Sunday, November 18, 2018
Toronto Raptors 2018-2019
On Monday
night, the Toronto Raptors played their thirteenth game this season
against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans were led by Anthony
Davis, with 24 points. Their backcourt players, Holiday and Moore,
also stung the Raptors for a combined 59 points. The Pelicans come
out on top 126-110. But it was only the second loss of the season for
the Toronto squad, as they still lead the Eastern Division.
Fans are packing the venue in which
they play. There are Scotiabank symbols on the roof, and it is named
after the bank. You may have known it as the Air Canada Centre. The
Raptors share the facility with the Toronto Maple Leafs. I checked
out the web site with the seating plan, and current ticket prices.
You will have to fill both of your pockets with large bills if you
want to procure a ticket from a scalper. The nature of the beast is
that if teams are successful, the price of tickets rises.
The place is filled to the rafters
for the games. At this point in time, Toronto fans are loyal to the
Raptors. As they should be. They place an excellent squad on the
floor for every game, under the direction of new head coach, Nick
Nurse. At the end of the season last year, management made a few
significant changes, effectively altering the direction of the team.
Dwayne Casey had coached the team for several years, and had even
been selected as “Coach of the Year”. In hockey, that is the kiss
of death for a coach. Apparently, the same applies in basketball.
The team also jettisoned star player
Demar DeRozan, and that was not exactly a popular decision at the
time. DeRozan and the team's other star, Kyle Lowry, were the
mainstays for several seasons. In a significant shakeup, DeRozan was
sent to the San Antonio Spurs in a multi-player deal for Kawhi
Leonard and others. I am not going to suggest at this point in time
that it was a great trade. Not enough time has elapsed to assess the
trade properly. But at this point in time, the results are very
positive for the Raps.
Leonard was a bit of an unknown
quantity when he arrived in Toronto. He was known as an outstanding
defensive player, and some considered him to be in the top five of
the talented players in the league. He was, however, prone to injury,
and had missed several games the previous seasons. Raptor fans have
discovered that when he comes to play, he is a force on the court. He
sees the court well, and makes excellent choices, passing and
shooting.
With the departure of DeRozan, Kyle
Lowry has assumed a different role with the team, and seems to have a
more pronounced team approach. Standing slightly above six feet, he
is dwarfed by most of the players on the court. With a better
supporting cast this year, he has had more opportunities to display
his talents. He seems more sure of himself, and is willing to dish
the ball to teammates more often. He still has no fear of dashing to
the basket when that is required, and he plays hard every minute he
is on the court.
Keep in mind that there are always
five players on the court, all very important at all times. Teams
need really big guys to clear the boards, to take down rebounds at
both ends of the court. The Raptors are relying on Jonas Valanciunas,
Pascal Siakam, and Serge Ibaka to fill the lanes under the basket, to
clear the boards, to block out defenders, and to make the easy
baskets around the rim. Valanciunas has also shown a nice touch on
three point shots, at important stages in the game. Danny Green came
over in the Kawhi trade, and has been most important to the Raptors'
fortunes thus far. He is averaging 10 points per game, shooting a
most respectable 45% on three pointers.
Fred Van Vleet has averaged over ten
points a game, in the 8 games that he has played. One gets the
feeling, and it is an important one, that this group is more of a
team than we have seen come out of Toronto in many years, perhaps
ever. There is not a joking, smiling , and fooling around on the
court with these guys, especially with Kawhi. It is all business, and
the rest of the league is taking notice.
I like the fact that the supporting
cast with the team is ready to go at any time, and often outscores
the starters when they hit the floor. Kudos to OG Anunoby, Lorenzo
Brown, CJ Miles, Norman Powell, Malachi Richardson, and Delon Wright
for their contributions.
This will be a year to remember.
James Hurst.
# posted by James Hurst @ 9:50 AM 
