PG: Still the CHAMPS!

Lateral Quicks · Post #281 » by **Lateral Quicks** » Sat Sep 12, 2020 4:05 am

I'm proud of this team. They battled until the very end. Ultimately, the fatigue caught up to them. There was a lot of poor decision-making down the stretch, and that isn't characteristic of this team. It sucks to lose like that, but full credit to Boston for forcing our guys to play heavy minutes, and for playing such great defense. This series could have gone either way, but ultimately Boston was ever so slightly better and deserves to move on.

Things we have learned this off-season:

- We need a legitimate backup PF on this team going forward. Siakam logged really heavy minutes all year, and that may have worn him down. The effort was there, but obviously the results we grew used to seeing weren't.

- FVV is not a max money guy, nor is he an above average playmaker. He does a lot of things really well - shooting, defense, locker-room presence - but we should be hesitant to give him a long-term commitment for a lot of money. I absolutely see him as a key piece going forward, and he should continue to improve - much the way Lowry has over the years - but he hasn't earned a max deal yet.

- Gasol disappeared in the playoffs. I've gone from wanting him back as a starter to wanting him back in a reserve/mentorship role for a younger centre. If Ibaka will accept a 1or 2 year deal, I'd bring him back as the starter unless a younger player/prospect is available to grow into the role.

- OG is a stud in the making.

- Lowry is a stud.

The future is still very much bright for the franchise. FVV/OG/Siakam, despite the reactionary posts on this board, are still a very good core to build around. Let's go get Giannis!

BBallG · Post #282 » by **BBallG** » Sat Sep 12, 2020 4:05 am

steamed hams wrote:It's kind of amazing that Nurse went away from that amazing Ibaka Thomas Powell FVV OG lineup that put us up 8. Then proceeded to never use it again and put Gasol back in for the next quarter where we choked that lead and trailed by 10 the rest of the game. I have a theory that Nurse just wanted to go home and was sick of living in a hotel.

That's exactly when I said "there goes our lead" to the GF and that was the game :banghead:

rocky_da_best · Post #283 » by **rocky_da_best** » Sat Sep 12, 2020 4:05 am

Siakam is an above average player thrust into the number one offensive option. No one can convince me otherwise. That contract is going to cripple us unless we can move him with picks for a star eventually. He has no business being the go-to guy in crunch time. He was absolute **** the entire playoffs, restart and even before then. We should have waited to give him his. I think Masai had the african blinders on cause there's no way in hell he's a max player.

Valard · Post #284 » by **Valard** » Sat Sep 12, 2020 4:05 am

agentzero2010 wrote:The Siakam slander needs to stop man. Raptors would not be a 2 seed without him, and his defence was still pretty solid for most of the playoff run. He's simply not ready to be the go-to-guy. I believe he will get there. this was always a retool year, a victory lap for the guys who won a chip. Raptors were not suppose to be in a game 7 against a super talented Celtics.

Have some class and have some dignity. you can't win every year and you can win without a superstar, plain and simple.

This.

S*** fans that want to front run when we win but act like douches when we lose.

Smh.

RalphWiggum · Post #285 » by **RalphWiggum** » Sat Sep 12, 2020 4:06 am

dTox wrote:I ain't even mad

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

Zeno wrote:I still believe in Pascal. He’ll come back from this stronger. Comparing him to Demar is stupid. He’s an unbelievable defender.

Get off the dope.

Siakam isn't some stud college player with a 10 year pedigree. He's done. He'll never recover from this.

We now have one of the worst contracts in league history mark my words.

HangTime · Post #286 » by **HangTime** » Sat Sep 12, 2020 4:06 am

Why didn't we call that timeout to setup a play?

Why not give Thomas a go?

SurgeIblocka · Post #287 » by **SurgeIblocka** » Sat Sep 12, 2020 4:06 am

Cant believe Nurse allowed Siakam to cost us this game and series :cry:

DelAbbot · Post #288 » by **DelAbbot** » Sat Sep 12, 2020 4:06 am

Also this game (and the series) thoroughly exposed FVV for what he really is. He succeeds when he is playing within the offense with catch/off screen and shoot, but he is absolutely abysmal at
- creating off dribble drive
- forcing 3 point shots with a defender in front of him
- finishing inside

He is not a lead guard. When he replaces Lowry as lead guard, this entire board is going to turn on FVV. He is a shooting guard, but too short as a defender of opposing SG that are bigger.

One can point to FVV's success when Lowry was hurt, but that was the regular season where the matchup problems and defenive intensity are nowhere near those in the playoffs.

Mark_83 · Post #289 » by **Mark_83** » Sat Sep 12, 2020 4:06 am

We were literally two Siakam unforced, live-ball turnovers from winning this game. Guy should change his name to Shookam. :roll:

ThemCrookedRefs · Post #290 » by **ThemCrookedRefs** » Sat Sep 12, 2020 4:06 am

Dennis 37 wrote:
Inklink wrote:Did not deserve to win.

You bring that bull to game 7, you deserve to lose.

Great season overall, proud of the team for that, but the performances in this series from a few of the players were straight up TRASH.

Nurse also got exposed in some areas.

Disagree.

No matter how poorly specific players played, we had the tools to win this game. Matt Thomas was +6 in 4 minutes. Ibaka was +6 in 20. We couldn't have found 5 more minutes for each of them?

The responsibility of the coach is to play the players who are getting it done. He didn't do that.

That was so frustrating. It has been clear as day that the offence looked better with Thomas out there. He needed to play. At the end of the game, down 3, he needs to be in the game. That was baffling. Gasol needed to hit the bench earlier, he was of no use. Nurse bungled the subs all series long, relying way too much on 7 guys. We could have gotten better production (and fresher legs) from utilizing a couple more guys in certain stretches (Thomas and TD/RHJ/Boucher). I'm just disappointed in how we lost.

PushDaRock · Post #291 » by **PushDaRock** » Sat Sep 12, 2020 4:07 am

Their offense was just as ugly as ours. They simply got more possessions and it helped them win the game.

Dennis 37 · Post #292 » by **Dennis 37** » Sat Sep 12, 2020 4:07 am

IIO wrote:Not out year boys.

The loss of Kawhi, coupled with the disappearance of Pascal, was just too much to overcome a very good Boston squad.

Spoiler:
Remember that Pascal + Kawhi averaged about 50 PPG in the playoffs last year. To lose 80% of that is just too much.

Hats off to Tatum and Brown. They were fabulous all series long. A pair of of winners!

Lowry did everything we could ever ask of him and represented the city to the max.

Time to enjoy a rebuild. Gasol and Ibaka are moving on. VanVleet and Powell could be as well. Obviously you give Siakam a chance to recover and keep growing and maybe you can cobble together enough assets to add another legit starter.

Have a great off season guys!

What game were you watching?

Marc was -19. We certainly could have overcome Pascal's poor play. Sit Marc 10 minutes more and we would have been leading heading into the final minute.

Boston was not that good. We kept them under 100 points.

It is a shame we embarrassed Marc like that. He looked like he knew he was washed, and Nick should not have done that to him.

supra2k8 · Post #293 » by **supra2k8** » Sat Sep 12, 2020 4:07 am

Steven1562 wrote:Trade Pascal for Lavert + picks. Lavert can at least score 1 on 1. Pascal just ain't it man. Can't be the man.

Pascal would excel being the 3rd option behind KD and Irving, his style of play and defense would be much more helpful for the nets.

The nets would easily do it

Lord_Zedd · Post #294 » by **Lord_Zedd** » Sat Sep 12, 2020 4:07 am

Potential wrote:Pascal Siakam to the Golden State Warriors for the #2 pick

Whos with me?

As long as Wiggins isn't coming with that #2 pick.......

kalel123 · Post #295 » by **kalel123** » Sat Sep 12, 2020 4:07 am

Masai Ujiri really needs to sit Siakam down and have a real talk. I have to wonder where Siakam is mentally. I don't care what you think of him but surely, he shouldn't be this bad whichever way you slice it.

As for Van Vleet, Ibaka, and Gasol. BIG decisions to make. If he's really aiming for Giannis in 2021 offseason, the decision is even tougher. You have to keep the team competitive enough to make it enticing while allowing the team to have enough cap room sign him outright as otherwise, Bucks might force you to gut the team even if Giannis wanted to come here.

Par36 · Post #296 » by **Par36** » Sat Sep 12, 2020 4:07 am

Made it a series when it had no right to be.
Time for a proper rebuild.

agentzero2010 · Post #297 » by **agentzero2010** » Sat Sep 12, 2020 4:07 am

ratul wrote:Remember when Rafael Araujo got stuffed by the rim? And we’re bitching now?

People don't appreciate what they have until they lose it. If and when the Raptors go into rebuild mode, which I think is a good idea considering the uncertainty surrounding next season, the same trolls are going to bitch and moan about being an after thought in the league, getting no national TV games, being counted out in preseason predictions, etc, etc.

All good things must come to an end, one way or another. I will remember the 2018-2020 Toronto Raptors as the best team in franchise history, greatest "team" in Canadian Sports.

C.Boshly · Post #298 » by **C.Boshly** » Sat Sep 12, 2020 4:07 am

Just an a tough loss to swallow.

The game was there for the taking but every time we had the opportunity to make a run we had a poor TO or another choke.

Powell is just so inconsistent he gave us Game 6; as he should have as he was playing against exhausted opposition that played 50+ minutes.

Tonight Powell gets blocked on the fast break by Smart and, inexcusably, does not block out Tatum. When is this guy gunna develop some consistency and stop with the boneheaded decisions?

Great season. This team does not have the talent to represent the East in the Finals this year but we will be back.

MainEvent · Post #299 » by **MainEvent** » Sat Sep 12, 2020 4:07 am

ppl get exposed in the playoffs.
It's all good in the regular season when everyone is playing loose, facing a new team every night. the clamps got put on

rocky_da_best · Post #300 » by **rocky_da_best** » Sat Sep 12, 2020 4:07 am

TRik wrote:
steamed hams wrote:It's kind of amazing that Nurse went away from that amazing Ibaka Thomas Powell FVV OG lineup that put us up 8. Then proceeded to never use it again and put Gasol back in for the next quarter where we choked that lead and trailed by 10 the rest of the game. I have a theory that Nurse just wanted to go home and was sick of living in a hotel.

He has a lot to answer for. Kept using line-ups that were getting slammed. Then when stuff was working he went away from it. It's game 7 Nurse, not game 1.

He experiments when it comes to defense but he is incredibly stubborn when it comes to his rotations.