NBA games of the week: Raptors bounce back
By Chazz Scogna
The NBA games of the week is all about everyone’s favorite team over the border, Toronto Raptors.
Sunday’s game between the Thunder and Raptors shouldn’t have ended that way. It was a great game hijacked by inconsistent officiating. Marc Davis probably won’t have the the best Monday.
Regardless, we’re witnessing the Raptors’ greatest stretch in their franchise’s history. They have one of the most popular artists in the world as their ambassador and their court design and stadium are incredible.
Sadly, their franchise’s best play happens to come at the worst time. This is the age of superteams and LeBron James. The former created arguably the greatest team the NBA has ever seen, and the latter hasn’t not been to the Finals since 2011.
So I see why Raptors fans clamor for respect and the ditching of labels like choker and underachiever. It’s not true. The Raptors continue to be one of my favorite teams to watch, and their adapting to the new NBA — Jonas Valanciunas and DeMar DeRozan shooting 3-pointers, more off-ball movement and screens, etc. — is an exercise against NBA DNA that we don’t usually see. Adaptation without moving pieces is tough to do in professional sports.
The Raptors’ 11-game win streak was snapped by the Thunder. Their remaining schedule, even with two games against the Celtics, lends itself to the top seed in the East and a battle for the top record in the league. But, in fairness, the questions surrounding the Raptors are still viable in that we aren’t sure how they will fare in the playoffs under their new system. Will they play a shorter bench like everyone else? How do you stop an engaged LeBron rocking 45-minute nights with no back-to-backs? Will the Raptors fall into their old habits of isolation ball?
Here are the games of the week.