Raptors Take On The New Orleans Stern's

Things have been going rough this year so you think David Stern could let us have this one? Make a phone call, refuse to clear someone to play on his team? I mean he had no problem refusing a trade right? Maybe he could order that Andrea Bargnani has to play? Alright enough jokes. The Hornets have an even worse home record than the Raptors which is saying something. If the Hornets franchise is every going to turn around being better than 3-14 at home would be a start. They actually have a better road record at 5-12. Still, given how the Raptors have performed in situations where you expect them to win, if you were a little bit afraid it would only be human.

If nothing else two losses to Wizards and one to the Bobcats has taught us anything the Raptors can not afford to overlook anyone in the NBA. The Raptors continued the trend that has gone on for most of the season with starting off slow in games. However, what might have been more concerning was some of the reactions last night based on some rather interesting choices made by Dwane Casey down the stretch. Demar DeRozan seemed less than thrilled with his seat on the bench. Given the Raptors struggles to score at times I would tend to agree. That said it was likely more about his defensive effort that saw him on the bench. While I may not endorse the moves he made I do like the idea of Casey sticking to his guns.

It will be interesting to see if anything lingers from last night in what we see tonight. But faces don't lie and there were not many happy ones on the Raptors bench last night. In what was a close games there seemed to be a general disinterest on the part of some. At some point the reality of losing sets in for a team and perhaps the Raptors have reached that point. Although to Casey's credit, he does put the guys on a given night that are willing to fight on the floor. If your not performing in his eyes your not playing. The is the accountability that has been missing on this team for quite some time.

While the Raptors have struggled with Andrea Bargnani the Hornets have been without the centerpiece of the Chris Paul trade to the Clippers in Eric Gordon. He only played two games before injuring his knee and requiring surgery. It makes the 13 games that Bargnani has played seem like a lot. Former Raptor Jarrett Jack has replaced Paul and is having a nice season averaging 14.9 points and 6.3 assists. As for the other parts to that Paul trade Chris Kaman has had 11.8 points and 7.7 rebounds. Al-Farouq Aminu barely makes it worth knowing how to spell his name with 4.9 points and 3. 9 points. Wonder how many teams will be calling the Hornets come trade deadline given the whole Paul mess prior to the season? If Hornets have a trade can Stern slip it in 5 minutes after the deadline. Technically any deal the Hornets make is already in the league office right?

While I ponder this and many other things about NBA owned Hornets a basketball game will be played. Here are some keys on the Raptors can win this basketball game:

1. Start Strong: This is a broken record by now go back and read old previews for the full explanation.

2. Ball Movement: It was sorely lacking least night at times and it led to some pretty awful choices in shot selection.

3. Demar Defense: Demar needs to have a good two way game. After last night it is important we see an engaged and active DeRozan on both ends of the floor.

Demar Ain't Done

Demar DeRozan moved on to beat Eric Gordon Getting 61% of the vote and this is how he did if you happened to be watching the Olympics and missed it.

(Courtesy of Raptors.com/NBA.com)

As you can see Demar didn't really have to push himself that hard to advance. In those highlights it leaves out the many missed attempts by Eric Gordon. Basically This Dunk Contest was pretty much over after the first dunk. Demar did a V.C like between the legs dunk and honestly made it look easy. Gordon blew like 3 or 4 attempts and that was pretty much it. Demar played it conservative and threw down what for him is a basic dunk and he was off to tonight's dunk off. NBA.Com had the wrong picture above is name for online voting but it didn't matter.

So now we see what Demar truly has in his bag of tricks tonight. Rumour has it he has some sort of Michael Jackson gimmick cooked up. That should play well with a massive crowd at Cowboys Stadium. Demar has never lost a dunk contest on any level and he seems to love and embrace that concept. I have talked with him personally on a couple of occasions and he seems pretty matter a fact about it all. By the way did you notice last night he gave a chest bump to former Raptor Jerome Williams in the front row last night. Demar is in this thing to win it. His approach last night seemed to suggest that. He was not going to show the world his full bag of tricks just yet. Tonight he will bust out the whole package of tricks.

Heir Canada will be born tonight in Dallas. Go Demar Go. Make Raptor fans proud. If you would like to hear/read previous interviews with double d just use our search engine on the right. I have had the chance to talk with Demar 4 or 5 times since training camp in Ottawa when I first met him. He is a very nice young man that as a most times quiet confidence. Although ask him who will win a dunk off between him and Sonny Weems and that confidence will be loud. Both Weems and Jarrett Jack are rumoured to be part of the show tonight assisting Demar in his effort to be Dunk Champion. Unfortunately unless you have TSN2 you are out of luck in watching it. But don't worry video moves fast in this world and you can bet highlights will be up in an instant.

So best of luck to Demar DeRozan and here is hoping we are talking about the 2010 Slam Dunk Champion from your Toronto Raptors tomorrow in Dino Nation Blog.

Lucky 13 For Raps?

The Raptors are in the weird and wacky land that is L.A for Friday the 13th. Did you know that Friday the 13th is considered lucky by folks from Italy? Growing up here in Hamilton, I have had many friends who have roots back to Italy. You get a reminder of that every time there is a World Cup going on. You would swear that I had moved to Italy. If you have ever been to Hamilton at that time you know what I am talking about. So if my friends from Italy were telling me the truth that should mean it is a lucky day for Bellinelli and Bargnani tonight. Not sure the background as to why it is considered lucky if someone knows please leave a comment and explain.

The Raptors will take any kind of good fortune they can get going off to the West Coast as not been kind. Speaking of not kind Matt Devlin peels off some dreadful stats about the Clippers in his " Life On The Second Bus" Feature on Raps.com. If you are a younger reader you may not realize the Clippers use to be the Buffalo Braves back in the day as Matt mentions in that feature with Jack Armstrong. Buffalo has been a cursed town with the Bills Super Bowl losses, The Sabres loss in a Stanley Cup on a goal that should not have counted. The Music City Miracle and on and on it goes. Moving to California has not helped the Clippers escape that Buffalo bad luck. The Clippers lost the first round pick Blake Griffin on the eve of the season for 6-8 weeks. They also will be with out their young star in Eric Gordon as well tonight. While the Raptors, despite a hip issue, should have Hedo Turkoglu good to go tonight.

The Raptors really need a win here as no surprise that the Clippers are the easiest team they will face on this trip. The Suns despite losing 121-102 the Lakers the Suns have been on a major tear to start the season. The only other loss they have is to the Orlando Magic. It is important the Raptors do not let the long trip to L.A allow them an excuse to not bring it from the opening tip. When you are a team like the Raptors you can not afford to take anyone or any situation lightly. We have already seen in Memphis and San Antonio cases where the Raptors did and they have to L's to show for it. If the Raps won those 2 games the outlook from this team would be a lot different. 6-2 sounds a heck of a lot better than 4-4 does it not? If the Raptors can return home 6-6 they likely would be a happy group. In order for that to happen there is no question a win over the Clippers has to be part of that equation. After that if they can steal on from the Suns, Nuggets or Jazz you have a 2-2 trip and do not lose any momentum. If the team goes 1-3 or God forbid 0-4 that is not going to be good news. They face a tough 3 game homestand vs Miami, Orlando and an easier one vs the Pacers. Although don't tell T.J Ford and the Pacers that.

No one said that November was going to be easy and as the Raptors advance through this month you are getting to see that. How the Raptors can survive it is to play better on the defensive end. It is clear this team has more than enough offense to get the job done on most nights. They can score with just about anyone in this league. Where the difference happens is the great teams can start strong and finish stronger. I have always felt basketball is on of the hardest sports to come from behind and win. It is like you are trying to climb a mountain. Once you get to the top and get back to level or ahead by just 2. Many times the team that has lead throughout will have one final push and get the win. What happened against the Bulls went totally against that logic and is rare. Good teams be they great defensively or not understand when there are those key moments and possessions in game that they need to step it up. The Playoffs only increase in those moments and if a team can not get those stops the odds will catch up with them in the end.

Chris Bosh and his play may not land him on the Tonight Show while in L.A. Even though he did work for them in playoffs when it was Jay Leno's show. You know when they got good ratings. However his start has been one of the better ones in the NBA. It may get ignored by some because of the Raps 4-4 record but CB4 has been very good. This is also a homecoming for Demar DeRozan who is an L.A kid. He rolls back home on the momentum of his best game as a pro. It should be a big thrill for him to be playing at the Staples Center and better to do that the first time against the Clippers and NOT THE LAKERS!!!

Perhaps the worst thing about the Raptors failures on the west coast in the past is that you have to stay up so late to watch them fail. It is no fun to watch a game that starts at 10:30 and come out on the losing end of it. That does not send you to bed with happy thoughts. Here is hoping the Raps get a win and send Raps fans to bed with a positive attitude and a 5-4 record. Losing to the Clippers no matter the circumstances is always a tough pill to swallow.

Raptors Rewind- Please Win Edition

Good news for the Raps before the opening tip. The Clippers would be without Marcus Camby for this basketball game. The also do not have Chris Kaman who has been out for awhile. Can Bosh and O'Neal take advantage? Raptors fans are praying for that at this point. Clippers are coming off getting hammered by the Bucks. It really is set up for the Raptors to win this game. But given what has been going on with this team nothing is for sure right now. Cross your fingers and say a prayer as the Toronto Raptors look to head in the Christmas break with a win. Any kind of win will do. Raptors Rewind is back after a live blog break doing my part for the score.

1st Quarter

Not a good sign the Raptors won the opening tip but it went out of bounds. But Jermaine O'Neal would get the opening basket. That was after a Bosh miss and a couple misses for the Clippers. Chris Bosh would get fouled get to the line and make a pair. Al Thornton would drive and score for the Clippers. Bosh would get back to the line and make 2 more from the line. Raptors lead early 6-2. Eric Gordon hits a mid-range jumper from the corner. Jose Calderon would respond with a score plus the foul shot and the Raptors lead 9-4. Zach Randolph the former Knicks get a basket. Jermaine O'Neal had an answer on the other end. Bosh would follow that up with a hook shot and score in the paint. Raptors would get another score down low. The Raptors stormed out to a 15-6 lead. Clippers would score and Chris Bosh had a loud answer with a one handed throw down. Raptors lead 17-8 with a time out on the floor.

Baron Davis got to the line and made a pair. Jamario Moon would drive and get to the line and score both. J.O would get into the paint and score and he had 8 point so far and the Raptors lead 21-10. A Clipper turnover turns into a long 2 pointer for the Raptors. Jermaine O'Neal would score again and the Raptors lead 25-10 early on. A big lead we have seen this before. But that being said the Raptors looked very good. Clippers would get a basket on an alley oop from Baron Davis out of the time out. Jose Calderon would draw a charge on Baron Davis. Raptors had gone cold after the time out. But they still had a 13 point advantage. But Eric Gordon would hit a 3 pointer to cut it to 10 points. Baron Davis would hit another 3 pointer from Baron Davis and the Clipper had an 8-0 run going. It would have been 10 but the Clippers cost themselves a basket with an offensive cylinder interference call. Raptors still lead 25-18 after one quarter of play.

2nd Quarter

Andrea Bargnani was struggling again as he missed his first attempt of the second quarter he had already a few misses in the first. Zach Randoplh was back in the game with 2 fouls but he would drive and score. Anthony Parker would end the Raptor drought with a bucket. The Clippers would score but Will Solomon who had checked in nailed a 3-ball. Raptors lead 30-22. Randoplh would pick up his 3rd foul. Anthony Parker would get another 3 pointer. The Raptors would get another basket from Bargnani and the lead was back up to 13 points. Couple ugly misses on 3 point attempts from Will Solomon and Baron Davis. Zach Randolph was remaining in the game as the Clippers were short in the front court down Camby and Kaman. He had made a couple free throws prior to the brutal 3-ball display. So the Raptors lead was still 11 points.

Out of a time out Steve Novak would hit a needed 3 pointer for the Clippers. Zach Randoplh had a basket and lead had been trimmed to 35-29. The Raptors would respond and rattle off 4 straight points. Make that 6 straight points for the Raptors. The lead was up to 41-29 Raptors. Jermaine O'Neal would add on to that. The Clippers shooting was truly awful and we have seen awful in Raptorland. Jermaine O'Neal had another bucket. Jose Calderon would add a 3-ball and The Raptors were building a very impressive lead with the score 46-29. Clippers looker like the Raptors with all jump shots and they were missing everything. Jason Kapono had a 2 pointer. The Clippers finally may get some points as Jermaine O'Neal would get tagged for his second foul. But they would only get 1-2. Anthony Parker would hit a 3 pointer in response. The Raptor lead was 21 points. Steve Novak would finally get a field goal for the Clippers but the half time score was 51-32 Raptors. Dino Blogger's bold prediction was looking good for now.

3rd Quarter

Bosh and O'Neal combined for 22 points in the first half. Raptors were shooting 46% which was pretty good. However the Clippers were shooting 30% which was awful. The Raptors did not care just win and move on. Could they put together a 2nd half to match the first. Raptor fans for their personal sanity sure hoped so. Raptors would start the quarter with a 3 second violation on O'Neal. Al Thornton would make a couple from the line to start the half for the Clippers. Jermaine O'Neal would score and get to the line and make the free throw but would get called for a lane violation. Bosh and O'Neal continued to look good as they both added another basket to their totals. Eric Gordon would get a 3-ball for the Clippers in between that. Jermaine O'Neal blocked Baron Davis. That would turn into a Jamario Moon Jam on the other end. That was set up by an O'Neal pass. O'Neal would get another big block to maintain the the 17 point Raptor lead at this point. Bosh would miss two from the line that could have extended the lead. But no matter J.O would challenge another shot and it would end up on the other end and Calderon hit a jumper. It was Raptors 61-42 at this point.

Jermaine O'Neal had 16 points and 3 blocks and was leading the Raptor charge on both ends of the floor. Andrea Bargnani would get nailed for a clear path foul on Baron Davis. He would make the shots and Clippers would get a basket. Bargnani would then get tagged with an offensive foul. Which the Clippers would turn into two points. Andrea Bargnani had cost the Raptors 6 points of their 17 point advantage. The Raptors still lead 61-50. Clippers had an 8-0 run going. Bargnani would get to the line to get back a couple of the points he cost the Raptors. But he could only manage 1-2. Clippers would get a bucket from Zach Randolph. Andrea Bargnani would pick up his 4th foul and Eric Gordon would make them both. Bargnani would miss a 3 pointer and Andrea was almost all on his own blowing this lead. Jermaine O'Neal would finally score. But Eric Gordon would respond with a basket for the Clippers. O'Neal would just come back and score again. But Zack Randolph would get a 3 pointer. Andrea Bargnani would continue to blow up in front of your eyes with a loose ball foul and maybe that would convince Triano to get him the heck out of this game. The once 17 point Raptor lead was down to 6 points. Chris Bosh would drive and draw a foul and get to the line. Bosh would go 1-2 but Raptors would get the rebound. Jake Voskhul was in the game and he got to the line now. Jake would make both and Raptor lead was back up to 9 points now. So The Raptors would end the quarter up 69-60. A lot closer then they would like. Clippers out scored the Raptors 28-18 in the quarter.

4th Quarter

Baron Davis would open the scoring with a 3 pointer. Chris Bosh would respond with a two pointer. Zach Randolph would end up banging knees with his team mate and he was not able to stay in the game. Chris Bosh was still in the game and he was jamming it in the basket. He would be driving again and this time get to the line. Bosh would make both and the Raptor lead was back up to 10 points again with the score 75-65 Raptors. Baron Davis would get to the line and make a pair. Will Solomon on the other end would make another 3 pointer. Anthony Parker would make a two point shot and the Raptors lead by a dozen. Jake Voskhul was being aggressive and almost like the Raptor goon. He was responsible for Zack Randolph leaving. He would also lay a lick on Al Thornton. Meanwhile Bosh would make a basket and a foul shot. Bosh would get another score. Raptors lead was now 85-68. Eric Gordon would make a 3 pointer but Chris Bosh would later answer with a 3 pointer of his own. He was owning the 4th quarter.

Bosh had 28 and a lot of it had come in this final quarter. So who wants to trade Bosh now? Not Me. Bosh had 2 more that makes it 31 for him and the Raptors lead 92-73. Jermaine O'Neal made his way to the line and he would have a pair making one. He had 20 on the night and raptors had a 20 point lead. Raptor were going to win as they had their largest lead of the night with the bench in the game to close it out. It was a 97-75 final MERRY CHRISTMAS RAPTOR FANS YOU HAVE A WIN. Finally a boxscore worth looking at. Check it out:

Raps/Clipps Boxscore

Just as I said it would happen it did. Raptors win did you have any doubt? O.K so did I. But they came through lead by CB4. Take that all you people jumping off the bandwagon of CB4. J.O was solid as well. Check this dynamic duo stat line

54 points (31 Bosh, J.O 23 ) 16 rebounds ( 9 Bosh 7 J.O) 4 steals (2 each) 7 blocks ( J.O 5 Bosh 2)

This is what Bryan Colangelo had in mind when he traded for O'Neal. Hopefully the Raptors can remember what they did right on this night come Boxing Day in Sacremento.