NBA Toronto Raptors thread

[Stylizer1]

 

[Stylizer1]

Helloooooo

 

[MapleLeafistan]

6 game W streak on the line today vs Sacramento.

Possibly Vince Carter's final game.

 

[Virtanen18]

Great article here on the Raptors changes this season: How the Raptors got sick of playoff letdowns and broke all their bad habits

 

[Hadoop]

Man the Raps are like the most under-the-radar team in the league this season. Though they're predicted by fivethirtyeight to get 57 wins and top seed in the east, it seems there is no national media in the US talking about them.

 

[Baxterman]

Man the Raps are like the most under-the-radar team in the league this season. Though they're predicted by fivethirtyeight to get 57 wins and top seed in the east, it seems there is no national media in the US talking about them.

Probably because they have a less than zero shot at winning the title, a worse chance at even making the finals and basically no shot at even making the ECF.

But there is no team, media or fan base that cares more about the regular season than the Raps.

Most people realize the regular season means jack squat in the NBA.

 

[Hadoop]

Probably because they have a less than zero shot at winning the title, a worse chance at even making the finals and basically no shot at even making the ECF.

But there is no team, media or fan base that cares more about the regular season than the Raps.

Most people realize the regular season means jack squat in the NBA.

Not sure if you are serious. Raptors have a close to 30% chance of making the NBA finals even after adjusting for the fact that they are much less suited for the playoffs then Cleveland.

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2018-nba-predictions/?ex_cid=rrpromo

 

[Baxterman]

Not sure if you are serious. Raptors have a close to 30% chance of making the NBA finals even after adjusting for the fact that they are much less suited for the playoffs then Cleveland.

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2018-nba-predictions/?ex_cid=rrpromo

Those stats are completely useless.

The Raptors are a clearly worse team than Boston and Cleveland. If matched up they would need injuries to both teams to have a chance at beating them or even winning a game in the series.

They may be able to get the top seed which would help them avoid one in the 2nd round and may get them to the ECF but once they match-up against one of them they are done.

Even Philly in the play-offs with a healthy Embid are likely a better team than the Raptors and Milwaukee with Giannis would be a tough team for the Raptors to beat in the play-offs.

The Raptors are built for the regular season where other teams take games off and rest starters both during the games and for games. Once the play-offs start and teams start playing defense the Raptors don't have the guys to take their game to that next gear. They are stuck with the turnstiles that are DD and Lowry in the back court and no good defenders in the front court. It is why guys like LeBron and Kyrie are able to score at will and take over games once they start to matter.

 

[Hadoop]

"Even Philly in the play-offs with a healthy Embid are likely a better team than the Raptors"..... completely disagree with this. You just said the playoffs are a different beast and as such teams with star players who are new to the second season are not going to know what hit them, especially rookies like Simmons who aren't even used to playing 82 games, never mind the playoffs. Philly is going to get destroyed in the playoffs this season, if they even get there at all.

Also not sure how you can call DD and Lowry turnstiles since they are better than 27 other back-courts in the NBA (basically everyone except for Curry/Klay and Harden/CP3)

 

[Baxterman]

"Even Philly in the play-offs with a healthy Embid are likely a better team than the Raptors"..... completely disagree with this. You just said the playoffs are a different beast and as such teams with star players who are new to the second season are not going to know what hit them, especially rookies like Simmons who aren't even used to playing 82 games, never mind the playoffs. Philly is going to get destroyed in the playoffs this season, if they even get there at all.

Also not sure how you can call DD and Lowry turnstiles since they are better than 27 other back-courts in the NBA (basically everyone except for Curry/Klay and Harden/CP3)

They are turnstiles because they can't defend anyone. They are certainly not close to better defensively than 27 other backcourts in the league.

 

[Virtanen18]

Lol Kyle Lowry can't defend anyone? Hilarious.

 

[La Masse]

They are turnstiles because they can't defend anyone. They are certainly not close to better defensively than 27 other backcourts in the league.

Wait what?DD ill give you buy Lowry is one of the better defensive PG in the league

 

[lifelonghockeyfan]

Basketball is so much different hockey and football/ With only 5 players on a court and those players 80% of the time (especially in the playoffs), the best players excel.
Going hard to any team to win the East over Cleveland. And Golden State and maybe Houston have the best starting group to in the West.
Then of course, no one seems to rules of pro basketball. Good teams and great players always an advantage by the officials.

 

[Baxterman]

Wait what?DD ill give you buy Lowry is one of the better defensive PG in the league

He can't guard Kyrie, Isaiah Thomas or Curry and with DD being a terrible defender as well and no SF they can use to defend either they are in real trouble against the top teams.

 

[King Mapes]

He can't guard Kyrie, Isaiah Thomas or Curry and with DD being a terrible defender as well and no SF they can use to defend either they are in real trouble against the top teams.

Nice back tracking. We'll see come playoff time. They certainly are a top 3 team in the East.

 

[Cloned]

Basketball is so much different hockey and football/ With only 5 players on a court and those players 80% of the time (especially in the playoffs), the best players excel.
Going hard to any team to win the East over Cleveland. And Golden State and maybe Houston have the best starting group to in the West.
Then of course, no one seems to rules of pro basketball. Good teams and great players always an advantage by the officials.

Cleveland is definitely beatable this year.

Whoever comes out of the West should win. I'm not sold on any of Boston/Cleveland/Toronto being any real match for GS/Houston. If SA somehow manages to come out of the West though, then things could get really interesting in the Finals.

 

[Baxterman]

Nice back tracking. We'll see come playoff time. They certainly are a top 3 team in the East.

It's not backtracking, he is a terrible defender overall but what matters is what he can do against the teams they will face in the play-offs.

 

[King Mapes]

It's not backtracking, he is a terrible defender overall but what matters is what he can do against the teams they will face in the play-offs.

Lowry is a terrible defender? So you've never seen him play?

Give me a list of better defending PGs.

 

[Virtanen18]

"Can't defend anyone" = Can't defend 3 players apparently lol...2 of whom are extremely difficult to guard, the other coming off a season he averaged almost 30.

Baxterman, thanks. You made it obvious to everyone they have no reason to read your senseless posts.

 

[Stylizer1]

DeFrozen needs mismatches to score his points. When he's up against anyone with defensive capabilities he plays very poor. That's why his numbers are poor in the playoffs.

 

[MMC]

Why does this team get a thread?

 

[Hadoop]

Why does this team get a thread?

Because Canada.

 

[Aladyyn]

Why does this team get a thread?

They have to compensate for not being relevant in the US.

 

[lifelonghockeyfan]

I like basketball. I understand basketball. But gee, I don't understand the officiating in the NBA. No one seems to know what a foul is. And it appears to that the stars often get so many favourable calls. Why? And it appears that the home team always get favoured, I suppose to keep the home team fans to keep buying tickets.
Seems like the refs are hired from the WWE. They read a script, and just follow it.

 

[King Mapes]

Why does this team get a thread?

They have an ignore thread option for this reason. Why open a thread you aren't interested in?