Raptors Cage

Game Day Preview: Raptors Take On Hawks

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Photo Credit - USA TODAY Sports, Tom Szczerbowski.
Photo Credit – USA TODAY Sports, Tom Szczerbowski.

Tonight, the Toronto Raptors hit the road to (1-0) take on the Atlanta Hawks (0-1) , which marks the start of the first of a back-to-back of the season. The Raps play the Milwaukee Bucks tomorrow.

The last time the Raptors were here, Rudy Gay was acquired in a trade, and they were seen on national television; having the game broadcasted on TNT.

This Atlanta Hawks lost Josh Smith this offseason, but they still have solid pieces in place. Their tough front-court consists of Paul Millsap, and Al Horford, and this is going to be a good test for the Raptors after a sloppy season opener.

With that being said, let’s go to the Cage’s 5 Keys To The Game.

1. Attack the boards

Atlanta’s strength is their front-court, so the Raptors – mainly the bigs – will have to be aggressive in boxing their man out, and limiting any second possessions. Jonas Valanciunas, Amir Johnson, and Tyler Hansbrough, we are looking at you! The Raps did a great job rebounding last game, so if we see more of the same it will definitely help substantially tonight.

2. Guard The Perimeter

This team has solid outside players, especially with a three-point threat like Kyle Korver and a solid starting point guard in Jeff Teague. Kyle Lowry will have to contain Teague, as he’s a threat from outside with an improved jumpshot and can penetrate the defense. Their offense relies on this, as once Teague gets inside the offense opens up, leading to open threes or an easy bucket from a big man. The Raptors always seemed to get burned from deep against the Hawks – hopefully they have learned from past games.

Toronto Raptors v Indiana Pacers3. Efficient Shooting

DeMar DeRozan and Rudy were iffy with their shot selection against the Boston Celtics in their home opener. DeMar has to go back to the efficient shooting clip he had in the pre-season for him to truly be a positive effect. I know, he got hacked quite a few times but that’s not going to change until he earns respect from officials. Rudy will need to pick his spots, and look for that mid-post area more than the long-two – a shot that more often than not bails the defense out. Really, they need to start feeding off each more other in order to improve both of their shooting percentages.

4. Establish Jonas Valanciunas

Again, another night in which Jonas has the advantage in terms of his length and size. Horford is an undersized centre, and Millsap is an undersized power forward – these guys will not have the size and length to knock his shots away – look for JV early, as he will get good looks on the inside. He didn’t get nearly enough touches last game, and I am still not sure why.

5. Avoid Unforced Turnovers. The team turned the ball over at an alarming rate against the Celtics on Wednesday night, carrying over from the sloppy pre-season. You can’t be nonchalant against  a Hawks team that will certainly get into passing lanes and look for steals. 17 turnovers is far too much – lowering that number means more possessions, which also means more points for the Raps and less fast-break points for the Hawks.

gay tradeX-Factor: Rudy Gay

I’m not sure if there is a player on this Hawks that will be able to give Rudy Gay any trouble tonight. Rudy needs to take advantage of the Hawks’ lack of perimeter size and athleticism by getting to the rim, using his length to get high quality shots off, and using that new 20 pounds of weight in the post with his back-to-the-basket.

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