It is Toronto vs Cleveland this Easter Weekend. It kicked off with a bang yesterday with the Blue Jays and Indians. That is why there was no blog yesterday. I didn't plan on watching a 5 hour long baseball game. the streaking Raptors and the struggling Cavs are not likely to provide as much excitement tonight at the ACC. The Raptors can not say they have dominated much this year. They can legitimately say that about the Cavs beating them in all 3 meetings this season. Tristan Thompson has still yet to experience what it is like to beat his hometown team. He has got to experience what it is like to start in the NBA though since he last saw the Raptors. On March 19th Thompson opened eyes to his potential with a career high 27 points shooting 12-16 from the field and grabbing 12 rebounds. Against the Raptors has only averaged 7.3 points and in his only visit to Toronto had just one point. Kyrie Irving who was selected 1st overall had a very uneventful NBA debut vs the Raptors. Since that time he has been on a steady rise and likely will be taking home the Rookie of the Year award. Against the Raptors he has improved as well with 6 in the opener than 12 and 14 in the latest time they met for an average of 10.6. What both Thompson and Irving never experienced at Texas, Duke or in high school is losing 7 games in a row. The Cavs longest losing streak of the season. There was a time this team was on the edge of the playoff race. However they hit the skids in a major way.
So why have the Raptors been so successful against the Cavs? Well we already mentioned one reason and that would be containing Kyrie Irving fairly well. Jose Calderon seldom matches well with the new rookie point guards that enter this league. This might be the exception to the rule. The secret to the Raptors success becomes very obvious when you look at the three boxscores. The answer is defense as the Raptors in three games have held the Cavs to a 35.1% shooting percentage including a season best 29.4% on January 4th in Toronto at the ACC. The Raptors of late have seen their defense be lacking despite their three wins. Will see if they get back in that frame of mind tonight.
The Raptors should be welcoming Gary Forbes back to the mix tonight. Demar DeRozan left the the last game twisting his left ankle will see what his status will be. This is one of those games that people in the whole tanking mode will point to as key. The Cavs entering play today are 13th in the East and a game and half in front of the Raptors in terms of the 11th place Raptors in the lotto standings. I find it hard to believe the Cavs will want to lose tonight and get swept in the season series. Still if that is the result no one would be upset by it come May. In terms of the Raptors they have ended up right around where I expected them to be this season. They were never going to be as bad as some people were projecting but they were never going to be good enough to contend for the playoffs.
I am going to be down in Toronto to cover this one. I will also be in Toronto on Easter Sunday Night for our party at St Louis Wings on Bay St to take in the Raptors vs OKC. Hope to see many of you come out and have some fun with me on that night.
Showing posts with label Kyrie Irving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kyrie Irving. Show all posts
3/13/12
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.
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.
1/4/12
Quick 3 Points On Raptors vs Cavs.
I am heading down to cover this one. Had it circled on my calender from the day the new schedule came out. Tristan Thompson's home coming was a game that I was not going to miss. His Cavs come in off a win vs the Bobkittens. Cleveland is 3-1 since there loss in the opener to the Raptors. So with not a lot of time let's get to three quick points on Cavs vs Raptors.
1. Second Time Around- This will be the first time a team gets a second look at the Raptors new defensive system (In Regular Season). In the pre-season Boston had a much better performance in the second game vs the Raptors than the first. What can Cleveland do now with film of what the Raptors were able to do against them on opening night.
2. Cavs Rookies- Kyrie Irving did not have a good NBA Debut thanks to the Raptors. Since than Irving has started to look much more like the player that was deserving of the #1 pick. While Tristan Thompson was up to the challenge of playing his home town team on opening night. Can he respond the same way when he comes home to play those same Raptors? It is going to be a challenge for the Raptors to deal with both.
3. Can Raps Build Off MSG Win? The Raptors had what could be a break through performance vs the Knicks. They were able to hang on and close the deal after play games in which they were in them but could not finish them. This is a Cavs team that will be a tougher test than the one they played on opening night.
So that is all I have for you. Going to be scrambling around to see what I can get pre-game in terms of interviews and what not. So got to get my stuff together and get on my way to Toronto it is always fun to come back to the city. It will be a night for Tristan Thompson that he likely is not going to forget regardless of the result.
1. Second Time Around- This will be the first time a team gets a second look at the Raptors new defensive system (In Regular Season). In the pre-season Boston had a much better performance in the second game vs the Raptors than the first. What can Cleveland do now with film of what the Raptors were able to do against them on opening night.
2. Cavs Rookies- Kyrie Irving did not have a good NBA Debut thanks to the Raptors. Since than Irving has started to look much more like the player that was deserving of the #1 pick. While Tristan Thompson was up to the challenge of playing his home town team on opening night. Can he respond the same way when he comes home to play those same Raptors? It is going to be a challenge for the Raptors to deal with both.
3. Can Raps Build Off MSG Win? The Raptors had what could be a break through performance vs the Knicks. They were able to hang on and close the deal after play games in which they were in them but could not finish them. This is a Cavs team that will be a tougher test than the one they played on opening night.
So that is all I have for you. Going to be scrambling around to see what I can get pre-game in terms of interviews and what not. So got to get my stuff together and get on my way to Toronto it is always fun to come back to the city. It will be a night for Tristan Thompson that he likely is not going to forget regardless of the result.
12/26/11
Raptors K.O The Cavs.
The Raptors went to Cleveland and they showed us some things we have not seen in a long long time. Hustle and heart and an overall team effort that we haven't seen in years. The defence first was as advertised and much improved. But the offence was not left at the border either. The Raptors had 10 players play in the game and 8 of those 10 were in double figures scoring. Calderon and DeRozan led the group effort with 15 points each. For DeRozan the majority of that came late in the 4th quarter. Calderon was great on offence and not nearly the liability he has been in the past on defence. Amir Johnson might have been the best of the bunch getting the start at the center position and he had 13 points and 13 rebounds some key ones down the stretch.
Andrea Bargnani was not the scoring force we are use too. But he was able to make some key baskets down the stretch as well. Calderon clearly made his case for why he should be the starter for this team with 15 points as mentioned but 11 assists and 6 rebounds as well. The Raptors battled hard and had 9 blocked shots and won the battle of the boards 45-37. Ed Davis looks much improved as well as he got a key offensive rebound and a put back score when the Cavs had crept back to within 2 points.
Tristan Thompson had a solid debut for the Cavs. He had 13 points and 5 rebounds in just 17 minutes on the floor. Kyrie Irving the first overall pick struggled with 6 points shooting 2-12 and was able to get 7 assists despite his troubles shooting. The Cavs looked like the team that was well on the way to returning to the lottery more than the Raptors on this night.
There were bumps in the road along the way but the Raptors for the most part gave 100% effort on both ends of the floor and were rewarded with a win for their efforts. Forget pounding the rock the Raptors were passing it and doing it well. They had 35 assists on 42 made field goals shooting 53.2% from the field. While the Raptors held the Cavs to just 41.2% from the field.
Give the Raptors credit for taking apart a team that they should beat. The home opener should be a step up in class with the much improved Pacers coming to town for the Raptors home opener on Wednesday. But if the Raptors can perform like they did tonight the ACC will be more filled than expected this year and fans will have a lot more to get excited about.
This was in it's truest sense a team win. The Raptors are never going to beat to many teams any other way. If you were told that DeRozan would do little in the first 3 quarters of this game and that he and Bargnani would combine for just 28 points what would you think the result would be? Chances are a loss and likely a bad one. But the Raptors may have answered a question that I asked in the preview for this game. Who is going to be the third scorer for this team? The answer might be everyone. The simple fact is the Raptors will need a team effort to have any chance to win games. Against some of the better teams in this league even with that team effort it will be tough to pull off a win. But without it the chances are next to impossible.
This is a long way from being a fair tale story just yet. But the Raptors matched apathy in terms of expectations with energy and hustle that people who have followed this team have not seen in years. So far so good but this is just step one of what is going to be a tough grind of a season for everyone in the NBA. But it was about as good a first step as you could have hoped for. The Raptors showed they can play defence and not let it stop them from being able to score on the other end.
After a long lockout and more gloom and doom talk than you can shake a stick at, the Raptors provided fans a performance they can be proud of and a win. Dwane Casey deserves a lot of credit for changing the attitude of this team. Under Jay Triano the Raptors would have folded at some point and lost their lead and given up. That didn't happen tonight. Things have changed and the change was badly needed. Raptors win 104-96 and cruise into the winner's circle.
Andrea Bargnani was not the scoring force we are use too. But he was able to make some key baskets down the stretch as well. Calderon clearly made his case for why he should be the starter for this team with 15 points as mentioned but 11 assists and 6 rebounds as well. The Raptors battled hard and had 9 blocked shots and won the battle of the boards 45-37. Ed Davis looks much improved as well as he got a key offensive rebound and a put back score when the Cavs had crept back to within 2 points.
Tristan Thompson had a solid debut for the Cavs. He had 13 points and 5 rebounds in just 17 minutes on the floor. Kyrie Irving the first overall pick struggled with 6 points shooting 2-12 and was able to get 7 assists despite his troubles shooting. The Cavs looked like the team that was well on the way to returning to the lottery more than the Raptors on this night.
There were bumps in the road along the way but the Raptors for the most part gave 100% effort on both ends of the floor and were rewarded with a win for their efforts. Forget pounding the rock the Raptors were passing it and doing it well. They had 35 assists on 42 made field goals shooting 53.2% from the field. While the Raptors held the Cavs to just 41.2% from the field.
Give the Raptors credit for taking apart a team that they should beat. The home opener should be a step up in class with the much improved Pacers coming to town for the Raptors home opener on Wednesday. But if the Raptors can perform like they did tonight the ACC will be more filled than expected this year and fans will have a lot more to get excited about.
This was in it's truest sense a team win. The Raptors are never going to beat to many teams any other way. If you were told that DeRozan would do little in the first 3 quarters of this game and that he and Bargnani would combine for just 28 points what would you think the result would be? Chances are a loss and likely a bad one. But the Raptors may have answered a question that I asked in the preview for this game. Who is going to be the third scorer for this team? The answer might be everyone. The simple fact is the Raptors will need a team effort to have any chance to win games. Against some of the better teams in this league even with that team effort it will be tough to pull off a win. But without it the chances are next to impossible.
This is a long way from being a fair tale story just yet. But the Raptors matched apathy in terms of expectations with energy and hustle that people who have followed this team have not seen in years. So far so good but this is just step one of what is going to be a tough grind of a season for everyone in the NBA. But it was about as good a first step as you could have hoped for. The Raptors showed they can play defence and not let it stop them from being able to score on the other end.
After a long lockout and more gloom and doom talk than you can shake a stick at, the Raptors provided fans a performance they can be proud of and a win. Dwane Casey deserves a lot of credit for changing the attitude of this team. Under Jay Triano the Raptors would have folded at some point and lost their lead and given up. That didn't happen tonight. Things have changed and the change was badly needed. Raptors win 104-96 and cruise into the winner's circle.
The Season Some Never Thought Would Happen Is Here
NBA Basketball returned and started with quite the bang in New York City. The Raptors make their way to far less exciting local in Cleveland Ohio. Given what is expected for this Raptor season it might be a fitting place for it to start. It also offers a dream start to a NBA Career for Toronto native Tristan Thompson playing against the team he grew up watching. Many including myself had hoped that he would be the first ever Canadian to start his career with the Raptors. But for the first time ever a Canadian will throw on a Raptor jersey and also likely start in Jamaal Magloire. I can't lie my level of excitement for this season is just above watching paint dry which is what the pre-season kind of felt like. But not all Raptor fans share in my lack of enthusiasm. Here is some proof.
See some people are excited. In fact the Raptors should feel fortunate so many fans still remain loyal to them given how things have gone the past few years. A lot look at this season as something they must endure to get to the end of the rainbow. But what happens when you get to the Emerald City and find out the wizard is nothing more than an incompetent boob? The Cavs will have two rookies in Thompson and Irving to watch this season. The Raptor fan base waits for their draft pick to come next season. While experts not just from here but around the league see a bright future for Jonas Valanciunas there is no guarantee in that. What you can guarantee is the pressure on him will be massive.
Key Match-up: I was inclined to say Tristan Thompson on Andrea Bargnani but Thompson is not expected to start so will see that match-up at times but not a lot. But I thought I would go with Kyrie Irving against Jose Calderon. Yet another point guard that has entered this league that will be an almost impossible challenge for our athletically challenged point guard. See the biggest problem with Jose Calderon is the league has changed so massively at his position since he arrived in Toronto. John Wall, Derrick Rose, Brandon Jennings, Russell Westbrook, Rajon Rondo and many others that are just flat out fast. Not only are they fast but in many cases they are highly skilled. It is not that Jose is significantly worse as a defender it is the league has changed to make him so. Irving was the high scoring Rookie in the Pre-Season with 21 point vs the Pistons. In front of a home crowd with all eyes on him you can expect big things from him. This will be a real good test for Casey's defensive system which had mixed results vs Boston. It is not if Irving goes by Calderon it is when he does and what happens next.
Other Things To Watch: In the pre-season we saw one game of this improved Bargnani that we were constantly told about in training camp and we saw one example of the old Bargnani we have come to hate. Well some of us have. Which one shows up when the lights come on in Cleveland? Also beyond Demar DeRozan and the aforementioned Bargnani who is going to score for this team consistently? The defence will no doubt improve on some level but if it is at the expense of the offence how much further ahead are the Raptors really? It is a riddle that this season will likely tell us.
The Raptors continue to talk about this young core group that they have. What will lie ahead for the likes Ed Davis, James Johnson, Jerryd Bayless and Amir Johnson and the rest. In order for this plan to work some of these guys along with Bargnani and DeRozan must take their games to the next level. While this cast of castoff veterans the Raptors have brought in, will be expected to aid in that development can they add anything at all on the floor itself. Aaron Gray and Jamaal Magloire did next to nothing in the pre-season. While Carter and Butler didn't even play in both pre-season games.
The Raptor's worst season all-time was a 16-66 effort back in 1997-98. If the Raptors lose 66 games this year I officially give up. But in terms of percentage that 97-98 season was a franchise low .195 winning percentage. For the Raptors to sink below that it would take a 12 win season in this lockout shortened schedule. Vegas if you are the betting type of person has the Raptors at 15.5 wins. Slightly higher than that low mark. In the only other lockout shortened season the Raptors with a team that would grow into the best team they had in terms of playoff success road a rookie named Vince Carter to a 23-27 record. The next season they would win 45 games and make it to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
It promises to be a long season with little to get excited about. The Raptors future beyond that may be left for ping pong balls to decide to a degree. But if the Raptors are to do any kind of surprising this season a team like Cleveland has to be a game that you win. If you can't beat them there is not to many teams in the league below them in terms of talent. They like the Raptors are trying to dig out of a hole left by a star heading to Miami. The one in Cleveland is a lot deeper.
I wanted to share a story with you all about one of the people in that video. They had been a long time fan of Morris Peterson. In talking with them I mentioned that Mo is on Twitter. @Mopete24 if you did not know. Anyway I had looked it up for them and in the process of sharing the info with them Morris Peterson happened to stumble upon the mention of him and thank this person for their support. It was nice of him to do that. It made the longtime fan very happy. It is also made me feel good to have played a small role in it. In a season such as this one it could be easy to take for granted that I get the chance to talk to many NBA players and all of the Raptors. But these events on Christmas Eve reminded me what a great thrill it is for fans to meet players and even exchange a brief conversation. If this team wins 12 games or 33 games it is still a privilege to have the chance to talk to players and know them on some small level in the context of work. Thanks for the reminder Movernie.
So regardless of how the Raptors end up doing it is a lot better to have them around than to not have basketball at all. It was a lot of fun to watch games again yesterday on Christmas. So hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and enjoyed time with the people you care about. It is time to go to work for the Raptors and me. In a season that will offer little break for either.
See some people are excited. In fact the Raptors should feel fortunate so many fans still remain loyal to them given how things have gone the past few years. A lot look at this season as something they must endure to get to the end of the rainbow. But what happens when you get to the Emerald City and find out the wizard is nothing more than an incompetent boob? The Cavs will have two rookies in Thompson and Irving to watch this season. The Raptor fan base waits for their draft pick to come next season. While experts not just from here but around the league see a bright future for Jonas Valanciunas there is no guarantee in that. What you can guarantee is the pressure on him will be massive.
Key Match-up: I was inclined to say Tristan Thompson on Andrea Bargnani but Thompson is not expected to start so will see that match-up at times but not a lot. But I thought I would go with Kyrie Irving against Jose Calderon. Yet another point guard that has entered this league that will be an almost impossible challenge for our athletically challenged point guard. See the biggest problem with Jose Calderon is the league has changed so massively at his position since he arrived in Toronto. John Wall, Derrick Rose, Brandon Jennings, Russell Westbrook, Rajon Rondo and many others that are just flat out fast. Not only are they fast but in many cases they are highly skilled. It is not that Jose is significantly worse as a defender it is the league has changed to make him so. Irving was the high scoring Rookie in the Pre-Season with 21 point vs the Pistons. In front of a home crowd with all eyes on him you can expect big things from him. This will be a real good test for Casey's defensive system which had mixed results vs Boston. It is not if Irving goes by Calderon it is when he does and what happens next.
Other Things To Watch: In the pre-season we saw one game of this improved Bargnani that we were constantly told about in training camp and we saw one example of the old Bargnani we have come to hate. Well some of us have. Which one shows up when the lights come on in Cleveland? Also beyond Demar DeRozan and the aforementioned Bargnani who is going to score for this team consistently? The defence will no doubt improve on some level but if it is at the expense of the offence how much further ahead are the Raptors really? It is a riddle that this season will likely tell us.
The Raptors continue to talk about this young core group that they have. What will lie ahead for the likes Ed Davis, James Johnson, Jerryd Bayless and Amir Johnson and the rest. In order for this plan to work some of these guys along with Bargnani and DeRozan must take their games to the next level. While this cast of castoff veterans the Raptors have brought in, will be expected to aid in that development can they add anything at all on the floor itself. Aaron Gray and Jamaal Magloire did next to nothing in the pre-season. While Carter and Butler didn't even play in both pre-season games.
The Raptor's worst season all-time was a 16-66 effort back in 1997-98. If the Raptors lose 66 games this year I officially give up. But in terms of percentage that 97-98 season was a franchise low .195 winning percentage. For the Raptors to sink below that it would take a 12 win season in this lockout shortened schedule. Vegas if you are the betting type of person has the Raptors at 15.5 wins. Slightly higher than that low mark. In the only other lockout shortened season the Raptors with a team that would grow into the best team they had in terms of playoff success road a rookie named Vince Carter to a 23-27 record. The next season they would win 45 games and make it to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
It promises to be a long season with little to get excited about. The Raptors future beyond that may be left for ping pong balls to decide to a degree. But if the Raptors are to do any kind of surprising this season a team like Cleveland has to be a game that you win. If you can't beat them there is not to many teams in the league below them in terms of talent. They like the Raptors are trying to dig out of a hole left by a star heading to Miami. The one in Cleveland is a lot deeper.
I wanted to share a story with you all about one of the people in that video. They had been a long time fan of Morris Peterson. In talking with them I mentioned that Mo is on Twitter. @Mopete24 if you did not know. Anyway I had looked it up for them and in the process of sharing the info with them Morris Peterson happened to stumble upon the mention of him and thank this person for their support. It was nice of him to do that. It made the longtime fan very happy. It is also made me feel good to have played a small role in it. In a season such as this one it could be easy to take for granted that I get the chance to talk to many NBA players and all of the Raptors. But these events on Christmas Eve reminded me what a great thrill it is for fans to meet players and even exchange a brief conversation. If this team wins 12 games or 33 games it is still a privilege to have the chance to talk to players and know them on some small level in the context of work. Thanks for the reminder Movernie.
So regardless of how the Raptors end up doing it is a lot better to have them around than to not have basketball at all. It was a lot of fun to watch games again yesterday on Christmas. So hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and enjoyed time with the people you care about. It is time to go to work for the Raptors and me. In a season that will offer little break for either.
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