That was a bit of a ho-hum game, right? Raptors played well for about four minutes and it was enough to win, the atmosphere was funereal for most of the afternoon and maybe we’re into the dog days of the season a bit earlier than usual.
But a win is a win and it beats the alternative, I suppose. Plus, there was this:
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THREE POINTERS
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One more warm welcome back
That was very nice treatment for Vince from the fans, the Raptors, his coach who has a tremendous sense of timing and occasion (think it made it into the game story) and I have no idea whether that’s the last time we’ll see him in a uniform or not.
Heck, he could get traded next month to some contender looking for depth and end up playing a couple more times here and, as he said, maybe he’s got another year in him.
But he also knows about the sentiment for him coming back in some way, shape or fashion, especially after Masai said something – and he was talking generalities rather than specifics about playing – he’d find somewhat to bring Carter back.
Vince is open to it, whatever it may be.
“It's just one of those things, it'll happen, for sure. Somehow, whether it's one day or something, it'll happen. It's supposed to happen, I think. I can say that now. I've had a lot of people say it's supposed to happen, so now I guess I have to believe.”
A fatalistic view but one that I think is right. Just gotta figure out how they honour who and when. That sounds a lot like a slow-day story over the holidays, doesn’t it?
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Mixing it up
You can almost see OG Anunoby getting it with each passing game, figuring out what to do and when.
His first three field goal attempts yesterday were three-pointers (he made the first two) and there are guys with vastly more experience than he who might have stayed camped out behind the arc all day.
The fourth time the ball swung to him on the wing, he didn’t hoist another shot, though. He faked once, drove and scored as part of an overall solid game.
I fully expect that the grind of the season will catch up to him sometime next month, that’s generally what happens with rookies, but he’s showing a level of awareness that’s getting better every time out and that’s got to bode well for the longer term.
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Good idea, tough finish
Having Yak do some initiating of the offence out of the mid- or high-post is going to be the next step in his development. They need to get him as comfortable on dribble-handoffs or having guys split off him when he has the ball so he can turn and shoot and I’m sure that’ll come.
He showed one move in the fourth quarter that they need to see more often.
He was at the elbow, someone ran by him and instead of dumping the ball off, he faked he handoff, spun left and went to the basket. Yeah, he ultimately had his shot at the rim blocked but that’s a move he’s got to perfect to keep defences honest.
We’ve seen Valanciunas do it every now and then – more would be preferable because I don’t recall seeing it this season – but it’s way to make bigs more effective and to keep defences more honest.
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A few quick hitters, okay?
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Nothing – NOTHING – says Christmas like Twisted Sister crooning carols.
Nothing, I tell you.
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So, all kinds of drama in Charlotte over the last day or so – might be a good time to sneak in, cover some basketball in quiet and get out -- and all I know is that if Diddy – and I’m not sure what his name was before but I know that I know it – and Steph Curry want to be part of a new ownership group, I may have to pay a wee bit of attention to it.
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Since I haven’t thought about Christmas shopping and am away Tuesday to Friday and have a game Saturday, the age-old tradition of Christmas Eve afternoon in the mall seems like it’s on tap again.
Can’t wait.
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Was out the other night after the game with a couple of people and of course the TVs are on with no sound.
We look up and they’re obviously doing a story on the teen pucks because it’s that time of year when we pay attention because it’s a good holiday TV show, even if the rest of the world doesn’t give a rat’s bum.
Anyway, they are interviewing this kid – and I swear he looked like he was about 14 years old – and I imagine he’s been cut from the team because he’s rather downcast (near tears, actually) and I’m thinking:
Really?
Not only does this whole thing load up intense pressure on kids who’ve really done little in their chosen crafts but saturation coverage of guys who don’t make the team seems a little bit over the top.
Not that it shouldn’t be reported, it absolutely should because it’s what we do, but I do think there’s maybe a more subtle way to handle it.
Anyway, with a Christmas Day to the Dec. 28 trip and home games on the 29th and Jan. 1 before another trip coming up, I shall be able to escape most of it because when I’m in the States, it’s a completely non-event.
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