Are you ready for the stretch run?
Barring anything truly significant happening at the trade deadline, playoff teams should be gearing up for a grueling sprint to the playoffs with their current roster makeup—the Toronto Raptors are no exception.
The Raptors closed the first half of the season-plus on a high, winning three straight against quality opponents and emerging victorious in nine of their last 11, a fact reflected in their top-10 ranking.
Hopefully the momentum they seemed to build hasn’t dissipated over the long time off because, as evidenced earlier in the season, the Raptors have top-five potential when everything’s clicking for them. With rested and rejuvenated bodies, Kyle Lowry’s in particular, they have a chance to recapture that early season magic and maybe even first place in the Eastern Conference.
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1 | On Saturday night, Steph Curry proved he is unquestionably the best shooter in the world, winning the three-point contest as part of the deepest field the competition had ever seen with a record-high final score of 27. |
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2 | In an interview he did with ex-teammate and “brother for life” Dwyane Wade, LeBron James said he’s mad that he never entered the dunk contest but that he’s too old to do it now. I’m not so sure about that. |
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3 | For the first time since November, the Hawks have lost two of their last three games. Given the how well represented Atlanta was at All-Star Weekend, though, it’s easy to see how the team could’ve lost some focus heading into the break. |
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4 | Grizzlies owner Robert Pera genuinely loves the game of basketball and, turns out, he can really play as well. Pera scored 10 points in the celebrity game and looked to be the most coordinated person who wasn’t a former player or WNBA player. Also, the man can dunk. |
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5 | LaMarcus Aldridge was a perfect 4-for-4 from downtown at the All-Star Game and is 25-for-59 (42.4 percent) from deep on the season. Given these numbers, should the Blazers consider stretching Aldridge out to the three-point line a little more and up his 1.3 deep attempts per game? |
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6 | Dirk Nowitzki had the best moment of the All-Star Game. After flushing home a lob from Steph Curry, the surefire hall-of-famer went all Vince Carter pointing to the rafters. It was awesome. |
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7 | ICYMI, Charles Barkley isn’t a fan of Daryl Morey and the analytics revolution. |
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8 | Kyle Lowry’s all-star debut started off rough, but finished respectably. If he continues to play at the level he’s shown this season, Lowry’ll be a lock for All-Star 2016 on his home turf—where he’s expressed interest in acting as the unofficial host of the weekend for his all-star peers. |
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9 | J.J. Redick had a good-looking run cut off in the three-point shootout because a lot of his shots were made with his foot on the line. Fortunately, he took it in good humour. |
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10 | In 1997, the San Antonio Spurs took Tim Duncan first overall, changing their franchise’s fortunes forever, but Gregg Popovich actually contemplated taking Scott Pollard instead, concerned Duncan might be a little too finesse for the NBA. Good thing Popovich didn’t follow through on this notion. |
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11 | Russell Westbrook came a point shy of tying Wilt Chamberlain’s All-Star Game scoring record of 42 on Sunday. Why didn’t the West just exclusively give him the ball? |
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12 | The Bulls have won four straight, including a big W over the Cavaliers just before the break that saw Derrick Rose score 30 points on 12-of-24 shooting. Could this be a sign Chicago’s finally putting it all together? |
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13 | It looks as if the Bucks have had enough of Larry Sanders and are reportedly in talks to buy him out. If this is the case, no matter what sort of attitude problem he may have, general managers will be salivating for a shot to add him to their rosters. |
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14 | John Wall had a good All-Star Weekend, but that can’t mask the fact that the Wizards looked out of sorts heading into the break. With the stretch run about to start, Washington not only has to worry about righting the ship, but also about the health of Bradley Beal, who has a stress reaction in his lower right leg—the third year in a row a problem has arisen for him. |
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15 | While pretty much every team is checking in on unrestricted-free-agent-to-be Goran Dragic (as they should), it looks as if the Suns will keep the talented point guard (as they should). |
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16 | While it’s a bummer Anthony Davis chose to sit out the All-Star Game to let his shoulder recover, if you’re a Pelicans fan you’ll take it. All signs now point to Davis being ready to play immediately and help New Orleans make a playoff push. |
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17 | Don’t look now, but the Celtics just beat the Hawks and are only 1.5 games out of a playoff spot. Should Brad Stevens be congratulated for his excellent coaching, or vilified for ruining Boston’s plans to tank? |
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18 | While the Pistons can definitely squeeze into the playoffs, you have to wonder if they’re approaching a crossroads right now: Either gun for the second season or dial it back for a shot at the draft’s top-10. |
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19 | The Hornets are in playoff position right now and made a move to ensure they stay there by trading for Mo Williams. The move looks like a rental with Williams’ contract set to expire, but considering he and Al Jefferson are very good friends, there’s a chance he could re-sign. |
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20 | Paul George is reportedly targeting a mid-March return to the Pacers. If he manages to hit that goal, it should be considered one of the most miraculous comebacks the NBA has ever seen. |
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21 | It’s still tough to get any sort of read on Dante Exum. In the Rising Stars Challenge, the Australian rookie scored only four points in a World Team win. You would think a free-flowing exhibition would help a supposedly excellent point guard prospect unleash his talent. Guess not. |
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22 | Everyone knows the Nets want to trade Brook Lopez, Joe Johnson and Deron Williams, but with time running short, it’s looking like those exorbitant contracts aren’t coming off the books. |
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23 | If Dwyane Wade can remain healthy through the stretch run, the Heat should have no problem staying locked into a playoff position and, subsequently, becoming a very dangerous opponent for a higher seed with little playoff experience in the postseason like the Raptors or Hawks. |
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24 | Why wasn’t K.J. McDaniels in the dunk contest? |
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26 | George Karl has taken over as the permanent bench boss in Sacramento and should look to turn things around next season—this year’s already a write off. |
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27 | Poor Victor Oladipo. That 540 was awesome… and then Zach LaVine came out. |
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28 | The fire sale is on in Denver. Ty Lawson, Kenneth Faried, Arron Afflalo, Wilson Chandler and JaVale McGee are all reportedly being shopped. |
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29 | In an excellent interview with GQ, Kobe Bryant likened himself to Mozart in response to critics saying he shoots too much, citing the fact that people criticized Mozart for using too many notes. |
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30 | The Knicks bought out Amar’e Stoudemire’s contract and he has since committed to join the Dallas Mavericks, bringing to a close a Knicks tenure that started off great and quickly nose-dived. |
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