Free Falling - Save us Gunner Nation (5.7)
I wanna glide down over mulholland i wanna write her name in the sky. I'm gonna free fall out into nothin', gonna leave this world for a while.Raptors Ramblings recent hiatus can't be explained but my next two weeks are South America bound. After watching the Raps / Celtics game last night I feel the timing is about right. They are heading into an awful stretch of games without Bosh and bargNani and I'd likely just get extremely angry over the upcoming .500 fest...and that's if we are lucky.
Last night's game is not even worth analyzing. But I have been meaning to write a quick diddy about some stats you should know.
The Raptors Can Shoot
Shocking, no? Does it matter that you are 2nd in the league in FT% (by a wide margin) when you are last in getting to the line? Nope, but it tells you something. You don't need to be McGyver or even McClovin to figure out that FT's are a cheap (read: very wise) way to stay in games when your shots aren't falling.
Speaking of shot's not falling, how come we don't shoot more 3's?
You probably just shat yourself. But look at our gunners. It's Gunner Nation in Toronto. I'm dead serious. If you can't rebound anyways (Delfino and Moon have really started to change this), then let's do two things. Let's get to the line by driving...and I don't count driving sideways through the lane and launching up rainbow floaters (Joey Delfino) and let's get more open Three's (note: driving to the hoop may actually result in more open three's).
Gunner Nation - NBA Leaders in 3 Point %
Kapono - 2nd - 52%
Parker - 6th - 49%
B-Nani - 14th - 45%
Delfino - 16th - 44%
Even Calderone is shooting 43% (not enough attempts to qualify). We are shooting 44% as a freaking team, leading the NBA by a mile!
To put this in perspective, what do you think when i say "Pam Anderson"? Boobs. Right? Of course. And when i say "Booo", of course you think Vince. So what do you think when i say Ray Allen? Shooter. Right? (maybe this year you think 'stupid freaking Celtics taking over our damn division' but work with me here) traditionally you think shooter. Well he shoots a career 40% from long range. Enough said. We can shoot.
Obviously Jacking 3's isn't going to solve all our problems, and is eerily reminiscent of those good old huckfest losing days, but we've never had a team that could hit them so well.
Recent memory's best team was '04 - 05's
Mo 38%
Marshall 41%
Alston 36%
Vince 32%
Bonner 42%
Team 37% (with 20+ attempts per game)
So while you are saying 'buckle down on rebounds' and 'tighten up the D'...sure yeah. That's all key. But let's take advantage of what we've got working, and right now that's downtown Judy Brown baby.
One more stat for fun
Have you seen our passing numbers? Calderone and Ford are 9th and 13th in assist per game (formerly 8th but TJ injury hurt) and Calderone's assist to to ratio is one of the sickest numbers not talked about in the NBA. 5.7! Are you kidding me? 5.7? When John Stockton led the league in assists (most ever in a season) he was at 3.9, which was sick. If you are over 4, you are insane (this only counts if you get lots of assists incidentally). I just thought you should know this. Everytime you see Ford whip a pass off a cutting Rasho's chest for a turnover two feet to early it's magnified by the fact you rarely see Calzone do this.
Garbo Update --> Surgery Next Week? Apparently.
Dumbest Comment of the week by someone who knows hit shit --> Doug Smith explaining we won't be playing TJ as an underzied two-guard like Barbosa, Terry etc. because we like our two headed monster. That's fine and all but ah...Doug...how about the fact that TJ can't hit three's? You can't be an undersized two who can't shoot 3's unless you are Allen Iverson.
Had to get one last rant in. It's vacation time.
See you around Christmas.
posted by WG @ 2:54 PM
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