khandor’s sports blog

Toronto Raptors 91
UTAH JAZZ 104
Wed Nov 18 2009 - Game Scoreboard

At the 9:20 mark of the 4th quarter this was a 2 possession game with the Jazz leading, 83-79. 

If you look at the Full-Play-By-Play for the next 5 minutes and 20 seconds, what you should be able to see during this sequence is that:

Toronto had 14 offensive possessions.
Utah had 11 offensive possessions.

Toronto committed 3 Turnovers.
Utah commited just 1 Turnover.

Toronto took 9 shots outside of the lane [and made only 1].
Utah took 0 shots outside of the lane.

Toronto scored just 3 points [1/3FG].
Utah scored 12 points [4 FTs; 4/2FGs].

If you then watch the game-tape closely … specifically … this is how each of the offensive possessions for the Raptors and Jazz actually broke down:

What you should then be able to see is:

A. Just how ineffective the Raptors were with their ”High Middle/High Wing/Wing Pick” Series;

vs

B. Just how effective the Jazz were using their “UCLA Cut” Series and ”Transition Attack”;

in terms of generating high percentage shot attempts, in the lane, or from the free throw line … none of which should come as much of a surprise, at least, to those of you who paid attention to what was first written here on Sep 18 2009:

Thumb-down 35 special … for the Raptors

The fact is …

Not only is the Raptors’ defense performing in a poor way, thus far this season, but … when crunch time arrives in important games vs a Quality Opponent [.500+], or in last night’s case, vs an opponent that is particularly well-schooled in its own highly potent offensive and defensive [i.e. with designated helps and specific rotations] systems … so, too, is their offense, which is based primarily on the 3-5 Pick & Roll/Pop action.

Executing well, offensively, in the NBA isn’t just about “making the open shots your players happen to get” but, also … and, more importantly … “getting the specific type of open shots which your players can make on a consistent basis.” 

There’s a big difference between these two types of shot attempts.

re: How an astute NBA observer might expect the first part of the schedule to unfold for the Raptors this year

Game 12 – at Utah [Wed Nov 18]

The last of a 4-game WC road trip, in a back-2-back situation, is not a good spot for the Raptors to right their listing ship. Although the Jazz might still be without CJ Miles [OG] and Matt Harpring [SF-PF], due to lingering injuries, Utah will still be a dangerous opponent, playing on 3 days rest with recent Hall Of Fame inductee Jerry Sloan at the helm:

Raptors expected W-L Record: L, 4-8

Courtesy of BlazersEdge [via TrueHoop's Thursday Bullets] …

What’s Next for LaMarcus Aldridge
… time and again during the second half of last season — you remember the stretch when every home game seemed like a twenty point blowout —  I was sitting there dumbfounded (as Brother Wendell and the Mercury’s Ezra Caraeff can attest), watching LaMarcus do things we’d never seen him do before: truly take over a game, glare at the opposing team’s bench after a big dunk in traffic, get in someone’s face and have that person back down first.

On more than one occasion this spring, I found myself thinking (often thinking aloud, spraying spit with excitement) that Aldridge is really not that far from becoming the single most entertaining Blazer in franchise history.

His combination of pure skill, hustle, length, determination and intelligence is arguably already unmatched.  

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The choice of this corner?

At the Power Forward position, in today’s NBA … there is no player in the game with more straight-up basketball talent than Josh Smith.

When it comes to this specific choice, he’s the player yours truly would take from this list … believe it or not.

If he’s ever fortunate enough to find NBA employment with [I] the RIGHT organization and [II] the RIGHT head coach, who knows how to use his numerous skills properly, within the team concept … still younger than many others realize … Josh Smith has more Capacity For Dominance, at the POWER FORWARD position, than any other, in conjunction with all three phases of the game [i.e. Offense, Defense and Rebounding].

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PS. Alternate choices, as well as your expanded thoughts on the subject, are welcome in the comments section.

There’s a tonne of information on-line right now but this one, courtesy of John Schuhmman, is as sound and concise as any:

Position-by-position: Top 5 free agents
As we’ve seen in the NBA Draft over the years, the best strategy is usually to take the best player available. You never know how draft picks will turn out, so selecting the guy closest to a sure thing, even if you’ve already got a similar player on your roster, is often the prudent way to go.

In free agency, though, teams pretty much know what kind of player they’re getting. Teams have seen what these guys can do and are able to better evaluate what they’re capable of and what they can bring to their team.

So the next few weeks will be about finding the right fit, both on the court and on the payroll.

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By position, the following players are under-rated [#, indicates where they should be ranked] in this year’s Free Agent class, according to yours truly:

POINT GUARDS
* Ramon Sessions [#1]
* Jarret jack [#2]
* CJ Watson [#6]

OFF GUARDS
* Anthony Parker [#1]

SMALL FORWARDS
* None

POWER FORWARDS
* Antonio McDyess [#3]
* Brandon Bass [#7]
* James Singleton [#9]

CENTERS
* Johan Petro {#4]

FINAL SCORE: TOR 101, Uta 109
Complete Game Info

These are the different 5-Man Units which the Jazz and Raptors chose to play in the 4th quarter of yesterday’s game:

This is how the Minutes Played [MP], at specific positions, broke down for each player:

Utah

Brevin Knight/PG, 01:43
Jarron Collins/C, 02:20
Matt Harpring/PF, 02:20
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Deron Williams/PG, 10:17
Kyle Korver/OG, 12:00
Andrei Kirilenko/SF, 12:00
Paul Millsap/PF, 09:40
Mehmet Okur/C, 09:40

Toronto

Jose Calderon/PG, 09:29
Anthony Parker/PG, 02:31
Anthony Parker/OG, 05:46
Jason Kapono/OG, 07:14
Joey Graham/SF, 07:37
Shawn Marion/PF, 03:39
Shawn Marion/SF, 03:23
Chris Bosh/C, 03:39
Chris Bosh/PF, 08:21 
Andrea Bargnani/C, 08:21

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Key Utah Possession Outcomes during the final 01:35 of the 4th Q

01:35 Deron Williams Made 22-ft Jumpshot [P & R/P isolation vs Switch by Bargnani/checking MIllsap] 

01:00 Deron Williams Maked 1 FT [fouled by Bargnani, P & R/P isolation vs Switch by Bargnani/checking Kirilenko]

00:31 Mehmet Okur Made Layup [P & R isolation vs Switch by Bosh/checking Okur and Bargnani failed to Rotate-to-Help Calderon vs Okur]

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If the Raptors would have used a combination of the following 6 players, instead:

Calderon/PG
Parker/OG or PG [solid Rebounder/Defender at the PG spot]
Graham/OG or SF [solid Rebounder/Defender at the OG or SF spot]
Marion/PF or SF [solid Rebounder/Defender at the PF or the SF spot]
Mensah-Bonsu/PF [solid Rebounder/Defender at the PF spot]
Bosh/C [solid Rebounder/Defender at the C spot]

during the final 06:00 minutes, the outcome would have been different for the home team.

As long as the Raptors continue to assemble a roster of players like this and then use them in the way they are right now … which is how they’ve operated for much of this disappointing season to-date … they will continue to come up short on a consistent basis against the High End Teams in this league.

Despite what others might think … the Raptors are NOT repeatedly losing games this season on account of how Jose Calderon and/or Chris Bosh are performing at the Point Guard spot and the Center position, respectively.

They are losing games on account of what’s happening on the floor when:

1. Chris Bosh is NOT at the Center position;

2. Jose Calderon, or Anthony Parker, is NOT at the Point Guard position; and,

3. Jason Kapono is NOT sitting on the bench … beside Andrea Bargnani [with Roko Ukic, Marcus Banks, Jake Voskuhl, Jermaine O'Neal, Will Solomon, Hassan Adams, and Nathan Jawai], from an effective Rebounding & Team Defense perspective.

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PS. FWIW, you can decide for yourself who you think SHOULD bare Most of The Responsibility for this … i.e. Sam Mitchell, Jay Triano or BRYAN COLANGELO.