Jones on Raptors: Not according to plan
Posted December 19, 2011 12:34 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Everyone knows Murphy’s Law. You know the one that says, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” Well, some Toronto Raptors fans that are waiting for their team to play hard and lose games for the consolation prize they hope is a high draft pick in next June’s very deep draft might want to start holding their breath. Why, because ol’ Murphy may just make an appearance.
True, it’s only one exhibition game, and it was still a loss, but if the Raptors improve their defence to the point where they are holding teams under or around the 40-43 per cent range, sorry folks, they are going to be in games and might win more than some people would like. But I guess that brings us to another corollary of Murphy ‘s Law, like the one that says, “Nothing is as easy as it looks.” And holding Boston to 39.4 per cent from the floor in the preseason opener was not nearly as easy as it looked.
Head coach Dwane Casey was pleased with his team’s multiple-effort plays that led to numerous stops on the defensive end. He also told the media after the game that with all the time put into establishing the team’s defensive mindset and system over the course of the truncated training camp, he knew the offence would be lagging behind. Toronto turned the ball over 21 times and it led to more than a third of Boston’s points. But the offence is not a big worry for the coaching staff just yet.
Some of this enthusiasm should be tempered, however, as the Celtics’ starters were not in at the end of the game and as a group shot 47 per cent (17/36). But the starters can’t play the entire game and during a compact season where 66 games will be squeezed into anywhere from 120-125 days, bench production will be key.
No coach understands this more than Celtics head coach Doc Rivers, who is spending an inordinate amount of time working with his reserves in the preseason. Rivers has a contending team but three of his best players, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, who did not play against Toronto, can’t handle high doses of playing time regularly if they want to have anything left for a prolonged playoff run. Let’s face it, at some point this season, for all contenders, your bench will be lengthened and will have to win you some games.
But back to the Raptors.
What happens if Casey’s concept of defence hits home and they end up winning more games than fans would like? Just remember Murphy’s Law and another of the corollaries, maybe the one that many Toronto fans already know best. It’s the one that says, “Everything takes longer than you think”.
