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Match Ups – Toronto Raptors v/s Indiana Pacers

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

Switching back to the East, the Pacers are up. They didn’t make any significant moves over the off-season but remain on the bubble as a playoff team. The guest preview today was done by Jared Wade of many a blog fame.

Jared Wade runs the NBA blog Both Teams Played Hard and the Pacers TrueHoop blog Eight Points, Nine Seconds. He also writes about the Association at Hardwood Paroxysm.

Given the lack of impact talent on their roster, the Pacers have very little chance to make any real noise in the Eastern Conference. But if the injury woes that have derailed the past few seasons prove less damaging this year, the team certainly has a chance to sneak into the playoffs and may even surprise a few of the experts expecting the Pacers to slide below 30 wins this season.

A lot of the hopes for moderate success in Indianapolis hinge on the health of Mike Dunleavy, Jr. The offseason loss of Jarrett Jack means that TJ Ford, Danny Granger and the recently acquired Earl Watson are really the team’s only capable perimeter ball-handlers other than MDJ, who was essentially the Pacers de facto “point forward” much of the time he was on the floor the last time he was, you know, actually on the floor. So if he can’t suit up and be 100% for more than, say, 60 games, that doesn’t bode well at all for Indiana.

In all, Dunleavy missed 64 games last year and may as well have missed them all given his poor shooting and overall awkward play during his “comeback.” But the season prior, he posted career-high stats pretty much across the board and showed a nuanced ability to facilitate an offense that I doubt anyone in the NBA who isn’t the current coach of the Clippers believed he had in him.

Unfortunately for Pacers fans, MDJ is now doubtful to be ready for the season opener, which means Granger will once again be overworked, and TJ Ford and Earl Watson will be exposed as middling talents. So for the Pacers to remain competitive without Dunleavy, the team will need a lot of progress from sophomores Brandon Rush and Roy Hibbert, both of whom showed nice flashes at the end of last season, and some significant offensive contributions from offseason acquisitions Dahntay Jones and Watson, something that few outsiders will believe possible until they actually see it.

No matter who is on the floor, however, Coach Jim O’Brien’s offense will play fast, score a lot and feature the three-ball prominently. The Pacers were the third “fastest” team in the league (with approximately two possessions per minute), shot the fourth most threes (21 three-point attempts per game) and scored the fifth most points (105.1 per game). Since, however, the roster is essentially Granger and, with apologies to Troy Murphy, a cast of flawed role players, this style creates giant peaks and valleys of success throughout the game, which essentially means that no lead is safe — for either team. The offense is seemingly as likely to score 19 points in a quarter as it is to score 40. For stretches when the team is hitting its threes, getting out in transition and forcing turnovers, it looks like a poor man’s version of the 2006 Suns. When it is missing on all cylinders, something that happens for at least one 6-minute stretch out of every 48, it looks like an unathletic version of the 2009 Warriors.

Ultimately, the very fact that the loss of Jarrect Jack is going to be hard for this roster to overcome does not bode well for the Pacers chances this season. But they have a system coach that runs a system offense and a bench full of capable, if unspectacular, role players. It’s a team that is very difficult to get excited about, sure, but its also a team that can be very hard to keep out of a game. Unless, of course, Mike Dunleavy is out of the game. Then, well…

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pacers-raptors

Last Season Record: 2-2
The teams split the series and for the most part, the winning team each time was enjoying a blowout. Danny Granger and Chris Bosh both did their thing to give their teams a chance to win but it came down to the role players who were able to give some extra scoring punch. There was little to no defense played in the series but it was surprising to see the Raptors average 48 rebounds per game as a team. The Pacers have always been known to kill Toronto on the glass but were out rebounded significantly even in a game they ended up winning.

Stacking Up

The Bigs: The Pacer front court is raw. That’s the only word I could come up with when I looked at their roster. There is no player who demands a double team on the offensive end but with so many unknowns, the Raptors can’t ignore the potential of Josh McRoberts, Hibber and Hansbrough. Each of these guys had great college careers but Bosh and Bargnani should be able to use their veteran smarts and get these guys in foul trouble early. The one X factor here is Jeff Foster. While he may not be a guy you plan for, year in and year out he has schooled the Raptors on the glass. If Bosh and Andrea do not box out its going to be a long night of 2nd chance points and FT shooting from the Pacers.
Edge: Raptors

The Wings: Danny Granger has to be the least talked about potential all-star in the NBA. He can put the ball on the floor, hit jumpers and more importantly has found his range over the past season or so. Hedo Turkoglu can do all three as well, just not nearly as efficiently as Granger. If the Pacers have a healthy Mike Dunleavy Jr. they should be able to make some noise in the East. Both their wings are injury risks but when they are on they can burn their opponents in a hurry. Defensively, once again this will be a challenge for Hedo and will need a team effort to contain the two. Closing out on shooters is key in this series with other guys like Brandon Rush and Luther Head on the team. Hedo, and for the most part, all the Raptors guard and wings have the height advantage they need to exploit on the offensive end.
Edge: Even

The Guards: As most Raptor fans know, TJ Ford is a warrior. He had his best season scoring wise last year in Indiana while playing with his usual reckless abandon. If there were ever a PG who was the exact opposite of Calderon, Ford’s name would be the first to pop in my head. The addition of Jarrett Jack, who coincidentally managed to take over as the primary point guard for the Pacers, gives the Raptors a good balance. With both guards at his disposal, Jay Triano has the option to put in one guy over the other for a different pace. The SG spot on both teams is occupied by young players who have yet to reach their potential but the athleticism and height on the Raptor side should give them a chance to flourish against a very small Pacer back court.
Edge: Raptors

Predicted Record: 3-1 (Pacers will take their first home game of the series)

22.10.2009 Raptor Report 2 Comments

Match Ups – Toronto Raptors v/s New Orleans Hornets

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

Running a little behind on these previews but the plan is to have them done before the season gets started. Today the focus is on the New Orleans Hornets. What’s not to love about this team led by Chris Paul. For the guest preview I recruited one of the best Hornets blogger, Sarah.

Sarah owns and writes for Hornets Hype. She loves small market teams, David West’s jumper, Twitter – @Ticktock6, and being That Girl.

What do I know about the Raptors vs. the Hornets? I know that the Raps are one of my fave teams out East. I know they will be improved this year. And I know our game there will be at an absurdly early hour of the day. (Let it be said that I wrote that without checking. And sure enough, I just looked, and it is at 11:30 AM CST. The reason I knew is that for some reason the Hornets at Raptors game is always at an absurd hour of the day.)

On the Hornets side, this is a season of questions. After making a slew of offseason moves, we are looking at potentially 3/5 of the starting lineup being new. The Hornets lost Tyson Chandler, Rasual Butler, and Antonio Daniels, but added C Emeka Okafor, F Ike Diogu, F Darius Songaila, G Bobby Brown, and rookies G Marcus Thornton and PG Darren Collison. Will the Hornets be able to swallow a disappointing year and move forward? How will superlong and athletic multi-tasker Julian Wright play after being moved to the starting lineup? How will Peja play off the bench? Can Okafor add a little more post scoring that Tyson Chandler didn’t have? Can he equal the positional excellence of Chandler on defense? Will Ike Diogu finally live up to his talent in New Orleans? Can the rookies keep up? (If we’re going by the preseason, Thornton can more than keep up.) Does the team have enough depth to give Chris Paul and David West some rest this year? Who will start at the 2? (We don’t know yet. Former Toronto fan favorite Morris Peterson? — had the job two years ago and went into camp as the favorite. Bobby Brown? — too short. Devin Brown? — shudder. Marcus Thornton? — he’s been impressive in preseason and he just seems to get better every game.)

If these Hornets gel and the younger guys play to their potential, this team could ride favorable matchups through the second round. If there are injuries or the chemistry falls through or the older swingmen have a drop off in playing level… it could get ugly. It’s hard to predict because there are so many factors that could come into play. This team is a playoff team– Chris Paul and David West alone should guarantee that. I think it could be a high playoff team.

As far as the matchup with the Raps goes, last year the Hornets won both games. David West and Chris Bosh usually both play well and cancel each other out. Also the Hornets usually shoot the three very well against Toronto for whatever reason. (Funny aside, earlier tonight I was trying to remember which game it was that Peja hit 7-11 from three, five of the threes occurring on almost consecutive possessions from the exact same spot on the floor. Thanks to having to look up the Hornets/Raptors boxscores from 2008-09 for this preview, now I know. It was one of the most ridiculous things I’ve seen in person.) Toronto’s new additions (Hedo!) should make these fun to watch.

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hornets-raps

Last Season Record: 0-2
The Hornets made quick work of the Raptors last season. They didn’t even need the services of Chris Paul in the 2nd meeting. The 37 three pointers made by the Hornets tells the story of the Raptors defensive woes. No matter how many points were scored by the Raptors front court, they were always playing catch up. The Raptors were out rebounded on both occasions (no surprise) but even missing CP3 the Hornets managed to dish out more assists in the 2nd win.

Stacking Up

The Bigs: The Hornets traded away Tyson Chandler this off-season and replaced him with Emeka Okafor. While Okafor is a great player, it is still to be seen how he settles in with Chris Paul who had great chemistry with Chandler on the court. Bosh and Bargnani are a handful for most teams and on the offensive end both should have ample opportunties to get to the rim in this series. Emeka is a shot blocker but he is not as athletic. The rest of the Hornets front court seems to be a makeshift group and the Raptors should have the advantage on both ends of the floor.
Edge: Raptors

The Wings: Hedo Turkoglu may not be a defensive stopper but in this one he should be fine matching up against Peja Stojakovic. While Peja is still a big threat from beyond the arc, he does a lot less moving without the ball making it easier for Hedo to stay with him. When Posey is on the floor at the wing spot, the Raptors may want to try to put a more athletic guy on him because he will put the ball on the floor if needed. I have been saying this for a lot of the previews but the key is to be able to close out on the shooters. Offensively, the Raptors should be fine getting points where they can but the scoring load will probably go on the bigs while the wings will need to impose their will on the defensive end.
Edge: Even

The Guards: Chris Paul is the best PG in the league right now. That said, it’s his basketball IQ and ability to make quick decisions that make him a tough cover. Jose has a tough task laid out in trying to stay in front of CP3 and the Raptors will need to soften that blow by sending out a double team early to force the ball out of his hands. Paul is also an underrated defender who is able to use his strength and quickness to keep his counterpart from blowing past him. The Hornets SG spot leaves much to be desired but playing alongside a guy like CP3 elevates all the players around him. He has the ability to make the average guy look good and the Raptors need to make sure not to ignore those players as offensive threats.
Edge: Hornets

Predicted Record: 1-1 (Home court advantage in full effect)

21.10.2009 Raptor Report 3 Comments

Match Ups – Toronto Raptors v/s Houston Rockets

Monday, October 19th, 2009

With 10 teams to go in the Match Up series, this felt like the perfect time to do this Raptors-Rockets preview. The teams went head to head a few days ago in a pre-season game where the Rockets came out victorious. Many thanks go out to Mark for the guest preview.

Mookie (@ASternWarning) writes for A Stern Warning, a site devoted to all things basketball worldwide. He enjoys long walks on the beach and singing the praises of Greg Oden.

Injury Central is once again the story of the Rockets’ season.

The Houston Rockets’ Big Three from a season ago, Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady and Ron Artest will all be elsewhere when the team suits up for their October 27 matchup against Portland. Artest flew the coop for the Los Angeles Lakers, whilst Yao will be sitting in mothballs once again for the majority of the season, as will McGrady who is scheduled to miss at least November.

Suddenly the Rockets find Australian David Andersen coming in as a likely starting centre, a mid-range jump-shooting 6′11″ big man with a very different look to Yao. Instead of defensive bulldog Artest, Trevor Ariza will be the wingman charged with providing excitement on the break at the small forward position — almost a straight swap with the Lakers. Without McGrady, suddenly the Rockets will be forced to rely on the likes of Brent Barry at shooting guard, a huge step down from the former all-star that is T-Mac.

Who will form the identity of this Rockets team and be the newly-fledged stars to step up? That responsibility likely falls to Aaron Brooks (who exploded onto the scene in last season’s playoffs), Argentinian workhorse power forward Luis Scola and Ariza, with the dregs of Shane Battier’s talent picking up the scraps. This team has proven in recent years that they can be a scrappy team of bit-players that come together to form a team greater than the sum of its parts. Once again, that will likely be the way in which the Rockets win games. Whilst Brooks, Scola and Ariza will take on much of the scoring responsibility, players like Chuck Hayes, Carl Landry and Kyle Lowry will do the little things which push games in favour of the Rockets, as they try to playoff teams.
Will Houston find themselves in the playoffs? In the stacked Western Conference, the answer to that one is in the negative, but they will certainly claim some scalps along the way when their opponents don’t turn up ready for a fight.

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rockets-raptors

Last Season Record: 1-1
The teams split the series with each winning at home. The Rockets came into Toronto and got blown out by a 12-20 team while playing with a full roster. Good D forced 21 turnovers and kept the Rockets shooting under 35% from the field. Good enough to get the job done. In the second meeting there was no Tracy McGrady but the Rockets were already adjusted to playing without him. 20-10 games from both Scola and Yao were too much for the Raptors to handle even though the Rockets were playing with a short bench. 16 assists from Jose Calderon was the highlight of the game for the Raptors in the loss.

Stacking Up

The Bigs: The loss of Yao Ming for the season greatly changes the look of this Rockets team. The front court is made up of athletic guys who make up for their lack of height with some good basketball IQ. Bosh and Bargnani should have the advantage here offensively. Will proper spacing on the floor the two can run the pick and roll and the pop still leaving room for the guards to cut to the basket with no real shot blocking threat on the floor. The Rockets front court doesn’t seem to be very intimidating on the offensive end. They key for the Raptors will be boxing out. If the Raptor bigs are unable to do so, the Rockets will do most of their damage with 2nd chance points and run outs from a grabbing easy rebounds.
Edge: Raptors

The Wings: The Raptors got lit up by Shane Battier in the pre-season game last week. I did a preview for that game and my only concern was the perimeter. Seems my concern had some validity as the Rockets got 39 points from beyond the arc. Hedo Turkoglu was exposed badly for his lack of commitment on the defensive end. I expect to see more of Antoine Wright who has slowly been building a reputation of a defensive minded player. The wings have to be able to run out on these shooters and force them to put the ball on the floor. Hedo will have a tougher time on the offensive end as well because Ariza and Landry make great use of their athleticism to build an advantage on the defensive end. If McGrady is back to even half strength, I forsee the Raptors struggling mightily from this spot.
Edge: Rockets

The Guards: The wing spot is solid for the Rockets but their guard rotation is pretty thin. Aaron Brooks relies mostly on his speed to get to his spots and Kyle Lowry has yet to show consistency. Jose may not be able to out run either guy but his basketball IQ should give him the edge. Its a pretty simple task for him in this one – keep feeding the ball to Bosh and Bargnani. Teams have picked up that you can’t run under the screen because Jose will torch you but with the Rockets they will have to pick their poison. When the Raptors need some toughness they can bring Jack in who can be a bit more physical against a guy like Lowry. I can’t imagine the Raptors go small ball because they would be playing right into the hands of the Rockets with that approach. Demar and Belinelli should get lots of lanes to take it to the hoop and need to make good on those.
Edge: Raptors

Predicted Record: 1-1 (Road game is the 2nd game of a B2B)

19.10.2009 Raptor Report 7 Comments

Match Ups – Toronto Raptors v/s Minnesota Timberwolves

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

The Raptors managed to get their first win of the pre-season against the Minnesota Timberwolves last week. Today, the match up series focuses on the aforementioned Wolves team with a preview provided by Zach.

Zach Harper (@talkhoops) has given up on sleep and therefore can be found on Talkhoops.net, CowbellKingdom.com, and HardwoodParoxysm.com as he wallows in the misery of his Timberwolves.

Long gone are the days of the Minnesota Timberwolves being a playoff team but at least, the Wolves seem to finally have a direction.

Now, where that direction appears to be headed is hard to figure out. The franchise hired David Kahn to take the tattered reigns from Kevin McHale and he decided to light the world on fire. He used David Stern’s form of nepotism to secure the Wolves decision-making position and turned it into a point guard, power forward orgy. The Wolves have comprised their roster of primarily 1’s and 4’s with the occasional Corey Brewer and Ryan Hollins mixed in.

They tried their hardest to woo Ricky Rubio away from the cold, dead hands of Spain. But to no avail, the half-baked plan of pairing Rubio and Jonny Flynn together in the backcourt fell completely apart, almost immediately on draft night. Minnesota traded away Randy Foye and Mike Miller for the fifth pick (Rubio) and a smattering of failed Washington Wizards big men. They then complemented those “acquisitions” by trading Sebastian Telfair, Mark Madsen, and Craig Smith for Quentin Richardson before trading him in order to re-acquire Mark Blount (arguably the least productive center in franchise history – a franchise that boasts centers like Felton Spencer, Dean Garrett, and Michael Olowokandi).

In the wake of the Rubio failure, the Wolves moved quickly to pry Ramon Sessions away from the Milwaukee Bucks. They signed him to a four-year, $16 million deal that will give the franchise their best starting/back-up point guard combination in team history. Sessions gives the Wolves and their fans a bridge to the next stage when Ricky Rubio will either come over in a game of international Red Rover (Link ; just in case this isn’t an internationally known children’s game) or be traded for less than equal value. Ideally, they’ll be able to find a way to use Rubio, Flynn, a newly healthy Al Jefferson, and the rebounding/tweeting machine Kevin Love.
Unfortunately, this is still the Timberwolves. The direction of the franchise is rarely headed up and we’ll most likely be back to square one in June as we try to figure out how David Kahn will screw up the next draft.

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wolves-raps

Last Season Record: 2-0
Both meetings between these teams turned out to be high scoring affairs. Al Jefferson was injured but the Minnesota guard play kept them in the games. The Raptors managed to out rebound the Wolves on both occasions while shooting 50% from the field. The games were closer than most would have liked considering the star player of the opposing team did not dress. Having players like Joey Graham and Andrea Bargnani step up were some positive things that came out of the series for the Raptors.

Stacking Up

The Bigs: Al Jefferson is coming off an injury but if he is back to where he left off, I would say his game is on par with Bosh. Jefferson, who has quietly developed into a 20/10 guy, lost 30 pounds over the summer. This physical change may alter his ability to make room for himself in the paint. Bargnani is no defensive stalwart but he seems to have a better hold on man to man defense. Putting him against Jefferson would be the best option for the Raptors. The Timberwolves won’t make it easy though. They can create switches with Jefferson and Love to force the Toronto bigs into exerting a lot of energy on the defensive end. Offensively, Bosh will be double teamed and that should give Bargnani and other guys on the perimeter some open shots. Spacing is a big key when passing out of the double team not giving the other guy time to rotate. The Raptors need to work out those things to stay effective but will remain hard pressed to dominate the strong Timberwolves front court.
Edge: Even

The Wings: Ryan Gomes is not your typical SF and with the departure of Mike Miller he is probably the best option offensively for the wolves at this spot. Corey Brewer will get his chances to develop as well but he is hardly a game changer. Without Foye and Miller, the Wolves don’t have any 3 point threats, meaning the biggest weakness for the Raptors defensively will remain hidden. Conversely, Hedo will be able to use his height along with some veteran smarts to expose the younger core defensively on the other side of the floor. With Hedo playing a point forward role, run outs from the guards against this team should translate to some easy transition buckets.
Edge: Raptors

The Guards: The Wolves used both their top 10 picks in this years NBA draft on PG’s. Ricky Rubio will remain in Europe putting the spotlight solely on Jonny Flynn. While Flynn has a chance to be a great player in the league, its not going to happen overnight. The big key for the Wolves will be Ramon Sessions who they pried away from the Bucks. Sessions is a play maker who is willing to take the big shots. Calderon has an experience advantage and Jack has the toughness factor going for him. Both these guys should be able to make plays and get themselves some open shots coming off screens or driving right into the paint. From the SG spot, DeMar or Belinelli should have a quickness advantage over their counterparts on the Wolves team.
Edge: Raptors

Predicted Record: 2-0 (1 of 3 Western Conference team the Raptors should sweep)

15.10.2009 Raptor Report 2 Comments

Match Ups – Toronto Raptors v/s Phoenix Suns

Monday, October 12th, 2009

The Phoenix Suns may not be the best in the west, but with Kid Canada running the point, this is always a featured game for the Toronto Raptors. Helping me break down the series is Greg from Fanster.

The Suns have a case of the runs
By: Greg Esposito @the_real_espo , Lead Writer at Fanster.com/Suns

The headline isn’t necessarily “pretty” and the same can be said for the Suns return to their “run and fun” style. They have the pieces to be an entertaining fast paced club with Amare Stoudemire, Steve Nash, Grant Hill and Leandro Barbosa but, as usual for the Suns in recent years, the defense is suspect at best.

With Alvin Gentry as the coach, the Suns will return to the “Seven Seconds or Less” style that made them popular with fans and an easy target for defensive juggernauts like the Spurs come playoff time. Steve Nash is extremely happy to be returning to the style he thrived in under then head coach Mike D’Antoni. He even went as far as to describe himself as “joyous” about the change at the team’s media day. Although he is happy to play at a faster pace and his numbers, in both points and assists, will increase this season don’t expect him to magically return to the MVP form of years past.

Stoudemire is returning from an eye injury that required him to lay face down for 22 hours a day for 10 straight days during the offseason. He missed all but a handful of games in the second half of last season and has been tentative at best during training camp. Along with battling back from the eye injury he’s going to be battling for a contract extension. Expect big statistics and some drama from STAT this season.

Grant Hill will attempt to do his best Benjamin Button impersonation for a second straight year, while Leandro Barbosa and Jason Richardson will fill up the stat sheet from the two guard spot. Without Shaq, Lou Amundson, Channing Frye and Robin Lopez will be expected to step up. Unfortunately that short list got even shorter with the broken foot Lopez suffered this week which will keep him on the shelf for two months. As for the other two, Amundson will continue to be the high energy guy he was last year and a main source of rebounding, and Frye will spread defenses thin with his outside jumper. The Suns are so enamored with him that he’ll start along side Nash, Richardson, Hill and Stoudemire.

The surprise player of the season will most be Jared Dudley. He came on late last season as a major contributor for the team and will pick up where he left off. If Hill misses any time Dudley will step in as a starter. As for rookie Earl Clark, he’ll see limited minutes and the Suns won’t look to rush him into a poor situation.

Championship hopes seem all but dead in Phoenix but oddly enough players and fans seem more excited than they have been in recent memory. A 50+ win season and a second round exit is probably the best case scenario.

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raps-suns

Last Season Record: 0 – 2
The Raptors held their own the first time the two teams met. Playing without their lead PG Calderon, they managed to stay in it by shooting a high percentage from beyond the arc and the rebounding margin was negligible. The 2nd game in Phoenix was a blowout almost as soon as it began. The Suns didn’t even need the services of Amare. Shaq went off to score 45 points (something he hadn’t done in over 2 years) and the Raptors never found a way to contain him. He pushed Bosh around like a rag doll in the paint and post game Bosh showed his frustrations which led to RuPaul-gate.

Stacking Up

The Bigs: Amare Stoudemire is the focus of this team now that Shaq has been relocated. Coming back from a major eye surgery, it still remains to be seen how effective he is going to be and how long until he is back to his former self. The depth drops off drastically for the Sun’s beyond him. Bosh and Bargnani should be able to dominate this front court on both sides. The Sun’s are long and lean with more jump shooters than bangers which suits the Raptors style of play. Bosh and Amare may be at the same talent level but the Suns will not have any answer for Bargnani. He may see Dudley, Amundson or Frye defending him and should have the advantage over all 3. Like the Raptors, the Sun’s will use the high screen and roll to get Amare his shots. Since its the teams bread and butter, it would be tragic if they aren’t able to defend it.
Edge: Raptors

The Wings: Grant Hill is playing like he is 25. The doctors in Phoenix have done wonders, making him a viable threat on the floor on every possession. The addition of Hedo comes into play here as in past years Hill didn’t have to exert much on the defensive end. Hedo has a height advantage and should be able to use that. The Raptors also have more options available if they need stops which will in turn limit how much Turkoglu is exposed on defense. The Suns are not known to close out well against perimeter shooters and the Raptors guards and forwards will need be able to take advantage of that with good spacing. Bosh and Amare will be battling at the elbow rather than down low making some room for guys to cut to the basket. This game calls for a lot of movement. The athleticism that was missing for the past few seasons is now there for the Raptors and there will be lots of chances to make cuts to the basket and along the baseline.
Edge: Even

The Guards: The Raptors have a very solid PG in Calderon but he may just be the anti-Nash. Both players could have double digit assists but Calderon is very methodical and more comfortable in the half court. Nash is willing to make the risky pass, push the ball up and his assists seem to come easier. Adding Jason Richardson took some scoring pressure off Nash and the two could be a deadly back court – atleast on the offensive end. Jose and his counterpart will be running around a lot on defense, but there will be plenty of opportunities to be effective on the other end. Neither J Rich nor Nash are known as defensive stoppers. Jose and DeMar should be able to get to the basket, mixing it up with short jumpers from moving without the ball. Things change when Barbosa enters the game for the Sun’s and the game speed triples. Having Jose defend him could be disastrous but the Raptors may be wise to put one of their newly acquired younger/athletic to contain him.
Edge: Phoenix

Predicted Record: 1-1 (Each team takes care of home court)

12.10.2009 Raptor Report 2 Comments

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