The wait is finally over. The 2014-15 regular season begins tonight for the Toronto Raptors. In front of what’s sure to be a raucous ACC crowd (both inside and outside of the building), the Raptors will attempt to pick up where they left off at the end of their franchise-best 48-34 campaign. The opponent: a scrappy Atlanta Hawks team trying to climb their way out of Eastern Conference purgatory. With star big man Al Horford returning to the court after an unsuccessful, injury-halted 2013-14 season, the Hawks will be looking to establish themselves as a team not to be taken lightly, despite their recent history.
Toronto will approach tonight’s game with a similar intent. One year ago, nobody expected the Raptors to be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Not very many people expected the Raptors to come out on top of the Atlantic Division either. Fortunately, times have changed. A fair amount of predictions are actually anticipating more Raptor success. However, some doubters still exist. With naysayers claiming that last season was a fluke, the time has come for the Raptors to #ProveEm wrong. It’s time to show them that something truly special is brewing north of the border. Let’s begin.
Cage’s Keys to the Game:
Contain Korver:
As we’ve all seen in past matchups with Atlanta, Kyle Korver‘s skill set has presented problems for Toronto in more ways than one. Not only is Korver a stellar deep range shooter who can knock down the three ball with solid efficiency, but he has also proven to be pretty adept in moving without the ball too. Korver’s knack for getting open has played a huge role in the Hawks offense in previous meetings with the Raptors. Don’t expect this to change tonight. Communication will be key for the Raptors defense, as many off-ball screens will be set to free up the sharpshooting swingman. On top of this, the Hawks will look to kick to Korver if/when the Raptors send a second defender to help in the painted area. If Toronto cannot rotate quickly enough, Korver will definitely take and make his share of jumpers.
Limit Atlanta Bigs:
Paul Millsap was an all-star last season. Al Horford could’ve been one too, if it wasn’t his torn pectoral muscle. Both of the starting Atlanta bigs are solid post scorers who aren’t too bad at stretching the floor either. Amir Johnson, Jonas Valanciunas, and Patrick Patterson will have their hands full trying to limit the Hawks duo tonight. Dwane Casey may even try to utilize James Johnson against Millsap in certain instances. The key here is for the Raptors to stay out of foul trouble, seeing as the offensive repertoire of Horford & Millsap won’t be so easy in defending. On top of this, limiting the second chance points generated by the Hawks big men will be a point of emphasis too. As the old adage goes, “defensive rebounds are the period of the defensive possession’s sentence”. Let’s see if Toronto will be up to the challenge.
Controlled Offense:
We all know that the preseason doesn’t really count, and early-October blunders are to be expected, but still— if it was any indication, the Raptors are going to need to keep it simple on offense, at least until they shake off the rust. For a team that ranked in the top-10 in terms of offensive efficiency last season, there’s no need to change things up. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. After trading a bonafide shot-taker in exchange for depth last year, the Raptors offense went from stagnant to intriguing. It was fun to watch. The fun should continue if the Raptors build on the foundation they set up last year instead of regressing. This means more inside-out play. More JV involvement when the time is right. More side-top-side ball movement. Off-ball screens. Transition opportunities. In game #1 of 82, nothing too flashy or spectacular will be required. The Raptors just need to stick to what has proven to work effectively. Nothing more. Not yet.
X-Factor: Terrence Ross
Today marks the beginning of year three for Terrence Ross. In his first and second year, we’ve seen flashes of brilliance, and we’ve seen various struggles. One thing is certain: the potential is there— Ross just needs consistency. What better night to show improvement?
In tonight’s game, Ross will be matched up with Korver and DeMarre Carroll. On offense, he can give DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry room to operate by knocking down the good looks he’s shown that he can make. On defense, Ross can really show his worth by moving his feet and fighting through the screens set to free up Atlanta’s shooters. T-Ross has already proven that he’s pretty adept at this, so a solid defensive performance is now required of him if his shots aren’t falling and he hopes to stay on the floor.
