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''He needs to get through it,'' coach Dwane Casey said. ''We're not going to change the offense or anything like that. We believe in him.''

http://www.thescore.com/nba/news/1021233

From before Game 2. I didn't want to post it after a loss and seem all negative. Just wanted to point out the coaching mentality of this team.

Ride or die, come hell or high water.

I dont understand what ppl expect a coach to say. Hes not going to kill KL in the media and ofcourse hes going to encourage him, hes 12+% more open looks than vs the RS in the POs. Right now teams are daring this team to beat them on the perimeter, to the extent they are getting more open looks, if they cant hit them you just keep encouraging them to do so. Consequently, if/when they start hitting them, it will open things up theoretically for perimeter drives, PnR, and PostUps.

Dr Octagon wrote:Ride or die, come hell or high water.

"Emptied the clip on em."

This concerns me, but I think Casey will realize in the next years that you have to adjust in a 7 game series. You can't just get away with doing what you've always been doing 100% of the time.

Again, I don't mind Casey. I hope he sticks around. He's built a culture of hard work and stability and is better than anyone currently available (save some assistant coaches I don't know about). Grass is always greener.

The amazing thing is we can still beat the Heat even though our offense is trash. Our defense is holding it together.

youngtea wrote:The amazing thing is we can still beat the Heat even though our offense is trash. Our defense is holding it together.

The big difference from last year to this year.

I honestly wish they'd just post up JV once every 5 possesions or so. Just to get out of the 'high pnr' routine they get into. You need to throw different things at the defense. When you run the high pnr 8-10 possessions in a row, an NBA defense is just going to lock in.

They definitely need to change the focus of the offence away from DeMar to JV and Lowry PnR or JV postups. Once they do that they will force the Heat to have to send help and open up other options. Make DeMar run his offence through catch and drives or catch and shoot.

vini_vidi_vici wrote:I dont understand what ppl expect a coach to say. Hes not going to kill KL in the media and ofcourse hes going to encourage him, hes 12+% more open looks than vs the RS in the POs. Right now teams are daring this team to beat them on the perimeter, to the extent they are getting more open looks, if they cant hit them you just keep encouraging them to do so. Consequently, if/when they start hitting them, it will open things up theoretically for perimeter drives, PnR, and PostUps.

Good post. It's getting irritating seeing people make statements implying that the Raptors are actively choosing to stay away from the paint and jack up shots from the perimeter. There's a big reason why most of JV's points are coming in transition and/or on offensive rebounds - he can't do much when 2 or 3 Heat players are regularly crowding the key.

Alvin Williams had lunch with KL yesterday, gave him a pep talk and said you're playing "like a chump" and to relax.

visionquest wrote:Alvin Williams had lunch with KL yesterday, gave him a pep talk and said you're playing "like a chump" and to relax.

Alvin Williams is the f'n man. That is all.

So frustrating listening to him say "Those are the shots we normally make, they just weren't falling tonight. We are getting good looks still so they will start falling eventually."
WE ARE 9 PLAYOFF GAMES IN!!!!
THEY ARE NOT GOING TO FALL IF YOU DON'T ADJUST!!!

Just for jokes Casey should light Lowry's ass up

"He misses so many shots that it makes DeRozan look efficient"

"Shooters don't forget how to shoot, except for Lowry, his shot is long gone"

The offense is a lot better when Lowry is aggressive and playing like himself. Spoelstra said something very similar last night about his team. It's around the 1:57 mark. No one is changing or restructuring their offense in the middle of a series. The players have to play.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJw9-CpZbtM&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

I only wish the team would recognize what is working, Jonas, T-Ross driving into the middle and taking an open 15-footer, etc. Use more of what works and it opens up space for the guys being keyed on by Miami.

In game two demar and lowry missed 30 shots, and the rest of the team combined missed 24. Yeah i think altering the offense is a wise idea.

J Val should be the first option. Work inside out. I want to see Raptors do more cuts to basket, passing the ball instead of relying on hero ball from brick brothers

Duffman100 wrote:

youngtea wrote:The amazing thing is we can still beat the Heat even though our offense is trash. Our defense is holding it together.

The big difference from last year to this year.

I honestly wish they'd just post up JV once every 5 possesions or so. Just to get out of the 'high pnr' routine they get into. You need to throw different things at the defense. When you run the high pnr 8-10 possessions in a row, an NBA defense is just going to lock in.

Agree!

It is the defense that is keeping us in the games as we are not scoring!

I did not see yesterday's game but for last 2 minutes of overtime. But I think perhaps our 3rd . 4th, and 5th otions on offence and our bench is better than theirs - and it needs to be - by a lot,

Obviously Lowrys is physically injured. Obviously the Heat are going to let Lowry shoot 3's all night and all day and are delighted with every attempt knowing the injured elbow is drastically impacting Lowry's ability to hit open shots. So that option is out.

Lowry struggling enables better defense on DD, who does not pass the ball out of a double team, so they know to collapse on DD and live with him making a miracle shot 22% of the time or so.

But JV they have no answer for. TRoss driving they have no answer for. Joseph changing speeds they have no answer for.

The key bit, and I have not seen yesterday's game, is shutting down Wade, if our guy scores 0 points and Wade scores 0 I am all over that OK if our guy socres 0 and he scores 15 I am doing that in a heartbeat. Same with JJ, if he scores 15 and our guy scores 0, I take that too- Now, yes, that means, just to get to 0-0 in the game, we need to score 30 points somewhere just to get our heads above water. But, we have no chance of winning, none!, if Wade or JJ explode for 25 pints each

Victory - with Lowry both hurt to the point of being ineffective - can only be achieved by shutting the other team's top options down.

Duffman100 wrote:

youngtea wrote:The amazing thing is we can still beat the Heat even though our offense is trash. Our defense is holding it together.

The big difference from last year to this year.

I honestly wish they'd just post up JV once every 5 possesions or so. Just to get out of the 'high pnr' routine they get into. You need to throw different things at the defense. When you run the high pnr 8-10 possessions in a row, an NBA defense is just going to lock in.

I would also like to see them do pick and pop with JV like Chicago does with Gasol. JV can hit that shot, he has improved on high-low passing so you can also send a cutting big down low. Then if he hits a few of those shots he will be able to actually use the pump fake he loves so much.

Duffman100 wrote:This concerns me, but I think Casey will realize in the next years that you have to adjust in a 7 game series. You can't just get away with doing what you've always been doing 100% of the time.

Again, I don't mind Casey. I hope he sticks around. He's built a culture of hard work and stability and is better than anyone currently available (save some assistant coaches I don't know about). Grass is always greener.

It is Masai's job to recognize the type of coach he has and supply players who will prosper in the coach's system. Demar abuses Casey's system and either has to be told to change, through an incentive based contract heavily weighted to team goals, or you let him walk.