B.C's Flexibilty Equals Uncertainty For Many Raptors

One of the goals of Bryan Colangelo was not to use any cap space and enter into this off-season with the ultimate amount of flexibility. In terms of that it has been mission accomplished. It does leave some question marks for a number of players heading into this off-season. At the top of that list is Jerryd Bayless who had a frustrating season in which injuries robbed him of opportunities especially down the stretch of this season, in which like last year Jose Calderon was not being used. Bayless turned heads with that chance at the end of last season. He had impressive numbers down the stretch as the Raptors starting point guard by default. An early season ankle turn  cost him a great deal of time right at the beginning of the season. Not exactly ideal when you have a new coach in place attempting to create a new identity for the franchise. He came back and was playing catch up with everyone else in a season that offered few chances to practice that made getting up to speed even more of a challenge. Then another injury to his oblique muscle and the end of his season opened the door for Ben Uzoh to walk through it and get a chance to play as a 10 day contract guy and earn ultimately a position with the team for the remainder of the season. Even Bayless admits he is still searching for his role and game at this point. He also could be searching for a new team to play for. The Raptors passed on the chance to extend him and he ultimately he could end up a RFA or even a free gent if the Raptors choose not to pick up their rights to him as an RFA. It made for a bit of an awkward exit interview with so much uncertainty on his future with this team. That said he still expressed his desire to remain in Toronto and that is something that has been consistent in since he has arrived.

The Raptors once had a similar type player in Chancey Billups. There was the same questions on what he was. Is he a point guard? A combo guard or a under sized shooting guard. Ultimately the answer was not found in Toronto but in Detroit were "Mr Big Shot" was born playing at the point for a championship team with the Pistons. While you would like to believe and hope that Bayless could find a path to his true identity as a NBA Player, you also have to wonder how long you are expected to wait. Watching Bayless can be a truly frustrating experience at times. He can make a true great spectacular play and the next time up the floor a totally unexplainable turnover. "His Gift" as Dwane Casey refers to it is his ability to score and get into the paint. It can also be his curse at times. He sometimes will call his own number and end up with a highly difficult attempt instead of making the simple pass and the smart play to a open player.

What makes this all the more frustrating and puzzling is I would venture to say Bayless is one of the most intelligent people in just terms of brains in that locker. Taking that to the basketball court, that intelligence is sometimes clouded by his competitive fire. He absolutely hates to lose and gets personally disgusted by the experience. On top of everything he is a nice young man that truly has embraced Toronto and legitimately loves the city. We would kill for more people who felt that way in the NBA that want to play and live in Toronto. Yet it really seems like a hard choice to make based on basketball alone.

In addition to Bayless there are other guys like Maglorie, Aaron Gray to decide about. I am not sure there is anyway you can see both Aaron Gray and Jaamal back. It would seem to make little logic to do so. There is already lots of speculation that Maglorie will return and he is even making playoff guarantees on behalf of the team. I would see this has a slap in the face to Aaron Gray if he ends up out and Jaamal in. Gray has done more in terms of on the floor and seems the perfect fit to play back-up 5 minutes behind Jonas Valanciunas. It is not like Aaron Gray is going to be worried about minutes. Although unlike Jaamal he can log major minutes if required. So, if you have Valanciunas having troubles adjusting to NBA game in terms of picking up fouls, Gray is able to plug in and fill those minutes. If Aaron Gray was from Toronto and Jaamal was from Charlotte this is not even a conversation. People will deny it, same as they did with Jay Triano but the Canadian passport that Magloire has gives him added value as the organization might view it from a PR point of view. He is well spoken and many respect what he has accomplished making it to the NBA out of the Raptors home town. Still numbers don't lie and the Raptors attendance did not trend upwards by bringing home the hometown hero. The simple fact as I have stated many times is the hometown hero stopped being an effective or at least significant NBA talent in 2003. I find his song and dance about his pride for playing for his hometown team to be somewhat hypocritical, as he likely had several chances to come here sooner than he actually did. Ultimately ask yourself this question. If Aaron Gray or Jaamal Magloire is cut loose by the Raptors who likely is still in the NBA next season. The answer is Aaron Gray who always seems to find a landing spot despite not being able to find a long term home in the NBA.

Aside from those mentioned you have Solomon Alabi, Ben Uzoh and Alan Anderson all without contracts heading into next year. In terms of Solo it was kind of nice to see him finally get a chance to play, but in reality there is little chance he has a future with the Raptors or in the NBA. The Raptors have consistently failed to find gold in the second round of the NBA Draft and he is just the latest example of that. He seems like a great person and is well liked by everyone but ultimately is like the last kid that is picked in a pick up game on a school yard in NBA Terms. Both Alan Anderson and Ben Uzoh to a lesser extent have made claims that they belong in the NBA. That said given the high expectations for this off-season if it is with the Raptors it would be viewed or should be viewed as failure on Colangelo's part to upgrade the talent on this roster.

Just because you have a contract that doesn't leave you safe either as the Raptors do have some attractive contracts they could easily move if they so desired to do so, on guys like Gary Forbes and others. Even Amir Johnson's deal is not unreasonable by the standards of what a solid power forward is going for these days in free agency. Colangelo's flexibility gives him options, but it also gives most of this roster insecurity. Aside from Calderon, Bargnani and perhaps DeRozan it is easy to see anyone being moved. Even under the right circumstances these 3 could be moved as well but it would be highly unlikely based on the comments of Colangelo today in his press conference.

Jerryd Bayless Out For The Season

Raptors just released that Jerryd Bayless will be out for the rest of the season. Here is the official Release:

"The Toronto Raptors announced Tuesday guard Jerryd Bayless is expected to be sidelined the remainder of the 2011-12 season with a partially torn left oblique muscle. He underwent tests today at Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital. Bayless left Monday’s game versus Orlando at the 5:25 mark of the second quarter and did not return."

It will be interesting to see what becomes of Bayless in the off-season the debate will begin if we have seen him play his last game for the Raptors or not. A great kid and wants to win more than anyone. Regardless of if he is back or not I wish him well. It must kill him how bad this season has been for him in terms of injures.

Raptors Sluggish At The Mecca

Jose Calderon returns to the Raptors line-up as mentioned in our preview Jose actually did a solid job the last time he matched up with Jeremy Lin. What will become of the improvement we have seen out of Jerryd Bayless is another issue altogether. The Knicks are trying to hang on to a playoff spot and the Raptors despite what anyone trying to spin positivity might say are playing out the string. So a game like tonight offers the Raptors a chance to play spoiler and build on what they have been doing. A loss to Bobcats was not exactly a building moment.

Demar DeRozan with the cut to the lane and score to get this one under way. Demar sometimes steps up to a big stage will see if that was a start to something big for him. After his first bucket both teams had two empty possessions. Tyson Chandler would get a slam and drop a foul on a nice pass from Stoudemire. He missed the free throw though. DeRozan's second shot would fall of the rim but get put back in by Aaron Gray on the glass. It was just 5-4 Knicks with 3 minutes gone by in this one. A steal by Melo and then the return pass from Lin to Melo for the break away lay-up. Calderon would hit a 3 pointer to make it a 10-9 Knicks lead. But more Jose this time hooking up with his buddy Amir, the lead would not last as Knicks got a dunk at the other end. Lead was ping ponging back and forth between the Knicks and Raptors at the mid point of the first quarter. Andrea Bargnani with a drive down the middle of the lane with a slam. Chandler answers with two at the other end and it was 16-15 Knicks. Raptors got called for an offensive foul and were down 3 with 4:04 to play. Carmelo Anthony would double that lead with a 3 in rhythm. Knicks were starting to get on a bit of a role and playing some defense something that was unheard of with Mike D'Antoni in charge. Demar DeRozan was not shy taking shots tonight and he was making his fair share to cut lead to 4. Bayless made a basket but then on the next possession ran over J.R Smith for a charge. Smith got on the offensive glass for a tab back to extend the Knicks lead to 6. Linas Kleiza nailed a buzzer three from very deep it would be reviewed but looked good to me.

The three would stand and that made score after 1 Knicks leading 27-24. After a good play by Kleiza to close the 1st, a bad play near start of 2nd with a bailout foul with little left on shot clock. Ed Davis showing signs of life with a score and a rebound leading to Bayless bucket to tie the game at 29. Knicks went on a 7-0 run after that and Dwane Casey was forced into calling a time out. Raptors after a Bargs airball out of the time out would get rolling with 5 point push of their own. Knicks would respond and re-establish their advantage and make it even a little more now with a 42-34 lead. Make that a 10 point lead and Andrea Bargnani was getting taking to school on defensive end. Some regression perhaps? Who said that? Jeremy Lin meantime you may have hear of had 6 assists and added a corner three to his stat line to give the Knicks an 11 point lead. Bargnani showing his point guard skills with a nice pass to Amir Johnson for the slam dunk cutting the lead down to 7. But another Lin three...actually make it a 2 and the Knicks would take a 9 point advantage to locker room if they could hold on for 8.5 seconds. Fields would play good D on Calderon and do just that. Knicks take a 53-44 lead to the locker room.

Teams were trading buckets earlier and the Raptors interior defense was lacking. Knicks would star to pull away sparked by Lin with a jumper, than a nice Alley Oop play with Fields and it was 61-50. Then for some reason Aaron Gray blew a gasket and got tossed from the game after the techs and all the Knicks lead was up to 15 points. The Raptors were helping restore Linsainty as he helped his team restore a 15 point lead with a deep 3. Raptor had been having a 3rd quarter to forget much like they did in Charlotte but against a better team. But the Knicks did not exactly take advantage and put them away. Raptors had a chance to cut the lead to single digits. That would happen if a banged up Bayless could make a couple free throws after colliding with A'mare which he did. However, on other end A'mare got an easy put back to push lead back to 11 with the score 79-68 for Knicks. The Raptors based on how they played should feel fortunate to be only down two more points from halftime.

Calderon was in for the 4th and Bayless might be done for night will see. Knicks were doing enough to stay on top and not much more than that. If the Raptors could get a little run together they might be able to get in this game. Still the Raptors looked pretty disinterested and both teams seemed frustrated with the refs at times. Bayless is a tough minded guy and was back in there playing along side Calderon for now. Ed Davis had a nice slam and had a quiet 7 points and 7 rebounds. However when Ed does well more often than not it seldom leads to a Raptor win. Novak hitting a open three after the Davis slam was looking to keep that trend continuing with Knicks up 87-76. Barring something spectacular the Knicks would give Spike Lee a win on his birthday up 89-77 with under 6 to go in the 4th. Bayless tried to give it go but would be done for the night with a left hip pointer. Jermey Lin with a break away dunk...Good Night and tip your waitress. The Knicks would get another dunk on a sloppy Raptor turnover and Chuck Swirsky watching in Toronto has got out the salami and cheese on the Raptors chances in this one. This was getting into a major embarrassment fast. Really fast as the Knicks lead was on steroids now up 101-79 and the Knicks would pull the starters with 3:20 to play. How bad was it? We had a Solomon Alabi sighting. Knicks would take this one 106-87.

I got nothing more to say on this one. Actually Happy Birthday Spike Lee. That is all.

Knicks Running Hot Again

The Knicks didn't make any trades at the deadline but they did make a big move. They fired Mike D'Antoni and replaced him with another Mike. Mike Woodson the former Hawks head Coach is now running the show in New York and has the Raptor flavour with former head coach Darrell Walker and former Jim Todd. So far so good as the Knicks have been on fire since the coaching change. While Tebowmania is now on the trading block, it is not as bad for Jeremy Lin. Still Linsanity has pretty much died down despite to this point he remains the starting point guard. Perhaps the peak of Linsanity was in Toronto when he nailed a game winner to sink the Raptors and was cheered for it in Toronto. Tonight he will be on his home floor in New York and have Carmelo Anthony along side this time around. It was Anthony's lack of a relationship with D'Antoni that seemed to lead to his firing. He also doesn't seem to be much of a Jeremy Lin fan at the end of the day.

The Knicks being a dysfunctional roller coaster is nothing new. The Raptors are far less dysfunctional but are also far less talented. Jose Calderon actually did a decent job matched up with Lin at the peak of insanity. He should be back in the line-up tonight. Jerryd Bayless has stepped up his game while Jose has been sidelined with a bad ankle. One wonders if that will continue. Bayless is starting to look a lot like T.J Ford in a way. T.J was never same player in the back-up role as he was when he was the starter. Bayless has shown he can be something quite different when his name is called. When you take this last week and how he performed at the end of last season without Calderon the numbers are significantly better. So how Bayless plays may be as big a story as how Calderon looks in returning.

Andrea Bargnani had one of the better nights of his career playing at the World's Most Famous Arena aka Madison Square Garden. Almost everyone in the NBA gets a bit of a buzz from playing at MSG and it something the Knicks always have to deal with. It is part of the deal when you play in New York. More times than not you get the best punch from you oppositions stars. The Raptors come off a weekend where they get a surprising win of the Grizzlies and less than 24 hours later with more than a few issues they dropped another game to the Bobcats.

It is a small sample size but the Knicks numbers since the Coaching Change are impressive. Here is some of the key ones to take note of:

• Points For: 112.6 (They have scored over 100 in all 3 games)
• Points Against: 89 (Most was 100 on Road vs Pacers)
• Anthony: 14.6 PPG 43.5% FG% 5 assists 30.7% 3PT Range.

Obviously Carmelo is not lighting the world on fire so what has sparked this New York turnaround? The answer might be their bench which now as an added wildcard to the mix in J.R Smith who was one of those guys that were in China for part of the NBA Season. Knicks have averaged 55 points coming from the bench. Steve Novak has been doing his part as well.

So let's get to the 3 Keys:

1. Perimeter Defense: The Knicks have a number of options that are more than willing to fire it up from three point range. J.R Smith and Novak were mentioned but there are many others to add to the list. Raptors must defend the three point line to stand a chance in this one.

2. Bench Points: Raptors lost a big part of their bench in Barbosa. To expect them to outscore the Knicks might be asking to much. You just can't let it be totally lopsided. The Knicks second unit has a lot of scoring punch in comparison to the Raptors.

3. Ball Movement: When the Raptors have success on offense it is always tied to them having good ball movement. It is safe to say the Knicks are going to score their fair share despite the Raptors efforts on D. So that will put the pressure on the Raptors to score more and when they do it is because of ball movement.

Raptors Terrible Third Quarter Costs Them A Win.

So if the fact the Raptors went to overtime was not enough, they also were not able to fly to Memphis till today. Getting to the arena just after 4:45 pm for a 7pm tip. Still more drama as the arena was evacuated for a fire alarm at 5:30pm. So to say this is a bizarre set of circumstances heading into this game would be an understatement. No Jose Calderon in this one as the Raptors look to Tuesday as a possible return date for him. Andrea Bargnani might be used sparingly today as well given the added minutes and issues in getting to Charlotte. The Raptors under much more friendlier circumstances dropped a contest earlier in the season to the Bobcats. So will see what happens today.

Aaron Gray gets the scoring started after the Raptors open the game with a stop on defense. Raptors had a couple chances to add to that but both DeRozan and James Johnson could not make it happen. Bayless looked to be keeping things rolling after last night, he nailed a big 3 and opened up a 9-4 advantage. Gerald Henderson shows why people have been waiting for him to explode into a superstar with a great dunk. In much less athletic fashion Aaron Gray replies and it was 13-8 Raptors. After Charlotte rattled off 4 points another Bayless three pointer made it a 16-12 contest. It wouldn't be Bayless without some head shaking moments, with a clean lane for a lay up he decided to kick the ball out and it would end up out of bound Charlotte basketball. Bobcats would take advantage and get this game tied at 16 with under 5 to play in the 3rd. Bayless was on fire from behind the arc though as he cashed in a Kleiza pass for his 3rd three in as many tries. He would press is luck an attempt a 4th in transition and that was not a good idea. Raptors offense was humming shooting 60% and Linas Kleiza would add to that with a nice mid range jumper that goes swish. Raptors were up 23-18 and looking good early. DeRozan had a chance to add to it and missed a pair of free throws at the line. DeRozan would make up for that with his own highlight reel dunk. Raptors had built a 9 point lead and needed a stop to head to end of the first with that lead. Which they would get. A Kleiza buzz heave would not fall so make it 29-20 after one.

Bobcats shot 27.8% in the first, part of that is them and the fact they stink but give Raptor credit for some good defense as well. Kemba Walker was taking abuse from Leo Rautin for his green and yellow kicks but more importantly he was struggling on the floor. Raptors were not messing around building a 35-20 lead and given the situation they might need that big lead later. However the way the Bobcats were playing they might not. D.J White would try to fire up his troops and crowd that would be luck if it was 5,000 with a big jam. Hard to believe this city once led the NBA in attendance back in the days when Hornets were buzzing in hive. Kleiza hit a step back 3 pointer after the Bobcats showed some signs of life. Linas was lighting it up he had 11 and Raptors were up 42-28 midway through the 2nd quarter. Raptors weathered to little Bobcat uprising pretty well and still led 49-37 with just over 3 to play. I might have spoke to soon some sloppy turnovers and Bobcats were back to single digits down 51-43. Bayless again passed on scoring and left an ugly drop off that works as Aaron Gray finished it off. Raptors lead 53-43 at the halftime break.

Bismack with the big smacking slam to get things rolling in the 2nd half. Then Cory Maggette on his 12th NBA team (Exaggeration for effect) with a big three and the Raptors lead was cut in half like that. Bayless with a crazy floater over Biyombo you can mambo if you want too. Bargnani would mambo he would just dunk on the Bobcats rookie. Gerald Henderson with a silky smooth jumper made it just a 5 point lead again at 57-52. Bismack Biyombo would draw the Cats even closer with a bucket. D.J Augustin would complete the comeback with a 3 and the Bobcats led for first time all night 59-57. A Kleiza airball on the baseline jumper was not going to help. Jaamal Magloire was an all-star 8 years ago in this city. Today he was playing because Aaron Gray was in foul trouble and actually had a dunk. While the parade for that was rolling through the Bobcats kept rolling and now had a 9 point advantage up 70-61. Things were not getting any better for the Raptors as they were making to many mistakes and the Bobcats lead was growing. Raptors would face an 81-67 scoreline to overcome heading to the 4th quarter.

Bobcats were now shooting above 50% after being below 30% after one. Bayless was frustrated but was at least one guy on the floor not ready to give up. But you forgive me if I have as the Raptors looked tired and lethargic and were turning the ball over faster than bar selling green beers. But this was the Bobcats and they can turn it over better than anyone and were proving it. Still they had a 10 point lead and it was really going to take some effort for them to blow this one. Like I said Bayless was not giving up as he hits a three and this was a Peyton Manning touchdown from being tied. Sorry think NFL Network cut in on the re-cap their. Bobcats got the lead back to 11 and this game was looking like it was going to be win lucky win number seven for the Bobcats and two of those coming at the hands of the Raptors. The first on was inexcusable this one today had some legit excuses. Still it doesn't make the fact the Raptors were on the way to 0-2 vs Bobcats feel any better. This was all but done except for the final score.

Some how, some way the Raptors after being down as many as 14 found their way back to down just 5 with 45 seconds left. Bobcats are bad granted but how this happened is a bit of a mystery. Bobcats would make a couple free throws and make it is 7 point lead. But a silly foul after a DeRozan missed three allowed Amir Johnson to get it to 5 point game with clock stopped. Raptors got a steal jacked a couple threes and missed both. That should just about do it or not..Raptors kept possession and Bayless nailed a three with 11.7 seconds left. Bayless was forced to foul out and had 29 points and seat for the final 9.9 seconds left in this one with Raptors down just 105-103. D.J Augustin made both free throws so now this was over right? It was as DeRozan missed a 3 badly and that would do it as Charlotte got the ball and whipped it down court. Make the final 107-103 Bobcats.

Tired Raps Look For Revenge In Charlotte

Maybe the Raptors are not tired, but it is a safe assumption after a long night in Memphis, where in one of the strangest basketball games I have ever witnessed the Raptors came away with a 114-110 OT win. They return to the Eastern Time zone and face the Charlotte Bobcats. One of the teams that I have personally guaranteed will finish below the Raptors. The Raptors have just 22 games left and are 9 wins ahead of the Raptors. The Raptors are just 5 wins shy of are pre-season prediction of 20 wins sitting at 15-29. The Bobcats are 6-36 and yes one of those 6 wins came at the hands of the Raptors back home in Toronto. That was without Andrea Bargnani though and after last night you wonder how much the Raptors will have him today. In addition how effective he can be. They will likely be without Jose Calderon as well. If Jerryd Bayless can play like he did last night that will be less of an issue. The Bobcats will return to the ACC for one more visit after today on April 3rd. Raptors have not won consecutive games since the last time Andrea Bargnani returned and he exited near the end of the 2nd win that was the wild OT win in Utah after a win over the Suns.

So let's just cut to the keys to the games.

1. Suck It Up Butter Cup- This is one of those games where it is unrealistic to expect the Raptors to be at 100%. What you would expect is for them to play solid defense and try and grind out a win. Add in the fact you had an embarrassing loss to that mix and that can provide you some motivation when your gas tank is reading E.

2. Bayless Balance- We need to see a balanced effort from Jerryd Bayless with the assists to go along with scoring. Near the end of last season we go to see a glimpse of what he could be. Again last night we saw some of that. It all gets mixed in with some crazy what were you thinking moments. But at the end of it all no one wants to win more than this guy. I firmly believe that.

3. Some X Factors Please- In a game where you expended so much to win you need someone unexpected to step up and provide a big performance. Maybe a big game from Ed Davis? One of those nice games that Amir Johnson can provide on occasion. An Aaron Gray double double? Something like what the Raptors got from Gary Forbes last night. Someone needs to step up.

So that is all we have for you today. Game goes at 7pm and seeing as my March Madness bracket is a mess I will be watching. Even if it wasn't I would be. You know your hardcore when your watching Raptors vs Bobcats. No more Bobkittens I learned from the last time....LOL.

Raptors Fight Themselves, Grizzlies and Refs To Win In OT

We start with kudos to Rogers Sportsnet who did the right thing and postponed showing the end of a tennis match in favour of showing the Raptors on time. TSN has screwed over the Raptors in the past for meaningless college bowl games and even NLL Lacrosse games. Sportsnet actually showing Raptor fans an element of respect. Now replace Leo with Jack Armstrong and I could be in love with this network. It is the only major sports network that I have yet to cash a check from so you never know. But for now the DNB is independently owned and operated. Speaking of jobs, Barbosa now works for the Pacers and Sam Young for the Sixers. While both Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph return to work tonight.

After Memphis took a 4-0 lead the Raptors would fight back and take the lead on Jerryd Bayless first shot of the night a 3 ball to make it 7-6. Grizzlies were wearing some hideous throw back uniforms and were not talking the teal ones with angry bear from Vancouver days. These were yellow and green and ugly as hell. Still it is not how you look it is if you win or lose. In that regard Gasol scored to give the Grizzlies the lead back in this one. Bargnani with some good defense and it angered Marreese Speights and he would get a technical foul. Raptors to their credit and the dismay of the idiots that still see tanking as good idea, were hanging around in this one leading 16-14 with 4:43 to go in the 1st. Raptors kept things rolling as DeRozan drove to the hoop and scored to make it 22-18 with just over a minute to play. The returning Zack Randolph barreled his way to the who and scored and made the and 1 free throw he picked up along the way. Demar DeRozan closed out a solid first quarter for him making the final shot to give the Raps a 26-24 lead after one. Demar had 12 points was 5-8 shooting and had a couple dimes as well.

Considering it was his first game back in quite awhile, Z-Bo looked in pretty good form not much rust. He was in the middle of everything early in the 2nd. Gave the Grizzlies the lead at the line 29-28, after Amir Johnson hit on the head like one of those gophers that pop up in the old arcade/carnival game. Gary Forbes was one of the guys that should see more time with Barbosa's departure. Nails a big three to give the Raptors a 33-29 lead. After the Grizz split a pair at the line Bargnani got his 3 ball game going and it was 36-30. Raptors got away with an over and back on a pass by Amir Johnson and he would get an offensive rebound as well but the Raptors couldn't cash in. Instead of being up 7 or 8 the Raptors would be up 3 as Rudy Gay also back after a mild concussion nailed a jumper making it 37-34 Raptors. Both Bayless and Forbes each had 8 points and were on the floor together. Still no Jose Calderon but Raps using both their options and point guard together. Grizz were starting to try and get it together as Gasol scored to make it a one point game. They had a chance to take the lead but Gasol would throw it away on the flashy pass. Raptors were doing a solid job wrestling these Grizzly Bears with a 47-46 halftime lead. It should have been a 4 point lead but a sloppy pass by Bargnani is picked and Memphis hits a buzzer beater 3.

Raptors have a sloppy possession as Gasol blocks a shot but eventually ball ends up in Bargnani's hands and he nails a long two. James Johnson would extend the lead to five points as the Raptors had first two baskets of the 2nd half. Mike Conley nailed a jumper to end a 6-0 start for the Raptors. Andrea Bargnani had not had his 3 ball working till tonight since returning, he nails another one making it a 9-2 start to the half for the Raptors. Make it 11-4 with a James Johnson basket and it was 60-50 Raptors. While most of the world was enjoying Duke dying a horrible death in the NCAA tournament, the Raptors kept chugging along looking for their own upset on a lesser level. They had lead up to 12 before a Memphis three made it 67-58 Raptors. A turnover and Zach Randolph dunk cut the lead to 7 points and cause Dwane Casey to call a time out. Time out could not stop the One Man Gang that was Zach Randolph who scored again. Memphis had picked it up on defense as well it was 67-62 Raptors. Bayless nails a much needed three to try and fight off this Grizzlies push getting the lead back to eight. It was more like a band aid though as the Grizzlies made back to back baskets and had lead down to 4. Raptors again another of those brain cramps up 5 appeared to commit a foul just prior to the buzzer. Refs would review it so score after 3 was for now Raptors 72 and Grizzlies 67 subject to change.

It would change as Grizz would go to the line and .6 seconds was added to the clock. Both free throws count and it is only a 3 point lead instead of 5. Little mistakes that if the Raptors go on to lose this game will be the difference. Jaamal Maglorie gets nailed with a flagrant foul add that to the stupid mistakes. But it ends up not costing the Raptors but not a smart decision. Raptors got it going again and after a great first Demar had done little, but came out to play with a jumper to make it a 77-71 Raptors lead. Amir Johnson follows that with a rain making jumper that went in and the Raptors had a 8-0 run and 79-71 lead. The broadcast was giving love to Jaamal Magloire. I say screw him and give some to Gary Forbes with a couple big buckets to keep Raptors on top. Jaamal meantime takes a stupid charge and goes back to the bench where he belongs. Raptors were hanging tough up 86-79 with 5:40 to play. Bargnani makes 2 at the line and with under 5 to play the Raptors were up 88-80. Marc Gasol was taking over for Z-Bo in dominating the action. He stepped to the line and mad a pair to give him 24 on the night and cut lead to 6.

This was heading toward a March Madness like finish potentially Raptors lead was down to 5. But maybe not as James Johnson got an NBA style continuation call, count the basket and the and 1 and lead was 8. Still the Raptors had no answer for Gasol as he scores to cut it to 6 with just under 3 to play. Demar with a clutch mid-range jumper makes the lead 8 once more. Bayless the blow by to the hoop with under 2 to play restores the 8 point lead. Z-Bo was back and he scores and Amir Johnson gets called for a foul as well. Could not hit the and one though. Raptors commit a turnover though and Z-Bo draws a foul on Bargnani and heads back to the line. He misses another and hits the 2nd to make it a 95-90 game in favour of the Raptors. Another turnover and Raptors again not closing out a quarter correctly. Gasol this time drawing a foul on Amir as it is a parade to free throw line for Memphis. He makes both with 42.5 seconds left and it was 95-92. This was NBA Style March Madness with a lot more on the line for Grizzlies in the Western Conference playoff race. Bayless almost turned it over but got the ball back and gets the lay up down the open lane 97-92. James Johnson lost a shoe and lost his man and Grizzlies score quick and it was three point game again with 22 seconds left. Bayless is fouled right away and heads to the line. He misses the first and makes the second to make it a two possession game. Grizz miss their initial shot but Z-Bo cleaned up the mess and scored to cut the lead to a deuce with about 14 seconds left. So Bayless is fouled and the Refs decide to add .7 seconds to the clock leaving 13.7 to play. That could mean something. Bayless 2 for 2 this time and makes it 5 point lead. Grizz get a quick three from Rudy Gay and Bargnani is fouled with 6.6 to play. Even if he makes both Grizz could tie with a three. He does and it is 102-99 Raps. James Johnson decides to foul that is one way to avoid a three. But that was not what Dwane Casey had in mind. Johnson had fouled out. Still 5.7 seconds left and Conley missed the first at the line and makes the second. Forbes is now fouled with a two point lead and 5.4 seconds to play. Makes the first and the key second one he missed. Rudy Gay nails a 3 and this game was tied with 0 on the clock but Refs were huddled and may be adding time to the clock. If not were heading to over time.

Regardless of how this turns out Raptors closing of quarters has been brutal on this night. The verdict would be .5 added to the clock. Raptors inbounding from their baseline. Refs were again conferencing and making a mess out of this. Raps did get a chuck up from Bargnani but it didn't fall. O.T here we come tied at 103. Gary Forbes drives and got a foul on Rudy Gay. His 6th and he joins James Johnson as a spectator. Forbes missed one that got us to OT and he misses one to start overtime. Mayo now was heading to the line on a foul on DeRozan. he makes both and Memphis has it's first lead since 29-28. They had a chance to add to it and turned the ball over on travel. Bayless misses a fading jumper and Forbes get the rebound and throws it back in for a career high 20. It was 106-105 Toronto with Austin 3:16 left in OT number 1. The strange things continue as Mayo misses a dunk. DeRozan drives on the other end and doesn't get a foul call. Raps and Grizz trade bucket and it was 108-107 Raps. Randolph would score and Bayless would answer it was 110-109. Let's add to fun as Andrea Bargnani with a huge rebound. Why not and Raptors have the ball up one with just under 1:30 to play. Bargnani misses a shot but Tony Allen fumbles the ball out of bounds. Gary Forbes has the ball stripped and Bayless bails him out on the other end drawing a charge with under a minute to go. Bayless misses a jumper and DeRozan picks up a foul with 26.7 to play. Amir Johnson alter a shot and got the rebound he might have blocked it but it happened fast. Bayless would be sent to the line and would make both but there was a lane violation on the 2nd? Apparently so Bayless foot was over the line on the 2nd? Well that leaves it a 2 point game with Raptors up 111-109 with 15.7 to play in OT number one. Memphis than gets called for the often done but never called carry in the NBA. This would end up with Amir Johnson at the line with 9.4 seconds left. Made the first missed the 2nd and it was 112-109 with 8.8 seconds left. So now Conley is fouled by Bayless in the act of shooting a 3? To the replay booth and this game may never end. 4.8 second left in OT number 1. It would be three free throws for Mike Conley. Bayless would also be out of the game with his 6th foul joining Johnson and Gay on the sidelines. First is made...Second is not and now will he try to miss the 3rd...he does but it ends up out of bound Raps ball with 3.8 seconds to play. Raptors after a time out can't inbound the ball but unlike earlier in the season with Butler the Raps do get a time out called in this one. DeRozan is fouled as he attempted to catch the inbound pass. Demar end this insanity please!!! And he does with two clutch free throws and that is it....114-110....Raps win!!! I am dead tired. So check the box score for all the goodies.

Grizz Not A Joke Anymore

Raptors are in Memphis minus one blur and the Grizzlies did their own subtraction by sending former Pitt standout Sam Young to Philadelphia. Memphis after a slow start to the season have slowly build their way up the Western Conference standings. It was a break through season last year for the former Vancouver franchise. While in Vancouver the Grizzlies never even came close to the playoffs. While in Memphis the Grizzlies had made the playoffs, but until last season had never won a game. They would roll into the playoffs and knock off the top rated Spurs and give OKC all they could handle.

Keep in mind the Grizzlies have not had Zach Randolph for a majority of the year and recently been without Rudy Gay. In terms of Gay he missed that entire run for the Grizzlies last year. We had a total of 10 trades over the last couples days and the deadline yesterday. You would be hard pressed to find a better pick up than what the Grizzlies got with Marreese Speights who they traded Xavier Henry way back in early January. It has been even more vital with loss of Randolph for the majority of the season. So if you shake you head as to why the Grizz sent Sam Young to Philly for basically nothing, it was safe to say the Grizzlies owed some thanks to the Sixers.

Marc Gasol was an all-star and his slacker brother Pau wasn't. Joking aside Marc Gasol doesn't have to take a back seat to his brother any longer. It was only a few weeks ago that Gasol had a dominant 21 point performance vs the Raptors on March 2nd. Mike Conley also had 21 points in that game. Gay lead the way with 23 but he will not be around tonight it looks like. Going back to Conley he played second fiddle to some guy named Greg Oden at Ohio State. After the Blazers release of Oden safe to say Conley has had the better pro career. He has really started to come into his own these last couple seasons.

For the Raptors it is all about opportunity the rest of the way. Bryan Colangelo freely admitted that organization wants to look at what they have the rest of the way. That doesn't mean Solomon Alabi is starting tonight at Center. But it will mean more time for Gary Forbes, Bayless and others. If your name is Butler or Jaamal you can get comfy on that bench cause it is likely where you will stay barring injuries or foul trouble.

3 Keys:

Bench Points: Where will they come from now for the Raptors. Linas Kleiza was the one guy beyond Barbosa that was doing it consistently scoring off the bench. But in recent games he has been slumping to a degree. Someone needs to step up and score and make up that 10-14 points you could count on from Barbosa night in night out.

Gasol vs Bargnani: Last time Bargnani was not around when Gasol was playing and scoring his 21 points. Bargnani had a step back in game 4 of his return. But with a day of rest under his belt will see if he starts to keep climbing back to what we saw pre-calf injury.

Bayless vs Conley: This is type of match up that Bayless if he keeps his head can be better than Jose Calderon. If he doesn't and it turns into a one on one shoot out he might lose in that with Conley. He can and should do a better job on defense in comparison to Calderon.

So that is it for Raptors and Grizz Round two. If you are busy watching your bracket and not the game will have a re-cap for you when it is done.

Update 9:10am : Looks like tonight got a lot tougher as Memphis Broadcaster just tweeted he expects Both Gay and Randolph to play. This is what I get for doing my preview early...LOL.

Captain Cupcake Leads Nets To Victory

So here we go, on the night before the trade deadline. All is quiet for the Raptors and it is likely to stay that way given the goals of this franchise at the moment. So, we can focus on if this team can actually win two games in a row. Deron Williams is out for the Nets and so is Calderon for the Raptors. I would consider that advantage Toronto. Is that enough to get them a win? Time to find out.

Sloppy start by both sides as the teams trade turnovers. Raptors got the first two baskets of this game to get the jump on the Nets. Kris Humphries was all over the place in both good and bad ways. He made a jumper and that was followed by a Raptor turnover leading to easy two in transition and this puppy was tied at 6. More Hump with the two handed jam and Nets had their first lead on the night at 12-10. Hump had a career high 31 point and 18 rebounds on Monday, so far in this one he has 8 points and 3 rebounds. Raptors went on a 8-3 run capped with a DeRozan slam in transition on the nice hook up from Bayless. Barbosa would make that 10-3 as he was playing and showing why he might be the most attractive trade piece in a Raptor uniform. In what was a very sloppy quarter for both the Raptors and Nets the Dinos had a 22-19 lead.

Anthony Morrow opens the scoring and makes it a one point lacking excitement contest. Nets get the lead back for first time since 12-10 with back to back hoops to open the 2nd. Barbosa audition continues with steal followed by a drive and behind the back pass to Linas for the easy 2. For a game tied at 25 this had all the excitement of watching paint dry for the most part. Gaines the Raptor for a couple 10 day contracts last year gave the Nets the lead 27-25. A quiet night for Bargnani so far as he makes his 2nd shot on the night to tie the game at 27. The Barbosa audition was the only true excitement as he adds a jumper made as he is fouled. Missed the and one but the Raptors had a 32-29 lead. Bragnani makes up for a turnover with a nice drive and finish and the Raptors lead was 5 with a time out on the floor. James Johnson kept the Raptors roll going on a 9-0 run now but the Nets finally had an answer and it was back to a 5 point game at 36-31. But the Raptors keep rolling make it a 13-2 run for Toronto and a 40-31 lead. Raptors get a bucket from Bayless he had 8 dimes doing his best Jose Calderon impression only he was playing defense too. Raptors had slippage near the end of the half and were trying to hang on to the lead. But they did manage to hold on with a 46-41 halftime lead.

Raptors continue to build your expectation levels for Jonas coming. I think it is pretty irresponsible to hype this kid to the moon all to serve as a distraction to the fact this season has been terrible. If he is not as good as advertised I urge you not to blame the kid and blame the people responsible for building your expectations to high. Anyway, back to the guys actually playing here that are up 5 on the Nets. New Jersey opens the half with a 3 pointer to cut the lead to just two. The one thing Bargnani has stuggled with since his return ironically is hit 3 point shot. he had a wide open transition three that he missed. Nets would tie the game up on the next possession at 46. Nets would eventually nose ahead with a 52-50 lead. Kris Humphries takes an ill advised jumper, gets his own rebound and kicks the ball out and possession ends with a Hump dunk. That sums up the good and bad of Kris Humphries in one possession. Bottom line it worked out and the Nets had a 4 point lead. Nets had a chance to make that an eight point lead but Hump threw the ball away. Demar Derozan took a knock to his face. He made the basket and the free throw than took a seat to get checked out. Nets were starting to pull away with this one. Jerryd Bayless after a solid first half with 8 assist had 0 in this 3rd quarter and was making some turnovers. Raptors limped to the end of the 3rd and the Nets had a 12 point turnaround in that quarter to lead 66-59 after 3.

Ed Davis angry he gets no halftime features makes a basket to start the 4th. Raptors were making just some awful and unforced turnovers and the Nets were happy to take the gifts being thrown their way. Nets had methodically built an eleven point lead. Bayless scored on a transition layup and Avery Johnson was quick to call a time out. There was roughly 7:40 left to play and out of time out Hump knocks down a jumper to restore the double digit lead. DeRozan than tries to put Hump on a poster but has to settle for two free throws. He missed both and the Raptors trialled 80-69. Nets would push that lead to as high as 14. Raptors would roll off 6 straight points and get it to an eight point advantage with 4:30ish left to go. Gerald Green who is most famous for blowing out a candle on a cupcake was blowing out the Raptors with 21 points. His latest two made the lead climb back to 10. After a dump tech by Anthony Morrow and the Raps hitting that Green again with an insane jumper to make the lead 10. Raptors needed a huge change in momentum as James Johnson scored to cut the lead to 8 points but their was just 2:20 left to play. Raptors go zone after the time out and Gaines makes them pay with a three point dagger giving the Nets an 11 point lead. Nets would take this one 98-84 and clobber the Raptors in the 2nd half.

Gerald Green had 26 points and former Raptor Kris Humphries had 16 points and 21 rebounds. It was yet another case of the Raptors not playing a full 48 minutes and paying for it in the end. They only shot 38.3% on the night. It was ugly even when the Raptors were winning. It got uglier when they started losing. Trade Deadline tomorrow if the Raptors do anything will be on top of it. That said if you plan on holding your breath for that...Don't.

Raptors Remain Perfect Against The Cavs

So the Raptors are the follow up act in town in Cleveland after the WWE like they were in Phoenix earlier in the season. I would put my money on the WWE being more entertaining, but who knows. The Cavs just a year plus removed from Lebron James being gone to South Beach are in a playoff race. It kind of depresses you as a Raptors fan. However unlike the Raptors Cleveland is getting to enjoy there goodies from the NBA draft in Tristan Thompson and Kyrie Irving. Things have really turned in a positive direction for Irving after a pretty mediocre start to his NBA Career vs the Raptors on December 26th. Now he looks like a contender for the Rookie of the year and with Ricky Rubio out for season that only adds to that case. Raptors have beat Cavs quite easily twice this season but I would put my money of Cavs in this one with no Calderon and an improved Irving.

Raps win the tip and some nice ball movement lead to fading jumper in the lane for DeRozan. Raptor then get a turn around jumper in the lane from Bargnani and an early 4-0 lead. The former Raptor for about 10 minutes Atwan Jamison gets the Cavs on the board with score 6-2. Cavs would start to battle back down just 10-9 as they were coming in riding high winners of three in a row. Anthony Parker with a steal on Bargnani and it lead to Alonzo Gee getting fouled and having a chance to give Cavs first leas of the night which he does making it 11-10 with 6:24 to play in first. Cavs would start to get some turnovers and that got them running and get points in transition they had a 17-12 lead on the strength of 13-2 run with 4 minutes to play in first. Dwane Casey had seen enough and called a time out. Gary Forbes checked in at point and Raptors responded with a couple baskets and cut Cavs advantage to 19-18. After Gray split a pair at the line Sessions drove scored and got the and one free throw to make it 22-19. A Gary Forbes jumper would make it a one point affair after this 1st quarter 22-21 Cavs.

Cavs get first two baskets of the quarter and just out to 26-21 lead. Barbosa hits a three to make this game a little tighter at 28-26. This was a close game but it really lacked any kind of excitement to it. Kinda of like living in Cleveland must be like. Barbosa was doing his thing in this one with two days to NBA trade deadline he was making some pro scouts drool no doubt. Cavs were trading buckets and flipping between a 5 point and 3 point advantage over the Raptors. Still the Raptors were hanging around and got on a bit of a roll and tied the game at 40 on a Bargnani jumper on the baseline. Later Bargnani on the drive scored to give the Raps a 44-42 lead and Bargnani 10 points in the half. Raptors were playing good defense and starting to pull away building a 9 point advantage 51-42. A Barbosa three pointer with under 30 seconds to play would make the lead 10. Cavs got a bucket and Amir Johnson looked gimpy but Raptors still had an eight point lead shooting 58%. and leading 54-46.

Raptors did a solid job hanging around than closing things out in the second and pulling away. James Johnson with a couple blocks to start the 3rd quarter. It took about 1:45 for anyone to score then Bayless nailed a three...Cavs counter with 2 and then another 3 from J.B. He is a true streaky player and shooter. Trending upwards at the moment as were the Raptors up 60-48. Kyrie Irving a three and that was first of night for Cavs and it seemed to spark them a little of a rally get them down a touchdown 62-55. Irving was trying to will his team back in this one but he was not getting a lot of help. Andrea Bargnani was starting to round into form in game number 3 in his return. Difficult leaner with contact and it goes and he draws the foul. Raptors were up 9 with the free throw to come. Raptors were hanging on up 69-63 with 2 to play in 3rd. Raptors close 3rd strong and lead 75-65 after 3.

Raptors were cruising along up 11 and Cavs seemed to have little fight. Casspi hit a three and got the game back to single digits with under 7 to play. But Bayless eventually answered that 3 he was 4-6 from behind the arc. Raptors seemed to have this one well under control. Cavs were making one final push and had game to 6 points with 2:40 to play and charge on Bayless. Cavs a sloppy turnover with a chance to cut it to a four point lead with about 1:30 to play. A Bargnani slam to give him 19 points would put this game to bed. Make the Final 96-88 for the men in red.

Raptors win their 14th of the season and 3 of those at the hands of the Cavs. A solid road win and it also is the 7th win on the road which is more than the Raptors had in a full season last year. A nice night for Bayless with 20 points and 7 assists and 19 for Bargnani in the best game of three he has played since returning. Raptors move on to face the Nets tomorrow night.

Buck Off A Hour Early

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

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

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

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

3 Keys Today:

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

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

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

Raptors Get the Bear Claw In The End

Raptors return home to take on their former Canadian rivals. As I wrote in the in the DNB today the Grizz are on the upswing and the Raptors are on the downward trend. It is a major difference from where they started as franchises. That said on one night with the Raptors having the home court advantage could they cash in and break a 5 game losing streak to the Grizzlies?

A sloppy turnover from Calderon leads to a slam for Gasol to even up the game at 2. Calderon would make up for the mistake hooking up Amir Johnson for his second basket in a row with a jam on the break and Raptors had a 6-2 lead. A good start for the Raptors overall, but DeRozan was struggling with Tony Allen guarding him and could not get going. Over 4 minutes in and it was just 6-4 with Amir Johnson with 4 for the Raptors and Gasol with 6 for the Grizzlies. Calderon hits a nice three pointer and Raps had an 11-4 lead. A turnover and a crazy lob pass by James Johnson did not work out, But the Raps keep possession and get an Aaron Gray basket causing the Grizzlies to call a time out down 13-4 early.

Memphis responded coming out of the time out Rudy Gay hit a jumper to be the first man not named Gasol to score for them making it 15-10. Raps responded right away with the famous Calderon to Amir combo hooking up for two points. Memphis kept charging and had picked up their defense while starting to spread it around on offense. Raptors were hanging on though to a 19-14 lead with a time out on the floor. It was time to see if the Raptors learned something from the Hornets game and closed out the quarter strong. The answer early would be not so much with a made three, a turnover and an open look at three for Mayo that did not fall. A easy Rudy Gay slam would tie it at 21 then a turnover and put back and it was a 23-21 Grizzlies lead. Memphis closed the quarter on a 19-8 run and cashed in on 5 Raptor turnovers as part of that.

Jerryd Bayless with a nice spin to bucket and created contact made the basket and free throw for first points of the 2nd quarter. Then after a Grizzlies bucket he saved a ball then got the ball out to Kleiza for 3. Linas would return the favor hooking up Bayless for a 3 and the Raptors had a 30-25 lead. After a time out Mayo nailed a three pointer to make it a 2 point game. Raptors were getting a solid performance from Bayless and were bringing it on defensive end. Ed Davis an offensive board and a score with a foul and a chance to make it a three point play which he made and it was 39-30 Raptors with 6:48 to play in the half. Aside from some silly turnovers, the Raptors were doing well up 41-34 with five minutes and change left in the half. Demar DeRozan was having a quiet night by made a love move to the basket and finished off when the Raptors needed it as the Grizzlies pulled to within 4. That was followed by an Ed Davis jumper to make it an 8 point advantage. Raptors did a better job closing out this quarter unlike the first. They only lose one point on that lead in the final 2 minutes gave them a 52-45 advantage at the half.

Grizzlies come out firing in the 3rd with a quick 7-0 run to tie the game up and Casey has to call a time out with 9:25 to play and Raptors 0-3 to start the half. Rudy Gay keeps the run going and steal and layup and the added to that, 11-0 for the Grizzlies to start the half. Amir Johnson stopped the bleeding with basket to make it 56-54 Memphis. Raptors showed some life finally and got the game tied up at 60. The defense had picked up and the Raptors were very active looking to make steals. This had turned into a competitive close game again. Calderon a big three kept the Raptors close with the score 64-63 Grizzlies. Rudy Gay cut right down the lane for a slam to cap a 6-0 response after the Calderon triple. Dwane Casey decided to go to the bench and it worked well as the Raptors went on an 8-0 run to take a one point lead 71-70. Grizzlies would once again establish the lead again but a late basket by Barbosa would make it just a 2 point lead heading to the 4th with the score 77-75 for the former Vancouver Grizzlies.

The 4th quarter starts as the 3rd ended with a Barbosa bucket to tie the game at 77. Barbosa was Caliente which means hot in Jose Calderon's world. He was lights out hitting a deep three to give the Raptors and 86-81 lead. Grizzlies get it back to a one point game then Linas Kleiza made 3 big shots in a row and the Raptors had a 93-87 leads thanks to that. Grizzlies has they have many times tonight claw back and make it a one point game. A charge on Kleiza gave them a chance to take the lead back but they missed on a jumper. Raptors have a turnover and give them a second chance to take the lead and they take advantage. Basket and a foul sends Gay to the line and he makes the and 1. Grizzlies on an 8-0 run lead 95-93 with just over 3 minutes to play. Both team picked up the D and finally James Johnson got a score and a foul shot to make it 96-95 Raptors. Grizzlies answered with a bucket but then Calderon scores and is fouled with 1:07 to play. Missed the and one though and it was 98-97 Raptors. Grizz got a free throw to even it up at 98. Aaron Gray makes one of two at the line which is above his season average of 40% at the line. Rudy Gay scores and quiets the crowd momentarily. Raptors have the ball down 1 with 26.3 to play. Pass gets tipped out of bounces and Raptors keep possession but Kleiza misses an open look. Long bomb pass to Tony Allen and he scores and is fouled. If he makes the free throw it is a two possession game with 8.9 seconds left. But he missed it. Raptors call a time out and have 7.8 seconds to get a three to tie the game. Raptors bring in Butler for whatever reason he passes it to Jose who misses a three from the top of the arc and that is pretty much it. Grizzlies missed two free throws at the end but Raps had not time to even chuck up a prayer. Grizzlies with a quality win 102-99 doing what good teams do.

Raptors had 6 players in double figures but it was not enough. The Raptors failure to close out quarters and games comes back to bite them yet again. Demar DeRozan struggled on this night with just 4 points. Tony Allen is a solid defender but Demar has to be able to score on every night regardless. In a close game like this that is one of many things you can point to as a difference. Grizzlies had they not won could have pointed to the free throw line where they were 22-32 at the line. The Raptors were a solid 17-20 at the line. Ultimately the team with more talent found a way to win. That is the reality of the situation if you are being honest about it. You love the Raptors fight but they are very rough around the edges. They had 16 turnovers on the night which isn't that bad, but it seemed like almost ever mistake they made came at a bad time for it to happen and the Grizzlies made them pay almost every time. Grizzlies had 3 players with 20 + in Gasol, Gay and Conley. Gay was the highest with 23 points and played well down the stretch in this one.

Bad Start, Leads To Another Close Loss.

James Johnson opens the scoring after a turnover on the first possession of the 2nd half of the season. Rockets go on a 6-0 run until Calderon drives and finally gets the Raptors back on track. Rockets again score 6 to the Raptors nothing and it was 12-4 early. Raptors shooting was awful early in this one. Raptors were shooting sub 20% and were down 17-7 just past mid point in the first. Raps finally got it rolling a little to make it 19-13 only to see the Rocket nail a 3 and push the lead back to 9. Raptors shot 31% and trail by a dozen after 1 with score 27-15.

Raps get off to a decent start in the second and cut the lead to 7 with score 29-22 on a 7-2 run to start the 2nd. Make that 5 as back to back Barbosa buckets make NBA scouts drool that are scouting for trade deadline. Bayless gets a silly tech but the Raps keep fighting and get the lead down to 4. However, again Rockets respond and push the lead to 9 again on a Lee three. Raps just slugged along in quarter. Ed Davis seems to show up on nights the rest on the team does not. He had 10 rebounds in 1st half. Aside from that as bad as the Raptors were they only trailed by 9 at the half with score 45-36.

Raptors were doing a decent job on defense but they had little to no offense making it seem unlikely they had a chance to win. Houston gets a three from Lowery and Jose answers with a three, which was more points in one play than he had the entire first half. Houston lead 53-45 with 7 minutes to play in the 3rd. Nice throw down for DeRozan but Houston has a quick replay and the lead was 10. Martin hit a three he was just 3-13 on the night but that made the lead 13 and that might be enough to get Rockets to finally put this to bed. They had been the better team all night long but had failed to deliver the death blow. Raptors have 8-0 run to cling to life. Lowery ends that with a three and lead was 65-55. But Barbosa has an answer 3 from the corner back to a touchdown lead for the Texans/Oilers or Rockets take your pick. Raps cut the 10 point lead in half to 5 with the score 65-60.....make that 65-62 with under 2 to play thanks to a steal and slam from DeRozan. Davis a bucket near end of third but Raps fail to play defense and Dragic nails a buzzer beater on the drive. Rockets take a 5 point lead to the 4th up 69-64.

In talking with some of the Raptors after and before the game vs Detroit the common theme was this team needed to learn to win close games. Not that Raptors deserved it but they found themselves in one. Actual on defense they did deserve it. But the Raptors offense was finally showing a pulse and and had this to 2 point game 75-73. Barbosa misses a three to take the lead and there was 6 minutes to go. Another key three for Houston they have had a lot to this point this one makes it a 78-73 lead. Amir Johnson came in for Ed Davis who had tied his career high in rebounds with 15. Seemed a strange move as someone pointed out on Twitter but Amir scores and gets the Raptors back to within 2 with score 79-77. Raptors had a really strange line-up on the floor with Antony Carter at the point along with Barbosa, Johnson, Johnson and Kleiza on the floor. Demar DeRozan had not seen much if any time in fourth and seemed less than thrilled. Jose Calderon was not exactly thrilled to be sitting either. But Casey rolled with this group to the end.

Houston missed a free throw with 11.7 seconds left and Houston led 86-83. Calderon checks in and will inbound the ball. It would end up in a rush and well guarded three pointer by Kleiza and he bricks it. Rockets get fouled with 1.2 seconds left and ice it at the line with 2 free throws making the score 88-83. Back to the drawing board for the Raptors in terms of close games. Raps would score a basket but the result was a L. Houston takes it 88-85.

Looking Back On The Season So Far.

I have to say it has been nice to have a break form the grind of this season. Sunday I even decided to take a day off. That will change from now on at least on Sundays. We are going to starting doing a 30 minute Podcast called "This Week in Raptor Land". It will take a look back on the week that was for the Raptors. It should be something fun to try and do. Hopefully it grows into one the the staple things we do here in the DNB. As we close in on the unofficial half way mark of the NBA Season maybe I will just give some random thoughts on the Raptors. Will likely have some of that in the podcast on Sunday as well.

Raptor Surprises?

I will start with a guy that I really don't care a lot for, Jose Calderon has been a surprise to me in many ways. First and foremost, the fact he is playing at all. Given the amount of games, the schedule and the fact Jerryd Bayless has been out more than he has been in that shocks me. I am not alone in having had questions about Calderon's durability in the past. However, this season he has been there night in and night out. He has done more than been there, producing to levels we have not seen in a long time from him. It pains me to say it, but if he wants to remain and play out the final year of his deal, the Raptors might not have any better options. No point guards in the draft look to be the answer long term for Toronto at least not to start in their first season. While I haven't studied it to any great degree, there is no real stud point guard that will be a free agent in this upcoming class either. The idea to amnesty Calderon seems silly at this point. This is not to say that I would endorse going any further with Jose beyond this contract. I still think that he has had a long run here and the team has failed to produce under his leadership or lack of it at the point guard position. He too seems like he would welcome a change, maybe he hasn't said it and never will, but ultimately both he and Raptors have been unsuccessful overall. That said his numbers and durability have been a surprise. You might even be able to trade him in that final year of his contract, or the Raptors can keep him and let him walk and take a run at Brandon Jennings or someone else with the 10 million plus in cap space him leaving would create. But Calderon in a season of a lot of underachievement has overachieved to a great extent. I have even seen flashes of effort on defense.

If you had told me at the start of this season that the Raptors best pick up in the off-season would be Aaron Gray I think I would have laughed you out of the room. After a rocky start with his health issues with his heart, he has been a contributor to the team. He lacks any real skill on offense, but for a team that let it's best rebounder walk away in Reggie Evans he has helped out in that regard. He also is a decent defender, nothing spectacular but decent. He is the best signing in part based on how awful everyone else has been. Rasaul Butler has been a train wreck from the word go. Jamaal Magloire is so bad that the fact he is Canadian does not keep people from stating the obvious that he has been awful. There was lots made about him coming home and playing in his hometown of Toronto. But honestly, did any other NBA team want him at this stage of his career? If they did would they now? Anthony Carter is no Jeremy Lin. In fact he maybe no Darrick Martin and maybe only slightly more valuable than Marcus Banks. Gary Forbes might be the only guy that you would even consider, but he has barely seen the floor and is pretty much a non factor most nights. So is it by omission that Aaron Gray is the Raptors best pick up. Yes in part, but he has done something which is more than can be said for the others.

Dwane Casey's impact on this team. I admit the whole "Pound The Rock" thing didn't play with me a bit. It still doesn't to any large degree. However, the fact the Dwane Casey has been able to make progress with this group on defense so quickly is a surprise to me. I know, he won a ring in Dallas and was the guru behind there D that shut down Miami. However, this was the Raptors, a team that for the majority of their existence have been a team challenged to play even average defense. The fact he has been able to even get Andrea Bargnani to look like he is actually trying to play defense is pretty amazing. In that building of defense first mindset, Casey has brought back something that had been lacking for a long time in Toronto. Accountability was something we never saw under Jay Triano and to be honest you are left to question how much the Raptors truly respected Triano in the role of head coach. No one is questioning if they respect Dwane Casey. I recently came up with an expression I like about Casey. In terms of how he deals with the media. He is a less entertaining version of Sam Mitchell. He like Sam did tells it like it is, but just does it in a very low key way. While Sam Mitchell might have said of the loss to Bobcats, that we let the Washington Generals come into our home and kick our butts. Casey said of his great disappointment in how his team performed and failed to show up. Sam's makes the better quote, but the honesty is there from both. All the candy coating losses and players is pretty much gone. Which is something we can all appreciate.

Raptor Disappointments

Demar and Ed were suppose to be part of what made this season somewhat bearable at the end of the day. To watch them develop into part of this young core that Colangelo keeps telling us we have. Both have failed to show consistency from night to night. They also have shown very few signs of improvement. Beyond the fact that now and then Demar DeRozan can make the occasional three point shot not much has improved. While there are some very legitimate excuses as to why this has been, it does not change the fact it has been. It seems that when Ed Davis has big days, it is on days when the Raptors as a whole struggle. Case and point the last game vs the Bobcats. While DeRozan has had his fair share of issues on both ends of the floor. Andrea Bargnani not being around has shifted the spotlight to DeRozan and made his flaws more glaring and obvious. While Andrea has proven he can play some defense under Casey, the same can not be said for Demar. Also when you are playing along side the team's best defender for many in James Johnson that makes it more obvious as well. While on offense he has at times drifted away from his strengths and been exposed for his below average handling of the basketball. This off-season for both and what is left of this season, are going to be vital for both Davis and DeRozan to step up and be counted. At this point you have to say in terms of both, we have seen regression not progression.

On a team that lacks a roster that is very talented in comparison to many other teams around the league, the last thing you need is injuries. While in the brief amount of time he has played we have seen a much improved Andrea Bargnani, that does very little to help when he is not playing. In fact it does nothing at all. His injury and subsequent re-injury of his calf has been the most glaring and obvious issue. But the Raptors have seen Jerryd Bayless barely play at all on top of it. We touched on this earlier in talking about both Carter and Calderon. Missing Bayless has been also a big deal, if for no other reason than it allows Jose Calderon to have more gas in his tank. You started the season without Linas Kleiza and Aaron Gray both who when healthy have contributed. It has been a season in which we have seen very little of the Raptors at 100% in terms of healthy bodies. This is not unique to them in this crazy NBA season. Almost every team has had to endure injuries and some teams to key players like Al Horford in Atlanta who is out for the season. But the Raptors given their lack of talent to start with are hurt more by this than other teams.

Were almost halfway through this season. When I look back on this year five years from now I probably will just be thankfully that I survived it. This has not been one of the more fun times in the history of the Toronto Raptors or the NBA in general. Sure there have been moments. But aside from looking back on the start of Jeremy Lin's hall of fame career what will I honestly remember? Maybe nothing, and maybe Jeremy Lin is not even around. But at the end of the day as much as we may love basketball, this season will not be one that has made you more of a fan, it will be one that you have endured and looked for reasons to be excited. That maybe a contributing factor in the rise of Linsanity. While it is a great story it makes up for all the ugly basketball that has been seen throughout this season. There has been a lot of that. Raptor fans have seen some of it first hand just like they got to see Linsanity come to town.

But in any case we are almost halfway home in a season that from the outset had never been promised to be anything but a hard season to deal with. It has delivered on that promise to a great extent.

Did We Really Lose To The Bobkittens? No Really?

So I had this dream that I some how ended up having to cover the Bobcats vs Raptors, on the same night host a party for readers of the DNB, and get this the Raptors lost. Wait, I am being informed this actually happened. The Raptors and deservedly so, have been praised for their effort in the last four games, despite the fact they have been 1-3 in those games. But based on their performance last night it made those 3 losses become pretty irrelevant. While it was great to see them raise their game to a level to compete with the Lakers, Knicks and Spurs, it should have carried over to a winnable game vs the struggling Bobcats. They had lost 16 in a row and brought a 1-15 road record with them to Toronto and just 3 wins on the season overall. This game was lost almost before it started by the Raptors. Dwane Casey in the post game was very honest and stated off the top he was disappointed in his team's performance. The Raptors approach to this game was the problem according to Casey. He clearly felt his team over looked the Bobcats.

This was a close game throughout never seeing one team lead by more than 8 points in it. When you consider the Bobcats who had lost their last 10 games on the road by an average of over 16 points, this was a clear sign the Raptors were in trouble. It was a lacklustre performance almost from the opening bell. The one thing that you have to do against a struggling team the Raptors failed to do. They let the Bobcats build hope and feel like they had a chance to win. Despite getting off to decent 10-4 advantage by the end of the 1st quarter the Raptors lead was just a single point 23-22. DeRozan had a good start on offence but an equally poor one on defence. His assignment on the night was Reggie Williams. Mr. Williams heading into this game averaged just over 10 points a game. He would end up on the night with 22 points shooting 9-13 from field and 4-6 from behind the arc.

Not only was Demar struggling on defence he was on top of it getting himself into foul trouble. If not for those facts, he could have had perhaps an even better night on offence which was pretty good with 24 points going 8-15 from the field. On top of that, he also had a nasty coming together with a Bobcat in the 4th Quarter that left him down on the floor for a bit. After the game he was fine and said the coming together just made him a bit dizzy, but was o.k eventually and he did comeback later. The only thing that was hurt was his pride at the end of the night.

The Raptor would trail by 2 at the half. The fans would get treated to Naughty By Nature at halftime. The Raptors likely to a verbal assault from Dwane Casey. Whatever was said didn't take long as the Raptors had wondered out before Naughty By Nature was done performing. Jerryd Bayless did return in this game but Casey said post game he felt that Bayless wasn't right in his view and did not play him at all in the 2nd half. Bayless only played a shade under 5 minutes and was 0-2 from the field making 2 free throws for his 2 points on the night.

The Raptors did respond in the 3rd to some degree but they had already made the mistake of giving a desperate team hope. The Raptors won the third quarter though out scoring the Bobcats 24-21 and took a slim one point advantage to the 4th quarter. However in that 4th the Bobcats had the hope and smelled blood and a rare chance at win and took advantage of that. They started to build a lead and would be able to hang on to it out scoring the Raptors 30-22 in final quarter and walking out of the ACC with a 98-91 win.

A couple of guys that were considered options for the Raptors in the draft were on display in this game. Kemba Walker was a lot of the people's choice for the Raptors in the draft. He had 14 points and 8 assists on the night. But the 5-15 shooting is the problem with Kemba he is struggling to shot a good percentage on the next level here in the NBA. Until Jonas Valanciunas fell into their lap the Raptors were strongly considering Bismack Biyombo from the Congo. He on the other hand looked like something the Raptors could use. Bismack laid the smack down in the form of 7 blocks to go with 8 points and 13 rebounds a strong showing for him. Still all the reports and things you keep hearing suggest that Jonas will be far better than both when all is said and done. Given how this season has gone the pressure on him to perform like it will be here from the moment he arrives and not a second later.

Jose Calderon who has been coming back to earth in terms of scoring had 14 points and 8 assists in over 41 minutes on the floor. He seemed frustrated from the losing in general in the post game. It makes you wonder if the rumours and rumblings that he wants to move on to somewhere else have some merit. How ironic would that be? A guy that has frustrated a portion of this fan base leaves out of his frustration in the franchise. Jose will never be a guy that will say he wants out publicly. He never once uttered that he wanted to be the starter in North America. If he were to survive the season as a Raptor it would not shock me if we heard news from Spain that Calderon is unhappy and wants to move to another NBA team. That is how he does things. It is also part of why I have never been thrilled with Calderon over the years.

Despite this recap of the game itself, I had a fantastic time being both media member, than host, than media member again. Our MGDDNBVIP night was a success in every way except for the one thing that is out of our hands the game on the floor itself. Thanks to all that came out and to Forest Kenney and the folks at MGD for working with us on a big event for the 2nd season in a row now. It is becoming a great tradition for us in Dino Nation Blog. They do a wonderful job in making these events a success. Will have some pictures and photos from the night over the weekend.

Wild Night In Washington

Remember this?



Strange things happen in Washington. Nothing strange happened the first time the Raptors and Wizards met there earlier in the season. The Raptors as they were tonight were on the 2nd half of back to back. The Wizards were rested but without a win. That would change on that night as the Wizards would dismantle the Raptors in embarrassing fashion. It appeared we were heading for a replay of that on this night. After scoring the opening basket the Raptors would have 4 straight turnovers leading to 4 Wizards baskets. Turnovers would be a big factor in the first win the Wizards had in Washington. The Raptors would get back into it only to fall flat again and the Wizards enjoyed a 28-18 lead after one. The Raptors were getting torched by John Wall and friends as they were owning the paint. Something on Friday in Toronto they could not do. Things would not improve in the 2nd as the Wizards continued to put the wood to the Raptors at one point leading by 18 points. It was just an awful performance on the defensive end. Perhaps given that circumstances the worst of the season.

It was hard to stay actively involved as a viewer. But the Raptors did threaten to make a comeback. But after small bursts the Raptors would seem to hit a wall at the 10 point mark. A big physiological barrier in basketball. How often do we hear, if they could just get it to single digits they might have a shot at this game. Well the Raptors defence was still not getting it done but they did find a way to score. That way as the game went on would be Jerryd Bayless. He finished the night with 30 points on 9-23 shooting. The Raptors would outscore the Wizards 30-25 in the 3rd and sat stuck on that 10 point barrier that they could seem to break through with the score 82-72 after 3 quarters. Bayless on night may have been a volume shooter but in the 4th he was on the money more than he wasn't. He would be helped by Linas Kleiza who was one of few Raptors who was on point the entire night, going 11-16 on the evening and had 30 points of his own. The two combined for 10 three pointers, a lot of those coming down the stretch of this game in the 4th. The Raptors after a long battle the Raptors had finally climbed all the way back. Their first lead since the early moments of the game was erased in the blink of an eye by John Wall. He had 31 points on the night by the way. But in the end the Raptors would have a chance for another miracle in Washington with game tied at 105. After the refs went to replay they would decide the Raptors would have .9 seconds left to try and get the win. As you watched above the shot made by Morris Peterson did not win the game it only sent game to overtime. In the end the Raptors tried a long lob pass to try and put this game on ice but no dice.

This one would head to overtime and in that overtime is was pretty awful. The Raptors only managed to score 3 points. The Wizards would only manage 6 points but that was enough. The Raptors would have a chance to tie the game with a 3 but thankfully for the viewing audience it did not fall for Jose Calderon. Who ironically got the shot after Rasaul Butler passed him the ball. You can only imagine the horror had he shot it and missed. In the end if there was ever a game in which both teams made a solid case for both deserving a loss this might have been the game. But the Wizards can walk away with a much needed W for them only their 5th on the year with 2 wins over both the Bobcats and the Raptors and a shocking win over OKC. The final was 111-108 and don't expect this game to live on like the game in Washington that Morris Peterson tied and the Raptors eventually won. The Raptors were in a playoff race and that win would actually hurt the Raptors as it turned out. It lead to the Raptors facing the Nets instead of a injury plagued opposition. But at the time it was huge. Tonight's game is far less significant. But this is the type of loss that could stick with a team. Not exactly what the Raptors need on the verge of their longest home stand of the season of 7 games.

The glass half full or half empty debate will rage about this game. Do you give credit to the Raptors for fighting back and getting in this game at all after going down 18? That or do you blame the Raptors for a flat and awful performance to start this game that got them in the spot to begin with. I would say to things on behalf of the glass half empty folks. First this is a team that you should have beat and did beat handily on Friday. Two this is a bad basketball team and as much as the Raptors did earn their way to overtime it was also a big result of their opposition's poor play. Dwane Casey was not pleased after the first half and he had every right not to be. There was no moral victory in the Raptors coming back in this game. The reality is they never should have been in a position to have to come back from that far behind. They dug their grave in the first half. As I stated yesterday, after a great performance from the Raptors in Miami, it would mean nothing, if they did not win the game they should win today. I was called lame for that. But that isn't lame that is the truth and sometimes that hurts. Demar DeRozan wasn't terrible with 15 points going 4-10 from field and 7-8 at the line. But he didn't exactly build on what he did Sunday afternoon in Miami either. Consistency is a talent and a skill. As an individual for Demar and as a team the Raptors have lacked it from game to game, half to half and quarter to quarter. No matter what the standings happen to say in order to be a playoff team the first step to that is consistency.

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.