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2016-2017 Around The NBA

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godfather said:
Probably bolsters Harden's MVP claim. If they manage to finish top-3 in the West, I think he's a lock to win it.

I don't agree for the record, but I think that's how it will go.
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They were in the WCF a couple of years ago and made it competitive for a while -- with Josh Smith, Dwight and JET playing major roles for them! They got busted up by injuries last year, but why couldn't they get back to that level and give the Dubs even more trouble? They have a team with parts that make sense and fit together, D'Antoni and Harden are a fantastic match and have people like Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson playing good ball. They have an explosive offense and just about enough defense for now.
Sure, some of their success is probably down to teams not being able to prepare for their blitz, so that would change in a playoff series, but there isn't much of a reason for them not to make a run.
 
I don't get all the hype about Millsap to the Raptors. A lot of media is asking if that would shift the power to them in the east.
 
CLEistheCITY said:
I don't get all the hype about Millsap to the Raptors. A lot of media is asking if that would shift the power to them in the east.
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Gotta make it sound like there's a chance to keep people interested I guess, lol.
 
Joe Henderson said:
They were in the WCF a couple of years ago and made it competitive for a while -- with Josh Smith, Dwight and JET playing major roles for them! They got busted up by injuries last year, but why couldn't they get back to that level and give the Dubs even more trouble? They have a team with parts that make sense and fit together, D'Antoni and Harden are a fantastic match and have people like Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson playing good ball. They have an explosive offense and just about enough defense for now.
Sure, some of their success is probably down to teams not being able to prepare for their blitz, so that would change in a playoff series, but there isn't much of a reason for them not to make a run.
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I don't disagree, and for the record. I think Harden being MVP is slightly overrated. Given the additions to that team, and D'Antoni being a fantastic addition as a head coach. I don't buy it's all Harden making the Rockets relevant.

The Rockets have talent. Talent to win a title? No. I'm not taking away the year Harden is having for the record. He's clearly in the top-2 for MVP. Ahead of Westbrook IMO.

But, how is LeBron not even being seriously considered for MVP? We destroyed a good team, on the road, with two D league players in starting in the lineup. Who else can do that?

I'm not being a homer. I have no problem looking at this objectively. I think Harden is definitely having an MVP season, and wouldn't be upset if he won the world.

Actually the advanced stats right now do favor Harden outside of RPM.

LeBron's plus and minus is higher. I guess it really is a legit debate that Harden might be deserving of the award over LeBron at this moment. I'm still leaning towards LeBron, but a lot of basketball still left.

If the season ended today I think Harden would win it though.
 
Well folks, remember how for two years we said that the Cavs whiffed on Bennett but there were no franchise players in that 2013 draft? Well, it looks like there was one.

I guess the one consolation is that 13 other teams missed him, too.
 
I wrote a pretty long article about the Raptors. Give it a read!

http://sportsbystats.com/2017/01/05/the-toronto-raptors-past-historic-present-and-future/

Toronto is using a screen-based offense at a historically elite level. The chart above shows that the Raptors score on nearly 50% of all screen-actions they use. Context provides us with the overall greatness. On ball-handler pick-and-rolls, the Raptors have the highest score frequency in the NBA and are averaging .96 points per possession.
This number is as high as it is because of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. Both Lowry and DeRozan use pick-and-rolls for around 39% of their offensive plays, and additionally, these attempts result in a combined 1.01 points per possession.
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So why don't defenses just double Lowry or switch when guarding a Toronto pick-and-roll? The answer is that the Raptors are also an elite "roll" team. When the pick-and-roll results in a shot, assist, foul, or turnover by the roll man, the Raptors are also averaging the highest score frequency in the NBA resulting in 1.22 points per possession.
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Yet, can this Raptors roster beat a healthy Cavs team? More than likely they cannot. The Cavaliers roster is special because, at any one time, they have a top-5 NBA power forward on the court. This is a problem that even this Toronto roster does not have an answer for, thus while a Millsap trade significantly improves the Raptors' chances of victory, it does not come close to making them the favorites against Cleveland.

So why consider making a trade? The Lowry/DeRozan combination has worked brilliantly and Toronto has a young, developing roster that may contain a future star. The answer to the aforementioned question is that Kyle Lowry is a free agent this offseason, and furthermore, passing his prime as an NBA athlete. This means that the Raptors truly need to capitalize on this season or risk losing the best chance they have to win a title. Thus it seems likely that Ujiri and company will attempt to swing for an all-star via the trade deadline, improving an already elite unit, and making the East increasingly competitive.
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CLEistheCITY said:
The Raptors beat the cavs twice in the playoffs with this offense. The Cavs adjusted and it was over from there.
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Raptors are definitely running it better this year. It's a very similar offense (cut down on post-ups) but is functioning much better than it was last year.

Nonetheless, I agree, if you read the last part of the article I note that, even with a Millsap trade, it's very unlikely Toronto can beat Cleveland in the postseason.
 
jking948 said:
Raptors are definitely running it better this year. It's a very similar offense (cut down on post-ups) but is functioning much better than it was last year.

Nonetheless, I agree, if you read the last part of the article I note that, even with a Millsap trade, it's very unlikely Toronto can beat Cleveland in the postseason.
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I read it. It was a good read, just commenting on the fact the Cavs adjusted to their offense and shut them down in games 5 and 6. I honestly thought the biggest issue that series for the Cavs was Biyombo playing well above the mean. Even with Millsap, I still think the ceiling is 6 games for the Raptors.

The Raptors still lack that playoff superstar imo, even with Millsap. I don't know why people think it is a foregone conclusion the Raps make it to the ECF (assuming both teams are healthy). They were pretty fortunate to make it last year.
 
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