Defence gets the point, but offence doesn’t
globesports.com: Defence gets the point, but offence doesn’t
One problem is they aren’t being precise in their spacing on the floor and even being a few feet out of place can offer an advantage to a defence as they scramble to catch up to the ball moving from one side of the court to the other.
The results are shots that are tougher to make. And often one miss begets the next, particularly at home as the crowd gets restless and players press, even unconsciously.
The ultimate trickledown is when confidence is at such a premium that even routine scoring opportunities — fast breaks, for example — get botched. The Raptors blew at least four and possibly five chances that way on Wednesday, four or five chances that the offence would ordinarily have to get some positive momentum that carries over into the next possession.
“We’re playing so loose on the road [where the Raptors are 3-1], I think sometimes at home you go up and down the court, miss a few shots the fans start getting a little restless,” Mitchell said. “That’s to be expected. We have to block all that out and go play.”
The quality of Toronto’s opponents at home hasn’t helped: Boston, Orlando and Utah have a combined 21-4 record. The Raptors can put that excuse away over the weekend, though, as tonight they will play the Indiana Pacers, the losers of five games in a row, and on Sunday they will play the Golden State Warriors, who entered play last night 0-6.
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