The Nets visit the Raptors for the first of four meetings this season. Brooklyn is looking more like a team and less like a joke every game. This one won’t be easy.
The Brooklyn Nets come to town in better shape than I thought they’d be at this stage of the season. Their organization was crippled for years by former General Manager Billy King, who’s probably the worst NBA executive in history. Former Raptors Sean Marks was brought as GM, and he’s managed to do as much as possible without draft picks. Expecting success in the NBA when you’re shut out of the draft (in their case, the lottery!) for years is roughly akin to expecting to jump safely from an airplane when you’ve forgotten your parachute.
The Raptors unloaded DeMarre Carroll on Brooklyn this past off-season in a cash dump, after he’d disappointed our team as an oft-injured free agent. He’s their top rebounder, which is both good on him, and bad on his teammates. Tyler Zeller is named as the starting center. If Jonas Valanciunas wants to continue his strong showing of late, he’s found the right man to exploit.
When Jeremy Lin went down for the season in Game One, the Nets appeared doomed…well, even more than expected. Spencer Dinwiddie has emerged as their starting point guard. He’s dished out 41 dimes in the Nets’ last five games, so he’s in form. Dinwiddie averages 12.8 points Per Game [PG], meaning he’s not merely a passing fancy.
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The Nets suffered another serious injury when D’Angelo Russell was sidelined with a bad knee. Their shooting guard now is Allen Crabbe, who has the “shooting” part figured out, but not much else. He’s a defensive liability for them.
That issue is not limited to Crabbe. The Nets are tied with Orlando in the East for most points surrendered PG, with 110.6.
3 keys to Raptors victory
- Attack them early. The Nets lost last night against the Knicks, and their key men played a bunch of minutes. We need all of our starters to make an impact against a team with shabby defense, particularly inside.
- Get out on them. Brooklyn attempts the second-most number of 3-balls in the league, behind only the Houston
Long BombersRockets. While their make rate is modest at 34%, the Nets depend on the long ball desperately, as they have little success in half-court sets. - Bother the ball-handler. Brooklyn surrenders 15.3 turnovers PG, tied for 23rd. Neither Dinwiddie nor Crabbe boasts a great handle, and their bench provides little relief.
[all stats courtesy of www.espn.com/nba, unless otherwise noted]
Prediction
The Raptors have been out of sorts lately. Our bench has been downright bad, and Kyle Lowry can’t find his shooting stroke. Yet they keep winning. It’s too much to expect a complete return to form, but the friendly crowd will help.
Toronto 117 – Brooklyn 108