Raptors Week Recap- Vets or Youth?

We've raced passed the halfway mark of the Toronto Raptors 2013-14 NBA campaign, and after a 2-2 week, the Raptors sit just two games in front of the resurgent Brooklyn Nets. This week saw a number of truly special individual performances from certain Raptors, yet left Raptors fans wanting more. It was another fun week of Raptors Ball, but a couple of things troubled me. Which leads me to a mini-rant...

VETERANS OVER PROSPECTS

If you've ever read any of my blogs before, then you'll likely know I'm a huge believer in Jonas Valanciunas as a key building block for this team's upcoming title run. He's a raw talent with all the potential in the world; offensively gifted, a solid defender (who is getting better with each game, despite clear flaws at times) and an active rebounder.  Dwane Casey's tendency to bench Jonas in favour of veteran big Chuck Hayes really worries me, especially when Hayes is given the responsibility of closing out games; maybe Chuck will play slightly better defense, but I'd like to see Jonas given the opportunity to learn and develop. 

To me, it seems like if Jonas' opponent scores a couple of early buckets, Casey gets it in his mind that Jonas is outmatched and refuses to trust him for the rest of the night. Jonas only playing 18 and 19 minutes, like he did against Charlotte and Philadelphia respectively, is, for me, not enough.

The same situation applies with Terrence Ross, who aside from his ridiculous outing against the Clippers, had a pretty quiet week. Terrence, who brings terrific energy on D, is being left out of late game situations in favour of veteran John Salmons, and backup guard Grievis Vasquez. Again, get him in there, Coach. You know what you're going to get from Salmons, sure; fundamentally sound play on both ends of the floor, but Terrence is more than capable of delivering what Salmons can, especially when given the experience the opportunity will bring.

The theory I'm throwing out there is this; Casey is, at least partly, ignoring what must surely be his goal moving forwards, to make stars out of Valanciunas and Ross, and instead chasing wins, in the hope that a 45 win season would bring him a new contract. Casey is much more content to put his faith in the hands of seasoned veterans like Hayes and Salmons over Valanciunas and Ross. Which I do understand completely, as winning is obviously just as important, but I just wish some sort of balance could be found between the two co-occurring goals. And just by the way, Coach Casey, look at the Dallas win; you threw Jonas in the game and said "bring it home for me, big fella", and look what he did- 5 points and 5 key rebounds down the stretch.



BOBCATS 100, RAPTORS 95

Not pretty. Not pretty at all. The Raps continued what is becoming a really worrying trend, dropping behind by a huge margin and relying on fourth quarter heroics to try and steal a victory, and in this game, it failed. Down 30 at one stage, Kyle Lowry missed a high-pressure free throw late in the fourth that would have tied the game, and the Raptors bid to set a new franchise-high comeback would fall just short.

The slow start? The Raptors' pick and roll defense was simply non-existent in the first quarter, with Charlotte able to establish their lead off of 8/12 shooting in the paint. While the defensive energy clearly lifted throughout the game, for which credit should go the bench unit of Patterson-Salmons-Hayes, I'm a bit sick of getting stuck in these 30-point holes. I love that we fight, and there is just no quit in this Raptor lineup right now, but let's work on our starts so as not to rely on unlikely comebacks.

3 votes- GRIEVIS VASQUEZ (15pts, 6/13FGs, 9asts, 7rebs, +23)
2 votes- CHUCK HAYES (12pts, 5/9FGs, 13rebs)
1 vote- KYLE LOWRY (21pts, 9/22FGs, 4asts, 4rebs)



RAPTORS 93, MAVERICKS 85

Demar's career night

This was a pretty impressive bounce-back game after the Charlotte loss, although, again, the Raps trailed big (21 points) early. This was Demar DeRozan's night, though, as he carried the Raptors back from the early hole, going 15/22 from the field for a career-high 40 points. Demar, who I've criticized recently for an over-reliance on the mid-range game, did still settle for a lot of those types of shots, but he was feeling it on this night. He also took the ball to the rim a heap (6/9 from the paint), and shot a stack of free throws. Kyle Lowry had a poor, yet forgivable night; 0/10 shooting, but let's not forget that he's been the catalyst behind this team's success. 

3 votes- DEMAR DEROZAN (40pts, 15/22FGs, 3rebs, 3asts)
2 votes- GRIEVIS VASQUEZ (17pts, 5/13FGs, 7asts)
1 vote- JONAS VALANCIUNAS (12pts, 3/6FGS, 10rebs) 



RAPTORS 104, SIXERS 95

Let's keep this brief. The Raptors won a game of basketball, that was mildly entertaining. Kyle Lowry took his one bad game so far this season pretty badly, clearly, and responded with a triple double. Demar dropped a less-efficient 34, but was influential nonetheless.

3 votes- KYLE LOWRY (18pts, 7/11FGs, 13asts, 10rebs)
2 votes- DEMAR DEROZAN (34pts, 10/22FGs, 9rebs)
1 vote- JOHN SALMONS (12pts, 5/7FGs)


CLIPPERS 126, RAPTORS 118

Terrence dropping 51

In a game where defense was totally inapparent, the Clippers and Raptors traded blow after blow, in a high-paced, entertaining thriller at the ACC. Terrence Ross was burning hot, and took over the Raptor offense, in a performance that closely resembled Carmelo Anthony's 62 point game the previous night. Ross ended up tying the Raptors' franchise record with 51 points. While this was one of the most special individual performances I've ever seen, I left this game with a real sense of disappointment; the Raptors had a chance to mark a young player's best game ever with a special win, but missed the opportunity off the back of a lack of defense. 

Was this Ross' coming of age? I hope so. I'm not getting carried away, but consider this; Terrence's career night showcased every skill he has to offer as an NBA pro. Elite long-range shooting, mad handles and pure athleticism. This 51 point night was everything clicking and going right; Terrence has a bag full of tricks which will be fine-tuned with time, and lead to him being a more-than-capable Pro for seasons to come.

3 votes- TERRENCE ROSS (51pts, 16/29FGs, 9rebs)
2 votes- JONAS VALANCIUNAS (17pts, 5/9FGs, 12rebs)
1 vote- KYLE LOWRY (11pts, 2/10FGs, 12asts, 4rebs)


NEXT WEEK- @BROOKLYN, ORLANDO, @DENVER, @PORTLAND. Hmmmm. 2-2? 3-1? 1-3? Brooklyn is a big, tough game but I think we can maybe pinch it. Orlando is an easy win. The next two are both very tough but we've made a habit of competing/beating good teams on the road. For the record, I'll predict 2-2.

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Nick Young, Lakers Humble Raptors

LAKERS 112, RAPTORS 106

Cheer up, Sophomores.

Despite leading big in both the second and third quarters, the Toronto Raptors couldn't hang with the Los Angeles Lakers down the stretch, falling to a second defeat in three games. Nick Young, playing with a point to prove after his recent suspension, led the Lakers with 29 huge points, including five 3-point buckets. The Raptors fall to 20-19 on the season, and should feel as though this was another missed opportunity to move further above the fourth-placed Atlanta Hawks.



- I've said it before, and it looks like I'm going to have to say it again; this is not a team that should be jacking up 30 3-point attempts in a game. Terrence Ross is becoming completely reliant on the three, failing to use his ridiculously athletic body to drive the ball. The Amir Johnson "summer three" is funny and entertaining when it drops, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a far too risky shot, and Amir throwing up 4 threes is way over the top. It's really disappointing, because shooting 30 threes tells me that we're having extreme trouble creating good looks on offense. 

-Pau Gasol taught Jonas Valanciunas a lesson this game. The Lakers kept feeding Gasol the ball in the deep post, and he would continuously spin to the basket, or score right over Jonas. Jonas needed to keep a body on Gasol and defend with a little more strength, and as a result only saw 14 minutes of action; while I'd normally complain about Jonas being limited in this way, he was getting killed out there, and we needed to curb Gasol's influence. Chuck Hayes actually did a much better job, making a number of key stops on Pau down the stretch. 

DeRozan- 2/10 from midrange and deep.

-This was the sort of game Raptor fans seemed to fear from Demar DeRozan upon Rudy's departure; very hero-ball centred, and way too much jump-shooting. It's been pretty clear that the difference between the Raptors before and after the Rudy Gay trade has been crisp ball movement offensively, so I really do have to wonder why we're moving away from this, especially in clutch situations. While I respect Demar a lot and continue to enjoy his development into an All-Star, he needs to stop trying to always be the hero, or at least draw contact driving to the rim and make some easy points at the line.

-Twice we lead by huge margins (19 points up in the second, 17 points up in the third). In the second quarter, the Raptors earned the lead on the back of brilliant defense, only allowing 4 points in the first six minutes of the quarter. However, the energy level on D clearly declined, and the Lakers were able to score 21 points in the next six minutes, seeing the Raptor lead only 4 points at the break. The third quarter saw a similar scene, where Nick Young and Ryan Kelly found their range and quickly ate up the Raptor lead. The point is this: the Raptors can't play tight defense for only halves of quarters and expect to remain in the lead. Imagine what a quality team like Miami would do to us, if we gave them 6 minutes of lacklustre defense.

-Swaggy P. It was always happening, wasn't it? Fresh after his suspension for fighting the entire Suns line-up, Nick Young came off the bench to score 29 points, including big threes down the stretch to kill of the Raptor fight. Yes, he shoots too much, he takes terrible shots, and has a seemingly terrible attitude, but when he's feeling it, Swaggy P is a whole lot of fun. 

PLAYER VOTES

3 votes- PATRICK PATTERSON (17pts, 7/12FGs, 7rebs). Maybe I'm sick of having to call Lowry our best player every night, but I loved what Patrick did off of the bench. He drained his first 5 shots, only taking premium level looks, harassed the Lakers' bigs on both ends, and had some nice second chance points too. Earned the right to close out the game, especially with Jonas' poor night. 

2 votes- KYLE LOWRY (21pts, 8/13FGs, 9asts). Kept the team in the game late with some big buckets. Continue to love his ability to find the open man, especially him combining with DeRozan for that curling wing jumper. As good as he was, I wanted a little more out of Kyle, maybe making a couple more of the open shots he found, but nevertheless, a good showing.

1 vote- GRIEVIS VASQUEZ (11pts, 5/11FGs, 8asts, 5rebs). Grievis has been heavily criticized recently, and I still feel that the backup Point Guard role remains the need requiring the most urgent attention. This, however, was a pretty good night from Grievis, aside from his 1/5 shooting from downtown. 


NEXT- DECEMBER 20 @ CHARLOTTE. Raptors need to get back to their winning ways and handle the Bobcats tomorrow. This is the second flat performance from the Raps in the last three games; the wheels haven't fallen off, but the standard of play is certainly decreasing. The next few games will likely tell us whether we really are the 3rd best team in the East, or if the boys have just been playing at a ridiculous level.

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Raps Week Review !!

So, I just wanted to do a quick little Raptors week recap, to keep my Raptor of the Season votes rolling. This was a solid, yet not amazing week from the Raptors; while a 2-1 week is nothing to worry about, losing in the ugly fashion they did to the struggling Boston Celtics does raise a number of questions.


vs Milwaukee-  RAPTORS 116, BUCKS 94

Just a regulation win for Toronto, in which the Ersan Ilyasova- lead Bucks showed exactly why they hold a 7-30 record. In yet another sign of this Raptors resurgence, the Raptors demolished the Bucks in the second half; consider past seasons, where the Raps would often let teams back into games they had dominated.

3 votes- KYLE LOWRY (23pts, 6/8FGs, 4/5 3PTs, 5asts). Money from distance, dropped 23 points off 8 shots. Continues to lead the team on both ends. 

2 votes- DEMAR DEROZAN (19pts, 8/16FGs, 7rebs, 7asts). Filled up the stat sheet. Two Raptor All-Stars....what a ridiculous concept...

1 vote- JONAS VALANCIUNAS (17pts, 5/10FGs, 10rebs). Did his thing.



vs Boston-  CELTICS 88, RAPTORS 83

You could take this loss in a number of ways; an unacceptable performance against a team that hadn't won in 9 games, or just a mere blip on the radar, a flat performance where a basic lack of fundamentals killed the Raptors. While I give a lot of credit to Jared Sullinger for his 25 point, 20 rebound night, this was an awful game from Valanciunas and Johnson, who were only able to combine for 13 rebounds in their time on the court. We all consistently praise Amir for his heart and hustle, but I didn't see any of that on this night. I think Tyler Hansbrough would have made a difference in this game, but there's no excuse for this performance either way. 13 missed free throws killed any chance of a heroic late comeback. Don't stress Raptors fans, we hadn't had a horror night like this since December 18 against Charlotte.

3 votes- DEMAR DEROZAN (23pts, 9/22FGs, 8rebs, 3asts). So what he took 22 shots, Demar made play after play to fight the team's way back into the game. 

2 votes- KYLE LOWRY (18pts, 6/17FGs, 12asts, 7rebs). Not one of Kyle's better games, but there wasn't much to choose from here. The Boston defense was actually noticeably decent which culled a lot of his usual playmaking. 

1 vote- JOHN SALMONS (13pts, 5/9FGs). I've got to admit, I love having a reliable veteran on the bench who you know is going to come into the game and provide a solid offensive option, to go along with tight defense.  



vs Minnesota- RAPTORS 94, WOLVES 89

Toronto needed to respond from the Boston performance, and did so with a quick early start, and then leading the game all the way after. The Wolves helped our cause by shooting a poor 3/18 from 3 point range, but credit must be given for another tough defensive night from the Raptors. 

3 votes- KYLE LOWRY (24pts, 7/12FGs, 6/9 3PTs, 6asts, 5rebs). His six 3-pointers were the difference between the two sides in the end. Limited Rubio's offensive input to the point where Barea closed the game in his place.

2 votes- JONAS VALANCIUNAS (4pts, 2/6FGs, 11rebs). Only 4 points, but his work on the glass was a massive factor in this Toronto victory. Pekovic and Love's input and ability to dominate the boards was not very apparent, and when you consider Amir only pulled in 2 rebounds, we've got to thank Jonas for keeping them at bay (shout out to my boy Chuck Hayes for his 9 rebounds, too). Surely earned more than 23 minutes, Coach.

1 vote- TERRENCE ROSS (16pts, 6/14FGs, 4rebs, 2stls). Didn't need the three-ball to be dropping to contribute, showed off his ability to score off the dribble. 


NEXT- DECEMBER 19 vs LA LAKERS

Looking ahead, we should comfortably handle the Lakers at the ACC, then travel to Charlotte for a rematch with a team we just keep losing to. The rest of the sees Dallas come to Toronto, a quick trip to Philly to battle the Sixers, then home to take on the Clippers. I'll call we'll finish with a 4-1 record; if we keep up the form from the Minnesota game rather than the Boston one, we'll pinch one of the home games against Dallas and the Clippers. 

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Drake Night Thoughts!!

RAPTORS 96, NETS 80.

I took a lot away from this victory over Brooklyn. This was a truly special win, in that the Raptors, in playoff-like atmosphere, again came from behind to roll the Nets. A few quick notes + votes...

-I think that was the most hyped-up Toronto game I've ever watched. Sold-out crowd, intro video, player introductions broadcast on the coverage; this was as close to a playoff game as you could get. Sure, the Nets were missing Garnett and Williams, but this game felt like a really big deal, and is exactly the sort of atmosphere/pressure the boys need to get used to for the development towards a title run. When you also consider that this was a divisional contest, and that the Raptors trailed 10 and looked awful late in the third period, this was most certainly an important win.

- I'm not from Toronto (writing this from Melbourne, Australia), but hearing Drake talk about Toronto with such passion genuinely made me very proud. Toronto, to me, is that underdog city/team that the rest of the league considers one huge joke. Hearing Drake raving about how good Toronto has been to him was pretty awesome, and I really do hope he can have some sort of influence in changing the perception of the team.

-Man, our Sac-Town bench was superb tonight. John Salmons didn't miss a shot, Patrick Patterson dropped 14 points and grabbed 12 big rebounds, and Chuck Hayes provided vaguely solid relief for the starting bigs. I'm still a bit worried about the backup Point Guard role, as Grievis Vasquez has shown he is an inconsistent shooter and a horrible defender, but it's definitely nice to see the bench carrying the team to wins. Don't agree that it was the bench that won us the game? Patterson was +40, and Salmons was +32.

-I've been thinking; if one Raptor is an All-Star, who is it going to be? Lowry or DeRozan? I think currently it should be Lowry, based on him being the leader of this team's resurgence, but it is a truly close contest at the moment. There are a lot of moments when DeRozan keeps the team in games essentially single-handedly, so I do understand the case for Demar to be in front of Kyle, too. As much as we love to rave about both of their play, I highly doubt both will make the cut, but, due to Toronto's resurgence and high-placing in the Eastern Conference, I really do think one of the two must make the team.

PLAYER VOTES

3 votes- PATRICK PATTERSON (14pts, 5/12FGs, 12rebs, +40). I feel like I had to reward Patrick for a really strong performance, because his energy off the bench was really what changed the game. I remember that Patterson had a very solid reputation on leaving Kentucky, and it seems as if he is finally playing up to that promise.

2 votes- DEMAR DEROZAN (26pts, 9/18FGs, 7rebs, 5asts). Another terrific performance from Demar. Matt Devlin always says about Demar that he is "sick of losing", and I really think Matt is spot on. His huge first quarter throw-down reminded me of what a crazy dunker he can be, and I really he dunked more.

1 vote- KYLE LOWRY (12pts, 4/11FGs, 4asts, 6rebs). Kid's a beast, that's really all there is to say. How about that smirk after one of his huge threes, just cheeky Kyle saying "yeah, I just did that". Too good right now.

NEXT- 14 Januray vs MILWAUKEE.

As always, thankyou for reading, please comment or share or anything like that, and please follow me on Twitter @mitchymitchy4

Valanciunas Dunk Party: Raps Crush Pistons

RAPTORS 112, PISTONS 91

Didn't think I'd be typing this at halftime, when the Toronto Raptors trailed the average-at-best Detroit Pistons 54-50, but this was a quite enjoyable game that provided plenty of entertainment. Raptor fans got to watch another showcase of Jonas Valanciunas' potential, Kyle Lowry continue to prove himself as a top-flight Point Guard, but, most importantly, we got to watch a team that will be, for the most part, centred around Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings; high-level humor.

- Jonas Valanciunas kept throwing his pump-fake, and the poor Detroit defenders just kept falling for it. It was really quite comical. I love to get carried away when Jonas has big games like this, I acknowledge that, but this was a great, fun performance from the Lithuanian. With DeRozan struggling, it was nice to see Jonas get the team going with his play to start the second half. I'm still sold on the fact that Jonas will be an absolute beast Center, and it's awesome to see his game developing with leadership like this.

- The 75 seconds to start the second half really were perfect. If I were Dwane Casey, I would have had a fair crack at the team at half time, so the response was extremely positive. Terrence 3. Amir huge block. Demar transition layup. Detroit shot clock violation. Terrence 3. 8-0 run. 54-50 Detroit becomes 58-54 Toronto, and we're then playing from the front. This set the tone for a terrific half on both ends of the floor. 

- A big contributing factor to the first-half struggle was the three-point shooting, I feel. Taking 11 three-point shots in the first quarter alone seems a touch unreasonable; sure, some of them were dropping, but a lot of these were not good looks, and the team seemingly feel into a rhythm of relying on the three. The three-ball is fun, but I'd like to think we can come up with a lot better offense than that. 

- I don't see a lot of potential for the Detroit franchise right now. Call me overly negative, but Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings are fundamentally selfish, and take really awful shots. Drummond and Monroe is a cool front-court duo, but they both looked poor on defense. Drummond showed his ridiculous free-throw technique, too, which provided endless laughs. Josh Smith shot 3/9 at the line, got angry at the refs and his teammates, and showed, to me, what an overrated player he really is. By all means prove me wrong Detroit, but I don't see that team going anywhere at all.

-Brooklyn. Milwaukee. Boston. Minnesota. LA Lakers. Charlotte. There's 6 very winnable games coming up. If we're the third best team in the Eastern Conference, we're winning 5, if not 6 of these games. We've done so brilliantly in our recent tough stretch (think of our wins at Dallas, Oklahoma City and Indiana) and our schedule is now levelling out; time to start racking up the wins.


PLAYER VOTES

3- JONAS VALANCIUNAS (16pts, 7/9FGs, 11rebs, 2blks). Terrific performance, threw down 4 dunks that made Raptor fans across the globe collectively lose it. Some nice defensive involvement, too.

2- KYLE LOWRY (21pts, 4/9FGs, 9/9FTs, 9asts). Sign. Him. Up. Kyle is getting paid this off-season. Can we get him to commit long-term, and keep bringing this energy and commitment on a nightly basis? We can only hope.

1-TERRENCE ROSS (17pts, 6/13FGs, 5/10 3PTs). Eh. He made a lot of threes. He also took a truckload of them, so he'd want to be making a few. I like Terrence shooting with confidence, but shooting 10 threes just seems a bit over the top. Hope he doesn't forget he is a freak athlete who should use his gifts to get to the rim with ease.

NEXT- DRAKE NIGHT. Enough said.

Game Notes- Andrea's Revenge

Raptors 95, Knicks 83

The Toronto Raptors kicked off their back-to-back series with the New York Knicks with another come from behind victory. Make no mistake about it, however, this was the Andrea Bargnani Show. 

-I'd seriously forgotten what a ridiculous basketball player Andrea Bargnani is. That's not meant in a negative way, but everything he does is just a little bit different. Seemingly pumped up to be facing his former team, Andrea came out and dropped 10 points in the first quarter, to go with his 5 rebounds. He hustled hard for offensive rebounds, and played some nice defense which helped deliver the Knicks their early advantage. Unfortunately for Andrea, this game was yet another tease from the Italian, as he would finish the game with 18 points (6/17FGs), miss a key defensive rotation leading to a John Salmons triple, and throw a hilarious late turnover, which was met with loud boos from the crowd. Keep being you, Andrea.

-One run from Toronto was always going to win the game, yet you never really got the feeling it was coming. Like a quality team, however, the Raptors played a near-perfect final quarter to run away with the victory. After 15 turnovers in the first three quarters, the Raptors only committed 1 in the final stand, and together with intense defense, were able to win the quarter 29-12. Essentially, poor fundamentals (15 turnovers and 10 missed free throws) allowed the Knicks to lead all game long, until the Raptors switched it on late.

-Jonas Valanciunas made a big statement against the Knicks. He made a couple of early blunders, but continued to compete extremely hard, and was rewarded. Even against Tyson Chandler, seen as defensive beast, Jonas took the ball to the rim with confidence, and made a couple of lovely second chance buckets. Pulled in a career high 18 rebounds, too. I loved hearing him say that the keys to the comeback were "energy and playing together".

-Didn't love the Toronto defense for the first three quarters. We kept trying to trap the Knicks with double-teams, daring them to find the open man. With the Knicks able to do this pretty easily, extra pressure was put on our defensive rotations, and the Knicks found open shots at will. I'm glad the team pulled out the intense defense they did for the last quarter, because otherwise the game would easily have slipped away.

-Quick player notes; Terrence Ross shooting with confidence is a massive positive for this team. John Salmons has continued to fit in really well to this team, and his tight defense on JR Smith was crucial late. Tyler's two rough fouls leading to 4 missed free throws was brilliant, and so very Tyler Hansbrough. 

PLAYER VOTES

3 votes- JONAS VALANCIUNAS (16pts, 7/11FGs, 18rebs, 7o.rebs). One of this best games yet. Again, if this is what he can do on a regular basis...

2 votes- DEMAR DEROZAN (25pts, 7/13FGs). An efficient 25 from Demar. When the Raptors needed someone to come up with a big performance to stay in the game, he did this, at least to some extent. Glad he didn't take another 20 shots.

1 vote- KYLE LOWRY (15pts, 4/10FGs, 11asts, 4rebs). Showed Knicks fans exactly what they missed out on. I love Kyle's ability to make his own offense late in the shot-clock, and drain deep threes. 

NEXT- 28 December vs NEW YORK. REMATCH. Let's do it. In reality, we should win this one pretty easily, and move to 13-15 for the season. Can't wait to see how Andrea is received in Toronto; considering we booed him pretty loudly when he was actually on our team, I can't imagine it will be pleasant. 

RAPTORS CHAT: AUSTRALIA VS CANADA?!?

I've never really considered the fact that I'm a bit of a unique position, being a crazy Toronto Raptors fan whilst living on the other side of the world, in Melbourne. Mitchell Machtinger (@MitchMatch24), a Toronto local, reached out to me recently, and we've had a lovely little chat about various perceptions of the Toronto Raptors and the NBA in general, as well as views on the state of the current team.

(Just to avoid name confusion, MM= Mitchell Machtinger, AM= Alex Mitchell)

MM- How did you become a Raptors fan? I’ve found it very interesting the global fan base that the Raptors have. So far online I’ve come across fans from the UK and yourself from Australia. The Raptors have always been marketed as ‘Canada’s Team’ but it is evidently more than that. What attracted you to the Raptors over more popular teams like the Heat and Lakers?

AM- I'm so glad I support the Raptors rather than the Heat or the Lakers. I don't know if that seems like a ridiculous concept, but I really don't see the fun in supporting the winning teams and just expecting titles every season. I had been vaguely following the NBA for a while, but I chose the Raptors as my team after the 2008 Olympics, based solely on seeing Chris Bosh and liking how he played. What drew me in to the Raptors and made me love the team, and what I think would attract others, is the image of the Toronto Raptors as the 'outsider'; a team not even in the United States, regularly dismissed as an irrelevant, hopeless team. The Raptors intrigue me, in that nobody seems to even care about the team's existence; the thought of this team being a factor in the league and making a title run is such a ridiculous thought, and supporting the journey to this happening really interests me.

As a Toronto local, why have you kept an interest in the Raptors? We've been extremely mediocre for ages, and really seen as a 'joke' team? What about the Raptors makes you still support them?

MM- Basketball is my favourite sport and they are my hometown team, so it makes sense in that way. It’s a weird response because I’m a Boston Red Sox fan in baseball, but I just feel a lot stronger connection to the Raptors than any other Toronto sports team. Once I started following them online additionally through Twitter live-game chats and other networks, I realized that the fanbase is very active and loyal despite our lack of recent success and it gave me another way to interact with the team and express my opinions about their play. With guys on the squad like Amir Johnson and DeRozan, you can tell they love they have for the city and the hustle they put on is not going unnoticed by fans.

You mentioned the Raptors being an 'outsider' team to the United States, but as an 'outsider' fan to the league itself, what unique perspectives or experiences have you had as an international fan? Is it hard to follow the league?

AM-There is no NBA on free television in Australia. We have two or three games a week on subscription TV (ESPN Australia), but the NBA is just not a part of the Australian sporting landscape. NBA League Pass is a must for any Australian fan. It is weird that I've never watched an NBA game at night; 7pm Toronto time is 11am here in Melbourne; in this regard, following the league here in Australia can be difficult, as most of the action is occurring right through the middle of the day.

In terms of following the league in Canada, I find it interesting that NBA teams each play 82 games a season. To me, that is a huge amount of games. Why do you think we follow the league so closely, when each game means so little in the overall scheme of things?

MM- To me, Game 1 matters as much as Game 82. Playing a large amount of games is necessary because it helps establish the overall talent level of a team. Any team can win or lose five games in a row, but when you play 82 games it has a lesser effect on the overall result. I think it's easier for the league to stay interesting because we have access to watch all the games we want. This is especially true on days like Christmas (except maybe not this year), where marquee teams and matchups are all featured in one day.

AM- What is the perception of the Raptors in Toronto? Where do the Raptors fit in to the Toronto sporting landscape?

MM- Their season runs the same time as the Leafs so they are never the number one team in town. Most people say 'oh the Raptors suck' but don't actually follow the team or know what pieces we have. Hockey is and always will be number one in Toronto and Canada. The Raptors season runs at the same time as the Maple Leafs, so the team is never given front page attention unless it's game day. Even then, if the Leafs play the same day, the Raptors are normally bumped to page two. Most casual fans would think negatively of the team right now based on their performance over the past few seasons, which is fair, however they don't realize the pieces we have on the roster.

Let's talk Raptors. It's fair to say that the team's record is reflective of the talent on the roster. However the direction of where the team is going is hotly debated among media and fans. How should the Raptors approach this season? Are you a member of tank-nation or do you like the direction the current team is heading?

AM- I'm very anti-tanking, for a lot of reasons. I really don't understand how Raptor fans are actually cool with the idea of us spending another season losing; that's really all we've done since I started following the team. The argument that losing a Playoff series this season instead of tanking will harm the team long-term annoys me; how will we possibly build a winning culture for Toronto if we tank again? Another reason why I am against the tank is that I really don't think our team will be anywhere near bad enough to land a high pick. If we want to tank, Ujiri needs to move Kyle Lowry and Amir Johnson instantly, otherwise we will not lose enough games. A team cannot successfully tank with a guy like Amir on the roster. Maybe I'm missing the point of long-term success, and maybe this roster isn't capable of making a deep Playoff run, but all I want to do is support my team and watch them win. I've never even seen a Raptors Playoff game!

I'm interested in your thoughts on this too, but I also want to know about Andrew Wiggins. Is he the main reason why Toronto fans want to tank? Just how big would it be to the people of Toronto have him playing for the Raptors?

MM- I agree 100%. I understand both sides of the argument, but I can’t personally root for the team to do poorly. Besides, drafting high does not always equal guaranteed success (see: Bargnani, Andrea). If you whiff on the pick, that could set your team back another few years. It’s easy to point to the Thunder and say that getting a few high picks works out great, but it’s important to note that teams like the Bobcats and Cavaliers have had a number of high picks over the past couple years and are yet to reap the rewards of constant success.

In terms of Wiggins, I think a lot of casual fans get caught up in the hype surrounding him and are obsessed with the idea of the ‘hometown hero coming home’ storyline. He has been hyped both here and in the States as almost the biggest thing since LeBron James and the fact that he’s stated how he’d love to play for the Raptors just adds fuel to the fire. All of his games at Kansas are televised nationally here, which is the first time this level of attention has been put on a local kid. Despite all of that, I think it would be huge for the fans and city of Toronto if Wiggins ended up on the Raptors. We are so used to having our top talent and stars leave the team to go play elsewhere, and it is refreshing to know that there are highly talented players who want to play for this team and bring wins and success to the organization.
One last question: who is your favourite Raptors player? What is your favourite memory of the team?

AM- I'm going with the big Lithuanian, Jonas Valanciunas. On the court, he has been having such limited opportunities, in that he never seems to get the ball, yet he keeps his head up and continues to play hard for the team. His potential to be a star big is huge, and is a great reason why we should all keep following this team's development.
It's hard to pick a favourite memory, as I've only been watching all the games for the last few seasons. One game that I remember loving was against Atlanta in 2010, where Chris Bosh hit a game-winner. This was before I really knew much about the team, and clearly before I had learned to dislike Bosh. I remember this as a moment where I felt proud to be a Raptor fan; all my friends thought it was a bit ridiculous that I was as excited as I was for a team they thought didn't really matter at all. It's easy to support teams like Miami where your team is just meant to win every game, but supporting a team like Toronto is just way more fun. Yours?

MM- Guys like MoPete and JYD are still loved by the fans in Toronto. On today's squad I'm also a big fan of JV and obviously Amir. You can tell how badly those guys want to win and their growth each year has been impressive. I've been telling people that JV will be an All-Star in five years, and I'm really hoping this is true. My favourite memory of the team is Vince Carter putting on the greatest performance in Slam Dunk Contest history. I think he was the one who turned the team from an expansion squad to a legitimate NBA team.