Dwane Casey should have more success this season. The answers as to why are many, which begins with the fact he will have a full training camp to work with this roster. I am not sure if we give enough credit for what he was able to accomplish last season under less than ideal circumstances. What he was able to accomplish with a roster that was not as talented as the one he has now can not be applauded enough. He did it with so little time as well.
The lack of training camp and practices was well documented around the NBA last season. It is only natural common sense that Casey with more time should be able to accomplish more. “Pound the Rock” was something we had a lot of fun with in the DNB last season. I personally saw the whole concept as a little college like in nature. Casey was able to sell it though and his players bought in. If you didn’t buy in that you apparently are not going stick around. James Johnson would be an example of that, despite having a defensive skill set that should have worked well with Casey. It speaks to a word I have said a lot in talking about Casey. Accountability has returned to the Raptors vocabulary.
Casey will not only have more time, but more players that fit the style of basketball Casey wants to play. All of the Raptor additions have one common theme and that would be a defensive mindset. For years I have moaned in this blog just how important a point guard that can defend is in this new modern NBA. Casey now has one that should fit the bill in Kyle Lowry. He has guys that will be on his bench that will push others to bring it on defence. DeMar DeRozan has a motivation to play better defence in the form of Raptors first round pick Terrence Ross. Landry Fields is a solid defender as well that could play at the shooting guard or the small forward positions.
We could keep this going but to sum it up Casey now as depth and options if individuals are not working well within the system. The one thing a coach has control of that gives him power is minutes. He decides just how much you will play and that is how he can send his message. The trading of James Johnson shows that the organization to some extent has Dwane Casey’s back.
That is important and goes back to what they had in Utah for so many years with Jerry Sloan. In Utah there was a system and that system was ruled by Jerry Sloan. You didn’t fit the system or didn’t work well with Jerry Sloan and your stay in Utah would not be fun or long.
In the modern NBA that ruling with an iron fist approach alone is hard to make work. Casey has some of that in him but he has also shown an ability to work with his players and get them to buy in to varying degrees. It was made very clear to me from being in the Raptors’ locker room last season that Casey had the respect of the room.
So you should expect more from Casey in year number two as Raptors Head Coach. However all this talk of playoffs might not be a fair expectation. You may have to “Pound the Rock” a little longer before you are rewarded with the post-season. Casey will still try his best to push this team to exceed realistic expectations and the point is the Raptors have started to build an identity that can be successful.
Some Other Non-related Notes:
I ranked my top 5 dunkers in Raptor history for the Bleacher Report. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts over there. I would love to hear from DNB Readers there as well. In addition the Raptors finally made it official that Jaamal Magloire will be back at least for training camp. I talked about this earlier in the week so I will not add much to what I have already said. Ultimately Maglorie should not make this roster of 15 and if he does something has went wrong. This is assuming the Raptors don’t make a trade in which more players go out than come back. If we are talking about the 16 players currently on the roster it seems pretty simple to me that Magloire is the odd man out.
Showing posts with label James Johnson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label James Johnson. Show all posts
9/19/12
5/3/12
Jack Armstrong Is Here For The Starting 5
As I mentioned Jack will be back to talk about the draft once the Lottery Balls have fallen. He obviously gave you a hint on his feelings on Anthony Davis but safe to say almost everyone shares that opinion that he is the consensus number one pick heading into the draft. We will be reaching out to others getting their thoughts on the season and off-season to come in the next few weeks. So stay tuned and be on the look out for more guests as we get prepared for the off-season. Jack is an honorary member of #TeamDNB for me. He has become our most popular guest over the years and it is mainly because of two things. The first is Jack and his no nonsense approach mixed with good humour that Raptor fans have come to love. Second his willingness to be a guest on a regular basis and show faith in me to do a good interview. Those two things are what has made him are most frequent and most popular guest in The Starting 5 and we are thrilled as always to have him on with us.
4/24/12
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.
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.
4/9/12
10 Things On Last Night, Tonight and Beyond
So it is late in the season. I am tired and need to combine a re-cap and a preview into one. Thanks to folks at St Louis Wings for hosting me for the night for the game with the Thunder. I learned that the Easter Bunny is bigger than the Dino Blogger in two ways. Still, the folks at St Louis Wings have always been great to me and it is a great place to catch a game. Any restaurant/bar that puts basketball first in Canada is a rare gem to find. That said back to business, here are 10 thoughts on what we saw last night and what to expect tonight against the Pacers and beyond.
1. The Result Was Obvious- There was not a doubt in my mind last night's Raptor game would end up with the result it did. The Thunder were in bad need of a win coming in and the Raptors provided that perfect springboard to do just that. OKC had sat a top the Western Conference for the majority of this season and getting passed by the Spurs made losing to the Raptors not an option.
2. Thunder Fans- There is a lesson to be learned for Raptor fans from the people in the stands in OKC. It has become the best home court advantage in the NBA. Be it crazy fat guys with bunnies painted on them with masks or just your average OKC Fan they all get it. I am pretty confident they are never worried if they are treated to a slice of pizza. I am also confident that even when they sucked, which wasn't that long ago, they were not rooting for their team to lose (Tank). They are people that are just passionate to have the NBA in their city. That passion has died down in Toronto. While Raptor fans are a loyal group they also have become jaded and divided at times. I understand why that is, but still when you watch a game in OKC you see what being a fan by it's true definition is all about. They are more than just the example of how to build a team they are an example of how to build a fanbase. I miss the days when Raptors fans were like this.
3. Bargnani Tough?- I really am starting to have serious doubts about the future of Andrea Bargnani. Again this calf injury becomes an issue and he sits the 2nd half. No the Raptors were not tanking, as I mentioned earlier this result was an obvious one. I am left to question what kind of pain threshold Bargnani truly has. This is aside from the debate on if he has truly turned the corner as player. Even if I am to believe that, which I remain unconvinced, it becomes a moot point if he is not healthy in the long term. I don't mean to diminish a calf injury but this has become rather ridiculous on some level.
4. James Johnson Saga- I have no idea what James Johnson did. I don't care what he did to be blunt. I do support what Casey has done in sending a message. That said enough already. It was pretty hilarious watching the Raptors try and guard Kevin Durant with James Johnson on the bench. Matching the potential MVP of league on a 10 day contract player is not just punishing Johnson, it is punishing the team as a whole. Casey was quick to get him in there. Let's all move on now though and give Johnson his spot back. Credit to both Casey and Johnson, along with team for keeping whatever happened on the down low. Sure we all would like to know what happened but honestly we really don't need to know.
5. Jaamal's Impact- If I hear one more time this year about the impact of Jaamal Magloire, I swear that I am going to puke. Tell me has there ever been a player in the history of this team praised for doing so little? I mean seriously. I guess it is a situation not unlike the one with Jay Triano, in which because he is Canadian people are wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt. Here is what he has been in reality. A trash talking tough guy that still knows how to commit a foul in the NBA and can occasionally show you he use to be a good to great player 10 years ago. That is all. He likely isn't coming back and I would seriously wonder if the Raptors had not come along, if he is even in the league at all. Sadly this is the guy that will go in the history books as the first ever Canadian Raptor. It makes me sad for all the young up and coming talent we have in this country that could have been that. The only old Canadian I would want to have that honour played basketball for his country and is a two time NBA MVP.
6. Barbosa Is Back- If you are not at least a little happy for Leandro Barbosa getting a chance to play for a playoff team you may have no soul. This is a guy that game here and never once complained and went out and did his job for the past couple seasons. Given this crazy NBA Sked, I confess I have not seen much of Barbosa since leaving. But based on the boxscores and random comments I see on Twitter he is doing what he does in Indiana and I am happy for him.
7. Roy Hibbert- I have said this consistently for awhile, it pains me to watch this guy play and know he will go down as a draft pick of the Toronto Raptors. Now it should be noted if not for the trade with the Pacers he would have never been picked by the Raptors. They felt he was too slow for their up tempo style of basketball at the time. That said, I at the time thought he was a great answer for the Raptors at center. He is never going to blow you away but he does all the things that you would hope that a center would do. On top of that having met him once he is a pretty great young man. Georgetown has not produced to many stiffs at the Center position over the years. It is one of the safest bets in the NBA draft when you take a center out of Georgetown. When you look back on that trade that brought J.O to Toronto the biggest loss in it was Roy Hibbert.
8. Raptors Can Be Spoilers- When you look at the Schedule remaining the Raptors could have a impact on the playoff race. Starting tonight with Pacers two games ahead of Boston for 3rd in the East, followed with games vs Sixers, Celtics, Hawks twice, Heat and Bucks. It gives you some motivation to go out there and try and win games. It is also the reason that people hate tanking in general. Tanking has an impact on the teams that are actually in the playoff race. This is why David Stern needs to step in and do something dramatic to the NBA Lottery System. It was designed to prevent this sort of thing. Still if you look around the league it isn't working. The concept of tanking is talked about far more than it ever was back in 1985 when there was legit concern teams would tank to land Patrick Ewing one of those Georgetown centers we mentioned earlier. I say this with all due respect to Anthony Davis, if he has half the career the Patrick Ewing had, he would be a fortunate young man. However, with all the hype surrounding him you would think he was better than that and going to project to be the next superstar of the NBA. I would venture to say that is vastly optimistic. He could turn into a fine NBA player and likely should. That said is he going to be better than a hall of famer or some great recent top picks? I don't see that. Don't believe me it is ok. I will rest easy knowing that I also never was impressed with this guy named Greg Oden and said Kevin Durant would be better. I am sure that I was laughed at for that and I will use the obvious line of who is laughing now?
9. Reality Math- What we knew before this season even started is now fact. The Raptors based on their loss in OKC and some other things last night have officially been eliminated from the playoffs. Still with nine games left which for fans feel pretty pointless, it is still important for some folks on this team. No matter what happens in these final games it will not change the fact this summer is going to be a huge off-season for the Raptors. What guys do down the stretch of the season may help shape/decide if they are going to be a part of this team moving forward. If for no other reason than that, this is ultimately why the concept of tanking is stupid. Players fighting for jobs and their place in the food chain are not going out to try and lose or even think of losing. Especially when you look at guys on 10 day contracts. They are fighting for their very NBA lives every night and day they step on the floor.
10. Time Flies Even When Your Losing- At some points this season has been very painful to endure. The losing combined with this crazy schedule can make your head spin. At least it has seemed to go by fairly quickly and the fact this NBA Season was only 66 games and not 82 games was a blessing given the state of this franchise. There has been so much blind hope for the future this year, it has bordered on the insane. While I do think the Raptors are heading in the right direction, the speed in which some think things will change is likely not going to be the reality. As bad as this season has been the Raptors ultimately did improve as hard as that is to believe at times. It speaks to how bad they were last season and how much it was needed to make a coaching change. I was one of the few that had been saying that long before it was cool. Funny how the people that weren't in favour all love Dwane Casey now and the change in direction of this franchise. I think one of the things I find most frustrating is how people change with the wind and are never truly brought to task for it. Yet when I go out of the box of and say something that ends up being right, I take abuse at the time for it and no one other than me says that I was right. Maybe people just have got use to the fact that I will tell them that I was. Whatever the case, I am proud of my track record on things and do take comfort in the fact that it must mean I know what the hell I am talking about at the end of the day. That is in many ways it's own reward.
So I decided to do this instead of a preview and it ends up being twice as long. Oh well the off-season and a bit of a break will be here soon enough. Happy Monday all and hope you had a pleasant holiday weekend.
1. The Result Was Obvious- There was not a doubt in my mind last night's Raptor game would end up with the result it did. The Thunder were in bad need of a win coming in and the Raptors provided that perfect springboard to do just that. OKC had sat a top the Western Conference for the majority of this season and getting passed by the Spurs made losing to the Raptors not an option.
3. Bargnani Tough?- I really am starting to have serious doubts about the future of Andrea Bargnani. Again this calf injury becomes an issue and he sits the 2nd half. No the Raptors were not tanking, as I mentioned earlier this result was an obvious one. I am left to question what kind of pain threshold Bargnani truly has. This is aside from the debate on if he has truly turned the corner as player. Even if I am to believe that, which I remain unconvinced, it becomes a moot point if he is not healthy in the long term. I don't mean to diminish a calf injury but this has become rather ridiculous on some level.
4. James Johnson Saga- I have no idea what James Johnson did. I don't care what he did to be blunt. I do support what Casey has done in sending a message. That said enough already. It was pretty hilarious watching the Raptors try and guard Kevin Durant with James Johnson on the bench. Matching the potential MVP of league on a 10 day contract player is not just punishing Johnson, it is punishing the team as a whole. Casey was quick to get him in there. Let's all move on now though and give Johnson his spot back. Credit to both Casey and Johnson, along with team for keeping whatever happened on the down low. Sure we all would like to know what happened but honestly we really don't need to know.
5. Jaamal's Impact- If I hear one more time this year about the impact of Jaamal Magloire, I swear that I am going to puke. Tell me has there ever been a player in the history of this team praised for doing so little? I mean seriously. I guess it is a situation not unlike the one with Jay Triano, in which because he is Canadian people are wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt. Here is what he has been in reality. A trash talking tough guy that still knows how to commit a foul in the NBA and can occasionally show you he use to be a good to great player 10 years ago. That is all. He likely isn't coming back and I would seriously wonder if the Raptors had not come along, if he is even in the league at all. Sadly this is the guy that will go in the history books as the first ever Canadian Raptor. It makes me sad for all the young up and coming talent we have in this country that could have been that. The only old Canadian I would want to have that honour played basketball for his country and is a two time NBA MVP.
6. Barbosa Is Back- If you are not at least a little happy for Leandro Barbosa getting a chance to play for a playoff team you may have no soul. This is a guy that game here and never once complained and went out and did his job for the past couple seasons. Given this crazy NBA Sked, I confess I have not seen much of Barbosa since leaving. But based on the boxscores and random comments I see on Twitter he is doing what he does in Indiana and I am happy for him.
7. Roy Hibbert- I have said this consistently for awhile, it pains me to watch this guy play and know he will go down as a draft pick of the Toronto Raptors. Now it should be noted if not for the trade with the Pacers he would have never been picked by the Raptors. They felt he was too slow for their up tempo style of basketball at the time. That said, I at the time thought he was a great answer for the Raptors at center. He is never going to blow you away but he does all the things that you would hope that a center would do. On top of that having met him once he is a pretty great young man. Georgetown has not produced to many stiffs at the Center position over the years. It is one of the safest bets in the NBA draft when you take a center out of Georgetown. When you look back on that trade that brought J.O to Toronto the biggest loss in it was Roy Hibbert.
8. Raptors Can Be Spoilers- When you look at the Schedule remaining the Raptors could have a impact on the playoff race. Starting tonight with Pacers two games ahead of Boston for 3rd in the East, followed with games vs Sixers, Celtics, Hawks twice, Heat and Bucks. It gives you some motivation to go out there and try and win games. It is also the reason that people hate tanking in general. Tanking has an impact on the teams that are actually in the playoff race. This is why David Stern needs to step in and do something dramatic to the NBA Lottery System. It was designed to prevent this sort of thing. Still if you look around the league it isn't working. The concept of tanking is talked about far more than it ever was back in 1985 when there was legit concern teams would tank to land Patrick Ewing one of those Georgetown centers we mentioned earlier. I say this with all due respect to Anthony Davis, if he has half the career the Patrick Ewing had, he would be a fortunate young man. However, with all the hype surrounding him you would think he was better than that and going to project to be the next superstar of the NBA. I would venture to say that is vastly optimistic. He could turn into a fine NBA player and likely should. That said is he going to be better than a hall of famer or some great recent top picks? I don't see that. Don't believe me it is ok. I will rest easy knowing that I also never was impressed with this guy named Greg Oden and said Kevin Durant would be better. I am sure that I was laughed at for that and I will use the obvious line of who is laughing now?
9. Reality Math- What we knew before this season even started is now fact. The Raptors based on their loss in OKC and some other things last night have officially been eliminated from the playoffs. Still with nine games left which for fans feel pretty pointless, it is still important for some folks on this team. No matter what happens in these final games it will not change the fact this summer is going to be a huge off-season for the Raptors. What guys do down the stretch of the season may help shape/decide if they are going to be a part of this team moving forward. If for no other reason than that, this is ultimately why the concept of tanking is stupid. Players fighting for jobs and their place in the food chain are not going out to try and lose or even think of losing. Especially when you look at guys on 10 day contracts. They are fighting for their very NBA lives every night and day they step on the floor.
10. Time Flies Even When Your Losing- At some points this season has been very painful to endure. The losing combined with this crazy schedule can make your head spin. At least it has seemed to go by fairly quickly and the fact this NBA Season was only 66 games and not 82 games was a blessing given the state of this franchise. There has been so much blind hope for the future this year, it has bordered on the insane. While I do think the Raptors are heading in the right direction, the speed in which some think things will change is likely not going to be the reality. As bad as this season has been the Raptors ultimately did improve as hard as that is to believe at times. It speaks to how bad they were last season and how much it was needed to make a coaching change. I was one of the few that had been saying that long before it was cool. Funny how the people that weren't in favour all love Dwane Casey now and the change in direction of this franchise. I think one of the things I find most frustrating is how people change with the wind and are never truly brought to task for it. Yet when I go out of the box of and say something that ends up being right, I take abuse at the time for it and no one other than me says that I was right. Maybe people just have got use to the fact that I will tell them that I was. Whatever the case, I am proud of my track record on things and do take comfort in the fact that it must mean I know what the hell I am talking about at the end of the day. That is in many ways it's own reward.
So I decided to do this instead of a preview and it ends up being twice as long. Oh well the off-season and a bit of a break will be here soon enough. Happy Monday all and hope you had a pleasant holiday weekend.
4/7/12
James Johnson MIA Because of an Internal Matter?
You might have noticed James Johnson has not seen the floor in the last two games. Dwane Casey says there is nothing wrong with Johnson. He apparently is being disciplined for some incident between him and Casey. Although no one is talking about what caused this. Here is what Johnson had to say to Reporters post game.
Will have thoughts on the game itself tomorrow as the Raptors winning streak came crashing to an end in the 4th quarter at the ACC. As for Johnson's status going forward Casey said he would be available for the Raptors next game in OKC. That doesn't mean he will be back though because according to Casey he was available tonight he just decided not to use him. If I were to have picked a guy to butt heads with Casey on the roster Johnson would not rank high on my list of suspects. It seems that this matter is staying in house as both Casey and Johnson have nothing to say on what caused this punishment. Although Casey says James Johnson is not in his dog house. If he isn't than he at the very least sleeping on the couch or bench for a few nights.
Will have thoughts on the game itself tomorrow as the Raptors winning streak came crashing to an end in the 4th quarter at the ACC. As for Johnson's status going forward Casey said he would be available for the Raptors next game in OKC. That doesn't mean he will be back though because according to Casey he was available tonight he just decided not to use him. If I were to have picked a guy to butt heads with Casey on the roster Johnson would not rank high on my list of suspects. It seems that this matter is staying in house as both Casey and Johnson have nothing to say on what caused this punishment. Although Casey says James Johnson is not in his dog house. If he isn't than he at the very least sleeping on the couch or bench for a few nights.
3/24/12
Bulls Pressed Beyond The Limit By The Raptors
Raptors surprisingly got some revenge on the Knicks for a loss earlier in the week. Getting revenge on the Bulls is likely a tougher task even without Derrick Rose. It would be significantly harder if Demar DeRozan wasn't playing. If he does start in this one he would tie a Raptor legend in Alvin Williams for most career consecutive starts at 131 straight games. Jerryd Bayless was also a question mark heading into this game. As it turns out DeRozan will not start and thus the record remains Alvin Williams. Gary Forbes will get his first start as Raptor coming off a great performance vs the Knicks in the 4th Quarter.
Bulls win the tip and go to Deng on a curl in the lane for an easy 2. Forbes taking the place of DeRozan drains his first shot to even this game up at 2. Bargnani had a good game last night and gets things going off to a right start with a made 3 pointer. But the Bulls would score two quick baskets to retake the lead. Bayless was also out and Forbes was in the starting line-up so that might make a long night for Jose Calderon. Terrible cross court pass is picked and Watson takes it for the easy lay-up giving the Bulls a 10-7 lead. After a couple free throws from Calderon it would be Forbes hitting a runner on the next possession to give the Raptors an 11-10 lead. The Raptors were hanging in for now with 6:48 to play in the first leading 13-12. Raptors were undermanned but hanging in with a 21-16 lead with just under 4 to play. James Johnson had 8 points to lead the charge against his former team and the Raptors led 23-18. Gary Forbes on a curl cut to the hoop takes a pass from Bargnani and finishes with 2 to play the Raptors were up 7. Bargnani was getting to the line and adding to the lead he missed a few free throws or the lead could be even bigger but as it stood it was 30-18 Raptors. Bulls almost got 5 back after a sloppy turnover late in Quarter, but the were still down 30-20 which for them had to be shocking.
Raptors shot 63.2%, were out rebounding the Bulls and holding them to under 40% shooting could it be much better after one? Bulls started the quarter on a 6-0 run and were right back in it down just 30-26 and Dwane Casey needed a time out. The beat goes on as Deng misses gets his own miss and scores. Calderon finally breaks the 8-0 run with a jumper. Linas Kleiza had been a train wreck so far in this game he fumbles away the ball and leads to a score and foul and the Bulls lead 33-32. Gary Forbes was taking advantage of his chance though with a nice jumper to make it a one point game again still in favour of the Bulls. Aaron Gray had a 2 foot shoot if that stick in between the rim and the backboard that summed up the Raptors 2nd quarter nicely. Korver a corner three would give the Bulls a 42-38 lead. The Raptors would score back to back buckets to even things up at 42. Some how the Raptors had survived the Bulls run and some of their own silly mistakes and lead this thing 49-46. James Johnson gets up for playing his old team and he made a couple free throws to keep the lead at 3 then took one on the numbers to draw a charge on Noah. After that soon after Noah would get called for another foul and get frustrated and had something to say which got him teched and he tossed the ball in the direction of the ref and got a second tech and he was gone. After all the free throws the Raptor found themselves with a 55-50 lead late in the half. That would end up being the halftime score.
Raptors open up the 2nd half with misses from Forbes and Bargnani both inside of 10 feet. On the other end Bargnani picks up a foul and Watson makes a pair at the line. Amir Johnson got a couple offensive rebounds and it lead to a bucket for him eventually. James Johnson would bury a three and get a block on the other end as the Raptors were still fighting and leading 60-54. But the Bulls would go on a 6-0 run thanks to some sloppy play by the Raptors and this game was even up at 60 and Raptors needed a time out. Give the Raptors some credit they were fighting to hang around and getting little help from Bargnani shooting 3-13 from the field. Still the Raptors had this thing tied at 66. Raptors were hanging tough with 1:30 to play and Ed Davis after on basket comes up with another slam to put the Raptors in front. Raptor were playing excellent defense and at times suspect offense but they have a lead again heading to the 4th Quarter on the Chicago Bulls 73-71.
Bad turnover leads to an early score for the Bulls on the break to tie this up at 73. Bulls looked for a Korver three he missed. He has only made three for Chicago who were 1-15 from behind the arc at this point. Johnson to Johnson, James to Amir give the Raptors the lead back. Raptors were staying on top and time was ticking away and the Raptors were actually building a lead, with 7:53 to go they lead 81-75 on a 8-2 run. You had feeling this might be the Raptors night when Kleiza chuck up a three and it fell to make it 84-77. Bulls could buy a three they were 1-18 and he makes that. Bargnani was not much better at 3-14 and back in the game. Bulls got the lead back down to the 3 on a uncontested long two from Watson making it 84-81. Watson would draw a foul after a turnover and head to the line with 4:04 to play. Finally the Bulls made a three with 3:26 to play to tie the game at 86. Bargnani would finally make a shot as well to make it 88-86 Raptors. Jose Calderon with a bucket to give him 18 and he had 8 dimes to go with that but most importantly the Raptors lead was 90-86 with 2:32 to play. Taj Gibson scored on the putback to make it a two point game. Bargnani bricks another three but the Raptors get the board and draw a non shooting foul. Raptors turnover the ball and Bulls would have a chance to tie or take the lead with 1:33 to play. Bulls would tie it and Jose Calderon wanted a foul. He would get no foul and this game was tied at 90 a piece. Amir Johnson would get a foul call and get to the line and make a pair. Raptors lead 92-90 with 1:04 to play and no audio which meant no stupid comments from Leo. The audio came back just in time to hear Matt Devlin call a C.J Watson three ball to give the Bulls a 93-92 lead. Jose Calderon with a slick Alley Oop to Amir Johnson out of the time out to give the Raps a 94-93 lead. Amir Johnson got called for a foul on Watson with 32.2 to play. Watson missed the first and made the second the game was tied at 94. Raptors had a scrambling possession and the ball goes out of bounds and it is going to be reviewed with 3.6 seconds left. Appeared to go off Gibson's knee so this should be Raptors ball. Raptor inbound on the baseline and Bargnani gets a solid look at a three which he didn't need but shoots it anyway misses it. So were off to overtime in which the Bulls have yet to take part in this season.
Bargs does get the first points of OT at the line. Boozer counters with 2 points. Amir Johnson having a solid performance down the stretch scores in a crowd in the paint. James Johnson gets a steal but blows a layup in transition the Raptors to get the rebound and Casey wants a time out with score tied at 98 with 1:59 to play in OT number 1. Jose Calderon scores out of the time out and gets the Raps to triple figures. Brewer draws a foul but it was non shooting. Boozer is fouled and that will be a shooting foul. He makes both and we are all tie at a C-Note. Bulls get a turnover but miss on Deng 3. Raptors with another turnover and Bulls call a time out with 41.6 seconds left. Boozer missed a fading jumper out of the time out. James Johnson gets a foul call and heads to the line with 15.2 left and he misses the first and makes the second. James Johnson made up for missing his free throw with a massive clean block on Deng. Forbes is fouled with 6.4 to play and he misses his first and the second as well. Time out with 6 seconds left. Watson missed a crazy fading jumper but Deng catches it and throws it in for the Bulls win. It would be reviewed but it will count and Bulls win it 102-101.
A very tough loss for the Raptors and they only have themselves to blame missing 3 of 4 free throws down the stretch. It takes away from what really was unbelievable performances by both James Johnson and Gary Forbes. So the Raptors lose a tough one and have a couple days to recover before returning home to face the Magic.
Bulls win the tip and go to Deng on a curl in the lane for an easy 2. Forbes taking the place of DeRozan drains his first shot to even this game up at 2. Bargnani had a good game last night and gets things going off to a right start with a made 3 pointer. But the Bulls would score two quick baskets to retake the lead. Bayless was also out and Forbes was in the starting line-up so that might make a long night for Jose Calderon. Terrible cross court pass is picked and Watson takes it for the easy lay-up giving the Bulls a 10-7 lead. After a couple free throws from Calderon it would be Forbes hitting a runner on the next possession to give the Raptors an 11-10 lead. The Raptors were hanging in for now with 6:48 to play in the first leading 13-12. Raptors were undermanned but hanging in with a 21-16 lead with just under 4 to play. James Johnson had 8 points to lead the charge against his former team and the Raptors led 23-18. Gary Forbes on a curl cut to the hoop takes a pass from Bargnani and finishes with 2 to play the Raptors were up 7. Bargnani was getting to the line and adding to the lead he missed a few free throws or the lead could be even bigger but as it stood it was 30-18 Raptors. Bulls almost got 5 back after a sloppy turnover late in Quarter, but the were still down 30-20 which for them had to be shocking.
Raptors shot 63.2%, were out rebounding the Bulls and holding them to under 40% shooting could it be much better after one? Bulls started the quarter on a 6-0 run and were right back in it down just 30-26 and Dwane Casey needed a time out. The beat goes on as Deng misses gets his own miss and scores. Calderon finally breaks the 8-0 run with a jumper. Linas Kleiza had been a train wreck so far in this game he fumbles away the ball and leads to a score and foul and the Bulls lead 33-32. Gary Forbes was taking advantage of his chance though with a nice jumper to make it a one point game again still in favour of the Bulls. Aaron Gray had a 2 foot shoot if that stick in between the rim and the backboard that summed up the Raptors 2nd quarter nicely. Korver a corner three would give the Bulls a 42-38 lead. The Raptors would score back to back buckets to even things up at 42. Some how the Raptors had survived the Bulls run and some of their own silly mistakes and lead this thing 49-46. James Johnson gets up for playing his old team and he made a couple free throws to keep the lead at 3 then took one on the numbers to draw a charge on Noah. After that soon after Noah would get called for another foul and get frustrated and had something to say which got him teched and he tossed the ball in the direction of the ref and got a second tech and he was gone. After all the free throws the Raptor found themselves with a 55-50 lead late in the half. That would end up being the halftime score.
Raptors open up the 2nd half with misses from Forbes and Bargnani both inside of 10 feet. On the other end Bargnani picks up a foul and Watson makes a pair at the line. Amir Johnson got a couple offensive rebounds and it lead to a bucket for him eventually. James Johnson would bury a three and get a block on the other end as the Raptors were still fighting and leading 60-54. But the Bulls would go on a 6-0 run thanks to some sloppy play by the Raptors and this game was even up at 60 and Raptors needed a time out. Give the Raptors some credit they were fighting to hang around and getting little help from Bargnani shooting 3-13 from the field. Still the Raptors had this thing tied at 66. Raptors were hanging tough with 1:30 to play and Ed Davis after on basket comes up with another slam to put the Raptors in front. Raptor were playing excellent defense and at times suspect offense but they have a lead again heading to the 4th Quarter on the Chicago Bulls 73-71.
Bad turnover leads to an early score for the Bulls on the break to tie this up at 73. Bulls looked for a Korver three he missed. He has only made three for Chicago who were 1-15 from behind the arc at this point. Johnson to Johnson, James to Amir give the Raptors the lead back. Raptors were staying on top and time was ticking away and the Raptors were actually building a lead, with 7:53 to go they lead 81-75 on a 8-2 run. You had feeling this might be the Raptors night when Kleiza chuck up a three and it fell to make it 84-77. Bulls could buy a three they were 1-18 and he makes that. Bargnani was not much better at 3-14 and back in the game. Bulls got the lead back down to the 3 on a uncontested long two from Watson making it 84-81. Watson would draw a foul after a turnover and head to the line with 4:04 to play. Finally the Bulls made a three with 3:26 to play to tie the game at 86. Bargnani would finally make a shot as well to make it 88-86 Raptors. Jose Calderon with a bucket to give him 18 and he had 8 dimes to go with that but most importantly the Raptors lead was 90-86 with 2:32 to play. Taj Gibson scored on the putback to make it a two point game. Bargnani bricks another three but the Raptors get the board and draw a non shooting foul. Raptors turnover the ball and Bulls would have a chance to tie or take the lead with 1:33 to play. Bulls would tie it and Jose Calderon wanted a foul. He would get no foul and this game was tied at 90 a piece. Amir Johnson would get a foul call and get to the line and make a pair. Raptors lead 92-90 with 1:04 to play and no audio which meant no stupid comments from Leo. The audio came back just in time to hear Matt Devlin call a C.J Watson three ball to give the Bulls a 93-92 lead. Jose Calderon with a slick Alley Oop to Amir Johnson out of the time out to give the Raps a 94-93 lead. Amir Johnson got called for a foul on Watson with 32.2 to play. Watson missed the first and made the second the game was tied at 94. Raptors had a scrambling possession and the ball goes out of bounds and it is going to be reviewed with 3.6 seconds left. Appeared to go off Gibson's knee so this should be Raptors ball. Raptor inbound on the baseline and Bargnani gets a solid look at a three which he didn't need but shoots it anyway misses it. So were off to overtime in which the Bulls have yet to take part in this season.
Bargs does get the first points of OT at the line. Boozer counters with 2 points. Amir Johnson having a solid performance down the stretch scores in a crowd in the paint. James Johnson gets a steal but blows a layup in transition the Raptors to get the rebound and Casey wants a time out with score tied at 98 with 1:59 to play in OT number 1. Jose Calderon scores out of the time out and gets the Raps to triple figures. Brewer draws a foul but it was non shooting. Boozer is fouled and that will be a shooting foul. He makes both and we are all tie at a C-Note. Bulls get a turnover but miss on Deng 3. Raptors with another turnover and Bulls call a time out with 41.6 seconds left. Boozer missed a fading jumper out of the time out. James Johnson gets a foul call and heads to the line with 15.2 left and he misses the first and makes the second. James Johnson made up for missing his free throw with a massive clean block on Deng. Forbes is fouled with 6.4 to play and he misses his first and the second as well. Time out with 6 seconds left. Watson missed a crazy fading jumper but Deng catches it and throws it in for the Bulls win. It would be reviewed but it will count and Bulls win it 102-101.
A very tough loss for the Raptors and they only have themselves to blame missing 3 of 4 free throws down the stretch. It takes away from what really was unbelievable performances by both James Johnson and Gary Forbes. So the Raptors lose a tough one and have a couple days to recover before returning home to face the Magic.
3/22/12
Raptors Can't Camouflage A Flawed 4th Quarter
Better late than never right? I apologize just not feeling my best last couple days. That is why once the season is done will look into building a staff here for the DNB. So the Raptors busted out the camo and looked like a different team for 3 quarters. Well that might be an exaggeration the Raptors did play well and hang with the Roseless Bulls for 3 quarters. The Bulls are still very good without Rose heading into last night they were 10-4 without last year's MVP. So let's get to some game notes:
The Old Andrea Is Back: No not the one from the start of this season. The one from the last 6 years prior. His defense has at best been regressing. His offense last night was pretty much a train wreck. The only positive was he was making some solid passes and getting some assists to his stat line. He had 8 points 6 assists and 5 rebounds shooting 2-10 on the night. That is not going cut it. If we don't see improvement Raptor fans may point to his start to the season as the opportunity lost to trade him in the future. If people want to use the injury as an excuse that is fine but that then calls into question his durability. I think the highlight of the regression on defense I am talking about is when Carlos Boozer turned Andrea into a tree and fake one way and left him standing there and went for a dunk.
4th Quarter Blues: The Raptors have proven this season that they are capable to hang with even some of the best teams for a time. But when it comes to the 4th quarter and time to win the game the have had some epic failures. You can argue that in the last two games they have been perhaps the worst. John Lucas and Kyle Korver hit back to back threes and you knew it was coming as the game was tied. Once the Bulls took the lead they were like a sports car running from a bicycle. The hope would be with a greater depth of talent next year the Raptors will be able to have more complete 48 minute efforts as a result. Last night the Raptors out played the Bulls for 3 quarters but when it was winning time the Bulls showed why they have the best record in the league.
Demar DeRozan: You still have concerns about him as a defender. Still his offense is growing to be more consistent and the worries that people had at the start of this season should be less. He got off to a hot start last night with 11 points in the first quarter. He still managed to keep his scoring up through the whole 48 minutes. He finished with 23 points and shot 11-25 in the game and had 6 rebounds. It would be nice to see DeRozan be able to grab a few more boards as part of his game. At his position his advantage his is athleticism at the end of the day and that is part of taking advantage of it.
James Johnson A Year Later: It was about a year ago that the Raptors acquired James Johnson from the Bulls. He would likely still be fighting to get minutes and barely see the floor if he remained in Chicago. Slightly more used than Solomon Alabi is here with the Raptors. He has shown through his opportunity he has gotten here that he deserves to be a rotation player in the NBA. He had a nice night against his former team 16 points and 7 rebounds and shot an efficient 8-14 from the field. The Raptors likely still need a starting small forward at the end of the day. Still, Johnson as a back-up that can bring it on defense with a developing game on offense is a nice fit coming off the bench for a winning team.
In the end the Raptors despite having a 7 point lead in the early 4th quarter and but the end the Bulls ended up with a 12 point win 94-82. The Raptors also had to go most of the way without Jerryd Bayless who tried to give it a go with a left hip pointer but after just 1:29 on the floor it was clear he could not play in this one. He would watch the 2nd half in suit and like all Raptor fans sit helpless watching the Bulls come back and take over this in the 4th.
The Old Andrea Is Back: No not the one from the start of this season. The one from the last 6 years prior. His defense has at best been regressing. His offense last night was pretty much a train wreck. The only positive was he was making some solid passes and getting some assists to his stat line. He had 8 points 6 assists and 5 rebounds shooting 2-10 on the night. That is not going cut it. If we don't see improvement Raptor fans may point to his start to the season as the opportunity lost to trade him in the future. If people want to use the injury as an excuse that is fine but that then calls into question his durability. I think the highlight of the regression on defense I am talking about is when Carlos Boozer turned Andrea into a tree and fake one way and left him standing there and went for a dunk.
4th Quarter Blues: The Raptors have proven this season that they are capable to hang with even some of the best teams for a time. But when it comes to the 4th quarter and time to win the game the have had some epic failures. You can argue that in the last two games they have been perhaps the worst. John Lucas and Kyle Korver hit back to back threes and you knew it was coming as the game was tied. Once the Bulls took the lead they were like a sports car running from a bicycle. The hope would be with a greater depth of talent next year the Raptors will be able to have more complete 48 minute efforts as a result. Last night the Raptors out played the Bulls for 3 quarters but when it was winning time the Bulls showed why they have the best record in the league.
Demar DeRozan: You still have concerns about him as a defender. Still his offense is growing to be more consistent and the worries that people had at the start of this season should be less. He got off to a hot start last night with 11 points in the first quarter. He still managed to keep his scoring up through the whole 48 minutes. He finished with 23 points and shot 11-25 in the game and had 6 rebounds. It would be nice to see DeRozan be able to grab a few more boards as part of his game. At his position his advantage his is athleticism at the end of the day and that is part of taking advantage of it.
James Johnson A Year Later: It was about a year ago that the Raptors acquired James Johnson from the Bulls. He would likely still be fighting to get minutes and barely see the floor if he remained in Chicago. Slightly more used than Solomon Alabi is here with the Raptors. He has shown through his opportunity he has gotten here that he deserves to be a rotation player in the NBA. He had a nice night against his former team 16 points and 7 rebounds and shot an efficient 8-14 from the field. The Raptors likely still need a starting small forward at the end of the day. Still, Johnson as a back-up that can bring it on defense with a developing game on offense is a nice fit coming off the bench for a winning team.
In the end the Raptors despite having a 7 point lead in the early 4th quarter and but the end the Bulls ended up with a 12 point win 94-82. The Raptors also had to go most of the way without Jerryd Bayless who tried to give it a go with a left hip pointer but after just 1:29 on the floor it was clear he could not play in this one. He would watch the 2nd half in suit and like all Raptor fans sit helpless watching the Bulls come back and take over this in the 4th.
2/25/12
This Week In Raptorland Is Born
I have said many times that the ultimate goal of the Dino Nation Blog is to be truly a multimedia site at the end of the day. This is a step in that direction as we launch our second podcast brand. This Week in Raptorland is what is called. It will take a look back at the last 7 days in all the things going on with the DNB and the Raptors. Your weekly catch up on the Raptors. We will mix in a few clips of things you might have heard in the past week along with some things you may not have heard. This along with a segment for you the readers,listeners and viewers of the DNB to not just listen to the show but be part of the show. Every week we are on the look out for a loyal DNB/Raptors fan to be our guest in the "Fan 5". It is your shot at minor fame as part of our podcast. You get 5 minutes to talk about anything Raptor related you choose and I will be your co-host and help you keep the car on the road. Enough of this writing stuff, time to get to show. Hope you enjoy it.
As far as a first effort goes, I am pretty pleased with how this turned out. Hopefully you enjoyed it as well. This is just the starting point so it hopefully keep growing and getting better as we roll. One of the biggest challenges is going to be getting you folks to interact and be a part of "The Fan 5" but it is a segment that I wanted to be part of this so you folks can be a part of the show. So get at me if you interested in being a guest for that in future episodes. Thanks to Lanny for doing a good job in getting that segment off the ground. I do realize that segment is in mono and the rest is in stereo will try and get it sorted out eventually.
Hope you enjoyed and will be looking to do more audio and video features in the future for your enjoyment.
As far as a first effort goes, I am pretty pleased with how this turned out. Hopefully you enjoyed it as well. This is just the starting point so it hopefully keep growing and getting better as we roll. One of the biggest challenges is going to be getting you folks to interact and be a part of "The Fan 5" but it is a segment that I wanted to be part of this so you folks can be a part of the show. So get at me if you interested in being a guest for that in future episodes. Thanks to Lanny for doing a good job in getting that segment off the ground. I do realize that segment is in mono and the rest is in stereo will try and get it sorted out eventually.
Hope you enjoyed and will be looking to do more audio and video features in the future for your enjoyment.
2/23/12
DNB Goes 1 on 1 with James Johnson
We had a chance to talk with both Amir Johnson and James Johnson last night. They are not brothers or even cousins to the best of my knowledge. But what they are is some pretty good interviews more times than not. We talk with James about the season to this point, His goals for the second half and his thoughts on one of his nicknames from fans "The Ninja" as well as thoughts on his coach.
All the practice and learning Johnson was talking about paid off with a win last night. Call him the Ninja, the Repo Man or whatever you like, but he has had a solid first half to his season. Room to improve, but Johnson looks to be a keeper in terms of being part of mix moving forward. In the starting 5? That remains to be seen, but what is evident is he can be a guy that can work well under Dwane Casey regardless of his role. He also changed my opinion of him, which as stubborn as I can be, that is not easy.
All the practice and learning Johnson was talking about paid off with a win last night. Call him the Ninja, the Repo Man or whatever you like, but he has had a solid first half to his season. Room to improve, but Johnson looks to be a keeper in terms of being part of mix moving forward. In the starting 5? That remains to be seen, but what is evident is he can be a guy that can work well under Dwane Casey regardless of his role. He also changed my opinion of him, which as stubborn as I can be, that is not easy.
2/10/12
Tommy Points For Raptors In Win Over Boston.
If I told you the Raptors would never trail in this game and never looked close to losing the entire night what would you say? This is of course if you never saw the game with your own eyes. Pretty much everything you would imagine happening in this game went the opposite of what logic would have suggested. Raptors will get off to a slow start and fall behind early. Nope it didn't happen. They came out and kicked the Celtics tail. At the point the score reached 20-7 Raptors, Doc Rivers called a time out and I really thought his head might explode. If you have seen the video of how excited he was when his son hit the winner for Duke, take that joy and turn it into rage and you have an idea. James Johnson was a one man defensive army at times and was getting his own offence too. Rivers raging time out only had a minor impact as the Raptors still had a 26-14 lead after one. The largest Raptor lead after one in like forever.
If there was any downside to this game it came in the 2nd quarter. The Raptors struggled more than Boston to get points on the board. But both teams looked all kinds of horrific at times in the second quarter. The Celtics would slowly chip the 11 point lead down to 7 by halftime. In was not a festival for the eyes in any way shape or form. Both teams were more than happy to throw the ball away and invent all kinds of exciting ways to commit turnovers. The less that is said about the 2nd quarter the better it is for all parties involved in this game. In the end for the record 35 points were scored in quarter, 20 by the Knicks and only 15 by the Raptors. Which left us with a 41-34 lead for the Raptors at the half.
Something strange was going on this night. Rajon Rondo was nearly invisible and Jose Calderon was having a rare game where he was totally out playing Rondo. That more than anything might have been a clear sign that this was going to be the Raptors night. Numbers don't lie. Well not often anyway.
Rondo: 5 points 7 assists and 5 rebounds
Calderon 17 points, 14 assists and 4 rebounds
Just part of the amazing magic carpet ride that the Raptors were on tonight. How crazy was it? There was a legit conversation about the merits of Aaron Gray as a player. Who was good on the glass with 11 rebounds but still offensively challenged with just 2 points. Should we call him the white Reggie Evans? No beard and I think Reggie might kill me so let's not do this. Anyway if you had a Raptor uniform on you had a good night. Ok not if you are named Carter or Butler but that would have made this story to unbelievable.
Raptors got back the 5 points they lost in the 2nd and they played the 4th quarter to a draw making your winner by TKO the Toronto Raptors 86-74 on all judges scorecards. We mentioned the numbers for Gray and Calderon but the Starting 5 came to play tonight as a unit. Demar DeRozan scored 21 with Dad on hand to catch another game and watch his son lead his team in scoring. The Ninja had the dunk of the night early in this one and was flying around the floor. James Johnson had 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 dimes, 3 steals and a couple of blocks. He does it all. Amir Johnson has a nice 12 points and 12 rebounds and the Raptors starting 5 did something they rarely have done in the Boston Big 3 Era as they out played the Boston starting 5.
The Celtics looked gassed and by the end were trying to bully their way back into this game but the Raptors would have none of it. Rondo was talking smack at Kleiza who had injured him in the first meeting between these two teams causing him to miss significant time. Kleiza responded by soon after draining an open 3. It wasn't a perfect performance from the Raptors. But it was a hard fought, effort filled, with hustle and pride. Which was exactly what Dwane Casey was looking for. He said after the 100-64 loss to Boston to start the month that the Raptors let the city, the fans and themselves down with their performance. Tonight in front of one of the largest crowds of the season they showed up and the fans were happy to see it. The fact no one went home with a free piece of pizza was the furthest thing from people's mind.
If there was any downside to this game it came in the 2nd quarter. The Raptors struggled more than Boston to get points on the board. But both teams looked all kinds of horrific at times in the second quarter. The Celtics would slowly chip the 11 point lead down to 7 by halftime. In was not a festival for the eyes in any way shape or form. Both teams were more than happy to throw the ball away and invent all kinds of exciting ways to commit turnovers. The less that is said about the 2nd quarter the better it is for all parties involved in this game. In the end for the record 35 points were scored in quarter, 20 by the Knicks and only 15 by the Raptors. Which left us with a 41-34 lead for the Raptors at the half.
Something strange was going on this night. Rajon Rondo was nearly invisible and Jose Calderon was having a rare game where he was totally out playing Rondo. That more than anything might have been a clear sign that this was going to be the Raptors night. Numbers don't lie. Well not often anyway.
Rondo: 5 points 7 assists and 5 rebounds
Calderon 17 points, 14 assists and 4 rebounds
Just part of the amazing magic carpet ride that the Raptors were on tonight. How crazy was it? There was a legit conversation about the merits of Aaron Gray as a player. Who was good on the glass with 11 rebounds but still offensively challenged with just 2 points. Should we call him the white Reggie Evans? No beard and I think Reggie might kill me so let's not do this. Anyway if you had a Raptor uniform on you had a good night. Ok not if you are named Carter or Butler but that would have made this story to unbelievable.
Raptors got back the 5 points they lost in the 2nd and they played the 4th quarter to a draw making your winner by TKO the Toronto Raptors 86-74 on all judges scorecards. We mentioned the numbers for Gray and Calderon but the Starting 5 came to play tonight as a unit. Demar DeRozan scored 21 with Dad on hand to catch another game and watch his son lead his team in scoring. The Ninja had the dunk of the night early in this one and was flying around the floor. James Johnson had 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 dimes, 3 steals and a couple of blocks. He does it all. Amir Johnson has a nice 12 points and 12 rebounds and the Raptors starting 5 did something they rarely have done in the Boston Big 3 Era as they out played the Boston starting 5.
The Celtics looked gassed and by the end were trying to bully their way back into this game but the Raptors would have none of it. Rondo was talking smack at Kleiza who had injured him in the first meeting between these two teams causing him to miss significant time. Kleiza responded by soon after draining an open 3. It wasn't a perfect performance from the Raptors. But it was a hard fought, effort filled, with hustle and pride. Which was exactly what Dwane Casey was looking for. He said after the 100-64 loss to Boston to start the month that the Raptors let the city, the fans and themselves down with their performance. Tonight in front of one of the largest crowds of the season they showed up and the fans were happy to see it. The fact no one went home with a free piece of pizza was the furthest thing from people's mind.
2/9/12
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.
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.
2/5/12
Raptors Surprise Folks With Entertaining Effort In Miami
So let's be honest no one really expected the Raptors to win today. That being said they sure gave an effort to try and make you believe they could. It started out looking like the game many expected. The Raptors would score first but then the Heat would rail off 8 straight points. But the Raptors fought back and took the lead. This would be a theme that would continue through out the day. The Heat proved they were the better team with what was at best a B- effort for them. That might even be kind. Who had an A+ effort, and it started from the first quarter, was Demar DeRozan and it continued to the very end of the game tipping a long pass in the late stages off Dwyane Wade. At first it looked like it was going to be a long day. DeRozan was matched up with Lebron James on defence. Lebron scored easily on first few trips matched up with him. But Demar was attacking with purpose today. He had 11 points in the first Quarter and had an unbelievable jam in the 2nd, as he drove down the heart of the lane past 4 Heat players. He had, when it was all said and done 25 points on 8-16, 9-11 at the line and had 3 rebounds, 3 assists and a couple steals. In the end Lebron James was better than that with 30 points going 10-17 and had 9 rebounds and 2 assists. Those stat lines kind of mirrored the game as whole.
The Heat each time they would start to look to pull away the Raptors would find a way to fight back. The Raptors were just down 53-48 at the half time break. In some ways they were playing a far better game than there demolition of the Wizards on Friday night at home. But the Heat are not the Wizards. Things really took a turn for the worse when James Johnson turned his ankle. The Raptors best defender was forced to take a seat and it seemed like the Raptors had a good 32 minutes but the blowout was on. The Heat's lead started to grow and grow, while the Raptors offence for the first time in the game had skids at the worst time. Johnson would comeback later in the game. His status tomorrow in Washington will be important news for the Raptors. So as you probably started to make your plans for the Super Bowl the Raptors once again had a run in them. They would get as close as 3 points down in the late stages. But the Heat were just to much and to good for the Raptors to complete the miracle upset. Miami takes this one by just 6 points winning 95-89.
What was interesting was for most of this game it was an up and down the floor affair that was very entertaining. But it sure didn't seem like a style that was going to be one the Raptors could hang in the game with. But hang they did and if you believe in moral victories the Raptors got one today. But more importantly will be what they do with back to back solid performances. A re-match with a Wizards a team that was resting today kicking back on Super Bowl Sunday, should prove to be not so easy. It is safe to say the Wizards will be looking to get some pay back for a terrible performance by them in Toronto on Friday. It is vital for Demar DeRozan that we see something similar from him tomorrow. This was in my view his best performance of the season. But the NBA is a what have you done for me lately business. So it will be all about what he can do for an encore. Jerryd Bayless and Linas Kleiza were of help today as both had 17 points. If you want to look at an example of what we can't see from Demar look at Amir Johnson today. After a breakout performance he was not much of a factor today with 2 points and just 6 rebounds.
Another thing that stuck me was how little Chris Bosh stuck out for me in this game. He struggled going 3-13 with 12 points and 8 rebounds. But it wasn't just that. I just never cared to notice him. There has never been a game when Vince Carter or Tracy McGrady has played against the Raptors home or away that I was not fully aware of them at all times. Bosh today blended into the scenery. I am not sure what that says about him or me, there is just not that fire and anger in terms of Bosh. On March 30th in Toronto that might change for folks. But I am not really sure if Bosh will ever be on that level for folks in Toronto. Time will tell for a lot of things. But in the here and now looking at just this game you had to be pleased with the Raptors effort against one of the best teams in the NBA, if not the best.
The Heat each time they would start to look to pull away the Raptors would find a way to fight back. The Raptors were just down 53-48 at the half time break. In some ways they were playing a far better game than there demolition of the Wizards on Friday night at home. But the Heat are not the Wizards. Things really took a turn for the worse when James Johnson turned his ankle. The Raptors best defender was forced to take a seat and it seemed like the Raptors had a good 32 minutes but the blowout was on. The Heat's lead started to grow and grow, while the Raptors offence for the first time in the game had skids at the worst time. Johnson would comeback later in the game. His status tomorrow in Washington will be important news for the Raptors. So as you probably started to make your plans for the Super Bowl the Raptors once again had a run in them. They would get as close as 3 points down in the late stages. But the Heat were just to much and to good for the Raptors to complete the miracle upset. Miami takes this one by just 6 points winning 95-89.
What was interesting was for most of this game it was an up and down the floor affair that was very entertaining. But it sure didn't seem like a style that was going to be one the Raptors could hang in the game with. But hang they did and if you believe in moral victories the Raptors got one today. But more importantly will be what they do with back to back solid performances. A re-match with a Wizards a team that was resting today kicking back on Super Bowl Sunday, should prove to be not so easy. It is safe to say the Wizards will be looking to get some pay back for a terrible performance by them in Toronto on Friday. It is vital for Demar DeRozan that we see something similar from him tomorrow. This was in my view his best performance of the season. But the NBA is a what have you done for me lately business. So it will be all about what he can do for an encore. Jerryd Bayless and Linas Kleiza were of help today as both had 17 points. If you want to look at an example of what we can't see from Demar look at Amir Johnson today. After a breakout performance he was not much of a factor today with 2 points and just 6 rebounds.
Another thing that stuck me was how little Chris Bosh stuck out for me in this game. He struggled going 3-13 with 12 points and 8 rebounds. But it wasn't just that. I just never cared to notice him. There has never been a game when Vince Carter or Tracy McGrady has played against the Raptors home or away that I was not fully aware of them at all times. Bosh today blended into the scenery. I am not sure what that says about him or me, there is just not that fire and anger in terms of Bosh. On March 30th in Toronto that might change for folks. But I am not really sure if Bosh will ever be on that level for folks in Toronto. Time will tell for a lot of things. But in the here and now looking at just this game you had to be pleased with the Raptors effort against one of the best teams in the NBA, if not the best.
2/1/12
From One Problem To Another.
Well I saw it live and in person and it was not pretty. The Raptors did at least get off to a decent start which has plagued them most of the season. But in the second quarter this game would slip away and like a snow ball heading down hill the Hawks lead would grow bigger and bigger. Josh Smith was the guy that did all the damage last time, this time it was Joe Johnson. He racked up 30 in 3 quarters including 8 points in 51 seconds to close out the 1st half. The Raptors stuck to the small starting line-up to begin this game and it was not productive. Just 40 points in all for the starters led by Bayless with 14 points. Demar DeRozan after a season high 27 had just 9. DeRozan has now not reached double figures in scoring in 3 of the last 5 games. Hawks won it big 100-77.
A few other thoughts on the night. Prior to the game had a chance to catch up with James Johnson, it was a interesting chat look for it in the DNB tomorrow. In a game of few positive Ed Davis finally got some minutes and took advantage of them going for a double double of 11 points and 11 rebounds. Last but not least Toronto still hates T-Mac or at least boos him. I personally get a kick out of it. However so does T-Mac who more than any player that has level gets is roll as the "Bad Guy" and embraces it. T-Mac fuelled by boos got 15 off the bench for the Hawks. While many will be critical of fans for still booing him. I am not one of them. I think it is fans right to do as they choose. It might not be the wisest idea against McGrady but I understand why some would never want to forgive him and always boo him.
Raptor spent about 36 hours back in Toronto and they are back on the road off to Boston to take on the Celtics. Another team that has never been a kind opposition to Raptors. The Celtics have been much improved since snapping a 5 game losing streak against the Raptors in Boston the last time the Raptors paid a visit. Boston played last night as well in Cleveland and had to hold off a furious Cavs run in the 4th to hang on for a 93-90 win and are back to .500 on the season at 10-10. Boston is 5-2 since crushing the Raptors by 23 back on January 18th.
Rajon Rondo played outstanding in that game before getting injured by Linas Kleiza with a hard foul late in the 3rd. He has not played since for the Celtics. So could we see a really chippy game tonight between the Raptors and Celtics? It would not surprise anyone if we did. Avery Bradley the Texas product has been playing in his spot but is no Rondo.
Still despite not having Rondo the Celtics have taken advantage of a soft portion of their schedule and been able to fight back from an awful start to the season. Paul Pierce has been playing well of late. Since that game vs the Raptors in which he only scored 8 points he has averaged 22.1 points per game including a season high 34 vs the Wizards.
So let's get the 3 keys for this one:
Be Aggressive: The Celtics are not a team that forgets much. The fact Linas Kleiza took out Rajon Rondo will not be something that they will. Expect a lot of chatter and a lot of heavy blows in this one. If there was one positive in the blow out loss to Celtics for the first time in a long time the Raptors were pushing back in physical stuff with the Celtics.
Pierce and Allen: Both have had big shooting games vs the Raptors in the past. Be aware of where they are and do not allow them open looks at 3's or it could be a long night for the Raptors. There is no reason to believe Pierce or Allen are not capable of doing the same thing Joe Johnson did last night if the Raptors do not do a much better job defending them.
Attack Attack Attack: Take advantage of the Celtics perhaps wanting to be the bully by attacking the basket. Demar DeRozan would be the man you would look to in leading this charge. If the Raptors can get to the line and get easy points, it will help them stay competitive on the scoreboard. It is not a secret the Celtics have the potential to produce a lot more offence compared to the Raptors. No offence to Gary Forbes, but if he is your leading scorer again tonight, as he was in the last game vs Boston with a season high 19 points for him, the Raptors have some problems.
A few other thoughts on the night. Prior to the game had a chance to catch up with James Johnson, it was a interesting chat look for it in the DNB tomorrow. In a game of few positive Ed Davis finally got some minutes and took advantage of them going for a double double of 11 points and 11 rebounds. Last but not least Toronto still hates T-Mac or at least boos him. I personally get a kick out of it. However so does T-Mac who more than any player that has level gets is roll as the "Bad Guy" and embraces it. T-Mac fuelled by boos got 15 off the bench for the Hawks. While many will be critical of fans for still booing him. I am not one of them. I think it is fans right to do as they choose. It might not be the wisest idea against McGrady but I understand why some would never want to forgive him and always boo him.
Raptor spent about 36 hours back in Toronto and they are back on the road off to Boston to take on the Celtics. Another team that has never been a kind opposition to Raptors. The Celtics have been much improved since snapping a 5 game losing streak against the Raptors in Boston the last time the Raptors paid a visit. Boston played last night as well in Cleveland and had to hold off a furious Cavs run in the 4th to hang on for a 93-90 win and are back to .500 on the season at 10-10. Boston is 5-2 since crushing the Raptors by 23 back on January 18th.
Rajon Rondo played outstanding in that game before getting injured by Linas Kleiza with a hard foul late in the 3rd. He has not played since for the Celtics. So could we see a really chippy game tonight between the Raptors and Celtics? It would not surprise anyone if we did. Avery Bradley the Texas product has been playing in his spot but is no Rondo.
Still despite not having Rondo the Celtics have taken advantage of a soft portion of their schedule and been able to fight back from an awful start to the season. Paul Pierce has been playing well of late. Since that game vs the Raptors in which he only scored 8 points he has averaged 22.1 points per game including a season high 34 vs the Wizards.
So let's get the 3 keys for this one:
Be Aggressive: The Celtics are not a team that forgets much. The fact Linas Kleiza took out Rajon Rondo will not be something that they will. Expect a lot of chatter and a lot of heavy blows in this one. If there was one positive in the blow out loss to Celtics for the first time in a long time the Raptors were pushing back in physical stuff with the Celtics.
Pierce and Allen: Both have had big shooting games vs the Raptors in the past. Be aware of where they are and do not allow them open looks at 3's or it could be a long night for the Raptors. There is no reason to believe Pierce or Allen are not capable of doing the same thing Joe Johnson did last night if the Raptors do not do a much better job defending them.
Attack Attack Attack: Take advantage of the Celtics perhaps wanting to be the bully by attacking the basket. Demar DeRozan would be the man you would look to in leading this charge. If the Raptors can get to the line and get easy points, it will help them stay competitive on the scoreboard. It is not a secret the Celtics have the potential to produce a lot more offence compared to the Raptors. No offence to Gary Forbes, but if he is your leading scorer again tonight, as he was in the last game vs Boston with a season high 19 points for him, the Raptors have some problems.
1/27/12
Raptors In The Land Of Tebow Miracles May Be All Out Of Them
Before we get to the game tonight in Denver as most of you probably saw we have an injury update from the Raptors on Andrea Bargnani. An MRI has revelled no significant damage to Bargnani's re-injured calf, however he is out indefinitely. These two things don't seem to go together. But what it means in terms of the here and now is don't expect to see Andrea Bargnani any time soon. Which makes what would have been a tough task with him, next to impossible now. It is one thing to scramble and out play a team for a 5 minute overtime without him, it is quite another to play a full 48 minutes without him. Matt Devlin dropped a pretty amazing stat in our interview yesterday. The Raptors without Bargnani the Raptor are 3-19 over the last couple seasons. I don't have the numbers for the Raptors in the past without Bosh or without Vince Carter but they can't be much worse than that.
It will be another Italian front and center tonight in the form of Danilo Gallinari. When I hear people talking about most improved player in the NBA and making the All Star Game don't hear much talk about him. But there should be talk. He is having a break out season in Denver and for a time in Fantasy Basketball season was the number 1 ranked player in all of the NBA. Like Bargnani he can make the three, you can argue for his position he is a better rebounder and he has nicer overall floor game. Stopping him will likely fall in the hands of James Johnson for most of the evening.
Denver is likely to be without it's point guard in Ty Lawson as he is listed as doubtful. Rookie Julyan Stone could see some extensive minutes playing behind Andre Miller. Speaking of rookies the Nuggets have two good ones in Kenneth Faried a beast on the glass and a shot blocker, along with Jordan Hamilton who played on the wing at Texas with Canadians Cory Joesph and Tristan Thompson. The Nuggets also of course have Nene back resigned in the off season. Along with an experienced yet like Al Harrington.
Raptors without Bargnani what they will do is up for debate. The last time he went down they turned to Ed Davis who has since gone deeper into the dog house of late. After his 25 point performance and given his skill set many feel a move to Kleiza at the four against his former team makes a lot of sense. I would agree and remind folks that he played a significant amount at the 4 in his time with the Nuggets. So it is not like he is unfamiliar with the position. In fact of late he has been playing there for the Raptors more than in the past.
Safe to say for the Raptors to make it 3 wins in a row it would be a minor miracle. If Tim Tebow is walking out on that floor he would be wearing a Nuggets Jersey so he is no help. How the Raptors make up for the 24 points that Andrea Bargnani provides will be the biggest issue moving forward with out him in the line-up.
3 Keys:
Start Strong: We can just leave this as a key until the Raptors actually do it. As I stated in the interview yesterday with Matt, no matter what level of basketball you care to talk about, playing from behind is not desirable. It makes a team have to expend far more energy than they would like too. In the thin air of Mile High Country you need all the extra energy you can find.
Compete on the Glass: Another common theme in the keys to the game. But against Denver is is vital, adding Faried made a team that already was decent on the boards that much better. This kid is an impact rookie. I remember a reader mentioning him as a fantasy sleeper and a dark horse for rookie of the year. He may not quiet be that Rookie of the Year but he is extremely solid and a difference maker on the glass.
Defend the Arc: Denver have some weapons from long range. Identify who is on the court and wear those shooters are. The Raptors ability to use the zone effectively should be greatly reduced against this team. Gallinari is only one of several capable long range strikers.
So no matter how much tebowing Raptor fans do tonight it would seem will be next to impossible to get a third win in a row. That said wins in Phoenix and Utah were not forecast either. However minus Bargnani is a big difference as we have seen the Raptors this season are close to a .500 team with him and without him might be the worst team in the league. Now that is POWER!!
It will be another Italian front and center tonight in the form of Danilo Gallinari. When I hear people talking about most improved player in the NBA and making the All Star Game don't hear much talk about him. But there should be talk. He is having a break out season in Denver and for a time in Fantasy Basketball season was the number 1 ranked player in all of the NBA. Like Bargnani he can make the three, you can argue for his position he is a better rebounder and he has nicer overall floor game. Stopping him will likely fall in the hands of James Johnson for most of the evening.
Denver is likely to be without it's point guard in Ty Lawson as he is listed as doubtful. Rookie Julyan Stone could see some extensive minutes playing behind Andre Miller. Speaking of rookies the Nuggets have two good ones in Kenneth Faried a beast on the glass and a shot blocker, along with Jordan Hamilton who played on the wing at Texas with Canadians Cory Joesph and Tristan Thompson. The Nuggets also of course have Nene back resigned in the off season. Along with an experienced yet like Al Harrington.
Raptors without Bargnani what they will do is up for debate. The last time he went down they turned to Ed Davis who has since gone deeper into the dog house of late. After his 25 point performance and given his skill set many feel a move to Kleiza at the four against his former team makes a lot of sense. I would agree and remind folks that he played a significant amount at the 4 in his time with the Nuggets. So it is not like he is unfamiliar with the position. In fact of late he has been playing there for the Raptors more than in the past.
Safe to say for the Raptors to make it 3 wins in a row it would be a minor miracle. If Tim Tebow is walking out on that floor he would be wearing a Nuggets Jersey so he is no help. How the Raptors make up for the 24 points that Andrea Bargnani provides will be the biggest issue moving forward with out him in the line-up.
3 Keys:
Start Strong: We can just leave this as a key until the Raptors actually do it. As I stated in the interview yesterday with Matt, no matter what level of basketball you care to talk about, playing from behind is not desirable. It makes a team have to expend far more energy than they would like too. In the thin air of Mile High Country you need all the extra energy you can find.
Compete on the Glass: Another common theme in the keys to the game. But against Denver is is vital, adding Faried made a team that already was decent on the boards that much better. This kid is an impact rookie. I remember a reader mentioning him as a fantasy sleeper and a dark horse for rookie of the year. He may not quiet be that Rookie of the Year but he is extremely solid and a difference maker on the glass.
Defend the Arc: Denver have some weapons from long range. Identify who is on the court and wear those shooters are. The Raptors ability to use the zone effectively should be greatly reduced against this team. Gallinari is only one of several capable long range strikers.
So no matter how much tebowing Raptor fans do tonight it would seem will be next to impossible to get a third win in a row. That said wins in Phoenix and Utah were not forecast either. However minus Bargnani is a big difference as we have seen the Raptors this season are close to a .500 team with him and without him might be the worst team in the league. Now that is POWER!!
1/26/12
Starting 5 With Matt Devlin From Denver
Today in the Starting 5 we catch up with Matt Devlin on the road with the Raptors in Denver, after some extra work last night in calling a double OT win for the Dinos in Utah. We start with conversation on that game and the unfortunate injury to Andrea Bargnani. Also look back a bit at the win in Phoenix. We also talk about the major step up Bargnani has made on the floor and Matt says who he thinks deserves the credit for it. In addition thoughts on the struggles of Ed Davis, Amir Johnson and Demar DeRozan. We also get into some discussion as well about James Johnson. Matt shares his thoughts on how Johnson reminds him of a player he covered prior to coming to Toronto still playing in the league today. All this and some talk of Jack Armstrong and Tebowing in Denver. It is a informative and hopefully fun conversation for your listening pleasure. We also make reference to Matt's road segment that appears on Raptors.com "Life on the 2nd Bus". Matt references the latest episode so I wanted to give you folks a link to it. Someone apparently Tebow's in it given the fact the Raptors are in Denver. As for the picture that comes from the Raptor press room from a game I covered last season. You might remember it as with Matt's blessing I posted it on Twitter. So with out further adieu here is the latest episode of The Starting 5.Thanks to Matt for making time for us. Matt has been kind enough to be a guest with us since his arrival in Toronto and we always enjoy having him as a guest. This maybe a back to back for us in The Starting 5 as well as we are attempting to get another guest lined up for tomorrow. So keep you ears and eyes ready. I will try and make mention of it on Twitter if it comes together. We look forward to talking with Matt again and appreciate him taking the time after a long night of work to be on with us today.
1/25/12
No Easy Task To Make It Two In A Row.
I have to say the fact the Utah Jazz are 10-5, winners of 4 of their last 5 games is quite a surprise. The Jazz now without Jerry Sloan and Deron Williams you would think would be in full rebuild. After all Tyrone Corbin who took over from Sloan was only 8-20 last season. The trade that saw Williams go to the Nets did bring the Jazz some young talent in Derrick Favours and Devin Harris but this was not a team expected to do much this year by most. They have two solid bigs that are the main pieces to the puzzle in Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap, they are the teams top scorers as well. Truth is by looking at the Jazz it just doesn't look all that impressive on paper. But the Jazz are by and large still a team that it is about the system more than the parts that make up the system. Corbin coached for years as an assistant to Sloan so that system for them mostly remains the same.
The Raptors have had almost the same lack of success vs the Jazz as they have had with last night's opponent that Suns. Raptors have lost to Utah 12 straight times. Two very different teams in terms of style. What it always largely comes down to when facing the Jazz is how you defend the pick and roll and if you are able to compete with them on the glass. The Raptors for the first time this season are pretty much healthy and have the full roster in place that Bryan Colangelo has assembled for this season. Dwane Casey is making some bold choices in terms of the roster of late. Unless your name is Andrea Bargnani it seems pretty clear you better perform or you could find yourself on bench. Rasaul Butler and Amir Johnson have already played their way out of the starting five. Demar DeRozan has been shown perhaps some more patience but to suggest he is secure in his starting role would not seem to be wise. If his production and decisions do not improve with Bargnani now back he could be delivered a message as well with a seat on the bench.
Heading in the opposite direction is a guy like James Johnson. Already a defensive type player, which with Casey is always going to give you opportunity. He is starting to make his presence known on the other end of the floor. Beyond the struggles of the Raptors youngsters in DeRozan and Ed Davis, the biggest glaring problem has been the lack of production from the small forward position. Linas Kleiza almost had won the job by not playing a single game. That is how bad Butler and Johnson had been. Ultimately Linas has not really been bad, but on a bench that needs scoring, he along with Leandro Barbosa have been the only two players providing that consistently. Johnson has been putting in work on his shot and over the last couple games we have started to see some results.
Ultimately the questions for the Raptors seem to be if they can produce on the offensive end of the floor. Is this going to be a Kevin O'Neil like offence that struggles to score, or can they be better than that. On nights when Andrea Bargnani is scoring the answer is better. But can we really expect this on a nightly basis? Andrea is averaging 23.4 points a game, That is a point or so better than Vince Carter under Kevin O'Neil with 22.5 per game. Here is where things differ though, Jalen Rose was the 2nd leading scorer on the Raptor squad in 03-04 after he arrived in a trade with Bulls. He averaged 16. 2 points per game, tied with Donyell Marshall who came in the same trade and averaged the same point per game total. Demar DeRozan and Leandro Barbosa are second and third in scoring on this Raptor squad at 14. 2 and 13.2 points per game. They also I think most would agree are not as consistent scorers as Rose and Marshall were. The Raptors Offence is ranked 29th in the league. That is second last in the league which is where the O'Neil led Raptors were as they were 28th with the NBA having one less franchise back in the 2003-04 season.
We can all agree the Raptors defence is at least heading in the right direction. 19th overall is a lot better than 30th. But the Kevin O'Neil Raptors were even better at 7th in the league out of 29 teams. The comparison between the two is not exactly a fair one. The team O'Neil had was far more talented than the one Dwane Casey has currently. But still that is the only real bench mark we have for a defensive minded Raptors basketball team. Tonight will be a challenge on both ends of the floor as the Jazz have a solid offence they run that is ranked 11th in the league and a defence that is middle of the pack at 16th.
Not to mention the schedule that helped the Raptors last night when they played a tired Suns team flips on them tonight playing a rested Jazz team that last played on Saturday. It was a 108-98 win over Minnesota. So if the Raptors get off to a slow start tonight as has been the pattern of this season the chances they make a comeback like last night is greatly reduced.
3 Keys:
Strike First, Strike Hard: Yes the immortal words of Strike Force. If the Raptors start off slow like they did in Phoenix you can just call the Jazz Demolition and give them the win. Anyone who has played basketball will admit this freely. To play from behind is a lot tougher than it is to play with a lead. Dwane Casey to his credit played every guy dressed last night vs the Suns. He will hope it pays off with more energy for his club tonight. But if they don't use it right away they will be in serious trouble.
Protect The Glass: The worst thing you can do against the Jazz is allow them to get rolling on the offensive glass. If they do, the Raptors will get 2nd chanced pointed to death. Any defence, no matter how good, always has to complete stops with defensive rebounds. The odds you stop a team the second time around drop off dramatically.
Secondary Scoring: I am never sure if you can doubt anything much about Andrea these days, but I will go out on a limb and say he isn't scoring 30+ tonight. Can the Raptors with Bargnani scoring at around his average find enough offence to keep pace with the Jazz? If they can they will have a chance to be in the game. If not they have no shot.
Recap tonight and tomorrow at some point will be talking with Raptors play by play announcer on the T.V side of things Matt Devlin. Should be fun to have Matt in The Starting 5 tomorrow. So look forward to that. If we are talking about a 2nd win in a row for the Raptors that would be a surprise but a welcomed one. Game is on TSN2 tonight at 9pm with Matt and Jack calling all the action from Salt Lake City.
The Raptors have had almost the same lack of success vs the Jazz as they have had with last night's opponent that Suns. Raptors have lost to Utah 12 straight times. Two very different teams in terms of style. What it always largely comes down to when facing the Jazz is how you defend the pick and roll and if you are able to compete with them on the glass. The Raptors for the first time this season are pretty much healthy and have the full roster in place that Bryan Colangelo has assembled for this season. Dwane Casey is making some bold choices in terms of the roster of late. Unless your name is Andrea Bargnani it seems pretty clear you better perform or you could find yourself on bench. Rasaul Butler and Amir Johnson have already played their way out of the starting five. Demar DeRozan has been shown perhaps some more patience but to suggest he is secure in his starting role would not seem to be wise. If his production and decisions do not improve with Bargnani now back he could be delivered a message as well with a seat on the bench.
Heading in the opposite direction is a guy like James Johnson. Already a defensive type player, which with Casey is always going to give you opportunity. He is starting to make his presence known on the other end of the floor. Beyond the struggles of the Raptors youngsters in DeRozan and Ed Davis, the biggest glaring problem has been the lack of production from the small forward position. Linas Kleiza almost had won the job by not playing a single game. That is how bad Butler and Johnson had been. Ultimately Linas has not really been bad, but on a bench that needs scoring, he along with Leandro Barbosa have been the only two players providing that consistently. Johnson has been putting in work on his shot and over the last couple games we have started to see some results.
Ultimately the questions for the Raptors seem to be if they can produce on the offensive end of the floor. Is this going to be a Kevin O'Neil like offence that struggles to score, or can they be better than that. On nights when Andrea Bargnani is scoring the answer is better. But can we really expect this on a nightly basis? Andrea is averaging 23.4 points a game, That is a point or so better than Vince Carter under Kevin O'Neil with 22.5 per game. Here is where things differ though, Jalen Rose was the 2nd leading scorer on the Raptor squad in 03-04 after he arrived in a trade with Bulls. He averaged 16. 2 points per game, tied with Donyell Marshall who came in the same trade and averaged the same point per game total. Demar DeRozan and Leandro Barbosa are second and third in scoring on this Raptor squad at 14. 2 and 13.2 points per game. They also I think most would agree are not as consistent scorers as Rose and Marshall were. The Raptors Offence is ranked 29th in the league. That is second last in the league which is where the O'Neil led Raptors were as they were 28th with the NBA having one less franchise back in the 2003-04 season.
We can all agree the Raptors defence is at least heading in the right direction. 19th overall is a lot better than 30th. But the Kevin O'Neil Raptors were even better at 7th in the league out of 29 teams. The comparison between the two is not exactly a fair one. The team O'Neil had was far more talented than the one Dwane Casey has currently. But still that is the only real bench mark we have for a defensive minded Raptors basketball team. Tonight will be a challenge on both ends of the floor as the Jazz have a solid offence they run that is ranked 11th in the league and a defence that is middle of the pack at 16th.
Not to mention the schedule that helped the Raptors last night when they played a tired Suns team flips on them tonight playing a rested Jazz team that last played on Saturday. It was a 108-98 win over Minnesota. So if the Raptors get off to a slow start tonight as has been the pattern of this season the chances they make a comeback like last night is greatly reduced.
3 Keys:
Strike First, Strike Hard: Yes the immortal words of Strike Force. If the Raptors start off slow like they did in Phoenix you can just call the Jazz Demolition and give them the win. Anyone who has played basketball will admit this freely. To play from behind is a lot tougher than it is to play with a lead. Dwane Casey to his credit played every guy dressed last night vs the Suns. He will hope it pays off with more energy for his club tonight. But if they don't use it right away they will be in serious trouble.
Protect The Glass: The worst thing you can do against the Jazz is allow them to get rolling on the offensive glass. If they do, the Raptors will get 2nd chanced pointed to death. Any defence, no matter how good, always has to complete stops with defensive rebounds. The odds you stop a team the second time around drop off dramatically.
Secondary Scoring: I am never sure if you can doubt anything much about Andrea these days, but I will go out on a limb and say he isn't scoring 30+ tonight. Can the Raptors with Bargnani scoring at around his average find enough offence to keep pace with the Jazz? If they can they will have a chance to be in the game. If not they have no shot.
Recap tonight and tomorrow at some point will be talking with Raptors play by play announcer on the T.V side of things Matt Devlin. Should be fun to have Matt in The Starting 5 tomorrow. So look forward to that. If we are talking about a 2nd win in a row for the Raptors that would be a surprise but a welcomed one. Game is on TSN2 tonight at 9pm with Matt and Jack calling all the action from Salt Lake City.
1/24/12
Raptors Get Their Offence Back In Form Of #7
The rumours were true Andrea Bargnani after 6 games on the shelf was back. It would be a slow start for Bargnani but he would get hotter than a Phoenix afternoon in July by time this one was done. Suns were returning home after a loss last night in Dallas. Raptors needed to jump on them early but Raptors just can't seem to do that even with Andrea Bargnani. The Suns powered by as always Steve Nash, were out to an early 27-17 lead. It seemed like despite the return of Bargnani it was going to be more of the same for the Raptors. Bargnani was not the only line-up change by the way, Amir Johnson it would appear in Dwane Casey's dog house as Aaron Gray replaced him in the starting line-up. Amir only played just over 12 minutes in this one. Demar DeRozan also saw little action in the late stages of this game as his shooting woes continued going 2-8 on the night and just 4 points.
But no Young Onez were needed as Andrea Bargnani started to get on track in the 2nd and would explode in the 3rd. Speaking of explosions Robin Lopez would get ejected from this game and even Canada's favourite son Steve Nash got a technical foul. The Suns despite the good start seemed to be easily frustrated the rest of the way. Leandro Barbosa would get the Raptors going in the right direction with back to back 3's in the second and it seemed to spark the offence as they scored 31 points in the 2nd and cut the lead down to 4 at the half. It had been a long time since the Raptors were still in a close game heading into a 2nd half. In the third quarter Andrea Bargnani just went off on the offensive end. He looked every bit the "Italian three point master" as the lyric goes in the TBJ All Star Campaign Video. He was on fire from behind the line hitting one from the top of the arc that was at least 2-3 feet behind the line with ease. In total Bargnani would ring up 18 points of the Raptors 31 in quarter. Raptors were up 8 heading to the final quarter.
It wouldn't be the Raptors if they just cruised on to the easy win would it? Steve Nash has never lost to the Raptors in his second tour of duty with the Suns. A perfect 14-0 heading into tonight. The last win ironically came in 2004 with another coach that was all about defence in Kevin O'Neil. He would lead the Raptors to their last win in Phoenix with some guy named Vince Carter. To put it perspective Jerryd Bayless who is from the Phoenix area was a freshman in high school. So back to the Raptors trying to hang on for dear life. They would hold a 10 point lead most of the way but Steve Nash had some fight left in him and would try to will his team to a win. Suns would get very close, the Raptors appeared to be home and cooled out but then Butler happened. Rasaul Butler would throw the ball away and Suns cut the lead to 4 points in late stages. Raptors would call a time out. Jose Calderon who has never got much love from the DNB went totally loco on Butler and with just cause. He just has been a complete failure. But Bargnani would make a few free throws and the Raptors would dodge the bullet and get out of Arizona with a win 99-96.
This was the Andrea Bargnani Show as he finished with a season high 36 points, a perfect 12-12 at the line 10-21 from the field and 4-6 from 3 point land. The fact he only had 6 rebounds we will FORGET ABOUT IT!!! After all he was the single reason this team got a win they badly needed. Best supporting role honours to James Johnson who is learning how to make some shots as he had 18 points and had Andrea's back with 10 rebounds. Barbosa did the early damage as Bargs was heating up as he had 19 points in his former home going 7-14 and was 3-3 from three point land.
As much as I am truly thrilled the Raptors ended their losing streak I don't think they are out of the woods by any stretch. But looking on the other side of the floor it was so sad watching Steve Nash try and will something out of a Suns team that is just not good enough. If you have a heart and soul you could not help but want to see Steve Nash get a new lease on life with a contender. Aside from Marcin Gortat there was very little help for Steve Nash.
Enjoy it while you can folks. Utah a team that I figured would struggle has been the surprise team of this NBA Season. A win tomorrow will be much tougher. But after 8 losses you deserve to enjoy it. Wins are not going to come easy this season. So enjoy every one as much as you can.
But no Young Onez were needed as Andrea Bargnani started to get on track in the 2nd and would explode in the 3rd. Speaking of explosions Robin Lopez would get ejected from this game and even Canada's favourite son Steve Nash got a technical foul. The Suns despite the good start seemed to be easily frustrated the rest of the way. Leandro Barbosa would get the Raptors going in the right direction with back to back 3's in the second and it seemed to spark the offence as they scored 31 points in the 2nd and cut the lead down to 4 at the half. It had been a long time since the Raptors were still in a close game heading into a 2nd half. In the third quarter Andrea Bargnani just went off on the offensive end. He looked every bit the "Italian three point master" as the lyric goes in the TBJ All Star Campaign Video. He was on fire from behind the line hitting one from the top of the arc that was at least 2-3 feet behind the line with ease. In total Bargnani would ring up 18 points of the Raptors 31 in quarter. Raptors were up 8 heading to the final quarter.
It wouldn't be the Raptors if they just cruised on to the easy win would it? Steve Nash has never lost to the Raptors in his second tour of duty with the Suns. A perfect 14-0 heading into tonight. The last win ironically came in 2004 with another coach that was all about defence in Kevin O'Neil. He would lead the Raptors to their last win in Phoenix with some guy named Vince Carter. To put it perspective Jerryd Bayless who is from the Phoenix area was a freshman in high school. So back to the Raptors trying to hang on for dear life. They would hold a 10 point lead most of the way but Steve Nash had some fight left in him and would try to will his team to a win. Suns would get very close, the Raptors appeared to be home and cooled out but then Butler happened. Rasaul Butler would throw the ball away and Suns cut the lead to 4 points in late stages. Raptors would call a time out. Jose Calderon who has never got much love from the DNB went totally loco on Butler and with just cause. He just has been a complete failure. But Bargnani would make a few free throws and the Raptors would dodge the bullet and get out of Arizona with a win 99-96.
This was the Andrea Bargnani Show as he finished with a season high 36 points, a perfect 12-12 at the line 10-21 from the field and 4-6 from 3 point land. The fact he only had 6 rebounds we will FORGET ABOUT IT!!! After all he was the single reason this team got a win they badly needed. Best supporting role honours to James Johnson who is learning how to make some shots as he had 18 points and had Andrea's back with 10 rebounds. Barbosa did the early damage as Bargs was heating up as he had 19 points in his former home going 7-14 and was 3-3 from three point land.
As much as I am truly thrilled the Raptors ended their losing streak I don't think they are out of the woods by any stretch. But looking on the other side of the floor it was so sad watching Steve Nash try and will something out of a Suns team that is just not good enough. If you have a heart and soul you could not help but want to see Steve Nash get a new lease on life with a contender. Aside from Marcin Gortat there was very little help for Steve Nash.
Enjoy it while you can folks. Utah a team that I figured would struggle has been the surprise team of this NBA Season. A win tomorrow will be much tougher. But after 8 losses you deserve to enjoy it. Wins are not going to come easy this season. So enjoy every one as much as you can.
1/19/12
DNB Game In Pictures II
So we had so much fun we decided to do it again. Unfortunately another loss for the Raptors but that does not stop DNB Pictures from having some fun. So let's get ready set ROLLEM!!!
Desperate Celtics Crush Raptors
On Twitter before this game ever tipped I said it was a case of need vs want. The Raptors no doubt wanted to win and snap their 5 game losing streak. The Celtics needed to win to snap their same 5 game losing streak. The Raptors entered this season with no expectations of success other than the ones the team had for itself. While in Boston the expectations are always high and have been that way pretty much forever. Certainly since the Big 3 arrived in Boston. When someone needs something as opposed to wants something always bet on the guy that needs it. That was the case early in this game and it was clearly the case in the third quarter of this game.
The Celtics came out and set the tone in this basketball game. The Raptors tried to battle them off but just couldn't. It was a new starting line-up for Toronto as James Johnson finally replaced Rasaul Butler in the starting line-up but Johnson struggled in the new role. He on the game was 1-7 with just 4 points and had 3 turnovers. Raptors other Johnson in Amir continued to revert back to old habits and found himself on the bench early with 2 fouls. The second foul was of the questionable variety but they count all the same. On that second foul it cost Demar DeRozan a bucket who early on was doing the right things. Driving to the basket and attacking. Made a three pointer but went right back to the attack. But as the calls did not come he reverted to shooting jumpers and forcing shots. There was one play where his lack of ball skills got exposed by Ray Allen quite nicely. This all with a story we have seen many times before as Rajon Rondo owned Jose Calderon for 3 quarters. Rondo would leave the game after taking a hard foul by Linas Kleiza that was changed from a flagrant two to a flagrant one.
This game was pretty much decided after the first quarter. In that quarter the Raptors shot just 30% and did not get to the line once. It gave Boston a 29-14 advantage that they would never give up. The Raptors did show some fight and cut the lead to 6 at halftime. But the Celtics would quickly turn that back to a 12 point advantage to start the 3rd quarter. Rajon Rondo who as mention left during this quarter with a wrist injury had a great line for a full game let along just 2/3rds of one. He had 21 points shooting 7-8 with 2 assists and 3 rebounds. The Raptors starting 5 did not have a good night. Just 37 points total shooting 13-40 (32.5%) as a group. Only two Raptors would make it to double figures in this game. Demar DeRozan had just 11 points shooting 4-16 and continuing to struggle to get things on the right track. The second Raptor lead the team in scoring and would not be someone you would guess if you had 3 tries and had not seen the game. Gary Forbes the new proud uncle as he reported on twitter had 18 points going 5-6 from the field and 7-8 at the line. He might be the only Raptor that could take anything positive away from this one.
The score when the beating ended was Boston taking it 96-73 as they end there 5 game losing streak. Raptors losing skid climbs to 6 the longest active streak in the league at the moment with no clear end in sight. Portland is a team that is playing good basketball and they will be taking on the returning home Raptors at the ACC on Friday. This road trip was always going to be a tough one but it proved to be even more ugly than many could have imaged. The Raptors are 2-7 on the road for the season and 4-11 overall.
The Celtics came out and set the tone in this basketball game. The Raptors tried to battle them off but just couldn't. It was a new starting line-up for Toronto as James Johnson finally replaced Rasaul Butler in the starting line-up but Johnson struggled in the new role. He on the game was 1-7 with just 4 points and had 3 turnovers. Raptors other Johnson in Amir continued to revert back to old habits and found himself on the bench early with 2 fouls. The second foul was of the questionable variety but they count all the same. On that second foul it cost Demar DeRozan a bucket who early on was doing the right things. Driving to the basket and attacking. Made a three pointer but went right back to the attack. But as the calls did not come he reverted to shooting jumpers and forcing shots. There was one play where his lack of ball skills got exposed by Ray Allen quite nicely. This all with a story we have seen many times before as Rajon Rondo owned Jose Calderon for 3 quarters. Rondo would leave the game after taking a hard foul by Linas Kleiza that was changed from a flagrant two to a flagrant one.
This game was pretty much decided after the first quarter. In that quarter the Raptors shot just 30% and did not get to the line once. It gave Boston a 29-14 advantage that they would never give up. The Raptors did show some fight and cut the lead to 6 at halftime. But the Celtics would quickly turn that back to a 12 point advantage to start the 3rd quarter. Rajon Rondo who as mention left during this quarter with a wrist injury had a great line for a full game let along just 2/3rds of one. He had 21 points shooting 7-8 with 2 assists and 3 rebounds. The Raptors starting 5 did not have a good night. Just 37 points total shooting 13-40 (32.5%) as a group. Only two Raptors would make it to double figures in this game. Demar DeRozan had just 11 points shooting 4-16 and continuing to struggle to get things on the right track. The second Raptor lead the team in scoring and would not be someone you would guess if you had 3 tries and had not seen the game. Gary Forbes the new proud uncle as he reported on twitter had 18 points going 5-6 from the field and 7-8 at the line. He might be the only Raptor that could take anything positive away from this one.
The score when the beating ended was Boston taking it 96-73 as they end there 5 game losing streak. Raptors losing skid climbs to 6 the longest active streak in the league at the moment with no clear end in sight. Portland is a team that is playing good basketball and they will be taking on the returning home Raptors at the ACC on Friday. This road trip was always going to be a tough one but it proved to be even more ugly than many could have imaged. The Raptors are 2-7 on the road for the season and 4-11 overall.
1/16/12
Raptors Have Early Start On MLK Day in U.S
Before we get to basketball today just a few words on what today is in the United States. Martin Luther King was one of the many that struggled for civil rights in the 60s. He was one of the great men that lead that struggle. When I was in high school studying American History this time period was one I took particular interest in. I have always had great respect for not just King but Malcolm X and all the others that fought for the rights of African Americans. The fact we live in a time that has a black president is something that perhaps these men could not even have imagined. So take the time to learn about their struggle. Here is the most famous speech Dr. King delivered it is one of the best speeches given by any man of any colour:
So that is why I will not complain that the Raptors play at 4pm on Monday. They are in Atlanta to take on the Hawks. As mentioned when we talked with Jack Armstrong last week, the Hawks have lost an important piece to their puzzle in Al Horford. To me, Horford is the heart and soul of this Hawks team. While the Hawks have more talented players in Joe Johnson and Josh Smith they do not provide that leadership and heart that Horford does.
Smith comes in off perhaps his worst performance of the season with just 8 points in a win for the Hawks over Minnesota. While Joe Johnson remains productive but many will point to his contract and say that he should produce much more. The Hawks are a good team that has never been able to find the parts to be that great team. They come into the game today looking for their 10th win of season sitting in 5th place in the Eastern Conference. Actually sitting second in the Southeast behind Orlando not Miami. The Heat with their losing streak are a half game behind the Hawks.
As for the Raptors they continue to struggle against three things. The schedule, injuries and themselves. James Johnson the latest Raptor to catch the injury bug had x-rays on his ankle that were negative but his status for today as of right now is uncertain. The schedule is what it is and there is nothing you can do about that. But the Raptors turnovers and missed free throws along with having trouble getting to the line at all are things that they control. As Scott Carefoot in Raptor Blog referenced that 1 for 7 performance was the worst for the franchise since back in it's first season in the league. Demar DeRozan did not even get to the line in that game. This has to change fast if the Raptors hope to compete on any level.
Despite the great improvements on defence you still at the end of the day must score more than than other team to win. Turnovers and missed free throws will do nothing to help in that regard. The Raptors would be served not by the words of Martin Luther King but by those of Malcolm X as they need a win and will take it "By any means necessary." So let's get to some keys to the game.
Get There And Make It- I just went through how important it is for the Raptors to get to the free throw line and once there cash in on their attempts. This offence struggles to score at times and without Andrea Bargnani that struggle is even greater.
Battle on the Glass- Hawks are by nature an athletic team. Minus Horford they still are that. The Raptors need to fight hard on the glass and close out defensive possessions. They can not afford to give up rebounds that lead to second chances points or transition opportunities.
Transition D- The Hawks are a team that can get out and run. Josh Smith is a finisher in transition and the fewer easy points you can give up to him the better. Give yourself a chance to guard the Hawks in the half court and try to shut them down. The Raptors at times did an excellent job of this against Chicago. This was done mostly through the use of zones and the Hawks are a team that is not exactly known for 3 point shooting so it might be a good idea to go to the zone early and often today.
That just about does it. I encourage you even as Canadians to take some time to remember a great man in Martin Luther King today. His dream still lives today and it is up to all of us to keep it alive and be mindful of the past. I have friends of all colours and backgrounds. I think basketball more than perhaps any other sport is a true collection of all of these cultures. I judge people on how they treat me and not by the colour of skin or religion or anything else. That is how I was raised and is part of who I am. On a day like today it is important to reflect on those values and spread them to others. We have come a long way in terms of race relations but there are still people in this world that have not seen the light and may never see it. At the end of the day we as people can only control our own actions and our own way of life. But together we can show that we as people of any colour, race or creed can all be as one and love a sport like basketball. United by a common bond and love of something that we all share.
So that is why I will not complain that the Raptors play at 4pm on Monday. They are in Atlanta to take on the Hawks. As mentioned when we talked with Jack Armstrong last week, the Hawks have lost an important piece to their puzzle in Al Horford. To me, Horford is the heart and soul of this Hawks team. While the Hawks have more talented players in Joe Johnson and Josh Smith they do not provide that leadership and heart that Horford does.
Smith comes in off perhaps his worst performance of the season with just 8 points in a win for the Hawks over Minnesota. While Joe Johnson remains productive but many will point to his contract and say that he should produce much more. The Hawks are a good team that has never been able to find the parts to be that great team. They come into the game today looking for their 10th win of season sitting in 5th place in the Eastern Conference. Actually sitting second in the Southeast behind Orlando not Miami. The Heat with their losing streak are a half game behind the Hawks.
As for the Raptors they continue to struggle against three things. The schedule, injuries and themselves. James Johnson the latest Raptor to catch the injury bug had x-rays on his ankle that were negative but his status for today as of right now is uncertain. The schedule is what it is and there is nothing you can do about that. But the Raptors turnovers and missed free throws along with having trouble getting to the line at all are things that they control. As Scott Carefoot in Raptor Blog referenced that 1 for 7 performance was the worst for the franchise since back in it's first season in the league. Demar DeRozan did not even get to the line in that game. This has to change fast if the Raptors hope to compete on any level.
Despite the great improvements on defence you still at the end of the day must score more than than other team to win. Turnovers and missed free throws will do nothing to help in that regard. The Raptors would be served not by the words of Martin Luther King but by those of Malcolm X as they need a win and will take it "By any means necessary." So let's get to some keys to the game.
Get There And Make It- I just went through how important it is for the Raptors to get to the free throw line and once there cash in on their attempts. This offence struggles to score at times and without Andrea Bargnani that struggle is even greater.
Battle on the Glass- Hawks are by nature an athletic team. Minus Horford they still are that. The Raptors need to fight hard on the glass and close out defensive possessions. They can not afford to give up rebounds that lead to second chances points or transition opportunities.
Transition D- The Hawks are a team that can get out and run. Josh Smith is a finisher in transition and the fewer easy points you can give up to him the better. Give yourself a chance to guard the Hawks in the half court and try to shut them down. The Raptors at times did an excellent job of this against Chicago. This was done mostly through the use of zones and the Hawks are a team that is not exactly known for 3 point shooting so it might be a good idea to go to the zone early and often today.
That just about does it. I encourage you even as Canadians to take some time to remember a great man in Martin Luther King today. His dream still lives today and it is up to all of us to keep it alive and be mindful of the past. I have friends of all colours and backgrounds. I think basketball more than perhaps any other sport is a true collection of all of these cultures. I judge people on how they treat me and not by the colour of skin or religion or anything else. That is how I was raised and is part of who I am. On a day like today it is important to reflect on those values and spread them to others. We have come a long way in terms of race relations but there are still people in this world that have not seen the light and may never see it. At the end of the day we as people can only control our own actions and our own way of life. But together we can show that we as people of any colour, race or creed can all be as one and love a sport like basketball. United by a common bond and love of something that we all share.
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