Boston Beatdown with A Touch Of Irish

So Bayless is a no go and everyone else on the trip that will play. But I still don't like the Raptors chances much. Boston after having a loss to Toronto earlier in the year is not going to sleep on them. Not to mention they are riding a high coming from beating one of the NBA's best in the Spurs. It makes the Raptors come from behind win in Cleveland not seem all that notable in comparison.

Boston wins the tip and like a continuation of the last time they met Paul Pierce opens the scoring. Kleiza answer with a foul line jumper and were off and running and tied at 2. Boston turnover on a 3 second call and a nice up and under move by Andre for a jumper for 2. Ray Allen an open 3 this is like a recurring nightmare for Demar DeRozan and the Raptors. Pierce like in the last game they met getting to the line and making a pair and Celtics led 7-4. Rondo jumper would add to the lead. Calderon responds hooking up Amir for an easy 2 and it was 9-6 Celtics just 3 minutes in. Bargs some decent D on Shaq leads to a stop and Calderon bucket on the other end. But Ray Allen strikes again he says it is 3, refs say it is 2 and they will review it. Replay says give that man a 3 pointer but for moment it is 2. Ray Allen would get an extra point prior to the review as he made a tech on an illegal defence call for the Raptors. Pierce a 3 and no dispute on that one. Celtics were up 15-8 pending review. Klezia hits a 3 to get the Raptors within shouting distance. Raps would get back to within two and then give up an easy slam to Big Baby Davis.

Back to back hoops for DeRozan would tie the game at 17. Celtics would reel off 4 points and a time out was called which should produce another point for Boston as that Ray Allen shot had yet to be reviewed. It looked like clearly a 3 to me. Yes indeed after the time out it was 22-17 not 21-17 so give Ray Allen another 3. An Ed Davis sighting it has been awhile since Ed had a decent game. Rajon Rondo with a move that I just don't have words to do just to what he did. It was an assist for Rondo and it was entertaining for everyone watching. Time Out with 2:11 left in the first and their lead was 9 with the score 28-19. Turnovers down the stretch and Boston had a 34-22 1st quarter lead.

Celtics shot 63.7% in that Quarter, the Raps were not bad at 56%. Raps open the quarter sticking a jumper and came out in a zone on D. Not a good idea against this team. Harangody nailed a 3 and was off to a great start off Boston bench. J.O takes Ed Davis to school and would score. Ed Davis would get some revenge with a block later on, but Raps were in trouble down 13 in this one with the score 39-26 in favour of green team. Barbosa steal and drop off for Andrea, but he is short on the 3 attempt and Boston makes them pay with 2. Bargnani on next possession steps out of bounds and turns it over. Ed Davis was getting in a individual battle with J.O and he was more than holding his own. He dunked one on J.O and given his short lack luster Raptor career I enjoyed it. But Raptors were still down 13. It was getting worse Nate Robinson nails a 3 and Jose Calderon was easily picked out of the play. Celtics were 6/9 from 3 and had a huge 51-34 lead with still over 5 to play in half.

A Kleiza turnover was not helping the cause. Can we just start Julian Wright I mean what do we have to lose? Rondo back on the floor and Raps were getting torn apart. Down 21 sure now let's call a time out Jay Triano. But honestly no time outs regardless of when they were called tonight. A Calderon 3 out of the time out was only and band-aid to a cut that needed about 18 stitches with was the Celtics lead. Boston was running Toronto off the floor and built the lead back to 22. It was 67-45 at the half and Celtics were putting on a clinic at the expense of the Raptors.

Could the Raptors offer anything in this second half. Well perimeter D was not better as Pierce hits a 3 to push the lead back to 21 and Shaq would make that 23. Nice bucket for Demar in paint a leaner over Shaq. Celtics were just getting to many easy baskets in this game another Big Baby slam. This was just ugly and the Raptors were just a team that looked out matched. In traditional Raptor fashion they would make a little push to get to down 15. But another 3 from Boston and it was back to 18. Raptors were having a long night and to be honest so am I watching it. But Raps would make another push and a Barbosa 3 would make it a 13 point. An Andrea "Air Ball" would not help matters, Jay Triano seemed convinced he was fouled. Jay seems to have a growing issues with calls. Why not blow a gasket and get booted to make a point. We all know that he knows the magic word and he could break a clipboard too. Squeaky wheel gets the oil just ask Doc Rivers who always has some words for the refs. Meanwhile the game was still in progress and Boston was leading 94-77 late in quarter. In fact that is what the score would end up being after 3.

Here was the Raptors were going fool you run started with a Kleiza 3 to cut lead to 2 touchdowns. If Raptors can sign Tom Brady to a 10 day contract they might have a shot. He does have a bye this weekend in NFL. But Instead Boston's other BIG STAR...Rajon Rondo nails a rare 3 for him. Raptors were still fighting as Bargs got what he would call a slam to cut it back to 12. Jack Armstrong had an excellent analogy for what was going on. It was like the Celtics were the big brother holding the little brother (Toronto) by the head and letting him swing wildly and miss. Raptors had back to back misses in form of turnovers with a chance to cut lead to 10. Out of a time out Ray Allen makes a 3 and that was that. The Raptors fools gold run was over and Boston lead 107-86 with under 7 to play. The Boston reserves were in and they were still kicking Raptor tail. Harangody was looking better than RUDY out there. He went to N.D for school if you didn't know. There really is no more to say about this that has not already been said. Raptors were digging a bigger hole. When the pain stopped it was 122-102.

Really there is nothing good to say about anyone's performance that comes to mind. I have some work for The Score to do on Sunday. But have no fear Ryan our DNB Intern is here. He will have your pre-game and post game for the Raptors vs Kings. I am only going to be able to see a portion of that one. Ryan will do a good job I am sure of that. I may get a blog in sometime tomorrow. This was an ugly one and the less said about it the better.

Revenge Rondo Or Not On Minds Of Boston.

R-E-V-E-N-G-E that is what tonight will be about for Boston. After having a 8 game win streak vs the Raptors snapped last Sunday. Reggie Evans claims it is about revenge for the Raptors as well. Raptors have lost 4 straight in Boston. But with all due respect to Reggie that doesn't fly. Celtics felt embarrassed after losing to Thunder with no Kevin Durant then losing to the Raptors that most in U.S had pegged being worst in the East. That is a lot more motivation for them. They also were without Rajon Rondo who was obviously more hurt then I thought, as he still has yet to play with sore hamstring suffered late in the loss to the Thunder. His status with a sore hamstring remains up in the air. Delonte West will not be playing and could be lost until the playoffs for Boston with a broken wrist. Ultimately if the Raptors can beat the Celtics a 2nd time within a week and extend their winning streak to 5 games Rondo or not it would be somewhat impressive.

The Basics: Boston 11-4 (1st in East, 6-1 at Home) Toronto 6-9( 9th in East, 4 Game Win Streak)

When Last We Saw Them: Raptors had little trouble beating a Sixers team that was tired and on the 2nd half of a back to back. It was a positive debut for Jerryd Bayless and Reggie Evans had his first double double of the season and a career high in rebounds with 22. It included a Raptor record for rebounds in a half with 15 in the first half and 10 in the First Quarter.

Key Match-Ups: Shaq is coming off his own double doubles recently vs Atlanta and Nets while he has fit in very well with his new team in Boston. He had a fast start in the game on Sunday only to eventually foul out with a lot of time left in the 4th. Who and how the Raptors choose to guard him will be vital. If Rondo is in he would be the biggest issue for the Raptors. Bayless and his defensive skills might help the Raptors finally keep this guy under control. Ray Allen is always someone that needs to be watched for his ability to make clutch 3 point shots. While the Celtics biggest concern is likely how to deal with Bargnani who may be on one of his best streaks offence wise of his NBA Career. He is averaging during this Raptors win streak 27.2 points a game and shooting 56.3% from the field.

Other Things Of Note: Boston has won 2 straight since losing to the Raptors. They blew out the Hawks and then returned home Wednesday and were less impressive in a win over the Nets. Raptors all-time record in Boston is a pathetic 8-20. Did you know Andrea Bargnani is now 3rd on Raptors all-time list for 3 pointers made? He recently passed Doug Christie and now only has V.C and Mo-P in front of him. Odds are he ends on top of this list are high. Odds he makes top 10 on list for rebounds is low. For the last time the Raptors won 2 straight vs Boston you need to go back to 2006/07 season. Where the Raptors actually won 3 straight vs Boston that season with a win in December 2006 and 2 in January of 2007. It is also the last time the Raptors won the season series with Boston.

In Case You Missed It: We are into week 3 of our ticket giveaway with MGD. Here are the details on your latest chance to win a pair of Tickets to watch a game with me in the MGD Best Seats in The House on December 10th vs Denver. Also my Score schedule and Raptors schedule are once again not working in harmony so the Re-Cap of this one may again make that will have to be delayed. Also on last thing are weekly DNB Chats kind of fell off the map. Looking for a good time to have them so please vote and let us know what works best for you?

"Basketball Beyond the Floor"

"Their failures were my fault, their successes my responsibility" - Pat Summitt, Raise the Roof. If you have been following "Basketball Beyond the Floor" since its inception, you'll know how important I think reading is. Reading is knowledge and knowledge is power. Even if I don't agree with the arguments an author makes, I believe reading opens your eyes to a different way of thinking, opens your mind to realize there's more to the world than just you and your beliefs. With this being said, there are only three books I have read in my lifetime I can read over and over and still be totally engulfed in its pages: Hoop Dreams, The Monster at the End of this Book (starring Grover from Sesame Street) and now I am adding, Raise the Roof by Pat Summit (with Sally Jenkins). I had a few chapters left to read last night around suppertime and I was literally stirring the meat sauce with one hand and holding the book in the other. Only when the pasta pot overflowed did I think to put the book down. I related to this book on so many levels. I never had the chance to play basketball past high school other than fun leagues, but the effect Pat had on her players and what she accomplished throughout her career, is amazing. The book focuses on the 1997-1998 season of the Tennessee Lady Vols and what they went through to have a 39-0 season, win the Final Four and be called by so many, 'the greatest Women's College basketball team ever'. Let's dive in.

"I don't like that word, 'girl'" - Pat Summit

When most books are written about great teams and great coaches, the focus is on the control the coach has over his or her players. In Raise the Roof, Pat Summit describes how she lost control, how the team changed her and not the other way around. She describes the word 'girl' as something someone calls you when they really mean 'nice little girl' or how nice you are supposed to be. It's funny there was actual debate surrounding the referral to her team as the 'Lady' Vols. To Pat, it at least showed these young athletes were adults. I've said this before in "Jiggly Bits" before the NBA trade deadline, in that when you evaluate how a traded player will fair on a new team, you must look at the system the coach runs on that new team before anything. For athletes even at the collegiate level, its all about buying into the system and even when you think your coach is full of it, make it work. "I was learning that a coach is far more than a strategist or a disciplinarian. You are a peculiar form of crisis counselor and interim substitute parent...The more trusting my relationship with the players, the better teacher and coach I could be with them". Do you believe this woman started at Tennessee in 1975 as Head Coach when she was 22 years old? To make matters more challenging (and also proving her determination) 4 players on that team were twenty-one and it would be 14 years before Tennessee won it's first championship. She has been compared to the late great coach, John Wooden. I think this is not so much for her success and longevity in the game, but for her ability to see and treat her players as people, tap into their backgrounds and personalities to help her players gel as a team. Sure, she yelled just like many coaches, but her heart and soul was in that team and developed a team mantra all players had to buy into:

DEFINITE DOZEN
1. Respect yourself and others.
2. Take full responsibility.
3. Develop and demonstrate loyalty.
4. Learn to be a great communicator.
5. Discipline yourself so no one else has to.
6. Make hard work your passion.
7. Don't just work hard, work smart.
8. Put the team before yourself.
9. Make winning an attitude.
10. Be a competitor.
11. Change is a must.
12. Handle success like you handle failure.

Words to live by. She would do anything for her team. (This next part is not for the squeamish). She describes in the book how she found a lucky penny in the lady's bathroom. In the toilet. When she couldn't fish it out with a plunger, she rolled up her sleeves and dove in with her bare hand to get it. Turning to the Lady Vols' ticket manager who was right with her, Dara Worrell, she says, "This is it. We're going to win a championship. You remember this". Oh, did they ever.

"Does the drive on this team come from so many players raised in single parent homes? 'Yes' - Kyra Elzy, sophomore guard, Tennessee Lady Vols.

This is the part which struck me most about the book. Nine of the twelve players on the '97-'98 Tennessee Lady Vols were raised in single-parent homes at some point, including all 4 freshman and half the coaching staff. This is a huge deal since they all left these families, came to Tennessee to play basketball under the guise that no one has had it like them. It wasn't until Coach Pat Summit held what she called 'family night' where each player came to the gathering with pictures or stories about where they came from and who their families were, even the coaching staff. This is when they really started coming together as a team: "...basketball was no game to us. It wasn't just a way to earn a varsity letter or eventually a better living, although that was important motivation for us. [For Kyra it was] a form of requital. 'I'll show him what he walked out on." Basketball was a chance to really prove themselves and perhaps, give new definition to the word family. I think it was important for Pat Summit to describe Kyra Elzy's story and Kyra's stalker since it showed how even at the collegiate level, high profile athletes are vulnerable. This man would send her letters that were passed off as jokes but then he started showing up at games and harassing her. She couldn't go anywhere on her own, campus police got involved and eventually he stopped bothering her. Campus life is unique. For any college or university student, the focus should be on getting an education and not worrying about a stalker or your safety to this extent. Kudos to campus police departments of college and universities everywhere for creating an environment for students to study and play basketball (or any other sport) with peace of mind.

"This was the team I worked twenty-four years for" - Pat Summit.

The women's basketball program at the time was growing and still continues to grow. It was finally being written about in newspapers and given air time on live television. In 1996, two new pro leagues launched: the WNBA and the ABL. The ABL didn't last very long and merged with the WNBA which meant fewer spots for lesser known college players. This certainly did not refer to Tameka Catchings or Chamique Holdsclaw who currently play in the WNBA for the Indiana Fever and San Antonio Silver Stars, respectively. They got their start with Tennesse, though and went on to great things after that. Pat Summit describes this process in the book: "They are with you for four long years. You teach them, you shout at them, urge them on, hear their deepest confidences, feed them from your own kitchen...and then you let them go. How?". I remember broadcasting the PWHL Final Four and describing the emotion felt from the Stoney Creek Sabres coaching staff, especially Head Coach Stacey Monarch. She's as tough as nails on the outside but really has a heart of gold when it comes to her team. I chatted with her just before her team took to the ice for a pre-game skate and she talked about how the bulk of her team were graduating and how tough the tournament was for her emotionally, going through the same things Pat Summitt describes in letting go. It is a powerful and wonderful thing to experience the support of teammates and the love of a coach. I only wish more could be so lucky. I have and it really changed my life. (Thanks to my ladies (and coaches) - you know who you are).

Flick Pick of the Week

Ok. I know some of the regular followers of this feature and those who know me well are going to laugh at the movie I want you to watch this weekend. Ready for it? Blue Chips. Not just for Nick Nolte and Ed O'Neil starring in it but for Shaquile O'Neil, Bob Cousy, Penny Hardaway just to name a few. Definitely not a movie with academy awards won for its stellar acting but a fun movie nonetheless.

Tune in next week to "Basketball Beyond the Floor" when we will be discussing A View From Above by Wilt Chamberlain. Some people say he made up all those stories about sleeping with a gazillion different women but lets hope there's more basketball than his personal exploits. I bought this book a while ago and haven't got around to reading it yet - a case of 'too many books, so little time'. Believe it or not, I found it in a discount bin for a couple of bucks. Yes, I know - very "16th Round" of me (a reference for those of you who have watched The Hurricane, a movie based on the life of Rubin Hurricane Carter). Until we meet again, happy reading and see you on Tuesday for another serving of "Jiggly Bits".

Do Not Expect A Shaqtastic Night At ACC

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Raptors Rewind Returns Shaqtastically

A brand new season of Raptors Rewind on the Dino Nation Blog. The Cleveland Cavs with Shaq, Lebron and a couple ex-raps provide the opposition. The Raps limped into the season with a 2-6 pre-season record and a terrible loss to the T-Wolves. Major concerns about the Raptors defense and Reggie Evans out of the opening day line-up. While the Cavs rolled into Toronto off a loss to the Celtics that had to have left a bad taste in their collective mouths. The Cavs early in that game looked like a team on a mission and made me feel very secure in picking them to win the NBA finals. It all seemed to look like the perfect mix for a Raptor loss in the home opener. Well will see if it is or it isn't. Demar DeRozan win or lose is going to make his NBA debut as a starter with his family on hand at the ACC to take it all in. I really have become a fan of Demar. So much so that beyond Bosh he has become my second favourite player on the squad. What can he do in his debut? Going to find out that as well. There are about 100 other questions that need answers but I don't think there is enough time to list them all. How will the defense do against one of the top 3 teams in the Eastern Conference? Will Hedo Turkoglu hear the bell go off for the start of the season? Wright has hardly played what can he bring to the table? Those are just a few off the top of my head. Time for answers is here it is game time in Toronto. Well it will be after this over the top intro to kick off season number 15 of Raptors Basketball. It is opening night, but man this is a little much for my tastes...Maybe I am just getting old. I think Shaq is the only guy playing in this game that is older than me...NEVER RETIRE SHAQ!!! You make me feel young. Like Shaq is reading the Dino Nation Blog right? But if you know Shaq please pass along the message. So here is hoping this will not be a painful experience. Oh and also tell him that Rue Paul comment was MEAN!!!

1st Quarter

Here we go time to tip it up in the T-dot. I forgot to mention really nice response for AP and well deserved. Like I said time to get this show on the road. Bosh and Shaq on the tip and Bosh wins it. Andrea Bargnani before you can blink with a throw down and it's 2-0 Raps. A couple failed trips for each and a foul on Bargnani on Shaq. Shaq's free throw form is still the same as a Cav...Bad. He misses both. Shaq takes it through a double team from Bosh and Bargnani for the score. An ugly hook as Bosh took it at Shaq likely not a wise idea. Cavs score on the following possession and take the lead. Demar DeRozan takes it from the corner straight to the bucket and draws the foul. He goes 2 for 2 at the line and store that in your memory banks as that will be the first points of many for him in his NBA career. After a Cavs bucket Demar scores again on a jumper. This is followed by a 3 from Bargnani and a steal and another score for him on the break. Raptors lead 11-6 and Cavs along with yours truly are stunned and need a timeout.

James jumper does not fall and on the other end it does fall for CB4. Raptors are flying around like a pack of crazed dogs. This is nothing like what we saw in the preseason at all. Bargnani fouled and goes to the line and drains a pair. Raptors lead 15-6 and this is a perfect start for the Raps. Bosh scores and it is a 13-0 Raps run. O'Neal finally stops the run with a basket. A block and a attempt for 3 for Bargnani no dice. But he would get a 2 the next time down the floor. Andrea Bargnani has come out on fire and so have the Raps. The effort on both ends of the floor has been fantastic. Bargnani scores again and the Raptor lead is 10 at 21-11. Bargnani got a steal and he missed a open dunk. I guess he is human tonight. Lebron James a score and a foul as well he gets the Cavs closer as the lead it cut to 21-15 with a foul shot to come. Andrea takes a seat with 13 points in 9 minutes out of the time out. Lebron remains in the game and hits the and 1. Bosh taps in a basket to get the lead back to a half dozen. Mo Williams for 3 and Raps are on the ropes but still ahead by 3 points. No free throw streak this year for Jose as he missed 2 at the line. Cavs score and get the closest they have been in a long time down just 1. Bosh draws a foul and heads to the line. He makes both and Raps lead back to 3. Raps are up 5 after one and this is pretty surprising but I am not complaining. Raptors lead 27-22 after 1.

2nd Quarter

Both teams not shooting it great but Raps at 39% is better than Cleveland at 33%.Big Z starts the second and gets the score as he now comes of the bench. Heir Canada back in game and scores no nerves for Demar in his big debut. Mo Williams fouled and to the line. He makes a pair. Demar a jumper that did not look good and it did not fall. Basket for Shaq as both he and Big Z on floor together. A foul as well on Bosh his second. Shaq can tie the game but no on the free throw. Bargnani gets an open look for 2 and he makes it. Belinelli draws a foul on Shaq then on the other end hits a jumper off a Bosh pass. Hedo fakes the shot and drives and scores and the Raps lead is back to 7 with the score 35-28 and a time out on the floor.

Jamario Moon with that ill advised 3 that will all know so well. Just like with Toronto it does not fall. Meanwhile Andrea Bargnani is a new man and a scary one at that. Drives to the lane and takes the contact and is back at the line. Makes both and has 17 and the Raptors lead 37-28. James answers with a jumper as he just had checked back in. James with a pretty move and score and Andrea Bargnani answers with a nice up and under move adding tools to his game. Marco Belinelli drives down a wide open lane for a dunk...Time OUT CAVS!!! Down 41-32 to the Raptors was not something to many folks expected.

Out of the time out Leron James drives and draws the foul trying to get his Cavs back on track. He makes both at the line and the lead cut to 7. However Marco Belinelli who struggled in pre-season is not tonight as he takes and makes a 3. The lead expanded to 12 as Hedo was fouled and made 2 at the line. We are not done as Belinelli scores off a curl. Raptor lead it 48-34 and I am starting to wonder if I am watching my X-Box and if this is actually real? Bosh fouled and makes a pair and Raps are 14-16 from line. Ironically the lone to misses by Calderon. Wright in the game and draws a charge and that leads to a Bargnani dunk and he has 21. Raptors lead is 52-36 and this is truly fun to watch. Reggie Evans is enjoying it having a laugh on the bench. Welcome back Rasho Nesterovic as he hits a jumper and the crowd is going crazy at the ACC. Raptors are up 20 and Mike Brown calls a time out. Lebron James has the ball knocked away from his hands and Cavs end up with a shot clock violation out of time out. Belinelli to the line and splits a pair but has 10 off the bench. James gets fouled and heads to the line. James splits a pair at the line and a turnover and a score for Lebron. However the Raptors are up 57-39 at the half. Wow that is all I can say.

3rd Quarter

So can this continue? The Cavs Locker room could not have been a happy place. The ACC on the other hand was a party and the Cavs were only shooting 30% at the half in comparison to the Raps at now a 47% clip. Mo Williams take the ball to the hoop and draws a foul on Bosh and that is 3 for him. Bosh on the other end taking it right at Shaq. Rue Paul that Shaq!!! Bosh had said it was in the past but Brett Favre also said playing the Packers was not about revenge. Bosh missing on a jump shot and Williams (who replaced an injured Bosh in All Star Game Last Year) nailed a 3. Lead has been cut to 14. James drives scores and gets the generous call on the continuation so count the basket. Hedo hits a 3 and gets the Raps offense going again. Score is 61-46 Raptors. Jose drops a dime for Bargnani and Raps have built lead back to 17.

Hedo short on a 3 that would have made the lead 20 again. Gibson makes a 3 ball and that is a 6 point swing in favour of the Cavs. Hedo would get fouled and go to the line. He has a bit more jump to him after a very sleepy preseason. Illegal defense call against the Raps then an AP drive and score and Cavs cut lead to 13. Bosh having a roughing night so far from field just 3 for 11. He missed a short jumper in the lane. Parker nails a 3 and is leading his new team back against his old one as the score now is just 65-55 Raps. Bosh fouled and makes a pair from the line. Wright is the new Moe P as he draws his 3rd charge something Peterson use to do a lot for the Raps back in the day. Cleveland showing signs of life have cut the lead to 65-55.

Mo Williams hit a 3 and the lead is now just 7. After that Bargnani gets called for offensive foul and crowd hates the call as do the Raps. Mo Williams hit a runner and here come the Cavs. Bosh fouled as he was being double teamed. Bosh goes 1 for 2 at line but Raps get rebound but James steals it away and finds Mo Williams for 3 and he nails it and the lead in just 3. Cavs have been using a small lineup with James actually playing at the 4 spot. The Cavs score again and the lead that was once 20 is now just 1. Bosh fouled but misses his first and makes the second. Bosh has 12 rebounds despite the average scoring night so far. James is fouled and can tie the game at the line. He can only get 1 of 2 and Raps lead is just 1 again. Thank you Jamario Moon as he jacks up a terrible shot that is an airball. Just thinking out loud but Moon and his future in Cleveland may not be long based on his play in pre-season and first couple games.

Bosh has the ball stripped by Lebron James and he takes it the other way James is fouled by Jose and he has 4. Enter Jarrett Jack and Lebron with a chance to take the lead can only manage to tie it. Jack finds his fellow Yellow Jacket for the easy 2. Raps back on top 71-69. Wright a pretty spin move and a score. Demar DeRozan make a very long 2 from the corner to make the lead 4 again at 75-71. The Raptors would add 3 more and an AP jumper at the buzzer find only air. Raptors taking a 78-71 lead to the 4th Quarter and honestly who saw this coming? If you did go buy a lotto ticket now.

4th Quarter

Can this Raptor team hold a lead and close this game out? Jack drives and misses to start the 4th. Moon gets fouled and is at the line. If I am Mike Brown he would be glued to the bench by now. He makes second and the lead is 6. Cue Andrea Bargnani who has had a quiet second half but nails a 3 and lead is back to 9. Jack a drive and score and the lead is back to 11 and you know what the Raps may just win this thing. Big Z gets a score out of a time out. He should have been called for a foul but a quick make up call and all is right. Bargnani scores and he has 28 that is 4 touchdowns all converted.

Bosh sneaks out on the break after going for a block and he gets the pass and G-Tech memories as Jack and Bosh hook up again. Raptors lead 87-76 with 8:06 to go. Shaq draws foul number 5 on Andrea and Rasho checks in for him. He does a good enough job to stop Shaq. DeRozan missed on a shot but Rasho there to clean it up for 2. Jack got the ball to the hoop on the drive and it is 91-78. Chris Bosh hits a step back jumper and the lead is 93-78 and under 6 to play.

Time was quickly fading on the Cavs and what I said seemed unthinkable is suddenly becoming very realistic. The Cavs starting 0-2 is rapidly looking to be a reality. Raps have outscored the Cavs 24-9 since the Cavs tied the game at 69. Jack with a bit of an over aggressive play draws a foul. Just 4:32 to play after the fouls shots the score would be 93-80. Gibson hits a 3 and the lead is 10 and Cavs are making one final push. Wright hits a huge 3 that extends the lead back to 13. Put from Parkerville court AP answers with a 3. How good is this? Raps lead 96-86 and there is more excitement in the ACC than there had been all last year. Bosh has a hook fall out but the Cavs fail to score and there is 2 minutes left. Loose ball and Jose tried to call time but it will be a jump between Gibson and Jose. Gibson wins the tap and James drives and gets a call on Bosh for a block and he was clearly outside circle and had position. Really bad call send James to the line. James would make first and miss the second. But Cleveland got the board and James nails a 3 and the score is 96-90. James despite his teams struggles has a triple double. Raps get to line and split a pair. The lead is 97-90 and Raptors trying to hang on. James get fouled and again splits a pair this time Bosh grabs the rebound on the second that he missed. Hedo gets fouled with the lead at 97-91. He splits a pair and Raps get the ball off a steal Jose the basket and the foul call on James. This game is over as Jose hits the and 1 and the Raptors shock the Cavs and send a LOUD MESSAGE TO THE NBA and all Raptor Fans.

Final Score- Raptors 101 Cavs 91 .

Chris Bosh had 21 points and 16 rebounds and a fantastic start to his season with a win over the Cavs. Bargnani had 28 points to lead all scorers. Lebron James as I mentioned had a triple double in defeat with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists. For the Rookie Demar DeRozan he had 8 points and 5 rebounds along with a block, an assist and a steal filling up that boxscore.

I really sit here totally stunned and in shock. The Raptors never showed anything close to this in the preseason and this was totally unexpected from my point of view. However the Raptors remained confident as they went along in the preseason. There was a lot of doubt and uncertainty heading into this game. Now you just hope this team does not show any let up as the head to Memphis with a very realistic chance to start 2-0. After that back to the ACC for Vince and the Magic. If game 1 was any indication of what is to come this season it is going to be a fun year.

The defense really showed up like it had not all preseason. There was still some open looks from 3 at times but the overall effort was off the charts. The Raptors win and this is a win that will cause a lot of folks to take a second look both north and south of the U.S/Canada border. The crowd was off the charts and no fans in the NBA deserve a good team than Raptor fans. Finally fans may have a team that brings the same effort that you all do. It is just 1 game of 82 but what a game it was.

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.

Andre Aldridge Of NBA-TV In Starting 5

Sometimes I am asked how some of the guests I get end up in the Dino Nation Blog. I will tell you how I got this one cause it is neat story. I have mentioned like most of the free world, I have embraced Twitter
(@dinonationblog). One of the folks I follow on there is @NBATVAndre. Which is Andre Aldridge of NBA TV. Any time I fire a comment off his way, I usually would get an answer back. So I figured why not ask if he would like to come visit the Dino Nation Blog and all of us Raptor Fans up here in Canada. I was happy to get a positive response. It took awhile to put together because of his busy schedule and my own. But we were able to get together today for what I found to be a very enjoyable chat talking about a bunch of topics. Thoughts on the Big Shaq trade to him showing some school pride for his fellow Trojan our draft pick Demar DeRozan. As well as some talk about CB4 and the Raptors season that lies ahead. Not to mention some thoughts on Ex-Raptor coach Sam Mitchell and TNT's Charles Barkley. I hope Andre had as good a time talking with me as I did in talking with him. So have a listen he also gives some love to Canada's own and The Score's own Cabbie.

So, this was a lot of fun and it was all made possible by Twitter. Combined with the fact the Andre was willing to do it. Hope to have him back again in the future. Oh and if any of you were holding out hope for a return of @CV31 AKA Charlie V looks like you are out of luck unless you live in near Detroit. It is said he signed a deal with the Pistons along with Ben Gordon. As it said at the end of the interview, I was doing Baseball tonight for the Score.com. So I will get caught up on what I have missed and have some thoughts tomorrow.

Matt Devlin Post Draft In The Starting 5

It is just days away from Matt Devlin's 1st year with the Toronto Raptors. I have had the great pleasure to have him as a guest many times over that year. He is always willing to come on and talk with me here at the Dino Nation Blog and I am always happy to have him. I was hard at work on the Score.com and Matt was working just as hard at the ACC covering last night's NBA Draft. We talk about the newest Raptor Demar DeRozan selected at # 9 last night in NYC. We also talk about all the trades that went down in the last 48 hours or so. Along with some thoughts on Chris Bosh and Shawn Marion and their future with the Raptors. Matt Devlin was on route to the ACC for the Demar DeRozan press conference so he was on a cell so there is the odd issue audio wise. But it should not take away with your enjoyment of this interview hopefully. So with that said here is yours truly along with the T.V play by play voice of the Raptors Matt Devlin.





It is always great talking with Matt. I am not sure if I agree with him on the V.C Trade to Orlando. Here is my take on that over at The Hoop Doctors Website . Also as I am watching the press conference with Demar while posting this the talk of comparisons to Vince Carter were down played by both Colangelo and DeRozan. Demar also had much love to say about the city of Toronto really shooting down the stories that he may not have been happy coming here that surfaced in the build up to the draft. He also shot these down when he came to workout in Toronto. In closing I want to thank Matt once again and be probably the first to wish him a happy anniversary with the Raptors. He is always a welcome guest here at Dino Nation Blog.

Matt Devlin Talk Playoffs and Draft (Part 1 of 2)

Matt Devlin has been a busy guy since the end of the Raptors season just about a month ago. He has been working on TNT Broadcasting the Playoffs. I was able to catch up with Matt and we had a good conversation on the NBA and the Raptors. But in this first part we focus on the NBA and in Part 2 that I will be posting later we talk about the Raptors. But Matt had a chance to cover both the Magic who surprised the Cavs in game 1 along with the Nuggets who just tied up the Western Conference Finals heading back to Denver. We also chat about Shaq as a broadcaster and some thoughts on the top of the NBA Draft board with Blake Griffin and Ricky Rubio being discussed.




I will post part 2 on Monday or over the weekend in that we talk Triano, Bosh, Calderon and players that play internationally. Along with that we explore one of the most up in the air free agent periods in the history of the NBA. We even talk about Twitter and if Matt is going to jump in on the latest craze sweeping the Internet and the NBA.

Tweets and Twits

I have an Interview later today so I am just going to have some little things in like Twitter form on some things from around the league. Speaking of Twitter some Twitter NBA News. My favourite player is now on Twitter. T.J Ford is now the latest player to embrace the Twitter generation of the NBA. Another Ex-Raptor was moonlighting on the NBA TV Twitter. Charlie V who has one of the more famous Twitter moments when he started tweeting from the locker room at halftime.

Keeping with are Twitteriffic theme. The man who perhaps is the most famous tweeter, or at least one of the biggest in Shaq. The big man has been a movie star, he has been a Rapper but never a Raptor, Officer of the law and now coming soon....Sports Broadcaster. The big man has enrolled in a crash course on sports broadcasting for ex athletes and current ones that is done at Syracuse University. The Cuse has been a university that has produced a ton of broadcasting talent and there are to many to mention. So TNT or some network better find a really big chair for the big man to sit in once he decided to call it quits.

Chris Bosh of course did the broadcasting thing for NBA-TV and The Tonight Show. Could Bosh and O'Neal be battling some day off the court in a broadcasting booth? Maybe some day but Bosh still has a lot more years to go. Shaq also plans on playing ball for a few more years.

I mentioned yesterday the battle between the WWE and the Denver Nuggets. Well it is all over and you do not have to worry about any Nuggets getting hit with steel chairs prior to game 4. The WWE Monday Night Raw has been moved to the home of the Nuggets opponents in this series the Lakers. So Kobe and Melo are at the Pepsi Centre and John Cena and the rest of the WWE will be taking over Staples Centre. I would expect there will be lots of NBA references in that show. Vince McManon has never been known as a good loser about these kind of things. Maybe WWE can swing getting Blake Griffin to show up. He will be playing in that arena as well. Not as a Laker but as a Clipper. If you doubt the Clippers are going to take Griffin the ad campaign they have launched makes it seem pretty much a lock.

So that is all for now. The guest this afternoon to the best of my knowledge is not on Twitter. Maybe I can convince him to hope on board the Twitter Nation. I can not believe how big Twitter has gotten it is crazy. Is it here to stay or is it just a passing fad? Who knows time will tell. All the links in this article are to the Twitter accounts of the people mentioned. The Dino Nation Blog is on Twitter as well. Follow the DNB if you are not already.

Raptors Face A Large Challenge In Houston

Before we get to the Raptors challenge in Houston tonight, guess I should give my two cents on Shaq's comments on Chris Bosh. I am sure everyone has heard them by now. Chirs Bosh being the RuPaul of big men and that Shaq is just going to make him quit and complain. I mean this is what Shaq does and I think it is more about being funny than anything. I will say this though the whole part about quiting and giving up is what got me upset. Well forgive me for pointing out the fact that didn't Shaq pretty much give up on the Heat which lead him to getting his latest nickname of the "Big Cactus". Chris was an all star last year while Shaq wasn't. I am happy for Shaq and his re-birth with the Suns. However is it really necessary to question others character like he does. Shaq is going to be a hall of famer and he is one of the greatest players in league history. For the big man he has moved on to a new target. Dwight Howard who is the new era Superman. Shaq has been now talking smack about him. Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh are two of the nicest guys you will find in the NBA. Here is hoping Howard defends himself and his friend tonight as the Magic with be taking on Shaq and the Suns. I guess my biggest fear out of all this mess is Shaq has just thrown fuel on the fire when it comes to all the Bosh bashing that has become all the rage. This has been I would think the most difficult season of Chris Bosh's career with the Raptors. I hope Chris can turn a negative into a positive and use the comments as motivation to finish the season strong. As tough as this season has been on everyone, I think it is a safe bet it has been the toughest for Chris Bosh. Maybe this will rally some folks to support him in what has been a tough season. I mean if Shaq is punking out Chris Bosh is he not punking out the Raptors as well and us? I take it personally. It won't make me not be a fan of Shaq. However it does make me sad that he would say the things he said. Chris didn't say anything that wasn't technically true in saying that Shaq camps out in the lane and never gets called for it. However as I said it is a star league and Bosh knows that so it was probably better left unsaid. However Bosh is on my team and I support him in good times and bad. What was lost in all of this is Bosh is starting to get better since returning from his injury.You know about that Shaq? No, my bad, you were glued to the bench injured in Miami last year. I guess is Icy Hot patches were not enough to help him get out there and help the Heat. But back to the point that Bosh had 28 and 10 in the loss to the Mavs. Not bad for a power forward in this league.

Raptors Have No Answer For Yao?

We will see if the Raptors learned anything from that loss to the Suns. Yao Ming is a different kind of big man from Shaq but he would be just as big a problem Andrea Bargnani will likely draw the task of guarding him. Bargnani has been doing a better job this season blocking shots and challenging shots. It is a little different when the player is the size of Yao though. Rafer Alston gone, Tracy McGrady out for the year, these are not your older brother's Houston Rockets.

That being said they should be able to handle the Raptors. The do have Ron Artest and that as long been a player that I would love to see come north of the border. It may be nuts and grasping at straws but Ron Artest is a guy that has defensive pride and it is something the Raptors are in major need of. The Raptors need some kind of craziness. It would shake things up a bit. The whole everyone is a nice good guy plan has not worked. Sometimes a little conflict and drama is not the worst thing in the world. Even Steve Nash thing the Raptors need to get tougher. He said that in an interview with Canada Press. He also said that if things didn't work with the Suns the Raptors would be at the top of his list. But if Nash who is likely one of the nicest good guys in the league things you need to get tougher that would tell you something. Ron Artest is tough and could be a guy that would give the Raptors a defensive leader. Ron Artest a leader? Yeah ok maybe it is nuts. But in a season like this you are driven to think outside of the box for answers.

As for the answers for tonight? Run and Hustle. Yao is never going to win a 100 meter dash. The Raptors new found running style might actually be some what successful against the Rockets. The challenge has been the Raptors have been running out of energy. That has lead to a lack of hustle and desire down the stretch of games. Sam Mitchell and about 100 other basketball folks always say this next statement. Everyone says they want to run and play up tempo basketball but it is a whole different thing to actually do it. Running is a mindset and it takes an attitude and conditioning level. The fact the Raptors have tried to take on this new direction without a training camp makes it a pretty challenging task. However it has been a season that has had one excuse after another and Raptor Fans are tired of hearing them. This will be the most interesting and important off season perhaps in the history of this franchise. For that there will be no excuses that will be acceptable. Fans will demand more and expect results. They will also expect to be able to watch their team play games by turning on a Television. Those on going talks with Rogers and TSN are so close that they might just end before the Obama first term in office, or maybe the second in honour of TSN 2. It should be made perfectly clear the RAPTOR FANS HAVE HAD ENOUGH WITH ALL OF THIS AND THE TIME FOR EXCUSES IS OVER. This is not the Leaf Nation here it is not like we will sit back and accept things as is. At least let's hope not or we are all screwed. I like to think and hope that the Raptor Fan base is different. However chucking the star player under the bus and an apathetic response to the TSN 2 mess is not making me hopeful. There is one thing I will say for Leaf Nation if they were insulted like this with the TSN 2 mess they would riot in the streets. However no need to worry about that ever happening and if you want proof just turn on you television tomorrow for hours on end of exciting Hockey Trade deadline action. But if you do Raptors fans make a statement and don't turn on the networks that have screwed you over. I think we all know who they are right?

Raptors Have No Answer For Big Cactus

Wow was that something. I mean as a basketball fan I feel good for Shaq, as a Raptor fan I just am left feeling empty. It gets no easier as the Raptors get set to head to Texas for a double dip with the Mavericks and Rockets. I could not help but think if the Raptors could not have an answer for Shaq it would seem logically they will have no answer for Yao as well. Not to say beating the Mavericks will be an easy task. That will be tough as well. Bosh will at least have some support in the home town in Dallas and likely in Houston as well. He sure has not had a lot of it from Toronto of late. The whole issue with Bosh is making me sick. Fans are not helping matters in thinking he is as good as gone. Toronto and Raptor fans need to wake up to the fact that we need to start supporting our guys. If we continue to live in the past it will only help serve to watch it repeat itself. You might say well who cares what I do is not going to change anything. I can not argue or dispute that. However if you turn your back on someone before he has on you that is not helping things at the very least. Just because times are tough is not reason to turn your back on Chris Bosh. He has had a great career with the Raptors. It has not turned into playoff success but he has done more than his part for a long time. He is not Vince Carter or T-Mac or Damon. However the more fans turn their backs on him the more he is likely to head down that path.

Bryan Colangelo no doubt has to do his part and make this team better. However fans need to do your part as well. I think when Jameer Nelson earlier this year commented on the booing of Bosh that should have been a wake up call. If other NBA players notice this how likely are they going to be willing to come here. Toronto has a tough enough time as it is to attract players having a fan base that shows no loyalty to it's star player is not exactly a selling point for free agents to come here. There is already enough stuff you need to fight through to convince folks to come here. Let's not be part of the problem in people wanting to be here. It may be a small thing and I have no idea if it truly matters. I can just say as a person I would not want to come to a place where I didn't feel fans would show me loyalty and have my back. People will point out cities like New York and Philadelphia as examples of fan bases that are extremely tough on it's stars. That is fact no doubt. However it is also fact those cities do not face the challenges of being the only franchise in a different country. New York and Philadelphia are no doubt unique cities but they are part of America.

At some point this needs to end. I mean this is becoming a growing thing to me that I personally find annoying. How many players is it going to take to get driven out of town before people wake up and get it. I find it is unfair to compare Bosh to Vince Carter. Chris has given his all and is always a guy that when he is out does all her can to get back in the line-up. I am just tired of watch fans turn on guy after guy. If some walks away after that point I get it. However while they are still part of this team it makes no sense at all. It would make me laugh how some people were talking about picking O'Neal over Bosh. I mean what the hell is that. J.O was a Raptor for a few months and played no where close to an All Star at any point. Yet some people out there were embracing him and turning their back on Bosh. Insane is the only thing I can say about that.

Here is the bottom line of all of this. Maybe we forget that the fact we even have a team is something to be thankful for. Ask people in Vancouver and Seattle if the would take this team warts and all. I am thinking they would in a heartbeat. I know that in writing all of this I am not likely going to change most peoples minds. But seriously how good do you think this team can be without Chris Bosh? The same people that want to seem him gone will be the ones that will be moaning when the Raptors can not attract someone better and they truly suck. Give you head a shake and realize that CB4 has done nothing to disrespect you or me. He goes out and plays at a level that is of an All Star on more nights than he doesn't. I will go down with the ship if need be. I watched my favourite player get railroaded out of Toronto and yes he was part of it. However so were all of the people that blow with the wind and the trend. Here is my best advice for all of you out there. Just stay true to yourself and do not allow a bunch of angry people or bad history impact on your judgement. I respect Chris Bosh regardless of what lies ahead. I am also confident that his behaviour will be nothing like that of Vince Carter or Tracey McGrady. Listen to broadcasts of other teams and how they talk about Bosh. It seems he gets a lot more respect outside of Toronto than in it. That script is backwards.

Raptors Rewind- High Speed Edition

You can take the title for however you like. Was it a comment on the pace this game is going to be played at? Maybe. It also could be a comment on how you would need to view it. Yes once again the game has been held hostage on TSN 2. I am really out of jokes, out of patience and convinced that no one in this stupid dispute cares about me and the feeling is mutual on my part. So we have a basketball game to cover. If I wanted to make a point I guess I could to a re-cap of the Stampede game which you can also see via the internet. However that is just me doing the same thing. So as always the Dino Nation Blog will do the best possible to cover the game for you. This has been such an awful season one of the worst I can remember. The fact Steve Nash will not play in this game gives me no confidence it will matter. It should but the way this team has been who knows. There have been good signs as both Bargnani and Bosh had great games. It still is laughable to me that Raptors are only 4.5 games back. I am not saying I have changed my mind about the playoffs. I have not but that being said the East really stinks at the bottom. Prior to this game starting I was watching the Wizards and the Bulls. The Bulls sit in 9th place. The President of the United States comes the cheer them on and they come out flat as a pancake on Tuesday. As for Obama he is great. Not in a private box. He was right down on the floor. They delayed the start to await his arrival. That is something. Anyway Suns and Raps heading your way I only have one prediction for this game. What is that? Defense will be a rumour because you will not find an evidence of it here.

1st Quarter

So the Suns win the tip and go to match-up of Bargnani on Shaq. Smart move and easy 2 points. Raps would get a score and Shaq would look to score again and fumble it. What looked to be a shot clock violation and it would end up a jump ball. It was won by Suns and lead to a Shaq dunk. Bosh would respond with a jumper. Barbosa and Bargnani exchange baskets. Shaq attack in full effect making another basket but could not make the foul shot. Raptors have no answer for the many with more nicknames than I can remember. He also has the best Twitter out there The Real Shaq. Shawn Marion and Jose Calderon are not on Twitter to the best of my knowledge but that had back to back baskets.

Raptors would take a 13-12 lead thanks to Bargnani. But Shaq would return after a short rest and he would take advantage again. This was a vintage performance by the big man and Jay Triano had not answer as Jake Voskhul was no better a match up than Bargnani was. The Suns had a 28-23 lead Shaq had 12 points already. Bosh was off to a good start with 8 points. However the storyline of this game seems to be how can the Raptors stop the Big Cactus. Shawn Marion would make a nice floater in the the lane. But Dudley would score. Dudley was acquired as part of the deal that brought Jason Richardson to the Suns. Matt Barnes would get a basket and was fouled by Jake Voskhul. That was Jake's 4th foul in 4 minutes. I mean that is just unreal. Andrea Bargnani got fouled and made a couple from the line. Jason Kapono would make a bucket. Patrick O'Bryant was in with Voskhul gone. He fouled Dudley who made a pair from the line. Bargnani missed one of two from the line. Suns would add a basket and lead by 7 with score 37-30 after one. Nothing looking good for the guys in the alternate blacks. Yes they were scoring but the defense was totally non existent unless you count fouling as defense. If that is true Jake Voskhul is playing GREAT D.

2nd Quarter

Parker opens the second with a 3 pointer from his sweet spot in the corner. Suns respond with an alley opp play for 2. Bosh made a pair from the line. Bargnani with the drive and some lucky gets the basket plus a foul. He would make that and The Raptors had cut the lead to just 1 point. Suns respond with a basket but Bosh would answer that score and the lead would remain at one. Bosh would be fouled and he would have a chance to tie it as Shaq was ready to check back in. Actually it was non shooting but no matter Bosh buries the jumper and were are tied at 42.

Jason Kapono would make a mid range jumper and Raptors were back in front. Raptors had started the quarter outscoring the Suns 14-5. We had a Suns feed of the game and a guy made a half court shot that he made under handed. He won $77,777. Shaq makes that per game I believe and he got a score after the excitement during the time out. Grant Hill beats Kapono and scores with an and 1 foul shot. Suns back in front 47-44. The Raptors would pull back to with in one. But Shaq would score and Bosh would foul him. Shaq would have the rare convert of a 3 point scoring chance. Suns were back in front and if Raptors couldn't stop Shaq it was a safe bet they could stay there. Shaq continued to abuse a defenseless Bosh with a slam. Bosh already had 2 fouls and did not want to pick up a 3rd. Marion has a score the other way and Raptors were hanging around down 2 points. However back to Shaq and he had 23. Jose Calderon would answer. Suns were diving all over the place including Shaq and they were doing the little things that team do that need a win. It was that hustle that would lead them on a 6-0 run to take an 8 point lead. Barbosa had a drive and score and Suns had largest lead of the night at 10 points with score 64-54. Suns would get it up to a dozen until Bargnani would hit a 3 pointer to cut the lead to 9. Shawn Marion a basket, a steal leading to a Parker basket. The Raptors would end up with an 11-0 run. Raptors defense was awful but the Suns were equally as defenseless. This was ABA like with score 68-67 Suns at the half.

3rd Quarter

Raptors would take the lead only to see more of what they saw in first half with Shaq scoring. Bargnani stepped inside and made a lone 2 pointer. Calderon would make a jumper and the Raptors lead 73-70. Grant Hill would score. Only to have Bosh answer at the other end. Raptors offense has been re-born. Bosh would split a pair a the line. Grant Hill would pass it into Shaq and he would score. Hill had 9 assists and Shaq had a massive total of points. Shawn Marion would give the Raptors lead back after Suns had tied it at 76. But more Shaq and it was tied at 78. The big man had 29. Marion had 18 for the Raptors and Bosh had 16 and Bargnani 18. Could the Raptors 3 be able to counter the Big Old School Superman? Well Bosh would pick up his 4th foul and that would not help things. Shaq would score again and head to the line. He made the free throw and had 32 and the Suns lead 81-80. Jason Kapono would respond with a 2 point jumper. Barbosa back the other way and the Suns lead was 83-82. Shawn Marion was having a night in front of his former fans. He would make another basket and had 22 points to lead the Raptors.

Raptors lead it 84-83. But Suns would score out of time out. But A.P would make a corner 3 pointer. Raptors lead it 87-85. Grant Hill ties it up at 87. A Marion miss in the lane lead to another Hill basket the other way and he was fouled by Jake Voskhul who had now 5 fouls in 6 minutes. So Hill's five straight gave the Suns a 90-87 lead. A steal would lead to a dunk for the Suns and a 5 point lead. A Bargnani travel and Raptors may have got into a fight that they can't win. Naturally Jason Kapono makes a 3 pointer to make me look bad. Suns would get a score and Grant Hill was looking for another and got called for the offensive push off. But Matt Barnes would eventual get to the line and make 2 shots. Ukic would drive and score the Raptors were down 4. The score after 3 was larger than a lot of final scores you'll see in the NBA. Suns 96 and Raptors 92. If you like offense this is the game for you.

4th Quarter

The Suns got a basket plus a foul from Amundson. But Andrea Bargnani answers with a 3 pointer and as it was stated off the top if you expected defense in this game you would be sad with this game. Suns were starting to pull away with a 7-0 run that would have a Jason Richardson 3 pointer have the Raptors looking for a time out. Bosh would find Marion out of the time out for a dunk. However Amundson would score again he was 7-7 and had 15 points. Marion was fouled but missed his first and made his second. Matt Barnes would score and the Suns were pulling away up by 12 with score 110-98.

Calderon would get fouled and head to the line where he has missed only twice all year. No logger jinx he made both and it was 110-100. Suns just give it to Shaq why not. The big man would score again and had 38 points his career high with the Suns. It was 116-110. Shaq would foul Calderon and that was an easy 2 points for Jose from the line. Shaq with a dunk and he has 40 points and the Suns were just to much for the Raptors. He scored again and he had 42 and the lead was 120-102. The Raptors tank was on empty and it was showing as it was 122-104 as Shaq was fouled and Bargnani had fouled out. Bargnani had 21 points and 6 rebounds on the night. Shaq meanwhile has 44 points with a rare 2-2 effort at the line. Shaq was looking for more with an ugly hook it would fall but Jason Richardson had a massive put back. Shaq would get 1 more point before leaving to massive and well deserved cheers with 45 points and 11 rebounds. The Suns would out run the Raptors 133-113. A boxscore with lots of great lines for a lot of folks but none bigger than the man who was the Star of "Blue Chips".

Suns/Raps Boxscore

So the Raptors fall in what may have bee the best chance they had for a win on this road trip. If you consider the Suns played the night before and had no Steve Nash. The Raptors now travel to the lone star state home of CB4 to his home town of Dallas to face the Maverick and a tilt with Yao and the Rockets after that. Given what we saw tonight good luck to the Raptors in stopping Yao. Meanwhile Nathan Jawai made his debut with the Iadho Stampede and 8 points 6 rebounds but had 6 fouls and 4 of them were offensive fouls. The Stampede lost to Utah. Idaho will play the same Utah team tomorrow. I will likely check it out and give you an update on Nathan's progress. Former Raptor Luke Jackson is also on the Idaho Stampede. But turning back to the Raptors it is not going to be easy to find a win on this road trip. The offense ran out of gas and the defense well there wasn't any.

Raptor Rewind- Steve Nash Return Edition

Steve Nash the starting point guard for your Toronto Raptors!!! Well no that is not the case. But just typing that felt good and I would not mind doing that more in the future. But it is another former Sun that is the talk of the town. Shawn Marion of the Miami Heat. He is rumoured to be on the market and the two front runners to trade for him are the Toronto Raptors and Dallas Mavericks. Pat Riley is interested in J.O so says the rumour mills. He is said to want to evaluate how J.O does over his next 4 or 5 games coming back. But I think the honest answer is that contract is attractive for Riley to build a plan to keep D Wade on the Miami Heat. Point is seems like there will be a bit of a wait for a move to happen. Here is some sober news for the challenge the Raptors face today in the Suns. Since Steve Nash signed with the Suns the Raptors are 0-8 against them. Not good news and if Jose Calderon plays or not it will not change that stat. Suns are a much different team and finding their way with a re-birth of Shaq and they have added Jason Richardson. I do not hold out much hope for a Raptor win today. Nash had also been rumoured to head to Toronto but given the Suns starting to find their stride those hopes have faded to a non existent level. But hey, figuring out this Raptor team has been a challenge this year. I did not expect any of what I saw in that Pacer game at all. The strange line-up that got Raps going in the 4th would make an appearance today. No Jose and A.P as your starting point guard with Joey Graham at shooting guard? That is the starting line-up a weird on for sure. Your regular starters of moon Bargnani and Bosh.

1st Quarter

This is going to be fun to see Steve Nash regardless of the Raptor effort against him. Also late word that J.O and Jason Kapono will not play today do you smell a trade I do. Kapono is said to have flu, while no reason was given for J.O being out. But the Raps had a game to play trade or no trade. Nash and Triano have a nice moment before the tip. The Suns win the tip but miss there first chance to score. Parker on Raptors first offensive play posts up Nash scores and draws a foul. He makes that and Raptors get another basket from Andrea Bargnani and Raptors have an early 5-0 lead. Shaq gets an offensive foul and the Raptors are having as good a start as you could have hoped for.

Amare Stoudamire slams it down and snaps back a little reality to my head. However Chris Bosh answers on the other end making his first attempt of the game. Joey Graham is fouled and Shaq has 2 fouls and makes an early exit. Joey made both and it is a 9-2 Raptor lead. Jason Richardson gets a score to hopefully for the Suns get them going. They would get their first back to back baskets. But the Raptors get another basket from Joey G who was looking good as a shooting guard today. The Suns were getting burned early as Parker would score and the Raptors were up 16-8 early on the Suns. Andrea Bargnani got called for a foul on Grant Hill who made a pair from the line. Bosh would attack the basket and draw a foul and get to the line. Bosh made both and the Raptors were a perfect 6-6 from the line. Moon makes a long two ball and the Raptors had a 10 point lead.

So far this new line-up was doing well. Suns would get a basket and try to build a comeback. Steve Nash has an assist on every made basket for the Suns. Bosh found his way back to the line and he could only go 1 for 2. It was the Raptors holding on to a 21-12 lead with 5:39 to go in the first. Parker playing from the point calls his own number and he had 7 points early. Amare Stoudamire would get to the line and make a pair. Bargnani tried to drive and score but could not finish. Suns get out in transition and make the Raptors pay. So the Suns were creeping back with the score now 23-16. But Parker got to the line to make a pair to put Raptors back up 9 points again. Grant Hill would nail a 3 pointer and Richardson a drive and score and like that the Suns were back to within 4 points with score 25-21. But CB4 would drive to the basket for a score. But a Richardson 3 pointer and the Suns were looking to get it rolling now. The Suns would score again and they had a 14-4 run going and were down just 27-26. But Joey Graham would save the Raptor lead for now making a jumper. But Matt Barnes would score and draw a second foul on Bosh. He would make the and 1 and the Suns had fought back to tie it up. But Andrea Bargnani who checked in for Bosh made a big 3 ball. Barbosa who was in for Nash quickly answered with a 2 pointer for the Suns. He is called the Brazilian Blur after all. Richardson would get to the line and give the Suns their first lead 33-32. Kris Humphries was in the game and made his way to the line. He made a pair to put the Raptors back in the lead. But Barnes hits a 3 pointer to close the quarter and the Suns after a slow start lead after 1 with the score 36-34.

2nd Quarter

Triano's new back court had 18 points that was the good news. Bad news was the Suns were rolling on offense and they started the second with a fast basket. Moon takes a 3 ball he like should not have but made it. Roko Ukic had checked in at the point for the Raps. Barbosa would hit a bucket from distance wide open. Parker shifted over to the shooting guard and drains a 3 pointer. The Raptors thanks to a couple 3 balls were hanging around. The Score was 43-42 but the Suns were a team that has potential to score more. Shaq would get tangled with Jake Voskhul and get called for a technical foul. The Suns after all of this lead 46-43. Bargnani would make a 2 pointer and pull the Raptors to down just 1 with the score 46-45. Jake Voskhul ran over Steve Nash for an offensive foul.

Barbosa makes the Raptors pay with a 3 pointer and the Suns lead 49-45. Shaq would add to the lead with a basket in the post. After a Raptor score Matt Barnes showed a little something...something with a big dunk. Nash pushes the ball to Barbosa and the Suns had built their largest lead with the score 55-47. Matt Barnes a guy some Raptor fans have desired in a trade makes another shot and he was looking good as were the Suns. Raptors were now down 10 points but AP would get a basket and he was doing well. Joey Graham was doing well to as he got a basket to pull the Raptors to down 6 points. Joey would hustle back but got called for the foul on Shaq. O'Neal was perfect from the line today. He is said to have gone back to his high school routine and it has helped his shooting from the line. Bosh has never struggled from the line and he was going their thanks to Amare. He made both. But Shaq had a very big answer with a dunk. But Raptors were fight hard to stay in it. Parker had an answer with a jumper and the Raptors trailed 61-56. The effort was there but a much better team in front of them. Also the defense was awful on both sides. Joey Graham was at the line he and Parker were leading the Raps. Joey makes a pair and it was 61-58. Shaq missed on a dunk attempt but Raptors could not cut the lead more. The Suns would get a basket and get the lead back to 5 points. The pace was unreal for this game.

So there was still almost 3 minutes to play as the Suns reach the 65 point mark on an Amare jumper. Stoudamire would score again as Nash found him on the break. It was 67-58 for the Suns. If this was going to turn into a game of who scores the most my money goes on the Suns to win that battle. Barnes missed a chance to extend the lead to 11. But the Raptors would turn it over and the Suns would get another chance as Barnes got to the line this time. He would make a pair and the Suns were pushing 70 points for the first half. Jamario Moon got the Raptors in the sixties with a 3 pointer. Will Solomon had another basket. The Raptors clawed back to 6 down. But the Suns would get a basket to make the half time score 71-63 and this game looked like a throwback to the 70's ABA.

3rd Quarter

Raptors started the quarter with back to back baskets by Bosh and Graham. They were now just down 71-67 and still hanging around. Stoudamire would get the Suns back on track with a basket. Bargnani would miss on a 3 pointer but he would later get a chance to cut the lead from the line. He would make both to pull the Raptors back to down just 4 points. Shaq would then get the Suns rolling as he got a basket and made a foul shot. Bosh would answer with a make on a fading jumper. But O'Neal would score again and it would start a push by the Suns. It was part of what would be a 9-2 run by the Suns that would extend their lead to 82-71 with 6:37 to play in the quarter.

But Raptors had that fight in them that they found in 4th quarter in Indiana. Parker and a Moon 3 pointer and the Raptors had refused to go away. Stoudamire would get a score and Bosh would turn it over to Jason Richardson would take it all the way to the hoop for a dunk. Suns were back on top 86-76. But again here come the Raptors as Joey Graham who was having a career day would score,get fouled and make the and one. He was GOOD Joey today in a way we have not seen before. That would start a 7-2 push for the Raptors as they climbed back in it once again. They had the score down to 88-83. Steve Nash would take this moment to go from play maker to scorer with a great drive to the hoop that sparked the Suns to extend the lead to hang on to the lead. A silly foul on Barbosa with under 2 seconds left would give the Suns an eight point lead after 3 quarters in stead of six. They had a 95-87 lead after 3 quarters to maintain the advantage they had heading into the quarter. Both teams scored 24 points each and that was a bit off the crazy scoring pace of the first half.

4th Quarter

A dunk for Amare to start the quarter and again the Suns had a 10 point lead. But the Raptors again would refuse to go away. Hump was in for the short handed Raps and he got a score. A couple Stoudamire free throws were followed by a Bosh dunk and a Moon 3 pointer and again the Raptors were challenging to get back in it. Stoudamire would go back to the line and split a pair and Chris Bosh would make a turn around jumper and The Raptors were now with in sight with the score 100-96.

Roko Ukic who was backing up the surprise starting point guard in AP. He would get a lay up and the Raptors were now just one basket away from climbing that mountain. Stoudamire would get a slam dunk and extend the lead back to 4 points. However Joey Graham would score and then do what Joey does when he is good with an amazing dunk to follow the jumper. He had a career high 22 points and was on fire at the ACC. The game was all tied at 102. But a Shaq hook shot would start a 7-0 run for the Suns. The rest of that would be earned from the line as Nash was fouled behind the arc and made 3 free throws and fouled again to make 2 more. It is not the seventy whatever that Jose Calderon has had this season. But it was 5 clutch free throws that meant a lot for this game and getting a win.

So it was the Suns now leading 109-102. But as had been the story all game here come the Raptors again. A Parker 3 pointer and a Bosh jumper and the Raptors were again just 2 points from getting this thing tied up. Parker had 22 points and has having a big day as well. After the Suns split a pair from the line Parker would make another jumper and he had got the Raptors to down 1. Matt Barnes and Amare Stoudamire had back to back baskets to extend the lead back up to 5 points. Jamario Moon would show a flash of last year's Moon with a put back dunk. Both teams would go cold and it was not until AP got a bucket with 1:18 to play that the ice would go away. Raptors down again just one. But cue Steve Nash to kill the Raptors hope. He would find himself matched up on Bosh and blew by him to the basket for the great and stylish lay up. There was 12 seconds to go and Raptors were down 116-113. Parker would take a shot and miss the Raptors would get a couple more chance battling in the paint but in the end Amare Stoudamire got the ball and was fouled. He would make a free throw that would add to his stat line but the game was over. Raptors lose again in a heart breaking way 117-113.

Raps/Suns Boxscore

Raptors and J.O trade talk is heating up as there is talk a deal with Miami may almost be done. Jermaine O'Neal for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. So no idea who will be playing tomorrow. But what I can say is it will be early as the Raptors will play the Hawks with a 2pm tip time as it is Martin Luther King Jr holiday south of the border. So have no fear the Dino Blogger will be here. If you have to work I will be doing the Raptor Rewind that you can check out if you miss the action.