The Winner Losses And The Loser Wins

Herm Edwards the NFL Head Coach of the Jets at the time told us all that "You Play To Win The Game", which was totally turned upside down last night in Milwaukee. The team that won, the Bucks, had already been eliminated by virtue of the Sixers win over the Nets that concluded before this game ended. Something that both teams in the end were not happy about. As stated that win clinched a playoff spot for Philly and it also didn't help the Raptors who were tied with the Nets in the Lottery Standings. The Raptors did start off this game like a team that wanted to win and they were the ones battling for their playoff lives. This would fade away as the night went on. Demar DeRozan upped his fan base by getting tossed from this game for tossing a ball into the stands after he felt he deserved a call he didn't get. This was to the delight of the folks in Tank Nation who may in fact have plans to build a DeRozan Statue should the Raptors land the first overall pick. Maybe not. In any case at times we have seen a DeRozan this year that has become frustrated and angry over the lack of respect he seems to get from refs on a nightly basis. Demar is a pretty low key individual but when these things happen you see the inner fire that burns inside him. If he ever can embrace that and use it on the basketball court he will be well on his way to being a superstar.

Brandon Jennings a good buddy of DeRozan would lead the scoring charge for the Bucks in this one. He had 25 points but just shot 9 for 23 with 5 assists and 3 steals. In this blog we have speculated at the idea of Jennings and DeRozan being paired up in Toronto. There is no doubt Jennings is by far a better defensive option than Calderon, but there is also no question he is a very different player on the offensive end. Jose Calderon needs to almost be motivated into taking his shot. Brandon Jennings is happy to chuck up shots from the moment the ball is tipped. Still I see it as a realistic option for the Raptors, if they truly believe in DeRozan and want him here for the long haul. These two guys already have a built in chemistry and are close friends of the court. It might just be what both need to get each other to the next level. Jennings has stated after next season that he plans to look to go to a larger market. Toronto is a larger market depending on what is meant by the term.

Colangelo no doubt is going to be exploring every option at his disposal and this one might be a solid one. The problem becomes what exactly do the Raptors have to land a Jennings and what the price would be. It has become common practice in the NBA to unload a guy that says he wants out before it is to late and you get nothing. That said the Bucks are still in the driver's seat and don't have to do anything. They clearly are looking to change direction with the move they made with Golden State trading away former first overall pick Andrew Bogut to the Warriors for Monta Ellis along with some other parts to that trade. There is also talk the Bucks could make a move at both the head coaching position and G.M position, so who is to say if they will be as high on Jennings as the current management was and maybe still is.

That is a story for another day as for the story of this game the Bucks win 92-86 and like the Raptors can plan for the off-season starting Thursday. Jennings and DeRozan could be working out together by next week in L.A. Oh right I said that was a story for another day.  It should be noted that James Johnson seems back in the good graces of coach Casey and started and delivered with 22 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists.

Bucks Meet Solomon Alabi And The Raptors

This game is basically for the Bucks season for them. They can not lose the rest of the way and the Sixers can not win for them to make the post-season. The Sixers will tip up thirty minutes prior to the start of the Raptors and Bucks. So by the time this game ends regardless of the result Milwaukee could already be out of the playoffs. The Raptors clearly have turned the page and are already playing like a team waiting for next year. Solomon Alabi's minutes over the last 3 games is proof of that. The fact Demar DeRozan never played in the fourth quarter of a close game is also proof of that.

Given all of that you would expect a strong start from the Bucks unless news filters that the Sixers have a massive lead before they ever get started. The fact the Sixers are playing the Nets makes that a possibility. The Raptors have an interest in that game as well. Both the Bucks and Raptors want to see the Nets win but likely should not hold their breath that it will happen. There is a better chance Ian Eagle and The Zar throw down and have a cage fight at halftime. That likely won't happen either sadly.

There is not much reason to tune into this game other than extreme loyalty and force of habit. In a season in which the Raptors have showed much more grit and defensive effort the chances of seeing a ton of that in the last two games is about as likely as snow in April. Oh wait I need another line. The heck with it you know what I am saying.

But the one thing as someone reminded me on Twitter worth checking out will be the Bucks Game Notes for this one. They always do a fantastic job of making the Game Notes vs the Raptors a great tribute to Canada. They are well worth checking out and will always give you a laugh. This game may not provide as much entertainment as that. In fact take out the word may altogether.

Friday we turn the page and begin the search for Team DNB. I will be looking to build a team to help share the load here at the Dino Nation Blog and allow myself to focus on make some improvements to things that I think people will enjoy. Let's hope my off-season and the Raptors off-season both go well..

B.C Positive Spin Class In Session.

When Bryan Colangelo talks, you always have to try figure out what he is saying to an extent. Let's do the best we can to translate what Bryan Colangelo had to say post trade deadline. First, the move he made sending Barbosa to the Pacers. It appears his main motivation was not the 2nd round pick he got in return for Barbosa. It was more about getting the 7.6 Million that Barbosa is making this year off the Raptors books. Colangelo claims this will give the Raptors 11.5-12 million in cap room heading into the draft. Which according to him is the most of any NBA team heading into the draft. Why this is important is it gives the Raptors options to make trades prior to the draft once the season concludes on April 26th. As Colangelo taught us with his trade for Reggie Evans and sending Jason Kapono to Philly NBA Teams can make trades from the moment there season is over. So all non playoff teams would be options after the 26th of April. As teams are eliminated they are added to the pool of teams the Raptors could do business with.

Colangelo also now has two second round picks that he can dangle in both trades and perhaps to move up in the draft. Given the Raptors overall history in the 2nd round and Colangelo's nature to move second round picks it is highly likely the Raptors don't hang on to these picks at the end of the day. That is me adding my two cents not something Colangelo said. What Colangelo didn't say but seemed to infer was that Barbosa could actually return to the Raptors, or at least they would be open to the idea. What Barbosa could get on the free market is up for debate, but safe to say it will be far less than 7.6 million he banked this season. Barbosa likely knows that too as he took his option for that amount to remain with the Raptors. Barbosa has also expressed that he has had a positive experience in Toronto and has a long standing relationship with Bryan and seemed to enjoy the Toronto fan base. Also the Raptors pick up a TPE as part of this deal that will kick in for the 7.6 million. Some see this as big deal and another added element of flexibility. These are likely some of the same folks that said the same thing about the Bosh TPE that ultimately the Raptors did little with for a far larger amount. If the Raptors use it then it can help if they don't it means nothing.

What about Jose Calderon? Bryan said many teams did inquire about him. However he stressed how happy the Raptors were with him and how he has played with this roster. He basically said that until the Raptors have an answer to replace Calderon he would likely not be moved. That said he also mentioned the ability to use amnesty clause. Calderon would be due 10 million plus in the final year of his deal. It seems unlikely you would use it on him. Linas Kleiza who has had an up and down season would be another option but with the coming of Jonas Valanciunas it would make sense to keep Linas around beyond basketball reasons. Bryan did of course not miss an opportunity to brag about Jonas stating that in his view had he been in the upcoming draft he would be the 2nd pick overall pick behind just one player, that he could not name but safe bet he was talking about Anthony Davis from Kentucky the consensus number one pick heading into the NCAA Tournament starting today.

If the Raptors were to not act prior to July 1st and do not use the Amnesty clause according to Colangelo that would give the Raptors roughly 20 million dollars of cap space post July 1st. Keep in mind the Raptors would have to sign both their draft picks in Jonas and whatever they get from this draft as part of that. According to NBA T.V today there are 5 teams with over 30 million of potential cap space. The top of those in the 35 million range. Also worth noting one of those teams is the Dallas Mavericks and Mark Cuban who will be active you can count on that. If you are a betting type I would suggest Colangelo will exhaust all trade scenarios rather that try to get in the Free Agent market. The Raptors have obvious issues at convincing top talent to come to Toronto. Not to mention the Raptors recent ventures into the Free Agent market have been pretty awful with signings of Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Kapono. Still his J.O trade was no bed of roses either. Colangelo did state that if the Raptors go shopping regardless of how they will be looking to do it, will be for several additions not just one big home run swing. In other words Deron Williams is likely not in the Raptors wheel house as an example. Not that he ever was, but a big name, big money guy is not on the horizon.

He alluded to several young players being out there on trade deadline. He mentioned as he often does about having conversations that do not lead to trades today, but are used as a base to further conversations in the summer. If the Bucks pairing of Ellis and Jennings is not a roaring success, I would not be shocked if Brandon Jennings is on the Raptors radar. That would be the point guard that helps you move Jose Calderon along. Colangelo has in the past expressed a desire to have a point guard for the future for this young group. He also would be a nice piece to pair with his childhood friend Demar DeRozan. Prior to the Bucks move Jennings expressed a desire to look at big markets when he is a on the market, which normally would not include Toronto. However he likes Toronto and has someone already here that knows it well.

Is that an option? I have no idea, but what is fact is this has to be "The Summer Of Bryan" and if it is not than Colangelo is dead. He and this organization have preached for patience and pointed to this summer where they will have all of these tools to improve the team. Raptor fans have been treated to a season that in many ways has meant nothing from before day one. While it has been great to see the job Casey has done in changing the mentality of this team. Making defense a priority not just something people talk about. Still this team has never been designed to win and the fact people want it to lose and tank is not exactly a positive experience to live through. The time is up and the Raptors have to stop with the positive spin talk and the hyping up of their draft pick that has yet to play a game and ultimately deliver a team focused on winning and heading towards the playoffs and beyond. Raptor fans have heard enough talking for a life time since Chris Bosh decided to bolt for South Beach. Regardless of what the Raptors say they dropped the ball and blew it when it comes to how they handled the Bosh situation. While people will show them some form of sympathy and allow them some time to turn the page. The time is up after this summer.

Dino Blogger Game Notes From Buck vs Raptors

The Raptors were coming off a horrible effort in Detroit. They also lost Jose Calderon in that game turning his ankle stepping on Brandon Knight's foot. The good news on that is Coach Casey said prior to the game the injury for less severe than first thought and Calderon will in fact travel with the team on their upcoming road trip. Casey would also end up being pleased with how his team started as opposed to less than 24 hours prior in Detroit. Andrea Bargnani would look better in just his second game back as well. Forget the face he didn't score a ton. He did have 8 rebounds which prior to this season would have been cause for celebration.

In the end it was a similar script to a lot of games this season in which the Raptors could not close the door. The Raptors after winning the first quarter 28-21 the Raptors were out battled in close 2nd and 3rd quarters and finally dropped it in the 4th being out scored by 7. The Raptors had no answers for a couple Bucks in particular in Ilyasova and Drew Gooden. Ersan had 31 to lead all scorers and Gooden dropped 21 which was the same total Demar DeRozan in the game. Gooden
was a more efficient 7-11 compared to DeRozan who was 9-22.

As for Bargnani he played 30 minutes and had 11 points and 8 rebounds in his second game back in the fold. Casey was not able to play him as much as he wanted too down the stretch. However the Raptors are committed to limiting his minutes and trying to avoid an injury for a third time. However after the game Andrea said that he feels great and is not worried about the injury when he is out there.

Raptors drop another game the likely had a chance to win. Which was very frustrating for Jerryd Bayless most of all who did have nice 16 point and 6 assist night filling in for the injured Calderon in the starting line-up. Bucks take it 105-99.

Buck Off A Hour Early

The Raptors may appreciate the fact we have sprung ahead. It is one hour less they don't have to wait to put what happened in Detroit behind them. They will be attempting to do that without Jose Calderon in all likelihood. After Jose had been having one of his most durable seasons in years he stepped on Brandon Knight's foot and turned his ankle badly. X-Rays were negative but I am positive we don't see Calderon for quite awhile. Which makes you wonder if the Raptors will still release Anthony Carter as planned. There was no official announcement that they had done that. However, it was common knowledge that was the plan. Just four days prior to the trade deadline the Raptors are awfully thin at the point guard position. It makes any chance of dealing Calderon likely go out the window. Still that was a remote possibility at best. Andrea Bargnani is back and will be interesting to see how much he plays after just 19 minutes yesterday against Detroit. The Raptors planned to limit his minutes heading into the game. The game itself helped limit his minutes by it being a blowout.

The Bucks are a team that knows all about injuries they have had their fair share over the years with their top player Andrew Bogut. He is a lot like Bargnani in the sense of being a first overall pick that has always struggled to meet lofty expectations. The Bucks are trying to hunt down the struggling New York Knicks coming into the day just 2 games behind them for the final playoff spot in the East. While they try to hold off Cleveland and Detroit from passing them. The Cavs enter the day percentage points behind the Bucks with 2 games in hand. While the Pistons thanks to that win vs the Raptors are just a game and half behind those two teams. They all have thoughts of tracking down the Knicks for the final playoff spot.

Brandon Jennings gets to pay a visit to one of his favourite places according to his Twitter. He also gets to match-up with his childhood friend Demar DeRozan. These two grew up in L.A and have played together as kids in AAU programs and are very close friends. It leads to speculation of if the two players may ever hook up somewhere together on the same team in the NBA. Jennings has let it be known that he plans to investigate his options once he hits the open market in a few years. Could Toronto be in the mix to land him? Jose Calderon's contract would be ending at the same time. Jennings said he wants to play in a large market which for some Toronto would be and for others it would not be. The more wins the Raptors get the larger the market may become not just for Jennings but other free agents.

Winning is going to be a lot tougher without Jose Calderon. As much as the Raptors missed Bargnani given their lack of depth at point Calderon could be a greater loss for this team that even with him has been challenged to score at times. It is a huge opportunity for Jerryd Bayless who will see a ton of minutes now after he himself was sidelined for a large part of the beginning of the season from an ankle turn similar to that of the one Calderon suffered.

3 Keys Today:

1. Ball Movement- It is vital that Raptors keep the ball movement going. They did a tremendous job of that vs Houston and not so much vs Detroit. No Jose makes it a much harder task but Bayless needs to remember to be a distributor more than a scorer with Calderon out.

2. Pride- Quite simply yesterday should have been a complete embarrassment for this team. Dwane Casey should have to say very little for this team to respond after a mess like that. If they don't respond you can bet Casey will have a lot to say.

3. Contain the Lead Deer- Brandon Jennings was always going to be a problem in this game. Jose Calderon healthy or not was not going to be able to guard him. Bayless has shown flashes of great defense this season when matched against Deron Williams. We could use some of that effort today against Mr. Jennings.

Deer Fear On Display At ACC

Last night the game resembled a game you might have seen last season. The Raptors were not playing defence but were scoring fairly well. In terms of Demar DeRozan it had to feel like the past as well facing long time friend Brandon Jennings and having his dad on hand watching the game in the stands. For those who are not aware Jennings and DeRozan have played together as kids coming up on the AAU circuit. So it was a game that he was more than likely hyped up for. Demar was showing off his new found ability to make the three point shot hitting back to back threes in what was an up and down, back and forth first quarter. While it was a great start for the Raptors on offence, it was not the start they were looking for on defence. Despite that the Raptors did for the first time since January 13th have a lead after the first quarter 29-28.

In the second the Raptors lack of defence would catch up with them. In our preview of this game one of the keys was to identify shooters and be aware when they were on the floor. If the Raptors were aware, they sure couldn't stop them. Mike Dunleavy was looking like an All-Star at times in the 2nd. Carlos Delfino the former Raptor looked like he couldn't miss for the majority of the night. That along with a solid game inside from Drew Gooden who had 20 points and 14 rebounds on the evening. The 2nd quarter was the best of night for the Bucks as they out scored the Raptors 30-22 and took a 7 point lead into halftime.

The Raptors would show there only signs of life on defence in the 3rd quarter of this game. The Bucks who are by no means an offensive juggernaut came back to earth slightly. They were missing some shots after making a large percentage of them in the first half. James Johnson sent a few back on the night as well with 3 blocks in the game. Raptors had by the end of the 3rd clawed there way back to 3 points down trailing 76-73.

The Raptors would only find bad news in the 4th quarter of play. Jerryd Bayless who had really started to come into his own since returning from an ankle injury, would re-injure that ankle and not be around to finish this game. The Raptors once again despite being slightly better on defence had let to many guys feel confident early. Carlos Delfino made an amazing three in which the Raptors on the play actually played good defence. It just seemed it was going be that kind of night for the Bucks. In the end they would pull away and get the 6 point win. They would do it with 6 players in double figures scoring, led by the former Raptor Carlos Delfino putting up 25 matching the total of Demar DeRozan who scored another set of back to back threes in the 2nd half. But it was in the end not enough as the Bucks won 105-99.

Some fans at the ACC seemed more upset that the Raptors only got 99 points and no pizza for them. What they should be upset about is the fact the Raptors home record is just 3-7. I have long made a point that this promotion needs to change. Have fans get pizza if the Raptors hold a team to under 80 or something like that. It has been proven over and over again that a number of fans are not mature enough not to boo if they are denied pizza which costs like 3 to 4 bucks. So change it and make it about something that is positive in stopping teams from scoring. That is something the Raptors didn't do in this game.

People will say that this is me being negative and not objective. However, despite this game being close for large portions of it, I never felt like the Raptors would win. Why I felt this way was unlike teams of the past, this Raptors team can not outscore people. When you factor in Bargnani not being in the line-up that only adds to the point. The Bucks even though they are a lot like the Raptors based on the style they want to play, being defensive minded, do have the capabilities and options to be able to score.

Beyond DeRozan's 25 the Raptors got a nice overall game from James Johnson that had 15 points. Kleiza and Barbosa continued to be the main scoring options off the bench with 12 for Linas and 11 for Leandro. But the Raptors have to get back to playing defence if they hope to win games. Dwane Casey was quoted as saying "We have lost our pride in guarding a yard." The Raptors have just been making life more difficult for themselves of late. Even though they have 6 more games at home it gets tougher before it gets easier. Next up is the Boston Celtics who humiliated the Raptors the last time they met, after that the face the L.A Lakers, Knicks and Spurs.

If this home stand does not go well it pretty much will secure the Raptors the seat at the lottery, that almost everyone expected them to have heading into the season. But they still might not be bad enough to have the greatest odds in the NBA Lottery. It is almost the worst case scenario you could have imagined for the Raptors. Not good enough to be good but not bad enough to be horrible.

Make Or Break Point For The Raptors?

The Raptors begin a monster 7 game home stand tonight with just a 3-6 record at the ACC on the season. They are 8-18 overall as they get ready to host the Bucks,Celtics, Lakers, Knicks,Spurs, Bobcats and Pistons. When you look at it on paper the Raptors have 3 games that would appear to be loses with Celtics, Lakers and Spurs. Two games you would consider must wins vs Pistons and Bobcats. So in all likelihood this home stand will be determined by 2 games vs the Knicks and the game tonight vs the Bucks. Which also would be two teams if the Raptors were to every get serious about contending for a playoff spot this year would stand in their way. The Bucks are 10-14 and have to hear the footsteps of the Knicks just a half game behind at 10-15. Milwaukee despite being 5-5 and in their last 10 games they have struggled on the road just going 3-10 on the season so far.

The Raptors come in off a disappoint loss in Washington. Some will say it was disappointing that they could not come back and win in OT. Others will say it was disappointing they got behind 18 points to Wizards in the first place regardless. The loss in Washington is one of those losses that could linger with a team potentially. Tonight marks the two week point from another Raptor overtime game that had it's own impact with the loss of Andrea Bargnani. I mention that only because the last time Bargnani was out this is how long it took him to return. At the time he re-injured it he said it was worse. Indeed it seems so as there has been no news that Bargnani close to ready to return. If I were to guess I would say the Raptors may even hold him out till after the All-Star Break. But as I said that is just a guess.

Bucks know all about injuries as Andrew Bogut has been out since January 25th and has appeared in only half of the Bucks games this season. The latest issue is with his ankle and he could be out for 8-12 weeks. That is a big loss in a season like this. So that leaves the Bucks to look for even more from Brandon Jennings. It has been a nice season for Jennings so far with 19.2 points per game, 5.3 assists and shooting a good % for him at 43.1%. The Bucks seemed to go wrong a couple years back when they had made it to the playoffs and then made a number of moves that off-season that seem to have sent them in wrong direction. Tonight marks the first of 3 meetings between the two clubs on the season.

3 Keys:

Identify Shooters : We are not talking shots in a bar but shooters on the floor. Bucks do have a number of them that are capable of getting hot. Being aware of that will be vital. How the Bucks ultimately shoot the 3 ball and how the Raptors defend it could be a huge factor.

Pride In The Paint: The whole aspect of pride for defending and protecting the paint seemed to go missing in first half in Washington. Raptors need a full 48 minutes where they defend their paint vigorously.Lapses like in Washington will almost seal their fate.

Good Start At Home: Raptors need to get this first quarter and first game at home off on the right foot. This home stand is not a walk in the park in terms of opposition as we mentioned. So the Raptors need to get the people behind them early and feed off that late. It is vital the Raptor start showing some pride in defending their home floor.

That just about does it for this preview. Tonight you can catch me on radio in Montreal so the re-cap of this one will likely appear in the blog tomorrow.

The Heat Is On!!

I was stunned to hear a conversation on NBA-TV (Not NBA TV Canada) about if the Raptors could be a playoff contender. It seemed crazy to consider a 8-16 team as a playoff team. But as we enter Sunday the Raptors sit 2.5 games behind the 10-13 Bucks for 8th in the East. The Raptors are 6-7 win Andrea Bargnani and 2-9 without him. So, if Bargnani is able to return sooner rather than later it is not a totally insane thought. If the Raptors some how made it to the playoffs there is a good chance they might play the Miami Heat. The Heat enter today at 17-6 a game and half behind the Chicago Bulls. On paper a match-up with the Raptors and Heat in playoffs would be a 4-0 slam dunk for Miami. A regular season game with no Bargnani offers even less hope of a win. The Heat are 10-2 on their home floor. Chris Bosh is playing closer to the Bosh we remember in Toronto than the inconsistent 3rd wheel that many last season refused to acknowledge as part of the big three. Bosh is averaging 20 points a game and 7.7 rebounds. The Heat after a failed trip to the NBA Finals are not the circus that they were last season. Another guy that is playing more like the former version of himself is Lebron James. Averaging 29.2 points, 7 assists and 8.5 Rebounds. Bosh and James have been so good it as led some to say that they really don't even need Dwyane Wade. It has been an injury plagued season for Wade and he is only averaging .7 points more than Chris Bosh. Added to the mix this season for Miami was Shane Battier who helps a team that already played a solid brand of defence.

So how can the Raptors win this game? They can't or shouldn't have a chance to win this game. Only way they have a chance is if Miami beats Miami. Which playing an early game on Super Bowl Sunday might have already happened in the bars on South Beach. But even a Heat team that partied all night still might have enough for the Bargnani free Raptors. All that said the Raptors are coming off one of their better performances of the season. But that was against the Washington Wizards. There is nothing about the Wizards that resembles the Heat.

So 3 Keys:

Stop Bosh: Miami being Miami will likely look to target Bosh and try and give him a big day vs his former team. So expect the Heat to feed him the ball often. He is going get his if they have anything to say about. Trouble is how much can you really ask a team to focus on Bosh with James and Wade on the floor. If it was me I would stick Amir Johnson on him and take my chances it doesn't get him in foul trouble.

Score 48: No not 48 points. That would be bad. Score for 48 minutes, if the Raptors hit any scoring droughts they are dead. Heat can score easy and often most times and you need to keep pace. A traditional first quarter failure from the Raptors and this game will be over at half time.

Identify Shooters: Important to realize when shooters are on the floor. Guys like Mike Miller and others that are capable of making 3 pointers. It is hard enough to stop the Big 3 as it is let alone if they have guys dropping bombs from around the 3 point arc.

Raptors will lose today that is almost certain but the good news is they move on to play the Wizards. They just need to not get dismantled today and still feel good about themselves when they leave Miami. They might not feel so good about missing the Super Bowl. But this is a business trip after all.

Raps Lack Man Power To Finish On The Road.

It was the Raptors last Road game of the season and they were mighty thin in this one with just 8 healthy bodies and it was not looking good. But they would give a game effort as it turned out. Here is my audio re-cap of the festivities in Milwaukee.

Here is the boxscore if you still care about such things at this point of the season.

Last Stop Of Raptors Tour 2010/11- Milwuakee

The season is drawing to a close and based on Jay Trinao's pre-game presser last night it would seem what you saw last night is what you will get the rest of the way. Which means no Bargnani, Calderon, Amir Johnson, Barbosa etc. In terms of Johnson while Trinao would not elaborate he said that Johnson they have been told by doctors has more than just an ankle sprain. Given the Raptors have a long term investment in him that is cause for concern. How much cause you really can't say not knowing the full extent of what is wrong. At least it was slightly better than the standard hockey lower and upper body injury. We do have a body part an ankle that has taken a ton of abuse this season. Amir Johnson is likely done for the year and really gave everything he had for this team. A true warrior like effort and he did all he could to earn every penny he was paid. But Raptors move on nine strong or weak as the case maybe. Facing a Bucks team that had higher expectations this season than Toronto and has fallen well short of them. I was one of the view that did not praise the Bucks off-season. They in my opinion took steps backwards not forward and as they will watch the post-season with the Raptors and others it is hard to say I was wrong.

The Basics: Raptors 22-58 (Still tied with Wizards for 3rd worst in NBA) vs Bucks 33-47 (21-19 at home this being their final home game of the season)

When Last We Saw Them: I was there in person and watched the Raptors build a huge lead and almost watch it melt away. Maybe it was the Raptors small line up of just 9, the fact both teams had nothing but pride to play for, but whatever it was this felt like a summer league game. Raptors get the win and remained tied with Wiz for 3rd worst in NBA.

The Key Match Ups: No Bogut and Bargnani which is advantage Raptors as Bogut in previous match-ups has been unstoppable for the Dinos. Milwaukee goes with a undersized starting five and the one you might worry about most has the nicest hair in the gym. Carlos Delfino for whatever reason gets jacked up to play his former club and if he gets hot from 3 point land could make for a long night. Bayless has done well scoring and running the offence but on D not so much and Brandon Jennings is a guy that has potential to go off if you let him. Last home game of the year for the Bucks and Jennings would like to put on a show for his fans you would have to imagine. Demar DeRozan and Ed Davis are perhaps the only reasons to watch the Raptors these days and look for them to try to take advantage of lots of playing time and continue their positive play down the stretch.

Other Things of Note: Just want to say I had a great time in Toronto yesterday and covering the Raptors for another year. From fans of the blog, to people who have become friends, media friends and the Raptors staff and players it has all made for an enjoyable second season covering the team. More thoughts on this is in the post prior to this one if you care to check it out. Also I made my weekly visit to the Team 990 on early Saturday Morning. Not much Raptors talk in it but lots of talk about the coming NBA playoffs in it so give it a listen if you like.

Where is it on: TSN....No Really!!! The main network for one last time this season. How the Bucks get on a Main Network and on Wednesday the Heat do not is one of the mysteries of what the heck the people do in scheduling of sports in this country are thinking. Something tells me I never want to know. Psst....Miami Heat are a pretty big deal.....They have this guy that use to play for the Raptors too. Might have seen it on the news on ESPN.

Bucks Win, Raps Lose...Yada Yada Yada.

Not really a heck of a lot to say about last night's game. It was a lot of the same things that we have seen in the past. Raptors competed in this one which is better than what we saw in a few of those games on the western road swing. But in the end the Bucks would put on a push at the end of the game and come out on top 104-98 to keep their playoff hopes somewhat alive.

Some things worth noting:

• Demar DeRozan after one of his worse games of the season in L.A bounced back to the Demar we have become use to seeing.

• Loved seeing Ed Davis and Reggie on the floor together. Andrea Bargnani should take note of the hustles that they show on the glass and defence.

• Oh yeah Andrea was back. Did his normal I can score thing, but also his I stand around on D thing and is Rebounds are not my thing....thing.

• Typical Jose 13 points 8 dimes in a loss and he had to leave with hamstring yet again.

• Ed Davis showed some positive signs that he can be a shot blocker in this league. Raptor could use that badly.

• 3 point defence still an issue Bucks a team that struggles to get points went 9-19 Shooting 47.4% from distance.

I will be honest was much more excited to watch our 3 Canadians in the McDonald's All American Game in Chicago. Myck Kabongo, Khem Birch and Kyle Wiltjer represented Canada in the McDonald's All American Game. Kudos to them for repping the Red and White in Chicago. Congratulations to them.

Cheese Heads On The Menu

So Raptors are on a winning streak!!! Ok it is one game and I guess that can't really be classed as a streak. But with the Spurs, Blazers, Improving Clippers and Heat next on the sked, a road win in Milwaukee might be badly needed. But it won't be easy as the Bucks have Brandon Jennings back and I am still not sure who on the Raptors can stop Andrew Bogut. The Raps do have Leandro Barbosa back though to help out. Jerryd Bayless however remains out, as is the soon to be returning and soon to be a daddy again Reggie Evans. Will see what we get from the Raptors with the pressure of the losing streak off their shoulders.

Bogut goes right to work with the easy score but Bargnani answers on the other end. Jennings drives and the easy drop off for another Bogut two. Demar DeRozan answers that and so far a ping pong match at 4-4. Raptors started a little push to break away a nice pass by Weems to Bargnani pump fakes for 3 and steps in and drains the 2 to make it 10-7 Raptors. Bucks would flip that around and the Raps were looking a bit sloppy as Jennings would get a gift dunk off a turnover to make it 14-11 Bucks. Raps had missed 7 straight attempts after a hot start on offence, make that 8 as Weems can't hit on the jumper. Raptors would get down 5 and finally DeRozan would hit a jumper to end the drought. But Maggette back on the other end had an answer. Triano called a time out and Barbosa checked in for his first action in awhile. Raptors got tagged for a 5 second call out of time out. Ed Davis was in as well and got a rebound. Bogut some nice D leads to easy Bucks basket in transition and it was 24-17 and that would be the score after 1.

Bargnani hits a bucket to get 2nd going on the right foot, but after a Barbosa steal a missed 3 from Bargs. The a Buck basket and a Bargnani charge that he was not convinced was. Raptors were struggling to find anything positive on the offensive end of the floor. Barbosa looked really rusty will a couple shots that were not really close at all. Julian Wright had it stolen away and the Bucks blew a chance to extend the lead with a travel in transition. Bargnani would hit and as bad as Raps had played only down 6. Make that 4 as Barbosa smartly decided to go to the drive to get on the scoreboard and it was 28-24 Bucks. A Davis block leads to a Calderon bucket in transition and the Raptors had an 8-2 run and were down just 2. Time out for the Bucks as they needed to re-group.

Raptors doubled Bogut and it worked forcing ball out of his hand and an empty possession for them. Jose to Double D and this game was back to even at 32 a piece. But the Bucks would get the next two scores and make it 36-32 in their favour and force Jay Triano to call a time out. Raptors were just not looking good at all yet they were in this game 36-34 with just 2 to play in the half. Bogut abuses Ed Davis for an easy to points and DeRozan would answer as his jumper was on point tonight. A steal and Weems slam in transition and were tied at 38. But Bogut would take it at Bargnani and give Bucks a 40-38 halftime lead. This game was as good old J.R you to say in WWE "Bowling Shoe Ugly" and Raps went bowling so this makes sense.

Two turnovers and 4 points to start the half for the Bucks was I am sure not part of Jay Triano's halftime speech. Bucks came out on a 9-2 run and were kick it butt and Jay Triano called a time out to review his halftime thoughts with his team. DeRozan had an excellent first half yet the Raptors refused to give him the ball misses from Jose,Bargnani and others were better options then the guy shooting 6 of 7? Raptors had dug an 11 point hole down 55-44 and still not one shot for Demar. Jose Calderon was El Stinko at 2-15 and he would take a seat. Raptors would cut the Buck lead to 7, but this had been a brutal quarter for the most part. Raptors got the ball to DeRozan and he would deliver late in the quarter but it might have been to little to late. Not often I disagree with Jack Armstrong, but he said Bargnani was keeping the Raptors in this. I disagree he was keeping the Raptors from winning by not allowing the ball to go to DeRozan who was hot.

Bargnani would get to the line and make a couple he had 21 but was a volume 21 if you get my meaning. But Bargnani was getting it rolling I have to admit another bucket and lead was cut to 6. But a Bucks three pointer would make the lead 9 then add on another 3 and the lead was 11. It becomes a concern when Bargs and DeRozan are both doing well and they can not balance out the touches and scoring. Bragnani can't take shots from the bench though and that is where he would head with his 4th foul. Bucks had built their largest lead of the night with the score 75-62 lead. It would only get worse as the Bucks would build the lead to 20 points and the Raptors fate was pretty much decided with 5:15 to play. Raps shot 36% and lose 92-74 to the Bucks.

DeRozan and Bargnani get 41 of the Raptors 74 and the Raptors overall offence was brutal in this one. The defence was not great but when they can hold a team under 100 points that is respectable for this group. But they failed to take advantage of it. Another 0 for night from 3 point land....0 for 10 and the new streak from 3 is very short. As was the Raptors winning ways ending after just 1 win.

Two In A Row?

It seems like a long time ago the Raptors got their win to snap their losing streak at 13 games. I was there at the ACC and the sense of relief was evident. Can the Raptors carry that momentum with them to Milwaukee 3 days later? Leandro Barbosa is expected to be back as he travelled with the team. Jerryd Bayless did not. It has been a disappointing year for the Bucks that made some moves in the off-season looking to remain a playoff team in the East. But injuries have been a problem for them as it has for the Raptors. Brandon Jennings injuries were to the benefit of his friend Demar DeRozan who got to replace him in the Dunk Contest. Jennings is back on the floor for the Bucks now though, but since his return the Bucks are just 1-4. If you have never checked out the game notes from the Milwaukee Bucks for a Raptor game you are missing out on some good laughs.

The Basics: Raptors 14-37 (4-13 vs East on Road) Bucks 19-30 (On 4 Game Losing Streak)

When Last We Saw Them: Finally the Raptors got a win. The starting 5 all came to play and Raptors were able to take out the T-Wolves at the ACC. Jose Calderon was dropping dimes, Bargnani was hitting shots, DeMar and Sonny were doing what they do and Amir Johnson was a beast it was a winning formula for the Raptors who showed no Love to the T-Wolves.

Key Match-Ups: Brandon Jennings has yet to have a big game since returning to the Bucks Line-Up. Will Jose Calderon provide the chance for the Jennings to go off. You sure hope not if your cheering for the Raptors. Carlos Delfino and Demar DeRozan will be an important match-up for each side to win. But how the Bucks beat the Raptors in OT in Toronto was Andrew Bogut and Andrea Bargnani's told lack of ability to stop him. Ultimately that is the most important match-up in this game for both teams. Andrea if he can score like he did vs T-Wolves is something the Bucks need to be aware of. While the Raptors can not afford to have Andrea left on his own to try to stop Bogut.

Other Things Of Note: Bucks are not exactly blazing in the first game of back to backs they are just 4-9 and only average 89.9 points in those 13 games. We didn't mention him in the key match-ups but Corey Maggette is averaging 18 points a game for the Bucks in the 5 games since they hooked up with the Raptors. If the Raptors can get a fast start their chances of winning will increase dramatically. The Bucks are 7-21 when they trail after the 1st Quarter. Had a great conversation with Ryan Wolstat from The Toronto Sun if you missed yesterday in the Starting 5. Also we are gearing up for our (Un) Welcome Back Bosh Bash on the 16th at St. Louis Wings. You can be our VIP Guest and invite a friend to join you, we will be having details on Twitter @Dinonationblog on how you can come join our party on our tab.

Where Is It On: TSN (On The Big Network See Winning Has It's Benefits)

"Behind Enemy Lines"

13. It is hailed as the unluckiest of unlucky numbers and the Raptors now have it. Thirteen straight losses hurts no matter how you slice it but if we are trying to see the forest through the trees, the Raptors have to start winning sometime and why not this week against Minnesota, Milwaukee or San Antonio. I know this line of thinking hasn't been working for the Cavs who now sit at the bottom of the East with 22 straight losses, but realistically, we have to start somewhere. I have heard every joke under sun about the Raptors and it's viability as the only Canadian NBA franchise and their current losing streak. But just like that other professional sports franchise in Toronto, as long as the team makes money, the team will go nowhere - some say figuratively and literally. If the product is not producing, it will cease to increase in value and profits will take a nose dive just like their record. At the end of the day, the Raptors need to turn this ship around and just like I have said for the past 13 games, it is entirely possible for this to be their week.

Minnesota Timberwolves @ Toronto Raptors, Friday, February 4th:

• The Timberwolves and Raptors have played once already this season. Last Saturday, Januray 29th -Minnesota took the contest 103-87.
• Minnesota lead the scoring for the first three quarters of this game.
• The depth of Minnesota's bench was the key. The top three off the Timberwolves' bench combined for 39 points (Wesley Johnson-14, Jonny Flynn-10, Martell Webster-15). The top three off the bench for Toronto combined for 30 points (Ed Davis-15, Jerryd Bayless-10, Julian Wright-5).
• Timberwolves Inactive List: Lazar Hayward, Luke Ridnour.
• Raptors need to watch: Kevin Love. He posted 21 points in 24 minutes for Minnesota during their last meeting.
• Key for Raptors: The Raptors' starters played more minutes but produced less than Minnesota's starters. With Barbosa, Evans and Kleiza on the Raptor's Inactive list, it will be hard not to transfer the bulk of the work and minutes to the current starting line-up. They need to relieve the pressure by scaling back minutes slightly and keep everyone fresh to play. (Easier said than done, I know).

Toronto Raptors @ Milwaukee Bucks - Tuesday, February 8th:

• The Raptors and Bucks have played once this season. It was last week on Friday, January 28th: a 116-110 loss for the Raptors and still fresh in their minds.
• The lead flip-flopped over 4 quarters in this game with the eventual tie in regulation forcing it into overtime. OT saw Milwaukee with 12, Toronto with 6.
• A plus for the Raptors? Their bench was stronger than the Bucks' during their last meeting. However, the Bucks' produced more for minutes played per player than the Raptors - a reoccurring theme for Toronto.
• As of Thursday, the Bucks sit 4 spots above the Raptors at 10th in the East with 19-28.
• Bucks' Inactive List: Drew Gooden (out 4-6 weeks, treatment for plantar fascitis, left foot), Andrew Bogut, Michael Redd.
• Key for the Raptors: Play solid on both sides of the bench and not relying on a few guys to do all the work. This game will be played after a few days off so the rest may help.

San Antonio Spurs @ Toronto Raptors - Wednesday, February 9th:

• Spurs and Raptors met once this season, a few weeks ago on January 19th. Spurs took it 104-95.
• The Raptors were leading in the first half but as always, the Spurs regroup and dominate the second half.
• A plus for the Raptors? DeMar DeRozan had 28 points on the night.
• In their last game versus Portland, the Spurs lost by 13 points - significant since they have the best record in the league right now (40-8) against Portland's 26-23 (8th in the West).
• Spurs' Inactive List: Matt Bonner.
• Key for Raptors: San Antonio is strongest in the second half. Reverse the 'jedi mind trick' on them and do your best work in the third and fourth quarters. (Assuming the Raptors best next Wednesday is enough to take the Spurs).

Thanks for joining me this week. As always, keep your comments and questions coming on Twitter (@ddegraauw) and Facebook (Danielle de Graauw, purple jacket/red microphone). If you have a chance this weekend, visit the Bucks' home page. Their official website is hilarious how they try to entice the Canadian audience by making references to Canadian artists Sarah McLachlan and Men Without Hats. Their best tidbit? Celebrating #99 and "Brantford's Wayne Gretzky's 50th by holding their 9th consecutive opponent to 99 points or less". Nice to know Brantford was mentioned, though I would be more impressed if they could find it on a map.

Raptors Try To Buck The Trend

It is a Friday home game, so that means I am off the ACC and Toronto to cover this one. Raptors are in the midst of a terrible losing streak and moral is low. Eventually the Raptors will win a game again it has to happen right? The last time the Raptors lost 9 straight it was back in 2005 where the Raptors started the season losing 9 straight. In that same season was the last time the Raptors lost 10 in a row from March 26th to April 12th 2006. For a touch of irony that 10 game losing streak began with a loss to the Bucks. Raptors with those 2 huge losing streaks finished the season 27-55. This version of the Raptors is 20 games below .500. They have had 21 different players suit up for the team this year and are pushing to set the record of 24. While the Bucks have been a massive disappointment after making the playoffs last year they made a number of changes and it has not exactly worked out well. Injuries have been part of their story as well with Brandon Jennings having injury issues so much so it got Demar DeRozan into the dunk contest. Along with Jennings, John Salmons and Drew Gooden are listed as day to day.

The Basics: Bucks 17-26 (11-12 vs East) Raptors 13-33 (Lost 9 straight as you may have heard?)

When Last We Saw Them: Raptors played a good first quarter and then that was about it. Demar DeRozan continued his good play of late and Andrea Bargnani didn't play well at all. All the cast of characters you would expect to be a part of a Sixers win were. But most of all the Raptors got crushed in the paint.

Key Match Ups: Coming off a loss in which the Raptors got owned in the paint this is pretty easy. Say it with me.....Andrew Bogut. The Raptors better have a plan to stop him. Bogut and Bargnani have some things in common in the sense they both were picked first in weak drafts. But after that there is not much else that is similar. Cory Maggette has struggled with the Bucks but has had some success over the years vs the Raptors. He will hope for a Mike Miller like performance to get him going. No Brandon Jennings should mean advantage Calderon for the Raptors. Keyon Dooling is a big step down from Brandon Jennings. DeRozan vs Chris Douglas-Roberts should be a match-up the Raptors can win as well.

Other Things Of Note: It is January 28th and this is the first time we have seen the Bucks. They will play the Bucks 4 times this season. Bucks won the season series last year 2-1 for what it is worth. Ryan will be doing your re-cap of this on with myself down at the ACC. I will be in search of interviews and try and catch up with Demar DeRozan and get his thoughts on heading home for the All-Star game to compete in the Dunk Contest. It is unlikely the Raptors will be involved in the game on Sunday but Demar should be front and center on both Friday and Saturday. Rob Base is in the house for halftime. Last year it was Vanilla Ice makes you wonder what washed up 90's or 80's Rapper they will dig up next year? With Demar DeRozan being from Compton what is Eazy E doing these days? Well wait that might not be that family friendly would it.

Where is it on? TSN 2 (NHL is having their All-Star draft. OH SO SAD I WILL MISS THAT. NBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND > NHL ALLSTAR WEEKEND)

"Behind Enemy Lines"

Who do you think is the most valuable team in the NBA right now? Miami fans may say the Heat and while it is true they had the hugest jump in value percentage, they still sit in the seventh spot according to a recent report. Give up? The New York Knicks. They have jumped over the Lakers for top spot as the most valuable franchise in the NBA. Forbes magazine ranks them as number one and valued at $655 million due to an increase in ticket sales and sponsorships at Madison Square Garden. The most troubling part of their report? According to Forbes, 17 of 30 teams in the NBA lost money last season. Unbelievable. More than half the teams in the NBA? Good news for the Raptors, they sit at 10th on Forbes most valuable NBA team list. Let's hope one day that's their rank in league play. This week, the Raptors take on the Bucks, Timberwolves, Pacers and Hawks. Let's get at it.

Milwaukee Bucks @Toronto Raptors - Friday, January 28

• This will be the first time the Bucks and Raptors will meet this season.
• As of Thursday, the Bucks are 17-26 and 9th in Eastern Conference (5 spots ahead of the Raptors).
• Milwaukee notable: Bucks signed guard Garett Temple to a 10-day contract. Temple, 24 years old, has appeared in 30 games with San Antonio, Houston and Sacramento over the past two seasons.
• Milwaukee Inactive List: Brandon Jennings (left foot), Drew Gooden (left foot) and Michael Redd. John Salmons has been out with a right hip injury but was rostered against the Hawks this week but no playing minutes logged.
• Raptors need to watch: Garett Temple. He started the fourth quarter against the Hawks this week after only one practice since being signed to the team Tuesday. He made a solid impact on their defense in the dying minutes of that game.
• Key for the Raptors: The Bucks are putting on a happy face. They have lost 10 games in their last 15 and the Raptors need to play consistent and push the right buttons.

Toronto Raptors @Minnesota Timberwolves - Saturday, January 29

• This will be the first time the Timberwolves and Raptors will meet this season.
• As of Thursday, the Timberwolves are at the bottom of the West, 10 and 35.
• Timberwolves Head Coach Kurt Rambis has been like the Wayne Gretzky of the coaching world this season. Lots of talent and experience coaching a less than mediocre team. (Rambis was 14 years in the NBA as a player, 9 seasons with the Lakers. He spent 7 seasons as an assistant coach with the Lakers beside Phil Jackson before coming to Minnesota).
• Timberwolves Inactive List: Lazar Hayward and Kosta Koufos.
• Raptors need to watch: Forward Kevin Love. He had 31 points, 21 rebounds and shot 3 for 3 from behind the 3 point line for the Wolves against the Thunder during their last meeting.
• Key for the Raptors: This team is fighting stay alive but this is the kind of team that can be the most dangerous and unpredictable. They have nothing to loose. The Raptors need to make sure they do loose by sustaining a lead of at least 10 throughout the game - not letting the lead change hands.

Toronto Raptors @Indiana Pacers - Monday, January 31

• The Pacers and Raptors have met once already this season on December 6th. Pacers took it 124-100.
• The Raptors edged them in the 3rd quarter of this game in points but the Pacers held on in the rest.
• During this last meeting, the starting Pacers were all in double digits: Danny Granger put up 21 points. Only the Raptors top three saw double: Jose Calderon also had 21.
• Indiana Inactive List: Dahntay Jones, Josh McRoberts and Lance Stephenson.
• Raptors need to watch: Brandon Rush. He had 26 points off the Pacers bench against the Raptors in December.
• Key for Raptors: Have a stronger bench. Barbosa and Bayless both had twelve points each off the bench when they last met the Pacers. They need to be able to go the distance with this team.

Toronto Raptors @ Atlanta Hawks - Wednesday, February 2

• The Hawks and Raptors met twice already this season. Toronto lost both times.
• During their last meeting on November 28th, Atlanta lead the first 3 quarters in scoring. Toronto tried to rally in the 4rth but it wasn't enough. Final score 96-73 Hawks.
• Top four Hawks in double digit points versus two in the Raptors line-up. It was Bargnani and DeRozan for the Raptors.
• As of Thursday, Atlanta is 5th in the East at 29 and 17.
• Hawks Inactive List: Josh Powell, Pape Sy and Marvin Williams.
• Key for Raptors: Don't let them have the lead for more than one quarter if that. On their first meeting of the season on November 28th, Atlanta lead the scoring in the 1st and 4rth quarters and lead the first three in the second meeting. The Raptors need to pace themselves, no costly turnovers and be strong in the fourth.

As always, thank you for joining me. Please keep your comments and suggestions coming on Twitter (@ddegraauw) and on Facebook (Danielle de Graauw, purple jacket/red microphone). Have a great weekend and see you again on Tuesday for more NBA coverage in "NBAz in 7 Dayz".

Kingless?

It has already been a very busy day in Dino Nation Blog. But still going to bang out a quick preview of Raptors vs Cavs. As much as everyone fears the prospect of a Raptors vs Cavs first round series the Raptors have actually not done badly against the Cavs. In happier more optimistic times the Raptors opened their season with a surprising win over the Cavs. That made the Cavs 0-2 on the season and many were more concerned about the Cavs then the Raptors back then. Pretty sure there is not much to worry about in Cleveland these days. Cavs are 60-15 since those opening 2 losses and are 34-4 at home this season. In fact they have clinched everything that they can. In fact rumours are LBJ may not play tonight. However if the Raptors fans remember this is a team that lost to the Spurs with no Parker or Duncan. So they really can not let it impact of their effort regardless of if flight 23 takes off in Cleveland tonight or not.

When you scoreboard watch the Bulls caught a break literally in terms of Andrew Bogut's horrific injury the other night. The Bucks count on him to do a lot and will be trying to figure things out for their own playoff future. The Bulls just want to make it to Sunday and still have a chance for it to matter when they hit Toronto. The Magic number for the Raptors is 5. That means any combination of Raptors wins and Bulls losses that adds up to 5 and the Red and Black Attack lives.

The issue for the Raptors will be find those W's with 3 tough games this week before they get to the Bulls on Sunday. Tonight with Cavs, tomorrow @ home to Celtics and then an Atlanta team that they did beat last time they faced them. But that was without Joe Johnson and it is also the Atlanta team that with him scored 146 points against the Raptors.

If Raptors can win any of these 3 games for the folks that consider themselves realistic fans it would be a major surprise. It would also take some pressure off this team at least a little bit. The Raps can take some comfort in playing Pistons and Knicks to close the season, assuming they show and bring an effort they should win those.

If James does not play there is really nothing you can take away from this one in terms of a playoffs match-up. Maybe that would be the point for the Cavs. They honestly have nothing to lose by sitting him. If James were to go down injured in any of their final games the Cavs playoff chances would be doomed to failure. The one thing you would hope if you care about fair play at all that if James sits for both games with Raps and Bulls or plays in both. If it did not happen you almost wonder if that was the Cavs trying to send a message has to who they would prefer to play.

So if James sits tonight and plays against the Bulls that would at least suggest the King James want Toronto and the Cavs want the Raptors. That would be interesting if that was the case. Maybe as I suggested the experience the Bulls had in pushing Boston to the limit worries them. That was a different Bulls team thought that had Ben Gordon and he was last seen with an over paid contract in Detroit.

Will see what happens I am liveblogging it for the Score and tip time is 7pm.

As Must Win As It Gets

Tonight I am going to try something a little different with the Raptors vs T-Wolves. Often if I am not working a Raptor game for The Score I can be found on Twitter during games sharing my thoughts. I often find at times between the people that I follow and those that follow me sometimes Twitter can be a pretty entertaining game companion. So I have decided to try the DNB's first ever TweetCap. It will be a re-cap that incorporates all off the stuff that is flying around on Twitter during a Raptors game. So if you have thoughts during tonight's game fire a tweet at me @dinonationblog and you may end up part of the TweetCap of the game. This is something new I am trying so will see how it turns out but it should be fun. The Raptors take on the T-Wolves who have lost 12 straight and the Raptors have won 11 straight vs T-Wolves. All signs point to a Raptors win but given the way things have been lately nothing is guarantee but what is always a guarantee is that Twitter will have entertaining things said by myself and others.

Also will be back at Brooklyn's this week for Raptors and Jazz (Wednesday), 291 Queenston Road here in Hamilton. Will have another set of tickets courtesy of Raptorman.ca and some other prizes to give away. So if you are in the Hamilton area make sure you come out and have some fun and cheer on the Raptors. It will be not easy to get a win over the Jazz but it is very easy to win something if you come out and be part of the fun. In playing the Jazz and Denver in the next 2 games that is what makes a win tonight almost a requirement. The T-Wolves have just 14 wins on the season and just 9 at home. Raptors enter tonight 4 games back of the Bucks for 5th, a game behind Miami for 6th and a half game behind the Bucks for 7th. They are still 2 and half games in front of Chuck Swirsky's Chicago Bulls.

Three of those four are in action tonight as well. Miami has guaranteed win night in New Jersey, The Bucks host the Hawks in what right now would be a first round playoff preview. While the Bulls host the Houston Rockets in Chicago. So that is your scoreboard watching menu along with the Raptors and T-Wolves.

Raptors had a 94-88 win over the T-Wolves in early December. In reading my recap of that it appears the Raptors did not exactly bring their A game on that night. In terms of tonight they better bring it. The Raptors are running out of time to not just secure a playoff spot but build any kind of hope in this fan base that they can win once they get there. T-Wolves are a young team that on a given night can be dangerous. Those nights are few and far between. Jonny Flynn should be jacked up though after watching his Orange roll through Gonzaga yesterday not to far from his hometown in Buffalo. Flynn was one of the stars of last year's March Madness and he now has the grim reality of what life in the NBA is like. When you are 14-56 and just playing out the schedule that is a little different from trying to make an exciting run to a national championship in college.

Keep in Madness mode Chris Bosh and Jarrett Jack watched their former College Paul Hewitt coach and the Yellow Jackets go down to defeat to Ohio State. G-Tech's star Derrick Favors had a very rough day and was invisible for most of the game. Chris Bosh can not have that happen for him in any of these games down the stretch for the season. I also have to say that once he got rolling Evan Turner is pretty fun to watch. He will be one of the guys you hear a lot about heading up to the draft in June if you do not follow college basketball to any degree. If you are even a casual fan you have no doubt heard of... if not seen Evan Turner do his thing. He along with John Wall from Kentucky (My Pick to win the Tournament) are considered the top 2 talents for the NCAA in the NBA Draft assuming both decide to enter it.

The great thing about March Madness is it is one and done. There are no second chances. It can lead to massive upsets like the Cornell Big Red the Ivy League Champs knocking off 2 higher seeds or Northern Iowa knocking off the Kansas Jayhawks the number 1 seed in this tournament. The Raptors need to catch a bit of that college spirit and play like they have no tomorrow. If they take the mentality into every game they hopefully can win more then they lose. Tonight losing is simply not an option.

Raptors Rewind V-Log Edition

Yes this is way after the fact but this was and is the debut of the Dino Nation Blog in video form. So it took awhile to figure some things out. Like who knew videos could only be 10 minutes on YouTube. Likely half the free world but not me. Anyway hope you enjoy this first venture into video for the DNB. If I can be half as funny as J.B Superstar and Joey G will be doing good. You can watch some classic episodes of those guys as well as the new video content on our YouTube Channel. Be one of the first to subscribe and I will promise to do my best to make it worth while.





So hope you enjoyed that keeping it mind it was a first effort and all. There will be more stuff to come as I really am really enjoying messing around with video again it has been quite a while since I have. Will be liveblogging today's Lakers vs Raptors game for The Score.

Raptor vs Bucks- Take 2

If only sports were like the moves and you could get a redo. The Raptors would surly like to have one after the last game in Milwaukee. For whatever reason the Raptors have traditionally struggled vs The Bucks. The Bucks hold an all time lead in the series 21-35 from Ray Allen as a Buck to Glen "Big Dog" Robinson to modern times with Bogut and Jennings it has always been a struggle. It is not like the Bucks have been a powerhouse team at any point to a large degree. The Raptors would like a win tonight and be done with the Bucks for another year. The Bucks with that win the other night have already won the season series. Raptors have had trouble with Bucks regardless of venue as well with only and 11-1 record overall in their history vs the Bucks.

What will Chris Bosh do for an encore after his career high 44 points? Do you think the Raptors might get him some touches down the stretch of the game. That is part of problem you face as a star power forward or Center in the NBA. You have to depend on others to get you the basketball. Last night Kobe and Lebron did not have to worry about such things. That is the advantage of being a star wing player in this league as opposed to a small big. Still that not excuse what went down in Milwaukee. With Bogut fouled out of the game the Bucks had no one that could seriously guard Chris Bosh and win that match-up. The Raptors should be able to beat the Bucks with the advantage the have on the offensive end in the front court. Getting Bogut to foul out and in foul trouble was a positive move by the Raptors. It should have helped put them into position to win.

Part of the reason it didn't was the play calling down the stretch. However how the Raptors got to that point is another story. The Bucks out hustled the Raptors and did a better job on the hustle stats. The Bucks were aggressive in getting on the glass and did a solid job on the offensive end especially. Good defense without rebounding is like owning the highest tech security system and forgetting to activate it. The result is the house gets robbed blind.

Looking ahead to the Lakers on Sunday who will not exactly be happy about a loss in Cleveland it does not exactly look good for the Raptors chances. I should mention that I will be Live Blogging that one for the folks at The Score. I am looking forward to it. Not sure why given the likely result but I am. So turning attention back to tonight the Raptors need to get a win or they will be likely starring at a 4 game losing streak dead in the eye. The Bobcats are red hot and the Raptors can not afford to allow them to get to far ahead of them. If the Bucks could sweep this back to back and season series that would go along way in getting them back in the hunt in the Eastern Conference Playoff race.

I am otherwise engaged tonight with a live blog of Celtics and Blazers so I will not be getting to see this one live. But I will share my thoughts on it once I a do. Also the post below this one talks about something new I am going to be trying in getting into the whole VLog thing. I see lots of folks doing it and I figure why not give it a shot and see what happens. I have been taking some of my spare time to work on some stuff and figure it all out. So much like the DNB when it started in might be rough around the edges at first but will see. Let's hope not.

Raptors need a win badly and games like that last one are not good for more than just the Raptors record but the moral and desire of Chris Bosh to remain a Raptor. Both not good things.