Blake Murphy Sports Writing

Title: How the Raptors became an elite defence and what they can do to be even better 
Date: March 2, 2018
Original Source: The Athletic
Synopsis: In my latest for The Athletic Toronto, I dug into how the Raptors have been able to quietly rank No. 3 in defense on the season because of all of the attention on their offense and despite a counter-intuitive quirk in their opponent shot profile.
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Title: Raptors fans still haunted by ghosts of playoffs past, despite team’s dominant regular season
Date: February 28, 2018
Original Source: The Athletic
Synopsis: In my latest for The Athletic Toronto, I looked for historical precedent to justify Raptors fans still being anxious about the playoffs despite regular season dominance.
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Title: Raptors stats mailbag: On the bench, pace, three-pointers and clutch time
Date: February 20, 2018
Original Source: The Athletic
Synopsis: In my latest for The Athletic Toronto, I did a few data dives to answer reader questions about the Raptors as they head into the season’s stretch run.
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Title: Pascal Siakam’s growth as a ball-handler opening up options for Raptors
Date: February 16, 2018
Original Source: The Athletic
Synopsis: In my latest for The Athletic Toronto, I looked at Pascal Siakam’s growth as a playmaker and how important it is to his ceiling as a player.
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Title: Why the Bruno Caboclo deal opens up buyout flexibility for Raptors
Date: February 9, 2018
Original Source: The Athletic
Synopsis: In my latest for The Athletic Toronto, I looked at the fiscal fallout of an otherwise minor trade deadline move for the Raptors.
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Title: Raptors take big win over Celtics in stride, but the takeaways are plenty encouraging
Date: February 6, 2018
Original Source: The Athletic
Synopsis: In my latest for The Athletic Toronto, I looked at some important takeaways from a major victories the Raptors did their best to downplay.
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