Game Day: Suns (9-5) @ Raptors (11-2), Mon 11/24/14

[Superbone]

Time: 5:30 pm AZ (4:30 pm PT / 7:30 pm ET)
Place: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Canada
TV: FSAZ/NBALP

Tough, tough game to end the longest road trip of the year. The Raptors 12.2 per game point differential leads the league. Lowry versus Bledsoe will be interesting. The Raptors, like the Suns, employ a deep rotation.

Go Suns!!!

Dis • cuss

[OE32]

Don't like this game for us. DeRozan should light us up pretty good. Ross and James Johnson are two guys who can slow Gerald. They have the depth and toughness up front to bully us and keep our guard penetration under control.

I say a fourteen point loss after we go down by twenty sometime in the third.

[carey]

It's been a while since Toronto was clearly better than us on paper. I think it could be a fun game. Bledsoe should be motivated to show that he deserved the bigger contract over Lowry. I'm already tired of seeing these mediocre games from him. it's time for him to do work.

[Indy]

I'm already tired of seeing these mediocre games from him. it's time for him to do work.

Yeah, that is well over-due. Looking at his advanced stats this year, it is pretty much all bad compared to last year.

Code: Select all

Season	PER	  TS% 	FTr	   TRB%   AST%	STL%	BLK%	TOV%	WS	WS/48
2013-14	19.6	0.578	0.426	8.0	27.0	2.4	  0.8	17.8	4.1	  0.140
2014-15	16.6	0.554	0.444	9.7	27.8	1.9	  1.3   21.3	0.9	  0.106

[Mori Chu]

I'm nervous about this one. Toronto isn't more talented than we are, but they have been together longer and they're playing as a real team. They're tied for the best record in the NBA right now, and deservingly so. Lowry has really found his home and is playing out of his mind. I think we're good enough to beat them, but will we play together and share the ball?

[Ring_Wanted]

Turnovers man. Bledsoe needs to focus on securing the pass and the dribble. Too many lazy passes and loose dribbling. Let's see what happens against Lowry.

Goran-Derozan and IT3-Lou present similarities as well.

Good offense-defense battle off the bench between Green+Marcus+PJ and Greivis+Ross+James Johnson if healthy.

Even the bigs are somewhat akin.
Amir-Plumlee
Len-Valanciunas
Kieff-Patterson

Two enforcers in PJ and Hayes. Tolliver-Psycho T.

Both teams rebound poorly. Their defense is better while offensively we are superior albeit less consistent.

Who thinks Len will be better than Valanciunas? This game/career wise.

[Indy]

Turnovers man. Bledsoe needs to focus on securing the pass and the dribble. Too many lazy passes and loose dribbling. Let's see what happens against Lowry.

I swear that half of his TOs are when he is jumping in the air before deciding to pass. The other half are dribbling off his foot.

[Ring_Wanted]

Yes, and timing is lacking too. It gives me eye pain when I see a pass too short or long, above all when it's the for bigs (whose hands could be better, truth be told).

Behind the legs/back moves in traffic or against long defenders is not exactly a way to handle with consistency.

[Indy]

And those damn behind the back passes out to the 3pt line kill me. They are so slow and not accurate...

[Indy]

Compare that to the pass from Goran between JJ's legs to an open 3 in the corner.

[Ring_Wanted]

Ah, still savoring that one.

In a sense I am with Informer when he says that the ball should be in Dragic's hands. But I believe Dragic's built is not well suited to carry that load a whole game and season. This is one of the factors that made me buy into the 2 pg stuff.

I am still making my mind about the new 3pg 'system'. I've read it called Hydra, but Cerberus would be more accurate hehehe. Hydra would be the whole roster on a good night. I can say that as a whole last season the Suns played better.

Really nice challenge.

[Wally_West]

I predict a small turnout for this thread but a big Suns win!

GO SUNS

[Indy]

Ah, still savoring that one.

In a sense I am with Informer when he says that the ball should be in Dragic's hands. But I believe Dragic's built is not well suited to carry that load a whole game and season. This is one of the factors that made me buy into the 2 pg stuff.

I am still making my mind about the new 3pg 'system'. I've read it called Hydra, but Cerberus would be more accurate hehehe. Hydra would be the whole roster on a good night. I can say that as a whole last season the Suns played better.

Really nice challenge.

That pretty hilarious. And true.

[Dan H]

Hail Hydra

[Superbone]

Compare that to the pass from Goran between JJ's legs to an open 3 in the corner.

Goran was made for NBA ball.

[Shabazz]

Who thinks Len will be better than Valanciunas? This game/career wise.

I remember debating INF on this a while back - before the 2013 draft. I was pro-JV and he was pro-Len. Since then, I'm not sure my stance has changed - JV is still ahead - but it's close and I'm open to the possibility of Len becoming a more complete player as soon as next year.

JV is only 1 year older, but has a much more polished offensive game than Len, however it doesn't look much different than it did his rookie year. He love to pump-fake from the wing or top of the key and take a running hook. He's much stronger than Len and has better hands, but he's a little mechanical and not nearly as agile. Where he's disappointed is on the defensive side. He doesn't have the foot-speed that Len does and doesn't provide the rim protection that a player his size should.

Len's flashed a more versatile offensive game, but we've only seen it in brief spurts. He also needs to catch the ball a little better and finish stronger so his guards have more confidence to pass him the ball.

Overall, despite being only a year older Valanciunas has a big head start on Len on the offensive side. Because Len was hurt most of last year and because he has the potential to make a much bigger impact on D, I think Len can become a better overall player, even if JV bests him on the offensive side. They both still have a lot of growing to do.

[Gladiator]

https://twitter.com/paulcoro/status/537018687367438336

[Shabazz]

Len's hands have been pretty stone-y the last few games.

[Gladiator]

Len has been open in close a lot since he's come in. Nice find by Dragic there.
Also JV must have been reading this board - looks like he's trying to make a point!

[carey]

Len has been open in close a lot since he's come in. Nice find by Dragic there.
Also JV must have been reading this board - looks like he's trying to make a point!

He has an attitude that I would like Len to have. Just go dunk everything.