Regularly throughout the NBA playoffs, we’ll be checking in with former Raptors head coach Butch Carter for an insider’s perspective on the X’s and O’s that lead to W’s and L’s. Today, Carter breaks down the Raptors’ Game 4 win and looks ahead to Game 5 in Toronto.
How the Raptors shut down Joe Johnson, limiting him to seven points on 2-of-7 shooting
The Raptors came and double-teamed Joe Johnson on the catch. Normally when you double team, it leads to a shot off the first or second pass out of that double team. The Raptors deserve credit for whatever they did to confuse the Nets, but Brooklyn’s offensive adjustments to the double team were extremely poor. The Nets found a way to keep passing the ball, and the beauty of that is it allowed the Raptors time to recover. Joe Johnson also doesn’t understand that he can’t catch the ball where it’s easy for the defense to come and double team. I’d expect Brooklyn to make that adjustment heading into Wednesday and have Johnson get more catches near the free-throw line.
DeMar DeRozan’s toolbox
DeMar has proven that he is one of the best mid-range shooters in basketball. If you look at his analytics compared to other wing players, he’s as good as anybody from 15 to 20 feet. He’s a rare breed in that respect: He’s convinced himself that he’s not a three-point shooter and that has allowed him to work on the mid-range game.
He has an unorthodox shot—it’s not as crude as Jamaal Wilkes’s, but he does shoot the ball from behind his head. In the NBA, though, some guys can groove it to a point where their shot becomes outstanding even if they are technically doing it wrong. DeMar is at a point where I expect him to make shots and generate fouls. During the regular season he was sixth in the league in trips to the free throw line, and he’s elevated that even more in the playoffs: Through four games he’s attempted 48 free throws, which is the most in the NBA, and he’s made 42 of them, also a league high and eight more than second place (Damian Lillard).
Jonas Valanciunas’s role in the Raptors’ offence
I believe Jonas’s improvement is directly related to his arrest. He’s responded in an outstanding way for himself and the team, and Toronto’s long-term plan where he’s concerned is probably to get him more touches. But this season, the team has functioned without him being a first or second option and Dwane Casey is not the kind of coach to change now, get Jonas more touches and risk seeing it fail—especially when the formula that got him into the playoffs is still standing on the court.
Terrence Ross’s struggles
The playoffs normally expose what you have to work on in the summer. Terrence Ross has not developed into a player who scores off the dribble. Whoever is working him out may think that he has, but the reality is that the workouts are not consistent enough for him to be effective against playoff teams. It’s a liability that has shown up in lots of young players in their first playoff series, and it’s nothing the team should be overly concerned about in the long run.
When I was coaching the Raptors, Vince Carter shot 30 percent in his first playoffs and I dealt with it the wrong way. I tried to address it during the playoffs when I should have realized that every playoff appearance is a stepping-stone to the bigger prize, and waited until the summer. He had accomplished so much, had come so far in 130 career games (to that point) and he had responded so well to all of the work and adjustments we gave him during the off-season that I should have waited to address that in the summer.
Game 5 adjustments
The Raptors have to take note of what happened to Brooklyn in Game 4. The Nets didn’t come out ready to play. They just assumed that it was all going to work out for them because they were playing at home. They didn’t adjust and weren’t ready for the Raptors’ double team out of the low post. The Raptors have to take note of that and be mentally tough.
Ultimately, there are two huge reasons Toronto needs to get the job done in Game 5. The first is that Miami is going to sweep Charlotte. By taking care of business on Wednesday, the Raptors give themselves a chance to end the series sooner rather than later. The second is that if there’s anything they should’ve learned from Game 4 in Brooklyn it’s don’t come out and take things for granted. Run your offence, set good hard screens, don’t foul and don’t turn the ball over.
I expect the fans to play a big role, as well. We’ve seen how, in cities like Portland, the fans can absolutely make a difference and give the players something to feed off. After going to Brooklyn and seeing what supposedly “good fans” are like, I think the Raptors have an even deeper appreciation of their home fans.
Check back Thursday for Coach Carter’s breakdown of Game Five, as well as thoughts and analysis on the Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Bulls-Wizards matchup, and the rest of the NBA’s incredible first-round action.