Raptors all-star break report card

Raptors 28-24 third in the eastern conference Offence B The office has been very good lead by DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry who is completely different player since his buddy Rudy left town especially in the fourth quarter where they close to the top in points differential in the final quarter. The mark would be much higher if they started games like they finish them but instead they can easily be looking at a double digit hole that they work really hard to get out of and usually succeed at it. Sharing the rock A+ They are middle of the pack in assists (20.9) but since Rudy left it has been more like 23-24 a game with everybody sharing the ball and assists just fall out of the sky and it is all lead by Kyle Lowry who is close to a double-double every night. The assists are opening a lot of chances to get easy baskets and no one is afraid to give up the ball because if they get themselves into scoring position they will get the ball back. 3-balls D The three-ball is something they will live and die by as they take too many instead of pushing the ball down low for more paint points and yes I know that with the extra passes they are getting clean shots but high 20s or low 30s attempt wise it is a little too much and costs victories. Free throws B The Raptors are shooting 77% from the charity strip but some games they just come out flat and build plenty of houses as they throw brick after brick some games I think Dwight Howard would be a better shooter on a given night and it has also lost them games. offensive rebounds A They are sitting 6Th in the league with 12 a game lead by Jonas and Amar and that is very good but sometimes they are not willing to fight for them and get push out of the way which is not good. Defensive A++++++++++++ The D when the team can not shoot to save their lives will keep them into the games with additions like Patterson, Salmons, and even Hayes help keep the games manageable and with the Raps fourth in the league with 96.9 points against it is easy to see how the D leads to the O that brings home the bacon. Rebounds A They are seventh in the league in allowing only 41.3 boards a game while taken 43.4 a game which is a plus 2 on the boards Opponents shooting B+ They are top 10 in opp shooting (44%) and it is all made possiable by the switching, hustling back on D, getting in the shooter's face and not leaving them open for easy shots (36.7% 3-balls). At Home C They have started to demand respect winning like 6 in a row at home they are 14-10 and have given away games on their own floor which the better teams do not do. The do have 17 of their last 30 at the ACC which is something they should take advantage of. On the road A For a franchise that has a franchise high 17 road wins and never a winning record on the road 500 28 road games in is impressive (14-14) with wins in Denver, OKC, Utah, and Milwaukee all places they have not been successful. They look like a team that plays better on the road so if they can play strong on the road as well as at home they should be tough for however theyplay in the first round. Dwayne Casey B Casey has guys willing to play his way and it makes him look better and makes it easiler to make the right decision in a game. Raptors are solid heading into the dress rehearsal for the playoffs Tom Mehegan