Series Thread: 2nd Round: Toronto Raptors vs Philadelphia Sixers

[Darth Dawkins]

I feel like Toronto over rotated by getting rid of Casey. I would prefer Casey coaching this completely different team right now. I think Nurse is in over his head.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Kyle Lowry is nowhere to be found on a night that his team needed him to step up.

What a joke.

They will never win/make the finals with him on their roster.

The Raptors solved one problem but kept the other.

This is no surprise. Leonard is amazing but the rest of this roster is paper thin beyond Siakam.

 

[DJ Fieri]

Down 2-1? OK...

Toronto wins the next game and it's a brand new series.

 

[PhoenixEagles1]

Toronto wins the next game and it's a brand new series.

Advantage (home court) goes back to them with a win. Not gonna misss that one cause Toronto fighting for their lives. Philly wins and it’s probably over. Big game for both teams.

 

[msgkings322]

Toronto wins the next game and it's a brand new series.

Exactly, win game 4 and it's a 3 game series and Toronto has home court advantage again

 

[Sparhawk]

Kawhi has to play 44+ minutes.

 

[Darth Dawkins]

The Raptors solved one problem but kept the other.

This is no surprise. Leonard is amazing but the rest of this roster is paper thin beyond Siakam.

Have you seen the 'Trade Raptor' GOT themed Raps video? Friggen Hilarious.

 

[Four4Four]

Have you seen the 'Trade Raptor' GOT themed Raps video? Friggen Hilarious.

Yeah that was crazy funny. Lowry: is there anything else we can do? Gm: we tried, but no one wants you. Lol!!!!!!

 

[wildturkey]

Have you seen the 'Trade Raptor' GOT themed Raps video? Friggen Hilarious.

Perhaps the greatest Game of Zones episode they've done.

 

[Mecca of the “B” Team]

Toronto got to find a way to get rid of Lowry in the offseason

Dude is trash.

Either he's chronically broken physically, or he's chronically broken mentally.

 

[tlance]

Philly looked as good tonight as I have seen them all season.

They clearly have the talent when they defend and move the ball like they did tonight. They are the X factors in the East and if they play like they did tonight on a consistent basis they could go through.

Game 4 going to be huge for both teams. Philly can't afford to have a let down and Toronto can't afford to go down 3-1.

 

[tlance]

Toronto got to find a way to get rid of Lowry in the offseason

Man you really hate Kyle Lowry.

I really don't think you understand his role on the team.

He has had 2 bad playoff games this year out of 8. The Raptors lost both because he is a vital cog for them. Game 1 of this series he played well.

But damn you overstate the importance of Lowry's scoring. He is a throw back, pass first PG on this team. His job is to defend, facilitate the offense, and score occasionally.

Lowry only attempts about 11 shots a game because their lineup is filled with capable NBA scorers. Leonard and Siakam are clearly the 1 and 2 options. Gasol is still a capable scoring option and Danny Green is one of the best spot up shooters in the NBA.

They don't need Lowry to score 20 a game. They need him to play tough defense and help Siakam, Green, Gasol and others to get theirs. Leonard can get his own.

 

[bksballer89]

Man you really hate Kyle Lowry.

I really don't think you understand his role on the team.

He has had 2 bad playoff games this year out of 8. The Raptors lost both because he is a vital cog for them. Game 1 of this series he played well.

But damn you overstate the importance of Lowry's scoring. He is a throw back, pass first PG on this team. His job is to defend, facilitate the offense, and score occasionally.

Lowry only attempts about 11 shots a game because their lineup is filled with capable NBA scorers. Leonard and Siakam are clearly the 1 and 2 options. Gasol is still a capable scoring option and Danny Green is one of the best spot up shooters in the NBA.

They don't need Lowry to score 20 a game. They need him to play tough defense and help Siakam, Green, Gasol and others to get theirs. Leonard can get his own.

Take 11 shots so i think it is fair to expect double digits out of him when you include free throws. I said before if he gives them his regular season numbers they would be fine.

Is 14 and 8 asking for too much from a player who probably attempts the 3rd most shots on the team?

Him and the rest of his teammates better wake up fast instead of sitting on their ass praying kawhi and siakam can win these games on their own. Philly isn't Orlando

 

[bksballer89]

Exactly, win game 4 and it's a 3 game series and Toronto has home court advantage again

Easier said than done

 

[Sparhawk]

As well as Philly is playing this seems like an anomaly, guys that were hitting a nice % all year for the Raps are clunking everything, it's almost comical. Philly is playing some nice D but a lot of Raps that were hitting shots all year are missing all of them for two games now. Philly is crushing rebounds on both ends but it should't matter as much if the Raps are hitting their shots, they are missing wide open shots they made all year. Starting to wonder if Nurse is a tard with his rotation.

How is it Nurse's fault if players are missing open shots?

What other options does Toronto have?
Philly is still figuring things out with their new lineup, which is now 13-4 in which all 5 have started.

I'm not a fan of Brett Brown's rotations, but it looks like they are working, in which they always have three of Embiid/Simmons/Butler/Harris/Redick on the court at all times. Kawhi plays most of the first quarter, Philly lead is manageable, he goes out, balloons to double digits. He plays the entire third quarter, lead is 8, he goes out, lead goes to 16. That to me is the difference. Toronto does not appear to have an answer when Kawhi goes out and the infamous Toronto bench strength is entirely muted.

Toronto's strategy appears to be Kawhi pnr. And he's great at it. But, he has to work to get his shot. Then play on the ball defense against Simmons on the other side. But, by isolating Kawhi and running the pnr to death, you are freezing out the other players. Somebody mentioned that Danny Green was hot in the 1st quarter with three 3s, yet never saw the ball again until the fourth. That can't happen. Yes, Toronto missed open looks, but for all players not named Kawhi, the pressure is now building and those shots get tighter and tighter. How do you justify Lowry at $30M?

If Kawhi and Siakam don't shoot 70% or better, how can the Raptors win?
Because if the Sixers have figured out how to be an efficient scoring machine against the 2nd best defense in the playoffs, it's all over.

 

[Sparhawk]

Butler is supposed to be this all world wing defender- and the Raptors 2 wings, Kawhi and Siakam, gutted the Sixers. Butler is this vet who is supposed to be in his prime with playoff experience.

Someone is gonna pay a lot of money for a contract they regret this summer- but- that is the NBA.

The needle just moved that much closer to the Sixers offering him a max contract.
It's not about deserve, it's about how else can they spend that money?
Where else can they get that kind of production for that much money.

What are your thoughts on his performance in the last two games?

 

[bksballer89]

Lowry agrees with me that he needs to step up his game.

"We've got to help him," Lowry told ESPN. "I was literally saying it during the game. We have to help him. He's doing everything he can possibly do offensively and defensively to fucking win games, and myself, I'm not helping him enough.

Lowry on Kawhi: 'I'm not helping him enough'

 

[bksballer89]

Now let's look at the other Raptors role players who also been shit

Ibaka- avg 4 points on 28% shooting through 3 games

Gasol- 6.7 PPG and 5 RPG while playing 30 MPG through the first 3 games

Norman Powell- Scored a total of 9 points in this series

VanVleet- Scored a total of 4 points in this series

Danny Green- AVG 7.7 points and shooting about 30% from 3

Series will be over Tuesday if this is the production they continue to get from their role players

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

What other options does Toronto have?
Philly is still figuring things out with their new lineup, which is now 13-4 in which all 5 have started.

I'm not a fan of Brett Brown's rotations, but it looks like they are working, in which they always have three of Embiid/Simmons/Butler/Harris/Redick on the court at all times. Kawhi plays most of the first quarter, Philly lead is manageable, he goes out, balloons to double digits. He plays the entire third quarter, lead is 8, he goes out, lead goes to 16. That to me is the difference. Toronto does not appear to have an answer when Kawhi goes out and the infamous Toronto bench strength is entirely muted.

Toronto's strategy appears to be Kawhi pnr. And he's great at it. But, he has to work to get his shot. Then play on the ball defense against Simmons on the other side. But, by isolating Kawhi and running the pnr to death, you are freezing out the other players. Somebody mentioned that Danny Green was hot in the 1st quarter with three 3s, yet never saw the ball again until the fourth. That can't happen. Yes, Toronto missed open looks, but for all players not named Kawhi, the pressure is now building and those shots get tighter and tighter. How do you justify Lowry at $30M?

If Kawhi and Siakam don't shoot 70% or better, how can the Raptors win?
Because if the Sixers have figured out how to be an efficient scoring machine against the 2nd best defense in the playoffs, it's all over.

Things went to shit when they took Green off early in the second. Consistently worked themselves into open shots and missed terribly. Sixers pulled away and that was that.

 

[Gman]

Lowry agrees with me that he needs to step up his game.

"We've got to help him," Lowry told ESPN. "I was literally saying it during the game. We have to help him. He's doing everything he can possibly do offensively and defensively to fucking win games, and myself, I'm not helping him enough.

Lowry on Kawhi: 'I'm not helping him enough'

Lowry usually says the right things.