That feels a little better, doesn’t it? I’d almost forgotten what it was like to see the Raptors win.
Now, obviously, you can’t put too much stock into beating the 7-win, last-place Pacers. But when you’re coming off five straight losses, any win will do and besides, beating the teams you’re “supposed to beat” is the first step to becoming a good team.
So I’d hardly call it a great win, but it’s a start.
Most important thing the Raptors did last night, in my mind, was hold the lead. We’ve seen them blow enough double-digit leads this year to never feel safe, but the Raptors actually won every quarter - first time all year they’ve done that. The Pacers made a few small runs but the Raptors never let anything get out of hand.
Coach Jay Triano - picking up his first win, congrats - has said that a defensive priority would be to pack in the middle, taking away drives and easy baskets and making opponents beat them from the outside. That strategy seemed to work last night; the Raptors tried to take away the paint any time Marquis Daniels and TJ Ford drove the lane, and the Pacers shooters couldn’t connect from long range on the kick-outs. Of course, the Pacers still scored 34 points in the paint, so there’s still some work to be done; and you can’t expect all teams to shoot as poorly from range as the Pacers did (7-25 from three). But, it appears there is a system in place, and it appears that the Raptors might be starting to “get it.” Let’s see if it carries over to the Jersey game…
Rebounding was again an issue last night; the Pacers pulled down 18 offensive boards, and outrebounded the Raps 52-47. Now, give that an asterisk because the Pacers only shot 35% and missed 62 shots - a lot more opportunities for offensive boards than the Raptors, who only missed 41 of their 81 shots. But Troy Murphy and Jeff Foster - as expected - were dominant on the glass, with a combined 32. The Raptors simply need to box out better. And that’s on everybody - I saw Bosh fail to box out, and I saw Ukic leak out too soon. Top to bottom, every single player on this team needs to improve their rebounding efforts. As they’ve proven already this season - all too often - you won’t get many wins if you don’t hit the glass.
While Murphy and Foster were bringing their usual scrappiness, I have to say, I was particularly unimpressed with Danny Granger last night. This is a guy I thought was making “the leap” this year. I thought he had taken his game to the next level with a nice mix of inside and outside stuff. But he started out settling for long jumpers, and when they weren’t dropping… he continued settling for long jumpers. I thought he’d mix it up, find another way to get into the groove, but he didn’t look at all interested in the game. In fact, he looked like Bosh has looked for the past two weeks - disinterested and unmotivated. If he’d bother to read a scouting report, he’d know Jamario Moon jumps on every head fake he sees, but only once did I see him use one. He still led the Pacers with 22, but he was only 9-25 from the field - and 3-11 from downtown - and had just two foul shots, and no assists or steals. Just an energy-less performance.
As for Bosh, well, he coasted a bit last night as he’s been doing, but I’m pretty sure I also saw some pick and rolls with him and Jose, where he got the ball at the elbow, face-up - that’s where I like to see him get it. I also saw a number of times where he fought for good post position but the Raptors didn’t get him the ball. Is it just me, or is this team terrible at making entry passes to the post? Still, when he did have the ball, Bosh had some drives and some jumpers (most straight-up, not fadeaways), and thankfully, no three-point attempts. All in all, a decent game, and hopefully, one that gets him back on track.
Now, obviously, the big story last night - aside from the win - was actual, real, tangible wing play. Don’t laugh, I’m serious! The Raptors got production from the 2 and 3 spots!
Moon started in place of Bargnani - I for one didn’t see that coming - and he played his best game of the season. 17 points on 7-12 shooting, with 8 rebounds and that monster put-back dunk that was probably a goaltend. I can’t believe how high Moon was on that play. Meanwhile, although Granger coasted most of the game, Moon deserves a little credit for Granger’s 9-25 - he was getting a hand up and not making the shots easy ones.
Now, it wasn’t all great; while Moon had a couple of drives, I did feel like he settled for too many jumpers on the night. For once they were going in but until he starts hitting the 15-20 footer consistently, I’ll be cringing every time he rises up.
Kapono, meanwhile, started for an injured Anthony Parker, and played HIS best game of the season. 11-16, 3-7 from downtown, and he really mixed it up with some runners and floaters. He also pulled down eight rebounds! Yes, Marquis Daniels beat him to the rack on several occasions (finishing with 21) but Kapono was… adequate on defense. Hey, as long as he’s outscoring his counterpart, he’s doing his job!
Finally, our man Joey Graham proved yet again who is the superior Graham, with 12 points and a number of aggressive drives to the hoop. Stephen, meanwhile, didn’t score and picked up two offensive fouls in 8 minutes of play. I’d like to see Joey get more rebounds - only 2 in 25 minutes - but he played smart, under control, aggressive ball, which is exactly what we need from him.
Finally, we come to the men of the hour, Jose Calderon and TJ Ford. Ford was a non-factor; really, there just isn’t much to say. 2-8, 4 points, 4 assists. Calderon wasn’t at his best either, but he was solid - 11 points, 14 assists, and the dagger three to seal the victory.
As for the other tradees, Jermaine O’Neal and Rasho Nesterovic, Jermaine had a quiet 10-9 while Rasho had an even quieter goose egg (with 3 boards).
On the night it looks like the Raptors won the trade but really, none of the four was a big factor in the outcome. It was mainly decided by the wings. Graham, Kapono and Moon finished 22-35 for 55 points, while Granger, Daniels and Brandon Rush combined were 19-50 for 49. It’s been a long, long time since our wings outplayed anyone else’s. Lots of room for improvement, but good job, fellas.
Of course, not every Raptor got lifted by the good vibes. Andrea Bargnani had possibly his worst game of the season, notching a big fat zero in the points column. Four shots, four rebounds, four fouls, three turnovers. Looked completely lost on offense, like he had no idea where to go or what to do. Some of it’s on the coaches, no doubt; please, somebody, define this kid’s role and find some way for him to contribute! I note that he didn’t get much an opportunity to showcase his improved D last night, as he was playing against Rasho and Foster who don’t look to score much. But four fouls and four boards indicate he wasn’t exactly at the top of his game. Just really, really, disappointed in him the past couple of weeks. I really thought his improved play earlier in the year meant he was going to start finally reaching that elusive potential. Well, shame on me for believing. He fooled us all again.
Thankfully, the Raps didn’t need him last night. But overall they do need him. If he keeps having games like that, the Raptors aren’t going to win many.
So, anyway, not a great win, but a win nonetheless. The Raptors needed it. Is it the start of something special? Has “The Turnaround” begun? We’ll find out on Friday. A road win - they haven’t had a quality road win since… well, I guess maybe since the very first game of the year, at Philly? They’ve also beaten Charlotte on the road, but it’s Charlotte, and Miami, but they came thisclose to blowing that one.
Anyway, a road win in Jersey - a measure of revenge - would go a long way to restoring a little more of my faith in this team.
Tags: Chris Bosh, Indiana Pacers, Jermaine O'Neal, TJ Ford, Toronto Raptors
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