Bargnani Trade Game

It has become pretty clear that the Toronto Raptors have an appetite to trade Andrea Bargnani, as much as he has for Primo Pasta and sauce. So today in the blog I am going put on my fantasy G.M hat and see if I can find a deal that makes some sense. The first team that came rushing to mind in wanting to unload Bargnani was the Golden State Warriors. Why them? Well they really have never cared about defence and Bargnani's ability to score and shoot three's fits right in the mix with what they do.

So here is the best deal I could come up with that might make some sense for both sides.

To Golden State:

Andrea Bargnani (PF/C)-(Done for Andrea's Benefit)

Jerryd Bayless (PG)

Solomon Alabi (C)

To Toronto:

Andris Biedrin (C)

Jermey Lin (PG)

Not the greatest trade but Biedrins will rebound and can be a legit 5 in your line-up. Bayless will need to go anyway assuming you can not move Calderon and the Raptors target a point guard in the draft. I tried working this trade to include Udoh or Wright and could find not scenario that made any real sense for the Raptors. Lin is a project and makes for an excellent 3rd option at the point and can develop into a back-up you hope for when Calderon is off the books. Maybe you add a swap of first round picks for Raptors 1st pick this year for Warriors first next year in a stronger draft class. But that would leave you very thin at PG. MLSE would love to have Lin to engage the Asian Community. When he came this season there was a lot of interest from them when the Warriors paid a visit.

The New York Knicks were said to be interested in Andrea Bargnani and again another team not known for it's D under the current coach they have. How interested would they be? Well this trade would test the limits of that. I can not find any trade that makes any sense for the Knicks given their plan to try to bring in Chris Paul. If Calderon's deal was a year shorter you could come up with some things that make sense but it isn't. So despite the rumours it doesn't seem like New York is a likely landing spot. Which is to bad given they have some interesting players like Landry Fields who would be someone you would want to see come back the other way. Assuming Barbosa picks up his option you might be able to take a second look at this trade option again. That 7.1 million off the books along with Bargnani makes it more interesting for the Knicks.

How about Orlando no way Andrea Bargnani can play the Center there. Dwight is already making up for a ton of poor defenders anyway and Stan Van Gundy never liked his hair anyway. I tried to make this on work but gave up after many failed attempts. I was attempting to bring back J.J Redick and another piece in Ryan Anderson but I was denied based on the BYC's in both Redick and Bargnani's contract. Stan Van gets to keep his hair and we look for another partner to trade wiith.

Here is one if the Suns are truly crazy it does work math wise but doesn't really stand up to the whole logic test. But this team did trade for Hedo Turkoglu right?

To Suns:

Andrea Bargnani PF/C

Jose Calderon PG

James Johnson SF

Raptors 1st round pick 2011

To Toronto:

Steve Nash PG

Marcin Gortat C

The only way this happens is if 2 things are true. One that Steve Nash truly wants to leave the Suns and come home to Canada with the chances of a title in his final years being limited. Two that the Suns are convinced they can find a point guard of the future with the Raptors pick (TBD) in the draft. For that to happen you would have to believe that guy would be Irving and thus the Raptors would be trading the 1st overall pick because seems doubtful Irving would slip to 3rd or lower. The Suns would have to be insane to do this or have a gun put to their heads.

The point to all of this is moving Bargnani will be difficult to say the least. What you need is a trading partner that is a team that is not worried about his defence and has a significant need for his scoring. The BYC on his contract also makes moving him a challenge as well. That subtracts value of his contract in terms of trades. It will be difficult to make it all work but if Bryan Colangelo has showed us anything in his time here, it is that he can find ways to make deals happen. Well deals not with the Charlotte Bobcats. This is of course assuming that Bryan is the trigger man on this deal. Which we are still waiting to hear from MLSE on. Must be caught up in Leafs Playoff Fever....Wait a minute. About the great success the soccer team has had at the start of the MLS season....Um NO. To busy counting money and looking to get out while the getting is good for the Teacher's Pension Fund....DING DING....WINNER!!!!

The one thing that I have taken away from my own observations and talking with others like Jack Armstrong yesterday, is that there is no way the Raptors can start the next season with Calderon and Bargnani on floor as starters. If they do this off-season will have been a complete failure. A lot of their ability to do so will be determined by the new CBA whenever that is finally agreed too. As such all these trade ideas will need to be revisited anyway as the rules will have changed and may make trades easier or harder to execute. I have said this so many times in the last few months, it is hard to evaluate where this team is heading based on that. It is like trying to find a town you have never heard of with no maps or GPS. Not exactly easy. But what seems very easy to figure out is Bargnani is clearly on the market and likely the best asset the Raptors have to trade that they are willing too.

DNB Top Ten: Big Threes

Last week we took a look at the top ten point guards in the league and in this weeks installment, we'll be looking at the top Big Three's in the league. So here's the top ten 3 player combo's in the league.

1. Pierce, Garnett, Allen and Rondo, Celtics ( 62.6 PPG, 23 RPG, 22 APG)

Kind of had to cheat on this one because the Boston Big 3 just won't be the same without Rondo. When these guys are on the court together good things always happen on the defensive end, which usually results in great plays on the offensive end. With players like Shaq, Big Baby and Nate Robinson surrounding them and with the return of Kendrick Perkins in a few weeks, this trio is poised to lead the Celtics to the NBA Finals once again. That's if they can stay healthy.

2. Wade, Bosh and Lebron, Heat (69.3 PPG, 21.8 RPG, 13.3 APG)

After getting off to a very mediocre start in which many questioned whether they can co-exist and many trade rumors involving Bosh started, the South Beach trio has responded and shown just how good they can be, by going 15-1 in the month of December and winning 21 of 22 games. It looked like they were going to continue that trend into January. Not to mention that this trio currently has the highest +/- amongst 3-man combos with +290. Though they may lack the bench production and depth as the original Big 3 in Boston, each of these guys can take over a game at any point and led their team to victory, unless Lebron tweets about "karma" again.

3. Kobe, Gasol and Odom, Lakers (59.1 PPG, 25.3 RPG, 11.5 APG)

These guys have helped the Lakers win two consecutive NBA titles and it's been mostly due to these guys. With probably the best closer in the league in Kobe, a threat in the middle in Gasol, and an all-around big man who can handle the ball and spread the defense in Odom the Lakers, are gearing up for another shot at the NBA Finals and a chance to complete the 3-peat and the franchise's 17th title.

4. Parker, Manu and Ginobli, Spurs (50.1 PPG, 16.8 RPG, 14.6 APG)

The most experienced of the Big 3.s on this list. These guys have won three NBA titles together and currently looking for their 5th title in franchise history all of which have come after the 1999 season. With the best record in the league right now at, 35-6, the Spurs are looking in great shape to complete that goal and bring the championship parade back to San Antonio for the 4th time since 2003.

5. Rose, Boozer and Noah, Bulls (58.8 PPG, 26.5 RPG, 12.9 APG)

With the acquisition of Boozer last offseason, the Bulls have propelled themselves to title contenders status. With Rose running the offense and Boozer and Noah patrolling the paint, the Bulls will be a force to be reckoned with come playoffs time. Though the trio has only played 9 games together this season due to injuries to both Boozer and Noah, we haven't gotten a full glimpse of what they can do yet, but when that happens opposing teams should beware.

6. Durant, Westbrook and Green, Thunder (65.9 PPG, 16.8 RPG, 13.4 APG)

One of the best up and coming trios currently in the league. Coming off a great season last year, in which they put up quite a fight against the Lakers in the first round, these three are looking to lead the Thunder to a top 4 seed and get them past the first round. These guys may only be together for a few more months though, as the Thunder have yet to offer Jeff Green a contract extension, and may let him go as a free agent. Either way this is a trio worth watching even if it is for a few more months.

7. Kidd, Dirk and Terry, Mavericks (47 PPG, 13.9 RPG, 15.4 APG)

These three have been apart of many successful seasons with the Mavs, but have yet to win and NBA championship. The Mavs had a shot in 2006, without Kidd, but ended up losing to D-Wade and the Miami Heat in the Finals. With all three in their 30's and entering the final seasons of their careers, the window for them to win that title is slowly closing. If there was ever three players who can lead the Mavs to their first franchise title, it's the two Jason's and the German, but with that window closing will they be able to accomplish that or once again see another team walking away with the prize.

8. Williams, Millsap, Jefferson, Jazz (56.4 PPG, 20.4, 13.4 APG)

With Jerry Sloan's coaching the Jazz are once again poised for another 50 win season and a deep post-season run. After acquiring Jefferson, they now have a presence in the post alongside Millsap, who can scored, defend and grab rebounds. Add that to D-Will's ability to make plays and shoot the ball and you have a great inside-out game. Toss in Millsap's hustle, rebounding and clutch shooting and you have a dangerous trio. Not sure if they'll be able to win the title this season, but with these no still in their mid-20's and entering the prime of their careers, the Jazz may just win a title within the next 5 years.

9. Turkoglu, Howard, and Nelson, Magic (46.4 PPG, 20.8 RPG, 14.1 APG)

After about a season and a half apart, the Orlando trio has been reassembled once more and looking to make some noise in the Eastern conference. The last time these three were together they made in the the NBA Finals, though Jameer wasn't 100%, where they would ultimately lose to the Lakers. Now with a healthy Jameer, and a not so crappy Hedo along with the insode force that is Dwight Howard, the Magic are poised for a deep playoff run, but would the Celtics or Heat put an end to that run.

10. Stoudemire, Felton and Gallinari, Knicks (59.5 PPG, 17.3 RPG, 13.4 APG)

At this point last season the Knicks were already looking at who they'll select in the draft, but it's a totally different story this year. With the additions of Amare and Felton the Knicks have made themselves a playoff team once more. With Amare's relentlessly attacking the rim, Gallo hitting threes and Felton making plays the Knicks have become and exciting team to watch. Though they are a long shot away form being a title contender, mostly due to their lack of defense, they would remain a force in the East for years to come with their Big 3 and it's supporting cast.

Up and Coming:

Griffin, Gordon, and Davis, Clippers (57.2 PPG, 18.5 RPG, 15 APG)

After year's of being viewed as "That Other LA team" the Clippers are out to make themselves known with their trio of Baron Davis, Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon. With wins against the Heat, Spurs, Thunder, Bulls and Lakers ( all of which have Big 3's that appeared on this list) this season the Clippers have shown that they have a really bright future ahead of them and maybe their days of being an automatic lottery team may be over in the near future. Not sure how long Baron will remain there, but he can provide that veteran experience needed in clutch game situations.

That concludes another edition of the DNB Top Ten, if you feel like anyone was left out of shouldn't have been included, feel free to leave a comment below or in the DNB chat. Stay tuned for next weeks installment.

It Was a Magical Night But Not How You Think.

The Raptors would be hard pressed to find a tougher back to back in the NBA. The Magic are a good basketball team and have solid coaching in Stan Van Gundy. This is not going to be easy at all. When you add the fact of no Barbosa or Kleiza and some other banged up bodies in Jarret Jack and Reggie Evans. Hope fades even further.

But Raps were looking decent early and hanging with the Magic. They got a 8-0 run that sparked and gave them a 13-9 lead, and that was enough for SVG to want to vent to his team during a timeout. Raptors were going with a zone which has been effective against Orlando recently but zone is not great against the 3 point shot. foreshadowing of an Orlando 3 to take the lead. Good early sign as Demar gets to the line and makes his free throws. This was a back and forth affair and it was tied at 22. Another SVG time out and Stan was not a happy man at all. This was a battle and quite honestly an unexpected on tied at 28 with 1:20 to play in the first. Amir Johnson had come in for Evans and was doing a heck of a job early and keeping the foul magnet deactivated. Raps 3 point defence was leaking badly though and Pietrus hit an open look to give the Magic a 1 point lead. Joey Dorsey gets to the line and could give the Raps the lead with 2.3 left in first. But missed both and Magic lead 31-30 after 1.

Raps shot 63% from the field in that 1st Quarter and still were down 1. Dwight Howard got a lot more from Hakeem then the Raptors ever did and he shows some of his new stuff for a pretty lay-up. Defence was just not happening in this game as teams were trading baskets like this was a tennis match. Magic held a 37-34 lead when we reached the first T.V Timeout. Raptors would get it rolling and pass the Magic and build their own 3 point lead. Magic were 1 for there last 5 shots. Magic nail a 3 and it is 40 all. Heir Canada takes it at Air Canada and scores and is fouled couldn't convert and 1. Note to the Raptor defence cover Pietrus they weren't and he nails another 3. Andrea Bargnani had 18 first half points. But still Raptors can only manage to be tied at 54. But he was not done hit a 3 to make it 21. Bad D on the other end and tied at 59. Evans draws a charge to close the half basically with .2 seconds left. All even at 59.

Turnover out of the half that is not ideal for the men in red. But Evans comes up with it on other end and Jack a pull up foul line J. Who is that bearded man? V.C that is who it was and he answers. This was a knock down drag out fight and the Raptors might be under manned but it was not stopping them. It might even be helping them forcing some new combos to play on the floor. Bargnani was cooling off though and that is a bit of a concern but was still close 70-68 Magic. But the Raps were not going away in fact they re-took the lead 75-72. The Raptors were not going away a Calderon 3...and then a Johnson bucket the largest lead of night 82-76. The Raptors would take a 89-82 lead to the 4th.

We have seen the Raptors take leads to the 4th before. Not just this year but in many years the Raptors have not been the best closers in the world. So it was nervous time and the Magic would make it close. But for whatever reason the Raptors would not give up on this night. Weems with a huge clutch 3 set the table for a Raptor win. Earning that nickname Money Weems. It would come down Demar Derozan bring down the hammer looking almost V.C like. He had tied his career high and had a chance to improve on that in a very clutch situation. Up two points and heading to the line for 2. Demar stepped to the line and drained them. A new career high of 26. A Jose Calderon steal as well. Amazing. The Raptors had almost been owed something from the basketball Gods. They head to Miami snapping a 6 game losing streak with a 110-106 win over the Magic. If I had not seen it for myself I would doubt it too. But THIS HAPPENED.

On to Miami to face this guy who I had a little fun with during the game. Bargnani had 27 with only 6 in the second half and Demar DeRozan had as mentioned a career high 26.

Suns And Magic Are Not Done Yet.

Just when you thought you had it all figured out... the Magic and Suns said not so fast. It would still be a great surprise if the Suns or Magic make it to the NBA Finals. In the case of Orlando it would be historic as no team has ever come back from being down 3-0 in a series. People in Boston might be sweating just a little if they happen to be hockey fans as well. The Bruins had a 3-0 lead on the Flyers and blew it and now the Flyers are in the Stanley Cup. It makes you wonder why no team in the history of the NBA has ever been able to come back from 3 down. Boston knows the other side of things as well. The Red Sox came back from 3-0 down to beat the hated Yankees. Like Yogi Berra a famous Yankee said it isn't over till it's over. While fans in L.A and Boston looked ahead to see each other. People in Phoenix and Orlando are hopping to crash the party.

Many people love the tradition that is the Celtics and Lakers. As a kid I grew up in the 80's and was not a Lakers or Celtics fan. I actually liked the Sixers and Doctor J. Maybe it was because I played for the Sixers in my local house league here in Hamilton. It could just be that Julius Erving was a fantastic player. But most in the era were fans of Bird or Magic. All 3 were legends and the Sixers were able to break through and win a title over the Lakers in that decade. It was always big news in the 80's when the Finals did not include both the Lakers and Celtics. I guess with all due respect to Kobe Bryant and the Big 3 in Boston, there is no way to match the rivalries of the past. Not just Bird and Magic in the 80's but Chamberlin and Russell in the 60's. Also in those era's you did not have Salary Cap which made it much easier to keep teams together over a long period of time. Even in just 2 years since the Lakers and Celtics last met in the Finals the rosters have changed a bit. The main guys may be still there but the supporting casts have changed quite a bit.

If you are not a Lakers fan and not rooting for Steve Nash what is wrong with you? The guy got a black eye, busted nose and he just keeps going. Nash regardless of if he ever makes it to a finals will go in the history books as the greatest basketball player that Canada has ever produced. No mask on Steve Nash, he has a grit that I would gladly put against player in any sport. Age or injury it just doesn't matter to Steve Nash. If they handed out NBA titles for desire alone Steve Nash would have more than 1 ring. It is a brand new series with the Lakers tied at 2. The Suns use of a zone defense has slowed the Lakers enough to allow the Suns to outscore them. Phil Jackson is correct in saying it isn't as much about the Suns zone, as it his about his own team and their lack of defense.

But in a playoffs that have not had a ton of drama to them, it would be nice to see both Orlando and Phoenix make them more interesting. They have at least set the stage for a slim chance that Lakers vs Celtics may not happen. Which for many would be disappointing. However the odds are still very long for both teams. Not as much for Suns as it is for Orlando, who are left with zero room for error. Should be fun to watch. I will being doing the game 5 that majority of folks myself included never thought would happen. Magic return home where they have yet to win in this series to take on the Celtics. Should be interesting coming off that OT win in game 4.

Matt Devlin Is Our Guest In The Starting 5

I don't keep records on this kind of thing, but if he is not 1st he is close to at as are most frequent guest in The Starting 5. Matt Devlin the play by play voice of the Raptors once again pays us a visit and talks about all that is going on with the Raptors. We talk about the whole Hedo mess and how does it get fixed with this fan base. The rise of Sonny Weems to the point he is now a part of the Raptors Starting 5. Along with how his buddy Demar DeRozan has handled life coming off the bench. We also re-visit the Chris Bosh 2010 discussion and if there is any clear idea to determine if Chris will stay or go. In addition some thoughts on how this team looks as they try to secure a playoff position and what they would face should they get there. Matt recently talked with Demar DeRozan so look for that interview on Raptors.com soon. It was great talking with Matt and hope you enjoy this lengthy chat about the state of things with the Raptors.

Matt Devlin In The Starting 5.

DNB Productions

Interesting to hear Matt's thoughts and as he mentioned I will be down at the ACC covering the Raptors and Warriors game. I also will be liveblogging the Raptors and Sixers game on Saturday afternoon for the The Score. Following the Raptors on their road to trying to secure a playoff spot, with 2 games the Raptors have to win against teams that they recently have dropped games too. Can't have that happen again if Raptors hope to secure a playoff spot. Great to hear from Matt and hopefully this team will make the post season, and Matt will get a chance to call his first Raptors playoff game. Safe to say the Raptors will draw a tough assignment regardless of where they finish should they make the playoffs. Which looks good with just 8 games to go and holding the tiebreaker over Chicago and a 2 game lead in the standings.

Super Bowl Sunday Double Header

Today I am working a doing a basketball double header for The Score kicking it off with the Raptors winners of 12 of 13 at the ACC taking on the Kings who are coming in off a loss to the Suns on Friday. The Raptors have enjoyed a rare break in the schedule and could see some of walking wounded return to the line-up. The most likely of those to return is Demar DeRozan. Sonny Weems has filled in well in the starting 5 in his absence in his last game recording his first career double double. Hedo Turkoglu and Jose Calderon could also be back. Hedo was making noise about playing without the protective mask to protect his fractured orbital bone. Calderon has a bad ankle sprain and I would tag him as the least likely to return but all 3 did practice Friday.

Join me on The Score for all the action and fun.

Raptors vs Kings LiveBlog

After that the Celtics and Magic to possible playoff match-ups for the Raptors will hook up in match-up against each other. Celtics have had major troubles of late and the Magic are learning the hard way about what LIFE IS LIKE WITH V.C. Sure Raptor fans could have told them so. So that game tips right after the Raps and Kings at 2:30. 2 great game all in time that you can not miss a second of the Superbowl. If you have a party to get to you can still follow the games on Score Mobile via your Blackberry or IPhone.

Magic vs Celtics LiveBlog

So that is how I am spending my Super Sunday before the big game. Make sure you drop in and say hello. A Basketball Party before the Football cause really do you need to watch 5 hours of Super Bowl Pre-Game Show? It's the Saints and Colts. Peyton Manning and Drew Brees are good, teams will score a lot of points and who knows if Dwight Freeney will play..Dwight Howard will and you can still have time to find out about the other Dwight long before kick-off. If you are going to a Super Bowl Party have fun and don't drink and drive. Go Raps and Go Saints!!!

V.C Hate Will Never Die

Raptors fell short in the 4th quarter and lost to the Magic for the 2nd time this season 104-96. Vince Carter when approached about being honoured as part of the 15th anniversary celebration took a pass and said thanks but no thanks. This for people that truly hate Vince would not surprise them in the slightest. After all the reason some people hate Vince so much and they questioned is ability to show up for games when he was here. I think in this case I don't blame Vince at all for taking a pass. A few weeks ago when news this might happen leaked out I was shocked that the Raptors would even go there. Yes you can not tell the story of the Toronto Raptors without mentioning Vince Carter. However the Raptors know, Vince knows and the entire NBA know that when Vince comes to T.O he is going to get booed. So much so that the makers of NBA LIVE 10 made it part of their video game. V.C hate if it's in the game it is in the game.

Why some feel the need to tell people how they should feel is beyond me. If you want to boo Vince Carter who am I to tell you not to do that. Who is anyone to tell you that. I have be accused of being a Vince Carter hater. I am not and personally I never would boo him myself. I don't hate Vince the fact is I pity him in many ways. You may say why on earth would you pity someone that has millions and is a star in the NBA. The reason is pretty simple actually. Vince Carter should be in the conversation with Kobe and Lebron as the greatest players in the game. But he is not and why? The answer is Vince has never taken his massive talent base and used it to it's full potential. He could have been one of the greatest to play this game. Instead of pushing to be that, Vince was more concerned about winning a slam dunk title and playing in All Star Games. When you think about what Vince will be remembered for, it would be more than likely one of 2 things that will be the greatest accomplishment of Vince Carter's career. It will be the Slam Dunk title he won in Oakland or it will be a dunk in the Olympics where he jumped over a french draft choice of the New York Knicks that never would be a factor in the NBA. While Kobe lives and breathes to win titles and M.V.P's, and Lebron is looking for a title ring and a billion dollars. What does Vince do? The same things he always has done. He smiles, shakes hands and cracks jokes and once in awhile reminds you how good he can be. Vince Carter could have and likely should have had a hall of fame type career. But instead you are not even certain if he would get his number retired by the team that launched his NBA Career. Vince Carter is frustrating for many because if they could have the skills that he had they would live in a gym and try to get every last drop out of them.

Vince Carter is not a bad person because of it. He did a lot of good for people in his time here. People often forget that aspect of things. Still at the end of the day for whatever reason you choose to dislike him that is your personal choice. Stan Van Gundy chimed in on this whole circus that is Vince coming to Toronto. He said that they see it as a joke and he thinks people just boo for the sake of booing. That half the people booing likely never saw him play in his time here. Normally I love Stan and am happy to agree with him on most things. However on this one he is out to lunch. Is there a small element of what he is talking about. Sure there is some who just follow the crowd so to speak. However there is a true bitter feeling for many that boo and it is something that will never go away. It's not Stan's fault he just doesn't truly understand.

I wonder what Chris Bosh thought as the Boos rained down on V.C. If he is thinking of ending his days in Toronto he could be thinking that could be me. If that ends up being true it would be sad to me. While Vince never has used his full talent as mentioned above. I think Chris Bosh has built himself into a superstar. He has worked hard to be an all-star and for everything he has got. I think when Chris Bosh goes out on that floor you get the best he has to give on a given night and you have got that from day 1 to today. No matter what Chris ends up doing at the end of this season. I find it hard to believe I would ever want to boo him for any reason.

What I also don't get is why people get so bent when Vince and Demar DeRozan get mentioned in the same sentence. I don't think Demar or anyone was saying he is better than Vince right now. Vince won rookie of the year and had a breakout first season. Things can change but at this point you would not think Demar is on that quick a rise to the top. He shouldn't be as he only played a year in college. Vince was older and more NBA ready when he came to Toronto. What Demar is for me is the next one. Will he ever be as good as Vince it is far to early to tell. If pressed to come up with an answer to the question I would say no. However that does not mean Demar can't still be Heir Canada. The man who one day will be king. There is no question that Demar can be capable of doing some of the things Vince did. I think he can win a dunk contest some day. He can bring the excitement and wow factor that Vince once did. I don't think we will ever hear Demar say dunking is overrated. Vince Carter will always be a part of the story of the Raptors. However that does not mean there can not be a new chapter for Demar. Vince Carter and his legacy is not something that needs to be protected like he was a God. V.C was not a Jordan and about the only thing they share in a school they attended and the fact both have won a Dunk Contest. Actually they both are Olympic Gold Medalists as well. Personally when Demar said "Air Canada" was back I applauded the kid. Let him dream big and give him the chance to get there. I am confident that he will work hard to make it happen. Demar in terms of work ethic is much more like Bosh than he is Carter.

I guess the point to all this is no one has the right to tell you how to be a fan and what you care to boo or cheer. The WWE has given the tag of Bizzaroworld to Toronto. This is because the fans in Toronto often by design would screw up the WWE Plot lines by Cheering when they should have been booing and vice versa. The NBA is not scripted entertainment and no one should try to script the fans that fill the arena. The greatest thing about what I do is getting to write about a team that has passionate and crazy fans. That is a great thing and I am not about to do anything to insult that passion and tell you what and who to be passionate about. In this blog I have never taken away my passion for the people I respect and enjoy. So it would not make any sense to tell you what to think or do in that way. You may like Jose Calderon and think I am far to hard on him. That is cool. You might have liked Joey Graham when he was here. Whatever it is that is your right and do not let anyone tell you what to feel or think.

I do my best to entertain and inform folks. But what you take away from what is written or the interviews is always up to you. I just want folks to remain passionate and for this team to be successful. I love what I do and the fact that I am writing on my Birthday should speak to how much I do love what I am doing. So for all the people who are trying to end what I guess is ANTI-VINSANITY....you have no chance to stop it anymore than you did stopping VINSANITY itself. Raptor fans are not robots and they will do what they feel. If this team does not perform how they feel they should they will boo. When you look at how Atlanta is begging just to get fans, just be thankful for the fact, that fans and having passion is not a problem here. So embrace it, do not try to mold it or shape it. Just let it be. After all that has been Vince's attitude for awhile so he says. I am not sure If I believe him. Deep down I think he hopes it will all just go away but it never does. Unlike his Cousin Tracy McGrady who LOVED all that came with being public enemy #1. Vince has never been comfortable with it...much like he never truly seemed to be comfortable with being the leader of this basketball team when he was here.

Playoffs In July?

First off today there was an issue that occurred in early morning hours that rendered the Jack Armstrong Interview unplayable. I have fixed the problem and apologize to anyone that was not able to listen to it. You can hear it now here is a link to it.Thanks to a number of readers that made me aware of this problem. It has been a big couple days for the blog and thanks to all of you that have made that happen.

I have no guest today it is just me. Maybe I should interview myself? That would be odd wouldn't it? Something you might see in say the WWE? I admit that I totally forgot about Shaq hosting Raw on Monday night. But I was able to see the highlights yesterday. It was classic Shaq and I got some chuckles but WWE is not what it use to be. But the line of the night was not said by Shaq. It was said by Chris Jericho.

Jericho- " When I heard we were having the most dominant player in the NBA(As guest host of Raw) I naturally assumed it was Kobe Bryant "

Shaq could only respond by calling Jericho... Christina. That was pretty old and dated. WWE writers have gotten old and predictable. Same might be said for Shaq himself. No doubt the big man will be in the spotlight playing Robin to Lebron James as Batman. Will it work? That is one of the bigger questions heading into this NBA season.

In fact all top 4 teams in the East have made moves that they hope will upgrade their talent. Orlando has Ex-Raptor Vince Carter. Who I was reading the new NBA Live 10 when it comes out will get booed by Toronto fans in video game as well. Truly EA tries to live up to there motto of "If It's in the Game, It's in the Game". Rasheed Wallace is going to be a Celtic. Boston has had a number of trade rumours still buzzing so it is clear Danny Angie is not done. The Atlanta Hawks also have added Jamal Crawford to the mix. I think it is safe to say all 4 of these teams make the playoffs again unless something goes drastically wrong.

So that leaves 4 spots that last season were held by Miami, Chicago, Philadelphia and Detroit. All of which have done very little in terms of getting better this off-season with exception of Detroit. Philadelphia has a new coach in Eddie Jordon. But they have lost there point guard Andre Miller. Miami has not exactly been loading up to keep D-Wade happy have they? Chicago lost Ben Gordon to the Pistons and he was a big part of what they did in the playoffs. Gordon along with Charlie Villianeuva are now Pistons. But really will this help the Pistons be better? The are former teammates at UConn.

Bottom line of all of it is for Raptors to make playoffs it takes one of these teams to fall back for them to get in. Truth be told you could make a case that all 4 of these teams could miss the playoffs. If I was going to rank who is most likely going to miss out it would go like this. With most likely team at top and least likely at the bottom.

Philadelphia (Sorry Jason Kapono and Eddie Jordan)
Chicago (Sorry Chuck Swirsky)
Detroit ( Joe Dumars prays I am wrong)
Miami ( D-Wade on his own can save the Heat )

I could see easily that 3 of the 4 may not make the playoffs. If that is true who the heck moves into those spots? Well here are my 3 picks to fill out the playoff field.

Toronto Raptors ( Seriously with all the moves if they don't it is a disaster of an epic nature)
Charlotte Bobcats ( Young and up coming Bobcats. Tyson Chandler might push them over top)
Washington Wizards ( Subject to Gilbert Arenas making it to opening night )

So what will it look like (Subject To Change)

1. Cleveland
2. Boston
3. Orlando
4. Atlanta
5. Toronto
6. Washington
7. Charlotte
8. Miami

Remember when people laughed about the the Southeast Division? 4 teams in the playoffs can that be right? It could be. Washington and Charlotte have a very small margin of error for me. Detroit and the Bulls should be teams right there if they should slip. This is just a snapshot thought and things can change. As for the Raptors being 5th? It seems the right place for them. They are not better than any of the top 4. Atlanta maybe is the closest with the other 3 miles ahead.

If I change my mind on this over the summer I will let you know. If you want to doubt this hey by all means. Predictions are subjective. I will point out though that I did predict the NBA Finals last year prior to the season. Not to many folks had the Orlando Magic playing the L.A Lakers did they? I got to brag about it now because really can I successfully call it 2 years in a row? That would have some long odds I am thinking.

Welcome To The Most Important Off-Season In Raptor History?

So once again congrats to the L.A Lakers on their 15th NBA Title. Congrats to Orlando for making it to their second Finals in franchise history. The Toronto Raptors are still trying to make Finals #1 and win title #1. In fact the Raptors have not even made a Conference Finals. As the Raptors enter into the 15th season in the NBA they have far more questions than answers. Some will look to the teams in the finals for perhaps part of the answers. Is it realistic to think the Raptors could land a Hedo Turkoglu or a Trevor Ariza to join the Raptors? I am not as convinced that the Micheal Jordan of Turkey would be worth the dollar figure that it would take to bring him here. Hedo can be a fantastic player and was a big part of the Magic's run to the Finals. On a lighter note just for the Pizza Pizza ad that Hedo could no doubt get if he came to the Raptors it might be worth it. For whatever reason people think it is more possible to see Hedo suit up for the Raptors. There always seems to be this feeling that Raptors are more appealing for euro based players. In part that might be because of Maurizio Gherardini his reputation in Europe is huge with players and he is highly respected. I still do not think that Hedo for the price it would take is going to be a right fit. The Raptors just unloaded Jason Kapono who from the day the ink dried on his contract he could never live up to the number that was on it. Sad to say that I think Hedo would become a victim of that same thing. There is the case to be made in these tough economic times that free agents like Hedo will not get as big a contract as we might think. However to convince a top free agent can the Raptors not have to over pay to some degree to bring someone in? I am not against that if it is for the right guy. The Magic did that with both Lewis and Pietrus and for whatever you think of their contracts they were big parts of what made the Magic an Eastern Conference Champion as was Hedo.

But if the Raptors are going to gamble and over pay to get anyone in this free agent class my first choice is not Hedo Turkoglu. My pick would be Trevor Ariza. The Lakers are going to have to make a choice between Lamar Odom and Ariza and I think that the Lakers will choose Odom and not Ariza. Ideally they would like to keep both but that seems to be unrealistic unless one or both is willing to take less money for the chance to repeat as Champions with the Lakers. That is possible but with a CBA ending that will be totally different ball game and because of that I can not imagine to many players willing to bite the bullet and take less with that great unknown hanging out there. I have made the argument the Ariza more than any other has used these playoffs to improve his status as a free agent. I think he makes a solid fit for the Raptors as he has good to great defensive skills. He has improved his 3 point shot a lot. He also has the ability to drive and score and I think given the options the Raptors have that Ariza could be the best answer to their questions at the wing spot. You can make the case he also has room to develop and become better. I am not convinced you can say that about Hedo. Bryan Colangelo would have to do a hell of a sales job to get him to come. Just because the Raptors might offer the most cash to him does not mean he signs on the dotted line. But if he could convince Ariza to come north of the border it could be a huge score for the Raptors.

Shawn Marion, Ron Artest and Lamar Odom are all great players but they all may have reached a point that they are at or beyond the peak of their NBA Career. Ariza still has some steps to take to improve to his max level as a player. The worst thing that could happen for the Raptors is to put dollars into a player who skills may fall off at some point during the contract they sign. The NBA Cap is not going to be heading up in the next couple years. It is going to be going down and cap space and how you spend your dollars is going to be more important than it ever has before.

The entire concepts and how people approach things is about to take a major shift. Things like cap space are going to take on a greater importance than ever before. The question of do players want to win or do they want to make money is also going to become larger as things go along as well. If players truly want to win they can always sign a MLE(Mid Level Exception) with a team that is a contender. However if they are looking to make the most possible they will have to consider other options. The Raptors could be one of those options and not a bad one at that. Chris Bosh is an all star player and when healthy Jose Calderon can be a great distributor of the basketball.

I have always said that I am not afraid of Chris Bosh leaving and I do not agree that if he walks for nothing it is the worst thing that could happen to the Toronto Raptors. Bryan Colangelo points out that Bosh would more than likely have to come back to the Raptors. Chris Bosh wants max money and I am guessing the max amount of years along with that. He is not going to leave 30 million dollars on the table to sign with a team on his own. So as much as people may think Chris Bosh holds all the cards in this thing he just may not. At the end of the day Chris Bosh will need the Raptors to get what he wants and if he does not play ball with Toronto he losses 30 million bucks. Chris is a smart guy and no way that happens. So Colangelo has basically 3 options beyond the rush to trade Bosh.

Re-sign Bosh to Raptors if he wants to stay for Max Money.

Sign and Trade Bosh for the best deal possible.

Or just let Bosh walk and have his current salary to use in 2010 Free Agent Market.

People will say but remember the Chicago Bulls having all that cap room and no one willing to come there? I do remember that, but like I said these are changing times. Cap space just like something traded on a stock market is going up in value. I am sure people have noticed that the price of gas is on the rise. That is because the price of oil is so it impacts what we pay at the pumps. It is a simple case of supply and demand. Let's just say that the NBA Cap and all of the numbers tied to it drop by 2 million dollars. That takes 60 million dollars out of the available money to spend on free agents. The MLE is tied to that cap number so that goes down as well. Tax Threshold the whole nine yards comes down. Suddenly that team with Cap space and room looks a lot more attractive does it not? This is just basic economics here. Cap space is going to become more of value than it ever has since the NBA introduced a cap into the mix. I am confident I am right about this. So if the Raptors have that cap room they can indeed be a player and not be totally lost should Chris Bosh decide to play elsewhere. Also it is not like a player is having to go to a wasteland like a Memphis or a few other places on the NBA map that people are not fans of as a city. Toronto generally is a place that the players like and enjoy as a city.

Still will this blog stop the 2948 (estimate likely a higher number) Chris Bosh trade rumours that I will hear from happening? Not a chance and maybe that is why I am not looking forward to this summer. You must consider this as well. There is no way on earth the Raptors are getting full value for Chris Bosh from anyone for what will amount to a season of having him under contract. Bosh is not going to lock himself in to any team and he is going to go to free agency or make some sign and trade happen. Even if Bosh were traded to play with a D-Wade let's say. Who is to say he does not pick up and head to play with the Cavs the next year? That is the major reason why you will never get anything that comes close to matching Bosh's value. Build a team around the guy and let the chips fall where they may.

I understand not a lot of people will buy into this. But hey who believed me when I said Orlando would play the Lakers at the start of the year? Hell I am not sure if I believed me on that one. Roy Hibbert was the pick of the Toronto Raptors. I called that too. I also said it would be a major mistake to trade T.J Ford. Think I got that right as well. Orlando fans should take note of that by the way. You could have a great duo with Nelson and Alston. It can work even though there maybe some bumps in the road. Stick with it. Anyway the off-season is here, and no matter who is right or wrong the one thing we can all agree on is the fact that major changes are needed and coming to the Toronto Raptors.

Lakers Are Defending Champs...Let Off-Season Begin

So the L.A Lakers have won the NBA finals in 5 games over the Orlando Magic. Kobe Bryant has his Championship on his own with no Shaq. Who may be going to team up with Lebron in Cleveland? Oh yes the season of rumours and nonsense is here. Chris Bosh will be front and center in all of the nonsense that is the NBA off-season. Some love the rumours and all the talk and buzz. I personally am not a fan of it. If I could hit a fast forward button to the Draft and then to next season I would. Trevor Ariza on the now Championship Lakers would be a dream catch for the Raptors in the off-season if you ask me. Rumours have already started that Toronto may be a landing spot for Hedo Turkoglu. This is just scratching the surface of the many rumours that most of which will never come through. ESPN actually makes money off the Rumour mill having folks pay cash to be ESPN Insiders. I will pass and save my money.

I want to say just a few thoughts on NBA Finals.

Kobe deserved this title and anyone that thinks otherwise was not watching how hard this guy was pushing and how bad he wanted this.

Phil Jackson may have ten rings but I still think Red Aeurbach is the best there was and likely will ever be. Congrats to Phil on the accomplishment and that hat with the X reminded me of a younger Spike Lee rocking a Malcolm X hat. But 10 titles is impressive. It takes talent to manage star players and not everyone can do that.

Magic deserve respect. I hear people saying what an awful Finals this was. I could not disagree more. You had 2 games go to Overtime and the Magic showed that a bounce here or a bounce there and they could have made this a much different series. They will learn and hopefully grow from this experience.

SVG is a good coach too. He may not be a Zen Master in his life but Stan Van Gundy did a hell of a coaching job to get his team to this point. SVG deserves respect for all he has done.

Orlando has a Jose and T.J situation to deal with. Hopefully they handle it better than we did in Toronto. Rafer and Jameer can make a great 1-2 punch if everyone let's it happen. Question will be will they?

This series made Trevor Ariza a very rich young man no matter where he signs.


That is my quick take on things post finals. I am sure with a night's sleep I will have more thoughts tomorrow.

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.

Nailed It- Lakers And Magic In Finals

I did!!! Who knew on October 26th 2008 when I picked the Lakers to face the Magic in the Finals. If you think I am going to say me you would be wrong. I had read a lot of the previews and saw a lot of Celtics and Lakers in a re-match in the finals. I did not see nor want to see that happen. I figured even when the Lakers and Celtics had their rivalry at a fever pitch in the 80's, the odd time a Houston Rockets or a Detroit Pistons would make the finals. I felt this was going to be one of those years. The question then became which team would make it and who would be that team to fill the roll of the Rockets or Pistons. Given the fact the Lakers had been missing Andrew Bynum and the way the lost that final game that the Lakers would be motivated to get back to the finals. You may not have agreed with my pick of the Magic but in the poll that I ran along with my picks, 53% of Dino Nation Blog readers picked the Lakers to win the NBA Finals. Just for interest sake no one picked the Magic to win although 22% picked the Raptors to win and New Orleans was also a favourite of some. Here was the logic behind the selection of the Magic. You remember how all the Raptor fan base or at least a lot of them were giddy at the thought of playing the Magic in the playoffs last year. After 5 games Raptor fans walked away in disbelief as the Magic advanced past the Raptors. I felt that not just in the fan base but in the local media we had all disrespected the Magic and not given them enough credit for being a good team. Which in retrospect was pretty hypocritical considering the Raptors were the team that got little respect when they matched up against the Nets a year prior to that. So I walked away impressed with Jameer Nelson and the Magic. The national media in the United States made this a 3 team race all year with Boston, Cleveland and Lakers. However the Magic were always hanging with those teams throughout the season. Finally the Magic have got the respect and the credit they deserve.

So if I have been right about this final based on my pre-season pick. I see no reason to go against that now. Back then I said Lakers in 6 games. If I was going to make the pick again today that is probably what I would go with. Speaking of nor getting respect all along the road to the Finals the Lakers were taking shots while the Cavs were getting love. Now Lebron is sitting home watching Kobe instead of playing against him. The NBA Playoffs are not about how impressive a fashion you win a series just if you win. Last year the Celtics did not exactly impress us by getting pressed to 7 games by the Hawks. But they advanced and moved on. That is what the Lakers have done. They didn't sweep anyone and they had to battle hard in all 3 series with the Jazz, Rockets and Nuggets. Just like the last Magic team to reach the finals they will face a team that has the experience of playing in a finals and knows what is all about. Would it be a dramatic and shocking upset if they won the finals? If you had asked that question at the beginning of these playoffs people would likely say...YES. But people have grown to respect the Magic and by the way I am sure you have heard this by now but in case you have not....The Magic won the season series 2-0. But I am not going against my pick. I waffled about it all playoffs as I felt the Cavs were going to be to good to be stopped. Not this time I will stick to my guns and go with Lakers in 6. After all this is the only part of my prediction I had right.

Still Waiting on CB4

The big announcement whatever it is from Chris Bosh has not come out yet. I am sorry to say to Chris that I am really not that excited about it. Unless he is announcing we are doing an exclusive sit down 1 on 1 interview. That would get me excited. But I am 100% sure that is not it. Oh well whatever it is I will be happy to talk about it. After all he is main man on the Raptors the last I checked and this announcement is not going to change that. The announcement that a lot of fans want to here is the Chris Bosh wants to stay with the Raptors and remain here. But that announcement is not coming today and if you believe a lot of folks in the media that day will never be coming. There are a large group of fans that want to see Bosh traded. Well look around at fans of other teams and how they all want this guy for their team. Maybe you need to take a step back and instead of focus on what this guy is not and focus on what he is. That is a highly talented basketball player. Everyone just assumes if he stays with the Raptors it will take a max contract to do it. Perhaps it does but maybe it doesn't. Bryan Colangelo is gather info on that issue as we speak as I have read some things that he has opened talks with Bosh's agent. Maybe that is the announcement. I am Chris Bosh's new agent. Again 100% not going to happen. However the Dino Nation Blog has stood behind Chris Bosh and will continue to do so. Why? I think he is a heck of a basketball player and to often we have pushed guys out the door far to fast. T.J Ford, Vince Carter and so on. Did I just say Vince Carter? Yup I did. Sure things were bad and Vince wanted out. But look at the deal we rushed and made. It added up to basically Joey Graham straight up for Vince Carter. So let's not rush and push Chris Bosh back across the border so fast. He has done nothing to deserve that and it sure as heck is not going to make this team better in the short term so what is the rush.

But I am told via Twitter Chris Bosh's announcement will go down this afternoon.

From Dino Nation Blog's Twitter- "Waiting for CB4 announcement RT@hadisworld@dinonationblog will hit this afternoon."

Thanks to Hadi for the heads up.

Dirty Birds Still In Flight

If you have read this blog for a longtime you know that the Dino Blogger is not a fan of the Atlanta Hawks. I have referred to they as the dirty birds. Well last night they gave an example of why I do not like this basketball team. Josh Smith in what had been a rough and heated(No Pun Intended) decided to try to practice for the dunk contest in the playoffs. He tried to do the dunk that Vince Carter did putting it through his legs. He missed the dunk and it only will add more fuel to the fire of what is becoming a nasty series. Every time you looked away someone was going down. Al Horford was taken out and you will hear no sympathy from me for him. I think he is reason the Raptors have gone totally off course. He was the guy that sent T.J Ford crashing to the ground and the Raptors have never been the same since. But back to the series, Dwyane Wade took a hard fall and from that point this game changed and the Heat got taken out of their game.

You had Toronto's own Jamal Maglorie trying to be tough guy and causing a lot of pushing and shoving. To be honest for those of you that are hockey fans out there, Heat and Hawks is the series for you. Lots of that non-sense that you see in hockey with push and shoving and general nasty stuff. If the Heat want to win this series they need to focus on playing basketball and forget about the nonsense. The Hawks are a team that lacks discipline and leadership. However if all this nonsense leads to the Hawks winning a series will anyone care how they did it? One last thing on the Hawks. If you have ever watched a regular season game from the ATL you have to be like me and shocked at where all these people came from. They must have had to have someone go through the area to dust off all those seats that are now filled for the playoffs.

Meanwhile the Hornets fell hard again. There have been a lot of bad loses to reflect back on in this Raptors season. One of them was against the Denver Nuggets. It cost Sam Mitchell his job. Did a over 50 point lose in the playoffs do the same for Bryon Scott? I don't think so. But it is clear that the Hornets have some major re-tooling to do. Denver beat them again in what was not as bad a blowout. But after being tied at the half the Nuggets rolled in the second half. Add another player to the list of people not named T-Mac that have advanced to the 2nd round. Carmelo Anthony was 0-5 in round 1. But he now can say he to is one up on T-Mac. That is unless you count the fact the Rockets may advance without T-Mac. But I don't think that counts does it. Besides if the Rockets lose in game 6 in Houston they may not advance anyway. Game 7 at the Rose Garden I am all over the Blazers. That is a big reason why I picked the Blazers in 7. That being said I picked the Hornets in 7 for an upset. Well not so much on that one.

Which D-12 elbow will hurt the Magic more. There was the one that landed on Sam Dalembert that got him suspended for Game 6 in Philly. There was the other one the injured Courtney Lee who was having a good series for the Magic. I think if the Sixers can not win this series they really have no one to blame. The Magic have given them chance after to chance to win this series. The biggest of those is this game 6 to extend the series to 7 games. Gortat as much as he may have a growing fan base. Not since Ivan" Polish Power" Putski was in the WWF has there been a more famous Polish person. Wait a second, there was Pope John Paul II, ok so make that most famous Polish person in sports. But there is no one in Poland and perhaps on the planet earth like Dwight Howard. After all he is Superman. If Stan Van Gundy can some how get the Magic a win we should demand they re-open the coach of the year voting. No Howard and No Lee is odds that seem very long for the Magic indeed. Blue and White Ignite cause Game 7 is coming soon to Orlando.

As far as the Raptors go not much to talk about for now. Bryan Colangelo is over in Europe on a scouting mission. The MLSE Board will met sometime in early May he will likely recommend that Jay Triano is kept on as head coach and they will ponder and agree with Bryan. So you can expect an announcement probably prior to the NBA Lottery happens. Colangelo has a lot of work to do this off-season. You talk to the casual fan and they have concluded that the Raptors Suck. It is hard to give people a logical explanation to say that they do not. Bosh or no Bosh and all the rest of it. Perhaps the most interesting thing will be the draft as Colangelo has made it known that he will be shopping for another pick in round one. Raptors also may be bringing in an old draft pick next year in Giorgos Printezis. He was traded for by Colangelo in the second round a couple years ago. It was a trade with the Spurs as I recall. He was on the Greek Roster for last season in the Olympic Qualifier and the Olympics. He did not see much time and is still just 23 years old. So he is not going to fix the Raptors. However he could be a small part in adding to the toughness that Bryan Colangelo made clear needs to be added.

Hello Again To Jack Armstrong

On his radio show the Game Plan the topic of who is your favourite analyst in sports. Many Raptors fans would answer that question with the name Jack Armstrong. I would be one of them. Jack has been a guest many times on the Dino Nation Blog. Even with the addition of his radio show, his own blog and all the stuff he already did with Raptors and now TSN he has continued to come talk with us. It is a special treat to have him pay us a visit. I had planned to talk a bit about Jeff and Stan Van Gundy. A bit on the Orlando Magic as the spoiler to the final that everyone seems to have selected of Cavs vs Lakers. Along with some Raptor related topics. We did get through all of that. We never got around to the draft but Jack said he will return to talk about the draft at some point between the lottery and the draft. Jack still covers college basketball as he is a former college coach which most are well aware. So he is a good person to talk with about that. But this conversation is a good one as well as Jack talks about his take on the future of CB4, Why he never lost faith in Andrea and Jay Triano and his future with Raps.




So Jack will be back in early June to talk about the draft and more on the Raps off-season. Perhaps some thoughts on the playoffs as well. If you have not checked out his radio show in the afternoon with Doug Maclean. They talk sports every afternoon from 2-4pm on Game Plan on Fan 590. You even hear me call in once in awhile. I am happy for all the success their show has had and wish Jack and Doug both nothing but the best going forward with it. So just because the Raptors are done does not mean Jack is and that is a great thing for all sports fans. After all this is going to be a very interesting off-season for the Raptors. I would venture to say the most important in the history of this franchise. Jack will be on the air giving his take on the Raps and all the other things happening in sports and that is good news. I use to miss Jack in the off-season but no longer have too.

The Start of The End Of 08/09 For Raps?

After A lose to the Bucks and 4 of the NBA's toughest teams to face on the horizon is it all but over for the Raptors? Even Chris Bosh has said that this team is running out of time. If they were to lose the next 4 games it would maybe not official eliminate the Raptors but it would be hard to make the argument otherwise. If Bryan Colangelo approached the trade deadline thinking his team was a seller who could blame him? The Raptors also face the Spurs prior to the All Star break. That would make it very easy to see this team lose 5 of 7 heading into the break. First game after the break is against the Cavs so it could be 6 of 8. You smell what the Dino Blogger is cooking? It is not good and in fact it stinks. However for the long term future of this team it maybe the right thing. This team can accept it's fate that this has been a season that has gone wrong and look towards the 09/10 season to get it right. They better get it right as well if they want to ensure that Chris Bosh will remain in Toronto. I think Chris wants to be convinced to stay when all is said and done. He has said things in the past that make me think that. The fact that he once said he wants to be part of the solution in Toronto and I think he likes the idea of spending his career with just 1 team. He has also been a witness to what happens to those that leave. It is hard to imagine fans having warm and fuzzy feelings towards Bosh if he did decide to leave in 2010. As much as fans say they understand that sports is a business do they truly accept that fact in their hearts? I suggest you have a listen the next time Vince Carter pays a visit to the ACC for your answer. Sure part of why they boo is the way he left. However is there really a good way to leave a franchise when it is the players choice to do so? It is one thing to be traded by the team and it being their choice or to have them pass on re-signing you. Morris Peterson will always be loved because everyone believes that he never wanted to leave. So why not be in a good position to put your best foot forward to keep Chris Bosh. So when or if all of the losing streak is going on try to remember that and it might not hurt as much.

Least Bosh Isn't D Wade or Lebron

You are probably saying hey I would rather have D Wade or Lebron on this team. That is not the point I am going to make though. Now it is Wade making noise that he is not against the idea of playing with Lebron James in NYC. James of course had his red shoes and his Yankee hat. Wade even went to say that the 2 superstars had talked about playing together somewhere after their current contracts expired. Chris Bosh to his credit has said little on the subject and even poured cold water on the comments made by Jalen Rose in a recent interview with Eric Smith.

Bosh has basically taken the high road on the topic and like he said he is not sure what he is going to do tomorrow, next week why would we think he knows what he will do a year and a half from now? It is just part of the insecurity that we have as Canadians. After all Bosh is from Texas and not a Canadian. Why would someone like that like our country? It is easy for Canadians to go crazy for our own home grown talents. If you need prove of that if you have more then 4 friends and I hope you do. Ask them if they watched the GSP fight last night? I would be shocked if you got 4 no I did not. Georges St Pierre the UFC and MMA star is Canadian. He will always be Canadian. Chris Bosh is a Texan and an American and as such we all just think he is only going to be here for so long. I mean unless Chris went and became a Canadian I don't think some people would ever be convinced he is here to stay. Come to think of it even if he did that would no guarantee anything see Chuck Swirsky for proof of that. Is it so hard to think that an American can come to Canada and enjoy it and want to be a part of it? We need to get over that as a country. Be proud of what we have, don't be afraid to say we are great. After all if not for a Canadian Lebron, D Wade and Bosh all have a different job then they currently have.

Regardless Of Win Or Lose, Live Blog Will Happen...Be There

I am live blogging the Raps and Magic today. So come out share your thoughts on this blog on the game or the Raptors season as a whole. That reminds me we have a rule that comments mus be of a PG 13 level or better. So keep that in mind when you comment. Also while the play is going on that is the focus of the live blog so people not actually seeing the game can follow along. But beyond that there is not rules for it. Come out and have fun and take part it the talk. I am even going to hang around post game for an extended chat on Raptors if people are into it. They may not be and have Superbowl parties to get to. So use this link and come be part of the fun of today's live Blog on The Score:

Score Live Blog- Raps and Magic

As you might have guessed there will be no Raptor Rewind today as a result of hosting the Live Blog for The Score. I may write something tonight will see. Yesterday I was attempting to bang out an episode of the Round Ball Review. Some technical issues did not co-operate with me on that front. So that is about it see you bout 15 minutes before tip time.

CB4 Says Thanks

Raptors Try To Keep Hope Alive

The Toronto Raptors have no intention of fading into that dark night and missing out on the playoff party. They still see hope and a chance to get in the playoffs. Even if they do did you happen to catch the Boston Celtics game yesterday? They put a beating on the Dallas Mavericks that was real just impressive to say the least. Also, you can bet that the Celtics learned a powerful lesson last year getting taken to the seventh game by the Hawks. If the Raptors some how avoid the Celtics the task is not much easier. How bout the league M.V.P elect Lebron James. He has lead just about every M.V.P race you can find on the internet. I take part in one of those and King James has been on top all year:

M.V.P and Roy Rankings

That does not seem like a series that the Raptors can win. The only other option that would be realistic as a match-up for the Raptors is the Orlando Magic. While the Raptors have taken a step backwards after losing to the Magic last year. Orlando has taken a huge step forward. They are flirting with becoming a contender in the East. A recent loss to Boston would suggest they are not there yet. The Raptors also have got a win over the Magic this year. They have not beat the Cavs or Celtics. But in a 7 games series the Raptors would be a huge underdog against the Magic as well. So the bottom line to all of this would suggest that the Raptors are in tough no matter what the outcome of the next 3 months.

You can point to injuries and they have played a role in what has happened. But the Raptors have had many games well in hand that they have let slip away. They could have a much better record and it would be not unreasonable to think that they should. I think the true fans want to believe that this team can still salvage the season and make it to the playoffs. Part of me wants to see this happen. However part of me does not because I just don't know what that will do for the long term future. I mean the goal is to win it all, or at least it should be. I do not think anyone is thinking the Raptors can win the championship this year right? If the Raptors can get in the draft lottery and draft a quality player is that not better for the long term picture? Being able to draft a top player in the draft could be start of fixing the Raptors issues at the wing spot. How nice would a Gerald Henderson look like as a Raptor? There are some other names that you might be able to find. But that is not very fun to cheer for. I think most of us felt the Raptors days of being in the draft lottery were behind them. But here we sit just 2 years removed from a Division Title talking about the draft lottery. Maybe this can be like what happened for the Spurs. They had an injury plagued awful season and they went to the draft lottery and won. The prize of that lottery was Tim Ducan. Not to say that the Raptors were as good at that Spurs team that got Ducan. But they do have some quality parts in Bosh, Calderon and now it seems Bargnani. That is not a bad place to re-tool from.

Bryan Colangelo has not made a move to this point.( Jake Voskhul signing aside ) He has said to have been working very hard to make a deal though. But if Colangelo is forced to wait till the trade deadline it may be not such a bad thing as he will have a clear picture of where his team is at. What moves he makes will have far more to do with next season though. Next season could be the most critical on for the Raptors in quite some time. It will ultimately determine the future of Chris Bosh. If you think this team is better off without Bosh you are crazy. Bosh is still the straw that stirs the drink and it is much harder to sell a new star to come to Toronto. Chris Bosh has at least grown to know and by all indications enjoy the city of Toronto. Just having the cap space to sign players is not enough. They need reason to want to sign with a team. Look at some other teams around the league for proof of that. Were players running to Chicago when they had a ton of cap space? How bout Memphis, L.A Clippers or Atlanta. But if you can keep Bosh you have the chance of him helping bring others to the party. If you don't have him what do you have beyond what you always have had to attract free agents? The answer is not much.

Forgive me for not planning the parade route based on wins over the Bulls and Kings. Still we can be optimistic that this team has not given up and is showing some much needed fight. I would love for them to pull off some miracle out of all this. I just try to keep things in perspective and understand that no matter what happens the rest of the way it will be much lower from the goals laid out at the start of the year. That is frustrating for all connected to this franchise.

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.