I can't lie there is nothing about this game that I really find all that exciting. You have a bad Western Conference team playing against a worse Eastern Conference team. It did teach me Mark Jackson only played 54 games for the Raptors. I would have guessed he was hear longer than that. Oh well, excited or not we have a game to play. Steph Curry is not in the line-up for Golden State. This is where he started his road to the NBA up in the Raptors practice gym.
Early on this looked sloppy and very Summer League like as both teams looked like they had a nice Saturday night in Toronto. Monta Ellis hit a long 2 in the corner to open the scoring. Warriors were off and running up 6-0 and the Raptors were 0-6 from the field. DeRozan after no free throws vs Memphis got to the line for a pair and made both. After a Johnson and Johnson hook up for to David Lee sticks a jumper. Jose Calderon hits a running jumper and despite a pretty ugly start it was only 8-6 Warriors. Raptors were shooting 2-11 and the Warriors 4/12, a true classic this was not. The Monta basket to start the game was changed to 3 so make it 9-6 Warriors. At this rate this game may need every point it can. This game was not pretty with score 11-10 with 3:40 to play in first. Jose Calderon tried to hook up Bayless for a lay-up at the Raptors decided to go small. Bayless would have a chance to tie this thing at 14 with 2:42 to play. Bayless did just that and this game was tied and I pray it doesn't go to overtime. This game was crawling to life and the Warriors were crawling in front up 20-16 with 1:01 to play in the first. Nice slam by James Johnson might have awoken anyone that was napping. The Quarter ends in terms of scoring on that slam leaving it at 20-18 Warriors heading to the 2nd.
Warriors get the first four points and Linas Kleiza hits a long two on a pass out of the post from Ed Davis. It was an Aaron Gray type game and he made a pair of free throws, but Thompson hit a triple to to double the Warriors lead to 6. A rare DeRozan three his first in 9 game and he has 9 points Raptors again get the game within three points and single possession. Warriors were starting to pull away matching their largest lead of 7 with the score 39-32. David Lee would add two to that with a score in the post. Only good news for the Raptors was Demar DeRozan was looking good he had 11 points on 4-6 shooting after making a nice running jumper. But Warrior despite not being all that spectacular themselves still had a 47-38 halftime lead.
Took over 2 minutes for anyone to score but Amir Johnson finally did on a pass from Derozan. That opened the flood gates on both ends as Monta Ellis had a 3 and 2 and it was 52-42 Warriors. Raptors have played like they are in a comma for most of the game but found themselves down just 54-48. Raptors went back down 10 points and then finally decided to wake up and cut the lead to just 2 on Derozan bucket to make it 56-54. Raptors would even things up at 56 and like the Raptors the ACC crowd had woken up. Demar DeRozan would continue that with a dunk off a steal in transition the Raptors had their first lead since the first quarter. They would take a 60-58 lead to the 4th quarter.
Raptors held the Warriors to 5/22 in that 4th quarter. Raptors found themselves in another close game and the Warrior would get this game back to even at 62 points. But a Amir bucket in the paint followed by a Barbosa 3 gave the Raptors a 67-62 lead their largest of the early evening. DeRozan makes a pair at the line to push that lead to 7. After an Ellis bucket DeRozan answers with a jumper of his own. Raptors had a 71-64 lead with 7:30 to play. Raptors were all of the sudden a different team full of energy after a lethargic first half effort. Barbosa would go down and was shaken up...this will not help trade talks if he is not ok? That to be determined as was this game with 6:08 to play it was looking good for the Raptors. Under 5 to play and Raptors had the ball looking to make their lead double digits. Barbosa remained in the game but missed the shot to push lead to double figures. Raptors would have things go wrong for them in a couple ways. The first is the Warriors would get to within 4 points. Second was Amir Johnson went down and stayed down. Raptors would make a 3 with him lying on the floor to get the lead to 7. He would eventual get up and to his feet checking out on a foul by the Raptors. He appeared to bang knees on the play. No Twist so that is good....Raptors meanwhile looking to hang on with Ed Davis in for Amir up 80-75. Ed was having a good night getting on the glass keeping on his recent roll of decent play. Fitting of how this game started it would end with little drama as the Raptors would hang on to win it. Raptors take it 83-75.
Demar DeRozan had 25 to lead the way. Raptors won the battle of the boards 51-41 and played good defense for most of the night and it helped them hang around to have a chance to win this game after a first half effort that was just not good in terms of the offense.
Showing posts with label Monta Ellis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Monta Ellis. Show all posts
3/4/12
Warriors Are Raptors Dinner Guests At ACC
Just where would the Warriors be if they had just kept Jeremy Lin? Answer is probably the same place they are now and we never would have had Linsanity at all. Steph Curry was not going to be dethroned by Jeremy Lin anytime soon. So consider that Golden State's Gift to the NBA. This is a franchise that has seen little success in the last 20 years. Aside from the one year they made the playoffs and upset the Mavericks in Dirk's MVP Season. They brought in Mark Jackson with zero coaching experience other than what he learned sitting next to Jeff Van Gundy for a few years. Jackson has guided the Warriors to a 14-19 start. Rumors that Monta Ellis is on the market will follow this team around for the next 11 days. It seems the Warriors have never been big enough for both Curry and Ellis to live in harmony. Still on a team lacking a lot of talent aside from maybe a David Lee can they really afford to let Ellis go?
Warriors have won 3 of their last 5 games with note worthy wins over the Clippers and Hawks as part of that. Golden State seems to be one of those Western Conference teams that is not good enough to be in the playoff mix but not bad enough to cash in via the lottery. Forever in that 10-12 range in the West is not the place to live. What Jackson has tried to do is similar to what Dwane Casey has tried to do in Toronto. Take a team that rarely considered what defense was and make them more defensively aware. This comes at a price of less offense to a degree. The break neck up and down running Warriors are being slowed a bit. Still the Warriors can score the basketball with 7th best points per game in the league.
As for the Raptors it is the same old story in many ways. They have been close but can't close the deal. At least that is the way they want to look at it. If you just look at simple things, like how they start games more often than not, along with how they tend to finish quarters in general, you see the problems. While it is better to lose by 1 than it is 21 on some level. If you consistently lose regardless of the difference on the scoreboard at some point the margin doesn't matter. You see that in Demar DeRozan taking his frustrations to Twitter recently. I would see this as an important time for the Raptors if they are going to remain competitive and scrappy. It sure seems like they are just about at the boiling point in terms of losing. See this is the problem with the whole tank way of thinking. Human beings don't like losing and they tend to react to that fact in negative ways more than positive ones.
3 keys TO STOP THOSE MEN
1. Shooters all over the place. Warriors will not be shy to fire at will from 3 point line so perimeter defense is essential today.
2. Transition Defense too. When they are not chucking up 3's they will look to be running in transition so hope you got your rest on Saturday Night.
3. Little Things Matter. How you start the game, how you finish a quarter, Playing a consistent 48 minutes rather than a scattered one. All this little things are what is costing the Raptors. Take care of the basketball while your at it.
This is one of those stupid 6pm tip times that I have never been a fan of. So be advised.
Warriors have won 3 of their last 5 games with note worthy wins over the Clippers and Hawks as part of that. Golden State seems to be one of those Western Conference teams that is not good enough to be in the playoff mix but not bad enough to cash in via the lottery. Forever in that 10-12 range in the West is not the place to live. What Jackson has tried to do is similar to what Dwane Casey has tried to do in Toronto. Take a team that rarely considered what defense was and make them more defensively aware. This comes at a price of less offense to a degree. The break neck up and down running Warriors are being slowed a bit. Still the Warriors can score the basketball with 7th best points per game in the league.
As for the Raptors it is the same old story in many ways. They have been close but can't close the deal. At least that is the way they want to look at it. If you just look at simple things, like how they start games more often than not, along with how they tend to finish quarters in general, you see the problems. While it is better to lose by 1 than it is 21 on some level. If you consistently lose regardless of the difference on the scoreboard at some point the margin doesn't matter. You see that in Demar DeRozan taking his frustrations to Twitter recently. I would see this as an important time for the Raptors if they are going to remain competitive and scrappy. It sure seems like they are just about at the boiling point in terms of losing. See this is the problem with the whole tank way of thinking. Human beings don't like losing and they tend to react to that fact in negative ways more than positive ones.
3 keys TO STOP THOSE MEN
1. Shooters all over the place. Warriors will not be shy to fire at will from 3 point line so perimeter defense is essential today.
2. Transition Defense too. When they are not chucking up 3's they will look to be running in transition so hope you got your rest on Saturday Night.
3. Little Things Matter. How you start the game, how you finish a quarter, Playing a consistent 48 minutes rather than a scattered one. All this little things are what is costing the Raptors. Take care of the basketball while your at it.
This is one of those stupid 6pm tip times that I have never been a fan of. So be advised.
11/9/10
ACC Is Curry's House
As a kid his day was make shots for the Raptors while he was drop shots on the Raptors practice floor. Now it is the younger Curry on the big floor and looking just as good as Dad every did. In late April as the Raptors were trying to hang on to a playoff spot on of the key losses was to these same Golden State Warriors. Curry was a big reason why the Raptors were not successful in that one. He had 29 points 12 assists and 8 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks in a dominate performance. Speed ahead to last night and his second game as a pro at the ACC. Another impressive line for him with 34 points 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. He combined with Monta Elllis who left the game late with an injury that looked pretty bad. But before his crash landing he has good too, with 28 points 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Ellis injured his back and is going to be checked out tomorrow spending the night in Toronto and getting an MRI on his back. He was motionless on the court and it was a pretty scary moment. I was live blogging football on the weekend and watched Austin Collie of the Colts get knocked out. He would need to be stretchered off. At least Ellis was able to get to his feet.
It all started so well for the Raptors with an 8-0 run to start the game. Warriors would call a time out and after that the game changed. The Warriors who were coming in off to a loss to Detroit did not want to drop their 3rd straight on the road this season. It was a 15 point turn around by the end of the quarter that saw the Warriors lead 26-19. They would never trail the rest of the night.
The one thing that has to be frustrating for fans and I would imagine the coaching staff and players as well, is the lack of consistency of the various players on this roster. Calderon was on the comeback trail and maybe becoming the starter? Nope, it was Jack that bounced back tonight and Jose barely saw the floor. Jack had 24 points 8 assists and 3 steals going all out to try and match his opposition on the other side. I wish you could have seen Jarrett Jack in the locker room prior to the cameras going on post game. He looked like a guy that had fought 15 rounds and had nothing left. If you could feel frustration in the air it was oozing out of the Raptors locker room.
The Raptors did try to fight back after digging a hole that was far to large for them to fight out of. The Raptors won the second half of this game 61-54. It would have been very easy to roll over and accept defeat. Like the Dallas Cowboys did on Sunday Night Football. It would cost their coach Wade Phillips his job today. A 1-6 start is far from a great one for Jay Triano, but at least for the moment his team is still fighting hard for him. The Raptors unlike the Cowboys are not a team blessed with a lot of star talent. The Cowboys have been massive under achievers this season. The Raptors are more like a team like the Buffalo Bills. The Bills are winless despite having 2 loses in overtime and a narrow loss in Toronto this past weekend. I guess the point to all this is that, effort is great but without the validation of wins, it is hard to keep coming back game after game. For now, the Raptors locker room is determined to find answers and make it work. But to remain focused and not let losses start to get to you is just not realistic.
The problem in a post Bosh world is that you need a number of players all to play well on a given night. Think of it like a Proline ticket. You can pick 5 winners but if the 6th doesn't win you don't get anything. In the Raptors case they need a number of guys to come through on a given night to stand a fighting chance. I can not honestly think of 1 player on this roster through 7 games that you can say has been consistent in terms of performance. That is really hard for a coaching staff and for a team to be successful.
Add in the fact that Barbosa left the game with a shoulder injury. Jack has a banged up knee but he did say that he will live. Weems was back in the line-up after some knee soreness. Judging by his aerial attack tonight he looks healthy. The Raptors talent is thin as it is, add on some injuries to the mix and you could have a really mess. The Raptors face dare I say a must win vs the Bobcats? After that they hit the road for Orlando and Miami and the Raptors will have little chance at finding a win in those. As the losses mount up, the harder it becomes to remain positive and find a way to win.
For those who were ready to declare Bargnani the new leader and ready to make that big jump. It looks like he has regressed and is now having trouble getting his offence going. Although in this one he only had 10 attempts from the field and made 5. His defence and rebounding remain major concerns and when he does not get the points that becomes even more glaring. But he does need more touches for a guy that "should be" the Raptors top scorer.
The Raptors despite the scrappy comeback attempt fall short 109-102 in what is becoming a far to familiar script for this team. I have always been saying, being entertaining and scrappy is not enough. That losing is not fun. A look around the Raptor locker room tells you that story very well. It is not a question of guys not caring or not trying. It is a case of guys maybe trying to do too much. That was Jay Triano's thought in the pre-game and it is a valid one. It is a tired, banged up and frustrated group of Raptors that desperately need a win, if for nothing more then team moral.
It all started so well for the Raptors with an 8-0 run to start the game. Warriors would call a time out and after that the game changed. The Warriors who were coming in off to a loss to Detroit did not want to drop their 3rd straight on the road this season. It was a 15 point turn around by the end of the quarter that saw the Warriors lead 26-19. They would never trail the rest of the night.
The one thing that has to be frustrating for fans and I would imagine the coaching staff and players as well, is the lack of consistency of the various players on this roster. Calderon was on the comeback trail and maybe becoming the starter? Nope, it was Jack that bounced back tonight and Jose barely saw the floor. Jack had 24 points 8 assists and 3 steals going all out to try and match his opposition on the other side. I wish you could have seen Jarrett Jack in the locker room prior to the cameras going on post game. He looked like a guy that had fought 15 rounds and had nothing left. If you could feel frustration in the air it was oozing out of the Raptors locker room.
The Raptors did try to fight back after digging a hole that was far to large for them to fight out of. The Raptors won the second half of this game 61-54. It would have been very easy to roll over and accept defeat. Like the Dallas Cowboys did on Sunday Night Football. It would cost their coach Wade Phillips his job today. A 1-6 start is far from a great one for Jay Triano, but at least for the moment his team is still fighting hard for him. The Raptors unlike the Cowboys are not a team blessed with a lot of star talent. The Cowboys have been massive under achievers this season. The Raptors are more like a team like the Buffalo Bills. The Bills are winless despite having 2 loses in overtime and a narrow loss in Toronto this past weekend. I guess the point to all this is that, effort is great but without the validation of wins, it is hard to keep coming back game after game. For now, the Raptors locker room is determined to find answers and make it work. But to remain focused and not let losses start to get to you is just not realistic.
The problem in a post Bosh world is that you need a number of players all to play well on a given night. Think of it like a Proline ticket. You can pick 5 winners but if the 6th doesn't win you don't get anything. In the Raptors case they need a number of guys to come through on a given night to stand a fighting chance. I can not honestly think of 1 player on this roster through 7 games that you can say has been consistent in terms of performance. That is really hard for a coaching staff and for a team to be successful.
Add in the fact that Barbosa left the game with a shoulder injury. Jack has a banged up knee but he did say that he will live. Weems was back in the line-up after some knee soreness. Judging by his aerial attack tonight he looks healthy. The Raptors talent is thin as it is, add on some injuries to the mix and you could have a really mess. The Raptors face dare I say a must win vs the Bobcats? After that they hit the road for Orlando and Miami and the Raptors will have little chance at finding a win in those. As the losses mount up, the harder it becomes to remain positive and find a way to win.
For those who were ready to declare Bargnani the new leader and ready to make that big jump. It looks like he has regressed and is now having trouble getting his offence going. Although in this one he only had 10 attempts from the field and made 5. His defence and rebounding remain major concerns and when he does not get the points that becomes even more glaring. But he does need more touches for a guy that "should be" the Raptors top scorer.
The Raptors despite the scrappy comeback attempt fall short 109-102 in what is becoming a far to familiar script for this team. I have always been saying, being entertaining and scrappy is not enough. That losing is not fun. A look around the Raptor locker room tells you that story very well. It is not a question of guys not caring or not trying. It is a case of guys maybe trying to do too much. That was Jay Triano's thought in the pre-game and it is a valid one. It is a tired, banged up and frustrated group of Raptors that desperately need a win, if for nothing more then team moral.
11/8/10
Welcome Home Raptors?
Welcome home Raptors after an 0-4 West Coast Trip. They bring a piece of the west home with them taking on the Golden State Warriors. Not exactly the ideal team to return home to face.
The Basics: Warriors 4-2(0-2 on the Road) Raptors 1-5 (Last Win at home vs Cavs)
Last Time We Saw Them: The Raptors closed their west coast trip in less than impressive fashion dropping a game to the Blazer 97-84. The Raptors shot season low 36. 8% from the field and a season low 1-17 from 3 point range. The Raptors had 17 turnovers after the night before committing 21 to the Lakers. It was not a pretty night at the Rose Garden for the Raptors.
Common Opposition: Both these teams have faced the Jazz. Warriors were winners 85-78 and Raptors losers 125-108. Jazz shot 39.5% vs Warriors and 56.5% vs the Raptors. Warriors won the battle on the glass 52-46, Raptors also won that battle 36-35. Raptors forced 14 turnovers and Warriors forced 19. Both teams also played the Lakers as well. Raptors losing 108-103 and Warriors 107-83.
Key Match-ups: As the Raptors were slip sliding out of the playoffs last year you might remember a late season visit from Steph Curry in which it lite up the Raptors on the way to a Warriors win. Curry has been making jumpers on this floor long before any Raptor on this roster. When his dad Dell was a Raptor a young Curry was burning up the nets at the ACC. He has had an ankle injury early this season but it is not slowing him down scoring just over 20 a game. If you stop him you still have to figure out how to deal with Monta Ellis who is averaging like 28 points a game. Can Jack or Calderon stay with Curry or Ellis? That is with out even saying the load it will be for DeRozan to deal with one of them as well. If the Raptors can't stop them the odds of winning this game become very long. Not to mention both are more than capable 3 point shooters. Although they only shot 31% and 38% from distance so staying in front of them is likely the best strategy if you can do that. But if they start hitting the 3 they might be close to unstoppable.
Other Things of Note: David Lee is now a Warrior and is averaging 12 and 12. He has never been much of a defender though and this might be someone to target and try to take advantage of. The extra hour of sleep we got back on weekend might help the Raptors a little with the time shift heading home. However the history of Eastern teams coming back home in that first game after a extended visit out west is never good. Raptors are tied for last in the East and the only teams with worse records in the league are Clippers and T-Wolves. That was the bad news. The good news is the Raptors are tied for last in the East with the Bobcats who they play after this game on Wednesday.
In Case You Missed It: I made my weekly radio appearance on The Franchise Radio Show on the Team 990 in Montreal. It is live 7:20 am on Saturdays but if that is too early you can always look for a link to it here on Monday. Also I said there will be a big announcement for you folks that read the Dino Nation Blog this week. There will be. Just have to hammer out a couple details. I am off to cover the Raptor game tonight so look for some interviews over the next few days and check me out tweeting from the game tonight @dinonationblog on Twitter.
The Basics: Warriors 4-2(0-2 on the Road) Raptors 1-5 (Last Win at home vs Cavs)
Last Time We Saw Them: The Raptors closed their west coast trip in less than impressive fashion dropping a game to the Blazer 97-84. The Raptors shot season low 36. 8% from the field and a season low 1-17 from 3 point range. The Raptors had 17 turnovers after the night before committing 21 to the Lakers. It was not a pretty night at the Rose Garden for the Raptors.
Common Opposition: Both these teams have faced the Jazz. Warriors were winners 85-78 and Raptors losers 125-108. Jazz shot 39.5% vs Warriors and 56.5% vs the Raptors. Warriors won the battle on the glass 52-46, Raptors also won that battle 36-35. Raptors forced 14 turnovers and Warriors forced 19. Both teams also played the Lakers as well. Raptors losing 108-103 and Warriors 107-83.
Key Match-ups: As the Raptors were slip sliding out of the playoffs last year you might remember a late season visit from Steph Curry in which it lite up the Raptors on the way to a Warriors win. Curry has been making jumpers on this floor long before any Raptor on this roster. When his dad Dell was a Raptor a young Curry was burning up the nets at the ACC. He has had an ankle injury early this season but it is not slowing him down scoring just over 20 a game. If you stop him you still have to figure out how to deal with Monta Ellis who is averaging like 28 points a game. Can Jack or Calderon stay with Curry or Ellis? That is with out even saying the load it will be for DeRozan to deal with one of them as well. If the Raptors can't stop them the odds of winning this game become very long. Not to mention both are more than capable 3 point shooters. Although they only shot 31% and 38% from distance so staying in front of them is likely the best strategy if you can do that. But if they start hitting the 3 they might be close to unstoppable.
Other Things of Note: David Lee is now a Warrior and is averaging 12 and 12. He has never been much of a defender though and this might be someone to target and try to take advantage of. The extra hour of sleep we got back on weekend might help the Raptors a little with the time shift heading home. However the history of Eastern teams coming back home in that first game after a extended visit out west is never good. Raptors are tied for last in the East and the only teams with worse records in the league are Clippers and T-Wolves. That was the bad news. The good news is the Raptors are tied for last in the East with the Bobcats who they play after this game on Wednesday.
In Case You Missed It: I made my weekly radio appearance on The Franchise Radio Show on the Team 990 in Montreal. It is live 7:20 am on Saturdays but if that is too early you can always look for a link to it here on Monday. Also I said there will be a big announcement for you folks that read the Dino Nation Blog this week. There will be. Just have to hammer out a couple details. I am off to cover the Raptor game tonight so look for some interviews over the next few days and check me out tweeting from the game tonight @dinonationblog on Twitter.
3/14/10
Raptors West Coast Free Fall Marches On
This past Monday I happened to watch the Warriors play. Anthony Morrow was shooting the lights out from 3 point range in what would be another loss for the Warriors. But I walked away thinking the Raptors could have trouble with this team. Monta Ellis back in the mix and son of Ex-Raptor Dell Curry were also part of the reason things did not go well for the Raptors last night. The Warriors only dressed 9 guys and played 8 but that would be more than enough to beat the struggling Raptors 124-112. It would be a script similar to the one written Wednesday vs the Kings. The start was good the Raptors held a 35-25 lead after the first quarter. They would survive a 2nd quarter where they gave up 31 points to take a 4 point lead to half.
The Raptors would lose this one with yet another brutal start to the 3rd quarter. It got ugly for the Raptors from there. The Raptors would go on to lose this game for 2 reasons. Turnovers 17 of them and 6 of those from the franchise player Chris Bosh. Along with a 3 point defense that is proving to be one of the worst in the NBA. The Warriors made 16 long range bombs and shot 58% from behind the 3 point line. Bosh had 24 points and 11 rebounds but the 6 turnovers mentioned erased that performance.
If it is possible to give kudos to anyone in a night where your team loses to a 17 win team it would go to Jose Calderon. This game would have been far worse if not for Jose. He shot 7-8 from 3 point range and scored 24 points and had 12 assists. Jarrett Jack only scored 7 with 3 assists and 3 turnovers and was not good at all. Amir Johnson had a nice night but as it seems is always the case foul trouble limited him. Demar DeRozan also had 18 points and when this game had got out of hand Demar was finding ways to score.
The mood in the fan base of this team was bad heading into this one. It now has climbed to epic levels and no one is safe from the anger. I saw tweets and comments blaming Colangelo, Triano, Bosh and almost everyone in between. Raptor fans want someone to blame for this post All-Star break free fall that now sees the team back at .500 at 32-32 in 8th in the Eastern Conference.
The Raptors close this terrible road trip tonight at the Rose Garden vs a tougher opposition in Portland who beat the Warriors that the Raptors could not. Brandon Roy who some Raptor fans point to when they are unhappy with Andrea Bargnani. Also Portland fans are expected to get on Hedo who basically left Blazers at the alter in free agency. However having watched Hedo all year they should be holding a parade he didn't come. Perhaps a video tribute saying thanks. HeDon't last night had 8 assists which is great...but the 4 points and 5 rebounds....not so much last night vs Warriors.
Now I want to make it clear THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN. That being said could you imagine what would happen if Sam Mitchell came back to coach this team? It would be like a storm hitting this team and would do some serious damage. The one thing Mitchell always got right was how he pushed and challenged Chris Bosh to be great. Chris has had one of his best season prior to his injury. Since returning he has not been the same. Sam Mitchell always would never allow Bosh to settle and pushed to get more out of him. Could you imagine a Sam Mitchell post game scrum after the last 2 games this team has played? For the entertainment value alone it would have been worth watching. Triano clearly has a different style on motivation than Mitchell. What is also becoming clearer by the day is Jay's way is not hitting home with this team. If the Raptors some how manage to miss the playoffs can he honestly keep his job? It is hard for me to imagine that he can.
Here is your worst case scenario for the Raptors. The Raptors back into the playoffs in 8th. Triano keeps his job and Bosh leaves via free agency. This would leave the Raptors in a terrible spot and if you think things are bad now a next season under that scenario would be far worse.
The Raptors would lose this one with yet another brutal start to the 3rd quarter. It got ugly for the Raptors from there. The Raptors would go on to lose this game for 2 reasons. Turnovers 17 of them and 6 of those from the franchise player Chris Bosh. Along with a 3 point defense that is proving to be one of the worst in the NBA. The Warriors made 16 long range bombs and shot 58% from behind the 3 point line. Bosh had 24 points and 11 rebounds but the 6 turnovers mentioned erased that performance.
If it is possible to give kudos to anyone in a night where your team loses to a 17 win team it would go to Jose Calderon. This game would have been far worse if not for Jose. He shot 7-8 from 3 point range and scored 24 points and had 12 assists. Jarrett Jack only scored 7 with 3 assists and 3 turnovers and was not good at all. Amir Johnson had a nice night but as it seems is always the case foul trouble limited him. Demar DeRozan also had 18 points and when this game had got out of hand Demar was finding ways to score.
The mood in the fan base of this team was bad heading into this one. It now has climbed to epic levels and no one is safe from the anger. I saw tweets and comments blaming Colangelo, Triano, Bosh and almost everyone in between. Raptor fans want someone to blame for this post All-Star break free fall that now sees the team back at .500 at 32-32 in 8th in the Eastern Conference.
The Raptors close this terrible road trip tonight at the Rose Garden vs a tougher opposition in Portland who beat the Warriors that the Raptors could not. Brandon Roy who some Raptor fans point to when they are unhappy with Andrea Bargnani. Also Portland fans are expected to get on Hedo who basically left Blazers at the alter in free agency. However having watched Hedo all year they should be holding a parade he didn't come. Perhaps a video tribute saying thanks. HeDon't last night had 8 assists which is great...but the 4 points and 5 rebounds....not so much last night vs Warriors.
Now I want to make it clear THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN. That being said could you imagine what would happen if Sam Mitchell came back to coach this team? It would be like a storm hitting this team and would do some serious damage. The one thing Mitchell always got right was how he pushed and challenged Chris Bosh to be great. Chris has had one of his best season prior to his injury. Since returning he has not been the same. Sam Mitchell always would never allow Bosh to settle and pushed to get more out of him. Could you imagine a Sam Mitchell post game scrum after the last 2 games this team has played? For the entertainment value alone it would have been worth watching. Triano clearly has a different style on motivation than Mitchell. What is also becoming clearer by the day is Jay's way is not hitting home with this team. If the Raptors some how manage to miss the playoffs can he honestly keep his job? It is hard for me to imagine that he can.
Here is your worst case scenario for the Raptors. The Raptors back into the playoffs in 8th. Triano keeps his job and Bosh leaves via free agency. This would leave the Raptors in a terrible spot and if you think things are bad now a next season under that scenario would be far worse.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
