(i was on vacation for the holidays)
Tonight at 7:00pm EST the Detroit Pistons are at home to face the Toronto Raptors. The Pistons are coming off destruction at the hands of the Bulls. The Raptors are coming off a loss to the Suns but are on a hot streak.
The Them:
The Raptors are, after an uninspiring start to the season the Raptors are shaping into excellent form as the unkillable squad of the East. They come into the game with the 10th best offense and 19th best defense.
They are led by Fred VanVleet, who has taken yet another step in his game. 22 points and 6.6 assists on solid efficiency (and high difficulty shot diet) along with excellent defense makes VanVleet the engine that drives the Raptors. He can shoot and is an absolute bulldog inside, his short stature means that he will never be an elite finisher inside but he’s even improved there.
Pascal Siakam seems to still be disappointing given the expectations for him after the championship but he is still a wiry and athletic scorer and a whip-smart passer. His effort isn’t bad but it does seem to wain a bit from his high points at times. OG Anunoby has taken a big step forward, now scoring efficient points per game and is powerful defensively.
Khem Birch isn’t awesome at center but he does a bit of everything and can dunk. Chris Boucher is super atheltic, Precious Achiiua is solid. Svi, the former Piston, is here but his shooting has fallen off after an excellent opening to the season.
This team doesn’t have the sort of blow you away star-power of many teams but they have good players and a great coach. The real question now is whether or not the version of the Raptors that has been showing up recently is the real Raptors or not.
Matchups to watch:
Pistons vs. Bouncing back: I was originally going to return with a recap of last game. I decided against that. Lets get back in the win column to forget that.
Pistons vs Awkwardness: “oh hey Rodney… uhh, how was Denver?”
Killian Hayes vs. FVV: Hayes defense has often been excellent but also slipped sometimes. This will be a great matchup for him to try and show something and if the Pistons are going to win it is likely that him having an effective game will be a big part of it.
Cade vs. Being that dude: I don’t need to go over all the numbers because you likely know them. He has found his footing and is starting to stretch his wings out more and more, he was incredible against the Jazz. The more he comes to know his own power the better.
Pistons vs blocking out the noise: Talk of guys getting traded is heating up and bad teams like the Pistons are catching a lot of it. The Pistons need to keep clear heads and not let it impact the game on the floor.
So in conclusion…
Run for the hills if:
The Pistons are down by 40 at any point
The offense is totally lifeless
FVV is tearing through the Pistons with his dad strength
Wink knowingly at your friends if:
Cade is abusing a, at times soft, Raptors interior
Saddiq is back fully in headband mode
Killian has FVV locked up
Opportunities for me to look stupid:
The Pistons win.
What do you think? Can they bounce back? Will Killian contain FVV?