The beginning of the game was poetry, with the ball swinging around the court, the open shots being knocked down, the Raptors defence at its pesky and disruptive best.
asserted
shots → swing → best
The rest of Wednesday’s 98-93 loss to the Boston Celtics had to be troubling and far more telling about where the Raptors are and where they hope to go.
asserted
they → have → Celtics
Toronto scored 38 points and made 10 three-pointers in the first quarter.
asserted
Toronto → score → quarter
Toronto scored 32 points and four three-pointers in the entire second half.
asserted
Toronto → score → half
Good teams don’t play with a split-personality style.
asserted
teams → play → style
Good teams get ahead and stay ahead, and bury teams once they’ve got the first few shovels of dirt on them.
asserted
they → get → them
Maybe when everyone’s healthy and playing it won’t be a factor, but today it is a factor and given the current circumstances the inconsistency has to change .
asserted
inconsistency → ’ → circumstances
“Down the stretch, (there were) a couple of turnovers that should not be happening.
asserted
that → be → turnovers
That was a problem on that fourth quarter,” coach Darko Rajakovic said after the game.
asserted
Rajakovic → say → game
“Up to that point, I thought we did a really good job of taking care of the ball.
asserted
we → think → ball
We finished the first half with only three turnovers but a couple of turnovers, a couple of missed shots, a couple of offensive rebounds that ended up in their possession … that was the outcome there.
asserted
that → finish → possession
It was the outcome and there’s no denying the numbers about Wednesday that Rajakovic rattled off and their impact on the outcome.
asserted
Rajakovic → deny → outcome
But it’s the style and the feel that has to be troublesome to Rajakovic, to general manager Bobby Webster and to the players.
asserted
that → ’ → players
There’s a sense of inevitability to almost every Toronto game, a lull they go through.
asserted
they → ’ → game
They blew a great first half in Denver last week with a miserable third quarter, and they started off so far down to the Lakers that a late rally wasn’t enough.
asserted
rally → blow → Lakers
It makes relatively easy wins harder than necessary, it makes close losses more difficult to accept, and it turns some winnable games into blowout losses.
They make shots, get defensive stops and it’s all rainbows and puppies.
asserted
it → make → stops
Then a bit of trouble arises and they often can’t stop it from becoming a deluge.
asserted
they → arise → it
“We ended up shooting 37 per cent,” Rajakovic said of Wednesday’s loss.
asserted
Rajakovic → end → loss
“You know, we’ve got to be able to play to our standard, make or miss shots.
asserted
we → know → shots
“So obviously when we’re making shots, we’re feeling more energy, with more freedom, everything is easier.
asserted
everything → make → freedom
We’ve got to be able to sustain that.”
asserted
We → get → that
There are indeed outlier factors in play for the Raptors that are significant.
asserted
that → be → Raptors
But Kawhi Leonard’s going to miss at least four more games (a simple glance at the schedule shows that) and no one connected with the team will say when Scottie Barnes will play.
asserted
Barnes → go → team
All Rajakovic said Wednesday is that Barnes is “in a phase now, reconditioning and every day picking up more work and just testing the groin.”
asserted
Barnes → say → groin
So it falls mainly to this group, with Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett and Jamal Shead at its head, to find a way to buck the trend of lulls in games that turns wins into losses.
asserted
that → fall → losses
They are the leaders, the veterans, the ones who have to set the standard.
asserted
who → have → standard
That’s the way good teams get to be good and stay that way: by taking control of games and not relinquishing them.
asserted
teams → ’ → them
The Aporia
