Take Initiative

In N.B.A. Basketball by Brock Bourgase

Sam Mitchell and the Toronto Raptors let the Phoenix Suns take a 139-123 victory last night. Earlier in the day, Mitchell boasted in the Fan 590’s morning show that the team had three ways to stop Steve Nash and the Suns.

None of them worked.

Help Defence

José Calderon – and later Anthony Parker – guarded Nash relatively well. But the double-team to stop dribble penetration was disastrous, leaving deadly shooters like Leandro Barbosa open to make three pointers all night. Phoenix is tough to defend because every player possesses unique weapons. Perhaps Grant Hill is the best starter to leave open since he shoots triples so rarely but surely someone could have defended Barbosa after he dropped twenty-two in the first half.

Screen and Roll Defence

The Raptors switched screens – creating openings upon which the Suns immediately capitalized, such as when Amare Stoudamire threw down an alley-oop dunk on T.J. Ford. Other times the team rotated well, three players switching and forcing a bad shot; exaples of the persistent defence that could have won the game if it were more consistent.

Substitution Pattern

Jamario Moon played the first three quarters, then sat for a few minutes, playing a few more minutes before the benches were finally cleared. To me, that’s an illogical rotation. If a player receives that many minutes to start the game, they should be good enough to play the fourth quarter. Moon changed several shots and totally owned Shawn Marion on a block but his thirty-nine minutes were perplexing.

I believe in planning substitutions ahead of time: taking advantage of the fact that daily practices provide a larger sample size than one quarter, keeping track of good combinations and team chemistry, and avoiding incidents were a player might be forgotten.

Lastly, Kris Humphries played fourteen minutes when he should have been riding the pine. Humphries is not skilled enough to compete with Phoenix for an entire game (he did go off for a couple of possessions after his technical foul) and was responsible for many ill-timed switches.

Three Strategies to Consider for the Next Time

The Raptors should have attacked their opponents. They did not generate enough offensive pressure to affect what Phoenix did at the other end. The one successful element that Toronto possessed that the Suns (sans Kurt Thomas) could not handle was Rasho Nesterovic inside. After a strong first half, they ignored the Slovenian and his ornate post offence, attempting to play a second rate version of the PHX game.

Carlos Delfino and Jason Kapono missed countless shots too. Had Toronto played a screen and roll game with Calderon and Nesterovic, they would have generated countless pull-up Js, post-moves, and open threes for Anthony Parker.

From the opening tip, basketball teams have to come out and take the victory. Accentuating strengths, playing physically, and showing confidence combine for victories, now and in April, May, and June. The Raptors played passively, allowing the Suns to control everything. How many times do you shoot 55%, score 123 points, and lose?

Never (if you play great transition D).