Ahead of the official restart of the Toronto Raptors season, veteran centre Marc Gasols experience led him to a fairly straightforward conclusion about how to succeed in the bubble.

If you play the best defence and make the most shots, you are going to win, he said this week. To me, if there are things you are going to ask for, those are my two things. Whoever makes the most shots and plays the best defence is going to win.

The game is 90 percent defence. The other half is offence. Or something like that.

Late-scrum jest aside, Gasols point is appreciated. In broad terms, you can split the game of basketball into two sides, and it usually takes some success on both to go far. Thats why we talk about things like which teams rank in the top 10 on both ends of the floor. Its why playoff matchups are framed not only by who has the best player overall but by which team has more players they can keep on it...

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Raptors Tactical: Signs of progress in the half-court offence against the Lakers - The Athletic