Dominated In Big D

How bad was it? I decided to wait till the next day to write about it. I did live blog the game for The Score though if you care to read my thoughts along with those of the audience as it happened. The Raps did actually hang with the Mavericks for about a quarter and a half. After that the defense went south and so did they. That same old problem came back again of guarding that 3 point line. The Raptors are going to wear Huskies throwback gear this season. Back in those days the NBA had no 3 point line and maybe the Raps would be better off with out it. They do have that streak of games with a 3 pointer that sits at 800 and something. But really the Raps are the definition of that old expression you live by the 3 and you die by the 3. The Raptors lost 129-101 to the Mavs was the exact opposite of the win in New Orleans.

The Raptors have won 3 games and 2 of them in impressive fashion. In their 3 losses two of them were ugly ones and the other was to the Iversonless Grizzlies. Which if you haven't heard is now the case again. In terms of the Raptors though you just find yourself unclear on what you will see night to night. I guess you can say that is a product of those 9 new faces and all of that. It is also the product of a pretty difficult schedule. It is just the Raptors seem to be winning or losing in a major way. In 6 games it would be hard to argue the Raps did not deserve to win the games they have and the same can be said for the games they lost.

A lot of folks are freaking out a bit about Demar DeRozan. The calls to send the Raps rookie to the bench have already started. Welcome to the NBA young fella. Part of the reason is the play of Antonie Wright who is taking charges and reminding me of a Morris Peterson back in the day. The fact Demar DeRozan has had his name called 6 times has not been the reason for 3 losses anymore than it has been for 3 wins. It's not about who starts the game it is about who finishes it.

Some also think Jarrett Jack should be starting and not Jose Calderon. Believe it or not I am not one of them. I have said at some point Jack could indeed do that. However he is not playing so great in his own right at the moment. Calderon has looked ok in the last couple games. Just like you don't have to play DeRozan at the end of games, there is no reason Triano can not make subs for offense and defense at the end switching them as situations dictate.

You may have noticed a couple dunks from Chris Bosh last night. They were hard to miss full of frustration and anger. Chris Bosh despite his great stats is more concerned about the 3-3 stat that is the Raptors record. This is the stat that will most determine his future. If the Raptors were 5-1 and you put that along side Bosh's stats in this early season you would get an M.V.P candidate early in this NBA season. Bosh wants to believe that this team is on a path to being a contender and having a chance at a championship. Really isn't that what all of you want as well? Chris Bosh has never got to experience winning in his hometown as a Raptor. That streak continued again last night and the Raps have not won in Dallas in the 2k. A small fact and not that meaningful for the Raptors seeing as they only play there once a year. However for Bosh I think it would only be human if it bothered him just a bit, if not a lot. Let's just hope he is around again to try next season.

Raptors will face a Spurs team that will likely be without it's point guard in Tony Parker and this could be a chance to steal a win on Monday night. However that being said the Raps will need to do a much better job guarding that 3 point line if they hope to come out on top. If you are looking here for the answer to if they can do that, I do not have an answer for you. The Raps have been more difficult to figure out in this early season than perhaps at anytime in their 15 year history. It is a crazy ride of emotions of both glee and frustration. It is being a sports fan and Raps fans got to experience the high and low in that in a span of 24 hours.