Based on how this game started it sure didn't look like it would be a significant night. The Raptors continued the not so great tradition under Dwane Casey of coming out flat in the first quarter. Given the fact the Jazz had been off since Saturday this was a terrible sign. But the Jazz were short handed as Al Jefferson would be scratched prior to game time. The Jazz seemed to have a game plan to run the Raptors into the ground. A sound strategy given they were the fresher team. They would push the ball at every opportunity and the Raptors looked like a tired bunch early in this one. Raptors would rally after being down by as much as 18 in the first to make it a 32-23 game after one.
The little Raptor train would not stop chugging. As I was all a long thinking I don't think they can, I don't think they can, they would keep on saying yes we can. Eventually this would have to catch up with them right? They would get close and knock on the door to taking the lead many times only to have the Jazz answer. The Raptors had never led in this game and I was convinced it would remain that way. Andrea Bargnani was off to a slow start but like the night before would get things going eventually. Demar DeRozan was fairly erratic throughout this game. We saw some good moments for Demar and some bad ones. Jose Calderon was having a terrible scoring night but that would change later in the night. Andrea Bargnani would finally give the Raptors the lead with three to put the Raptors up 50-48. Jazz would tie it and look to take the lead before the half but James Johnson would have one of his 6 blocks on the night which was 4 more blocks than he had points. But he was a defensive difference maker. Raps and Jazz were all even at 50 at the halftime break.
It may have been 50/50 at the half but you didn't think that was the Raptors odds of winning this one? Jazz were the rested team and you figured eventually that would show. A fumble and turnover by Andrea Bargnani and a bad foul by DeRozan was part of the Jazz having a 7-2 run to start the half. But the Raptors would score the next six and take the lead again at 58-57. Jose Calderon would finally score with 7:40ish left in the 3rd for his first points of the evening but he would get more later and some key ones. It was a hard fought 3rd quarter but when it was done the Jazz had a 75-69 lead and you had to figure would pull away and finally put this to bed.
Amir Johnson baby steps to getting of Dwane Casey's doghouse began with a block on Kanter to start the 4th quarter. Kanter by the way is God awful he has a Hoffa like game. Raptors would battle hard and in the late stages were down 86-83 in a rough and tumble 4th quarter. Linas Kleiza would make a couple free throws to make it a one point game with a minute to play. Jazz score and a Bargnani answer and it was 88-87. Jazz reestablished a three point lead but then with 13 seconds left Jose Calderon nails a three ball to tie this game up at 90. Raptors would get the stop they needed and unexpectedly this game was going to overtime.
Last time the Raptors were in an overtime game it was not even in North America. It was a triple OT thriller with the Nets in London England. Which was a loss if you forget. Calderon tied this thing at end of regulation and on a drive would give the Raptors the lead. Then Calderon dropped a dime to Linas Kleiza in the corner for 3 and Raptors had a 95-90 lead. Calderon turnover later on would give the Jazz a break away dunk and the lead was back to just 2. Millsap a tap in over Bargnani tied it. You think that is the bad news but it wasn't the Raptors had to call a time out. Andrea Bargnani had re-injured his calf and would be done for the night. After this game was over he would say that this time the injury to his calf was in his words "much worse". But Raptors would fight on without him as Kleiza out of the time out hit a dagger three. But the Jazz would nail their own 3 with just 3 seconds left in the 1st overtime and tied this game at 100.
Raptors heading to a second OT and Bargnani not an option? At this point they had to be done right? Not exactly the Raptors who in games without Bargnani in first injury were terrible, would be at least for the rest of this night inspired. A Linas Kleiza air ball in the start of OT sure didn't give you an indication that is what would happen but nothing was sticking to the script tonight. A Demar DeRozan free throw would but the Raptors on top 104-103 and they would not trail again. A long two from Kleiza and a huge 3 from Calderon was in the end enough to seal it. Raptors get the thrilling 111-106 win in double OT.
Bargnani had 25 points and Kleiza the same 25 points off the bench. But this was a team win through and through. Unfortunately the loss of Bargnani which on surface seems for an even longer stretch hangs over this win like a dark ominous storm cloud. But let's reflect on what the Raptors have done in the last two nights snapping a 14 game losing streak to the Suns and 12 game losing streak to the Jazz. That is pretty amazing. The biggest part to both of those wins though will be getting an MRI in Denver and is not going to be around to try and make it 3 in a row. It will be interesting to see if the rest of this team can still rally from the confidence gained from these two wins. Maybe not as much in Denver on Friday but in New Jersey on Monday where the Raptors could actually make this a winning road trip. They could in Denver as well but that seems more unlikely.
Reminder we have Matt Devlin scheduled to join us sometime to be a guest in the Starting 5. I am assured he still has his voice after last night. So make sure to be on the look out for that. Maybe a guest tomorrow too. Will see.
Showing posts with label Utah Jazz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Utah Jazz. Show all posts
1/25/12
No Easy Task To Make It Two In A Row.
I have to say the fact the Utah Jazz are 10-5, winners of 4 of their last 5 games is quite a surprise. The Jazz now without Jerry Sloan and Deron Williams you would think would be in full rebuild. After all Tyrone Corbin who took over from Sloan was only 8-20 last season. The trade that saw Williams go to the Nets did bring the Jazz some young talent in Derrick Favours and Devin Harris but this was not a team expected to do much this year by most. They have two solid bigs that are the main pieces to the puzzle in Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap, they are the teams top scorers as well. Truth is by looking at the Jazz it just doesn't look all that impressive on paper. But the Jazz are by and large still a team that it is about the system more than the parts that make up the system. Corbin coached for years as an assistant to Sloan so that system for them mostly remains the same.
The Raptors have had almost the same lack of success vs the Jazz as they have had with last night's opponent that Suns. Raptors have lost to Utah 12 straight times. Two very different teams in terms of style. What it always largely comes down to when facing the Jazz is how you defend the pick and roll and if you are able to compete with them on the glass. The Raptors for the first time this season are pretty much healthy and have the full roster in place that Bryan Colangelo has assembled for this season. Dwane Casey is making some bold choices in terms of the roster of late. Unless your name is Andrea Bargnani it seems pretty clear you better perform or you could find yourself on bench. Rasaul Butler and Amir Johnson have already played their way out of the starting five. Demar DeRozan has been shown perhaps some more patience but to suggest he is secure in his starting role would not seem to be wise. If his production and decisions do not improve with Bargnani now back he could be delivered a message as well with a seat on the bench.
Heading in the opposite direction is a guy like James Johnson. Already a defensive type player, which with Casey is always going to give you opportunity. He is starting to make his presence known on the other end of the floor. Beyond the struggles of the Raptors youngsters in DeRozan and Ed Davis, the biggest glaring problem has been the lack of production from the small forward position. Linas Kleiza almost had won the job by not playing a single game. That is how bad Butler and Johnson had been. Ultimately Linas has not really been bad, but on a bench that needs scoring, he along with Leandro Barbosa have been the only two players providing that consistently. Johnson has been putting in work on his shot and over the last couple games we have started to see some results.
Ultimately the questions for the Raptors seem to be if they can produce on the offensive end of the floor. Is this going to be a Kevin O'Neil like offence that struggles to score, or can they be better than that. On nights when Andrea Bargnani is scoring the answer is better. But can we really expect this on a nightly basis? Andrea is averaging 23.4 points a game, That is a point or so better than Vince Carter under Kevin O'Neil with 22.5 per game. Here is where things differ though, Jalen Rose was the 2nd leading scorer on the Raptor squad in 03-04 after he arrived in a trade with Bulls. He averaged 16. 2 points per game, tied with Donyell Marshall who came in the same trade and averaged the same point per game total. Demar DeRozan and Leandro Barbosa are second and third in scoring on this Raptor squad at 14. 2 and 13.2 points per game. They also I think most would agree are not as consistent scorers as Rose and Marshall were. The Raptors Offence is ranked 29th in the league. That is second last in the league which is where the O'Neil led Raptors were as they were 28th with the NBA having one less franchise back in the 2003-04 season.
We can all agree the Raptors defence is at least heading in the right direction. 19th overall is a lot better than 30th. But the Kevin O'Neil Raptors were even better at 7th in the league out of 29 teams. The comparison between the two is not exactly a fair one. The team O'Neil had was far more talented than the one Dwane Casey has currently. But still that is the only real bench mark we have for a defensive minded Raptors basketball team. Tonight will be a challenge on both ends of the floor as the Jazz have a solid offence they run that is ranked 11th in the league and a defence that is middle of the pack at 16th.
Not to mention the schedule that helped the Raptors last night when they played a tired Suns team flips on them tonight playing a rested Jazz team that last played on Saturday. It was a 108-98 win over Minnesota. So if the Raptors get off to a slow start tonight as has been the pattern of this season the chances they make a comeback like last night is greatly reduced.
3 Keys:
Strike First, Strike Hard: Yes the immortal words of Strike Force. If the Raptors start off slow like they did in Phoenix you can just call the Jazz Demolition and give them the win. Anyone who has played basketball will admit this freely. To play from behind is a lot tougher than it is to play with a lead. Dwane Casey to his credit played every guy dressed last night vs the Suns. He will hope it pays off with more energy for his club tonight. But if they don't use it right away they will be in serious trouble.
Protect The Glass: The worst thing you can do against the Jazz is allow them to get rolling on the offensive glass. If they do, the Raptors will get 2nd chanced pointed to death. Any defence, no matter how good, always has to complete stops with defensive rebounds. The odds you stop a team the second time around drop off dramatically.
Secondary Scoring: I am never sure if you can doubt anything much about Andrea these days, but I will go out on a limb and say he isn't scoring 30+ tonight. Can the Raptors with Bargnani scoring at around his average find enough offence to keep pace with the Jazz? If they can they will have a chance to be in the game. If not they have no shot.
Recap tonight and tomorrow at some point will be talking with Raptors play by play announcer on the T.V side of things Matt Devlin. Should be fun to have Matt in The Starting 5 tomorrow. So look forward to that. If we are talking about a 2nd win in a row for the Raptors that would be a surprise but a welcomed one. Game is on TSN2 tonight at 9pm with Matt and Jack calling all the action from Salt Lake City.
The Raptors have had almost the same lack of success vs the Jazz as they have had with last night's opponent that Suns. Raptors have lost to Utah 12 straight times. Two very different teams in terms of style. What it always largely comes down to when facing the Jazz is how you defend the pick and roll and if you are able to compete with them on the glass. The Raptors for the first time this season are pretty much healthy and have the full roster in place that Bryan Colangelo has assembled for this season. Dwane Casey is making some bold choices in terms of the roster of late. Unless your name is Andrea Bargnani it seems pretty clear you better perform or you could find yourself on bench. Rasaul Butler and Amir Johnson have already played their way out of the starting five. Demar DeRozan has been shown perhaps some more patience but to suggest he is secure in his starting role would not seem to be wise. If his production and decisions do not improve with Bargnani now back he could be delivered a message as well with a seat on the bench.
Heading in the opposite direction is a guy like James Johnson. Already a defensive type player, which with Casey is always going to give you opportunity. He is starting to make his presence known on the other end of the floor. Beyond the struggles of the Raptors youngsters in DeRozan and Ed Davis, the biggest glaring problem has been the lack of production from the small forward position. Linas Kleiza almost had won the job by not playing a single game. That is how bad Butler and Johnson had been. Ultimately Linas has not really been bad, but on a bench that needs scoring, he along with Leandro Barbosa have been the only two players providing that consistently. Johnson has been putting in work on his shot and over the last couple games we have started to see some results.
Ultimately the questions for the Raptors seem to be if they can produce on the offensive end of the floor. Is this going to be a Kevin O'Neil like offence that struggles to score, or can they be better than that. On nights when Andrea Bargnani is scoring the answer is better. But can we really expect this on a nightly basis? Andrea is averaging 23.4 points a game, That is a point or so better than Vince Carter under Kevin O'Neil with 22.5 per game. Here is where things differ though, Jalen Rose was the 2nd leading scorer on the Raptor squad in 03-04 after he arrived in a trade with Bulls. He averaged 16. 2 points per game, tied with Donyell Marshall who came in the same trade and averaged the same point per game total. Demar DeRozan and Leandro Barbosa are second and third in scoring on this Raptor squad at 14. 2 and 13.2 points per game. They also I think most would agree are not as consistent scorers as Rose and Marshall were. The Raptors Offence is ranked 29th in the league. That is second last in the league which is where the O'Neil led Raptors were as they were 28th with the NBA having one less franchise back in the 2003-04 season.
We can all agree the Raptors defence is at least heading in the right direction. 19th overall is a lot better than 30th. But the Kevin O'Neil Raptors were even better at 7th in the league out of 29 teams. The comparison between the two is not exactly a fair one. The team O'Neil had was far more talented than the one Dwane Casey has currently. But still that is the only real bench mark we have for a defensive minded Raptors basketball team. Tonight will be a challenge on both ends of the floor as the Jazz have a solid offence they run that is ranked 11th in the league and a defence that is middle of the pack at 16th.
Not to mention the schedule that helped the Raptors last night when they played a tired Suns team flips on them tonight playing a rested Jazz team that last played on Saturday. It was a 108-98 win over Minnesota. So if the Raptors get off to a slow start tonight as has been the pattern of this season the chances they make a comeback like last night is greatly reduced.
3 Keys:
Strike First, Strike Hard: Yes the immortal words of Strike Force. If the Raptors start off slow like they did in Phoenix you can just call the Jazz Demolition and give them the win. Anyone who has played basketball will admit this freely. To play from behind is a lot tougher than it is to play with a lead. Dwane Casey to his credit played every guy dressed last night vs the Suns. He will hope it pays off with more energy for his club tonight. But if they don't use it right away they will be in serious trouble.
Protect The Glass: The worst thing you can do against the Jazz is allow them to get rolling on the offensive glass. If they do, the Raptors will get 2nd chanced pointed to death. Any defence, no matter how good, always has to complete stops with defensive rebounds. The odds you stop a team the second time around drop off dramatically.
Secondary Scoring: I am never sure if you can doubt anything much about Andrea these days, but I will go out on a limb and say he isn't scoring 30+ tonight. Can the Raptors with Bargnani scoring at around his average find enough offence to keep pace with the Jazz? If they can they will have a chance to be in the game. If not they have no shot.
Recap tonight and tomorrow at some point will be talking with Raptors play by play announcer on the T.V side of things Matt Devlin. Should be fun to have Matt in The Starting 5 tomorrow. So look forward to that. If we are talking about a 2nd win in a row for the Raptors that would be a surprise but a welcomed one. Game is on TSN2 tonight at 9pm with Matt and Jack calling all the action from Salt Lake City.
3/10/11
"NBAz in 7 Dayz"
"It means a great deal to those who are oppressed to know that they are not alone. And never let anyone tell you that what you are doing is insignificant". - Bishop Desmond Tutu. I was at the ACC last night, ready to enjoy what the Raptors and Jazz had to offer. I heard the heights of ultimate cheering and praise for our men in red and white. I also heard the boos and verbal jeers toward a few calls (the referees were a different breed last night). But this isn't what struck me. What struck me was a "this team sucks" piercing through the air during the fourth quarter. This team doesn't suck. Whatever system they are using or decisions made to generate wins clearly did not work for them this season. That is the difference. I think it is hypocritical to cheer and show praise one minute and verbally abuse your 'so-called team' the next. Sure, be upset your team blew a 14 point lead in the fourth quarter. As a fan you have every right to be upset. But unless you are able to school the likes of Demar DeRozan, Leandro Barbosa or even Reggie Evans all on your own, you are not in a position to proclaim the level of talent a team has, especially in such an ignorant way. I read tweets from self proclaimed Raptors fans announcing they are jumping ship and supporting another team from now on based on what they have seen so far this season. This is a real shame. Despite the Raptors not finishing the game in their favour, I had a really good time. Besides the game, there were many ways I was entertained - especially the Raptors Dance Pak. They were so positive and energetic it made me want to scoop their workout regimen so I may raise my own level of athleticism. Aside from the company of one of my best friends Dave, the highlight of the night for me was when I saw an adult fan go ape crazy for a free t-shirt, pause to look at it and promptly shuffle it forward a few rows to an unsuspecting 5 year-old. Now if only the jaded fans in attendance Thursday night could have shown the same kind of compassion for the Toronto Raptors. Please be clear I am not saying Raptors fans have no right to be frustrated their team did not make the playoffs for one reason or another. I am asking you to direct said frustration to the right place and see the bigger picture.
Speaking of Playoffs...
NBA All-Star Weekend? Done. NBA Trade Deadline? Done and Done. The only thing left to look forward to now on your professional basketball calendar are the playoffs. Last year, the DNB staff made their picks and gave their individual reasons for their choices. As you may remember, I chose the Los Angeles Lakers to go all the way and I do so again this year. I realize Boston, Chicago and San Antonio are the only teams to clinch a playoff spot so far but I never go with the top teams unless I am confident they have shown they know how to win AND lose. San Antonio has bulldozed through most of the league at this point with a 52-12 record but ask yourself have they lost major games they should have won? How did they bounce back? This is the most important skill to have going into the playoffs since we all know this is the time for surprises and upsets. When the Lakers fell to the Cavs 104-99 on February 16th, even Magic Johnson was trash talking his former club for losing to the worst team in the league. I remained confident they would pull through and so did Lakers management since no changes were made to L.A.'s roster close to the deadline - not even the rumoured Ron Artest trade.
Fast forward to today. The Lakers are now showing their championship contending qualities and posting an 8 game win streak since the All-Star break. Tonight they play the Heat and are poised to stretch their win streak to nine. The Miami Heat have not shown - at least recently - they are able to handle the pressure and bounce back from adversity. The Lakers have. Having said this, if we were to toss the remainder of the season and start the 2011 'Battle Royale' for NBA supremacy right now, here are my match -ups:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(1, 8) Boston Celtics - Indiana Pacers - BOSTON
(4, 5) Orlando Magic - Atlanta Hawks - ORLANDO
(3, 6) Miami Heat - New York Knicks - NEW YORK
(2, 7) Chicago Bulls - Philadelphia 76ers - CHICAGO
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(1, 8) San Antonio Spurs - Memphis Grizzlies - SAN ANTONIO
(4, 5) Oklahoma City Thunder - Denver Nuggets - OKLAHOMA CITY
(3, 6) Los Angeles Lakers - Portland Trail Blazers - LOS ANGELES
(2, 7) Dallas Mavericks - New Orleans Hornets - DALLAS
Think about this over the weekend. When you join me on Tuesday for more "NBAz in 7 Dayz", I will give you my reasons and fill in the rest. Thank-you for joining me today. As always I welcome your comments and suggestions. Please keep them coming by following me on Twitter (ddegraauw) and Facebook (Danielle de Graauw). Have a great weekend.
Speaking of Playoffs...
NBA All-Star Weekend? Done. NBA Trade Deadline? Done and Done. The only thing left to look forward to now on your professional basketball calendar are the playoffs. Last year, the DNB staff made their picks and gave their individual reasons for their choices. As you may remember, I chose the Los Angeles Lakers to go all the way and I do so again this year. I realize Boston, Chicago and San Antonio are the only teams to clinch a playoff spot so far but I never go with the top teams unless I am confident they have shown they know how to win AND lose. San Antonio has bulldozed through most of the league at this point with a 52-12 record but ask yourself have they lost major games they should have won? How did they bounce back? This is the most important skill to have going into the playoffs since we all know this is the time for surprises and upsets. When the Lakers fell to the Cavs 104-99 on February 16th, even Magic Johnson was trash talking his former club for losing to the worst team in the league. I remained confident they would pull through and so did Lakers management since no changes were made to L.A.'s roster close to the deadline - not even the rumoured Ron Artest trade.
Fast forward to today. The Lakers are now showing their championship contending qualities and posting an 8 game win streak since the All-Star break. Tonight they play the Heat and are poised to stretch their win streak to nine. The Miami Heat have not shown - at least recently - they are able to handle the pressure and bounce back from adversity. The Lakers have. Having said this, if we were to toss the remainder of the season and start the 2011 'Battle Royale' for NBA supremacy right now, here are my match -ups:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(1, 8) Boston Celtics - Indiana Pacers - BOSTON
(4, 5) Orlando Magic - Atlanta Hawks - ORLANDO
(3, 6) Miami Heat - New York Knicks - NEW YORK
(2, 7) Chicago Bulls - Philadelphia 76ers - CHICAGO
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(1, 8) San Antonio Spurs - Memphis Grizzlies - SAN ANTONIO
(4, 5) Oklahoma City Thunder - Denver Nuggets - OKLAHOMA CITY
(3, 6) Los Angeles Lakers - Portland Trail Blazers - LOS ANGELES
(2, 7) Dallas Mavericks - New Orleans Hornets - DALLAS
Think about this over the weekend. When you join me on Tuesday for more "NBAz in 7 Dayz", I will give you my reasons and fill in the rest. Thank-you for joining me today. As always I welcome your comments and suggestions. Please keep them coming by following me on Twitter (ddegraauw) and Facebook (Danielle de Graauw). Have a great weekend.
3/9/11
Back To Normal With Something Abnormal
The Raptors get back to some sense of normal life after their London adventure. They return to the ACC facing the Utah Jazz that no longer have Jerry Sloan on the sidelines. Also no Deron Williams as the Raptors are aware from their last two games in England. I have to be honest for myself it is hard to get back in the normal groove. The Raptors might have a little ring rust with all this time off. Practice is great, but it is not a game, just ask Allen Iverson. Raptors road losing streak has reached a team record level, so to be home at the ACC is a beautiful thing. Not that their 12-20 home record is any great accomplishment. Surprisingly though the Raptors are 6-8 at ACC vs West. Andrea Bargnani has the flu or is it flu like symptoms again? I wonder what Amir Johnson thinks about that? He has played trough a lot more than the flu or flu like symptoms this year. Reggie Evans should be back. I have been wrong on this before so I am just going to say I HOPE we see #30 in white tonight.
The Basics: Jazz 33-30 (Since Sloan Left 2-8) Raptors 17-46 ( 2-4 in James Johnson Era)
When Last We Saw Them: It took 3 overtimes in England for the Raptors to fade into the London fog. Bargnani not once but twice had chances to be the hero and win it. DeRozan had one shot as well and failed. Better effort than 1st game in England but the same result in the end an L.
Key Match Ups: Raja Bell hates Kobe Bryant and Demar DeRozan doesn't. Bell and Bryant had got into it on several occasions back in the day. My point is Raja Bell at one time was thought of as a solid defender and it should be a nice challenge for Demar to see how he stacks up against the one time "Kobe Stopper". Devin Harris is no Deron Williams and as such Jose Calderon should have an easier time of it with Harris. Least you would hope that is the case. Paul Millsap is a beast and Amir Johnson, Ed Davis and maybe a returning Reggie Evans, will all get a chance to battle with him. You also have Big Al Jefferson to match up with Bargnani assuming he had his "Chicken Soup" this morning. A huge contrast there and makes for an odd match-up. I could see Jazz using someone else on Bargnani maybe AK-47 might actually makes sense.
Other Things of Note: Dave Feschuk confirms that Sonny Weems is not happy in his article the other day. This is hardly earth shattering news. I had said after the James Johnson trade was done this would happen. I also have noted how Sonny has looked pissed after the first couple games when Johnson first arrived. I feel bad for Sonny who is a good guy. The irony in all this is the game before Johnson came, Weems led the Raptors in scoring with 19. But as the article suggests it is about the other end of the floor as to why Weems finds himself in this spot. Weems does make the point this team has not been good on defence and it is not all on him. Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderon not mentioned but we can all imply. Sonny is a good guy and if this is the end of his run with Raptors I hope he is able to find a new home with what he has done in Toronto. By the way after his big comet like debut James Johnson has come back down to earth if you have noticed. In other news, the Raptors sent Solomon Alabi back to the Bayhawks for the 107th time this season. O.K it is actually the 3rd time this year. I am left to wonder now how am I suppose to know when the Raptors have given up. Alabi entering a game has become the Raptors international sign for a white flag. I don't understand the logic in shipping him back and forth between Erie and Toronto. It can't be doing anything good for his mental outlook. Ask Ed Davis about his time in Erie. He will likely have about as positive a response as he did about the prospect for playing for an NBA Team in London.
Where Is It On: Sportsnet 1 (Sportsnet announced a deal to be the Home of the UFC another reason to bump the Raptors to this network in the future)
11/19/09
Check Youself Before You Wreck Youself
That was a song by Ice Cube. Seems to fit what I am thinking about the Toronto Raptors after another loss in which CB4 plays out of his head and the Raps fall short. So much so that I decided to talk about it instead of writing about it. So have a listen.
This season is really honestly all about 1 thing and 1 thing only. KEEP CHRIS BOSH. That is why I was angry with how this team played in L.A and it is why this entire season I have taken the attitude that what was good enough in the past isn't anymore. This team is not going to be better without Chris Bosh anymore than it was better without Vince Carter. So they need to find a way to be a winner and convince Bosh of that fact. That is the mission. That will take getting to the playoffs and once there having a chance to win if not winning a round at least.
This season is really honestly all about 1 thing and 1 thing only. KEEP CHRIS BOSH. That is why I was angry with how this team played in L.A and it is why this entire season I have taken the attitude that what was good enough in the past isn't anymore. This team is not going to be better without Chris Bosh anymore than it was better without Vince Carter. So they need to find a way to be a winner and convince Bosh of that fact. That is the mission. That will take getting to the playoffs and once there having a chance to win if not winning a round at least.
11/18/09
Starting 5 Welcomes Back Zack
It is my pleasure to welcome back Zack Cooper to the Dino Nation Blog's Starting 5. Since the last time Zack joined us he has added to his basketball resume. He now is the host of Hoops when Eric and Paul are on the road with the Raps which is Thursday @7pm on the Fan 590. We talk about last night's loss to the Nuggets. Also look ahead to tonight in Utah. We also talk about Chris Bosh, Amir Johnson, Sonny Weems, Demar DeRozan and others. We talk about the Raptors Defense and it's lack of consistency. We also give some love to the Raptors offense. Zack is also huge into the video games and we talk a little basketball video games. Zack is the host of Got Game and is one of many people that told me I should have got 2k10 first. Well I now own both and real enjoy my 2k10 when every I get a chance to play it. Zack has been great in bringing some more basketball from the internet to the airwaves Fan 590 when he is hosting shows and has had Holly Mackenzie from (The Score and Slam) on several times, J.E Skeets from Yahoo and The Basketball Jones, Nat from Heels on Hardwood and even had me on as well. Hope you enjoy the conversation about the Raptors and am happy to have Zack as one of the growing number of regular guests we have as part of the starting 5. 
You can keep up with Zack on Twitter @Zcooperstown on Twitter. If you are a fan of basketball or video games he is a must have on your Twitter follow list. Look forward to talking with Zack down the line as the season moves along. He is also leading his division in a Fantasy League we both are taking part in. Where am I? Don't ask...injuries have crushed my fantasy team from the jump. Day after I drafted Jamison he is out till tonight. He is expected to be back in the line-up tonight for the Wizards and I need him. More important for Raptors is Deron Williams is also expected to be back for the Jazz as we mentioned in the interview.
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