Game Preview 3/24/2010. vs. Utah Jazz

Sporting a tidy 23-11 home record, it's good that the next two games will play to the Raptors strengths. Bargnani, Jack, DeRozan all show vast improvements at home compared to playing on the road. The comforts of home cooking, knowing the phone numbers of escort services without having to use Google, and your own bed can do wonders for a team.

Utah comes in sporting Deron Williams, a mess of bigs and pseudo bigs. While some people foolishly continue the Deron Williams vs. Chris Paul debate, (It's over Paul's won... suck it up) Williams is still a true star at his position. Manning the wings for the Jazz are Wesley Matthews, Andrei Kirilenko, and CJ Miles. (We actually have an advantage in wing play for one night. Don't get used to it) The Raps are going to be facing a team that is built on structure. They know their offensive sets, and run their plays to perfection. The same will go for their defensive rotations. For any chance at victory, the Raptors are going to have to lock down their own defensive rotations, but keep an extra eye open on baseline cuts.  Utah torched the Raptors down in the salty state with constant backdoor cuts and screens leading to a layup line.

Normally I would caution about the great rebounding the Jazz team will throw at the Raptors, but things have changed somewhat. Paul Millsap was an absolute monster pulling down rebounds until he learned that he can score too. Since he signed his big contract, his rebound rate has dropped (still respectable). He's still an efficient player who will attack inside, but it's as much on offense as on the glass these days. This might be a game where Reggie Evans can have a greater effect on the outcome than he has in most if he gets some of Amir Johnson's minutes to out-rebound Boozer and Millsap. 

Keys to victory:
-Attack Memo Okur and Wesley Matthews off the dribble.
-Don't allow back door cuts/screens to lead to layups.
-Reggie vs. Millsap (Should it happen)