{* backButton *} There’s no feeling out [anymore]. The Raptors give up the second-most but are the best (.334) at forcing misses. I think there’s a lot there to learn from, and hopefully sticks with some of our younger guys.” Learning in the presence of greatness can be a wonderful thing, as the Raptors showed in snagging the Larry O’Brien Trophy and putting past playoff disappointments behind them. Plus, get the Stanley Cup Final, MLB, IndyCar and more. “But his side-to-side athleticism is outstanding. By most measures they’ve thrived.It’s not only their 7-1 record. Lowry and Siakam are doing what stars are supposed to do: stepping into any void they can. Sometimes it’s matchup-to-matchup. He’s good.
The departure of Kawhi Leonard hasn't slowed the Raptors, who continue to emphasize teamwork, accountability and defense. Team: Los Angeles Clippers. “I don’t think it’s a situation where he hasn’t [gone with the flow of the offence] but he’s that talented where we’ve let him do a lot more offensively because he can do it. They scored more on the fast-break too. “Sometimes how they are guarding us and how they are making us play two on two or make him play one on one is a little bit different.”But that doesn’t mean the Raptors can’t try to discern some meaning from their numbers without Leonard and see if they can incorporate some of what seems to work.While Leonard has put up some incredible numbers he does have the ball in his hands a lot although not an exorbitant amount for an MVP-type player – his 29.7 per cent usage rate is only 18th in the league.But when Leonard sat in Raptors wins over the Clippers and the Warriors Lowry’s usage rate jumped up to about 21.5 per cent compared to his season average of 19.2 and coincidentally or not the Raptors have moved the ball more without Leonard – averaging 302 passes per game, which would rank 10th in the league compared to their 275.4 passes per game average on the season, which is 25th. At 49-18, they’re locked into second place in the East, waiting for the Nets and the Magic to sort out the bottom of the bracket for their first-round matchup. But wait, there’s more: They rank second in defensive field-goal percentage, up from fifth last season; second in steals and turnovers forced, up from ninth and 10th, respectively; and first in shots and points allowed, up from 16th and ninth, respectively. Magic's Mo Bamba to undergo post-COVID-19 evaluation, miss rest of season The wins over the Jazz and Warriors were on the second night of back-to-backs. Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry, right, is defended by Golden State Warriors forward Jordan Bell (2) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Oakland, Calif., Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018.
Vlade Divac steps down as Kings GM, replaced by Joe Dumars It doesn’t take a genius to know we have a lot of pieces and so I don’t need somebody to tell me we can win it.”
And that for a youngish coach is good, right, it helps you.”“His demeanor, his defensive mindset, jeez, what else?” Nurse said. Raptors vs. Nets: Sportsnet announces first-round playoff schedule (He) seemingly was always there, in every meeting, film session, timeout, halftime, you know, he was nodding along with what you were saying.
They pay attention to the game plans, they’re basketball guys, they watch the other teams, they study them, they like stopping them. Even without Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors are still a major threat to win the Eastern Conference. Offensively, Toronto has dipped by some measures, from fifth in offensive rating (112.6) in 2018-19 to 12th (111.0).
76ers close regular season play by breezing past Rockets
by Spencer Poole February 10, 2020 February 10, 2020 0. A case can be made that Toronto is better post-Leonard than it was with him.
Kawhi Leonard. “Especially when you are not shooting well or getting good pace or good ball movement you need to have a guy to give the ball to and say ‘Hey, get me a bucket.’ He gives us that. Heat's Derrick Jones Jr. carted off court with neck strain in loss to Pacers It’s kind of an interesting thing that they’ve got going.”It’s a pride thing now, with peer pressure and expectations taking over beyond any coach’s pleas. It’s not two, it’s not three.
Heat's Derrick Jones Jr. carted off court with neck strain in loss to Pacers “What is your character like?” VanVleet explained.