Raptors continue to leave it all on the floor, but drop heartbreakers to Celtics & Pistons | Is the defense on the rise?

Locked On Raptors - Daily Podcast On The Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors fell to the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics in a pair of heartbreakers over the weekend, made all the more heartbreaking by the fact that the shorthanded Raptors are leaving everything they can on the floor right now with Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and more out of the lineup. In Episode 1750, Sean Woodley goes solo to break down how the Raptors kept touch against both the Pistons and Celtics, and why their best efforts were ultimately undone by the razor thin margins they're operating with before a look at the Raptors' steady improvements on the defensive end, RJ Barrett's masterful work as a pick-and-roll playmaker and more. Off the top, Sean digs into the Raptors doing all the right things against Boston and Detroit, from their late-game execution, to the performances of Jakob Poeltl, RJ Barrett and a very exhausted Gradey Dick, only to fall short the way undertalented teams often do. Next, Sean examines the incremental steps the Raptors' defense is taking as a unit, and some of the individual performances helping them level up from league-worst disaster to run-of-the-mill bad, bordering on average. Lastly, Sean runs through The Good (RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl crushing in the pick-and-roll), The Bad (Bruno Fernando's ankle sprain further straining the Raptors' already strained rotation) and The Hmmmm (did the Raptors just outline the blueprint for toppling the Celtics' ruthless math ball?) to close out the show.

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