Paul Jones From NYC

Paul Jones has become a regular guest for us here at Dino Nation Blog. He always offers some great opinions on what is going on with the Raptors. I asked about a couple things to do indirectly with Chris Bosh. The first about if he and Danny Granger will be all-stars. Jeff Van Gundy was pretty clear he feels they are not. Also Jalen Rose is back on the Chris Bosh heading to the Knicks tip. In case you forgot what Jalen had to say here are both clips the old one and the new one.
(There was an issue with the interview audio that has been fixed- 11am)


And The Latest



Paul's broadcast partner Eric Smith had his take on the Jalen Rose comments. Paul gives his take on what Jalen has been saying. Also thoughts on Jamario Moon and if it is as much as it pains me to say this...time for Joey to start? Along with how the team is dealing with the whole J.O trade rumours. Also why his broadcast partner could have a new look if the Cavs keep winning at home. Van Gundy beyond his thinking Bosh and Granger are not all-stars had some other off the wall ideas for All Star Weekend.

So that gives you some context for the first two things I talk about with Paul in our interview

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I mentioned to Paul that I really enjoyed his comments about the election of Barack Obama. He was a guest on the Eric Smith Show talking about Obama. I am a huge fan of the Vlogs and The Eric Smith Show. You can find the world famous vlogs which are on Fan 590 version of Eric's Blog and The Eric Smith Show can be found on Raptors.com. Maybe someday I will be a guest on the Eric Smith show. But given it is taped on the road I don't like my chances. But the point to all of this aside from giving Eric some love. Which reminds me, our guest also writes for Sportsnet. But what I have been wondering lately is what impact people thought Obama may have on the NBA now that he is the White House. I am putting together an all star break feature with some of my recent guests from The Score. But here is what Paul thought about for lack of a better term the Obama Effect on the NBA.

Paul Jones " I think it does have an impact. Look at how many NBA players have come front and center now with a visible minority becoming President. They are all paying attention to politics. It is not "the same old system anymore" that it was before. They are hoping for change. If he can use some of these guys as being vehicles to the change that he wants then I see these guys being part of it. Hopefully they are thinking for themselves and not going into things blindly. I definitely see about him being a basketball fan and a sports fan in general, he has talked about fixing the BCS in college football, he is a big White Sox fan. I mean why not, people went ga-ga over other Presidents and their love of sports. JFK had the famous photos of him play touch football. I think it helps basketball. Not that the NBA needs his help but they sure won't turn away from it."

Just as a follow up to what Paul is saying. Jimmy Carter who was from Georgia was a big fan of Nascar and it added to that sport. Bill Clinton was a huge supporter of the Arkansas basketball program in the NCAA. It has also in an age of athletes not taking stands has awakened a spirit of getting involved in the process. Lebron James and many others were active in trying to get Obama elected. Many NBA players travelled to Washington to be at the inauguration. Many teams change travel schedules to watch the event. Now I don't think the NBA will be heading to Washington for a federal bailout. However they have been impacted by these tough times. I had asked Paul in a previous interview, when the economic issues of today were just coming to light for his thoughts on it. Now that we are half way through the NBA season I thought it might be a good time to revisit the topic again.

Paul Jones- " It's going pretty well I think. It would not surprise me down the line more and more cuts. The NBA did lay off some of their staff earlier in the year. The crunch is here and it is hitting everybody. That being said they are making adjustments. There are a lot of places that have cut ticket prices to draw people back to the arenas. To have them keep coming out and supporting their local team. It is what it is. The world is down economically. So you would expect that is going to trickle down to all things. Sports and other entertainment industries are going to take a hit as well. "

In the economy of wins and losses, Jose Calderon has been a huge market surge for the Raptors in that regard. I made mention that he seems a more willing shooter and scorer since his return. I suggest this to Paul and added that I felt part of why we were seeing it was the fact Jose was able to sit and watch. Here is what Paul had to say in response to those comments.

Paul Jones- " Absolutely, because the team needs that. Sometimes your team needs you to score. As much as you want to get people involved as the point guard sometimes you just have to be a scorer. All you have to do is watch Steve Nash. People are talking and saying well he is not an all star this year. He is doing different things in a different system. He is still averaging almost a double double with 14 points and close to 10 assists. It is not that he is not playing well it is just that he is in a different system and doing different thing. He doesn't have the numbers he use to have because he doesn't have to do some of the things he did before. So that doesn't mean he is not an all star. If he was voted in as an all star that would not be a problem. He to me is the perfect example of that. What do you want? He came into to Toronto and racked up a high assist total and took less than 5 shots and they won. He is the perfect guy for reading what his team needs and he can adjust within a game. I think for Jose that is the next phase in his learning.Realizing at time my team needs me to score and that is what I am going to do. "

I give Jose credit he has been very solid. The defense is still not to where I would want it to be. However in Paul's example of Nash, he is not going to win defensive player of the year anytime soon. In the audio portion of our conversation I asked about the J.O trade rumours and how the team was dealing with that. If not for the play of Andrea Bargnani recently the trade talk for J.O may not exist at all. In fact the talk may have been about Bargnani. However it would seem that finally he is breaking through. So I asked Paul if he felt Andrea had finally made it to the point that we now know what to expect from him moving forward?

Paul Jones-" He is certainly becoming more consistent isn't he. This is what everyone was going crazy about last season. I remember writing an article "Still Time For Bargnani" last December. When people want to throw him out the window and they wanted him traded. Colangelo had failed and his first pick was a bust. But I was saying give the kid time. He starting to develop his game. He has a great level of confidence in himself right now. It is showing through in his play. It is now about developing consistency. What are people after Chris Bosh about Consistency in his play at the end of games. He is still learning at that aspect of his game and he is accessing all of that and he will get better at that. People don't cry about his numbers anymore because he is consistent. Andrea has got to do the same thing. To be able to have your team depend on you to put up the kind of numbers he is now. 20 points and 7 or 8 rebounds. If he does that the complaining will stop. I just find it funny how people are so quick to judge right away. I won't mention people by name but i know people in our business the media that saying that he is Haffa Bargnani. Well give the kid a chance. Having coached at the university level and a played at a high level, you got to give people time. There may have been things in play last year that we do not know about that were going on away from the floor. We don't know."

Perhaps the most noticeable change I saw recently with Andrea was he showed a bit of toughness when he got shoved by Garcia. In fact the entire team has shown a bit of grit that we have not seen in a long time. I asked Paul Jones for his thoughts about that.

Paul Jones-" Maybe they are getting to the point that they have had enough. Maybe they are fed up and ticked off and they are going to play like that and that is something they should be doing regularly and constantly. Establishing themselves as a team that is not going to back down. It is nice to see and they have to do more off it "

I also talked with Paul about the move of Anthony Parker to the back-up point guard and was it an admission that they maybe should have brought in a NBA experienced back-up point guard. Although we both agree that Roko is showing signs of progression. The fact that A.P is now the back-up points to the failure of Will Solomon in my opinion. I even would go as far as saying that Jose Calderon and his injury problems can be linked to the lack of a true back-up. Paul was not in agreement about that. But did concede that Anthony Parker being the back-up was a bit of an admission that the Raptors might have benefited from getting an NBA experienced point guard.

Paul Jones-" Yeah maybe it is an admission by Bryan, Jay or the team. We thought that we were better off at the point then we are. It has not worked out having Will and Roko because of the adjustments that they have had to make and they haven't made them. But at the same time when you think back to last year when you had T.J and Jose they still used Delfino at the point at times. Maybe it is a case of finding the right line-ups. I think it is partially an admission. But at the same time they are trying to find a way to get your best players out on the floor."

It is great to have Paul pay us a visit and talk about a number of issues to do with Raptors. I always enjoy talking with Paul he is a extremely bright person that I always enjoy exchanging ideas with.

V.C, JVG, and CB4 with some Jose on the side.

Toronto Raptors once again will look to win 3 games in a row against the New Jersey Nets tomorrow. I think if you asked Raptor fans what was the most painful loss of this season they would respond with the overtime loss to the Nets. Vince Carter scoring to tie the game and win the game it was the Raptor fans worst nightmare played out. The Nets after an impressive and surprising start have faded below the .500 mark. New Jersey is just 3-7 in their last 10 games and sits in 9th place in the East. The injury to Michael Redd makes it hard to think that the Bucks who currently sit in 8th place can keep that spot. Redd tore both his MCL and ACL which is the reason the early end to his season. There is a long list of teams not that far behind them. The Nets are at the top of that list and the Raptors are at the bottom. It has long been talked about the lack of a home court advantage for the Nets. Well the proof is in their record. They are only 9-14 at home and actually have a respectable 11-11 mark on the road. Raptors already have a win at the Izod Center. These two teams have something in common as well. What is that beyond having Carter wearing a #15 jersey. They both lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Nets lost 94-85 to the bottom feeding Thunder. Raptor fans can relate to the pain of losing to the Thunder. In fact if Raptor fans had not answered the loss to Vince they likely would have responded the loss to the Thunder as the most painful. So that is some stuff to think about for the Raptors next match-up.

JVG On CB4 And More

This item just slipped my mind yesterday. I have been live blogging games for The Score. I mention this because it gave me reason to hear Jeff Van Gundy's total crazy rant about the All Star Game. In general if JVG ran the NBA it is clear the All Star Game would look vastly different. But the thing that he said that will most stick out to Raptor fans is that he would put Anderson Varejao in the All Star Game ahead of Chris Bosh. The reason behind it is that Van Gundy feels that nobody on a team below .500 should go to the All Star Game. He ranted on and suggested that you could put Andrew Bynum on the Eastern Conference Roster because he was born in the East. So does that mean Paul Pierce will play for the West in Van Gundy's game? I love Van Gundy as an announcer but keep him far away from the league office. If he ran the league I have no idea what to expect. I would even support Mark Cuban to run the league before JVG.

Now how much of that was comedy and how much of that was serious? That is a good question. Only Jeff knows for sure. I just wonder what that would mean if some fans got what they wanted. Van Gundy is one of the more popular names with fans to take the Raptors job. It seems he is pretty happy on T.V for now. However let's just say that he was willing to take the job. How does that first meeting with Chris Bosh go after you told a national audience that he should not be on the NBA All Star team. Worse you think that a Carlito look a like in Cleveland should be. It is not the greatest start for a coach player relationship. It is clear that Van Gundy has no worries about his future in coaching when he steps behind the mic for work. Despite him not being behind Bosh making the All Star Game, I get a kick out of him and enjoy him in this new role. Those dark rings under his eyes have gone away and he doesn't have to try to break up any fights in the booth.

Raptors Did Some Good Yesterday

The Raptors did some good yesterday. They made their annual visit to Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto. When they make these annual visits they bring lots of smiles to children who could care less if they are having a good or bad season. I have seen the features on these visits in the past on Raptors TV on the show Raptors Heartbeat. You see the joy that is brought to these children and it really does put things in perspective. I have said that the Raptors as an organization our at the top of league in what they do as far as community relations. You don't get wins in the standings for that. However it means a lot more. Chris Bosh is a leader in this regard as well. There is so much talk about what the Raptors would lose in the basketball sense if Bosh were to leave in 2010. But it should also be noted what they would lose as far as a person if he were to leave. I hope in both cases that Bosh will remain with the Raptors because he is not just a great basketball player he is a great person as well.

Jose Calderon Has Made A Difference

I have to say that Calderon has been very impressive. The impact he has had on the offense has been night and day. He still is not going to excite anyone with his play on the defensive end. I think that is just something that people like me will just need to accept. He just will not ever blow us away on that end of the floor. He has proven me wrong about one thing though. I was never convinced that Calderon could be a big time scoring threat. He just never seemed to call his own number enough. Even when the rest of the team around him struggled he still would look to pass it and not shoot it. Calderon to his credit since he has returned has been able to get off his own offense going. He still is doing a good job at his primary role as distributor.

Obviously two games to not totally change your mind. You also need to consider the level of who the Raptors were facing. The Bulls and Kings are not exactly the greatest teams on earth. However it seems that Jose was paying attention when he was out on the bench watching the Raptors take lose after lose. If this has helped make him understand that he must step up and score more at times it can be considered better for his long term and the team's long term future. I think as well for Jose it was a visual display of just how much of an impact he has on this team in a positive way.

I may never be completely happy with Jose Calderon based on his poor play on defense. However even someone like me fails to notice as much his defensive play when he has his offense rolling like this. I also find his free throw streak an impressive thing. However if he actually gets to the line more, which we have seen a little more of that since his return, it can have more of an impact. The fact Anthony Parker is playing back-up point guard minutes speaks to how badly a true back-up was needed for this team. I think you can make a case that if they had one, Jose may have been able to stay healthy and the Raptors could have been better for it.

So that is about it for today. Thanks to all of you that checked out the Interview yesterday with Adnan Virk. It was great to have him visit. If it brought any new folks to the Dino Nation Blog I just want to welcome you. The reason I work so hard to get the interviews is for two reasons. First to get a variety of opinions from people. The second is to hopefully add more readers for the Dino Nation Blog. It is always great to have more people be a part of what I am doing here.

Adnan Virk From The Score Visits The Dino Nation Blog

I was very excited to get the chance to talk with Adnan Virk. Many know Adnan from his work on Raptor broadcasts and on the show Court Surfing that he was the host of. I have known Adnan prior to him being a part of The Score. We had worked together at another network and he remembered me. It was just a matter of getting in touch with him and he was happy to be a guest. So here is are conversation on the state of the Raptors as we talk about a number of issues for Toronto's basketball franchise.

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I look forward to having him back as a guest in the future. He is a great guy and I am very happy for all the success he has had in his time working for The Score. He is the co-host on The Score's morning show talking all sports not just basketball. I thank him for taking the time and it was really great to catch-up with him after many years. That story off the top of the interview is 100% true as I really was excited to have a chance to have him as a guest. A special thanks to Randy Urban who got us together to make this happen. The Dino Nation Blog has always done it's best to bring you a variety of opinions from knowledgeable media people and Adnan would be on that list.

Raptors Try To Keep Hope Alive

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

M.V.P and Roy Rankings

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

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

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

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

Raptors Rewind- King Me Edition

Not much time to set this one up. I just came from live blogging the Spurs and Lakers. This is not a high profile match-up like that for sure. The Kings are 0-17 vs the East this year and they only have 3 wins on the road the entire season. It goes with out saying that this is a must win for the Raptors on their home floor. I guess it doesn't because I just said it. If they lose this game there truly would be no excuses that would be acceptable for a loss. The Raptors had to get this one if they have any thoughts of the playoffs at all. So no pressure guys just win.

1st Quarter

Both teams fail to score on their first possessions. Jason Thompson the rookie gets a score to open the scoring. They get a 3 pointer and start on a 5-0 run. Jose Calderon would end that with a basket and 1. He now has made 84 straight from the line. Martin who did not play in first game is in this one and makes a 3 pointer. Raptors get baskets from Moon and Bosh to pull it back to 8-7 Kings. Martin would extend that with another 3 pointer. But Anthony Parker from his house on Parkerville court answers with a 3 pointer for the Raptors. Andrea Bargnani drives and scores to give the Raptors their first lead 12-11. But the Kings answer back and take the lead. CB4 answers that and Salmons responds to that and Kings still lead 15-14.

Jamario Moon settles for a jumper that he missed. Turnover to the Kings off the miss and Salmons drives to the hoop and scores.Andrea Bargnani makes a mid range jumper. The Kings turn it over and we have the first time out of the early evening start. After the Kings split a pair from the line, Chris Bosh would make a jumper to tie the score at 18. Jermaine O'Neal had checked in for Bargnani and he wasted no time and got a score. He lit up the Kings for 30 plus on Boxing Day. Chris Bosh was heading to the line looking to build the Raptors advantage. He makes both and the Raptors lead it 22-18. Bosh had his jumper working as he made another off the O'Neal pass. Raptors leading by half dozen late in the first. Brad Miller would end the Raptors run, He made a shot from long range. O'Neal would respond scoring on the curl to the hoop after he got the pass from Bosh. Miller was hot from outside making another 3 pointer. Bosh though he had a hoop and 1 but instead he called called for going out of bounds and a turnover. Sac-town was back in front 27-26. Spenser Hawes split a pair and an Andrea half court bomb would barely find the glass lead alone the hoop. Raptors trailed 28-26 after the first and this was far from the ideal start for the guys in the white and red.

2nd Quarter.

Raptors shooting well at 57% but defense was less than ideal as Kings shot 52%. That along with 5 Raptor turnovers and Kings had a lead. Joey Graham missed a dunk but O'Neal would hammer down the follow. Bobby Brown with the jumper and it was cruel for the Raptors. The Kings would follow up with a 3 ball. Roko Ukic would drive and score but the Kings still lead 33-30. Garcia makes a long two pointer and the Kings lead by 5. Jermaine O'Neal found his way to the line and made a pair. Mikki Moore the former Net now King made the a basket. Chris Bosh would score and get fouled in reply. He would have a time out to think over the and one chance.

Bosh would make it. But the Raptors would still trail 37-35. Anthony Parker would even the score at 37 with a made jumper. But the Kings answered with 2 of their own. Kevin Martin would score another and the Kings lead 41-37. Calderon would check in and have an instant impact making a 3 pointer. Thomson the rookie out of Rider would score on the break and the Kings lead was 3. Bosh had his shot blocked by Thompson.
He would clutch his head and not get back on defense. But the Raptors would survive the power play and Bosh was ok. In fact he would score to cut the lead to just 1. Calderon would make a jumper and another and the Raptors were suddenly up 3 points with the score 46-43. A blocking call on Parker that he and coach Triano would not like. But the Kings would take the charity and make both. Andrea Bargnani would find his way to the line. He would make both and Raptors were back up by 3. Jamario Moon would double that lead with a 3 that he should take for a change. But he would get burned on the other end for an easy basket for the Kings. Raptors were up 51-47 with under 2 minute to play in the half. Moon again would get torched by John Salmons and the Raptor lead was 2. Jason Thompson would score to tie it up at 51. Chris Bosh would make a fading jumper and he was doing more then his part with 17. Andrea Bargnani would make a huge 3 pointer. Thompson would get a chance to answer. Raptors were leading 56-53 at the half. But they looked far from impressive defensively.

3rd Quarter

Bosh and Claderon have a combined 27 yet the Raptors only lead by 3. Reason for that turnovers and poor defense. Salmon and Martin have made 7 long range bombs that have been costly. Chris Bosh gets the first touch of second half and he drives and draws a foul on the rookie Thompson. He makes the shots. Bosh would miss a very long jumper for 2. Brad Miller would make his jumper on the other end. Andrea Bargnani would answer for the Raptors. Parker curls to the hoop and misses a lay up but Bosh has his back with the Offensive board and put back. Raptors extend lead to 7 but Miller would score again and cut the lead to 5 once more. Salmons left wide open by Moon and he drains a 3 pointer. Raptors lead was just 62-60. Triano had enough of Moon and Joey Graham checked in for him. I am glad to see that as Graham for whatever I think of him has been doing more than Moon of late.

Kings had several chances to tie it and never did. A couple of turnovers and easy scores for Bosh and Parker and the Raptors were up by 6 points with the score 66-60. Miller would get to the line and look to cut the lead and he would making both. Joey Graham like a bulldozer would take it to the lane and draw the foul. He made both from the line. Raptors lead it 68-62 with 6 and change to go. Andrea Bargnani would load up and hit a triple to give the Raptors a 71-62 lead. Raptors would win a jump ball on a double foul call. They would get Andrea Bargnani heading to the line as he was fouled driving to the hoop. He would split a pair from the line. Graham and Bosh set the Kings up to draw an offensive foul. But a loose ball foul on Bargnani off his own miss would turn it over. Garcia would get a needed basket for the Kings. Another turnover and Kings score from Martin. Jason Kapono would drive for a lay up to push the lead back to 8. Andrea Bargnani would get hooked up by Jose and he would score and get the and one foul. Raptors lead by 11 with the score 77-66. Calderon would take his own shot the next time up the floor. Raptors leading now by 13 with the score 79-66.

Bargnani was having a good day as he drove to the hoop and got to the line again. He would make to more and the Raptors lead 81-66. Kapono would hit a jumper and the Raptors were on a serious run. Garcia would respond with a 3 pointer. Bargnani would get fouled hard by Garcia on the other end and a bot of a scrum would take place. Bargnani was not taking it. Raptors were showing some more of that toughness we saw in Chicago. Bargnani would make a tech and the two free throws. The score was 85-69. Raptors were turning it on with another basket. Hawes got a 3 pointer. But the Raptors still lead by 15 with the score 87-72. A foul on Kapono right before the buzzer to end the 3rd quarter. Kings would make them but the Raptors had a heck of a third quarter. Bosh and Bargnani had 23 and 22. It was so good Matt Devlin would bust out the Killer Bees line. Vince McManon legal action pending with the 80's wrestling team the Killer Bees wanting their due.

4th Quarter

So a 13 point lead to defend. John Salmons would make it 11 but Parker pushed it right back to 13. Chris Bosh hit a jumper and made it a 15 point lead with Raptors up 91-76. Pizza looked to be a lock for the fans at the ACC. J.O scoring a basket would make the win start to look as much of a lock as the pizza at this point. Jermaine O'Neal in just 20 minutes had a double double and was heading to the line looking for more. He would miss on the second. Raptors were up 18 though with score 94-76.

Beyond Jamario Moon I can not think of a Raptor that was having a bad night. Let's start ever game at 6pm if this is the results. Bosh has 27 now as he scores and heads to the line looking to make it 28 but he missed it. Raptors still lead it 96-78. Raptors with all hands on deck for two straight games have looked very solid and more like the team that had been advertised prior to the season. Kings were making a bit of a push back. But they were still down 14 with score 96-82. Bosh would head to the line looking to extend the lead once more. Which he would do making a pair. Udrih would make a 3 pointer but Bosh would respond with a basket and that would give the fans the pizza and the Raptors a 100-85 lead. Jose Calderon would continue hi free throw streak and the Raptors were on the way to the first ever season sweep of the Kings. Raptors much like in the Bulls game picked up the defense in the second half. Raptors were loving life up 108-91. Nathan Jawai would make his home debut. He along with a crew of reserves hit the floor. Big Nate would lay the hammer on one of the Kings. Roko Ukic had a rare 3 pointer prior to that. Jawai's first attempt as a pro would not fall as he took a fading jumper that missed. But it was all smiles regardless as the Raptors lead by CB4 with 31 points. The Raptors get a 113-97 win. Another reader friendly boxscore for you to enjoy.

Raps/Kings Boxscore

So two wins and a couple days before the Raptors head to the IZod center to take on Vince Carter and a Nets team that has been struggling. Raptors have won 2 in a row and look to do something they have not done since the start of the year and that is win 3 games in a row. They must do it if they want to stay alive in the playoff race.

Raptors Look To Crown The Kings

I said it yesterday the Raptors margin for error over these next 3 games is nothing. If they do not win their next 3 contests it pretty much is over as far as any slim playoff chances they may hold. It is all based on what the Raptors face after that. They have little to no change of getting a win in the next 4 after these 3. The Sacramento Kings have been a total failure this season and are trying to rebuild around Kevin Martin. He was not in the line-up when these teams faced off on Boxing Day. The Raptors would get a rare win on the west coast as they beat the Kings on the road for only the second time in franchise history. It is a rare 6 pm tip time at the Air Canada Centre. The Kings come into this game on a 4 losing streak and a 3-19 road record. I mean it does not get more of a gimmie win then this does it? If the Raptors get even half of the performance they got from Jose Calderon in his return to the line up it should be a cake walk.

All Star Thoughts

I have said this for years and last night offered proof to my point. Yesterday I was on CJLO in Montreal and that is the host city of the NHL ALL STAR weekend. The breakaway challenge winner was Alex Ovechkin who put on a silly hat and some sunglasses and used two hockey sticks and eventually scored. Can anyone say that was even close to as entertaining as Dwight Howard putting on a Superman outfit and dunking a basketball. Not even close. I get that I am in Canada and hockey will always be bigger then basketball. But even hockey fans have to give the nod to the NBA's All-Star Saturday night as opposed to the the NHL's pathetic rip off of the event for their sport. In the market that matters for the NHL, the United States, it will be viewed as I have stated a cheap rip off that is not good in comparison.

Gary Bettman came from the NBA and has tried to use NBA ideas in the NHL with little success. David Stern is a far better commissioner for his sport and it is made the most clear when you compare the two sports All Star Weekends. The NHL had to bring in a rule that forces players to sit out the next regular season game for the season if they skip the NHL ALL STAR GAME. The NBA ALL STAR WEEKEND is an event that most players love to be at even if they are not part of the game or events. The NBA is the better league when you get right down to it and that may not play well in Canada but the simple fact is that it is the truth. The All Star Weekends of the two sports just offer the most obvious comparison that makes that fact clear.

It will be interesting to see if Chris Bosh gets the nod to be in the ALL STAR GAME. I have seen most thinking it is likely a lock that he does. But given the Raptors record I am not convinced it is. Should he not it will be interesting to see how he handles that moving forward. He has been more vocal and angry about what is going wrong. If he were not to get the personal honour of going to the ALL STAR GAME if for no other reason then his team's poor record. That good be a point where we see Bosh say enough is enough. Whatever happens I am glad that Chris is starting to show some emotion and say loud and clear that this is not acceptable. I think on this the Fans and CB4 are on the same page.

Lakers vs Spurs

Before the Raptors take on the Kings. A match-up of 2 of the NBA's best teams with the Lakers and the Spurs. I am going to be live blogging it for The Score. You are welcome to stop by and take part as you get set for Raptors and Kings. After all there is no football being that it is the bye week before the Super Bowl. So that gives you a chance to see more basketball. It is a 3:30 tip time and if all goes well it will end before the Kings and Raptors get going and that game originally scheduled for TSN 2 has been moved over to TSN. Maybe they are finally hearing the angry basketball fans? Wishful thinking I am sure.

The Score Live Blog Link- Spurs and Lakers

After I am done with Spurs and Lakers. It is right into Raptor Rewind of Kings and Raptors. A busy day but hopefully a fun one.

Raptors Ready To Roll Finally?

I have to admit that Jose Calderon was fantastic last night. He looked healthy as well which is perhaps more important. I would also like to thank Tyrus Thomas for being a bone head. When you are an under achiever and have done next to nothing in the league. It might make sense not to get in the face of a 6 time all star even if he is on the decline. He sparked J.O and this entire Raptor team along with him. Thomas by his bone head actions got the Raptors to come together and play tough. That might have been the most shocking thing of all. Raptors have had losing streaks and had players come back, what I can not recall is a game that they played though. They fouled people and made them earn it from that line. They were scrappy and into it like I have not seen in a long time and perhaps never from this group. The Raptors have long been labeled with the tag of being a soft team. Last season in match-ups with the Atlanta Hawks they allowed them to take liberties that I would argue cost the Raptors a successful season. But instead of getting pissed about the Raptors would turn the other cheek and not fight back. Last night the Raptors did fight back and in the end crushed the Bulls. It makes you wonder if it was mirage or if it will be the start of something?

Raptors Must Win Next 3

Must win is a phrase that gets thrown around a lot in the sports world. In theory ever game is a must win. That is the object of the game to win. Recently fired Chiefs Coach Herm Edwards said it best as coach of the Jets:



But another football coach once said this:



But the Raptors Still have a shot at the Playoffs Right?:



But maybe if we practice hard right AI?:



Or Maybe you were expecting?:



But these next 3 games are huge because of the four that follow. Speak up now if you think the Raptors can beat the Lakers? How bout the Cavs? Hornets anyone? Oh but we did beat the Magic I am sure they forgot about that though we can get them. If the Raptors are going to keep any playoff chances at all it will take 3 more wins simple as that. The Kings, Nets and Bucks are all teams that we can beat and must beat to have any chance at all. Perhaps some motivation is in order.



Not exactly what I had in mind. We need a role model:



I agree Charles you are not. But hopefully we have all learned something from all of this. The road for the Raptors given the hole they have made is going to be a long and hard on with very little room for error. Hope you got a kick out of our little You Tube assisted edition of the blog today. Just Remember this:



If the Raptors can play the game like they did last night they will be better. The simple reality is they have to play that well to have any chance.