The Raptors can’t seem to lose

Ingram’s A+ writeup from Mikai’s Quick Reaction:

“Ingram was knocking down his catch and shoot triples early. Ingram was unconscious in the second quarter, his mid-range touch was on full display and he had a beautiful turn around jumper to get Toronto the lead. Ingram was simply on fire tonight and all Cleveland could do was watch his exquisite shotmaking.”

Scottie’s A:

“Scotties mid-range touch looked good early. Once again he was a blur in transition, using his rebounding as a chance to sprint in the open floor and be a playmaker for his teammates. Defensively he was all over the floor, digging in one drives, sliding back and protecting the rim, he truly covered a lot of ground.”

From Louis’ piece:

“The Raptors run Samson’s Play coming out of timeout, and Quickley curls his option screen to the rim and receives the ball. He catches, backs out, fakes a pass to the rim and hits the corner. Walter drills the three. Ingram dunks in transition moments later. Collin Murray-Boyles hugs Shead on the sideline, Murray-Boyles smiling and Shead mean-mugging. Ingram’s burst is on its way back. He hits a triple a minute later.

The Raptors are a bulldozer. They are Chekhov’s Punch in the Face, introduced before the game even begins. They will punch the opponent. In the face. 

The concept of this offence is constant pressure. The actions come in whirlwinds, yes. That’s modern basketball, and it’s extremely difficult for defences to corral for a single possession, let alone dozens and dozens in a row. And the players in those actions are crushingly talented. Sure, few of them are brilliant individual scorers beyond Ingram. But the concept of the offence puts them in positions in which they don’t need to be. The pressure remains constant through passing, screening, cutting. My god the cutting. The knives are manifold and sharp.”

Enjoy the episode!