What to watch as the Raptors wrap up their exhibition schedule in the beautiful city of Montreal against the Knicks (7:30 PM ET, TSN2, TSN 1050).
What Can We Expect From The Raptors In Their Preseason Finale?
The Raptors have had some relatively competitive games this preseason (against the Kings in Vancouver and at home versus the Celtics come immediately to mind), but tonight at Bell Centre should provide about as close to a regular-season game environment as you'll see.
"This last game is going to be a really good test for us because now we're going to go into rotations and we're going to play real minutes," said Grevis Vasquez, who scored a team-high 15 points against Maccabi Haifa on Wednesday.
Can The Raptors Share The Ball A Little More Effectively?
The Raptors only totaled 16 assists against Maccabi Haifa and Casey would like to see the ball stick a little less tonight against the Knicks.
"Everybody caught it and wanted to put it on the floor. Before you know if, if everybody does that, your shot clock is gone. So we've got to do a better job of moving the ball and getting our rythym offensively where one guy doesn't have to stand and go bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce and try to raise up and go one-on-one."
The Raptors averaged 21.2 assists per game in 2013-14, good for a share of 20th in the league.
What's The Value Of A Successful Preseason?
Owning a very good preseason record seems about the rough equivalent to having the finest stretching routine before settling into the starting blocks, but that doesn't mean there isn't value in it or precedent for the Raptors.
Toronto can match the franchise record with a seventh preseason win tonight in Montreal -- initially set in 2006. That year's edition of the team went on to win 47 regular-season wins, tying a then team-record.
Last year, a much different Raptors lineup featuring Rudy Gay was putting the finishing touches on a 6-2 preseason before getting out to a 6-12 start to the regular season. A franchise-altering trade ensued and propelled the Raptors to a new record of 48 wins.
Perhaps of more crucial importance tonight is the Raptors' perfect 8-0 preseason record against the Knicks once again on the line. For nine straight. For glory. For Montreal.
What's The Learning Curve For Lucas?
Lucas Nogueira made his debut with the Raptors against Haifa and looked fairly solid straight out of the box for the Raptors despite an absence for weeks with a sore hamstring.
For the big man nicknamed Bebe, his previous professional experience in Spain has helped him get acclimated.
"It’s not my first professional year, but it’s my first year in the NBA," Nogueira said after his 8-point, 2-block performance in Wednesday's win. "I think the most important thing for the rookie guys is that they know their role on the team. I know my role on the team."
His coach certainly saw a player doing all the right things on the floor.
"The way he read situations, the way he screened and rolled to the bucket, he got to the right spots at the right time and it's just through experience of playing," said Casey.
Keep an eye on if Nogueira can continue to try and carve out a role up front tonight.