After suffering a tough loss to the Miami Heat last night, the Toronto Raptors prepare to take on the Charlotte Bobcats on the second night of a back to back. The Raps hit the road after hanging tight in front of a sold out crowd against the defending champs.
A loss was expected against, the Heat, but the Raps certainly have to beat the Bobcats. Right? A loss here would be bad – especially considering Al Jefferson is out. Keep in mind though, the Bobcats beat the New York Knicks last night.
An interesting match-up will be seeing DeMar DeRozan take on Gerald Henderson. Both are solid scorers from the 2009 draft, however I think DeMar has grown into a more complete player while Henderson is still one dimensional.
Let’s get right into it – here are the Cage’s 5 Keys to the Game
1. Contain Kemba
Kemba Walker has been playing well for the Bobcats. Kyle Lowry has stood his ground defensively, and will have to continue to limit penetration against the lightening-quick Walker.
Aside from Kemba and Henderson, I don’t see who else can significantly hurt the Raps.
Limiting Kemba significantly limits the Bobcats as he is the point of creation for their offense.
2. Move. The. Ball
This is mostly directed towards DeMar DeRozan and Rudy Gay. The Raps need to swing the ball, drive and kick, do something every possession to create movement so they can limit the amount of tough shots and bailouts needed. It starts with Kyle Lowry, who has to make something happen . The talent is there – the offense should be easier.
3. Rudy
It’s no secret that Rudy Gay has sucked offensively thus far. He’s been working hard in other elements such as on the glass, but the shot has to start falling. Tonight, he has a chance to take over against a relatively weak perimeter D. The best way to get out of a slump like this is to attack the rim early and often, without forcing anything. He tends to get tunnel vision when he puts his head down, and once that happens he gets doubled and the result usually isn’t good
4. No Small-Ball
Casey’s small-ball killed the Raps last night. The Bobcats will lack size tonight – similar to the Heat. If Casey fails to exploit this, the Raps will not dominate on the boards, and could end up losing the game. Amir Johnson, Tyler Hansbrough, and Jonas Valanciunas will need to exploit this by demanding the ball and crashing the boards every possession offensively.
5. Play For 4 Quarters
The Raps have not played for a full 4 quarters yet. Every team has gone on a game-changing run against the Raps at some point every game. Runs happen – the key is limiting them, or ‘weathering the storm’. That comes down to Dwane Casey once again – make good use of your time-outs and run solid plays.
X-Factor – Jonas Valanciunas
If Valanciunas gets enough playing time, he could have a career game against the weak Bobcats front line. Brendan Haywood will get torched every time by Val, and Bismack Biyombo doesn’t have the length to guard JV either. Simply put, Valanciunas needs to get the ball a substantial amount, and should also be able to get a fair share of second chance points.
