Do Not Expect A Shaqtastic Night At ACC

Chris Bosh remains doubtful for tonight and Shaq will be out for sure with an issue with his thumb. Bosh is nursing a bad left ankle suffered in the OT loss to Memphis. The Boshless Raptors are 2-1 but with wins over the Nets and Wizards that speaks to the record more than anything. A better class opposition in Portland had little trouble getting past the Raptors without CB4. Against the Cavs even minus Shaq the Raptors could be in serious trouble. James and his new buddy Jamison should be able to have more than enough for the Raptors to deal with. Cavs have a 20-10 road record with one of those losses taking place at the ACC to open their road schedule for the season.

That win seemed to make expectations for the Raptors go through the roof only to come crashing back to earth with a road loss to Memphis and a tough start to the season. The Raptors have always had some bad history in terms of Bosh injuries. Their win % without him is below .400 and he always seems to be injured at points in the season where Raptors can get on a run in their schedule. But with the Cavs then 2 games on the road vs two scrappy and talented teams from the West in OKC and Houston these would all be hard with Bosh forget about without him. Triano had said he was hopeful to have Bosh back for tonight. However it seems unlikely that is going to happen.

If that is the case the Raptors need a perfect performance and that might not even be enough. They can not have the sloppy play they had against Portland with turnovers and inconsistent offense. Lebron James has had many big games vs the Raptors in his career and has his career high against them. Ironically that came in a loss. Jamison also in his career has been successful for the most part against Toronto.

Two guys that need to answer the bell better than they did on Wednesday are Andrea Bargnani and DeMar DeRozan. Both were kind of invisible against Portland and did not have the step up nights that the Raptors needed from them. In addition both Jack and Calderon need to do a better job in running the offense and dial it back just a bit in terms of taking risks. Jose Calderon out of character for him has been very loose in his decision making. I actually like that but he needs to dial it down a touch. Jose and his new found ability to lob the ball up for Amir, Sonny and Demar to throw it down is great. But easy does it Jose. Calderon if he figures out how to balance things can be highly effective. In terms of Jack he needs to make the adjustment of not having Chris on the floor. Much like a T.J Ford would do, Jack seems to call on himself to pick up the slack when Bosh is out. However he has help and need to help Demar and Andrea get on track and get them going.

Despite the loss Hedo Turkoglu was likely the best Raptor in that loss against Portland. No doubt motivated by the fact most around the Blazers are saying thank God Hedo didn't sign with them. I mean how many times have we been able to say Hedo was even in the conversation of being the best player on on given night? Not that many is the correct answer.

I am not sure if Raptors can have any answers for beating the Cavs unless they have a number 4 in the line-up. Even with him this would be a tough game. Cavs are an NBA best 45-14 and have gotten even better with the addition of Jamison. They are the clear cut favourite to win the East and I picked them to win the NBA Finals before they had Jamison. the puppet Finals that Nike dreamed of last season likely will happen this season. Raptors just would like to be in the playoffs and have a realistic chance to win a round and go from there.

I am doing this one for The Score so check back later in the day for a link for the liveblog that will start likely around 6:50 T-Dot time. With Olympics I feel like I am living on Pacific Time these days.

So Go Canada and Go Raptors. I was so proud of Joannie Rochette last night. She is a Canadian Figure Skater if you didn't know. Although you would have to have been living under a rock not to know who she it this week. That was one of the most courageous performances by a Canadian in anything. If the Raptors can ball with that kind of courage tonight or any night that would be all that fans can ask for.

Week Ahead Featuring "The Wiz"

I want to start today by encouraging all Rap Fans to vote for CB4 and do your best to get him in the starting line-up in his hometown of Dallas. Let's show him at least the fans have his back. He has played like the All Star that he is this season. If fans could ban together and pull off some kind of miracle and get him voted in, I am sure that would mean something to Chris. So if in the past you have filled out 1 ballot this year full out 10. If you vote 10 times...vote 20 times and so on. This maybe the last time you get a chance to vote for Chris as a Raptor to go to the game. If you have enjoyed watching Chris Bosh grow into one of the great players in the NBA take the time to vote for him.

Now on to the matters at hand and that is the Washington Wizards. The Raptors can say at least were better than the Wizards. Well not really but record wise it is true. While everyone was wildly predicting great things for the Washington Wizards I was one of the few that did not. In true Wiz Fashion they have already had a major injury in Antwan Jamison and yes Gilbert Arenas is still talking a better game than he plays. Although at least he is playing for a change. The worst thing the Wizards ever did was re-sign him. How you can commit the amount they did to a player that has a long injury history and a longer history of being a self centered diva is beyond me. Some still hold out hope the Wizards can turn it around. Let's just hope it doesn't happen this week. Jamison has played 6 games since returning to the Washington line-up. His numbers are what you have come to expect from him 21.7 points and 9.3 rebounds. Coming back to earth slightly after a huge debut in his return to the line-up.

This week that sees the Raps take on the Wiz twice and Hawks and the Bulls. I watched the Bucks (who Raps play Next Week) and the Bulls play last night and Milwaukee pulled out a 2 point win over Chicago. I had not seen a ton of the Bucks this season but safe to say that this team is for real and will be part of the race for the playoffs. Even though it is early both teams sit in front of the Raptors and it is always important to get wins vs the teams in front of you in the playoff race even at the start of December. This is a key week if the Raptors hope to start turning things around.

At least the will not have to worry about Mike Miller dropping 3's tonight for the Wiz as he has been injured. But they will need to figure a way to stop Arenas as he can still get hot and is still faster than Jose Calderon even with his repaired knee. The Raps issues really are the same each game of late and it is not as much about individual match-ups. They need to get some things right before you even consider the match-ups.

• Better Defensive Effort ( Transition and Perimeter most of all )
• No Second Chances ( Offensive Rebounds can kill a Defense )
• Less Help More Do ( Players need to stay in front of their man )
• When the Offense Stops the Defense Never rests. (If shots don't fall still have to defend)
• Heart, Hustle and Overall Effort (Full 48 minutes)

Those are just some of things that stick out. Really regardless of who the Raps are playing these things need to improve. Also the Raps need to figure out how the heck to sweep a back to back. They get 2 more chances to do that this week . The time for excuses and talking is rapidly running out. This week in December is going to tell us a lot on if the Raps can get this thing on the right track sooner than later if at all.

Sun-BURNED

It is not the fact that the Raptors lost yesterday to the Suns. It is how they lost yesterday. It is not the fact that Raptors 7-11 it is the how they have lost some of those 11 and to who they lost. The Raptors did stand up for Chris Bosh after a hard foul yesterday. However it would have been stunning had they not after Friday in Boston. It was still not the greatest of reaction but it was something. This team was in the basketball game after a half yesterday. There just seems to be something wrong with this team of late. They reach a point and just fall apart. When I was live blogging the game for The Score the people taking part all were waiting for that other shoe to drop. If you want to read it for yourself, you can check it out here. Anyone that has been watching this team on a regular basis never believes that they will be able to play well for 4 quarters. The most glaring example of that is the 3rd quarter of games. I could look up a bunch of stats to offer proof of this but if you have watched this team at all do you really need that? I am thinking not.

You wonder how they are going to turn this thing around as well. They do have 2 games with the Wizards with a game vs the Hawks in the middle. The Wizards are so dysfunctional in comparison to the Raptors it is like night and day. Lot's of folks were high on the Wizards in the pre-season. I was not and they are a mess and that mess begins and ends with Gilbert Arenas. There is the usual number of injuries and Antwan Jamison has been on fire since his return from injury. The Hawks are a team that I do not like at all but that being said even I have been impressed with them this season. So if folks are waiting for a stretch of games for this team to turn it around it is a long wait. They play 4 in 5 nights in this upcoming week. 3 of those on the Road where the Raps are just 2-8.

But it is Monday and a none game day so why write about it when you can talk about it. You forgot? No worries so did I but here is a belated episode 2 of this week in the DNB.

This Week In The DNB Episode 2

This Week In DNB

Raptors Rewind- Hassan Adams Era Edition

No Raptors Rewind Logo tonight as we pay tribute to Hassan Adams Raptor Career. O.K well it was not much of a career was it. Earlier today the Raptors traded Adams to the Clippers with Cash for a future second round pick. The Clippers would turn around and waive Adams and he is currently looking for a job. I would like to say something nice about the guy. I am told he was a good person and all of that. But where it counts on the floor he showed nothing and that is why the Raptors in a sense had to pay someone to take him off their hands. As for the game the Raptors will also be without Jamario Moon who is becoming a daddy in Alabama. He left the team to hopefully make it back to Alabama for the birth of his child. So that means Joey G will get the start tonight and the Joey G fan base will be no doubt excited by that news. It is Joey's first start of the 2008/09 season. Ex-Raptor Mike James will be matched up against a player many might have had flashbacks to James based on his poor performance the other night. That would be Will Solomon. So the Raptors would only have 9 players on the roster for tonight. It is time to get going in Washington D.C where history will happen on Jan 20th as Barak Obama will get sworn in a President.

1st Quarter

Raptor would get off to a 7-2 run started by a 3 pointer from A.P and continued by Bosh and Joey G. The Raptor run would march on though with a basket from Andrea Bargnani. After a 10-2 start a time out on the floor for the Wizards to regroup with 7:49 left in the 3rd quarter. Wizards after the time out would get it going a bit and get it to a 12-6 score with an Andray Blatche jumper. But an Anthony Parker basket and that was followed by an Andrea Bargnani with a 3 pointer. Raptors lead now 17-6. Chris Bosh would score and make the lead larger but Mike James would answer the Bosh score with one of his own. Will Solomon would make a shot and he was off to a better shooting night.

Andray Blatche would make another jumper. Chris Bosh was looking for a foul but not whistle was coming as Caron Butler went the other way and scored a second basket in a row for the Wizards. Raptors lead 21-12 and Jake Voskhul was in for Bosh. Raptor forced Wizards into their second shot clock violation of the quarter. Jason Kapono would make a basket and he needed it as he has struggled. Antwan Jamison would get a basket for the home side. Raptors would make a turnover and Wizards would turn that into 2 points as well. It was 25-16 late in the quarter. Will Solomon would close out the quarter with the basket and the Raps had an 11 point lead after one with the score 27-16.

2nd Quarter

Raptors were shooting an amazing 70% from the field. Jason Kapono would keep it rolling as he would make a 3 pointer and extend the Raptor lead to start the second quarter. Chris Bosh would get to the line and the Raptors looked good as a lesson may have been learned in Oklahoma City. Bosh would only go 1-2 though. Kapono was hot and how long has it been since you heard that. He was 4-4 with his latest a 3 ball from the corner. The youngster Nick Young would respond with a 3 pointer for the Wizards in response. Raptors still lead 34-21 with 8:18 to play in the half.

Chris Bosh was committed to drive and he was drawing fouls he was back at the line. Bosh mad both from the line. Jason Kapono was hooked up for the open 3 pointer but he would miss. But Jake Voskhul would draw the foul working hard on the offensive glass. But the Raptors would not get anything off the second chance. Antwan Jamison would hit a 3 pointer the other way. Roko Ukic would drive and score to answer that. AP would hit a jumper as he was on the move off a pick and roll. Raptors had built a 15 point lead and it was 40-25 Raptors with 5:29. Matt Devlin had mentioned that Jose Calderon had been recovering well and may be ready to come back as soon as Friday. But as for now Will Solomon was hooking up AP for a 3 pointer. Andrea Bargnani would take his time and gave a fake and then blasted in a 3 ball and Raptors lead had grown to 46-25. Antwan Jamison was one of the few Wizards that seemed interested. He scored and got a fouled and made the shot. Mike James would hit a 3 pointer and the Wizards had a much needed 6-0 run. Antwan Jamison was heading to the line fouled by Andrea Bargnani. He would be replaced by Bosh as that was his second. Another foul as Jamison missed the second free throw after making the first. Caron Butler would head to the line. It was a 9-0 run and Jay Triano had seen enough.

A Will Solomon missed jumper in the lane was not what Triano had in mind I am guessing. But Kris Humphries would draw a charge on Antwan Jamison. Will Solomon would make a shot after his miss out of the time out to end the Wizard run. The Wiz would respond but then it was a Hump throw down on the other end. But Jamison answer that with a basket. The Raptors shooting had cooled in this second quarter but the still had a 50-38 lead after one half. This was with only 5 points for Chris Bosh. Bargnani, Parker and Kapono all shared the Raptor scoring lead with 10 for each in the first half.

3rd Quarter

Raptors still were shooting 57% after a half of play. Raptors out rebounded the Wiz 20-14. Joey G gets the first bucket of the second half for the Raptors. Antwan Jamison would hit a 3-ball to get the Wizards started in the second half. Wizards would get a 7-0 run but Triano was letting Raptors play through it. Bosh would find Bargnani and he would dunk it and and get fouled for the 3 point play. It was back to 55-45 and Raptors were looking to hang on to control. Chris Bosh had a turnover and he was having a tough night shooting 1-8. Both teams were playing sloppy and Andrea Bargnani fumbled the ball out of bounds. Andray Blatche would score and the lead was down to 8 points. Raptors were giving the Wizards a lot of chances to come back but Washington was not converting on most of them thankfully for Raptor fans.

Chris Bosh had enough and just took it to the basket strong for the score to restore a 10 point lead. Andrea Bargnani would hook up Will Solomon for a score. He would follow up with a finger roll for himself the next time down the floor. Raptors had build back to a 61-47 lead with 5:14 to play in the quarter. Antwan Jamison was one of about a thousand folks that the Raptors have been rumoured to having interest in. If it was true after tonight they will be more interested as he had another basket as part of a great night for him personally. But unfortunately later on he would pick up his 4th foul of the night and got forced to the bench. AP would make a basket as he left. Raptors lead 65-51.

Andray Blatche would get another basket and he was looking good as well for the Wizards on the offensive end. Wizards had cut the lead to single digits again at 9 down. But Chris Bosh would make a key basket to push lead back to 11 points. Jake Voskhul would get a score and all 9 Raptors that could play tonight have and had scored. A steal and lay up for Mike James and it was 71-60 for the Raptors. Will Solomon would get a basket to extend that lead to 13. That would be how the 3rd Quarter would end as it was 73-60 after 3 quarters of play.

4th Quarter

Raps had 2 chances to score on their first trip and Ukic and Graham both missed. Jamison was back in the game and he scored and the Wizards had the first 4 points of the quarter. Roko Ukic would get a score to open up the books for the Raps in the corner. Jamison would get another basket. Score was 75-66 and Jay Triano decided to get Chris Bosh back in the game a little earlier than usual. The lead had been cut back to 7 points but Andrea Bargnani would make a big 3 pointer. But Antwan Jamison kept rolling and scored. Chris Bosh would answer for his side with a basket to respond. A turnover by Bosh would give Washington a chance to cut the lead to 5 and Nick Young would deliver and a time out was called and the Raptors needed it.

Bosh out of the time out would drive and draw a foul and get to the line and it was on Jamison which was huge. He would make both free throws and Jamison had to go to the bench and with foul number 5. Wizards would score and lead was back to 5 points. But Bosh would come back and make a jumper and draw a foul for a 3 point play. Caron Butler would score and the lead was cut to 6 points with the score 85-79 with 6:15 to play. Washington had a chance to cut lead to 4 points but Bosh stuck a hand out and caused a turnover. He would then make his way to the line for another pair. Which he would make and they had a 87-79 lead and that was a big moment. Jason Kapono who had been quiet hit a buzzer beater as the shot clock was expiring. Antwan Jamison would score again he had 27 on the night but his team was still down 8 points.

After a Kapono miss from the arc in transition Jamison would score and get fouled and the Wizards had cut lead back down to 5 points again. A Will Solomon turnover and Wiz had a chance to make it even closer but could not. They would have another chance and they would get called for traveling and anther chance was lost. Raptors lead 89-83 with just 2:21 to play. Andrea Bargnani has been clutch and he did it again hitting a dagger 3 pointer late in the game as Raptors lead was 92-83. Wizards refused to go away though as they got 4 straight points and the lead was down to 5 points again. Wizards were forced to foul Bargnani with 27.1 seconds left. He was calm and cool and made two from the line and it was 94-87 Raptors with under 30 seconds to play. Will Solomon would make a silly foul on Mike James sending him to the line. James had a chance to cut the lead to 5 but he would miss his first and make his second. Soloman had a very up and down night. Solomon had 14 points and 5 dimes and only 2 turnovers. The man of the night was Andrea Bargnani, who was not heading to Dallas he was in this game and scoring 23 points.Many of them that were clutch shots that Raptors needed. The foul shot game was dragging this thing out but the Raptors were going to have win number 15 on the year and the Raptors have won 3 out of 4. The Final score would end up 99-93 and Bargnani added two more points to have 25 points on the night. So happy times for the Raptors as Jamario Moon had a new baby girl and his team back in Washington had a win. All good news on this night. Check out the happy details in our Score Boxscore.

Raps/Wiz Boxscore

So the Raptors next face the best Rookie in this league in my opinion O.J Mayo. He and the rest of the Grizzlies will pay a visit to the ACC to take on the Raptors. Raptors will hope to win their 4th game in their last 5 games. They may have Jose Calderon back to help in that regard.