On the sidelines, Curry said:
"The Raptors had a chance to push their lead to five or even six points. But because of a mistake by their rookie, Locke, the Celtics cut the deficit to one, and the Raptors blew a golden opportunity. That's the price of giving young players so much playing time."
"The Raptors have already lost at least three games this season because those two young players made too many mistakes. Otherwise, they couldn't possibly have been just 5–5 through their first ten games."
LeBron James nodded. "You're right, but we should look at this from both sides. Three of their losses were thrown away because those two young players made too many mistakes. But we should also recognize that in at least three of their wins, those same players' excellent defense greatly limited the opposing team's star, helping the Raptors come out on top."
"Besides, those two young players—especially Big Lock Rock—can shoot threes and have tremendous defensive potential. They could develop into top-tier 3-and-D players. If they don't get more experience during the Regular Season, are they supposed to get it in the Playoffs?"
"As everyone knows, every team shortens its rotation in the Playoffs, with only about eight players seeing the floor in a game. Giving those two more experience now could make them key pieces of the Raptors' rotation in the Playoffs. And if they can cut down on their mistakes through more regular-season play, then when the Raptors use the Sky Net Formation in the Playoffs, the results could be dramatically different from what we're seeing now."
Curry nodded. "That's fair. Letting them get experience in the Regular Season comes at a cost, but it's far less costly than doing it in the Playoffs. So the Raptors made the right call."
"But