Amidst all the talk around the team’s new logo, I almost forgot the Toronto Raptors have a game today. As expected, the Raps have won 4 in a row against sub-.500 competition, and that trend should continue tonight against the lacklustre Detroit Pistons squad.
The Pistons are 5-21, and the reality is that there are no excuses. This has to be a W. Also, we should expect to see more Raptors than Pistons fans tonight. Let’s get to the Cage’s Keys to the Game:
Play seriously
Despite me joking around, the Pistons still have NBA level talent. Brandon Jennings, Greg Monroe, Josh Smith, and Andre Drummond are all players capable of going off, so take care of business. The Raps have come out flat quite often against weaker teams but manage to always pull it out. Why not spare us the stress?
Feed the inside
It’s remarkable how little the ball gets sent inside offensively. Jonas Valanciunas has to work very hard to get touches. Prioritize getting the ball to bigs rather than playing iso ball with Lou Williams and Kyle Lowry. It’s much more sustainable.
Fight for Bruno
Crush these guys. We want to see Bruno Caboclo get some playing time. Seriously, that’s really the only thing that makes games like this worth watching. I might be getting a bit too cocky, but a game against a team that’s won 5 games, is bottom 10 offensively and defensively doesn’t scare me. I mean, really, the Raps are 20-6. No excuses.
X-Factor: Terrence Ross
I would love to see Terrence Ross play a game where he exhibits a relatively high basketball IQ. Just for once, less ill-advised shots, high scoring output, smart passes. If Ross could find some sort of consistency, it would really do wonders for this team. There’s also the fact that Ross goes up against Drummond. Bryan Colangelo took Ross over Drummond and Raptors fans weren’t too happy. #ProveEm
