Game 34: Raps vs. Magic - Post-game
There were a lot of things that you could have been impressed by in today’s game against the Magic, but the thing that I was most impressed by was the composure of the Raptors in the 4th quarter. It wasn’t so long ago that when the Raptors gave up a double-digit lead, things would have completely fallen apart down the stretch and I would be on here writing about the Raptors not being able to step on a team’s neck. Well, I wouldn’t say that they stepped on the Magic’s neck to secure the win, but they certainly didn’t let them off the ground.
In the pre-game, I touched on fouling Howard, but making sure that he wasn’t able to follow through and complete any 3-point plays. The Raptors were great at this today, putting Dwight on the line in the 4th quarter and making sure that when they did, he was essentially just going there to get one point, because he lived up to his reputation from the line. I will take him going 60% from the line instead of throwing down dunk after dunk, especially when at the other end, the Raptors were able to get to the line and convert on both shots. It doesn’t sound like much, but eventually, it adds up.
While the Raptors really weren’t able to handle Howard on D today, they were smart in going at him and getting him into early foul trouble. Let’s not forget, he dropped 39 today while sitting for quite a long stretch in the first half due to foul trouble. One can only imagine what he would have done if he had been on the court for that additional time.
The guard play today was fantastic, with Roko and Wil playing within themselves and taking the opportunities that were given to them. When Wil was able to create some space and defenders didn’t respect his ability to shoot, he took the open jumper. Roko also went to the basket when defenders were too close on him, using his speed to get to the glass for a couple of lay-ins. Of course, we can’t forget the runner he hit with the game on the line, which honestly, I don’t think many people thought was going to go in (I know I didn’t).
What I loved about Roko’s game today was highlighted a couple of times by Matt and Leo today: his ability to take instruction from AP and then effectively follow instructions. People talk a lot about rookie mistakes that are made in games, but the one mistake that is made most often is when hot-shot rookies don’t listen to the advice they are given. By listening to AP, Roko was able to effectively manage the offense, getting people where he wanted them and then running plays. For example, the backdoor screen was used over and over and the Magic either weren’t able to defend it or didn’t recognize it, but I will go with them not being able to defend it, because I guarantee SVG was all over them about it. This is what I was talking about in the RF message board last week regarding Jose and managing the offense. When you are the PG, you are the one in control and if you don’t like where somebody is or where they are setting up, it is up to you to get them the hell out of there and over to where you want them.
Nice game from the Raptors, now let’s hope they can keep this going and avoid a letdown on the road to a Milwaukee team that has been playing better of late (well, other than a loss to the Bobcats).
The AltRaps Blog » Blog Archive » Toronto Raptors Linkage for January 5th from 08:02 to 08:09 on January 5th, 2009
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