Playing Out The String Begins In Charlotte.

The Raptors begin the post All-Star Schedule tonight in Charlotte with the Bulls waiting for them in Toronto for a game tomorrow night. Demar DeRozan promises to go nuts in this final stretch of the season after getting jobbed in the Dunk Contest for a 2nd year. That is really what season is about for the Raptors now. How there younger players approach and play the rest of the games on the schedule. There is no playoffs in this team's future and a uncertain future with no CBA in place after this season. Bryan Colangelo is making noise about trading one of his first round picks. I think that would be a mistake at this point. But it is not like I have agreed with the J.O Deal, The Hedo signing and a lot of other things. Let's also hope he is talking about the Miami pick and not their own pick. Trade deadline is 3 days away and the Melodrama has ended. There is not likely much Raptor drama despite all the talk from B.C at least that is what I am thinking. Reggie Evans one the Raptors more interesting expiring contracts is almost set to return. If he makes it past Thursday it will be nice to see him back. Reggie has in a recent interview expressed that he could be interesting in staying with the Raptors if it was possible. Oh yeah and there is a game tonight the Bobcats and Raptors with Charles Oakley as an assistant for the Bobcats. Charlotte has had a massive overhaul since the Raptors last saw them. Brand new coaching staff and an attitude to go with it.

The Basics: Toronto 15-41 (Last Road Win 1/05/11 @Cavs) Charlotte 24-32 ( 15-12 at Home)

When Last We Saw Them: Bosh was back and the Raptors put up a great fight led by Andrea Bargnani with 38 points and no defence to speak of. The Crowd was fired up but fizzled while the Raptors had to with in 4 points with less than 4 to play before finally getting sun burned by the Heat.

Key Match-Ups: Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace are the key guys for the Raptors to shutdown in this one. Jackson has potential to go off both in losing his temper or scoring a ton. While Wallace has been a thorn in the Raptors side for years and is the exact opposite of what Raptors have been. He is a freak athlete and has always got the better of the Raptors when he has been healthy and in the line-up. Raptors need to take advantage of Augustin and Brown with Bargnani and Calderon. The X-Factor is a motivated Demar DeRozan that seem less than impressed he got jobbed again in the Dunk Contest. He tweeted that he is going Ham on the rest of this season. I am not up on my slang but it seemed to imply he is going to as the Rock says BRING IT!!! For the rest of the year. That is good because we need to see that happen.

Other Things of Note: Bobcats are 15-13 under Paul Silas who prior to Charlotte last coached Lebron James and the Cavs in 04-05 before taking over in Charlotte. Bobcats have a 2-0 lead in the season series vs the Raptors. Had a great chat with Chuck Swirsky yesterday and many of you have already checked that out. But in case you have not based on the feedback I have got you probably should. Chicago who the Raptors play tomorrow do not play tonight and will be sitting back waiting for the Raptors which will make for a tough back to back for Toronto prior to the trade deadline. If people expect the Raptors to do a lot at deadline I think you will be sadly disappointed. I don't see this team doing anything. Will see If I am right on Thursday or before that but pretty sure I am.

Where Is It On ?: Sportsnet Uno (This was Sportsnet's chance to prove they care about B-Ball after TSN FAILED to show MVP of All-Star Game but let's face it Trade Deadline Wars are coming and no one at TSN or Sportsnet is paying attention to basketball)

Welcome to Rock Bottom?

I am tempted to write about the last 30 seconds of this game and vent then go to bed. I was live blogging this one for The Score. I even lost my feed of the game during this one somewhere around the 2nd quarter. It might have been an act of God warning me what was to come. At many times throughout the night I was convinced that both teams were playing for the tie. But seeing as that is impossible eventually someone had to win this one and they did. I don't think it is being bias towards the Raptors in saying they needed this one more. When you consider they are taking their limited talents South to Orlando and South Beach aka Miami.

So with that stage the Raptors were also with out Barbosa out with a shoulder injury and no clue to when he will be back. Andersen was suffering from the flu and was also a scratch. Jack was in but not at 100% and ditto for Linas Kleiza. All of that and you also throw into the mix that Demar DeRozan got into early foul trouble. But the Raptors were able to hang around with the Bobcats in the first quarter despite a lot of turnovers and mistakes. The starting unit giving up 12 of the Raptors 17 turnovers on the night overall. This game seemed like a battle for control of the pace throughout. The Raptors trying to make it more up tempo and the Bobcats trying to turn it into a slow paced street fight.

Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson were making a living at the line getting there a combined 16 times on the night. Jackson would lead the team in scoring with 20 points but it was a balanced effort with 6 players in double figures. That is the kind of night we need to be seeing for the Raptors. This game would go to halftime all squared at 48 points. The Raptors aside from the turnovers were getting a good game from Andrea Bargnani. He started 5-6 from the floor and he was actually able to get some boards. Jack had a gutsy effort but also was plagued with turnovers and it devalues his 14 points and 5 assists. Kleiza was also trying to gut it out but was far less successful. We touched on DeRozan who was derailed by fouls the whole night. One dunk for the highlight reel in the 4th and that was about all. Reggie was typical Reggie with 10 boards and only a couple of points

Really if there was a bright spot in this one was the bench where Amir, Sonny and playing the role of Demar DeRozan it was Julian Wright. It was Weems with 20 and Johnson had 16 and 9. As for Julian Wright he has looked decent each time he gets to see some floor time with 9 points. In part because of these guys the Raptors were able to grind out a 5 point lead after 3.

On the whole the Bobcats won the 4th Quarter by a score of 32-22 which would earn them the 101-96 win. But I mentioned off the top the last 30 seconds or so. Raptors were down I believe it was 3 and called a time out. Coming out of the time out the ball ended up with Bargnani. Which makes sense given the situation. Bargnani not only didn't get up a shot he had it stolen from him by Jackson. But worse yet he stood their like a statute and so did the entire Raptor squad. There was 20 seconds on the clock, it was an obvious situation in which the Raptors had to foul to keep the game alive. 8 seconds later in a game you almost have to win they finally foul. There would be a second situation where the Raptors would let more time slip away to 2.1 seconds and that was the ball game. I re-watched this and frustration clouded my memory. Bargnani scored on that first one then Raps had brain freeze didn't foul and then the steal and the same lack of fouling. Bottom line it was an awful finish and maybe I was attempting to mentally block it out.

That is about as basic as it gets. Like seriously wake the heck up. It leads into a debate that broke out on Twitter. Jay Triano and his future as the coach of the Raptors. Some people seem to be of the opinion that Jay Triano basically can do nothing that would impact on his job status. I am sorry but I have a problem with that. The reason that was commonly given is there is no point in doing it. Raptors are going no where anyway so what would be the point. Is this the attitude we are going to have all season. If this is a development year that means screw the wins and loses altogether? Who cares how this team plays defence. So they don't execute the most basic tasks in basketball, like you foul the other team when trailing with less than 24 seconds?

I honestly think Jay Triano is bullet proof some how. I mean he has a terrible win/loss record and his team crumbled down the stretch, not just because of Chris Bosh, but because of the effort of everyone else including Jay. The fact we have a guy sitting next to Jay that has head coaching experience, that could easily move one seat over should be ignored? Not to say P.J is the coach of the future for the Raptors long term. However, would he do any worse than Jay? Hard to imagine. God no, if he were to actually win games that would be terrible. If we are going to be bad we need to get as many of those ping pong balls as possible.

Stop the insanity. No on should be able to work with out consequences. The way people were talking if Jay Triano coached the Raptors to a sub 20 win season he would remain to the bitter end. This sends an excellent message to your young players. Play good or bad it really doesn't matter. I mean I get that having consistency at coaching position is good. But no one should be confusing Jay Triano with Jerry Sloan. He is not that. At the end of the day Jay Triano might just be a great assistant coach on the NBA level. There is no shame in that and it is a hell of a lot better then any other Canadian has done.

Another thing we are suddenly putting are faith the the NBA Lottery that some people will never be convinced that it is on the level. Ewing to New York, Lebron to Cleveland and all. But even if it is the stats don't lie about the lottery. The Raptors could be 1-81 and the they still can lose in the lottery. In fact the team with the worst record seldom does win it.

There has to be accountability regardless of the amount of talent this team has or doesn't have. Eric Spoelstra is more concerned about his job, then a guy that is 1-7, with a career losing record, in last place in the Eastern Conference. Does that not seem a little nuts? If he were to get fired or anyone else in the league that might make a good fit for the Raptors, do we just ignore that and blindly let Jay go forward regardless. Sorry if I find that totally insane. I am not suggesting a coaching change changes the fate of this season. It doesn't but does anyone believe Jay Triano is going to be the long term answer? The Raptors version of a Jerry Sloan? I know that I don't and am pretty confident that no one else does. So to suggest that Jay is totally safe is honestly totally crazy. About as crazy as saying there will be a statue of Andrea Bargnani outside the ACC one day.

"Jiggly Bits"

Silly Bandz. They are all the rage right now with anyone under the age of ten. I am not sure what is the draw to them - crazy shapes on your wrist out of rubber bands? Hmmm. So imagine my surprise when the Charlotte Bobcats are advertising "Bobcat Bandz" as a game promotion and I suddenly look for my wallet. Wonder what the shapes would be? Michael Jordan with his tongue hanging out or maybe Stephen Jackson going off the deep end. This is what he did, apparently, according to game officials working the Bobcat-Pistons game on November 5th. Bobcat Stephen Jackson has been fined $50,000 for what is being called verbal abuse of game officials according to Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations. But the incident happened following the Bobcats' 97-90 loss to the Pistons Friday night. Hence the announcement coming down from top NBA brass. Really? If the incident happened the way officials said it did, why wouldn't Stephen Jackson just walk off the court and blow off steam in the locker room? This is making me more and more uncomfortable with the crackdown on NBA players. I agree some need an attitude adjustment, but is this going to be a "Mommy, he hurt my feelings" kind of a thing, to stand up to the big bad basketball-playing millionaire? Let's take a look at the game in question. Stephen Jackson led the way with 28 points for the Bobcats, including 10 points in the third quarter when Charlotte cut the lead to 59-56. Despite Jackson's efforts, the Charlotte Bobcats were having issues with turnovers - making 22, in fact. Plus, it didn't help that Detroit made 26 of 27 free throws while Charlotte made 7 of 11. So I can see where the frustration may have arose for Stephen Jackson. But I hope everyone falls into line soon because I really don't want to see David Stern issuing a strong 'use your nice words' or a 'time out'. Now lets move on to the love-hate relationship with LeBron James and Allen Iverson feeling appreciated again.

Back in the Saddle

So finally, Allen Iverson signs with Besiktas, that Turkish Club you have been hearing about, to a 2-year, 4-million dollar contract. Picture this: fans show up at Ataturk Airport to see Allen Iverson wearing a Besiktas jersey and a Philadelphia Phillies hat. This is where the confusion for Turkish basketball fans may begin. Sure, never forget your roots but when you are trying to show your new team your heart is in it, you don't wear your heart on your head the first day on the job. This is what kills me about the whole situation. Allen Iverson signing with Besiktas is the Turkish League's biggest signing, yet many see this as his chance to re-group and prove his NBA worthiness. Even Allen Iverson himself is calling his move to Turkey a chance to get back on track with his basketball career - still believing he can play in the NBA and is hoping this stint in Turkey will land him back home NEXT YEAR! Why on earth would Besiktas sign him when he really doesn't want to be there? Answer? Both sides are desperate. In his first television interview about arriving in Turkey, he is already looking at his departure, "Before I leave, I will be speaking a lot of Turkish". Is Besiktas managment hoping the light and music show they have planned for Iverson, as a sort of pre-match celebration, is going to make him change his mind? What will his new teammates think of this sideshow? Desperate times call for desperate measures, I guess.

The Same Old Song and Dance

You are driving along on the highway and see a car crash up ahead. You complain about all the rubber-neckers slowing down to take a look, yet as you inch closer, you want to see it for yourself. This is how I like to describe all those so-called basketball fans who love to hate LeBron James. Sure, comment on how he left Cleveland or his record so far in Miami but the booing - wait, let me qualify that - VICIOUS booing is really getting old. Do you know what I think is funny? Nobody is looking away from the Heat - not the casual naysayer or the rabid fan. People are showing up to games, tuning in and giving their playoff predictions. Over the weekend, I was doing some online Christmas shopping for Raptors tickets (shhh) and just for fun I clicked on Wednesday, April 13th when Toronto will be hosting Miami. Professionally, I have been court side for many a college game but never for an NBA game. So out of curiosity, I click to see how much one court side seat is going for to witness how Chris Bosh survives in his old stomping grounds. ALMOST $3,000 - are you kidding me? For one ticket? By the time I would buy two, I could fly down to Miami the next time the Raptors are in town and get the same seats for less. (In case you are wondering, I also checked out the Lakers' arrival in Toronto, too: $1,000 a ticket). This love to hate thing going on with LeBron James is responsible for ticket prices being jacked and opposing teams around the league promoting Miami games to cash in on the hate train heading for LeBronville. I know some of the biggest criticisms were directed at David Stern for defending LeBron's right to choose where he wants to play. But that's his job. An NBA Commissioner can't say whether a player's move to another club is good or bad - they need to remain neutral and defend a player's right to choose. Now, the casual or non-fan is intrigued by all this mess and comes back to the game with full force to see what all the fuss is about. This is the only silver lining I see to all those making Miami public enemy number one. But if there are some fans coming back to the game, they won't be able to sustain their curiosity because they can't afford a ticket. So, to all the Miami haters out there: for the love of all things holy -including this great game of basketball, please stop your whining - we can't afford it. Thank-you.

"Behind Enemy Lines"

We apologize about last week and a lack of post in the DNB's new Thursday feature "Behind Enemy Lines". We have tweaked a few things and will be ready to go this Thursday. I hope you can join me. See you then.

Raptors Rewind-3 Quarters of PAIN

Raptors need to get a win over the Bobcats. It really is as simple as that. When you have the challenging schedule like the Raptors have faced, you must win games you are expected to win. That is what all good teams do. The fact it is a back to back, the fact Charlotte was sitting home watching the Raps win last night it doesn't matter. Just win the game. That is the mission and everyone who was in the line-up last night is back again tonight. Reggie Evans has come along for the trip even if it is just for moral support tonight. One of the things that will be of help for the Raptors was they got some quality moments from Rasho Nesterovic last night. Chris Bosh could not find away to make his jumper fall but tonight is a new night and a new chance to shine for CB4. He will have to do it with Tyson Chandler trying to stop him and the rest of the Bobcats. The Raptors and Bobcats both come in off a win over the Pacers and the both want to make it 2 wins in a row. Like the old NBA ad campaign said "there can only be one ". Time to decide who that one will be.

1st Quarter

From Ric Flair Country WOOOOOOO!!!! It's tip time in Charlotte North Carolina!!! Raps sporting the alternate blacks for this one. Bobcats end up with it and Tyson Chandler has impact right away with the tap back for 2. Chandler would impact on D as well blocking Bosh's first attempt but Jose Calderon would get it and stick a jumper to get Raps on the board trailing 4-2. Demar DeRozan does one thing very well already in his young NBA career and that is get to the line. He makes a pair at the stripe and it is tied at 4. Stephen Jackson and Bargnani swap baskets to keep the score tied. Hedo and Jackson again for the Bobcats swap scores. A missed lay-up for Jose turns into points for Felton in transition. Bosh would get to the line and cut the Charlotte lead to just 1. But Stephen Jackson was getting heated up as he scores again. Amir Johnson said to me last night if they miss shots I will be there to get a putback or a tap in. Well Bosh missed and true to his word he taps it back in and Raps trail 13-12. Amir was not done as he runs the floor and gets a basket in transition and had 4 quick points off the bench. Raps on top 14-13.

Bobcats would take the lead on a bucket in transition and Jose Calderon would create a turnover and flip it ahead to Demar DeRozan for the easy dunk. Not big on style points but it counts for 2 points. Chandler split a pair at the line then Bosh would get to the line thanks to Chandler his second foul and he was off to the bench. Bosh would split a pair at the line and the Raps again had a 1 point lead at 17-16. It would remain that way to the official's time out at the 3 minute mark despite Jackson getting an open look in the corner. Marco Belinelli makes a sweet drop off for Amir Johnson for the flush. Johnson got a block on D but the rookie Gerald Henderson cashed in for 2 grabbing the ball of the block. Raps would get a basket and D.J Augustin would turn the ball over but the Raps could not push the lead to 5. D.J would drop a dime and Bargnani would answer with a score. Last second Jack for Jack would not fall. Raps were grinding it this one out to have a 23-20 lead after 1

2nd Quarter

Both teams were not shooting it well with Bobcats at 36% and Raps at 34.5%. They both would miss on their opening trips. Bobcats would get a block then a turnover and score off both in transition. Amir Johnson would score again to give the Raps the lead briefly. Bobcats would score to take the lead back at 26-25. After a one for two effort at the line Bargnani would score and tie it. Gerald Henderson showed you why he got some consideration to be a pick for the Raptors with a nice jam. Amir Johnson was having a good night as he scored and has 10. Bargnani gets a shooters roll for 3!!! Raps on top 32-31. Raps had no turnover in 1st and they had 4 in this quarter the latest slammed home by Henderson in transition. Another Bargnani 3 would even up at 35.

Bosh would pick up his 2nd foul with 6:01 to play but remains in the game. Turnover number 5 would lead to a Wallace jam and the bottom line was the Bobcats were scoring far to easily. Charlotte already had 19 fast break points just past the mid point of the 2nd quarter. Bobcats were nursing a 40-37 build on Raptors mistakes. Bosh was doing a solid job getting to the line even with his 2 fouls. He makes a pair and the lead was back to 1. Gerald Wallace would take a spill after being fouled by Antonie Wright. He would make both at the line. Jay Triano wanted to talk it over with the Raptors trailing 43-39. Bosh would make his way to the line again it isn't flashy but effective. When he makes the shots that is which he did. Stephen Jackson has been scoring it well as he adding to more to his total. Bargnani had a sneaky 15 points as he gets another kind role for a score. Raps were also not doing a good job on the defensive glass as the Bobcats make them pay with second chance points and lead 48-44 in the late going of the first half. To easy for Gerald Wallace. Bosh would finally score some points not from the line making his first field goal. Felton would score in response and Jack could not have an answer. Bobcats took a 6 point lead to the half leading 52-46.

3rd Quarter

Raps shot just 37.2% and Bosh had only 1 field goal. Wallace and Jackson a combined 31 points and the Bobcats put up 32 points in that 2nd quarter. DeRozan gets 2 points getting on the glass after a Jose miss from 3. Demar scored again and Raps had the lead to just 2. Bargnani missed an easy one and Bobcats would score off the miss and Diaw who had left injured earlier was back at hit an open 3. Bobcats had the largest lead of the night of 7. Hedo Turkoglu would hit a 3 pointer and shave lead back to 4. Bargnani missed another easy one with a chance to cut the lead to 2. He would pick up a foul on the other end sending Wallace to the line to the pair. Raps were not hitting shots and giving up far to easy scores to the Bobcats as Jackson drove and scored on a lay-up. DeRozan and Wallace traded baskets. Bosh would score but Jackson would answer and get fouled and the lead was 9 at 66-57. Finally as Jackson drove and dropped it for Diaw for yet another easy score that would cause Jay Triano to call a time out. The lead was back at 9 with the Raptors down 68-59.

Time out did not help an easy steal and score for an easy basket for Raymond Felton. Bobcats lead had grown to alarming 72-59. Yet another Bosh miss and the Raps were labouring badly. This game was rapidly falling out of reach. Marco Belinelli hit a 3 point to cut the lead to 12. But the Bobcats would take a turnover and get the Wallace slam in transition plus the foul. Another transition basket and Jay Triano uses yet another time out. Clipboards quiver in fear for their lives. Raptors were down 17 and showing no signs of being able to comeback. In fact quite the opposite this lead was growing and growing fast. It was 81-62 and the Raps after no turnovers in the first were giving up the ball like it had the plague. D.J Augustin drove it to the basket and scored....Bobcats were owning their paint. Fitting way to end the quarter as Amir Johnson could not make a chippy. Raps were struggling to score and defend which makes for a lethal combination. Bobcats lead 85-67 after 3.

4th Quarter

Charlotte just keeps rolling along as they start the quarter extending the lead to 23 points. Bosh would hit a jumper just his 3rd made FG and the lead was back to 20 at 90-70 Charlotte. Bosh would get another score but it should be far to late you would thing down 18 with 10 to play. Really there is not much left to say about this one unless the Raptors find some kind of miracle. There is no evidence of that happening despite Bosh finally starting to getting rolling scoring wise. He had 18 points and 13 rebounds but despite the nice fantasy line with the double double it was not a good night for him or the Raps.

Honestly the Raptors have just become a Jekyll and Hyde act that just is getting more frustrating and troubling as this season rolls along. Raps are at 76 points at the mid point of the 4th quarter they had 74 at the half last night. The most upsetting is the defensive effort or lack of one. The Raps will fall to 7-9 and a far from good 2-7 on the road including loses to the Grizzlies and Bobcats. All of this and the next team you have to face in Boston on the road on Friday. Technically a battle of first vs second in the Atlantic Division. This was ugly and not changing as the Bobcats lead 98-76 with 5 to play. In fact the Bobcats could have had a team dunk contest with the number of throw downs the Raptors have allowed. Raps just continue to sink into the abyss trailing 105-76 with 3 to play. You can say the team got in late and this is a back to back playing a team that was waiting for you, but there has been no fight or grit from this team since the first quarter. The short of it, is everything that may have gone right last night went wrong tonight with the score getting to become a growing embarrassment. The final score is 116-81 to a team that was 4-9 coming into it. There is really no one with the possible exception Amir Johnson that can be trilled with their performance personally. Collectively it was one of the worst efforts of the season that has already had some solid candidates. Enough said. For the truly brave here is the boxscore to this train wreak

Raptors Rewind- The Last Night On The Road Edition

Finally the Raptors are coming back to Toronto. But before that red eye flight back that I am sure they can not wait for, it is a game that should make sleeping on the plane pretty easy. The Golden State Warriors make it no secret what they do...Run. The only question is do you get sucked in to run with them and if you do can you win. They can't play defense and they don't care about it. O.K maybe they care but they accept the fact that they pretty much suck at it. What will the Raptors do to counter this up and down circus? Hammer the ball inside should be the answer. Use what you have in Bosh and O'Neal. Speaking of Chris Bosh instead of a national anthem for the Raptors Rewind how bout a funny story from Chris Bosh about his brother Joel and then a Holiday Greeting. To quote Chris Jericho " Monkeys in the Truck Roll The Video". O.K we don't have monkeys or a truck but enjoy a little CB4 prior to the tip off.







1st Quarter

Hope you enjoyed that pre-game entertainment let's hope the in game entertainment is as good. Jermaine O'Neal is starting but a bit under the weather according to Matt Devlin. An early foul and Raptors would inbound the ball from the side and miss a couple chances. The Raptors next trip Chris Bosh would score. Jermaine O'Neal would then get a bucket in the paint and that is the game plan. Warriors would get on the board with a Wright bucket. Marco Belinelli would hit a 3 pointer. Brandon Wright would get his second basket on the night and the warriors were off and running with a 7-4 lead. Stephen Jackson would score after Bosh had split a pair from the line. Bosh was back at the line again he would make both this time. Jermaine O'Neal would pick up a foul on Stephen Jackson and he would make both. Brandon Wright was at the line after Jackson and he made both. Stephen Jackson seemed in pain and it was mentioned that he had had some wrist issues earlier in the year. J.O would draw an offensive foul on Biedrins. Bosh would turn that into points on the other end with a basket it was 13-11

After a Warrior score the Raptors would get back to back 3- balls from Calderon and Kapono. Calderon would score again and the Raptors had an 8-0 run and had taken the lead 19-15. Stephen Jackson out of a time out hit a jumper and it looks like the wrist was fine. Marco Belinelli would hit a 3 pointer and Raptor lead was gone. However Andrea Bargnani was in the game and he scored a 2 pointer to answer his fellow Italians score. Jose Calderon was off to a hot start as he had another bucket and he had 7 points. Anthony Parker got a basket off the transition. Jermaine O'Neal had headed back to the locker room and was questionable with flu like symptoms. But Jose was hot but not in that got a fever I am sick way. He was hot with his shot as he made another and had 9 points now. Warriors were pushing back with there run and gun style and they took the lead back at 28-27. However Joey Graham would be able to show his skills heading to the rack and scoring and the Raptors had a 29-28 lead after 1 quarter of play.

2nd Quarter

Stephen Jackson made a 3-ball to start the quarter for the Warriors. Jake Voskhul who was getting some time with J.O sick in the locker room He took advantage and got himself a basket. I am becoming a Jake Voskhul fan, not a joke, after all he wears my old high school football number and plays like a football player. Andrea Bargnani interrupted my high school football flashbacks with a nice aggressive score. Jake after all my praise is out of the game with 4 fouls already. Like I said he plays like a football player. Chris Bosh was back in and he made a 3-ball and the Raptors were down just 1 with the score 37-36. Stephen Jackson picked Chris Bosh's pocket and it lead to an Azubuike dunk in transition.

Jermaine O'Neal had returned from the locker room and was back on the bench. He would be back in time to see Jamario Moon make a 3 pointer to tie the score at 39. But Stephen Jackson responded with a score he had 13 points. Calderon would find Chris Bosh for an alley opp and score. Calderon would then hook up Jamario Moon with an easy basket. Jermaine O'Neal checked back into the game. O'Neal would go down in a heap as he banged knees with a Warrior. It was not his night it seemed. For the record it was the right knee and not the much talked about left knee. Warriors scored a basket with the 5-4 power play with J.O down and out. Time out on the floor and O'Neal was back to his feet and getting a look from Scott McCullough the Raptors Trainer.

Andrea Bargnani would check in and he would get a basket and then he would get to the line and score a couple more. Raptors had a 46-45 lead with 3:50 to play in the half. Ronnie Turiaf would reject Chris Bosh and it would turn into points at the other end. He would do the same thing again and the Warriors had a 5-0 run thanks to Ronnie T with some D. Warriors now lead 51-47 with 2:28 left to go in the half. Raptors would respond with a score but Marco Belinelli was putting on a show with a 3 pointer and an Andrea Bargnani offensive foul and another Belinelli 3 pointer. The Warriors lead had increased to 58-50. Jose Calderon would get a needed basket for the Raptors. The Raptors had a chance to cut further into the lead but a Jackson steal and a foul on Jackson. He would make both and instead being down 4 the Raptors would be down 8. These are the type of things that cost the Raptors games A couple mistakes at the end of a quarter or half can be deadly. It was Warriors with a 60-52 halftime lead.

3rd Quarter

Warriors were 6 of 11 from behind the arc and shooting 53% from the field. Andrea Bargnani would start the second half as he was out after banging knees but it was more the flu that was the reason it seemed. Bosh would score a bucket but Jackson responded with a 3 pointer and another 3-ball and it was a 66-54 lead early on. Jermaine O'Neal was officially done for the night as well. Raptors would get a 3 pointer from Jamario Moon but were still down 11 points. Stephen Jackson was back at the line looking to extend that lead which he would and the Warriors quickly had built a 70-57 lead. Andrea Bargnani would miss a 3 pointer and this was not the way the Raptors will get back in this game. Jackson was back at the line and he was shooting 2 as Bosh picked up his 3rd foul. Jackson would hit both and the lead was now 15 points. But Jamario Moon was making from distance as he hit another 3 pointer. But the Warriors would score another 3 pointer from Marco Belinelli with a 3 pointer as the Raptors had switched to a zone. Moon hit his third 3-ball of the night and he was only Raptor on target from long range. Jose Calderon would score but the lead was still 10 with the score 75-65.

Biedrins and Bosh would exchange baskets. Jamal Crawford wanted in on the party as he hit a 3 pointer. It was an 80-67 lead with a time out on the floor. Bosh coming out of the time out would have a turn around jumper that he would miss. Joey Graham was able to get a score though on the next trip. Kris Humphries was in the game and took an ill advised jumper that he would miss badly. That was not going to earn more time for Hump who had not been seeing much. Warriors had built the lead back up to 14 points with an 83-69 lead with 3:39 to play. Kris Humphries was at the line and he would only make 1-2. Jose Calderon would find Joey Graham in transition for an alley oop. A Hump Jumper and a Bosh Jam as a trailer the Raptors had a much needed 9-2 run and had cut the lead down to just 7 points. Don Nelson called a time out with 2:23 left in the quarter and his team leading 83-76.

Stephen Jackson with a rare miss out of the time out. Raptors had about 4 chances to score on the other end and none of them would fall. It would end with a Joey Graham miss and a loose ball foul on Joey on Biedrins. He would only make 1-2 and Jose Calderon would drive and score on the other end. Biedrins was back at the line and a rare 2-2 for the 51% shooter from the line. Raptors would catch a break as Stephen Jackson felt he was fouled and he would get technical foul. Which would be made. Bosh would check in for a final play and he would get the ball but his high arc jumper would not fall. Warriors would take an 86-79 lead into the 4th quarter.

4th Quarter

I can't recall to many 4th quarter comebacks this year for the Raptors but they were in bad need of one now. Kris Humphries with a ugly drive and score plus a foul. He would make it and it was not pretty but effective. Hump would score off a pick and roll with A.P in response to a Warrior score. But Marco Belinelli would get another 3 pointer and he was on fire. Ronnie Turiaf would have a monstrous jam and let everyone know about it. He would get called for a technical that Raptors would make. Warriors would get another 3 pointer and it was a 96-87 lead with time ticking away. Ronnie Turiaf would have another score with a little less celebration.

Marco Belinelli was not just shooting he was passing as well. He had a nice find for his sixth assist and the Warriors had 100 points. Raptors only had 87 to this point. Joey Graham would have a jam after a 1-2 trip to the line the lead was down to 10. Bosh would score and cut the lead down to just 8 points. Warriors would score but Kapono would answer with a 3 pointer. Stephen Jackson would miss a 3 pointer but Parker would also miss a 3 pointer for the Raptors. Jackson would come back on the other end and score a 2 point shot and he had 30 points on the night. Joey Graham made a pair from the line but the Warriors still led 104-97. Chris Bosh would chop that lead down to 5 points with a bucket. But the Warriors would respond with a score. Joey Graham would then get his shot stuffed by Biedrins. Jose Calderon would get to the line and continue his streak of free throws as he had 70 straight to start the season. An offensive foul and Chris Bosh 3 pointer and the Raptors were all of the sudden down just 2 points.

The Raptors had 3 chances to tie or take the lead and none of them would fall. Biedrins would score on the other end for the Warriors and that would double lead to 4 points at 108-104 with 2:05 to play in regulation. These two teams did go to overtime in Toronto. Raptors had some work to do if they wanted a win or overtime in this game. However out of the time out the Raptors could not get a score. The Raptors would draw an offensive foul and keep the lead at just 4. Jason Kapono would score with a runner to cut the lead to 2 points. But the Warriors would answer on the other end. Raptors would have the ball stolen on the next offensive trip. Things looked bad with the score 110-106 with just 30.4 seconds left and the Warriors had the ball. Warriors would inbound the ball and get fouled Crawford would split a pair from the line. Raptors were down 5 points with 29 seconds to play. The Raptors out of a time out would have the inbound pass stolen by C.J Watson and this game was toast as Belinelli was fouled and headed to the line making both. Anthony Parker who had a poor shooting night made a 3-ball but it was to little to late. Belinelli made another pair from the line. Jose Calderon would drive and score he had a great night but this effort was going to waste. A Parker airball would sum up the play of the Raptors wing play on this night. Warriors got the win 117-111. A impressive boxscore for Jose Calderon and Chris Bosh but for a lot of others not so much. Both would gladly trade their impressive stats for a win.

Raps/Warriors boxscore

It is becoming painfully obvious that this team needs help. This 2-4 record on this road trip is just another sign that this team is just not good enough. Change must come to the Raptors. Bryan Colangelo is fast running out of time to save this season. I just don't think he can wait much longer. A long flight home and a very tough schedule in front of them these are tough times for the Raptors and at 12-19 it really is a case of watching a season slipping away really fast. There is a legit possibility that Raps could loss the next 3 games which would make them 12-22 heading to face the Bucks on the road. That just doesn't sound good at all. But it just seems unlikely that Raptors can beat any of the next 3 teams. At least I won't have to stay up this late trying to think clearly. So with that said good night everyone and thoughts from Matt Devlin tomorrow from our interview earlier today.