"NBAz in 7 DAYz"

The Los Angeles Lakers have now confirmed the NBA has rescinded Andrew Bynum's second technical foul from Sunday night's game against the New York Knicks. This is interesting for two reasons. One: Andrew Bynum was ejected after the now rescinded technical foul. Two: This is the first time since NBA referees were given enhanced powers that the NBA has rescinded a call. This raises many questions. Will it only change the information recorded on the box scores? Will Andrew Bynum still have to pay a fine? What will this mean for future calls? This is serious business which is why today I will address these issues, including the circumstances surrounding the Bynum incident as it happened on the floor and a review of the rules surrounding technical fouls in the NBA.

The Incident at hand - Arguing with a Referee

On Sunday, Andrew Bynum of the Los Angeles Lakers was ejected from the Lakers' game against the New York Knicks for arguing a foul call. Referee Leon Wood called a foul on Bynum while Bynum was defending Amare Stoudemire. Wood walks over to the scorer's table and Bynum steps into Wood's path with his arms outstretched to express his frustration over the call. This earned Bynum the first technical foul. Bynum continued to argue with Wood and this earned him the second technical foul, now rescinded, which caused the ejection from the game. The official NBA rule book outlines the power given to officials to 'correct errors' during a game and also outlines the process by which a team can protest a call or if the NBA decides on it's own if a call needs to be reviewed. The difference between these two situations is if the error is discovered during the game, it is up to the referee to correct it. After the game, correcting errors is at the discretion of the NBA as directed by its Commissioner.

This is where the subjective nature of the NBA's 'discretion' becomes unclear. The Lakers won the game in question 109-87 over the New York Knicks. The box score from this game still lists Andrew Bynum as having 2 technical fouls. Based on the NBA's ruling, Bynum will only have the first technical foul applied to him and any subsequent fines. But realistically, what can the NBA do after the fact for the action of being ejected from the game? Bynum was putting up some good numbers before he was ejected in this game against the Knicks with 18 points and 7 rebounds. If the Lakers lost to the Knicks, would the score change? The details of the decision to rescind the second technical foul against Bynum will come out soon I hope, so some of these questions can be answered. Until then, I am going to give you a few 'technical' points to consider when you are watching NBA games this week or in the future.

Play by the Rules

Call me crazy, but the Official NBA Rulebook is a good read if you give it a chance. It lists the things an NBA player, coach or bench staff can do during a game to be assessed a technical foul. They are:

• Delay of Game - Player and Team
• Excessive Time-outs
• Face or Eye Guarding (Face guarding is exactly how it sounds - getting in someone's face. Eye Guarding is the act of putting your hand over your opponents' eyes from behind them)
• Fighting
• Hanging on the Rim - Deliberate (This doesn't include when you are trying to look out for your own safety or the players' below you - it refers to the grandstanding or showing off which can inhibit others' safety)
• Illegal Substitute
• Throwing the Ball at the Official
• Unsportsmanlike Conduct (Includes Punching)

The one in question in Bynum's case is "unsportsmanlike conduct". We know that unsportsmanlike conduct in any sport is any action which is detrimental to the game or is committed against the spirit of fair play. In the NBA, this can mean a coach, player or bench staff. It is not like "punching" or "throwing a ball at the official" which are clearly defined infractions. In Section V - Conduct, Subsection (e) it says: "Cursing or blaspheming an official shall not be considered the only cause for imposing technical fouls. Running tirades, continuous criticism or griping may be sufficient cause to assess a technical foul. Excessive misconduct shall result in ejection from the game". So according to Referee Leon Wood Andrew Bynum was excessively expressing his frustration and warranted an ejection from the game. Bynum was complaining and was pretty vocal about it and by all means you can say Leon Wood was right to apply the first technical foul on him. However, was it worse than Ron Artest's or Kobe Bryant's who also were assessed a technical foul on the night? The number of technical fouls you accumulate in a season and during the playoffs also affects how much a players' fine is assessed. Consider all of these issues and challenge yourself to read the NBA rulebook if only to better acquaint yourself with the rules. This way you can look at calls intelligently, instead of being one of those people who yell at their screen incessantly not having a clue. One of my pet peeves.

Thanks for joining me today. See you on Thursday for more Raptors' opponent analysis in "Behind Enemy Lines".

The Dark Cloud That Hangs Over NBA

This season I have not enjoyed the NBA as I have in the past. You may jump right to the fact the Raptors had little playoff chances from day 1. I admit that probably doesn't help matters. But I have lived through bad Raptor seasons before. At the core of it is likely more the impending and some say enviable NBA Lockout that could take place next season. Obviously from a totally selfish point of view it scares me, because I am trying to eek out a living covering the NBA and if they do not play games it is going to have a heavy toll on me. Not to mention the tens of thousands that make a living based on the NBA. None of which are making the money that NBA Players or NBA Owners are. They all have more than enough money to survive for the rest of their lives in many cases. So, if they have an extended labour battle, the impact on them will be minimal. While people like myself would be crippled by it financially. The guys and gals that sell programs, The kid with the part time job that sells popcorn and a ton of people online that make a living, or try to based on the NBA. Those are only a few examples.

This is not to mention all of you folks that may not make a living off the game, but enjoy it and make it a part of your lives. I have made it no secret that I am not a fan of hockey. Part of that is living here in Canada where the sport is crammed down my throat on a regular basis. But even with that prior to the NHL Lockout that cost them an entire season, I would occasionally watch a hockey game. After that lockout my interest level went to zero. While leagues will always go on and on about how they care about fans it really is a lot of B.S. When you can take away a sport and a championship or season away from fans over money than you don't care. It has taken a long time before I have even got back a minor interest in baseball. They had a labour dispute back in 1994 that cost them a World Series. Ask Expos fans about that. You can argue that may have contributed to them losing their team. The Expos were on the verge of being a contender for that World Series that never was. It is the ultimate slap in the face to fans and people that love a sport to cancel a season or a championship for a dispute that is based completely about money.

At the end of the day when a new CBA is in place, regardless of who wins, you will still have very rich players and even richer owners. It will be the little folks like me and the fans of the sport that suffer. We will be the ones that get screwed at the end of the day. The joy that you get from watching the game, be it the Raptors or the NBA in general is going to be taken away from all of us. If the NBA CARES and truly CARES about it fans then David Stern will get a deal done and make it happen. But ultimately the NBA CARES about making money. This whole thing that has become a common phrase that SPORTS IS A BUSINESS. It is funny how it was a business when I was a kid but it was never crammed down my throat on a regular basis.

Lebron James and Chris Bosh made business decisions to go to Miami. It was there 100% right to do so. It also by looking at this NBA season seems to be a very wise one. While many will point to how they left as the reason why many fans can't stand them and also the Heat. However, is not a small part of that hate being about the fact they made a business choice and basically said screw their fans. It is not like they went to a franchise that has the NBA's best fanbase by a long shot. They went to a place where they could win a title and could care less about much else. I am sure the fact it was based in a city like Miami with nice weather and a great night life didn't hurt. While they did leave some dollars on the table, if they can build the dynasty that they envision they will more than recover those lost dollars.

The most painful thing is the people that care the most in terms of fans are basically hostages in these labour disputes. They are always the losers at the end of any work stoppages. People will spin it and make it seem like they are doing what is best for the game. That is a lie, they are doing what is best for themselves. They may love and care about the game. But they love and care about their bottom line more.

So as this season marches on, I grow more fearful of what is to come. I have dedicated over 3 years of my life to building up this blog. All of those hours and all of that work can go up in smoke because of something that is beyond my control. It makes you angry, upset and fearful. It is all the smaller people that suffer in these things. The Players, The Owners and the Broadcasters will all be able to survive. I truly pray for sanity and a season next year. Not just for my own selfish fears but for all the many people that depend on the NBA for earning their living and for the fans who just want to enjoy the sport they love. I don't want to grow jaded towards basketball as I have with other sports like hockey and baseball. Part of what makes me successful at this, is my passion and love for what I do. Here is hoping that will remain and we will be watching basketball at this time next year.

Heir Canada Era Is Coming?

Before we get to our main focus today a reminder that tonight is the Raptors annual Red Party tonight. It takes place at Muzik and the money raised at the event goes towards the MLSE Team Up Foundation. If you are going to the event and have some photos from it you would like to share with us and the rest of the Dino Nation we would love to see them. Send them to us at Dinoblogger@Gmail.com and will share them with all our readers. The Raptors head into that event with a much needed win yesterday versus the Kings. I was only able to see the second half but Ryan did a great job recapping the game for all of you. It was nice to see both Andrea Bargnani and Demar Derozan both producing in a major way in the same game. DeRozan seems to be turning the corner and is figuring out what it takes to be a consistent scorer in this league.

That is the first major step of many that DeRozan will need to take if he hopes to become one of the elite players in this league. It is a big one as well because not to many guys can score 20 a night in this league and make it look easy. When and if DeRozan starts getting the calls that he deserves, it is going to become even easier from him to score points in this league. If he consistently makes his free throws he is capable of having huge scoring nights.

I also admire his determination to continue to drive hoop and take abuse despite not getting rewarded with the calls. If Demar is going to grow into the Anti-Vince Carter of sorts this is one of the first signs of it. Carter would shy away from contact and he was far from an ironman. DeRozan has started and played in every game this season. He has been pretty durable in his short NBA career so far. Given where he comes from in Compton,California his toughness is likely not much of a surprise.

However Jack Armstrong made some excellent points about Demar during the game yesterday. We always hear a ton about Andrea Bargnani and his lack of rebounding. Part of that is the nature of the position he plays and we think of that position as a traditional position for grabbing rebounds. We don't think that way about guards and wingmen though. But when you consider the great athletic ability that Demar has, there is no reason that can not be used on the glass at both ends of the floor. He could create extra possessions on offence and help out on the defensive glass. Just 2.9 rebounds in his rookie season and just a minor improvement to 3.4 rebounds so far this year. If he could get to a level of 6 a game that would be amazing. It would just take a little more focus on getting on the glass from Demar. We are not talking a major jump just becoming more aware and active on the glass.

The two players in Raptors history that Demar is compared to are Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady, and they both were around that level in terms of rebounds. For Carter he averaged 5.7 and 5.8 rebounds in his first 2 seasons. While McGrady was able to average 4.2 and 5.7 boards in his first two seasons in the league. McGrady's best season on the glass was in 2001-02 with Orlando where he averaged 7.9 rebounds per game. While Vince Carter averaged 6 boards a game in 2 seasons with New Jersey back to back in 06-07 and 07-08 was the best he has done in his career.

Demar also needs to become a better passer and improve in that area. Just 1.8 assists and averaging just over 1.5 turnovers thus far this season. While assist to turnover ratio is something we generally use to measure point guards it can be important for Demar as well. He can draw a lot of attention driving to the basket, and he can make others better if he can make the simple pass when the defence shifts to him. What would be nice to see is about a 5 to 2 assist to turnover ratio from Demar. There will be times where he can get those hockey assists as well. Sticking with the comparisons to McGrady and Carter they managed 2.3(T-Mac) and 3.9(V.C) assists in their sophomore seasons. In terms of the best in their careers, Carter maxed out with 5.1 assists in 07/08 with the Nets. While McGrady had 6.5 assists in the 06/07 season with Rockets.

Also the major issue that people have Demar is his defence. It is a little harder to measure that through stats. While steals and blocks are measurable they do not tell a full story. Demar has a slight improvement in those areas. But in general terms all the athleticism that DeRozan has should be able to be used to make him a solid defender. Even the greatest players in this game have always had questions about their defence in the beginning of their NBA Careers. Jordan, Kobe, Lebron, there is not a superstar that I can think of that has been praised for their D early in career over their offence. Maybe the closet example might be Dwight Howard but that is a totally different position. When you are a swingman in the NBA you are matched up night in and night out with some of the most talented stars in this league. Let's take an example from the upcoming road trip for the Raptors. Demar could see Manu, Gilbert Arenas and D-Wade as potential match-ups. That is not a lot of fun for anyone.

It is a process to greatness and it doesn't happen over night. I think that Demar is turning the corner to taking his first major step on that path. But clearly there are more steps to take, but given his work ethic you know, or should know that he is going to continue to try to make them. Will he ever get to the point where we can have a conversation and compare him to Carter or McGrady? It is still to be determined but you see flashes of greatness and some skills that both Carter and McGrady lacked. In terms of work ethic, toughness and durability you can argue that DeRozan is ahead of Carter and McGrady. But there are no stats to really measure those things.

Yesterday's game was the first time that we saw Demar and Andrea both come through with big nights. If this can happen more consistently the Raptors might have a very different 1-2 punch than what they had with a McGrady and Carter. Many people that follow the Raptors have lamented over what might have happened if T-Mac and V.C stayed together in Toronto. Kobe Bryant believes that had they stuck together his Lakers would have been battling the Toronto Raptors for NBA titles.I think both DeRozan and Bargnani have a long way to go to be compared to Carter and McGrady as a tandem. No one will be comparing them to Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol anytime soon. But how these two players develop will ultimately determine a lot of what happens with the Raptors future in both the short and long term.

But a Heir Canada Era may be a step closer to reality. Raptors are not going to be a playoff team it would seem. The rumoured trade that would bring Carmelo Anthony to the New Jersey Nets would make the Raptors division the Atlantic a lot tougher in the short and long term. So the Raptors need to hope that their young core led by these 2 players comes through, because if they do not the future looks mighty bleak.

Raptors Dethrone Kings in Sunday Showdown

Toronto would once again be without Sonny Weems, who has missed the last 11 games, and Tyreke Evans would also be a no-go for Sacramento. This further adds to the epidemic that is opposing teams star players being unable to play in games against Raptors, joining Dirk Nowitzki and Carmelo Anthony just to name a few. Jermaine Taylor got the start in his absence. The Raptors also made a slight lineup change as Joey Dorsey got the start in place of Amir Johnson for match-up purposes. Sacramento came into this game losing 6 straight to the Raptors at the ACC and were looking to end that streak.

DeMar DeRozan opens the scoring with a jumper, but the Kings quickly responded with a score of their own off a Cousins lob pass to Taylor. This would be the trend for most of the quarter as both team couldn't seem to miss. The Raptors were continuously attacking the paint and thus getting a lot of baskets for close range, but the Kings made their presence felt early on the boards and rewarded themselves with second chance points. As mention earlier both teams were shooting like the rim was the size of Texas, especially the Raptors who started 10-10 from the field before Kleiza missed a turnaround jumper at the 4:21 mark. After some missed FT's by Carl Landry, Jose would find DeMar cutting to the basket and feed him the perfect lob pass for the alley-oop finish to put the Raps up 24-19. The team would continue to trade baskets for the remainder of the quarter, capped off by a Bargnani dunk, quickly responded to, by Samuel Dalembert, with a dunk off his own after Bargnani failed to get back in transition. That was the final bucket of the quarter as the Raptors lead 34-31.

If there was ever a quarter with all offense and no defense the 1st was exactly that as the Raptors shot an amazing 75% from the field, while the Kings weren't too far behind at 65%. But would either team be able to maintain that hot shooting for the rest of the game? The second starts off with 5 straight points by Carl Landry to give the Kings a 2 point lead, before Jerryd Bayless, who missed the last game in Boston, answered with a 3 to regain the lead. The Kings would then turn the ball over and the Raptors capitalized resulting in a DeMar jumper. It seemed like the players became very fatigued after that 1st quarter as there were a couple of airballs, short jumpers and turnovers on both sides. After Ed Davis blocked a Cousins shot attempt, the Raps quickly got out in transition and scored via a Barbosa layup to go up 43-36. There was then yet another series of misses by both sides that was ended by a DeMar runner. Kleiza who was pretty much silent for much of the game would wake up the crowd with a vicious dunk that totally came out on nowhere. Barbosa would end the quarter with a layup at the buzzer to give the Raps a 57-50 lead going in the break.

Bargnani led all scorers with 16 at the half, while DeMar was close behind with 13. Udrih was the Kings leading scorer with 11. Julian Wright who has been playing great as off late did not see any playing time in that first half. The Raptors who are 5th in the league in offensive rebounding did not get one until the 2:48 mark in the 2nd quarter. With the Raps currently holding the lead all they had to do was come out strong in the third, play some defense and they could be walking away with the win or would they somehow let the Kings battle back and get their first win at the ACC in almost 7 years.

The 3rd was pretty much the same as the first two quarters as both teams continued to trade buckets for the most part, but the Kings advantage on the offensive glass would eventually pay-off as they would claim a one point lead halfway into the quarter. Triano would wisely call a timeout, but the play out of that timeout wasn't nearly as wise as Bargnani attempted a questionable three which he missed. After a Kings turnover, DeMar would get a no-call driving to the hoop, in which three players surrounded him, and that would lead to a Udrih 3 in transition to give Sacramento a 4-point lead. The Raps would then tie the game up on a Barbosa three, but they would fail to box out on the opposite end as the Kings scored off another offensive rebound. DeMar would start his dominance in the game from that point as he was getting required touches and when he wasn't scoring he was making plays for his teammates. He would scored 11 in this quarter and the game was tied at 85 when the buzzer sounded.

So would the Raptors be able to hold off the Kings or will they have another letdown this season. Julian Wright who hadn't played in the first three quarters would start the 4th and immediately make an impact as he would get a quick steal which would lead to a Barbosa score. Bargnani will then score again to put the Raps up 4. This game once again entered a period with both teams trading buckets, but Barbosa would hit two huge threes and DeMar would hit another jumper to put the Raps up 108-100 with about 4 minutes left. The Raps would then go on a mini collapse and DeMarcus Cousins (yea you heard that right) would take over and just like that it was a 1-point game with just over a minute remaining. Bargnani would then hit a huge 3 to put the Raps up 4, and after a 3-point miss by Garcia, Amir would hit 2 FT's to ultimately ice the game. In the end the Raps walked away with a 118-112 victory and continued their home dominance of the Kings.

On a day when Andrea Bargnani (30 points) and DeMar Derozan (28 points) combined for 58 points, the Raps were able to defeat the Kings and get the victory. Beno Udrih led the Kings with 25. Though it looked like the Raps were probably going to let this one slip away at the end, they were able to hold on and get a much needed victory. If DeMar and Andrea can continue having games like these in which they both score 25+ points, this team can start winning some game and may even be able to sneak into that 8th playoff spot. Up next for the Raptors would be the Hawks on Wednesday which would be a very tough challenge for them, especially for DeMar who would be going up against Joe Johnson.

The Boys are Back in Town to Host the Kings

Finally, the Raps have come back to the ACC. After embarking on a three game road trip in which they went 1-2, the boys return home for a Sunday afternoon against the Sacramento Kings, which would be the first of a three game home-stand, before the team once again heads out on the road for a five game trip. The Kings on the other hand are coming off a huge victory against the Nuggets and will be playing the first game of a six game road trip. Last time these teams met the Kings walked away with a 111-108 victory in Sacramento. The Raptors have had the Kings number at the ACC though as they currently have a six-game home winning streak against the Kings, with Sacramento’s last victory being almost six years ago on February 22, 2004. Both teams are amongst the league leaders in offensive rebounding, Kings ranked 3rd with 13.2 per game, and the Raps at 5th with 12.3, so the battle on the boards should be one of epic proportion. The Raps may once again be shorthanded though as Jerryd Bayless who missed the last game in Boston, is listed as day-to-day, and Sonny Weems, who has missed the last ten, is listed as doubtful, not to mention the injuries of Reggie Evans and Peja Stojakovic.

The Basics: Toronto 12-24 ( 11-18 all-time against the Kings, 9-5 at home), Sacramento 8-25 ( 4-8 against the East)

When Last We Saw Them: When the Raptors last played against Boston on Friday, the Celtics were putting on a clinic, Luke Harangody was having the best game of his career and Boston won their 3000th game in franchise history, joining the Lakers as the only teams to accomplish that feat. DeMar DeRozan led the Raps with 20 points, as he continues to show that he'll be a force in this league and Andrea Bargnani added 17.

Key Match-ups: The Kings front-court made up of Samuel Dalembert, Jason Thompson, Carl Landry and DeMarcus Cousins will be doing battle on the glass against Amir Johnson, Andrea Bargnani, Ed Davis and Joey Dorsey. Though the Amir-Cousins matchup will be great to watch, the battle of the rookies should be more entertaining. Cousins comes into this game averaging 21.8 points and 9 boards in his last five games and has really started to show his potential after being a bit immature to start the season. Davis on the other hand hasn't been much of an impact offensively, but he's been solid on the boards and on defense averaging 5.7 boards and 1 block in only 20 minutes of play. The battle of the benches is also a key match-up to look forward too. With players like Omri Casspi, who can provide a spark off the Kings bench, players like Barbosa and Wright will have to also produce as the team with the better bench may eventually win this game. Sophomore guards Tyreke Evans and DeMar DeRozan going up against each other is yet another intriguing match-up to keep an eye on.

Other Things of Note:

• Raptors come into this game averaging 100.56 points at home; Sacramento averages 101.27 on the road
• Toronto is 7-3 when leading at the half and 10-1 when they have a better FG% than their opponent
• Sacramento is 4-3 in games decided by 3 points or less

Where is it on?: TSN (yea that's right, another Raptors game will be aired on the main channel)

Boston Beatdown with A Touch Of Irish

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

No More Celtics Hip Hip Hooray

Yes this is the last time the Raptors will likely see the Boston Celtics this season. Seems odd to say on January 7th but such is the NBA Schedule. They have already improved on their performance from last year against them with a win in three tries so far. Last season the Raptors with Chris Bosh were swept by the Celtics 4 to 0. All that being said the Raptors chances tonight in Boston look pretty bleak despite a come from behind blow out of the Cavs. Jerryd Bayless and Sonny Weems remain out. Bargnani and Johnson will go tonight for Toronto. Jose Calderon is going to play as well with Bayless on the shelf. The suggestion seems to be if Bayless was healthy Calderon would not be playing. Meanwhile in Boston they remain with out K.G, while Kendrick Perkins is still about a month away from playing. The Raptors should feel fortunate they will not seen Perkins, and to a large degree have not seen Boston at full capacity even minus him in all 4 games. Be it Rondo or K.G being out the Raptors have never faced the Celtics full blast this year.

The Basics: Toronto 12-23 ( 4-5 vs Atlantic Division) Boston 27-7 ( 21-4 vs East )

When Last We Saw Them: We saw the Raptors start slow allowing the Cavs to shoot 66.7% in 1st and take a 15 point lead. Only to see Julian Wright spark the charge back and the Raptors would eventually win by 15. Jose Calderon was excellent with 20 points and 17 assists and Bargnani looked good as well scoring 20+ points and leading the team in scoring on the night. Were the Cavs just that bad or did the Raptors play that good in final 3 quarters? It is one of those questions where the answer might be both.

Key Match-Ups: As good as Jose was vs the Cavs, Rondo is even better than that coming into this one off a triple double with 12 points 22 assists and 10 rebounds, vs the best team in league record wise in the Spurs. That is a little different from tearing apart the hopeless and Lebronless Cavs. Not to mention traditionally Rondo has always got the better of Calderon. Big Baby and Amir Johnson should be good to watch. Make Glen Davis a jump shooter and you should be ok. Davis has really come a long way but much like a Kris Humphries did in his Raptor days, Big Baby tends to forget he is not the 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd option on offence. Last but not least is Paul Pierce, who in the last meeting with the Raptors less than 7 days ago was pretty spectacular. Linas Klezia has his hands full or whoever they end up sticking on him. After saying all of this watch Ray Allen light up Demar DeRozan with about 6 makes from 3 point range. Allen has always been a tough match up for Dematr. The only advantage the Raptors have is Bargnani on Shaq or J.O it is no contest if Bargnani takes them away from the basket.

Other Things of Note: After a pretty nice honeymoon in Boston things may be going sour for Shaq. Jermaine O'Neal has been the O'Neal getting more minutes of late. A healthy J.O provides the Celtics a better defensive option. Although this story in the Boston Herald has a lot of quotes of people all saying the right things in terms of Shaq. I said at the start of the year that once Perkins came back you were going to have at least one unhappy O'Neal. I was just figuring it would be Jermaine and not Shaq. While our DNB Intern Ryan banged out his first piece in the blog yesterday. Talking about how Demar DeRozan is not getting the love he may deserve from the NBA. He isn't getting much love from the officials as well taking a knock on the head and staying down still did not warrant him a trip to the line. But Demar remains consistent in his effort to drive and draw contact. You just hope he starts to be rewarded in the way that a guy like say Paul Pierce does eventually. Demar was left out of the dunk contest and if he does not crack the sophomore line-up for the Rookie Challenge safe to say the Raptors will have no representation at the All-Star Game at all. Been a long time since that happened, as Bosh was a given to be an All-Star by the end of his time here.

Where is it on? TSN (Sources have informed me that World Junior Hockey Tournament has ended making this possible. Those same sources confirmed the Russians have finally left Buffalo)