The Ascend to Greatness | Toronto Raptors

[AC]

Quote: Originally Posted by Lyrikal

Well no not really...I sort of took "too much" of Bargani's minutes last season (wanted to develop Ed Davis more) and he ended up not being happy with the team. KG was just a little added bonus because I am a fan of his. It sorta works out because as KG declines, I can play Ed Davis and Tristan Thompson more. Both happen to be 72 OVR right now. Also it makes for an interesting story-line!

A very intriguing story line.... However, won't one of ED and Thompson eventually have to go?

Does anyone really care where I sent this from?

[Lyrikal]

Off Season Moves

NBA Draft:
1st Round - 8nd Pick


2nd Round - 5th Pick


Trades:
24th Overall Pick, A. Bargnani, A. Johnson & L. Kleiza to BOS for K. Garnett


16th Overall Pick, J. Johnson & K. Azubuike to CLE for T. Thompson


Free Agency:

[Lyrikal]

SEASON PREVIEW

Last season the Raptors were in rebuilding mode. They brought in a new head coach that immediately sought to make changes. The entire roster was shaken up as they tried their best to piece together the right group of players to move forward with. They only managed to go 24-34 but there were bright spots. Especially in the play of DeMar DeRozan and newly acquired center Roy Hibbert. Both players proved to be solid fixtures on the team. The Raptors then completed their overhaul during the off season and put together a promising unit. Starting with a solid draft and then managing to pull off some major upgrades by acquiring Kevin Garnett and Jeremy Lin. The Raptors also brought back Vince Carter and fortified their defense with Tristan Thompson. This season could be the year the Raptors finally break out of their slump. Only time will tell...

Team Roster

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Toronto Raptors
#	NAME	POS	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
7	Jeremy Lin	PG	24	6'3	200
5	Terrence Ross	SG/SF	21	6'7	200
15	Vince Carter	SG/SF	35	6'6	220
20	Dominique Jones	SG/PG	24	6'5	215
10	DeMar DeRozan	SF/SG	23	6'7	220
4	Quincy Acy	SF/PF	22	6'8	225
21	Kevin Garnett	PF/C	36	6'11	252
32	Ed Davis	PF/C	23	6'10	230
13	Tristan Thompson	PF/C	21	6'8	225
55	Roy Hibbert	C	25	7'2	270
50	Solomon Alabi	C	24	7'1	250

[Lyrikal]

Matchup Preview | November 3, 2012
	@
New Jersey Nets (0-0, 0-0 Away)		Toronto Raptors (0-0, 0-0 Home)
Projected Starters Deron Williams Point Guard Jeremy Lin MarShon Brooks Shooting Guard Terrence Ross Gerald Wallace Small Forward DeMar DeRozan Anthony Davis Power Forward Kevin Garnett Robin Lopez Center Roy Hibbert Game Notes This year's first overall pick will be making his debut tonight. Anthony Davis is highly regarded to be the league's next big star. However, he will be faced with a difficult match-up tonight. Davis will be up against one of the league's most dominant players at the position, in Kevin Garnett. This divisional match-up should be an interesting one.

THE STORYLINE:

Last year, both teams were sitting at the bottom of the league standings. After enduring disappointing seasons, each team seemingly got a lot better through the off-season by bringing in instant contributors. The Nets won the lottery and grabbed college star, Anthony Davis and the Raptors added Kevin Garnett and Jeremy Lin to the fold. Both teams have put together promising rosters and are in place to contend in the very tough Atlantic Divsion. These two teams are on the rise and could potentially make a lot of noise this season.

KEYS TO SUCCESS:

The Game Plan: The Raptors need to be stout on defense and focus on preventing the Nets from running up the score board. The Nets have a stronger perimeter offensive attack and could easily run away with the game if the Raptors do not play great defense and control the tempo. On the offensive end, the Raptors have to establish their presence in the post. The front court in Toronto is a lot stronger and experienced. This is their biggest strength against the Nets.

Who needs to get hot: KG is going up against the rookie phenom Anthony Davis. The Raptors need to try and exploit this match-up. Davis is a solid defender but KG is a savvy veteran that can always find a way to score. It's simple..."Feed the Beast"

Who needs to be stopped: Deron Williams is considered one of the top point guards in the game. The Raptors need to do their best to try and contain him. He is a threat in many different ways, he can score at ease and is tough on the defensive end. If the Raptors let him get loose, the game can get ugly.

[FaM0us Skins]

You did a great job getting Lin, Hibbert, and Garnett in free agency. Good luck against the Nets

[Deddy2k]

Tough first match.

The Nets have a beast starting five. Good luck.

[Lyrikal]

OPENING THRILLS!!!

Brooks and D.Will Combine for 60 but DeRozan Shines. Raptors win 123 to 120 in OT

The Game:
The Raptors and Nets kicked off the season with a thrilling opener. Both teams exchanged blows on the offensive end remained even all throughout the contest. It looked like the Raptors had run away with it in the third quarter outscoring the Nets 31 to 22. But the Nets fought back hard and tied it sending the game into overtime. The Nets seemed to have the momentum going into the extra period but DeMar DeRozan stood firm. He scored 9 of his 42 in overtime, none bigger than the game-winner itself.

The X-Factors:
MarShon Brooks started his sophomore season going for a career high, 34 points. He was seemingly unstoppable on offense.

Deron Williams also had a solid night with 26 points, both Brooks and Williams combined for 60 in a losing effort.

DeRozan had an impressive game, as he put up 42 points along 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 6 steals and 1 block. He was a factor in every aspect of the game.

Jeremy Lin had a career high with 16 assists and also put up 17 points in his debut as a Raptor.

Extra Points:
Both rookies struggled to find offense early on in the game. Terrence Ross shot 35% on the field for the night. Anthony Davis only managed 6 points (33% shooting) as he struggled against KG. On the bright side, both made contributions on defesne as Ross netted 3 steals and Davis racked up 12 rebounds and a block.

Toronto Raptors (0-0) at New Jersey Nets (0-0)
Nov 3, 2012 1 2 3 4 OT Final Toronto 23 32 31 24 13 123 New Jersey 23 33 22 32 10 120 Top Performers Toronto Raptors D. Derozan - 42 Pts, 8 Asts, 6 Stls, 6 Rebs J. Lin - 17 Pts, 16 Ast, 3 Stls New Jersey Nets M. Brooks - 34 Pts, 4 Asts, 4 Rebs D. Williams - 26 Pts, 7 Asts, 6 Rebs	Team Stats Comparison TOR NJN FG Made-Att 46-87 49-88 3PT Made-Att 13-19 7-16 FT Made-Att 18-26 15-17 Rebounds 35 48 Assists 36 24 Turnovers 17 21 Steals 20 16 Blocks 7
Toronto Raptors STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS DeMar DeRozan 42 16-23 6-7 4-4 6 8 6 1 3 42 Jeremy Lin 40 7-13 3-3 0-0 3 16 3 0 6 17 Kevin Garnett 37 7-15 0-0 1-2 9 1 2 1 1 15 Roy Hibbert 34 6-9 0-0 1-2 5 2 1 2 0 15 Terrence Ross 28 5-14 3-7 1-2 4 3 3 0 2 14 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Vince Carter 11 3-5 1-2 1-2 0 0 2 1 1 8 Dominique Jones 9 0-1 0-0 5-6 0 2 0 0 1 5 Tristan Thompson 15 1-5 0-0 2-2 2 2 1 1 1 4 Ed Davis 25 1-2 0-0 1-2 5 2 1 1 2 3 Quincy Acy 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0 0 0
New Jersey Nets STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Marshon Brooks 34 13-20 4-6 4-4 4 4 3 1 3 34 Deron Williams 37 11-18 2-5 2-2 6 7 1 0 7 26 Brook Lopez 39 8-13 0-0 2-2 11 1 1 0 3 18 Gerald Wallace 38 6-11 0-0 3-3 9 5 4 1 2 15 Anthony Davis 38 3-9 0-0 0-0 12 3 4 1 1 6 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Corey Brewer 11 3-6 1-2 2-3 0 0 1 1 1 9 Will Bynum 9 3-4 0-1 1-2 0 2 0 0 2 7 Chris Singleton 14 1-3 0-0 1-1 3 1 0 0 0 3 Derrick Caracter 8 1-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 2 Damion James 11 0-1 0-0 0-0 2 0 2 0 0 0 Anthony Morrow 5 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0

[Lyrikal]

Matchup Preview *|* November 6, 2012
	@
Toronto Raptors (1-0, 1-0 Away)		New York Knicks (0-1, 0-0 Home)
Stats Comparison 123.0 Points Per Game 85.0 120.0 PPG Allowed 104.0 .585 Field Goal % .438 Projected Starters Jeremy Lin Point Guard Baron Davis Terrence Ross Shooting Guard Iman Shumpert DeMar DeRozan Small Forward Carmelo Anthony Kevin Garnett Power Forward Amare Stoudemire Roy Hibbert Center Tyson Chandler Game Notes The Knicks come into this match-up looking to edge out their division foes. The Raptors already have one division win under their belts by beating the Nets last week. Can the Raptors take NYC by storm or will the Knicks prove that they can bounce back from a tough loss.

THE STORYLINE:

The Raptors and Knicks are set to face off for the first time this year. In years past the Knicks have dominated the series but the Raptors are looking to change that. There usually isn't much of a story when it comes to these two teams but it's different now. The most intriguing aspect of this match-up is the fact that Jeremy Lin will be going up against the team that helped launch him into stardom. The Knicks lost Lin to the Raptors through free-agency last year, so there might be plenty of bitterness between the two organizations. Can Jeremy Lin prove that he isn't just a product of the Knicks?

KEYS TO SUCCESS:

The Game Plan:
The Knicks have two scoring threats on their front court with Carmelo and Amare. They can get hot at any moment and the Raptors may have a hard time containing them if they do. The key for the Raptors is to be solid in the front court and do their best to contain the two forwards for the Knicks. Last week the Raptors were gashed up on defense and were out rebounded. The Raptors need to get back to fundamental defense, play solid and take control of the boards.

Who needs to get hot: Even though DeRozan played the exceptionally well last game, he might have a hard time going up against Melo. With that said, Jeremy Lin needs to step up and prove he can stand out. He is going up an older Baron Davis who lacks some quickness and explosiveness he once had. The Raptors should exploit this match-up as much as possible.

Who needs to be stopped: Carmelo Anthony is the biggest threat on the Knicks. He is an offensive machine and can put up points at ease. The Raptors need to make sure to contest as many of his shots as possible. Because they may not be able to shut him down but they can atleast try to slow him down.