One — The Raptors battled another championship contender right until the final whistle. It was yet another all-out effort by the Raptors who shortened their rotation to six players for the second consecutive game, but came up short on a few key possessions at the end. Toronto’s defence has held strong in three games against Phoenix, Milwaukee, and Miami with most of their core pieces healthy and available, and that has to signal to the front office that this team is worth investing in, both in terms of time to grow, and with more help to address the depth. This was billed as a development year, but each of their five core players have made tangible strides this year, and are now going punch for punch with the top teams in the league.
Two — The result was decided by a few key sequences in the fourth quarter. First, the Raptors lost momentum after Caleb Martin tackled an airborne Scottie Barnes on a coast-to-coast dunk, which was ruled as a common foul even upon review. Martin went on to score two layups, and had a baseline kick to Max Strus on an open three which put Miami ahead. The Raptors then locked in defensively, limited the Heat to without a field goal for a four-minute stretch, but a string of bad decisions from Barnes undercut the comeback. Whether you chalk these up to fatigue from running such a tight rotation, to a case of rookie mistakes, or just simply over the course of a highly contested game, there is still a feeling of regret that hangs over this result. Much like their loss to Phoenix, the Raptors arguably outplayed Miami but came away empty.
Three — Miami’s main advantage was their depth. The Raptors had Chris Boucher as their super-sub to match the electric scoring ability of Tyler Herro, but Nick Nurse didn’t trust anyone else to play after Justin Champagnie dislocated his finger in the first half. Miami’s second unit delivered huge plays, including Martin’s fourth quarter push, the late three from Strus, and the physical presence of 7-foot veteran Dewayne Dedmon who had eight points, nine rebounds, and three blocks in 16 minutes. The Heat also got decent scoring punch from Gabe Vincent, who is typically their backup point guard except he filled in for Kyle Lowry’s absence. Compare that to the options at Nurse’s disposal, where he knows that he can’t trust any of his secondary guys to fill in minutes. Malachi Flynn and Dalano Banton need G-League reps, Svi Mykhailiuk and Yuta Watanabe can’t buy a three nor create offence for themselves, and Gary Trent Jr. remains sidelined with ankle issues, so Nurse’s hands are tied. The more he extends the rotation, the more likely the Raptors lose, whereas it’s the opposite for Erik Spoelstra in Miami.
Four — Pascal Siakam is playing better than his All-Star season. There’s a maturity to Siakam’s game where he is unfazed by intense and swarming defences. He knows he can get to his spots, but he’s so much more calculated in his approach where he’s anticipating the double team, where it’s coming from, drawing the pressure to him, before setting up his teammates with the right pass. He record 10 assists for the second consecutive game without a single turnover despite being hounded by the likes of P.J. Tucker and Bam Adebayo, and Siakam was also able to break through the Heat’s zone which was specifically designed to keep him out of the lane. At this level, Siakam is the Raptors’ first option and best player overall, and if he maintains this level of play, the Raptors will make the playoffs and compete with anybody.
Five — Fred VanVleet played more without the ball than he did with it. The matchup for VanVleet was difficult with the Heat assigning the bigger and stronger Jimmy Butler onto him, while also collapsing in the paint, which saw the sure-handed VanVleet get smothered repeatedly in the lane for five turnovers. So instead, the Raptors had VanVleet playing more away from the play, opting instead to go through their forwards, with VanVleet being the outlet option for threes, which resulted in VanVleet taking 16 threes and just one two, which was a mid-range jumper that he hit against a backpedaling defender. VanVleet’s best matchups are against teams with like-sized guards and traditional centres to attack in pick-and-roll, but the off-ball role fits him better against opponents with lots of wings and fast bigs like the Heat.
Six — The Raptors ran a very interesting play in the final minute of the game. After the timeout, the Raptors inbounded to Boucher in the middle of the floor, who immediately pitched it back to Siakam who was the inbounder, who then swung to OG Anunoby. VanVleet started in the backcourt for the first few seconds, but was able to run in behind and catch and shoot from 35 feet out as the Heat were a half step late in rotating. On the surface, it’s absurd to call plays for a player to shoot from a foot on the logo, but that’s where VanVleet’s range is at the moment. He spends time before each game practicing his footwork on semi-contested logo threes, and he’s hitting them at a rate better than most players right at the line. It speaks to the strengthening of his lower body and his core to be able to generate so much power to stay accurate from that far out, and it’s one of the things that makes him especially dangerous as an off-ball player.
Seven — Anunoby needs to improve as the third option. Anunoby has the tools to be effective playing off the catch while others initiate, but he keeps running into issues on drives where he is trying to create for himself. The trend of late has been to play Anunoby straight up, to bring help at the rim, but to mostly guard him one-on-one on the perimeter, and he hasn’t made enough plays to capitalize. Anunoby battled foul trouble which limited his playing time in the first half, but he finished with 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting while getting blocked and stripped on a number of his plays. The ability is there for him to succeed in this role, but he needs more reps to read where the help defence is coming from, to make his moves quicker and more decisively, and to be stronger at the basket. There’s enough there between his post-up ability and the outside shooting.
Eight — Barnes played a good game overall but committed a few costly errors. One, he failed to execute a 2-on-1 fast break with Pascal Siakam in a three-point game, where Barnes was too slow to give the ball back to Siakam which allowed Vincent to take the intentional foul to stop the play instead of the Raptors dunking the ball to cut the lead to one in the final minute. Then on the ensuing defensive possession, Barnes got too close to Butler, and angled his body to invite him to drive, which allowed Butler to shoot downhill forcing Boucher to leave the corner shooter in Tucker who nailed the three to go up six. Not only was Barnes in the wrong position, but he also failed to close out to the corner to help the helper in Boucher who rotated over to cover for him. These small details will ultimately decide close games, and it’s only natural for Barnes to still be picking up the nuances given that he’s a rookie.
Nine — Boucher and Precious Achiuwa have been excellent role players. The two forward consistently provide energy, shot-blocking, and rebounding in the middle which has given the Raptors stability in the paint which forms the basis of their defence. Offensively, Boucher in particular has found the right balance between being opportunistic with his chances and occasionally calling his own number, while Achiuwa is still struggling with it. Neither player is polished offensively, per se, but Boucher does finish reliably around the basket whereas Achiuwa is unsure and often wasteful down low. Achiuwa also takes more liberties on offence, opting to post up or try to initiate when it’s not his turn to, but it’s a good sign that he’s ambitious. The coaching staff has found the right roles for them, and in the case of Achiuwa, the challenge is now getting him to maximize it.
Ten — The front office needs to address the bench. Nurse doesn’t trust anyone outside of Boucher and limited doses from Champagnie, and for good reason. Watanabe may come around but for now he’s out, and Nurse doesn’t like any of his backup guards. The one beneficiary of this has been the defensive upside to putting so much length on the perimeter with forwards playing as guards, but the downside is a lack of shooting. Trent Jr. helps in this regard, but no playoff team will ever run with a rotation of only two guards. With Boucher playing as well as he is, the Raptors can either use him as a trade chip to balance the roster or decide to keep him since he’s been vital off the bench, otherwise their best bet is to use the expiring deal of Goran Dragic and future picks to land someone. With how hard this team is competing, it would be a shame not to send reinforcements.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
