm sure Doug has seen heard it but really that doesn't negate two salient facts:

1) Inbounding the ball down the sideline to Anderson teetering over the edge is hardly a high percentage play at the best of times and is surely not what was drawn up. If the Raps wanted it enough *someone* would have fought hard enough for that not to be our best pass.

2) When you lead a game by 20 odd points at half time you are in the box seat, you have the opportunity to put the game away and ensure that the game never comes down to one possession, mistake or bad call. The Raps failed to take advantage of this opportunity, crying over one bad call when the team gave up such a huge lead without any assistance from the referees is just unflattering.

[doug]

well I am stunned over that last 9 seconds of last nights blame,,,it isn't all on the players as there was no play being run in both of those attempts to in-bound the ball or if there was whoever designed it should be canned,,,,,look a in-bounds play is not rocket science (although Raps continually try to disprove that fact) the simplest and most efficient in-bounds play is the "I" formation one where all players just line-up, its impossible to defend and you can run a multitude of variations out of it....easy,peasy....the lack of leadership from the coaching staff down the stretch this season has to be addressed at some point in time and it has to change, too often the coaching staff has been AWOL......oh well it is what it is, see Earl Weaver passed away now there was a coach/manager that wasn't AWOL in games....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ssx1hNSs4TI

[DaveB]

"Doug, who is Stumpy?
Blogger's note: Sam's friend Steve"

Classic or Ding, Ding, Ding;

Brutal game and more brutal coaching last night. I have no idea why DeRozan was on the floor in the last minute or so of the game. I am not sure if he is sick but he has been so passive the last couple of games that it is sickening. Ross was playing much better. Also,I believe Ed was on the bench.

It will be another tough one on Sunday. I didn't want the Raptors to sign Steve in the summer but I hope the fans treat him appropriately for using Toronto to get a good contract. Steve is a smart man and using his kids as a reason was a smart move which many seems to have bought into. The Raptors do not have anyone to handle Dwight or Kobe. Andrea has historically played good one on one defense on Dwight. Gray may be able to bang with him for a few minutes. But overall the Raptors have lost their spirit again. This seems to disappear with Lowry getting more minutes. Let's hope they at least make it a game.

[Michel G]

I always thought that having two starting caliber point guards makes your team better, but I'm starting to wonder. Lucas can handle the 12-14 minutes a true backup usually gets. Commit to either Calderon or Lowry and try and move other, I don't care who, but somebody has to be in charge. What do you think Doug or am I being too simplistic?

Blogger's note: I think you might be.

[AJ]

Jose is not worth the 10 mil he is getting this year; what do you suggest his future with or without the Raptors will be?

Blogger's note: Define "worth" And they should try their best to re-sign him at a lower number.

[DC]

Nothing, as usual, from the SF position from the Raptors. No, Kleiza will not help. Maybe Fields is still having 'nerve issues', IMO he lacks size to guard other teams SF consistently. He is a SG (who can't shoot this year, @ $6 mil. a year), not a SF. Rudy Gay in exchange for every productive/promising player was obviously not the deal to make, but they are killed with the SF mismatch every time. Thadeous Young- 27 points and 14 rebounds. Raptors? Landry Fields- 2 points 2 rebounds. Quincy Acy- 4 points 3 rebounds. They have no small forward, only a glut of shooting guards. Say what you will about Colangelo, he has never been able to acquire a legit starting small forward or a consistent, healthy back-up (Hedo , IMO doesn't count for anything). Kind of surprised i never really read about this in the toronto media, or maybe I'm wrong. The legend of Garbo, however, lives on.

Derozen was M.I.A. once again down the stretch when they needed him most. Whoever said that he is passive and content to just go with the flow was correct because he can disappear when he should be attacking and sacrificing to get to the rim. Too much looking to the refs for a foul, not enough running back down court on defence. Way, way too many fadeaway baseline jumpers.
29 wins. pound the rock.

[J]

Sorry guys, but the blame rests with me. When I tuned into the game with just over 2 minutes left, I had a feeling we would lose the lead. I watched the game scared, expected the inevitable, and all my worst fears came true. Instead of willing my team to a victory, I hoped only that we would hold onto the lead. You could tell that my scared mentality was affecting the team.

That said, the defense was terrible, but not as terrible as the inbounding attempts. As if to punctuate the futility of the past few attempts, two Raptors actually collided into each other at one point, costing yet another timeout. I'm not taking credit away from the 76ers, who really did well on the defensive end when it mattered, but It reminded me of how some kids will pretend that they're trying to get open, but not actually get open so they can avoid the responsibility of receiving the ball and having to do something with it. Simply put, nobody wanted the ball enough.

When they did have the ball, the offense felt clueless. There was barely any movement, any real attempt to get people open, before one of Lowry or DeRozan launched an uninspired shot. Again, it really did not seem like they wanted to win.

I don't have the luxury (or misfortune) of watching the last few minutes again, so I could be wrong here but I think it was Lowry who didn't close out hard against the dagger three that the 76ers nailed after Calderon brought the game back within one. It looked like Lowry had already half-turned himself to try for a rebound, instead of getting some active hands in the face of the shooter. Stuff like that, and how he turns his back to his mark to try for a steal, sure helps with his rebounding and ball-stealing totals, but isn't actually good defense. It shows in his counterpart numbers as well. According to 82games.com, Lowry has only held the opposing guard to a .526 eFG%, 22.1 PP48 or 17.6 PER this season. Calderon, despite being blown by more, has held the opposing guard to a .478 eFG%, 18.5 PP48 or 14.2 PER. Last year's numbers show the same pattern. While Lowry did better (.468 eFG%, 20.1 PP48, 15.7 PER), Dragic was even better (.443 eFG%, 18.0 PP48, 12.7 PER). In fact, not since his rookie season has Lowry held the opposing guard to a below average (under 15.0) PER, so I'm not sure where his reputation as a superior defender comes from (something I admit I personally bought into as well).

Lowry is definitely NOT the problem on this team, but because he and DeRozan are supposed to be our best players, the two of them deserve more scrutiny. Why didn't I pick on DeRozan? Because the future of our 2 spot can be summed up in one word: Ross.

[J]

@DC:

While Thaddeus Young isn't your prototypical PF, that's the position he plays for the 76ers and the position he played last night. Also, Quincy Acy, though undersized, was backing-up Davis/Johnson at the 4/5 last night as well. If you really wanted to talk about the SF mismatch, you'd want to compare Fields + Anderson to Turner + Wright + Wilkins, in which case its arguable which team got more out of their 3 spot as the 76ers had 8 points on 3/10 shooting, with 2 rebounds and 8 assists, compared to our 20 points on 7/20 shooting, with 7 rebounds and 2 assists. Fields did not have a good game, but your comparison is all over the place. If you want to compare Thaddeus to anyone, I'm afraid your case would have to be made against Ed Davis.

[Grant]

Yikes! I was out last night so just checked the score occasionally on ESPN. The last time I checked Raps were up 4 with 8 seconds to play. Was expecting to see euphoria here today rather than hysteria.

[Kevin]

Doug. You have to get yourself a NEXUS pass. It will save you a ton of time.

[Michel G]

"Blogger's note: I think you might be."

It might be simplistic, but I just think they should decide who's the lead guard and let him lead. Jose should have re-entered the game in the middle of the fourth at the latest. I think that's when the offense started getting bogged down. Why didn't Casey put Jose back in earlier?

Despite the record, there are a lot positives to be taken from the year so far. The rookies have played well. Amir and Ed have surprised the heck out of me. They combined for 27 points and 11 assists last night. That's impressive. The Raptors have a good foundation. We'll just have to be patient.

Steve Nash is coming to town and I'm going to the game. Should be fun.

[john]

@J thank you for pointing out who plays which position to @DC so he can correctly send through future analysis. I think Ross or DD may be part of the rotation as well cause they shared the court for some time.

[coachd]

Hi Doug,
I find it very interesting that the Raps were far better when Lowry was sidelined. It just seemed that the team looked like they were having more fun out there when he was on the bench. Is he rubbing the guys the wrong way? That 6th foul that he took last night seemed quite childish. It looked like he didn't want to be on the floor with the rest of his team.

Also, last night we witnessed another example of a blown call by the officials that hurt the Raps. Anderson was clearly shoved in the back by Young. The person who had the best angle was the baseline official, and yet, he chose not to blow the whistle. Yes, the Raps can't seem to inbound the ball, but a foul is a foul is a foul.

Blogger's note: Lowry's actually quite well thought of by his teammates, with whom he is far more engaging than with us

[Rob.V]

It's good to be a terrible team... we're just not this fortunate.
-
When I think about the luck... geez!!!
-
2007 - Durant
2008 - Westbrook/Ibaka
2009 - James Harden
-
= Perennial Contender. Gotta be one of the best 3 years of drafting in the history of the NBA, no?
-
2009 - DeRozan
2010 - Ed Davis
2011 - JV
2012 - Ross
-
Patience? Nah, there's none of that here.
-
The problem is even if we agreed to trade "anyone" on the team... who is going to give up their All Star player? When you're lucky enough to have one of these types of players you tend to hold onto them.
-
Which means, we wait, patiently, to see who develops from this roster... or you look to that 2nd tier:
-
Gay
Granger
Gasol
Cousins
-
Do any of these cats make us better? Different for sure.
-
Lots of questions to be answered. I'm at a loss.. however it may be time to set Ross free. JV as well (when he gets back). Stretch them out.

[AT]

Doug, sorry, gotta ask.... Who is Sam??

Blogger's note: Stumpy's friend

[AJ]

What's so hard to understand what I meant by "worth"
10 mil in regards to Calderon; he may be the best Raptor on the floor on some occasions but that's hardly enough to justify why he is making as much as he is. I would also like to gripe about the Fields contract but I simply do not have the energy. Summarily I would just like to say I feel the Raptors have a problem with spending more money on lesser talent while many fans use salary cap as an excuse not to go after players who could really make an impact on this team. Although I'm not suggesting they give up all their assets just for a few pieces to the puzzle, I don't see this team going anywhere soon without bringing in better talent.

[doug]

tough weekend for legends from the game of baseball....2 of the best passed away, Earl and Stan the Man....I never saw Stan play but by all accounts he was one of the best and well as for Earl any guy that can get tossed out of both ends of double-header 3 times in his career says it all....cheers...