Raptors Mission Impossible

Well after a day of putting out fires off the court the Raptors get back at it on the court. Yesterday we saw firm denials from both Bryan Colangelo and Chris Bosh of the Stephen A Smith story. Mr. Smith meanwhile could not be reached for comment as he was sick in bed with the flu. I think it is safe to say he will not be getting any get well soon cards from anyone connected to the Raptors. The focus now shifts to a near impossible task of playing Lebron James and Kobe Bryant on back to back nights. In case you missed in Kobe set an MSG record scoring 61 points the last night. I am sure some Raptor fans will fear the worst when he hits the ACC floor to take on the Raptors tomorrow. But before you worry about that the concern is the current front runner for M.V.P Lebron James. The King has had a season for the ages and has really been dominate on both ends of the floor. The addition of Mo Williams has been a pretty nice one for Cleveland. So nice a lot of folks were giving him high consideration for the All Star Game. The Cavs have battled through some injury issues to a few players and have not missed a beat. You might say that this mission impossible title of this blog was unfair. Well when you consider Cleveland is perfect on their home floor this season I think impossible is the exact right term. Even if the Raptors were on a roll, I would not like their chances. They are not though and have struggled the last two games. Some folks have questioned the teams heart and desire and think they have quit. To say a team has quit is a serious charge to make. I'm not sure if quit is the right way to put what we have seen the last 2 games. I watched the Kings play last week and that is a team that has quit clearly. The Raptors show some signs of that but are not to that point in my view. They just seem to reach points in games where through their own choices on offense they get discouraged. It will lead to a bad quarter or section of a game that the Raptors can not recover from. This game could be one that could get away early if the Raptors do not make the jump shots that they will not doubt fire up. Cleveland has an advantage on the glass and is aggressive at challenging passing lanes. The last time the Raps played Cleveland early on it was a steal and dunk a thon for the Cavs.

Mathematically Alive But Logically Dead

Let's face the reality here. The Raptors are 1n 14th place in the East and there are only 8 teams that make the playoffs. So 14-8= 6, as in 6 teams that have to out perform down the last 3 months of season. If the groundhog was in the playoff prediction business, I think it would mean if he saw his shadow a long off season is ahead. Happy belated Groundhog Day by the way. I hope you had a special one. So with out factoring in games behind just the challenge of out performing 6 teams seems highly unlikely. The Raptors favourable schedule that lies ahead in March and April is not going to be enough. Besides you need to be able to take advantage of that schedule as well. The Raptors have not proved to be that great of a home team this season. The growing anger and booing at the ACC is not likely to do much to change that. When players from the other team comment about it you know it is bad. I support people in their right to boo when the team does not perform. However here is something to consider. If other players are making note of that maybe that is not exactly a selling point when the Raptors look to bring in free agents. Getting booed by 19,000 plus Canadians may not make the most attractive sales pitch for free agents. Sorry, I got side tracked but that was a point worth making. So, when you combine the Raptors lack of home court success with a lack of ability to string wins together. It makes the reality pretty clear for this basketball team. I am not convinced a Bryan Colangelo trade can suddenly change this team to a level that the identity of it dramatically changes. The motivation to make the playoffs and only face a next to impossible task of beating a Boston, Cleveland or Orlando is not exactly motivating for most. I try my best to be positive about the Raptors but I refuse to be unrealistic about them. Reality is screaming that this team has a far more realistic path to the NBA Lottery and not the NBA Playoffs.

Fans Turning On CB4

I am really kind of disgusted at how little it has taken for some fans to turn their backs on Chris Bosh. I had one person leave a comment that was not fit for print. I am sure many sites had the same type of comments. You would think that Bosh himself had said that he talked with Colangelo and requested a trade. That is not what happened though. A guy with a spot willed resume of being right and wrong made a claim. Have you bothered to notice that Stephen A Smith's career is not exactly on the rise? The fact that he may just need all the attention that he got from the comments he made? I did not. In addition I have not forgot all that Chris Bosh has done in his collective time here. Even this season it is not like he has been a horrible player by any means. He was voted to the All Star game by the rest of the coaches in the Eastern Conference if you need proof. People have once again jumped the gun and started to hate a guy that really has not done anything wrong. Last year T.J Ford became the target of fan anger and rage. Maybe enough is enough. There are guys on this roster that deserve to be held to task. I am not saying Bosh should not be accountable. However to judge a guy who has done little wrong in his time in Toronto both on and off the floor so harsh in a time that he will be thinking about his future staying here is wrong and honestly pretty dumb. If Bosh leaves he will catch all of the blame. He may replace Vince Carter as the most hated Ex-Raptor. However the way fans have acted is part of the choice. It may be a small one. However it is part of it. I am not turning on Chris Bosh when he has not turned on me. If he does down the line I will deal with that when and if it happens. The posts I have read in various places quite frankly disappoint me greatly. I can not imagine what it would feel like for Bosh or someone close to him. Sure he makes a ton of money he has a great life and all of that. It does not change the fact he is human and that to have people saying those kind of things about you can not do much good for you. Chris once said he wanted to be part of the making things work in Toronto. Maybe it is time for fans to try and do the same. But when you factor in the TSN 2 stuff and the failure to meet expectations and the entire make up of this season, that may be a even greater mission impossible as opposed to a win over the Cavs or Lakers.

So when all is said and done this is going to be a Raptor season to forget. However maybe it should not be. I think everyone from Bryan Colangelo to the media to fans should learn something from all that has gone on. This is not something that anyone cares to repeat. A good start to getting things set right would be to get this TSN 2 mess behind us. Granted the way the team is playing it is going to make the people in suits that say no one watches look right. But even they are smarter enough to know they will have played a role as long as the teams lack of performance. That me be to optimistic cause this are the same people that have seen a hockey team that has been terrible for years draw ratings consistently. However the Raptor fan deserves and wants more from the franchise they support. I dig that about Raptor Fans. I just sometimes do not agree with the method some go about it. Still if you care about the Raptors and basketball you will always be welcome here.