When his team came to visit Toronto late in November, Rick Carlisle paid the Raptors a compliment that a coach would be prone to appreciate.
'The key thing is they have all two-way players, guys who are good on offence and defence,' Carlisle, the Dallas Mavericks coach, said. 'And that's how you build a team that's meant to win in the playoffs.'
Although there are enough timeouts in the NBA to occasionally substitute offensive-minded players for defensive-minded players down the stretch of a close game, that is not the preference of a coach. Sticking with a consistent lineup is always the best option, if that option is available. To do that, you need players who draw attention on offence and follow the game plan on defence.
Up front, there becomes a third consideration: Can the player finish a possession by grabbing a rebound? Raptors coach Dwane Casey, at this point in time, has three options in which two out of three will have to do. Jonas Valanciunas is the team's best post-up threat and the Raptors' best rebounder, but Casey does not fully trust him defensively. Patrick Patterson is on fire from three-point range and is a quick and savvy defender, but has never been a good rebounder. Similarly, Amir Johnson, who is clearly playing at less than full health, remains effective in the pick-and-roll and the team's best help defender, but he is rebounding at the worst rate of his career.
In the Raptors' 95-90 overtime win, an ugly game that is best forgotten, Casey used Patterson and Johnson together in the extra five minutes. Of the three possible two-man pairings, the Raptors have had the best average point differential when Patterson and Johnson share the court. There were two instances in which Casey's thinking paid off.
* The Raptors scored the first basket of the overtime, a three-pointer from Patrick Patterson. Amir Johnson was at the elbow, trying to hand off the ball to Terrence Ross, a play usually run for DeMar DeRozan. The Knicks sniffed out the play, perhaps too well, as Carmelo Anthony left Patterson to try to trap Johnson and Ross. Johnson made a quick pass to Patterson in the corner, the type of instinctive play that Valanciunas would just not make at this stage of his development. Valanciunas is a major plus offensively, even though the Raptors do not always leverage his skills, but he still struggles to make anything beyond the most obvious of passes.
* However, Patterson and Johnson were playing primarily for defensive purposes, with Valanciunas's failed defence of an Amar'e Stoudemire bucket off of the pick-and-roll late in the fourth quarter undoubtedly stuck in Casey's memory. Patterson had the toughest assignment, having to guard Anthony out on the perimeter. Johnson was inside on Stoudemire. Inside the final two minutes of overtime, the two Knicks ran a pick-and-roll, causing a switch. If it had been Valanciunas stuck on Anthony, there might have been trouble. However, Johnson is capable of switching with Patterson thanks to their similar quickness, and he was able to force Anthony into a contested three-pointer that he missed. The Raptors were giving up rebounding, and Stoudemire was able to out-maneuver Patterson for the rebound, but Anthony missed another three-pointer.
In general, Patterson's defence, despite playing ostensibly different positions, was excellent down the stretch.
'His length and energy, his quickness and speed and his tenacity to deny [the ball] and forcing [Anthony] way out to catch the ball and his overall defensive focus and understanding of where he is on the floor,' Casey told reporters of what he admired about Patterson's effort. 'He did a magnificent job.'
It is easy to say that Valanciunas should be getting the majority of the Raptors' crunch-time minutes, as him hitting his ceiling would be the best thing for the team's ultimate potential. At times this year, Casey has given Valanciunas more playing time in close games, although usually only when the matchup is favourable.
The coach, though, has a bunch of considerations to make, and they go beyond getting his team more help on offence. With the way that Casey is wired, he will almost certainly continue to do what is best on the other end of the floor.
Post By http://sports.nationalpost.com/2014/12/15/toronto-raptors-amir-johnson-patrick-patterson-frontcourt-pairing-pays-off/
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