PG: Wasted a Miracle

[Throwback24]

Raps were playing 4 vs 7 (5 Heat + 1 ref + 1 Lowry) all night.

Where is Casey in the equation?

[sule]

Whiteside wasn't even guarding him, we were 4 vs 5 on offense.

It started with being in foul trouble early but then Jonas was having a good game. Defensively Biyombo wasn't really doing anything and offensively he was worse. Just sort of a rough game for him but the rotations will probably be a little bit more normal going forward and he'll get into his normal groove. He'll match up well with anyone not named Whiteside. He's not a guy that gives you too many bad games. He does his job solidly pretty much every game.

Biyombo is a role player good for rebounds and blocks but this is completely nullified by Whiteside who's much better than Biyombo in both of these areas. Add in that Biyombo is a big liability on offense and he shouldn't getting much minutes in this series.

Casey should've anticipated Lowry's slump may continue into this series and planned to adjust for it. JV started off well but, as usual with Casey's freestyle system, the guards stop passing to him as the game went on. Passing more to JV also increase chance of getting Whiteside in foul trouble in having to defend JV more. But none of this happened and Casey just kept with the same old system of running plays through Lowry & DeRozan and they were a combined 12 for 35. Pathetic.

If I was Spoelstra, I'd continue to concentrate my defense on Lowry to make sure his slump continues. So with Casey once again unable to adjust, it comes down to this: If Lowry doesn't immediately start playing like his all star self, we are done.

Delusional Lowry fans are just going to further justify his s*** play by saying "Raps lost b/c Lowry didn't play like himself. That's why Lowry is sooo good".

Clownry hasn't had a good playoff game in two years. He's literally one of the worst playoff performers ever. Bench his ass next game. Send him a message, b/c an "elbow injury" can't account for his garbage decisions, and about-to-cry face.

[Scott Hall]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/jadande/status/727685763362529280[/tweet]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/jadande/status/727694736098623489[/tweet]

[Boogie!]

So lowry is officially done or No? Idk if hrs gonna have one good shootijg game all playoffs. No lowry = guaranteed series loss.

[artsncrafts]

Insane there were 3-4 plays where guys just dribbled around with no purpose to feed JV or DD with 5 seconds left in the post and everyone stationary?

If someone wants to see a team trying to run a offence, check the cavs game tomm. They are very few possesions they waste. Everything has a purpose.

Lebron passes and Kyrie scores, total opposite of of DD and Lowry.

[TheRealDeal]

This is still more enjoyable than watching other teams play, wishing the Raps were in it. We still have a shot to tie this up on Thursday. 22 other teams are sitting at home. Don't turn on this squad yet.

[Tacoma]

It started with being in foul trouble early but then Jonas was having a good game. Defensively Biyombo wasn't really doing anything and offensively he was worse. Just sort of a rough game for him but the rotations will probably be a little bit more normal going forward and he'll get into his normal groove. He'll match up well with anyone not named Whiteside. He's not a guy that gives you too many bad games. He does his job solidly pretty much every game.

Biyombo is a role player good for rebounds and blocks but this is completely nullified by Whiteside who's much better than Biyombo in both of these areas. Add in that Biyombo is a big liability on offense and he shouldn't getting much minutes in this series.

Casey should've anticipated Lowry's slump may continue into this series and planned to adjust for it. JV started off well but, as usual with Casey's freestyle system, the guards stop passing to him as the game went on. Passing more to JV also increase chance of getting Whiteside in foul trouble in having to defend JV more. But none of this happened and Casey just kept with the same old system of running plays through Lowry & DeRozan and they were a combined 12 for 35. Pathetic.

If I was Spoelstra, I'd continue to concentrate my defense on Lowry to make sure his slump continues. So with Casey once again unable to adjust, it comes down to this: If Lowry doesn't immediately start playing like his all star self, we are done.

I felt we were quite competitive that game! Same problems we've seen these playoffs but it felt better than some of those Indiana games.

Don't kid yourself, Miami did not play well either. They don't have a Paul George but they are a better team than Indiana

[sule]

Raps were playing 4 vs 7 (5 Heat + 1 ref + 1 Lowry) all night.

Where is Casey in the equation?

On the other side of the equal sign, getting kissed by Masai on the head.

[Throwback24]

Raps were playing 4 vs 7 (5 Heat + 1 ref + 1 Lowry) all night.

Where is Casey in the equation?

On the other side of the equal sign, getting kissed by Masai on the head.

Bet you Masai doesn't kiss Casey in the exit presser

[TheRealDeal]

Raps were playing 4 vs 7 (5 Heat + 1 ref + 1 Lowry) all night.

Where is Casey in the equation?

On the other side of the equal sign, getting kissed by Masai on the head.

Maybe it was a kiss of death

[sule]

This is still more enjoyable than watching other teams play, wishing the Raps were in it. We still have a shot to tie this up on Thursday. 22 other teams are sitting at home. Don't turn on this squad yet.

Now name the best player on those other 22 teams, and tell me who you think could potentially perform worse than Lowry?

[MasaiLegs]

**** retaining assets... I cannot watch Derozan for another 5 years. Let him walk.

Lowry can go too.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

[TheRealDeal]

This is still more enjoyable than watching other teams play, wishing the Raps were in it. We still have a shot to tie this up on Thursday. 22 other teams are sitting at home. Don't turn on this squad yet.

Now name the best player on those other 22 teams, and tell me who you think could potentially perform worse than Lowry?

How many of those teams could've advanced if their best played played as bad as Lowry?

[curryking3]

Kyle was awful again but the offense of Casey is some of the worst I have ever seen. 4 minutes without a score in OT and never running one set.

BRent Barry was calling it out all night, i have no clue what the team tries to even run in the playoffs? Everything is late in the clock, all of it Random.

The off ball movement is some of the worst I have ever seen for a PO team.

It is the same high SnR, which they don't even do early enough to even run at times, so sometimes Demar will keep it at the top of the key till 10 seconds are left, and JV is hesitant as to whether to screen or ISO.

The problem is one of two, and both are awful:

1. You have plays but your leaders refuse to run them

2. You don't have plays

It's so hard to pick when both options are soooooo bad

[Thats a Rap]

Just got back from the game again. Another totally screwed up, crazy, ridiculous game, that we absolutely didn't deserve to win, but should have anyway. How are you going to blow a chance to enter Raptors lore forever by not completing the victory? I'm totally spent from that game, but here are my general observations...

1. The crowd sucked hard to start. It was half empty at the beginning from all the scalpers desperately trying to sell tickets below face. You could tell something wasn't right when the ticket prices fell by 50% on the day of and you could get into the lower bowl for low $100s. It was reflected in the crowd. I felt it myself too - like a feeling of not really being as obsessed with the result of this game as I was for any game against Indy. It's almost like we got our first round trophy and now whatever. Ridiculous, but that's the sense I get right now.

2. The ending. Holy hell - I was really disappointed and unhappy with the game up until then (more on that below), and we still lost, but I'll remember that moment forever. Hitting a halfcourt 3 in a half empty arena that cause pandemonium was just unforgettable. Everyone there was jumping up and down like we had won the championship.

3. Now... despite that... everything else was just hard to watch about this game. Both teams were asleep, and the offense was pathetic on both sides. It was a totally winnable game given how badly Miami played, and we choked it away. Our offense was just unwatchable at times. I don't understand some of the lineups - when we didn't have JV or DeRozan on the floor, it felt like we could get nothing going, even though Miami's defense isn't good. And YES I'm so sick of DeMar's end of quarter shots (which includes OT tonight) - he's 0/a billion and it HAS TO STOP.

4. But my biggest takeaway of all is that Lowry is hurting this team right now. He's an absolute liability and MUST sit. I don't care if he starts, but once it's obvious he doesn't have it, we are playing 4 on 5 out there offensively and it's ridiculous. I don't care if he makes the hail mary shot - if Ross, who had actually been playing well, was in the game instead of him in the 4th, maybe we win. Because when we were down 6 points, you NEED shooters out there. And we had really one legitimate 3 point shooter (Carroll). Lowry cannot hit the side of a barn and Ross should've been in.

I don't know what else to say, but watching Lowry right now is heartbreaking given everything he's done all year. We can't hide behind him saying he's just playing badly. He can't score and when I see him out there I know we're worse off. You will not be able to convince me that playing Delon Wright, or anyone at this point, isn't better for the team. If he has to be shut down for a week just to get inflammation down or something, DO IT. We can't continue to cost ourselves games while allowing him to try and shoot his way out of an injury.

5. Last comment. Miami isn't that good. Yeah, Wade still has major clutch genes, but they proved to me tonight that we can absolutely beat them. I called Raps in 7, and I'm still feeling wobbly about it, but it's certainly doable. Just need to win game 2 to take the pressure off. Like Indiana, they cannot stop JV and our series will begin and end with him.

[Death Knight]

Cleveland vs Miami

This was always how it was going to be.

As for the Raptors, that fake series win, which they didn't deserve to win, just seal the fate of the Raptors for years to come. MLSE and Masai needs no other justification to bring everyone back and continue down fools gold. They will continue to sell us Lowry and DeRozan as star players while we can only witness what a true star player is on opposing teams. Dwane Casey continues to survive as the longest tenure head coach in Raptors history because of a weak conference and division that takes very little to win during the regular season.

RIP Raptors fans.

[Potential]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/JLew1050/status/727716410718334976[/tweet]

[ReturnofMVP3]

Miami fans are so arrogant and petty. Will be nice to see their reactions after we win the next game.

Tell me about it man. Then there are those who claim they are still Heat fans after Lebron left them

I can vouch for 99% of the Heat board posters by saying they were around all of last year when we weren't in the playoffs and LeBron left. I really don't think we have fans just jumping the wagon now, and why should there be? Golden State and San Antonio are safe bets if you wanted that.

[sule]

This is still more enjoyable than watching other teams play, wishing the Raps were in it. We still have a shot to tie this up on Thursday. 22 other teams are sitting at home. Don't turn on this squad yet.

Now name the best player on those other 22 teams, and tell me who you think could potentially perform worse than Lowry?

How many of those teams could've advanced if their best played played as bad as Lowry?

Chicago.

[cwalt5]

It is free-flow ISO amateur offense, cannot restructure something that has no structure to start with...

Our offense is pretty much the same as the Spurs. Alot of off-ball screen and ball-screens. The difference is when our players catch the ball after an off-ball screen they don't attack-they back up and isolate. Casey's offense is fine, it's just our players refuse to utilize it.

Oh my God please stop I can't take it

We run the same sets for our guards as the Spurs. Not sure what's so funny. Watch the Spurs. It's clear that our coaches have tried to replicate their style of play with constant off-ball screen and dribble hand offs. Our team's offense wouldn't be any better with another coach because of our player's egos. Keep in mind the only reason we won that series against the Pacers is because of our team defense, which I assume is a result of DC's coaching.