The preseason doubts - injury concerns, the productivity of the bench players, the lack of offensive output, a seemingly lacklustre defence - for one opening night anyways, many (if not all) of the questions were answered.
Facing their divisional rivals from Philadelphia who are supposed to knock the Raptors from that runner-up status in the Atlantic (a division which, btw, looks outstanding right out the gate!), the Raptors put it together for a much deserved win. A shaky first quarter was corrected in the next three, putting together a game that every Raps fan was hoping for. While a forgettable and forgivable loss on the part of the preoccupied Sixers fans, who were definitely more focused on the pending World Series win than anything taking place on the court, it was a big move in the right direction for the faithful in Toronto. Pretty certain that sighs of relief could be heard right across the entire city at the conclusion of this game.
It's just the season opener yes, but I can't understate the importance of the win - even if it was just one win. With many doubts arising heading into this game, the calls of concern mounting, things could have gone sour real quick for the Raptors (they were already heading that way it seemed so it would not have taken much). I mean it's not like the Toronto sports media has EVER jumped the gun in regards to its own teams in the past...but anyways, I would find it hard to be all that pessimistic after last nights effort, even for the skeptical. Yes there are still some glaring issues to be addressed (rebounds most specifically, as Toronto was beaten on the boards to a tune of 56-33), however the positives certainly outweighed the negatives last night.
So far so good, take it one game at a time, insert any sports cliche here you want first impressions are still important, and with the way the preseason went a poor outing last night would have been toxic for this newly adjusted squad. But the Raptors survived their first test of the season - and it was a real test against a much improved Sixers team. So congrats to the Toronto team and don't worry, the city has not abandoned you just yet!
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2 comments:
The rebounding numbers were ghastly, but holding Philly to 34% shooting was pretty incredible. And Roko looked good.
Agree on both accounts, great to see it Roko! :) Now both teams will improve and when they meet again on Nov 10th (A game I was fortunate enough to secure tickets for, woohoo!), it'll be interesting to see exactly what adjustments were made.
The Raps let the Sixers shoot from the perimeter since they're not good in that regard, but the Sixers also had a lot of trouble in the paint and that's a tad unusual. I'm not sure they'll be able to rely on that next time, after Brand has settled in a bit more, so rebounds - the plight of the Raps for really almost their entire franchise career - must be shored and quick!
But beyond that I loved the Raps D, played agressive made the opponents change their shots, it was a great thing to watch!
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