"For the Toronto Raptors in their cursed game against the Miami Heat, such questions weren't theoretical or philosophical or abstract. They were a jagged reminder of some rock bottom to which the team's offence seemed to be plummeting. They were a chicken bone on which the team had been collectively choking. For the Raptors to turn this season around, to rediscover the form that had the team at 17-13 and sixth in the East entering the contest, shot making had to be rediscovered."
"The Raptors actually started the game with some fun bouts of made shots. Sandro Mamukelashvili drilled a triple on the first possession. But beneath the veneer of success was a rotten core to that possession; the Raptors didn't touch the paint, didn't even try driving, and looked lost for the first 20 seconds of the shot clock. Mamukelashvili just happened to make a shot."
Shot making combines skill, luck, shot creation, play-calling, and defensive quality, and its presence or absence determined the Raptors' offensive fortunes in the Miami Heat game. The Raptors started with made shots but lacked paint touches and driving, producing success that masked poor half-court offense. Uncreative possessions and uncertain shot sources left the team floundering despite effort. Bench and role players hit open corner threes and opportunistic makes, while the offense failed to generate consistent high-quality attempts. Rediscovering reliable shot making was framed as essential for the Raptors to return to earlier form and reverse their offensive slump.
Read at Raptors Republic
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