Finally the Finals

Took the day off from the blog yesterday. But I did do a little Radio out in B.C. I posted something on the blogs Twitter account. I know at least one of my followers on Twitter checked it out. I was told I did a solid job in talking about the NBA and a bit about the story about the Pacers and the story about them being moved to Vancouver. Hopeful at some point that happens for the people in Vancouver. It would be great to see basketball come back to the west coast. So thanks to Jessica Samuels for having me on her show. Apparently there is not much buzz for basketball out there. Although I do get some readers from B.C and all across this country. I am always willing to do my part to spread the word about basketball in all parts of this country. It is the old chicken and egg debate in the rest of the country. Our people not interested in basketball or does the media not cover it enough and hence the lack of interest from the casual sports fan. There are hardcore basketball fans all across this land though. It is up to you to contact your local media and say you want more coverage of basketball. One person doing that may not have an impact but if enough do maybe it changes. I also do the show off the bench on a weekly basis in Montreal. If there is a station in this country that wants someone to talk ball in this country I will do it. No matter if it is small or large. I think it is important not just for myself but to give all basketball fans what they want be it from me or anyone else.

Magic Fans Blog The Finals In Orlando Paper

South of the border some are disappointed that the puppet show is now over. No Kobe and Lebron Finals in the NBA. That is except for the people in Orlando Florida. I was made aware of a pretty cool thing they are doing in the Orlando Sentinel. They are letting Fans blog on their website for the finals. I was made aware of this because I actually know one of the fans. Last season when the Raptors played the Magic I became friends with a young man named Greg in Florida. He is one of the folks that was selected to do this. Pretty cool. Some how I can't see the Toronto Star doing the same. The closest a Raptor fan may get is to have Doug Smith answer your question in his many mail bag editions. In Greg's first entry he went after Shaq who as many will recall did not have nice things to say about Stan Van Gundy earlier in the season. Here is what Greg wrote in the link below:

Magic Fan Blog From Orlando Sentinel

They also have a Magic Fan V-Blogging showing her Magic fandum:





Hello!!!...Oh sorry Jack was in the blog yesterday. You can follow are V-Blogging Magic fan on Twitter @os_MagicBabe, Anyway best of Luck to the Magic fan bloggers. I do this on a daily basis it is not as easy as it looks. But if my team was in the NBA finals it likely would be very easy to do. I kind of feel the same way as Jack about this series. Jack would like for his friend Stan Van Gundy to win an NBA title. But using his basketball logic he thinks the Lakers will win. I for my young friend Greg would like to see his team that he cheers for win as well. However like Jack logic suggests to me the Lakers will win in 6. I still am stunned at the fact I called this final on October 26th. I doubt that I ever pull that off again in life so I am going to enjoy it.

Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson could careless about any of these warm fuzzy feelings for the Magic. Kobe wants that ring without Shaq and Phil Jackson wants one foe the second thumb to be the first coach in history to win 10 NBA Titles. If he does he would pass Celtic Legend Red Auerbach who shares the Record with Jackson of 9 NBA titles as a coach. This will be the 3rd shot at Jackson trying to beat Red. Jackson failed to beat the Pistons and than last year lost to Red's Celtics. Maybe there is Celtic curse on the Zen Master. People in Boston are big believers in those kind of things.

Bottom line of it all is while Lebron James gets a lecture from David Stern on Sportsmanship it will be the Lakers and Magic looking to win an NBA Title and that is going to be fun. It is no Nike Puppet show but it could prove to be a very interesting basketball series. Which may be made even more interesting show Jameer Nelson return for the Magic. The Magic played the Lakers both time prior to Nelson being injured and he was a huge factor. But can a guy that has been on the sidelines step in to basketball at the highest level possible and be effective? We may just find out.

Meanwhile the guys at Hoops Doctors landed a chat with Rashard Lewis of the Magic. Check out the interview

Staff Announcement Next Week?

A little Raptor news to close. Jay Triano is hopefully that he will be able to have an announcement about his coaching staff next week. There was talk that the Memphis Grizzlies are looking for some cash if the Raptors want to sign Mark Ivaroni to the staff. Ivaroni is still under contract to the Grizzlies despite getting the boot as head coach. Just like MLSE is still sending cash to Sam Mitchell. Also as was mentioned in my interviews with Chuck Swirsky and Jack Armstrong, Alvin Williams is said to be joining the staff as well.

Raptors Rewind- Superman In The House Edition

The Raptors face a Magic team as I said in the set-up to this game is on a roll. I was impressed by the Magic heading into this season. I think people in Raptorland under estimated this team last season and did not give them credit for being a good basketball team. I personally learned my lesson and was one of the few that were giving the Magic some much deserved love in the pre-season leading into this 08/09 season. I called for Stan Van Gundy to win coach of the year and Dwight Howard to be M.V.P. The Magic had a very slow start to the season and it was looking like I was nuts. But look at them now winners of 9 of their last 10 basketball games. In the Eastern Conference all the talk is about the Cavs and Celtics and on a national stage the Magic are being over looked just like they were locally here in Toronto last year. Don't sleep on the Orlando Magic because they have talent and are a solid basketball team built around an amazing talent in Dwight Howard. Chris Bosh no doubt feels happy for his friend and his success. However given the state of things in Toronto he must be more disappointed with his situation. He will have to carry the load today with no Jermaine O'Neal and Jose Calderon. Bosh in his career has had 7 career 40 points or more games and 3 of them have been against the Magic. If Bosh is going to get any help it will have to come from Andrea Bargnani. He has done well in replacing O'Neal in the starting line-up. Despite the fact that some including me have thought he may just not be in the long term future for the Raptors he has played some of his best basketball of the season in these last few games. The Raptors will need that to continue to have any chance at success. They will also need Will Solomon to play at a high level and not fall apart as he did earlier in the year against Orlando. The odds are long for the Raptors today to get a win. That is the reality of things but if they did manage to win it would be impressive to say the least. The Magic road record is impressive to say the least. So let's see what happens and if Raptors can find a way to ground Superman. But even if they can Magic have many options from 3 point range to many to mention.

1st Quarter

Magic win the opening tap and Rashard Lewis misses a 3 pointer but Dwight Howard gets the offensive rebound and put back score. Andrea Bargnani would miss but follow his shot and score off the rebound. Bargnani would nail a 3 pointer in response to a Magic score. But quickly back the other way Dwight Howard would get a dunk. Chris Bosh would look to get in on the party making his first jumper of the day. Jameer Nelson would miss an attempt and Anthony Parker back in the starting line-up would make his first attempt of the day. Dwight Howard would get fouled but score anyway and make the free throw. The score was tied at 9. Will Solomon would drive at Howard and score and draw the second foul on Howard. So the Raptors had a 12-9 lead but more importantly Howard was taking an early seat after a hot start.

Rashard Lewis would score from long range and the game was back to even at 12-12. Anthony Parker would dunk it home on a feed from Bosh and the Raptors looked solid early with a 14-12 lead and Howard a spectator. Magic had made a few uncharacteristic turnovers early on. This latest one the Raptors could not cash is on it as Bargnani missed a 3 pointer. Hedo Turkoglu would make a 3 pointer and the Magic were in front 15-14. Jameer Nelso would get fouled and head to the line looking to extend the lead with he would making both. Anthony Parker was off to a nice start as he drove to the basket and scored in response. Will Solomon on the next trip would stop and pop for 2 points and he would do the same the next time down the floor and the Raptors were taking advantage of Magic miscues and lead 20-17. Chris Bosh would take it at Rashard Lewis and draw the foul on him and make a pair from the line. Raptors lead 22-17 and looked good. Maybe they were better than I thought against the Rockets. The Rockets were bad no doubt but it seems the Raptors were just as good based on this early performance. Bosh was back at the line adding to the lead. Jamario Moon would make a very tough jumper and the Raptors lead had grown to 26-17. This was not what I was expecting to see but am happy to be seeing it. Still this was being done with Dwight Howard looking on.

Chris Bosh continued the Raptor run with another basket and the Raptor lead was 28-17. Tony Battie would finally end the run with a basket for the Magic.But the Raptors kept rolling as AP would score a 2 point shot. Roko Ukic who had checked in for Solomon did the same as he did with back to back baskets. The Raptor lead had grown to 15 points. Kieth Bogans would hit a 3 pointer to draw the Magic slightly closer. Shockingly you score after one quarter of play it was the Raptors leading 34-22.

2nd Quarter

Jake Voskhul, Joey Graham and Jason Kapono had checked in to start the 2nd quarter. Dwight Howard was back in the game for the Magic as well and he would get to know Jake Voskhul right awat as he would get fouled. Howard would go 1-2 from the line for the first point of the quarter. Rashard Lewis would hit a 3-ball and the Magic had started the quarter on a bit of a roll. But Roko Ukic would find Bargnani for a dunk of a Magic turnover in transition. Bargnani would hit another basket with a mid-range jumper to restore the Raptor 12 point lead. Roko Ukic would drive and score and the Raptors were putting the boots to the Magic much like they had Houston. Can some one tell me what is going on here because I am at a loss. The Raptors were playing good to great defense and creating turnovers. It was hard to believe what you were watching to be honest.

Joey Graham was being aggressive on defense and he got rewarded with a basket on offense. Graham was not done as he would answer a Howard bucket with a mid range jumper. Courtney Lee would get a 3 pointer for the Magic and they badly needed it. Raptors had a 44-31 lead. Jake Voskhul would once again lay the wood on Superman and send him to the line. Howard would have a rare 2-2 effort from the line. Will Solomon was back in game and he scored. Soloic? doesn't sound like Forderon but it was sure looking like it today. Bosh was back on the floor now as well. Dwight Howard had a dunk and he had 16 points despite being limited in minutes by fouls. Howard was getting his but the rest of the Magic looked flat and not bringing much to the party.

Dwight Howard continued to score with ease and pulled the Magic back to 9 down. Andrea Bargnani would answer on the other end with a basket. Magic were struggling from beyond the arc that was made evident as Hedo Turkoglu miss a wide open 3 pointer. Andrea Bargnani would get fouled and was at the line and made a pair. He had 13 points and was playing well again. Jameer Nelson would answer with a jump shot for the Magic and cut it to single digits again. Nelso would later hit a 3 ball and the once 15 point Raptor lead had been cut to just 6 with score 50-44. Triano had seen enough to call a time-out and try and get this team back on track. It had been a tremedous first half effort and it was going down the tubes late in the half. Out of the time out the Raptors went to Bosh who had been silent since early. Bosh would be mugged but no foul call. Instead the ball would go out of bounds and the Raptors with a short shot clock could not score. Hedo Turkoglu would score answered by Anthony Parker. However Jameer Nelson was heating up and he made antother 3 pointer and that was the lead 3. Chris Bosh would get a call the next time up the floor and cash in 2-2 form the line and Raptors lead 54-49. Will Solomon was able to score on a jumper thanks to some hustle as the Raptors got a second chance to score after an A.P missed runner in the lane. Magic missed a couple long range bombs and the Raptors had a chance to build the lead back to 9 points. However Bosh would miss a fading jumper. Still the Raptors were hanging on and had a 56-49 lead at the half.

Bryan Colangelo was talking at halftime. He was in full spin mode it would seem. He was asked if he would ever consider trading Chris Bosh but he said No to that suggestion. Colangelo down played all the trade rumours that were out there. He talked about the difficulties in making a trade. He also taked about the idea of Carlos Delfino and he suggested that he would be interested in having him back but suggested that would likely happen next year as opposed to this year. He continued to defend Andrea Bargnani and talked about him still being young and learning. When he was asked if the only players he would not move at this point were Calderon and Bosh he did a masterful job of ducking the question. But based on his comments on Bargnani it seems he is still not ready to give up on him. He did say the now standard line that he is always looking to improve the team and do what he can to make it better. Colangelo is a very smart guy in talking with the media and he never truly makes any mistakes.

Jack Armstrong followed up on the comments of Colangelo and talked about how Carlos Delfino would be a nice fit for this team and could play some time at the point guard position for the Raptors and add some needed grit. He also talked about how Andrea as he sees it will be a 5 in this league going forward. He said you can see him responding to more minutes and oppurtunity. I can not argue the point as Bargnani has been putting in consistent performances the last few games playing at the 5. But the question will be what happens when O'Neal returns and how will that be handled. I mentioned a few days ago it could end up being a very trick and toxic situation if not handled correctly. So that was a more interesting halftime than you average one. But it was on to the second half and see if the Raptors could continue to shock with a great perfomance against the Magic.

3rd Quarter

It was a good start as the Raptors went right to Bosh and he had a two handed throw down. The Magic on their first possesion would turn it over. In fact they would have back to back turnovers to start the 3rd quarter to the dismay of both Dwight Howard and Stan Van Gundy. Bosh meanwhile had scored the first 4 points of the quarter as he made a jump shot. Dwight Howard would score in response but quickly after that picked up his 3rd foul of the afternoon. Raptor led 60-51 early in the 3rd. Jameer Nelson who was a factor late in the first half, found his way to the line and made a pair from the line. Anthony Parker would come back with a score for the home side. Rashard Lewis would answer that with a 3 pointer and Raptors lead had been cut to just 6 points. Anthony Parker would respond with a jumper and he was 7-8 from the field on the day. In a season that he has struggled he was having one of his best performances of it on this day. He had 14 points and the Raptors lead was 64-56.

Magic made another turnover as a pass went sailing out of bounds. The Raptors could not turn that mistake into points on the other end. Rashard Lewis just keeps shooting and he made his 4th shoot from beyond the arc on the afternoon. Anthony Parker would answer that with a Parker dunk. Stan Van Gundy had seen enough of parker scoring and took Bogans who was gaurding him out of the game. Andrea Bargnani though would hit a 3 pointer and he would score diving to the basket for another 2 points. The Raptors continued to lead 71-61. Magic would make there way to the line to 4 made free throws and the lead was cut back to 6 points. Chris Bosh would get a score in response on a feed from Andrea. But Jameer Nelson had a 3 point answer for that and Raptors were fighting hard to stay in front. Anthony Parker would get another basket to push the lead back to 7 point where in began to start the quarter. Dwight Howard would score to make it 75- 70 for the Raptors. Rashard Lewis would follow up with 3 pointer number 5 for him on the day and the Raptor lead was down to just 2 points. Jay Triano would call a time out and try to get things back on track. Orlando was using the 3 point shot to stay in this game. Nelson and Lewis were the key contributors to the 11 made 3 pointers for Orlando.

Jake Voskhul had checked in and missed a jump shot badly. But the next time the Raptors would be able to hook up Parker for another dunk via the Ukic pass. Courtney Lee would answer that with another 3 pointer for the Magic. A steal and a dunk by Dwight Howard and Orlando had their first lead since 17-16 in the first quarter. So after a really solid effort from the Raptors they would find themselves down 1 point after 3 quarters. It almost did not seem fair as the Raptors had really earned a better fate to this point. The problem was the perimeter defense that had been the same issue that saw the Magic bounce Toronto from the playoffs in April.

4th Quarter

Chris Bosh would start the 4th quarter on the bench hoping to be able to lead the charge down the stretch to an unexpected win. Both teams would fail to score on their opening efforts of the quarter. It would take over two minutes in the quarter to get a score but it would be a thunderous Dwight Howard dunk that would break open the score sheet. Raptors would get to the line and make a pair of free throws. Howard would drive and score and draw a foul on Andrea Bargnani. Howard had 33 in the game and that was a season high. Jamario Moon would make a 3 pointer and J.J Redick would answer with a 3-ball of his own. Jason Kapono would make a basket and be fouled by J.J and have a chance to cut the Magic lead back to 1 after a time out on the floor.

Raptor point guards had combined for 17 points and 8 assists with just 2 turnovers. Kapono meanwhile would make his free throw and it was 86-85 Orlando. Chris Bosh was waiting to check in but before he could he would see Jason Kapono make a shot and give his team the lead. Andrea Bargnani had picked up 3 fouls in the quarter and had 4 in the game that was a concern. Reddick the former Duke star would score and Oklahoma State Cowboy alum Joey G would respond and it was Raptor leading 89-88. Dwight Howard who didn't go to college was at the line and could only make 1-2 and we were tied at 89. The Raptors would respond by Roko Ukic getting to the line and he would make both of his and the Raptors lead 91-89 with 6:48 to play. J.J Redick made a big 3 pointer to put the Magic back into the lead. Anthony Parker normally takes a lot of 3's but today he was a dunking machine as he had another exposing Redick on the defensive end. Raptors would have lead 93-92 with 5:57 left in regulation time.

Some more key free throws for Rashard Lewis that he would make to put Orlando back on top. That foul was not on Bargnani but the next time down the floor after a Raptor miss it would be. Howard would make both frome the line and he had 36 points and Andrea had 5 fouls and Jay Triano would take Bargnani out of the game. Anthony Parker would make a 3 pointer and tie the score at 95. The Superman show would continue on the other end as he would score again. Roko Ukic would make his way to the line again in response and make a few more key free throws and we were tied at 97. Dwight Howard would get back to the line and he would go 1-2. Joey Graham would miss a runner in the lane. The Magic would not be able to make the Raptors pay. Anthony Parker scored again to give the Raptors the lead he had 26 points. Rashard Lewis would answer with a 3 point bomb and the Magic were back on top 101-99 with 2:59 to go. This was a heck of an entertaining basketball game for one that a lot of folks would have though could have been a Magic blowout victory. It was anything but that though as the Raptors were fighting hard for a win.

Chris Bosh had got himself to the line with a chance to tie the score. He would make the first and the second and we were even again at 101-101. Antrhony Parker getting it done on defense as well with a steal. It would lead to a Bosh drive and what was thought to be a score. But instead it would be a fould and no basket. Bosh would make both clutch free throws and the Raptors lead 103-101 with just over 2 minutes to play. Howard would head to the line foulded by Bosh which would be his 4th. Howard could only go 1-2 again. He would be really scary if he could ever figure out how to make free throws. He had 39 points despite missing 7 free throws on the day. Roko Ukic was remaining in this game down the stretch and playing well. Parker would have a rare miss and the Magic would have a chance to take the lead. The Raptors forced the Magic to burn a time out with a trap on Hedo in the corner and 4 seconds left on the shot clock and 1:25 in the 4th. Rashard Lewis was forced into a turnover and the Raptors had another chance to extend the lead but could not. But the Magic again failed to take the lead. Roko Ukic would not allow the Raptors to miss 3 times as he would hit the biggest shot of his young NBA career. Raptors had a 105-102 lead with 38.1 seconds to play. J.J Redick would take and miss a 3 pointer and Chris Bosh would grab the rebound and be fouled and sent to the line. He would make the first that would make it a 2 possesion game. He would make the second as well. Moon would block a desprate 3-ball attempt from Turkoglu. Bosh would grab it again and be sent to the line where he would split a pair. Raptors had a 108-102 lead. There was only 9.2 seconds left and this would be a huge win for the Raptors to have heading to Milwaukee. Rashard Lewis would throw up one more 3-ball that would not fall. The Raptors win and shock their fans and the Magic. I really can not believe the effort of this basketball team playing without two of it's stars. You have to look at this boxscore to believe that this took place because it was that amazing.

Raps/Magic Boxscore

The Raptors have a remarkable homestand in which they win 2 of 3 against Houston and now Orlando. I have to say I am pretty shocked by all of this. After I go pinch myself to make sure I am awake I will have more to say about this in the blog tomorrow. But I like you am a happy camper and will just close by saying this was a great effort and a team win and I am going to enjoy it as should you.

Don't Look Now It's Superman Landing In Canada

So both J.O and Jose Calderon are not likely to play this afternoon. The Raptors would be hard pressed with those guys in the line-up and without them it would seem very unlikely the Raptors could win. This is also the front end of a back to back for the Raptors as they will be taking a plane to Milwaukee after this game to face the Bucks on Monday night. The Magic have only built on the success they had last season. They did suffer a blow recently losing there major free agent signing from this offseason Mickael Pietrus. But the Magic have seen improvement from Jameer Nelson who showed his skills last season in the playoffs against the Raptors. In a series that he was suppose to be the 3rd best point guard in it he was the best. Check out how Jameer has been doing this year below with his NBA.Com widget:



But when it comes to the Orlando Magic it all comes down to the man that was once called the man child and he is now known as Superman. Dwight Howard is good friends with Chris Bosh as the two got to know each other when Bosh was a freshman star at Georgia Tech and Howard was a high school stud in the Atlanta area. Check out why some folks are talking M.V.P for Superman. But just like his Magic he is not talked about enough:





He and Bosh compete on the floor and they are going to go at it on the web as well. Dwight Howard has been working on build a website that can match his friend Bosh. We all know about www.chris-bosh.com but now there is www.dwight-howard.com There is a lot more to be excited about for Howard right now. Chris Bosh may have overshadowed him at the Olympics in China. But now in the 08/09 NBA season Dwight is getting the attention. He is going to defend his Slam Dunk Title and his Magic are rolling 9-1 in their last 10 and 12-4 on the road this year. They are 3rd in the Eastern Conference and have a 4 game lead in the once laughed about Southeast Division over the Atlanta Hawks.

Bosh meanwhile will need to call upon some of those great performances he had against the Magic in the past. In fact prior to the Playoff series last year Bosh was always getting the better of Dwight Howard. So much so that a lot of Raptor fans wanted to face the Magic in the first round last year. After game #1 in Orlando not a lot of folks still wanted too. The Raptors and Magic already have faced each other this season on November 18th. It was in Orlando and the Magic won fairly easy and if memory serves me correct Raptors were with out Jose Calderon for that game as well. You can check if I am right and look back at my thoughts back then in the Raptor Rewind. What I do know for sure is that the Magic won 110-93.

So the Raptors second win in 2009 will be hard pressed to happen on this Sunday Afternoon. Thinking the Bucks will be an easy win not so fast. Bucks are 6-4 in their last 10 and have climbed into 8th spot in the Eastern Conference. The also have a respectable 10-5 record at home. So it will not be easy. But nothing has been this season for the Raptors.

Matt Devlin Part 2 From California

Before we get to the second half of my chat with Matt Devlin. Some thoughts on last night. The Raptors had chances to win that basketball game and did not make it happen. It was made painfully clear that this team needs more talent plain and simple. Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon both had excellent personal nights. Jermaine O'Neal was for the most part not able to play in this game with the flu. The team beyond that produced very little. Jay Triano was giving everyone a chance for the most part and no one was really answering the call. It was an extremely painful loss when you consider what lies ahead for this team in this 3 game homestand. Now on to what Matt Devlin had to say yesterday in our interview as it continued after the starting 5 audio portion.

In this conversation with Matt it was more along the lines of topics as opposed to individual questions. The first topic we got into was Andrea Bargnani. Jack Armstrong has been firm in sticking with Andrea and feeling he can be a productive player. I started this topic with Matt's general impressions of Andrea as of late (This Interview Was Conducted Prior To Last Night's Game )

Matt Devlin-" I think that over the last two games you have seen the flashes that we talked about. Number one he has scored in double figures in back to back games for the first time since November. That is certainly significant. Ultimately for Andrea it is up to him. Forget about the pressures, forget about everything. It is up to you, it is your 3rd year. While there has been coaching changes and position changes, he really just has to come to grips with things and let it go. I got to be me and just play. I think if he does that and tries to play free and easy that will really benefit him."

I went on to ask Matt if there is concern in moving Andrea because he may finally get it. There is also the fact that on another roster that Andrea could be able to play as a 4. Which has to been to me what Bargnani sees himself as in terms of a position.

Matt Devlin-" That is a good one, I don't know if you have an answer for that. That answer is for Andrea. I think one of the most difficult things to do is figure out why someone is struggling. Why are they doing this when it appears that they have the ability to do special things. How do you get inside Andrea's mind? You can ask him the questions but is that ultimately how he is really feeling? I don't know.

It is like one of the great unknowns in sports and in life. When gifted talent.... Jack and I talked about this... you are gifted and everyone knows you are gifted. There is another part to that and that is putting it altogether and that is part of the gift. Do you have the ability to put it altogether? That is an unknown right now when it comes to Andrea. Bargnani is in my opinion extraordinarily talented, he has the capabilities to do a lot. But can he do it I don't know."

It is the same type of situation with a guy like Joey Graham. However people expect more from Andrea based on where he was selected and perhaps they should. But that may be part of the problem as well that Andrea Bargnani will always be judged by that first overall selection. In a recent conversation with Paul Jones we had talked about the idea of a sports psychologist being on staff. It could benefit a number of the Raptors you would think with all that has gone on with this team as individuals and as a team. I asked Matt for his take on the idea.

Matt Devlin " This is the third organization I have been with and they have all the resources. Bryan Colangelo is first class at everything that he does. He has surrounded this team with the best of everything. If it is needed it is there.

Technically they do not have one on staff but they have the resources for that. There is technically no team in the league that has one on staff full time. But if they feel or a player feels they need something like that they get it. From my understanding with the people that I have spoken to that they have that ability. If anybody on the team want to go to someone that is there. Everybody now uses like these "life coaches". They will tell you to unleash the power with in. Those things are important for people to reach their potential for any player or in life. But I think it comes down to the individual themselves and do they want it. Do you want to be the best? Michael Jordan said he wanted to be the best and he was gifted and made himself the best. Kobe Bryant is gifted but still puts the time in on the floor. There is a lot of people that say they want to be but then they don't back it up. There is the odd person that is just truly talented and doesn't have to work that hard and take it for granted."

I can only speak for myself but if this losing keeps up I may need a psychologist. I mentioned to Matt that Jay Triano is a big believer in this kind of thing. It was mentioned in the interview with Paul Jones how he used that resource with Team Canada in 2000. The record has not been good for Jay Triano since taking over the team. However it seems the team is buying into what he is trying to but in place. I asked Matt to talk about Jay and how he thinks it is going with him and the players as far as their relationship and faith in him

Matt Devlin " I think all the players have reacted positively towards him. That is one of the things that I think everyone notices. He is somebody that has earned his stripes that has been around the organization. Players and people respect his opinion and his approach cause they see the amount of hard work he has put in. Those are important things. You have to have that and that is something that Jay has provided. So from an environment standpoint that has been a big bonus for the team.

From a philosophical standpoint everyone has already talked about what he has been attempting and trying to do. There are times in which those things are getting done. From the players perspective I think they all understand now what the approach is going to be game in and game out. That is extremely important. Jay has a respect of the players based upon his work with them, his scouting of other teams and the fact that he has put it his time. Those are important and they help build a positive environment to help build together as a team. This team is very close to putting some things together but unfortunately for them it has just be a very difficult schedule. They just have not had that break in the schedule to catch their breath. You also have to take advantage of chances like they had in Oklahoma City."

Golden State may fall in that same column of chances not taken advantage of. The other thing that has been an issue is getting Chris Bosh and Jermaine O'Neal firing at the same time. Last night was another example of that chemistry and the chance to build on it lost. I am not blaming O'Neal he gave it a try and looked every bit the part of a guy that was sick. But even when both have been healthy Bosh and O'Neal have had few nights where they both have been a force. I asked Matt for his thoughts on that relationship and if it was working on the floor?

Matt Devlin " They had it together the other night and that is important. But it just takes time obviously. I think that it is working but it just takes time. It is a lot easier said than done. When you look to the other night they played well together. But I think key now is they just need some help. In that game the other night the need Kapono to knock down some shots and that didn't happen. They combined for 46 points in that game what more can you want?"

But it just seems that those nights have not been the norm to me. There is still times where you see Bosh and O'Neal not on the same page where one will pass to the other and catch that person off guard. Small minor details that just have yet to come together.

Matt Devlin " I think there is some validity to that. They are still trying to find what works for both. I think both have a bit of different styles. That is just something that takes time to sort out. I know what your saying and it is not easy. You say that if one is able to get it how come the other can not. But when you look at the last game that is more representative with the exception of rebounds from O'Neal. That game was more representative of what you want to see, Bosh had 29 and J.O had 17, from shot distribution standpoint and getting to the line. "

But in that game against Portland the Raptors did not win. They have not been able to find a way to win over quality opposition this season. They have at times struggled even against lesser teams. But to be able to get on the type of run they are going to need to breath back life into their season they must find a way to beat the better teams. I asked Matt for his thoughts on how the Raptors can break through.

Matt Devlin " That is all part of the process. I remember Hubie Brown always talking about, one of the steps is being on the road with 4 minutes to go and being in the game. That is a huge step for a team in the process. For the Raptors they need to get there. The other thing and I have talked about this with a lot of people around the NBA. There is no natural progression. Just because you make it to the playoffs one year or the Eastern Conference Final or The Finals does not earn you the right to get back the next year. There are other teams out there looking to do that same exact thing."

Matt had said he was chatting with assistant coaches with Portland and they were saying how many losses it has taken for the Blazers just to get to where they are at in being considered a team in the playoff mix. But the difference with the Blazers and Raptors from my perspective is look at how young the Blazers are. The Raptors have a lot of established players. Bargnani would be the exception but everyone else beyond Roko and Nathan Jawai are experienced players. The Raptors took a risk to get better and to this point that risk has failed. One of the keys is that reforming of the Raptors was Jose Calderon. Fans had high expectations for Jose Calderon. A night like he had last night is what some were expecting from Jose on a more regular basis. He was talked about has the best point guard in the Eastern Conference. I asked Matt if Jose had not matched the expectations.

Matt Devlin " I'm trying to put this in perspective. I mean he is third in the NBA is Assists. From an expectation standpoint I don't know. It is a new role for him and you look at his number the are solid numbers. So I think that he has done a really good job. He has had two different coaches that want to do things differently so that chances how you approach the game. Also the understanding of who you need to get involved and when you need to get them involved. So I think he has done an excellent job. But I understand when people take a look at it and say that from a fan perspective that we want more. I think from a defensive standpoint people are always going to say that he may be a little bit limited. I think against Portland he did a excellent job and was taking some shots, his shooting percentages are down and his shots are up but yet he is still 3rd in the NBA in assists ."

But Jose was expected to be an Eastern Conference All-Star and a top point guard in the East. The guys on TNT have said that the expectations were to high for the Raptors. Kenny Smith even went as far as to say that Calderon was not good enough to be a starter in the league. I am not going that far myself. But I think people wanted more. I asked Matt about the fact that some folks saw Calderon as an all-star and it is not likely to happen.

Matt Devlin " Right, that will be up to the fans and the process of it. When you look in the East you have Rajon Rondo, Devin Harris and Jose. Also a guy like Jameer Nelson with the Magic. There is a core group of young guys that are pretty talented."

When you look at the seasons that a guys like Rajon Rondo and Devin Harris have had it is hard to say that Jose Calderon is better than ethier for me. I just would not be willing to say it and mean it. Matt does bring up Jameer Nelson as well who along with the Magic have gone highly without fanfare this season. Can Jay Triano bring some of what he brought to Steve Nash in his time with team Canada in 2000. Make Jose take a bit more of a risk taker approach at times. T.J Ford in the past was the guy who would take that chance in the past and sometimes it was great other times not. But Ford still managed to stay among the better players in assist to turnover ratio in the league. Can you change Jose at all to add some risk?

Matt Devlin " I think and recently had this conversation about Jose, that is just not who he is. I think from a system standpoint and the way he has been coached his entire career that is just not who he is. He is not a Steve Nash and honestly how many people in the history of the game have that. Very few from a point guard position winning back to back M.V.P's. There style of play is just completely opposite ends of the game. For Jose , will that eventually develop? I can say that through time because Jose really trusts jay and they are picking more spots to run that Jose will take that chance. But ultimately he has been taught to play the game a certain way and that is not to turn the basketball over. From a point guard perspective that is not a bad thing."

I have to admit last night Jose was one of the best players on the floor. But I can't help but think fans expected much more than what they have seen. The increased work load and lack of production from the back-up position has not helped matters as well. That is a wrap for Matt. I thank him as always for making time for the Dino Nation Blog. It is lots of fun to talk about the team when times are good. But when times are rough it can be rough to do it on those days. All the best in 2009 for Matt and I look forward to talking with him in the new year.

The Blogger M.V.P and R.O.Y Rankings

It is time once again to hear what bloggers from around the league have to say on the M.V.P and Rookie Races. I was able to add some thoughts and some of them made it into the comments as part of the rankings. I am sorry to all T-Wolves fans but I had to say it. Who is leading the ROY and MVP race. Check out the link below to find out.

M.V.P and R.O.Y Rankings

With that it is all over for today just one more day in 2008 left to go. Yippie!!!

Raptor Rewind- At The Site Of The End

The Toronto Raptors season ended here in late April. It was the start of what would be an off-season of major change for the Raptors. It would bring Jermaine O'Neal here and it would sent T.J Ford and Rasho Nesterovic to the Pacers. The Raptors are now going with a Big 3 in the real sense of size. If they were going to get revenge it was going to be with out Jose Claderon who will miss his second game of the night. That will make the task of stopping Dwight Howard and crew that much tougher. Can they get it done? That is what we are aiming to find out. By the way the Dino Nation Blog's Major announcement is set to happen after midnight to night. So win or lose I am excited. But I would rather it was on a high note with a Raptor win so let's go.

Raptors get it started going inside to Andrea Bargnani and he scored. Magic would miss fire on their opening trip of the game. Chris Bosh would hit a jumper and the Raptors had the early 4-0 jump. Now the third of the big three line-up scores. J.J Redick would hit a 3-ball to get the Magic on the board. Jameer Nelson would hit a 3-ball of his own and we were back to even at 6 points with a time out Toronto.

Raptors got the lead by accident with a pass that scored for two points for the Raps. Will Solomon had a score and followed that up with a steal which would end up with Chris Bosh at the line. Raps would have an 11-7 lead in the early going. Andrea Bargnani would pick up his second foul trying to stop Superman. Jason Kapono would check in for Andrea. Raptors had 13-10 lead despite 5 turnovers. Well they did till Rashard Lewis hit a 3-ball to tie it. Raptors got back to back buckets to go up 4. Jameer Nelson would then score on the drive a couple times with one shot fired back from J.O. It was 19-17 for the Raptors. A.P would hit a jumper that stretched the Raptor lead to 6 points at 23-17 with under 4 minutes in the first.

Bosh would get fouled by Tony Battie with a chance to extend the lead. He would only make one of two from the line. Jameer Nelson was on fire as he scored again and the Raptor lead was 5 points at 24-19. Will Solomon would make the final shot of the quarter and the Raptors on the strength of 10 points by Jermaine O'Neal had the lead after 1 quarter leading 26-21.

Raptors would not score on first chance of the second quarter. The Magic would score on a rebound of a J.J Redick miss by Tony Battie. Raptors would get rolling after that and extended the lead out to 8 points at 33-25. Bosh would make that lead double digits at 10 on a Bosh drive and score. Anthony Johnson was doing the same to Ukic as Solomon was getting from Jameer Nelson, as he drove to basket and scored. But Roko would return the favour on the other end.

Jason Kapono made a long 2 pointer that would keep the lead at 10 points with the Raptors up 39-29. The Magic's Superman who struggled against Charlotte was still struggling tonight so far going 0-3 from the Field. Dwight did not get a field goal vs the Bobcats in the Magic's last outing and he still had not got one so far tonight. Howard would end his drought with a basket and a foul charged to J.O. Was it the blogger jinx? Maybe. Raptors would respond with a basket on the other end still leading by 9 points. Jermaine O'Neal would pick up a second foul and that would cost the Raps not long after. Hedo Turkoglu would drive to the basket and O'Neal had to let him go or risk a 3rd foul. Rashard Lewis would cash in a Raptors shot clock violation with a 3 point shot. Dwight Howard would get an easy basket after that. The Raptor lead would be gone on yet another turnover and the Magic had tied it up at 41. Dwight Howard rejected an A.P attempt into row 3 of the crowd. But Chris Bosh would find a way to score on Superman. Howard would score to tie it and A.P would come back and this time make his jump shot. Magic had 6.3 seconds to tie and they would thanks to Jameer Nelson. So all square at 45 points after the first half.

Well the Raps need to hang on to the ball and they may have a chance. But they misfired on first couple chances on offensive end. Bargnani despite a miss made a block on the other end. Another Raptor turnover would end up in a Dwight Howard offensive foul so no damage done. But Will Solomon made his 6th turnover of the night. It was not the same Will that impressed on Sunday afternoon. Hedo would turn that mistake into 2 points for the Magic who lead 48-45.

J.O made a turn around jumper and the Raptors were trying to find a way to get back into it. Chris Bosh would end up on the line after a steal made by Will Solomon. But Bosh could only hit one of two and the Raptors still trailed. Dwight Howard would get the lead back to 3 points for the Magic. He would later extend that lead to five at the line when he was fouled by Andrea Bargnani. Magic had a run going as J.J Redick would score extnding the lead to 7 he would hit a 3 pointer after another failed Raptor chance. The Raptors once 10 point lead had been reversed as the Magic now lead 60-50.

Chris Bosh would end the Magic run with a much needed jumper. But Jameer Nelson would respond quickly with a basket of his own. More bad news as the Raptors would have to go without J.O who was in foul trouble. He had a great night going with 14 points and 8 rebounds to this point. Magic were taking to the Raptors as the made turnover number 17 and the magic turned that into points 67-54. Raptors would start a 6-0 run that they badly needed. Roko Ukic drove and scored plus a foul to get the Raptors to single digits deficit.

Chris Bosh continued the run as he made a basket. The Orlando lead had been trimed to 67-61. Magic after a time out would get things back on track a bit. Rashard Lewis made a basket. Orlando had the lead back up to 9 points. But Chris Bosh was trying all he could to keep the Raps alive he scored and he had 25 and 10 with still more then a quarter to play. Bosh would get another basket and the Magic lead was 72-66. Roko Ukic would drive to the basket and get fouled and head to the line. He would only make one of two and the Raptors trailed by 6 heading to the 4th down 73-67.

Raptors had a chance to chop into the lead and make it 4 point game. Instead they miss and Hedo made a 3-ball and the lead was 9.The Orlando Magic were on cruse control for most of the 4th quarter and the Raptors despite a brilliant performance by Chris Bosh. He was a one man show. 24 turnovers had cost the Raptors to many chances in this basketball game. It was really unfortunate because you had the feeling if Jose Calderon was in this basketball game the Raptors would have won it with not to much trouble. The Raptors walk away with that same feeling from April. Much like in that series Bosh was outstanding but it was not enough. Bosh had a monster performance. 40 points, 18 rebounds and 2 steals and a block. Great news for Bosh fantasy owners but for Raptor fans and him it was not enough as the Raptors went down 103-90 to the Magic. All 5 Magic starters had double digit nights and 3 had 22 ( Nelson, Lewis and Turkoglu). This was a game the Raptors likely should have won and would have won if Jose Calderon was healthy. Hopefully he will be for the Heat tomorrow. Here is the nasty boxscore details.

Magic vs Raptors Boxscore

I will be back to tell you the big secret that has been in the making for awhile but if you look up at the top of the site you will understand what is going on a little bit. But I will explain it all at midnight. The New Era has started. Unfortunately the Raptors could not help out with a win.

O.K the announcement will have to wait to Tomorrow sorry about this. Seems a couple things need to be worked out. But it is stilling happening just delayed a day. Yeah I know sorry bout that.

Chris Bosh Returns To The Scene Of The Crime

Chris Bosh returns to where it all ended for him last year. He said that he remembers it all. The fans laughing at them. The Magic should be warned to, the last time the Raptors faced a team that knocked them out of the playoffs it wasn't pretty for that team. The Raptors marched into the swamp lands of New Jersey and ripped apart the Nets early last season. Jose Calderon will be there but if he is going to be playing is still up in the air. If not can Will Solomon have back to back performances like the one he had Sunday? I am not going to bet against it. After all I doubted he could have the first one.

The Magic come into this game on a 3 game winning streak. The latest was a win over the Bobcats that saw Dwight Howard get 0 field goals. Something tells me that won't happen twice. The Magic started their season with a loss to those surprising Atlanta Hawks but the Magic have come back from that and have had a respectable 7-3 start to the season. They are actually a half game ahead of the Hawks who have cooled off since their hot start and sit at 6-3.

During last year's playoff series I made a friend (Greg) who was cheering for the Magic. So I thought it would make sense to get some help from him on how the Magic are doing. He never misses a Magic game so why not hear his thoughts on his squad.

• Magic have struggled from the 3 point line. They still make their share but it is a case of the volume of attempts that take. ( This was a big factor in how the Magic beat the Raps in the Playoff series as they were on fire from 3 point range)
• Rashard Lewis has not been shooting the ball well but has been getting to the line. The Dino Blogger knows about the Lewis struggles cause he is on a fantasy roster on one of my teams.
• Jameer Nelson has been doing well and doing a good job and create his own chances while running the team(Jameer was huge key in the playoff series win for the Magic)
  
• Pietrus has made some big shots for the Magic. He (Greg) references a big shot vs the Mavs and some key plays vs. the Bobcats to prove his point.
• Some other things of note, Howard turned an ankle at end of Bobcat game but is fine. He has averaged over 4 blocks a game. This is the start of 3 of 4 at home for the Magic. They have been using a short rotation just like the Raptors with Stan Van Gundy only going 8 deep on most nights.

Some other stats of note:

Raptors on the Road- 3-2
Magic at Home 4-2

Rebounds- Raptors 38.5, Magic 44.5

Magic have won 7 of their last 8 after a slow start.

Raptors Big 3 Will Remain:

The Raptors plan to keep the new starting line-up they used on Sunday. The one change would be Jose Calderon if he was able to go. This will be a much different challenge for this new line up. Lewis, Hedo and D-12 all have height and will present a challenge to defend for the Raptors. The ability to defend on the perimeter will be key as the Magic will fire it up from 3 regardless of if the shot is falling or not. Also the Raptors will need to have a plan to stop what should be a highly motivated Dwight Howard. Howard and Bosh have a well know friendship and on court rivalry. Many feel that Bosh out played Howard on team U.S.A in the summer on the way to a Gold Medal. The other thing will be how J.O impacts on all of this. He was brought in to help this team based on what the Magic did to the Raptors. This is why J.O came to the Raptors in a lot of ways. He knows that just as much as all of us do.

So the Raptors will be looking for some revenge and this game is not one you will need to hunt down. It is on The Score and it is one that Chris Bosh has likely been waiting for since the schedule came out in the summer. It should be a good one to watch. A real big test for the Raptors and if they truly can be better than what they were last season.

Here is the Preview from NBA.Com:
Raptors and Magic Preview

What Is Coming...Raptor Rewind...The Wait is Almost Over

So that is it for your set up for Raps and Magic. Raptor Rewind tonight with how it all turns out. I will likely have details on when the Big Announcement for the Dino Nation Blog will be made as well. It is coming soon and I hope everyone will be happy about it. The Dino Nation Blog is growing and that is a good thing for everyone. But for all of the folks that have been here and supporting it to this point. I thank you all and trust me you will always be valued by me. It is almost a year since this all started and it has been a truly great experience for me that I get a lot of joy from and you the readers of the Dino Nation Blog are a HUGE part of that.

Raptors Sunday Surprise

Well raise your hand if you thought Will Solomon would have a double double, Keep them up if you thought J.O would get 18 rebounds and I could go on but point made. That point is that we all were surprised by what we saw yesterday. I don't think anyone saw this coming. But we probably should have. It is the Raptor way after all. When you have the least of expectations the Raptors always come up with some kind of amazing performance. There are many examples throughout Raptors history. My favourite of those is the run the team made without Vince Carter winning like 16 of 18 games to make the playoffs. They would take the Detroit to 5 games(The series limit at the time ) only to have Chris Childs brain cramp cost them the series. But it was an amazing run to get to that point. So just when you think the Raptors are done. That is when they have a trick up their sleeve to pull out.

Just like the Raptors he coaches Sam Mitchell will not die or go away. The fire Sam chants get louder and he finds a way to quiet them. People have many issues with Sam and they feel he is not the coach for this team to reach that next level. I think the jury is still out on that. But I admire Sam Mitchell and respect his never say die attitude. It would be easy for a team without Jose Calderon to come up with a poor effort. But Sam Mitchell in his entire time here has never used any injury as an excuse. He also will not allow his players to use it as an excuse. Sam is famous for saying the last time he checked everyone still got a paycheck on the 1st and 15th. Which means that everyone is expected to do their job when called upon. When you cut to the chase Sam Mitchell is a guy with "Old School" values that I respect and admire. While many cheer and rant to see Sam Mitchell fired. I have always cheered for Sam to prove them wrong. But I have said and I believe this will be the year that will define and end this debate one way or the other. I wrote a blog on this topic and still think everything in that is true. Sam needs to have success in the playoffs and if he does not I think he really is going to be hard pressed to return. But whatever we all think it is what Bryan Colangelo thinks that will count in the end.

3 Big Experiment

So that worked out pretty well as the Raptors busted out the big 3 line-up of Bosh, Bargnani and J.O. Sam Mitchell had only used it in extreme cases prior to this. It reminded me of when all was lost Sam would throw out T.J and Jose together. I had called it the break glass in case of emergency move by Sam Mitchell. But this time it seems to be a case to send a message to the under performing wing players. Not just the starting line-up changed but the entire rotation. Good news for Kris Humphries fans and bad news for Joey Graham fans. The Miami Heat were the perfect test model to give this a shot. They lack the size to match up and it improved the Raptors rebounding and defense overall. The Raptors were dead last in the league in rebounds. Something needed to be done.

Andrea Bargnani has really made a great effort to improve his game and is showing signs that he is getting it. The biggest change is in his overall attitude and effort. It has been far better and you see the results on the floor. Jermaine O'Neal is starting to round into shape and understanding his role on this team. His contributions on defense are getting better and more often. There was a point in the 4th quarter that every shot he could challenge and try and block he did. He already is making goals. He said that he asked what the franchise record is for shot blocks in a season is?(Marcus Camby-230) That is his goal to beat. Meanwhile Chris Bosh is having the best season of his NBA career by far. He has just looked fantastic. His 4th All Star appearance is about as close to a lock as you can get. Putting these three players on the floor together makes a ton of sense from an offensive point of view. What will define it and determine the long term future of it will be the D. How these guys play on defensive end will determine if this can be a long term solution or a short term one that can be used in certain match-ups.

Raptors Face The Reason

The Orlando Magic are the reason. It was how they took like a hot knife through butter as to why the Raptors made the chances they made. Orlando exposed all the weak points of the Toronto Raptors and that is why they took only 5 games to send the Raptors packing. So in the first match-up since that series the changes will be put to the test. The Magic's only major change in the off-season was the signing of Mickael Pietrus. But the roster is much the same as the one the Raptors faced in the playoffs.

But the Raptors have now two options to throw at Superman. Both Bosh and J.O can take turns at taking on Superman. The Raptors also have a shot blocking answer for Howard in J.O. But when it comes down to it the Raptor perimiter defense needs to improve and it will be tested by the Magic who are a team like the Raptors that has a number of shooters that can take advantage of the 3 point line.

The other thing that will have to change is at the point. Both Jose Calderon and T.J Ford were out played by Jameer Nelson and he opened a lot of eyes with his performance in that series. If Jose is going to be the All Star player that everyone expects him to be he needs to be better than a guy like Nelson. The one thing about Jose that has always been a major disappointment to me is his defense. As gifted a player as he is on the offensive end, his defense is almost as bad on the other end of the floor. He is to many times easily picked off by picks that are set. His on the ball defense needs a lot of work. That is were Jose needs to improve his game the most and I think he still has a long way to go. But it will not be easy with more minutes and the concern for him to remain healthy.

Time To Make A Move...Not A Trade...In the Standings

The Raptors have a record of 5-4 and are part of a log jam in the Eastern Conference that sees a lot of teams in and around the .500 mark. The Raptors if they are serious about being a contender need to step up and make a move. They have some games ahead that you would class as winnable games and they must take advantage of those chances. If the Raptors want to be concerned about playoff position and not just making the playoffs in April they need to take advantage of these points in the schedule.

The big thing that cost the Raptors last year was losing Chris Bosh at a time when they had a number of games that were of the winnable variety. They were not able to win without Chris and it cost them playoff position and it really sent the season off course. If the Raptors want to be that contender they think they are the time is now to make a move in that direction. That may be why we saw the changes we did on Sunday. There was no time to endure an early season slump. Besides the East is better and some teams are suprising early. Like the New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks even the Bulls and Heat are holding their own.

No Good News For Nate?

It really is not looking good for Nathan Jawai. His problems could cost him his career. The future for him is in serious doubt. The Toronto Sun had an article that was picked up on Real Gm on the Nathan Jawai heart issue. Here is a link to it.

Raptors Comment On Jawai

Maverick in Trouble

Just a quick note on this. I was watching CNN and they are reporting that Mark Cuban is being investigated and charged for insider trading. It involves an internet company that he sold stock in. This is some real high brow economic stuff. But what it could mean for the Mavs and Cuban is not clear. But Insider trading can get you put in jail if convicted I do know that. Here is an article on this issue. It deals more with the business angle of this story and not basketball. But if you are interested check it out.

Mark Cuban Article

ESPN also has an Article on this

ESPN- Feds Charge Cuban

Update 6PM

As I have read more and found out more on this it seems that Cuban even if convicted would not be looking at Jail time of any kind. This is a civil matter and would only impact him in sense of reputation and cash wise. There was a very interesting segment on this on Prime Time Sports on the Fan 590.

Tomorrow I will get you set for the Magic and Raptors from sunny (No Doubt) Florida. 2 More Days to Change. It is busy times for Dino Nation Blog. But exciting ones. I will be here in the cold typing. But I will think warm thoughts for the Raptors.