All in all, not half bad
Raptors in fight for first at midway point despite struggles
Brilliant one night, brutal the next. Hurt or sick or sore or tired but more than holding their own through it all.
It has not been the greatest of half seasons for the Toronto Raptors. Except that it has.
The team reached the midway point in the grind of an 82-game schedule on Saturday night, disappointed in some facets of their play but justifiably OK with where they are at the moment.
A blistering 20-4 start to the year gave way to a rather pedestrian 9-8 stretch but forgetting for a moment the hot takes that change with the wind, a 29-12 record that has them right in the thick of the fight for first overall in the league.
They don’t shoot from three-point range well enough most nights, except when they make 14 in a game like they did Saturday. The defence has shown some slippage, except it is still among the top 10 in the league in overall rating. The bench has been shoddy, except for the odd night when it carries the starters.
It’s really not been that bad. But they want more. And they probably should have it.
“I think you don’t want to judge too much just where we are all the time,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. “I make that mistake in golf a lot. I will be1-under after eight and I start thinking, ‘Gosh, I’m going to shoot 70 today.’ Then all of a sudden I double the next three holes because I’m thinking about the final score.
“I like our roster. I like who we are. I like our capabilities. I think there is still a lot of growth.
“I think we need to continue to be a little more consistent in some areas and I think we need to shoot the ball a little better which, and I keep saying this, I think we will.”
RAPTORS continued on S2
In the Raptors’ back-to-back games with Cavs and 76ers I assumed that Kawhi Leonard would sit out the Cavs game and play against the 76ers. What was the rationale for playing him in the first of the two games? — Santino
The hope has always been that Kawhi would be able to play both ends of a back-to-back, so no sense sitting him in the first regardless of opposition. If, for instance, he has an easy night in the first, like 24 minutes in an easy win, he’d be more likely to play the second. That’s what they always hope. Over Christmas my mother-inlaw fulfilled a dream of mine by gifting me a single courtside ticket to an upcoming game. So how can I maximize this experience? What time do gates open? When does shootaround take place ? Is there a veteran scribe that wanders around the practice court pre-game? — Daie, Vaughan
That’s a helluva mother-inlaw you got there.
I believe the gates open an hour before tipoff and there’s always someone out on the court working out at that time. If you’re looking at autographs, you’ll see the tunnel area where everyone congregates.
I tell everyone who gets those kinds of seats for the first time that they will be shocked by how physical the game actually and it’s always enlightening to watch what happens away from the ball.
I’m usually either in the back typing furiously at that time or up in our seats getting set up for the evening. But who knows. There was some chatter about how certain players who left the Raptors were booed roundly when they left, but I think in most cases eventually fans came to terms with them. I wonder whether San Antonio fans will eventually move on and celebrate Kawhi for what he achieved while there ... And I wonder if we’ll ever know what happened to make that relationship go so badly. Do you think he's the type to finally talk to a trusted reporter, or to open up via something like the Players' Tribune? — sportschic
I would bet that the ill will in San Antonio will fade but not for a while. And not for a longer while if he joins, say, the Clippers and he’s in San Antonio twice a year and maybe in the playoffs.
Kawhi made an off-hand comment on game day in San Antonio that he wasn’t going to talk specifics of what happened until after he retires. It’s clear the Raptors are struggling a bit on offence with Kyle and Jonas in the shop for repairs. If you were coaching the Raptors (I'd love to watch the press conferences), what would you do with the minutes for Kawhi and Pascal? Play them longer to protect the team's position in the standings at the risk that they might start to show wear and tear? Or keep their minutes the same at the potential cost of a few losses? — Mike D
At this time of the year, no way I’d stretch out guys just because others are injured.
I want to see how the guys playing are doing in enhanced roles over time — backups being starters, third-string guys playing regular minutes. And I don’t see a need to add minutes stress to guys who might have to play heavy minutes in April and May by loading them up in January.
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