New Orleans Pelicans at Toronto Raptors
Where: Scotiabank Arena
Date: Tuesday, October 22, 2019.
Time: 7:00 PM CDT
How: TNT
The first game on the 2019-20 NBA schedule is upon us and it’ll pit our hometown New Orleans Pelicans against the World Champion Toronto Raptors. You can catch the action on TNT starting at 7:00 p.m. Central, but if you’re interested, there will be plenty of pre-game material for your viewing pleasure beginning at 5:30 p.m.
While the excitement over the dawn of a new season was muted considerably yesterday with the news of Zion Williamson possibly missing up to two months, the first overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft was not expected to carry the torch on day one.
Are we disappointed that we won’t see the young phenom for what’s expect to be a period of six to eight weeks? You betcha. Has all hope for a good and fun season gone down the drain? No, I really don’t believe that.
Zion substantially elevated expectation levels in preseason through his stupendous play, but the depth on the Pelicans roster is real as it propelled New Orleans to a 5-0 exhibition record.
David Griffin has blessed Alvin Gentry with the right cogs for his system. We should continue to see the Pelicans play fast, together and put up a lot of points on the scoreboard. And if the preseason doesn’t prove to be an aberration, the team’s perimeter shooting might actually be a strength on the year, not a weakness.
Sitting on the opposite end of the floor, the Toronto Raptors will receive their championship rings and unveil a banner marking their monumental achievement before tip-off. Then they’ll attempt to defend their crown, but they’ll be missing one crucial component: Kawhi Leonard, who left for the Los Angeles Clippers in the offseason.
However, before you try and write them off, did you know that the Raptors managed to post a 17-5 record in the contests Kawhi missed last season? That’s pretty impressive and rather telling, so don’t take their superstar-less roster for granted. They still have Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, Norman Powell and OG Anunoby.
Expect for Toronto’s experienced group to try and counter New Orleans attack with an opportunistic defense. Gentry wants to run at the fastest pace possible, but the Raptors are no slouches. They finished 4th in fast break points and 13th in fast break points allowed last season. We witnessed the same pattern this preseason, with Toronto finishing first in fast break points and 8th in fast break points allowed.
This will likely be the key to the game: whoever best controls the transition game. If New Orleans can keep turnovers and defensive breakdowns to a minimum, expect for them to have a really good chance to steal the victory — even without Zion.
Fred VanVleet or Norman Powell? That’s the big debate right now. Both had excellent training camps and played incredibly efficient basketball in the team’s four preseason games. Powell showcased an improved 3-point shot, averaging nearly 16 points and 3.0 3PM in just under 21 minutes per game, while VanVleet captained the starters, averaging 14 points and 7.7 assists in 26 minutes per game. Both guards were blistering from the field, with Powell hitting 69 percent of his threes, and VanVleet knocking in 43.8 percent from deep.
Whomever gets the nod at tip-off, both guards figure to play significant minutes as a three-man rotation with Kyle Lowry. As long as Powell plays within the offense and avoids the iso-ball he resorted to early on in his career, the Raptors guard rotation should be rock solid to begin the season. That said, our money right now is on FVV getting the nod.
For years, we fans have yearned for the experience of winning it all, even though we had no idea what it was like. When last season began, we dreamed of the Finals, sure, but our number one priority was putting on a good show for Kawhi in the hopes the Raptors would re-sign him, and not have sacrificed our beloved DeMar DeRozan for nothing.
Looking back, it all happened so fast. As November rolled around, all we wanted was to be competitive with the oft-discussed powerhouse 76ers or the sneaky Celtics. But in a lot of ways, the team we bested to get to the Finals — the Milwaukee Bucks — were our contemporaries. They too had no idea what to expect entering last season — with one superstar and a new head coach — and when the two teams kept winning games, it was only then that our hopes began to firmly materialize.
From the Game 1 loss to D.J. Augustin, to Kawhi’s final free throw, the emotional path we took is what we’ll remember. I say it to this day — I have no recollection of the final two minutes of Game 6 in Oakland. But I’ll never forget the ride.
Where: Scotiabank Arena
Date: Tuesday, October 22, 2019.
Time: 7:00 PM CDT
How: TNT
The first game on the 2019-20 NBA schedule is upon us and it’ll pit our hometown New Orleans Pelicans against the World Champion Toronto Raptors. You can catch the action on TNT starting at 7:00 p.m. Central, but if you’re interested, there will be plenty of pre-game material for your viewing pleasure beginning at 5:30 p.m.
While the excitement over the dawn of a new season was muted considerably yesterday with the news of Zion Williamson possibly missing up to two months, the first overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft was not expected to carry the torch on day one.
Are we disappointed that we won’t see the young phenom for what’s expect to be a period of six to eight weeks? You betcha. Has all hope for a good and fun season gone down the drain? No, I really don’t believe that.
Zion substantially elevated expectation levels in preseason through his stupendous play, but the depth on the Pelicans roster is real as it propelled New Orleans to a 5-0 exhibition record.
David Griffin has blessed Alvin Gentry with the right cogs for his system. We should continue to see the Pelicans play fast, together and put up a lot of points on the scoreboard. And if the preseason doesn’t prove to be an aberration, the team’s perimeter shooting might actually be a strength on the year, not a weakness.
Sitting on the opposite end of the floor, the Toronto Raptors will receive their championship rings and unveil a banner marking their monumental achievement before tip-off. Then they’ll attempt to defend their crown, but they’ll be missing one crucial component: Kawhi Leonard, who left for the Los Angeles Clippers in the offseason.
However, before you try and write them off, did you know that the Raptors managed to post a 17-5 record in the contests Kawhi missed last season? That’s pretty impressive and rather telling, so don’t take their superstar-less roster for granted. They still have Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, Norman Powell and OG Anunoby.
Expect for Toronto’s experienced group to try and counter New Orleans attack with an opportunistic defense. Gentry wants to run at the fastest pace possible, but the Raptors are no slouches. They finished 4th in fast break points and 13th in fast break points allowed last season. We witnessed the same pattern this preseason, with Toronto finishing first in fast break points and 8th in fast break points allowed.
This will likely be the key to the game: whoever best controls the transition game. If New Orleans can keep turnovers and defensive breakdowns to a minimum, expect for them to have a really good chance to steal the victory — even without Zion.
Fred VanVleet or Norman Powell? That’s the big debate right now. Both had excellent training camps and played incredibly efficient basketball in the team’s four preseason games. Powell showcased an improved 3-point shot, averaging nearly 16 points and 3.0 3PM in just under 21 minutes per game, while VanVleet captained the starters, averaging 14 points and 7.7 assists in 26 minutes per game. Both guards were blistering from the field, with Powell hitting 69 percent of his threes, and VanVleet knocking in 43.8 percent from deep.
Whomever gets the nod at tip-off, both guards figure to play significant minutes as a three-man rotation with Kyle Lowry. As long as Powell plays within the offense and avoids the iso-ball he resorted to early on in his career, the Raptors guard rotation should be rock solid to begin the season. That said, our money right now is on FVV getting the nod.
For years, we fans have yearned for the experience of winning it all, even though we had no idea what it was like. When last season began, we dreamed of the Finals, sure, but our number one priority was putting on a good show for Kawhi in the hopes the Raptors would re-sign him, and not have sacrificed our beloved DeMar DeRozan for nothing.
Looking back, it all happened so fast. As November rolled around, all we wanted was to be competitive with the oft-discussed powerhouse 76ers or the sneaky Celtics. But in a lot of ways, the team we bested to get to the Finals — the Milwaukee Bucks — were our contemporaries. They too had no idea what to expect entering last season — with one superstar and a new head coach — and when the two teams kept winning games, it was only then that our hopes began to firmly materialize.
From the Game 1 loss to D.J. Augustin, to Kawhi’s final free throw, the emotional path we took is what we’ll remember. I say it to this day — I have no recollection of the final two minutes of Game 6 in Oakland. But I’ll never forget the ride.
