In the end, the Raptors first round playoff series was lost over the course of about 8:50 of fourth quarter play.
Let's throw out Game 1 where they were knocked on their wallets early and even though they cut the lead to five points early in the fourth quarter, they were never really a threat to ever win the game. The same can basically be said for game three when they took it to Orlando and built up enough of a lead that when the Magic's run at them ended, they were able to hold on for the win.
Now Games 2, 4, and 5 were a different story and showed a disturbing pattern. In Game 2, Toronto was ahead 101-100 with 1:04 to go and could not hold the lead. They had a chance to win but Bosh's jumper came up short. In Game 4 at home, it was a two-point 94-92 Orlando lead with 2:32 to play and again stretch time execution, at both ends, proved to be Toronto's undoing. It was a slower death in game five as the Magic built on an 84-82 advantage with 5:14 remaining to close out the series and send the Raptors home.
You expect offensive percentages to dip in the playoffs as the scouting and familiarity are at a whole other level, but that's where having players who can create and make plays must step forward. Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis who did not shoot the ball well over the duration of the series making only 42% and 43% respectively from the floor, made big plays when it counted for Orlando late in the game. The inability of Anthony Parker, Jason Kapono, and Carlos Delfino to keep those two players in front of them forced Toronto to give up lay ups or uncontested jump shots. The supposed advantage at the point guard spot never really materialized for Toronto as Jameer Nelson and Keyon Dooling outplayed Toronto's tandem of T.J. Ford and Jose Calderon.
So what now if you are the Raptors? As much as people want to point to strategic improvements from the sidelines during the game to help get it done, the roster must also be upgraded. For some reason, every fan and media member is trying to read between the lines and have determined that T.J. Ford will not be a Raptor next season. It says here that he still has potentially a higher ceiling than Calderon but impatience and perception have seemingly doomed Ford in this market. Just because it doesn't always look the way people think it should with Ford's play, people point to it and say it is automatically wrong.
It would be ideal if Toronto could figure out a way to keep both point men, but that may not happen. Ford and Calderon are a perfect compliment for one another and both will show diminishing returns in the short term if they are forced to shoulder heavy minutes.
If Ford is the guy to go, then the Raptors had better get a guard that can make plays and break the defence down and create when all else fails.
The Raptors need to find a couple defensive demons, one that can deter offensive players in the lane as they finished the season 25th in the NBA shot blocking. Rebounding help is also needed and if they could find a player that combines this interior defence with some rebounding and the occasional blocked shot they would address a number of needs at once. The other defensive requirement is someone who can square up perimeter players and make it tough for them to get into the lane. Just look at what Turkoglu and Lewis did to Toronto in the playoffs.
Offensively, particularly if Calderon is your point guard of choice, the Raptors need to find a perimeter player who can create his own shot and average six to seven free throw attempts per game (Ford had 5 more free throw attempts than Calderon during the regular season despite playing in 31 fewer contests and in the playoffs only Chris Bosh went to the charity stripe more than Ford). It is easy to say that you'll find Bosh some help with another 20 point scorer but check the list of guys that averaged 20 or more this year and it will tough if not impossible to pry some of those players away from their current teams for what Toronto may have to offer.
Finding a Loop-hole in the Rules
The Phoenix Suns had another disappointing end to their season and there is heavy speculation from those close to head coach Mike D'Antoni that he will be coaching another team at the start of the next season. Chicago is the strongest possibility at the moment but stay tuned.
Give Gregg Popovich and his San Antonio Spurs credit for having the Suns set in five games but the "hack-a-Shaq" strategy did not sit well with me. Yep, I was hoping to see Steve Nash, Captain Canada, get to the finals now that he was playing with a bona fide inside presence in O'Neal but Popovich and the Spurs took the air out of their balloon.
Game 1 of the series was terrific. But let's face it, D'Antoni flat out lost game one by not fouling and allowing the Spurs to hoist an unlikely three, by Tim Duncan of all people, to tie it.
The first game must have been too close for Popovich because he pulled out his ace in the hole after that and used the "hack-a-Shaq" in the middle of the game in subsequent contests. The strategy killed any momentum the Suns tried to get going not to mention taking the ball out Nash's hands and not letting Phoenix get into any kind of offensive rhythm. Was it great strategy? Yes, but from someone who loves to watch coaches make adjustments and use loop-holes this one killed the entertainment value of the series. Yes that's right, me, of all people, complaining about entertainment. Normally, I don't care about highlight reel plays, you'll see your share in the flow of the game but this helped grind each game and the series down to a halt.
But what should the NBA do about the "hack-a-Shaq strategy? In any other basketball league in the world the Suns would get two shots and the ball for an intentional foul (i.e. fouling a player with no attempt made on the ball) but this is not the NBA's interpretation. If the Spurs risked that penalty, heck, even one shot and the ball, they may not have employed the strategy but this is fool proof when you have poor foul shooter like O'Neal. The NBA only has flagrant 1 and flagrant 2 fouls and there is no plan to change the rule in the near future. In truth, the Spurs are only taking advantage of Shaq's ineptitude and the basketball part of me says the "Diesel" needs to learn to use a different type of fuel than dunks and short jumpers in the lane. He has to learn to make free throws. Tyson Chandler of the New Orleans Hornets is a career 60% free throw shooter but no thanks to the last three seasons where he has never been above 59% efficiency from the stripe. At this rate, he may be Popovich's next target.
When does discussion of changing the rule start to take place? Well just wait until the strategy becomes prevalent with the likes of Dwight Howard, Emeka Okafor, and Andrew Bogut, or any other big man that can't make free throws. The games will start slowing to a walk and taking close to two and half hours. Network TV executives will be on the phone to the NBA office and changes will be made. In the meantime fellas, work on your free throws.