NBA thread 2017-18 v. I dub thee champions

[Samsara]

Ya'll can suck it.  30-6 and the best home record in the league.  The Nets were shooting 57% at one point towards the end of the 1st half, and the Raps still overcame a 7 point, 4th quarter deficit.  Granted it was the Nets, and that high shooting % had a bit to do with some crappy Raptors defence, but they were nailing a lot of good shots.

3D from Lowry, and 5-6 from three-point land.  Bring on anyone come the playoffs.  Home court advantage will be sweet.

Unless "Playoff Raptors" show up. You know, like they have for the last what, five seasons? 

Seriously though, I hope they do well. I like the Raptors a lot. Rooting for them to come out of the east, actually.

My Timberwolves are in a dog fight. Doesn't help when they roll over for teams (Philly). They are really pissing me off with the inconsistency. Even if healthy, I don't expect a long run from the Wolves in the playoffs. If fully healthy, and if they have the 6th seed, I can see them beating whoever is the third seed. But if they get stuck with the 7th or 8th, I don't think they roll the Warriors or Rockets, respectively. Even if Curry is out the first round (which he will be). Durant-Thompson-Green is, in my estimation, pretty much equal with Butler-Towns-Wiggins. Which means the series would be decided by the bench play. And in that case, the Warriors are by far superior.

So it is 6th seed or higher, or bust for the Wolves. Fingers crossed.

[Azyiu]

My Timberwolves are in a dog fight. Doesn't help when they roll over for teams (Philly). They are really pissing me off with the inconsistency. Even if healthy, I don't expect a long run from the Wolves in the playoffs. If fully healthy, and if they have the 6th seed, I can see them beating whoever is the third seed. But if they get stuck with the 7th or 8th, I don't think they roll the Warriors or Rockets, respectively. Even if Curry is out the first round (which he will be). Durant-Thompson-Green is, in my estimation, pretty much equal with Butler-Towns-Wiggins. Which means the series would be decided by the bench play. And in that case, the Warriors are by far superior.

So it is 6th seed or higher, or bust for the Wolves. Fingers crossed.

Butler and Towns, ok... but you are telling me Wiggins plays good consistent D? Or he is clutch like KD or Thompson? Lol!     

[jingle.boy]

Unless "Playoff Raptors" show up. You know, like they have for the last what, five seasons? 

I'll grant you they choked in the sweep vs the Wizards, and should've beat the Nets.  They did well to take 2 games from the Cavs 2 years ago, but got schooled last year against another dominant Cavs team.  Hard to know what "Playoff Raptors" really look like - and beyond DDR/Lowry/Valanciunas, it's been pretty much a complete lineup changeover.

[Samsara]

My Timberwolves are in a dog fight. Doesn't help when they roll over for teams (Philly). They are really pissing me off with the inconsistency. Even if healthy, I don't expect a long run from the Wolves in the playoffs. If fully healthy, and if they have the 6th seed, I can see them beating whoever is the third seed. But if they get stuck with the 7th or 8th, I don't think they roll the Warriors or Rockets, respectively. Even if Curry is out the first round (which he will be). Durant-Thompson-Green is, in my estimation, pretty much equal with Butler-Towns-Wiggins. Which means the series would be decided by the bench play. And in that case, the Warriors are by far superior.

So it is 6th seed or higher, or bust for the Wolves. Fingers crossed.

Butler and Towns, ok... but you are telling me Wiggins plays good consistent D? Or he is clutch like KD or Thompson? Lol!     

No, what I am saying is that the collective ability of the Wolves' big 3 is close to that of the Warriors best three available for THAT series (it'd be different if Curry was playing and healthy).

Towns will be on Green -- Green is vastly overrated, and is no match for Towns. Butler vs. Durant -- Durant wins, but not as big a gap as some think. Thompson is better than Wiggins by far, but Wiggins is the most athletic guy on the court. If he gets hot, and gets fired up to drive the lane, there aren't many people in the league that can stop him. His defense is not good, but that athleticism...man.

[Azyiu]

No, what I am saying is that the collective ability of the Wolves' big 3 is close to that of the Warriors best three available for THAT series (it'd be different if Curry was playing and healthy).

Towns will be on Green -- Green is vastly overrated, and is no match for Towns. Butler vs. Durant -- Durant wins, but not as big a gap as some think. Thompson is better than Wiggins by far, but Wiggins is the most athletic guy on the court. If he gets hot, and gets fired up to drive the lane, there aren't many people in the league that can stop him. His defense is not good, but that athleticism...man.

Ok, let's talk offense. Assuming Wiggins gets hot (you really want to count on that in a 7-game series?!), and beyond Jamal Crawford; who else on your T-Wolves could become a reliable scoring source against the Dubs? GS off the bench has Iguodala, Nick Young, D-West, Livingston. Towns will be a beast on the defensive end for sure, yet the Dubs don't need to score from the paint to beat you. Could you do the same? If Towns is the only inside scoring threat...

[Samsara]

No, what I am saying is that the collective ability of the Wolves' big 3 is close to that of the Warriors best three available for THAT series (it'd be different if Curry was playing and healthy).

Towns will be on Green -- Green is vastly overrated, and is no match for Towns. Butler vs. Durant -- Durant wins, but not as big a gap as some think. Thompson is better than Wiggins by far, but Wiggins is the most athletic guy on the court. If he gets hot, and gets fired up to drive the lane, there aren't many people in the league that can stop him. His defense is not good, but that athleticism...man.

Ok, let's talk offense. Assuming Wiggins gets hot (you really want to count on that in a 7-game series?!), and beyond Jamal Crawford; who else on your T-Wolves could become a reliable scoring source against the Dubs? GS off the bench has Iguodala, Nick Young, D-West, Livingston. Towns will be a beast on the defensive end for sure, yet the Dubs don't need to score from the paint to beat you. Could you do the same? If Towns is the only inside scoring threat...

I never claimed the Wolves had a bench. That's why if they played the Ws, I think they'd make it a series, but they'd lose in the first round. I think the Wolves can legitimately beat any team from #3 to #8. They will ultimately lose to the Rockets or Dubs in the first round. That's why it is so important they avoid the 8 and 7 seeds. They need to be 6 or better to come out of the first round.

The Warriors are The Warriors. I'd never bet against them, even with Curry on the sideline. But if you want to talk strictly offense:

I'd take Teague over that backup running PG for the Ws right now (even though I like the kid).
At SG, Butler is generally considered the team's SG. So between him and Thompson...Thompson is a better shooter, Butler is a better all around player. I call that a wash.
At SF, Durant is leaps and bounds better than Wiggins on both ends of the floor.
At PF, I honestly think Gibson and Green are close. Green is the better defender, so Green gets the edge. But Green is so overrated it is not even funny.
At C - Towns destroys anyone not named Davis or Cousins.

So then we go to the bench. The Wolves will run out:

Bejilica (spelling is bad)
Rose
Crawford
Dieng
Jones

>>I don't know the bench depth of the Ws. Remember, we are talking first round, so no Curry. But I would say that the Wolves have work to do. Rose played well his last two games before getting hurt, and he's playoff tested and still drives to the cup. Crawford is Crawford. Bejilica know one knows about, but if you leave him open, he'll crush you. He's a liability on defense though. Not athletic at all. Dieng is a waste of space that does too many fakes for his own good. Jones is scrappy, but not fast enough on defense, and is afraid to take his shot.

So my guess is, the Ws bench is superior, but I don't know the roster.

[bosk1]

Two things:

1.  On Thompson, I think you are overlooking his defense, which seems to indicate that you haven't really seen him play much.  He is an elite defender, and his defense is worth MUCH more to the Warriors overall than his offense.  He can be a deadly scorer when he is on.  But his scoring is actually pretty sporadic.  It is his elite defending that makes him such an asset to the team.  I think you are selling him way short on that side of the ball.

2.  What do you mean by Green being overrated?  This isn't meant to be argumentative.  I'm just asking the question, because just saying "overrated" doesn't tell me what you actually think about him.  Like Thompson, he is an elite defender.  On offense, he's better than average, and can be a very reliable option when the primary scorers are either covered or cold.  But it is his defense and passing ability that put him over the top as an all star.

Looking ahead to the playoffs, I'm kind of alarmed at how beat up the Warriors are all of a sudden.  They didn't play even a single starter the other night.  Given the health of the team right now, they should be really thankful for the position they are in, as far as having the #2 seed locked up and not really needing to worry about #1.  They can afford to rest everybody, thankfully.  And even without Curry, they should have little problem getting past the first two rounds in the playoffs.  Hopefully, they get him back sometime in the second round.  Houston is going to be tough either way, but it's a much taller order getting past them without Curry in the lineup.

[Azyiu]

Agreed with bosk1 on both points... plus:

Gibson might be just as big and as athletic as Green, do not under-estimate Green's ball handling and outside shooting. Two areas Gibson clearly not as good at.

I don't doubt Teague as a good ball handling PG, but as a team the T-Wolves just don't pass around the ball as fluently as the Dubs (even minus Curry). By that I mean, the T-Wolves must still find a way to get Towns the ball inside, or to create open opportunities for Butler to be successful. And speaking of Butler, he will just be coming off the IR, we will see about his timing and explosiveness. The best the T-Wolves can do to have a remote chance against the Dubs would be attacking the rim via Towns. He is one dude the Dubs have no real answer for, but he HAS to be in beast mode and keep wanting the ball and attack.

[Samsara]

I was asked to focus on offense. That's what I did.

I am not overlooking Thompson's D. I just think Butler is better defensively. I have seen Klay play many times. I think he's slightly below Butler on the defensive end, is not as good a rebounder as Butler either.

Regarding Green - I think he is good offensively because he's surrounded by many all star/hall of fame level offensive players. Take away a couple of those guys...and Green is average, at best, on offense. Look at the stats when he ends up having to be a primary scorer...he's not that good. Sorry. He was only an all star this year because of popularity. Not because of his actual game. He should never have been there, and has ridden the coattails of better players his entire career.

About Butler -- he'll be fine. He's already doing on court drills and jumping. Not concerned at all. I'd be more concerned with how severe Curry's ankle is. He won't be back until second round at the earliest.

But again I say -- I still say the Wolves would lose to the Ws in a first round series, even without Curry. So not sure why I am getting pushed on this. LOL. Wolves have to take the 6th seed or higher to get out of the first round.

[bosk1]

I was asked to focus on offense. That's what I did.

Oh, okay.  Fair enough.

But again I say -- I still say the Wolves would lose to the Ws in a first round series, even without Curry. So not sure why I am getting pushed on this. LOL. Wolves have to take the 6th seed or higher to get out of the first round.

Like I said, I'm not arguing.  I just saw a few things that jumped out at me as not quite being on point about the W's, so I'm asking, that's all.  Not trying to take anything at all away from the Wolves.  I like them as a team, and I'm not really discounting anything you are saying about them. 

I am not overlooking Thompson's D. I just think Butler is better defensively. I have seen Klay play many times. I think he's slightly below Butler on the defensive end, is not as good a rebounder as Butler either.

I'll give you the rebounds.  But otherwise, I would still put Thompson above just about anybody on D in most other categories, including Butler.  That isn't to take anything away from Butler at all.  It's just that Thompson is truly an elite defender in just about every way.  He looks like just a tall, lanky, skinny dude.  But he has both the strength and the speed to shut down just about anybody.

Regarding Green - I think he is good offensively because he's surrounded by many all star/hall of fame level offensive players. Take away a couple of those guys...and Green is average, at best, on offense. Look at the stats when he ends up having to be a primary scorer...he's not that good. Sorry. He was only an all star this year because of popularity. Not because of his actual game. He should never have been there, and has ridden the coattails of better players his entire career.

We'll just have to disagree on that then.  I mean, I don't disagree on the fact that he will never be an offensive powerhouse, he cannot and should not ever be the primary guy on offense, and that he is made a lot better by the guys around him.  But that's his role on offense.  He's a facilitator, not a primary scorer.  His value to the team and what makes him an all star has little to do with his scoring ability.

[Samsara]

Green is a poor man's Charles Oakley. Where Oak was a better rebounder and mid range shooter, Green has better passing ability and court vision. I'd take Oak, even in today's NBA, over Green any day and twice on Sunday. (Whatever the heck that saying means.)

[Lonk]

Green is a good system player. If he gets taken out of his comfort zone he would not be as efffective. He benefits from having great shooters around him for his assists and “court vision”. On a different team with not as many great players, he would still get his rebounds, but his assist would see a massive drop.

[Azyiu]

Green is a good system player. If he gets taken out of his comfort zone he would not be as efffective. He benefits from having great shooters around him for his assists and “court vision”. On a different team with not as many great players, he would still get his rebounds, but his assist would see a massive drop.

Not necessarily... Sounds to me like you are under the impression that he only passes to perimeter shooters. As an exceptional passer, as long as his teammates keep moving and cutting. He will eventually find the open man either in the perimeter or under the hoops. Another factor is how a different coach would utilize his unique passing skills or not.

[Nekov]

I love how there was this discussion of the Wolves giving the Warriors a run for their money, then they loose to the beyond awful Grizzlies 
Seriously, Thibs is one hell of a coach but his lack of rotation hurts his team's chances to have a deep run in the playoffs.

Green is a good system player. If he gets taken out of his comfort zone he would not be as efffective. He benefits from having great shooters around him for his assists and “court vision”. On a different team with not as many great players, he would still get his rebounds, but his assist would see a massive drop.

Not necessarily... Sounds to me like you are under the impression that he only passes to perimeter shooters. As an exceptional passer, as long as his teammates keep moving and cutting. He will eventually find the open man either in the perimeter or under the hoops. Another factor is how a different coach would utilize his unique passing skills or not.

I think it's a bit of both, Green is a good passer but he benefits from the great team movement the warriors have, he's able to pass to the open man whether it's an open shooter or someone cutting to the paint. I'm not sure he can "thread needles" as it is often called.

[Samsara]

For the record, F my Wolves. You don't lose at home to freakin' MEMPHIS while in the hunt for the playoffs. I am so disgusted by the Timberwolves now. I hope Thibs screamed his f'ing head off at them in the locker room. What a crock of crap. They don't deserve anything this year. So disappointed. At this rate, I hope they miss the playoffs. Because they don't deserve to be in losing like that to Memphis down the stretch.

[Azyiu]

For the record, F my Wolves. You don't lose at home to freakin' MEMPHIS while in the hunt for the playoffs. I am so disgusted by the Timberwolves now. I hope Thibs screamed his f'ing head off at them in the locker room. What a crock of crap. They don't deserve anything this year. So disappointed. At this rate, I hope they miss the playoffs. Because they don't deserve to be in losing like that to Memphis down the stretch.

Worry not, you've got the Hawks coming into town next... and you will get the Grizzlies once more at home... just watch out for my Lakers. Lol! 

Ok, seriously, you get to play the Nuggets twice more, and you are 2 games up over them. So you control your playoffs chances. Good luck.

[Nekov]

Thibs can scream at them all he wants, but he is complaining that his guys were not up to it in the final stretch, and he had them play more than 40 minutes, using only 8 guys. That's all on him.

[Samsara]

Worry not, you've got the Hawks coming into town next... and you will get the Grizzlies once more at home... just watch out for my Lakers. Lol! 

Ok, seriously, you get to play the Nuggets twice more, and you are 2 games up over them. So you control your playoffs chances. Good luck.

I know. But I am so mad right now at them.

Thibs can scream at them all he wants, but he is complaining that his guys were not up to it in the final stretch, and he had them play more than 40 minutes, using only 8 guys. That's all on him.

That's what happens when you're missing two rotation guys (Butler and Rose) and your bench (outside of Crawford) hasn't been as good as you had hoped. They just called up our first round pick, Justin Patton, from the G-League. A little late now, but he'll be a solid rotation player next season.

[Nekov]

Thibs can scream at them all he wants, but he is complaining that his guys were not up to it in the final stretch, and he had them play more than 40 minutes, using only 8 guys. That's all on him.

That's what happens when you're missing two rotation guys (Butler and Rose) and your bench (outside of Crawford) hasn't been as good as you had hoped. They just called up our first round pick, Justin Patton, from the G-League. A little late now, but he'll be a solid rotation player next season.

This is nothing new. He has been doing it since the season started, he did it last season too and he did it when he was in Chicago, he runs his main guys to the ground, he doesn't trust the bench. That may have worked in the past but nowadays there's a lot of transition game, a lot more possessions and you need more rotation to keep up.

[Samsara]

Yes and no. I watch more Wolves games than anyone on here. I've watched his rotation patterns closely. He's old school - he doesn't trust his rotation players (with good reason) to hold games while the starters are out. That's his fault -- he gave Dieng a bad contract, and didn't improve his bench (other than Crawford) from last year. But he plays to win. He typically subs Towns out with four minutes left in the first quarter, but plays Wiggins all of the first quarter. He brings Wiggins back with four minutes to go in the second quarter.

Yes, he plays his starters old school minutes. But he has made an effort to limit those minutes this year, only to find his bench players let him down. So I get it. It is his fault, but he has no choice if he wants to win games.

I hope this off season, they find a way to offload that Dieng contract, and restock the bench. Rose was a key piece of this. His last two games before getting hurt, he was exactly what I was hoping (a confident scorer off the bench that could push the tempo and be dangerous). Him and crawford make an undersized backcourt, but could spelling Wiggins and Teague (and Butler). But then, of course, Butler and Rose go down. So yeah, you gotta play Wiggins and Towns a lot.

Look, Thibs is the guy in control, so it is his fault as an executive. But as a coach, with what he has, I don't blame him right now. I just hope he gets the team a better bench next season, because the toll of 38 a night on these guys is going to hit them soon.

[Nekov]

Well, as you said, you watch a lot of games so you surely have more information than I do. Stat wise around the league, Butler is the player with the most minutes per game in the whole league, Teague is 42 and the other 3 starters are in between. That's a lot. Wiggins, 12th in MPG, has played the most minutes overall since he hasn't missed a single game.
I can understand that the bench guys are under-performing, but as a coach you should on one hand give them more minutes so they can improve and give you more, and on the other hand you should find the right combination of players to get the most out of everyone, not just keep a regular rotation for the starters.

[Samsara]

Well, as you said, you watch a lot of games so you surely have more information than I do. Stat wise around the league, Butler is the player with the most minutes per game in the whole league, Teague is 42 and the other 3 starters are in between. That's a lot. Wiggins, 12th in MPG, has played the most minutes overall since he hasn't missed a single game.
I can understand that the bench guys are under-performing, but as a coach you should on one hand give them more minutes so they can improve and give you more, and on the other hand you should find the right combination of players to get the most out of everyone, not just keep a regular rotation for the starters.

In a perfect world, the Wolves would rotate 10 guys, with the starters all being around 34 MPG. But when your #1 guy (Butler) is hurt, and your 7th man (Rose) is hurt, and you don't really like your 8-12 guys to hold the game, I get it, from a coaching perspective. You gotta play the best dudes to win.

That is hurting Minnesota now. But they wouldn't be in the hunt had they played those rotation guys all year. So, the answer is, get five subs you like a lot, and trust, and make this happen. But that's next year. Not this year. For this year, they just gotta run. When fully healthy, this year (if they make the playoffs), this is what the rotation should look like:

C - Towns - 34 mpg
PF - Gibson - 34 mpg
SF - Wiggins - 34 mpg
SG - Butler - 34 mpg
PG - Teague - 34 mpg

6th - Crawford (spelling both Butler, Wiggins) - 20 mpg
7th - Rose (spelling Wiggins and Teague) - 15 mpg
8th - Beijlicia (spelling Gibson and Wiggins) - 20 mpg
9th - Dieng (spelling Towns and Gibson) - 10 mpg
10th - Jones (spelling Teague or Butler) 5 mpg

>>>>>>>>>>>>>Do you see the problem there? You have three guards coming off the bench. There's no playmaking SF. They dumped Muhammed because he sucked, but they replaced him with Rose who is a guard. Bejilicia is a stretch 4, not a SF. So what ends up happening is that the Wolves go small, which then requires that Wiggins or Towns be in the game for size purposes (and because Dieng and Jones are shitty).

The roster is messed up, and that's on Thibs.

[Samsara]

Nice to see a guy on my Wolves show his true colors. Karl Anthony Towns stepped up in a monumental way last night. I was waiting to see if he had it in him. I suspected he did, but it was nice to finally see that "give me the ball, get the fuck out of my way" game. I don't expect 56/15 every night from the guy, but if he could just be as aggressive as he was last night ALL THE TIME, this team would be on the rise.

Towns should be (always) a lock for 25/12+ every single game. Just like Anthony Davis and Demarcus Cousins. Towns is dominant, and he needs to be the Wolves' closer. Butler should be #2, with 22-25 ppg and guarding the best non-center on the other teams. Wiggins will always be #3 with this team the way it is constructed, and should never be lower (but he seems to consistently be) than 18-20 per game.

Huge win last night against a shitty team. Here's hoping the Towns domination continues this weekend.

[King Postwhore]

5 game winning streak for the C's missing some key players during this run.

[bosk1]

Warriors locked up the #2 in the west last night with Portland losing.  That helps in terms of not feeling like their starters have to rush back.  I know they should still be fine, but it's hard as a fan to not freak out a little when your team is 4-6 over the last 10 this late in the season.

[Samsara]

5 game winning streak for the C's missing some key players during this run.

As a born and bred New Yorker, who fell in love with hoops in 1989, and rooted for the Wolves and my hometown Knicks, I am not supposed to like the Celtics. But I have to admit, I love Brad Stevens, and I love the grit and fight of the Celtics this year (and last year). I really enjoy watching them play a lot.

On another note:

re: Isaiah Thomas - I love this guy. Loved him when he was with the Kings and have followed his career rooting for him ever since. Love the fire in him. Undersized, go for broke. Man, I am just crushed his hip needs more work. I knew it was going to happen. This hip injury has happened to big guys, and they've never been the same. But a small guy who needs his speed? Eh...dicey. And IT just hasn't been the same. Flashes, but not all the way. I feel so bad for him.

I really hope my Wolves, the Lakers who he is with now, or Celtics, give him a contract to rehab and come off the bench next year as he recovers from the clean up surgery and has a "reset" year. It sucks so much after a brilliant run, so many bad things have happened to him.

[Azyiu]

The problem with IT is, he doesn't think he is a bench guy... 

[Samsara]

The problem with IT is, he doesn't think he is a bench guy... 

He's not, so I don't blame him. But I think he just wants on a roster next year. I expect him to take a 8 mil exception, play it out, and bet on himself playing so well he can command a big contract NEXT offseason...as a starter.

[King Postwhore]

5 game winning streak for the C's missing some key players during this run.

As a born and bred New Yorker, who fell in love with hoops in 1989, and rooted for the Wolves and my hometown Knicks, I am not supposed to like the Celtics. But I have to admit, I love Brad Stevens, and I love the grit and fight of the Celtics this year (and last year). I really enjoy watching them play a lot.

On another note:

re: Isaiah Thomas - I love this guy. Loved him when he was with the Kings and have followed his career rooting for him ever since. Love the fire in him. Undersized, go for broke. Man, I am just crushed his hip needs more work. I knew it was going to happen. This hip injury has happened to big guys, and they've never been the same. But a small guy who needs his speed? Eh...dicey. And IT just hasn't been the same. Flashes, but not all the way. I feel so bad for him.

I really hope my Wolves, the Lakers who he is with now, or Celtics, give him a contract to rehab and come off the bench next year as he recovers from the clean up surgery and has a "reset" year. It sucks so much after a brilliant run, so many bad things have happened to him.

Stevens was a great catch after our great run with Doc Rivers.  Stevens brings the best out of your 7 through 10 players.  The grit is real.  I can't wait to see what they are like with Hayward next season.


I feel bad for IT.  He was killing it for us and what happened to him this year will hurt him in the pocket.

[TAC]

Joel Embid is out with facial surgery??



I mean, I know he's ugly, but surgery??

[Samsara]

Joel Embid is out with facial surgery??



I mean, I know he's ugly, but surgery??

Seriously. Poor dude. 

[Azyiu]

Ok, two REGULAR season road games don't necessarily mean anything, but can the Raptors really get out of the East for once this Spring? I surely hope they at least put up a tough fight against the Cavs, should they meet at all.

On the other hand, why the hell is LBJ playing 35+ mins tonight? The Cavs' coaching staff want to run him to the ground before the playoffs? I don't get it.

[Nekov]

Ok, two REGULAR season road games don't necessarily mean anything, but can the Raptors really get out of the East for once this Spring? I surely hope they at least put up a tough fight against the Cavs, should they meet at all.

On the other hand, why the hell is LBJ playing 35+ mins tonight? The Cavs' coaching staff want to run him to the ground before the playoffs? I don't get it.

I think they want to keep that 3rd place safe, Philly is on a role and just 1 game behind. Although I'm not sure if 3rd or 4th makes a big difference in the east.

[jingle.boy]

Not the best time for the Raptors to be in a funk, but I suppose it's better than 2 weeks from now.  Tonight's game should be a doozy.

[TAC]

Not the best time for the Raptors to be in a funk, but I suppose it's better than 2 weeks from now.  Tonight's game should be a doozy.

If the Raptors find a way to lose this game, that would be embarrassing. the Celts played last night in Milwaukee without their top 4 guards and still only lost by 4.
Getting a shorthanded team on the second of a B2B, this should be a cakewalk for Toronto.