Raptor Madness

With the brackets being set and March Madness in the air I thought I would do a little something tied to March Madness. Chris Bosh spent a year at Georgia Tech, it has not been good year for GT in the ACC as the Yellow Jackets are not in the Tournament. Joel Bosh can brag at the fact his former school the SWAC Champions from Alabama St will be playing on Tuesday for the right to take on Louisville. Other Raptors with no one to cheer for include:

Shawn Marion (UNLV)
Marcus Banks ( Nevada-Las Vegas)
Anthony Parker( Bradley )
Patrick O'Bryant ( Bradley )
Pops Mensah-Bonsu ( George Washington )

Along with International players:
Jose Calderon, Roko Ukic, Andrea Bargnani, Nathan Jawai (Although he would have cheered for fellow Aussie Pat Mills on St Mary's but they got left out and had bubble burst)

Raptors with rooting interest.

Joey Graham ( Oklahoma State (8 Seed)- Who take on Tennessee )
Jason Kapono ( UCLA ( 6 Seed)- Taking on Virginia Commonwealth )
Kris Humphries ( Minnesota (10 Seed)- Taking on Texas )
Jake Voskhul ( UConn (1 Seed)- Taking on Chattanooga )

In The Broadcast Booth

Leo Rautins ( Syracuse (3 Seed) - Taking on Stephen F Austin )
Sherman Hamilton ( Virginia Commonwealth (11 Seed)- Taking on UCLA )
Matt Devlin ( Boston College ( 7 Seed )- Taking on USC )

We also have the Madness here at the Dino Nation Blog and we have a facebook pool for fun. But also we are going to be running one on The Score and the winner of that one will get a cool prize. I am just getting the details on that.

DNB Madness Group in Score Bracket Buster Contest

If that link doesn't take you there. Here is the info you need.

Group Name: DNBMadness
Password: Raptor

Simple as that. If you have already entered our Facebook Pool you will need to enter The Score one to be eligible to win the prize. Also Raptor Blog will be running a contest as well. You are welcome to enter both. However you can not win in both. In addition although I am entered if I were to be the winner the prize would go to the person finishing in second place. Hope that is clear for everyone. So just to be clear The Facebook Pool is just FOR FUN and no prize can be won through that group. To be eligible to win you must be part of The Score Contest.

Raptors Vs Bobcats

Will the Raptors keep it rolling tonight against the Bobcats. At this point I have no idea. However this is a very different Bobcat team and we will all get to know them well as Raptors will face these same Bobcats back home on Friday.

Raptors Rewind- Ford Return Take 2

If it was said that the Pacers would still be in the playoff hunt and the Raptors would not be at this point most would have laughed at the start of the season. However that is the reality of things. Not that the Pacers have a very good shot at the playoffs. They sit in 13th place just one spot ahead of the Raptors but only 2 games out of the final playoff spot in the East. A terrible road record has held the Pacers back with only 9 wins on the road. They have already lost in Toronto. A game that T.J struggled in and he admitted that the fact Sam Mitchell had been fired impacted on him and took some motivation away from him. Jose Calderon became the all time leader in assists for the Raptor Franchise. That being said T.J Ford has had a better season than Jose Calderon. When you consider the direction this team has gone you have to wonder why Ford had to go. In a running style system give me Ford as my point guard. Not to mention that the Raptors have lost 7 straight heading into this Sunday afternoon tilt with the Pacers. In happier more optimistic times, I had targeted this point of schedule as a chance for the Raptors to make up ground. It seemed reasonable the Raptors could have gone 12-3 down the stretch. Games against the Magic, Hawks and Sixers were games the Raptors would have been hard pressed to win. Now you wonder if they can even snap this losing streak against the Pacers and then a back to back with the Bobcats. Charlotte actually has been making a playoff push of their own and has been one of the hotter teams in the East of late. Well they were, 3 straight losses after a 5 or 6 game winning streak. The one thing I can say for sure is a view more people respect T.J Ford more than the last time he rolled through Toronto. That does make me feel good as someone that is a fan of T.J. However there is nothing that can make me feel that good considering the season this has been. I have kind of taken it easy this weekend because what more can you say about this team that has not already been said by everyone at this point. We all expected far much more, a win or loss today will not change that fact. Another fact is that a month from today this Raptor Season will be over far sooner than anyone might have expected when this started in late October.

Late word that Danny Granger will be active today for the Pacers. That will make the task a tougher one for the Raptors indeed. Oh and joy the Raptors are busting out those ugly green uniforms. Also after battling with the flu over last couple games Andrea Bargnani will be in the starting line-up.

1st Quarter

Raps win the tip and off we go. Bosh missed a fading jumper. Indiana failed to score on it's first possession as well. Bargnani missed on an easy lay up. Both teams were of to an awful start. A steal and score for T.J Ford and Calderon matches with a jumper on the other end. Pacers would get back to back baskets. Daniels would turn it over and AP would get the easy score in transition. Pacers would get another Ford bucket. This one would be answered by Bargnani. Murphy and Bosh would exchange baskets. Ford would miss a 3 pointer but later hit a fading shot in the lane. Pacers lead 12-8 at the mid point of the first quarter. Bargnani would get a score in the paint. He would get another basket on a Calderon feed in transition. Make it 3 in a row for Bargnani and Raptors take the lead 14-12.

Dainels would answer and tie it up for the Pacers. He would make it back to back baskets and Pacers were up 2. Anthony Parker would make a jumper and it was all tied at 16. Ford had 6 points and Calderon had 4 dimes. A terrible stretch of misses for the Raps as both Bosh and Graham had several chances to score and could not. Pacer make them pay with a 3 ball. Pops Mensah-Bonsu checks in and he impacts the game right a way with a jam for 2. Pops in a bright light in an otherwise dark time for the Raptors. There are not many people I can honestly endorse to return to this team who has a contract due this off-season, but Pops in one that I can say that I hope he returns next year. Rush makes a 3 pointer after a time out for the Pacers. Jarrett Jack the former teammate of Chris Bosh at Georgia Tech scores and Pacers lead 24-18. Danny Granger had checked in off the bench and missed his first. Raptors get back to back baskets from Calderon and Kapono and the lead was cut to 24-22. Kapono would score again and it was tied at 24. In a forgettable season for Kapono one of his best games of the season was against these Pacers on the ACC floor. I was in the house for that one and JK was very good on that night. Granger draws the foul and can give the Pacers the lead back which he would making both at the line. Calderon tried to shoot it or was it a pass to Pops Mensah-Bonsu? Regardless it did not work and the Pacer would lead 26-24 after 1 at the ACC.

2nd Quarter

Not one 3 point attempt for the Raptors in the first that is odd. Both teams shooting 44% and it was a close contest so far. The second quarter starts with a Granger charge drawn by Pops. Bosh was struggling and had a shot blocked but Pops Mensah-Bonsu would clean it up with a basket. The Pacers would answer and go back up 2 points. A.P draws a foul and makes both at the line. Danny Granger would get going with a basket. Sloppy play by both teams and several turnovers. Pops Mensah-Bonsu would go up strong and draw a foul. He would make both foul shots and we were tied at 30. Granger was getting his legs back after significant time off the floor. He made another basket and pushed the Pacers back in front by 2. Meanwhile the Raptors All Star CB4 was struggling going 1-8 on the day and not able to find anything that would work for him at this point.

Danny Granger was showing no rust as her nailed a 3 pointer. Raptors would answer with a 2 point effort. Andrea Bargnani would follow that up with a 3 pointer and we were tied at 35. Jack would match that 3 ball with one for the Pacers. His Georgia Tech mate CB4 would draw a foul and head to the line. Making a pair and he had only 6 points so far for the Raptors. The struggles would continue with a missed jumper and Troy Murphy would make the Raptors pay with back to back 3's. Pacers stormed out in front 44-37. Raptors offense looked a mess and they would fumble and bumble there way to another turnover. Daniels would draw a foul on Shawn Marion who also was having a very poor effort thus far. Daniels would make a pair at the line.

Illegal defense call and Calderon would make the tech and make a jumper on the possession that would follow. After some free throws from Jack and Bosh it would be Jose Calderon making a jumper and he would pull the Raptors to down 5 with the score 47-42. Calderon having a good first half with 8 points 7 assists and 2 steals. However that being said the Pacers were leading. Chris Bosh looking to get back on track would get a dunk off a Kapono feed. The Pacers were letting the lead they build slip away. Bargnani would draw a foul on Danny Granger and look to cut the lead more. He would make both and Pacers lead was just 47-46. Jack was fouled and split a pair from the line. Bargnani would be fouled and at the line again missed both though and Raptors remained down two. Pacer fail to take advantage and Bargnani would make them pay with a 3 ball to put the Raptors in front. Brandon Rush would put up a 3 pointer and miss. In some ways watching the Pacers is like looking in a mirror to how the Raptors can play offensively. Calderon would be fouled and make a pair at the line. Bosh continued to fight through a tough day missing a easy one inside but got his own rebound and through that one down. Ford on the other end would break a Pacer offensive drought. Ford had a chance to tie the score at the half with a 3 point attempt off a Raptors turnover but it would not fall. Raptors lead 53-50 at the half.

At The Half

The Ford and Calderon battle. Calderon 10 points, 8 assists and 2 steals, Ford 8 points, 5 assists and a steal. Calderon when asked about the battle between the two players he down played it and praised Ford. Something tells me if the question had been asked of Ford you would get a different answer. I do agree there is not a personal dislike between the two but let's face it this is a match-up that will be focused on for years to come. But beyond that battle Andrea Bargnani and Troy Murphy were having a mice contest of their own with Bargnani with 16 and Murphy with 14. The other story of the half was the Raptors has a slim lead despite Bosh being a 4-13 shooting effort with 11 points. He was active on the glass with 8 rebounds. Given the way the Raptors have played of late it is anybodies guess if they can hang on to this lead. If the Pacers have any real chance at the post season this is a game they must have.

3rd Quarter

Raptor lead is 3. Well it was as Jack opens the half with a 3 ball. Jose Calderon would answer with a 3 of his own to restore the Raptors 3 point lead. Shawn Marion would get a score plus a foul and Raptors after the Marion make would have a 6 point lead. That was Marion's first points of the afternoon. Jack would miss a open look in the corner for 3. Ford would miss on a leaner but would find the ball back in his hands and make a shot in the lane. Raptors had a quick answer for that with an Anthony Parker score the other way. Pacers a turnover and they now looked like an offense with no direction. 3's were flying all over the ACC but not many were falling. Jack and Calderon the latest to miss from the arc. Foster and Bargnani would both score on the inside. Ford would make another score. But Bargnani would find a mismatch against Ford and hit a 3 pointer with Ford on him not able to do much. Raptors had a 66-59 lead. Pacers would look to go inside and that would lead to getting to the line. They would hit 4 free throws and cut lead down. But Raptors would be energized by Shawn Marion in transition with a great jam plus a foul. Raptors had an 8 point lead with score 71-63. Calderon would hook Marion on an alley opp and it was converted. Raptors had a 10 point lead with score 73-63.

Give the Raptors credit for the effort and energy. As for the Pacers if this is how they respond to a mush win game like this for them, they will be accepting that they are going to have a seat in the NBA Lottery with the Raptors. Marion with 8 points in the quarter after 0 in the first 2. A Bargnani block and Marion could no convert on the transition chance for Marion. Ford would score and get fouled and make it. That gave Ford 15 on the afternoon. Bargnani would get fouled and make a pair at the line. Yet another Pacer turnover and Shawn Marion would draw the foul on the transition break. He made both at the line and the Raptors lead 77-66. Danny Granger had cooled off and he was short on a jumper. Indiana was giving the Raptors chances and they were taking advantage of a lot of them. Bargnani got the offensive rebound off a Kapono miss and slammed it back home. Raptors leading by 13 now with the score 79-66. Could the losing streak be coming to an end? It sure seemed like it at this point. The Pacers looked awful and the Raptors were looking the best they have in a very long time. Calderon after 2 of his worst efforts of the season has had 2 of his best. While Bargnani has 25 points and I now truly am a believer in Andrea Bargnani. He has just been to good for to long to doubt him any longer. Raptors run was on going as they would keep adding to it. Raptors lead 83-66. Travis Diener would finally get a basket for the Pacers. Calderon would check out with 15 points and 12 assists. Raptors lead was 18, make it 20 as Bosh would go inside and score. Raptors lead 88-68 and you have to ask yourself what the heck is going on here on both sides. Roko Ukic would close out a quarter that saw the Raptors out score the Pacers 37-19 with a drive and score. Raptors lead 90-69.

4th Quarter

Raptors were shooting 50% and the Pacers just 39%. If you are thinking it is the green uniforms the Raptors lost the only other game they played in green. That feature a T.J Ford meltdown that saw him ejected. On this afternoon Ford had to feel dejected as he was one of few Pacers that decided to show up today. Pops Mensah-Bonsu had an alley opp jam and this game was going to be a win. Raptors leading 94-71 and there was no way they were going to lose this one. Seriously if they did I think the Raptor Rewind would just be put in moth balls for the year. But I am not expecting to have to do that.

Travis Diener hits a 3 pointer and maybe makes you worry just a little. But Pops would answer with a dunk a career high 13 so far for him. Pops averaged over 20 in the D-League so he can put the ball in the basket. He was the main contributor off the bench toady. Pops took a shot from Roy Hibbert and would had to his career high at the line. He would not be done by a long shot with a jam plus a foul that would deliver the pizza. Raptors lead was 100-76 and Pacers were melting down before our eyes. Pops got a well deserved standing ovation from the crowd. A steal and an A.P jam. Everyone for once was happy at the ACC. I think everyone from players to management to Dino Bloggers all needed a game like this. Does it change anything as far as this season? No but that being said just as being human the toll of losing can be a lot to endure. At least if for just one Sunday there can be some reason to smile about the Raptors. It is going to be a very happy flight to Charlotte for the Raptors. It will be interesting to see if they can carry this momentum over to a rare Monday night affair with the Bobcats. The Raptors had still 5:32 left to enjoy this one as they led 104-76. The Pops show marched on and so did the Raptors. Pops had 21 points and Raptors had a 110-84 lead. A rare event at the ACC this year as the fans would offer a standing ovation down the stretch. It would be a 110-87 final.

The Ford and Calderon battle both had 15 points but Calderon had 12 assists to Ford's 6 and 2 steals as opposed to 1 steal. That being said even the 27 points and 9 rebounds of Andrea Bargnani took a back seat today to Pops Mensah-Bonsu. Seriously can Bryan Colangelo avoid not re-signed this guy? He is part of whatever solution that Colangelo is going to have for this basketball team going forward. He almost has to be at this point. The JYD of the Y2K is bringing a dawg pound back to the ACC. Somewhere Jerome Williams in barking his approval. Here is the boxscore of a very excellent Raptor victory and you have not been able to say that many times this season at all.

Raps/Pacers Boxscore

So in a season with few moments to celebrate enjoy this one Raptor Fans we have all earned it.

Raptor Rewind- Detroit Basketball Edition

So no Rasheed Wallace for Pistons along with No A.I which we knew coming into this one. Perhaps a chance for the Raptors? I am not going to hold my breath or anything. However Chris Bosh will be happy as Wallace as always been a problem for him throughout his career. Let's get this one going and get closer to March Madness, The Draft Lottery and putting this awful season behind us. Is that very positive, not really but hey who doesn't feel that way at this point.

1st Quarter

So off we go. Raps win the tip and score on first possession with a Bosh jumper. McDyess answers on the other end. A failed Raptors possession and a Rodney Stuckey score. Raptors after that first score have missed on next 5 attempts. But Detroit also a slow start and Shawn Marion would get a score and we were tied at 4. Rip Hamilton the nice feed inside to McDyess and the easy score. A.P with a blow by and a dunk and were tied at 6. Prince the quick release and score for 2. A miss turned into a quick two points for Jason Maxiell in transition. He would score again making it back to back baskets and a 12-6 Pistons lead. A Raptors score for two and Rip response for 2. Bargnani checks out and looks to still be under the weather. Not the weather CB4 did, but the suffering of flu like symptoms.

Calderon a pass for Jake Voskhul goes out of bounds turnover Raptors. Pistons can not take advantage. A broken play turns into 3 points for Calderon that has been a rare event of late. Uno Deux Trois? No that isn't it. Meanwhile Bosh gets a score and the lead is just one for Detroit. They would get back to back scores and push the lead back to 18-13. A.P gets some luck and gets a basket. Not sure how but 2 points is 2 points and the Raps will take it. Bargnani back in giving it a go would get a basket in response to a Pistons score. Jason Maxiell with a monster jam. Bargnani answers again. Marion the ugly looking runner but it falls. Rodney Stuckey answers the Marion score. Pistons lead 24-21. Stuckey called for offensive foul and I can't believe I am saying it but good defense by Jose Calderon. He earlier in the quarter tied Alvin Williams as the All Time assist leader in Raptor history. Quarter ended with Calderon looking to go in first all time hooking up Bargnani with a buzzer 3 ball but no dice.


2nd Quarter.

Pistons shooting 54% and still only up 3. Not sure if that is good or bad. Bosh hits on a mini fading jumper. A 3 second call on Kwame Brown and a Pistons turnover. However Jason Kapono would turn it over in response. Pops Mensah-Bonsu making an impact as he scores back to back buckets to give the Raptors a 27-26 lead. Can we make it 3 in a row? To use the Obama line YES WE CAN. Pops with the steal and Jam for 2. JYD for the Y2K. E Smith is calling him the British Bulldog but I am not feeling that. Pops is from London England if you didn't know. Pistons were not worried with any of that and worked there way back in front 30-29.

Jose Calderon who has been missing in action even when he has been on the floor this year on this night was good and on both ends. He would hook up Jason Kapono who also has struggled all year. But on this play the two would combine for Raptor history. The Kapono make would give Calderon the team's all time assist lead. Now if only he could have the toughness and defense of the guy he passed I would be happy. On this night though he was getting it done. Raptors were hanging with the Pistons tied at 33. A clear path foul on Calderon of a turnover created by Pops gave Raptors a big chance to take control a bit. Calderon for whatever I say about him is money at the line. He makes both but Raps fail to convert on extra possession. A good defensive play by Calderon would turnover the ball and give the Raptors another chance to extend the lead but can not. Instead the Pistons would tie it. Bosh would break the tie and put the Raptors back up by 2 points.

Hamilton took a hit from Pops and he was hurting and maybe that is an excuse for going 1 of 2 from the line. Bosh would make a jump shot and Raptors were up 3. Rip Hamilton was not happy with some of the abuse he was taking and he let the refs know it and got a tech for his troubles. Calderon buries the tech and Raptors lead 40-36. Shawn Marion off a Bosh feed would make the lead a half dozen. Rip Hamilton still was angry and this time perhaps at himself as he turned it over. Raptors were up 8. Defensive 3 second call against Shawn Marion and the Pistons would get a free throw that they would make. A mistake a the end of the quarter allowed the Pistons to get an open 3 from Walter Hermann. Raptors still had a 5 point halftime lead.

3rd Quarter.

Raps with a lead we have seen before but being able to finish teams off we have not. I have the same kind of confidence the Macho Man had in the Hulkster back in the day. Old fans of 80's wrestling will get that reference for everyone else it is not a good thing. Bargnani out for the rest of this one. When the crowd in the sushi section of the ACC would finally make it back for the second half they would wonder what the heck happened. Well actually seems a lot of them may not make it back. But when and if they do they would see that the Raptors were fading after a decent start. Rodney Stuckey made a jumper over Calderon and Pistons would lead 52-51.

Stuckey was not done with another basket he had a dozen in the game and Pistons a 3 point advantage. Calderon on the next possession would steal it from Stuckey and get tripped by him drawing the foul. It was a good battle between Stuckey and Calderon. Stuckey would get to the line and make a pair. Marion answered that with a basket and Pistons lead was 56-55. Bosh would drive and miss a runner. Jason Maxiell was making an impact again with a big jam. Maxiell had 14 off the bench for the Pistons at this point a perfect 7/7 from the field. A steal and a put back on a miss by Rip Hamilton that was cleaned up by McDyess. He would score again and Piston lead extended to seven. Bosh was on the bench with this going on. McDyess had 6 straight with another basket on a jumper. Calderon would finally offer a Raptor answer. However Rip Hamilton followed that up with a 3 ball and Pistons lead was suddenly 10 points at 67-57. Rodney Stuckey would be fouled by Joey Graham who was the invisible man in this game. Stuckey would split a pair at the line and the Pistons had a 16 point turn around and lead by 11 after 3 with the score 68-57.

4th Quarter

Ugh. So would the Raptors show some fight? I won't lie I have seen the previews of this one they would. On Friday the 13the the Raps were more like Dr Jeckell and Mr Hyde than Jason. Roko Ukic with a pretty spin move and score. Rodney Stuckey answered Ukic. Bosh would do his own little spin move leaving Kwame Brown in the dust. Pistons lead was 70-63. Raptors would close even closer cutting the Piston lead to just 5. As quick as the Pistons built an 11 point advantage they were losing it. Ukic with another score and the Raptors were on a 10-2 run to start the 4th quarter.

Rip Hamilton would get to the line and try to stop the bleeding as he made a pair at the line. A Bosh miss would lead to open look for 3 for Afflalo but he would miss it. Bosh would get a second chance to score on the possession off the miss and he would make it. Pops was getting run in the 4th with no Bargnani. Pistons were trying to get back on track and had the lead back to 6 points. McDyess would extend that to 8 points. Roko Ukic would answer for the Raptors and it was 77-71 Pistons. Jose would come in for Ukic who did a good job in his time on the floor. Bosh would score and he had 20 points very quietly.

Pops Mensah-Bonsu is starting to catch on in T.O. He would get tied up with Rip Hamilton get called for a foul and crowd hated the call but was loving Pops. McDyess was having a great night and took advantage of the foul call making a jumper. Rip Hamilton would follow that up with a 3. Pistons lead was 9. Calderon would score and lead was back down to 7. He would drive and score plus a foul. Pistons would respond. But a Parker miss and Bosh follow jam. Raptors were hanging around down 85-80. Bosh would drive to the basket and draw a foul with 2:16 left to go. He would miss both but got the rebound and Bosh would get fouled again and get a redo at the line with 2:03 left. He would take advantage and make both. Rip Hamilton would air ball a runner. Shawn Marion would force a shot but no dice. Rip Hamilton would give the Raptors another chance and Raptors would get an offensive board off a miss. Shawn Marion would use the glass and get 2 points. Raptors had erased 10 of the 11 points they trailed by heading into the corner. Rip Hamilton would find an open Afflalo in the corner and unlike earlier he would drain the 3 pointer and put the Pistons ahead by 4 with under a minute to play.

In fact it was only 39 seconds to play. Shawn Marion would get a much needed quick score. Offensive basket interference on the Pistons and that would turn it over to the Raptors and give them a chance to tie or win it with 13 seconds left. Time out for the Raptors to draw something up. Calderon would just get the ball and get a quick drive to the basket and get the easy lay-up. Only problem was still 9 seconds left on the clock and Pistons called for time with a chance ot win it. Rip Hamilton would have a good look at it but he could not make it and we were going to overtime.

Overtime

Case you were wondering the Raptors are 1-2 in extra time this year. I remember the one win but the two losses have blended in with all the others. An A.P miss and Rip Hamilton make. Matt Devlin reminded me of the two loses the V.C game with the reverse dunk and the meltdown in Boston. The win was against Golden State. Meanwhile in this one another Rip Hamilton basket and a Prince 3 ball and it was a 7-0 Pistons run to start the OT. Prince had been fairly quiet in this game normally he has been a guy that kills the Raps on a regular basis. Through 48 he had not but that 3 pointer was huge. Bosh had a jumper fall short and he would get called for a foul trying to follow his shot for a rebound. Prince had another 3 ball and the Raptors would need a Syracuse like comeback and I just don't think they have it in them. Calderon would make a 3 pointer and draw the Raptors to down 6 . Bosh would get fouled with 1:27 left in OT. Raptors down 97-91 with Bosh stepping to the line. Chris would make both and had 26 points despite a tough shooting night from the field. Rodney Stuckey had his shot partially blocked and it would go out of bounds. Marion got a piece of the shot. Rip Hamilton air balled a shot and it would fall in the hands of Pops Mensah-Bonsu who was playing in OT. That speaks to how much impact he has had and how little others have had. Bosh would spin an drive and have ball knocked out of bounds. McDyess would foul Marion and send him to the line. Marion would make the first and miss the second and Pops would get called for loose ball foul going for the rebound on the miss. Pistons would fail to take advantage. Bosh would get fouled and he was heading the the line with a chance to cut the lead to 1. The foul would end McDyess evening with his 6th. Bosh would make the first miss the second. Mensah-Bonsu got the rebound and decided to try to fire it back up and miss the Pistons go the other way and get a dunk in transition and that is about it with less than 7 seconds to play. Raptors would end up not being able to do anything more and loss it 99-95 in OT.

It was a game effort but in the end the same as the last 6 games as far as the result a loss. T.J Ford and the Pacers still battling to get into the playoffs come to town on Sunday. All the numbers below in the Boxscore.

Pistons/Raps Boxscore

One Less Game To Endure After Tonight

So Chris Bosh did the weather last night on CTV. Roll The You Tube Footage:




He did a pretty decent job unless you happen to live in Peterbrough. Chris was not sure how many people live there. Thankfully he did not say that about Hamilton where I am from. That may have been grounds to end our facebook friendship. I learned something I honestly didn't know. He started his charity foundation when he was 18. Bosh in his time here in Toronto has done a great deal of work to bring smiles to kids be it directly or through his foundation. Maybe that is part of why I get so angry about people attacking this guy. He is a solid human being and that fact is more important than any win or loss total at the end of the day. This season has been a bad one for everyone and Chris Bosh I am sure feels the worst about it. Just because he continues to be himself and do various things like moonlighting as a weatherman or making a video for You Tube does not change that. If you have a bad day at work at whatever you do, would you not try to have some fun in your off time as well? I mean at least the guy is doing constructive things. In my view he has been a guy trying to lead a collective group that has lost it's desire to follow.

I got thinking of something yesterday, there really are only a couple players that can lead a team all on their own. At the start of this year there seemed to be an idea that Bosh was going to have help in leading this team from J.O and Jose. That has not happened obviously. I think it needs to happen. The example I came up with of a great player that never could lead his team to anything of consequence was Paul Pierce. He was in a spot much like Bosh and people said he was on his way out of Boston. The Celtics would bring in another guy who could not lead his team on his own to any great success. That is of course Kevin Garnett. Together with Ray Allen they have all come together and lead the Celtics comeback to glory. None of those 3 players indivdually could lead a team to anything better than a conference finals. So is it totally unreasonable what people expect of Bosh? There are very few indivdual leaders that can carry a team without support to a title or greatness. Not just now but in the history of the game.

Few could argue that at the start of this season Bosh was playing at an elite level. However it did not produce the number of victories it should. That is not on Chris Bosh that is on the rest of this roster. If Chris Bosh scores 40 plus points and this team can't win a basketball game that is the problem. Eventually as an individual no matter what Bosh is saying it has to piss you off. I said it once before that this team dragged Bosh down to a degree. If he had that support in leadership maybe that doesn't happen. Maybe those guys get the rest of this team to pick up it's collective socks. That never happened though. So instead of going the easy route and blaming Bosh for all that is wrong with this team people maybe need to consider that. Who were the people to support him and challenge him on this basketball team.

Madness Comes Early To NYC

Normally I would not mention a college game here in the Dino Nation Blog for an entire section. However when you have a 6 overtime classic at MSG that would qualify as special. The Big East Tournament saw one of the greatest basketball games I have seen on any level period. The UConn Huskies and Syracuse Orange battled through 6 overtimes and in the end Syracuse out lasted UConn. Andy Rautins the son of Raptor broadcaster Leo Rautins made a key 3 pointer at the start of the sixth overtime period to lead the Syracuse charge to finish what was an amazing game. Ironically the longest game prior was in 1981 when his dad Leo scored the winning basket to lead Syracuse to a win over Villanova. March Madness is on the way and there is lots of great basketball memories that are made in that tournament. If you are a true fan of basketball you had to love last night's game and love March Madness. This seems like a good time to mention that I have set up a March Madness Pool for you folks here at the Dino Nation Blog on Facebook. Here is a link to sign up.

Dino Nation March Maddness Pool on Facebook

T.J Ford On Hoops

It was very interesting conversation with T.J Ford on Hoops last night. It seemed pretty clear that T.J Ford and Sam Mitchell did not end their coach and player relationship on the best of terms. Which leads me to wonder how much influence Sam had in the choice between Jose and T.J. Everyone pointed to how Jose and T.J could not work together. However after listening to this interview it would seem that is was Sam and T.J that was the issue. Bryan Colangelo always talks about building consensus in making decisions. It seems pretty obvious who Sam was behind in that regard. This all leads to a question for me. If Colangelo and Mitchell were on thin ice and the plan was always to move towards this running system would it not have made sense to fire Sam in the summer and try to make Forderon work. Seems clear that Calderon is not as good without T.J as he was with him. It was obvious the J.O trade didn't work. What was also obvious is that Sam was at the front of the line in support of that trade.

Ford was never the villian he was made to be. A lot more people are loving T.J Ford these days in Toronto and a lot less people loving Jose. A lot of good that does. Where were you all last year? If the plan was to go the way the Raptors have with this running system. T.J ford should have been on this roster. He likely would be the starter given the way Calderon has played. Ford and Claderon pushed each other to be better. Who pushes Jose now? Exactly.

Detroit Basketball come to T.O

If you are expecting the losing streak to end here you are far more optomistic than the Dino Blogger. Pistons without AI and with Rip Hamilton in the starting line-up are on fire. Well maybe not fire. But they are much better than where the Raptors are at. But no need to worry about seeing it because it is a TSN 2 affair and you can be spared the pain. It had been reported that Raptors T.V was going to Simulcast this game but Raps T.V has just been replaying the broadcast after it concludes. Well after what Raps TV has on concludes to be accurate. Regardless we will have some form of recap of what happen. These things need to be documented for the history books.

A Season Lost In Raptorland

It has been a tough a painful season and it just keeps getting worse if that is possibly at this point. While other teams are stepping on the gas to get ready for the playoffs the Raptors are just getting stepped on at this point. It is clear that some major changes need to be made to this basketball team. However the one thing that you have to be careful of is not over reacting. That is something that in Toronto is never an easy thing to accomplish. People would like to blow up this team and start all over. I am not sure if you need to break out the TNT. The one thing that I think beyond people being believers in the J.O trade that people took for granted was Jose Calderon. He was at the start of this year called upon to be one of the leaders of this team. He was expected to mentor young Roko Ukic. Take on the starting role and become an all star point guard. He has failed to deliver and he has not been the guy that people expected and hoped for. I was one of the few that was not convinced the transition for Jose Calderon would be an easy one. I said it all summer and most just dismissed me as a bitter T.J Ford fan. Injuries have been part of the mix for Jose but part of why he was kept was because he was suppose to be the more durable point guard. Even in that regard he has failed. Maybe the writing should have been on the wall in the summer time when Ricky Rubio was stealing minutes from Jose in the Olympics. When Rubio hits the league Calderon may not even be the best point guard in the league from Spain. Jose has been pulled and benched from 2 games now. I mean given what is behind him on this roster that speaks loudly. Calderon got paid this offseason and with all those new dollars comes a lot more responsibility and he has failed to live up to that.

Chris Bosh was a leader of a Raptor team that won a Division Title a few years ago. He is now the leader of this group that is as far from a Division Title as you can get. Chris Bosh has he changed all that much? I don't think so. The team around him has to a degree. You hear a lot about team's tuning out on coaches. Can the same thing happen with a leader of a team? Bosh said in his post game remarks that they have talked about the issues over and over. He seems frustrated and rightfully so. Here is one thing that has changed for Chris is that he does not have Sam Mitchell backing him up as the head coach. The relationship between the two was special. Chris Bosh was pushed by Mitchell to get to new levels and he challenged him daily. Jay Triano as the assistant in that dynamic would work with Bosh and help him do the work that Mitchell pushed Chris to put in. When you take Sam out of the mix what is the impact on Bosh. It is a good question and not one that likely draws an answer if asked. But honestly the answer would be interesting. The leadership of this team has been turned upside down on this team around Bosh. He is the main leader but the people in the supporting roles have all changed I guess is the point. I still say that Bosh is not the issue as much as it is the team around him. The easy answer is what most are taking in saying trade the leader because he is going to walk away anyway in 2010. The simple answer is seldom the right one. I refer you back to the whole Ford and Jose thing and Raptors made the simple choice there and it has been awful. There is really two ways you can go with this in my view.

You can bring in someone that will be able to just take over as the leader of this team that even Bosh would be willing to follow. That would be a short list of guys. Perhaps a Canadian two time M.V.P? Maybe. That is the safe route. The non safe route is you bring in someone that is not afraid of the leader and doesn't care. A guy that is not afraid to say whatever he thinks and will challenge everyone that puts on a jersey. Ron Artest is a guy like that. Maybe you bring in both. Really turn this thing upside down. The one thing that is for sure beyond how you try to reconstruct this team is they must get it right in the draft. A lottery pick can not fail. Raptors need to take the guy that is most ready to contribute to the NBA now. They can not draft a project. They have enough of those already.

The Boston Celtics were at one of the more lower points in that franchise history not that long ago. They would turn that around in a hurry and have the ultimate success instantly. Basketball can change fast is the point. It has turned in the opposite way for the Raptors but as bad as it looks now that not mean it is doomed. It is very hard to have perspective in the midst of this losing season. However if this team is going to improve quickly ever move has to be perfect and come together. Things in life are never as bad as they appear or never has good. Reality is always somewhere in between all of that. If you honestly don't think Bryan Colangelo has been hard at work preparing for next season already than you just have not been paying attention.

A lot have lost faith in Bryan Colangelo this season. However when you come into a franchise deemed to be the saviour of it there really was no room for advancement. So Colangelo has fallen to earth in the minds of fans. It was going to happen at some point. However I have faith that Bryan is the real deal and will make this work. He has a gambling nature and with this season he gambled and lost. But a new poker game gets started this off-season and Colangelo will be back at the table looking to gamble again. I like that the Colangelo way of thinking is go big or go home. In other words he is always thinking towards a Championship not just making the playoffs. If he was interested in just making the playoffs he could have kept his roster in together from last season.

Maybe I am crazy to still have faith for the future. However I am much more confident in Bryan Colangelo than I ever was in Rob Babcock. I can not explaining to you the utter fear I lived in during the Babcock era. I had no faith or belief that he would do anything but run this team into the ground. Colangelo inspires a confidence in me that I never felt with Babcock. If it turns out that Bosh does in fact end up leaving you will see the difference from a Babcock to a Colangelo in the trade that Bryan will make for Bosh. He is not going to just give away Chris Bosh. Hopefully it never gets to that point but if it did I sleep easy knowing it is Bryan making that trade.

Raptors Rewind- Can We Stop The Pain Edition?

So Andrea Bargnani will play this on not feeling at 100%. I think Raptor fans can relate. However Bargnani has flu like symptoms. I have a feeling we all might be sick by the end of this one. I actually know we will cause I am doing the Rewind of the Replay. So with that being said here we go with Raptors 6th lose in a row. I was told by a friend not to watch this but as I told her being the Dino Blogger it kind of is required for me to watch. After this season I may need some serious therapy to recover from it. I wonder if that is tax deductible? It is hard to remember but this is where this season of so much promise started with a win and a 3-0 start that seems like a century ago.

1st Quarter

So off we go. Raptors win the tip. Sam D with a quick foul for Sixers. Non shooting and Bosh miss and the Sixers go to Dalembert who has caught some heat for his work ethic of late. Turnover and a Thad Young jam. Bosh answers with a throw down of his own. Bosh would miss on his next attempt a jumper. Young is showing why he is consider much improved as he scores. Bargnani not at 100% but 3 point shot looks good as he takes and makes. Willie Green makes a 2 point effort for the Sixers. An early 8-5 lead for Philly.

A Marion Turnover as he stepped out. Bargnani a miss and the Thad Young show is in high gear early with another dunk. Calderon a rare drive and score. Injured or not injured who knows but he needs to be much better. Bargnani buries a 3 pointer and the score is tied at 10. Bargnani is able to score again this time for 2. Playing sick sometimes can have amazing results. I once bowled in a bowling league. I was not feeling well and decided to bowl out so I could help my team seeing as I was not going to be making it to bowling night. I had the highest 3 scores combined in my fabled bowling career. I was sick as a dog doing it. Meanwhile from bowling to basketball as the Sixers make a pair from line to tie the score. Marion a basket he is in the books.
Green is feeling good with another basket and they tie it again at 14.

Pops Mensah-Bonsu checks in for Andrea picked up a foul. Philly Split 2 at the line. Andre Miller is fouled and looks to extend the lead. Miller makes 2 and Calderon checks out for Parker who is back to playing back up point guard and you have to wonder why. FREE ROKO. The season is done why are you not letting this guy develop in favour of a gut that likely will not be here next season. Makes no sense. Mr Young with a miss. Bargnani with a buzzer beater 3 with shot clock expiring. Tied at 17. Young another score and put his Sixers back in front. He had a chance to score again but missed it. Pops Mensah-Bonsu with a huge throw down. We are tied at 19. Bargnani called for an offensive foul his second and he argued the call and I like it.Tied at 19 after one.

2nd Quarter.

Both teams shoot awful at under 40% for both. A spin and score in the lane for the Philly rookie. Young follows that and it is a 4 point Sixer lead. Roko is free now and leads the Raptors to a score. Put a kick out to Iggy for 3. Sixers lead it 28-21. CB4 gets a basket and dedicate that one to brother Joel who is having a birthday today. Exchange of baskets than another 3 ball by Iggy again. Roko Ukic drives and scores. But Philly was getting whatever they liked. Speights had a few nice scores and so did Lou Williams of the bench. Raps had 7 turnovers and almost all of them have ended with a Sixer dunk the other way. The Sixers has build a 9 point lead from a game that was tied after 1.

Marshall is a Sixer that was at one point my ex-girlfriends favourite Raptor. She was never much of a basketball fan till she met me and why she like Donyell I have not clue. But that was better than the Rogers did you know feature. Meanwhile the beat down is in full effect with a Sammy D Flush and Sixers lead was a dozen. Raptors answers with a 2. But a Thad Young 3 ball and an Evans dunk and Raptors were down 15 and Triano calls a time out hide the clipboards cause we don't need to see another clipboard lose it's life to early before it's time. 51-36 for the Sixers. This is ugly and really you have to feel for Jay Triano is a way. Bosh picked up his 3rd foul and the lead for Philly was 55-36. For the tri-fector of ugly the Raptors committed turnover number 10 opps make that 11. The Sixers Roll to a 56-39 halftime lead. Ugly but unfortunately not unexpected.

3rd Quarter.

I watched it. 92-74 Sixers after 3. I figure how many quarters have the Raptors taken off this season? So I took one to eat instead of type. Defense is still a foreign word in Raptors land and this quarter was proof of that. On to the 4th.

4th Quarter

I am not sure If I will say much about this one as well. However Andera Bargnani had a nice jam. Give this kid credit. In a game that really means little he is out there not feeling well and play great. Full marks for Bargnani the rest of the Raptors not so much. Raptors make a bit of a push back to cut the lead to 11. But forget about that we had some broadcast history. Jack Armstrong gave the first bilingual Hello in Raptor history. A little Bonjour. Raptors were fighting hard honestly but far to little and far to late. Also of Note Calderon glued to the bench and I am thinking that the Jose Calderon era as Raptor Point guard may be a heck of a lot shorter than advertised. Is it a conscience Raptors push was with out Jose. I think not. If you want something to cheer for down this stretch run, cheer for the Suns not to make the playoffs. If that happens Steve Nash becomes a more viable possibility for the Raptors in the off season. I honestly believe he is only answer to getting this fixed in the short term. Not just him alone but the other things a Nash trade could mean.

Calderon finally returns with Raptors down 8 and about just under 6 to play. Calderon has it stolen away and a dunk. Triano furious and why not calls a time out. After the time out no more Jose. Ukic takes his spot. Seems that Calderon and Triano are to say the least not on the same page.

The Boxscore As Required By Sports Law - Raptors and Sixers

The feeling and mood after this one sucked and it just is ugly times in Raptorland and no one can honestly say anything else. Chalk up another player with his career high against the Raptors as Thaddeus Young with 29.

Back From Toronto With A Message From ATL

I am back from another visit down to Toronto. I was hanging out at The Score, was hanging in the crowd they have on Court Surfing and taped something that will be ending up on the web for sure and maybe cross your fingers on next week's Court Surfing show. Regardless it was fun and I taped the segment with D.J and Randy and member of the crew from Real G.M named Peter. I think things went well and it was fun to do. I even Twittered from The Score yesterday. It was all a lot of fun and The Court Surfing show was simulcast on NBA T.V in the U.S. that is where I am going to start today.

Sam Mitchell Has Some Advice For Raptor Fans

Sam Mitchell talked about Chris Bosh and his future in Toronto. Mitchell is still cashing pay checks from MLSE so he was not going to saying anything bad about Chris or the Raptors. However he did say one thing that I was referring to in the blog a couple of days ago. He said if you truly want Chris Bosh to remain don't boo him or the team. He said that he understands the frustration of fans with the way the season has gone but it was not that team is not trying hard to win.

The part about booing Bosh I agree with. It has been a disturbing trend to me that this fan base in part has driven talented players away from this franchise only to later learn in some cases it may have not been the best idea. If you expect loyalty from a player to the city and the franchise should he not expect the same from you? It makes a lot of sense really doesn't it? Chris Bosh is here and he is the best player we have and an element of respect has been earned by him in my view. This season has not worked out and I am confident the person most upset about that fact is Bosh. I just worry that this franchise is heading in a direction where the fans are going to be a negative influence and not a positive one. Often in today's society of big money contracts and big prices to go to games their can be a dis-connect between the pro athlete and the fan. I am not saying that fans have a huge impact on ultimately where a player will go. However whatever that % is should we as fans not do what it takes to make that % a positive one and not a negative one. This is not about supporting MLSE or being caring about them at all. It is about caring for us as fans and playing the role we do no matter how small in making players want to be in Toronto.

I always liked Sam and am happy to seem him doing well and getting some work in broadcasting. I am confident he will be back in the league and at some point return to Toronto. I would hope that Raptor fans do the right thing when that day comes and cheer him. He clearly gave all he had in his time here and enjoyed Toronto and I think Toronto enjoyed him. Regardless of coaching just in the sense of press conferences and talking with the media Jay Triano is not nearly as entertaining and I miss the almost daily laughs I would get from a Sam Mitchell presser. It was an event in Toronto.

The Season Marches On In Philly

Andrea Bargnani a question mark for this game. He was a no show at shoot around with the flu. They said Flu like symptoms for the record. I can here someone saying that T-word. Tanking is not something the Raptors are going to engage in as if you look at the standings it is awful hard to think the Raptors will get worse than the bottom feeders in the West. This game is suppose to be simulcast on Raps-TV as well as this is a TSN 2 affair. But to the point of tanking the Raptors are not going to even try to do that. Will they look at what they have and give some people chances like a Pops Mensah Bonsu. Yes and they should do that. But remember that turn in the schedule that you have been told about all year well it is basically here. In more optimistic times I suggested that based on who was on the schedule the Raptors had a potential 12-3 to finish the season. However even when I threw out that number I said that I had no confidence they could deliver based on this team and it's lack of ability to string wins together. But to suggest that the Raptors can't win some of these last 15 and have something close to a .500 record would still be reasonable.

The Sixers after a slow start to the season have rebounded and at least found their way into the playoffs in the East. If it was the West they like the Raptors would be long dead. But they are not in the East and they are in the heart of battling for position in the pathetic bottom of the Eastern Conference Playoff race. So in theory the Sixers should be motivated enough to get a win over the Raptors. But they have lost 2 of their last 3. But clearly this is a game that if Raptors are at full strength is a winnable game for them.

Thoughts and Thanks

So that is about all for now. I just want to give special thanks to Anas Ahmed for the invite down to The Score. I have been down to The Score a couple times now and everyone has been very cool and nice to me. I appreciate that. Part of bringing the blog under The Score banner so to speak as part of The Sports Federation was because I truly am a fan of the work of a lot of folks on the network. They are the best of the networks when it comes to basketball on all levels in this country. They cover NBA, NCAA and CIS basketball. In fact I was chatting with Adnan Virk who is the one person I do know well at The Score. He is going to be hosting The Score's coverage of the CIS final 8 this weekend. I admit that the CIS is never high on my radar but maybe in time that will change. Basketball is basketball regardless of level. If you love the sport you can love it on all levels. I also am pleased to say the Adnan will be back in the block hopefully in the not to distant future. There was also the ground work laid to bring another guest into the fold for the Dino Nation Blog and I will be excited when this one comes together. Basically stay tuned. I hope by having the variety of people I attempt to bring into the Dino Nation Blog it helps give you a variety of opinions on basketball that is the mission of it. I like to hear what others have to say and talk with other people. I think on a daily basis in between all of the interviews people get a clear view of my thoughts and opinions. A lot of the guests we have offer different takes and come from a variety of places. I take pride in all the guests we have been able to have. I take has much pride in that as I do in all of you out there that read. I am still some what shocked when I mention the blog to people how many times people have said they have heard of it or read it. The Dino Nation Blog is hopefully always growing and will continue to do so. I am extremely grateful for what an idea that I had at 2am has brought into my life. Chances to talk with tons of good people from Interview guests to readers. It has been a lot of fun, in a season that has not offered much of that. I still have been able to keep hard at work and doing the best I can to make this something worth reading on a daily basis. I hope, I am successful in that mission more days than I am not.