The playoffs have been on for around two weeks now and this only my third blog. I shouldn't deserve to call myself a blogger. All kidding aside it's been two great weeks of good and no so good basketball. In the East all the series have been pretty battled out by underdogs and top seeds with the exception of the Cleveland/Detroit series which is already over. Meanwhile in the West almost all the series are pretty one sided for the exception of the Houston/Portland series.
A Smartass once said....
If you check my prediction of the Cleveland vs Detroit series two blog ago, I said that Cleveland would win in 6 games if the back court of Stuckey and Hamilton came in with their "A" game. Well it was actually much more quickly than that.....2 games quicker to be precise. That's right the team that had gotten to the Eastern Conference for the last 6 seasons was sweeped in the Quarter Fionals. This would have probably been a bad joke back in September. Trading Billups for Iverson was what completely destroyed the chemistry and motivation of this team. Time to rebuild for the Detroit Pistons! At least now most of the Pistons will get a chance to go to Jay Leno's free stand up comedy show for anybody that is unemployed in the Detroit Area. I think most people would be even more depressed after watching his show! He's getting a ten o'clock show now.....oh brother.
Now Lebron James and co. get to wait for the result of the Atlanta vs Heat series. I still think that the Heat win it in 7.
Da Bulls Strike Again!
Suddenly when the Celtics had all their confidence back by winning game two of the series with a three point dagger courtesy of none other than Ray Allen. The Bulls returned the favour of losing to the Celtics in the last game. It was a double over time thriller with lots of fast breaks, contact and trash talking to keep any fan happy.
In the past weeks I've become a real supporter of the Bulls mainly because of my
Reasons why I don't like Boston:
1. They Have Marbury!
2. They won the NBA championship last year.
3.Garnett and the rest of the crew are just so smug.
They're not great reasons, but I just hate them. Journalistically this sounds very unprofessional, but frankly I don't give a damn.
The game pretty much ended after Ben Gordon hit a three point dagger close to end of the second overtime.
Magic!
Only caught the last play of the Magic-76ers game in which Turkoglu getting a three pointer to steal the game away from the 76ers. This is probably the most interesting series so far after the Bulls-Celtics . This one will most likely go to game 7.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Da Bulls! Da Bulls! Da Bears! I Mean Bulls!
The playoffs have just started and there have been enough surprises from underdogs like The Bulls, 76ers and the Mavericks, but first how about a little Raptors talk?
Bryan Colangelo is being his usual smart self and is planning to give Toronto's Franchise Player, Chris Bosh, an offer to stay around for a little longer. The good thing about this is that Chris Bosh is not looking to be traded from Toronto and wants to be part of the solution around Hogtown instead of a problem. Seeing our second best franchise player leave would be devastating. Next thing you know we are back in the Araujo Era!
Next thing Colangelo need to do is sign Triano as the head coach and he is in a good path to winning.
DA Bulls
They surprised everybody by beating the Garnett-less Boston Celtics by 2 points with a 36 point performance by the rookie Derrick Rose. This just shows you that it isn't the Celtics defensive coaches that won them the title last year, but instead having Kevin Garnett play 40 minutes of tough basketball every night. The second game was barely won by the Celtics with a clutch 3 pointer by none other than Ray Allen. This series will probably go into the 7th game, but it's something the Celtics can afford to do like last year. I have a feeling that the Bulls could take it, it would make Chuck Swirsky the happiest man in Chicago.
Note: Celtics didn't loose any game at home last playoffs
We Want Tacos!
The Lakers were just toying with the Jazz in the first game having control all game. The amount of talent in the Lakers is just unbelievable. The one thing that made me upset was the fact that the Laker fans were yelling for tacos at the end of the game with 30ish seconds left when the Jazz had 98 points. Apparently they all get free tacos when the away team scores less than 100; however, Deron Williams got a steal and a bucket to shut them all up.
Personification of Domination
Just like the Lakers are dominating the Jazz, the Cavaliers are dominating the Pistons. High amount of unemployment and a crappy basketball team! It must be a terrible time to live in the Motor city.
Only the Good Die Young
Disappointing start in the playoffs for the Blazers. I thought that with all the talent in that that team, they would have no problem against the Rockets. Well my thought was wrong. The Rockets had a blow out win because of the veteran experience that Yao Ming, Artest and Luis Scola brought. That Aaron Brooks kid was also not too shabby.
No Heat
The Hawks dominated against the Heat. Both Wade and Chalmers just chucked the ball all game long and didn't play defence. This series could quite quickly. The Heat were bad like a Jamario Moon three pointer.
The Red Rocket! Plus Game I didn't really watch.
I didn't watch the Spurs vs Mavericks games, but all I know is that the former Raptor Matt Bonner is shooting lights out. 5-5 from the field to get 13 points(3-3 from beyond the arc).
The Nuggets came out strong in their first game with an impressive performance from Billups from what I've heard. The Pistons are kicking themselves for trading him for Iverson.
Finally the game I only saw until the third quarter was the 76ers vs Magic. When I turned the television of the score was 79-65 for the Magic and I thought that the game was pretty much done; however, that's just when the game started. The 76ers had an impressive 35 point 4th quarter thanks to Igoudala, Miller and Williams. 76ers ended the game with a buzzer beater 100-98. Former Raptor, Donyell Marshall, also put up 11 points coming off the bench. Meanwhile the Magic bench got 13 points all together. I thought the Magic would have had a terrible season with their terrible bench.
Well stay tuned as there is still a month or so of playoff basketball left.
Bryan Colangelo is being his usual smart self and is planning to give Toronto's Franchise Player, Chris Bosh, an offer to stay around for a little longer. The good thing about this is that Chris Bosh is not looking to be traded from Toronto and wants to be part of the solution around Hogtown instead of a problem. Seeing our second best franchise player leave would be devastating. Next thing you know we are back in the Araujo Era!
Next thing Colangelo need to do is sign Triano as the head coach and he is in a good path to winning.
DA Bulls
They surprised everybody by beating the Garnett-less Boston Celtics by 2 points with a 36 point performance by the rookie Derrick Rose. This just shows you that it isn't the Celtics defensive coaches that won them the title last year, but instead having Kevin Garnett play 40 minutes of tough basketball every night. The second game was barely won by the Celtics with a clutch 3 pointer by none other than Ray Allen. This series will probably go into the 7th game, but it's something the Celtics can afford to do like last year. I have a feeling that the Bulls could take it, it would make Chuck Swirsky the happiest man in Chicago.
Note: Celtics didn't loose any game at home last playoffs
We Want Tacos!
The Lakers were just toying with the Jazz in the first game having control all game. The amount of talent in the Lakers is just unbelievable. The one thing that made me upset was the fact that the Laker fans were yelling for tacos at the end of the game with 30ish seconds left when the Jazz had 98 points. Apparently they all get free tacos when the away team scores less than 100; however, Deron Williams got a steal and a bucket to shut them all up.
Personification of Domination
Just like the Lakers are dominating the Jazz, the Cavaliers are dominating the Pistons. High amount of unemployment and a crappy basketball team! It must be a terrible time to live in the Motor city.
Only the Good Die Young
Disappointing start in the playoffs for the Blazers. I thought that with all the talent in that that team, they would have no problem against the Rockets. Well my thought was wrong. The Rockets had a blow out win because of the veteran experience that Yao Ming, Artest and Luis Scola brought. That Aaron Brooks kid was also not too shabby.
No Heat
The Hawks dominated against the Heat. Both Wade and Chalmers just chucked the ball all game long and didn't play defence. This series could quite quickly. The Heat were bad like a Jamario Moon three pointer.
The Red Rocket! Plus Game I didn't really watch.
I didn't watch the Spurs vs Mavericks games, but all I know is that the former Raptor Matt Bonner is shooting lights out. 5-5 from the field to get 13 points(3-3 from beyond the arc).
The Nuggets came out strong in their first game with an impressive performance from Billups from what I've heard. The Pistons are kicking themselves for trading him for Iverson.
Finally the game I only saw until the third quarter was the 76ers vs Magic. When I turned the television of the score was 79-65 for the Magic and I thought that the game was pretty much done; however, that's just when the game started. The 76ers had an impressive 35 point 4th quarter thanks to Igoudala, Miller and Williams. 76ers ended the game with a buzzer beater 100-98. Former Raptor, Donyell Marshall, also put up 11 points coming off the bench. Meanwhile the Magic bench got 13 points all together. I thought the Magic would have had a terrible season with their terrible bench.
Well stay tuned as there is still a month or so of playoff basketball left.
Friday, April 17, 2009
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
It's Playoff time! It's the time in which the 16 best teams in the NBA show what they're made of and try to win the Larry O'Brien trophy. The team that sheds the most blood,sweat and tears will come out as the best (kind of exaggerated, but gotta get people excited).
So before I start my thoughts on the 8 series how about a song? Microphone!
It's the most wonderful time of the year
With the all fans yelling
And everyone telling you "The Lakers win this year"
It's the most wonderful time of the year
It's the hap-happiest season of all
With those 7 game series and NBA sports show
When friends come to call
It's the hap- happiest season of all
Stop the insanity! The playoffs shouldn't be celebrated with parodies!
Now to the serious stuff.
Cleveland Cavaliers (1) vs Detroit Pistons (8)
If you would have told me last year that the Pistons would be the 8th seed coming into the playoffs this year, I would have thought that it was a joke. The Pistons have at least made the Eastern Conference Finals in the last seven years, but Lebron and company could end this. The Cavaliers have a better front court by far than the Pistons and a mix of young & veterans coming off the bench to give the team a boost (Gibson, Smith and Szczerbiak). The Pistons have a slight edge in the starting backcourt with Stuckey and Hamilton matching up with Mo Williams and Delonte West which could help them win one or two games max. Trading Billups for Iverson was the worst thing that the Pistons could have done.
Cavaliers Win in 6
Boston Celtics (2) vs Chicago Bulls (7)
The young guns vs the old guys is what the title of this sub-heading should really be. I think the Bulls have a better backcourt with Derrick Rose facing a very over rated Rajon Rondo who can't shoot the midrange jumper for his life. The Boston bench is also very thin and the Bulls have a slight edge with a Hinrich, Tom Thomas and Brad Miller bench compared to a House, Big Baby Davis and Moore bench. The one difference between these two teams are that Boston has two strong game changing while Chicago really has none. Paul Pierce with a little help of Ray Allen will walk away with the series. Without Garnett though there is no way that the Celtics retain their title though.
Boston Celtics in 7
Orlando Magic (3) vs Philadelphia 76ers (7)
I hate the Magic for what they did last year to the Raptors, but either way their an extremely good team. The Magic will dominate the front court with the brute force of Dwight Howard that Dalembert will have lots of trouble containing. The 76ers have an upper hand in the back court with Andre Miller being one of the most consistent point guards in the NBA. Both benches are quite weak having Williams as the 76ers biggest "X" factor and Orlando having the veteran Johnson. Van Gundy will just have the Magic playing a little zone with the worst three point shooting team in the NBA and it should be a quick and painless series. Orlando will reach the Conference finals this year. Book it.
Magic in 5
Atlanta Hawks (4) vs Miami Heat (5)
This is probably going to be the most interesting of the series which in my opinion will go down to the 7th game. Miami has bounced back from being the last team in the East thanks to none other than Dwayne Wade and his 30 points per night. I wouldn't want to be Joe Johnson at the moment that's for sure. Even though the Heat have a strong back court it's front court is nothing compared to the Hawks. Josh Smith and Al Horford will give Jermaine O'neal and Haslem a hard time. The thing about the Hawks is that their bench is not strong unlike the Heat who have Beasley and Moon for back up. I will follow this series closely to see how the former Raptors Moon and O'neal are doing.
Heat in 7
Los Angeles Lakers (1) vs Utah Jazz (8)
Kobe! Kobe! Kobe! Kobe! Do I really need to say more?
Lakers in 4
Denver Nuggets (2) vs New Orleans Hornets (7)
Another series that will not fail to entertain I can guarantee. With the leadership with Billups the Nuggets have gone from barely being and 8th placed team to 2nd in a tough Western conference; however, will this team be able to win in the playoffs? In this case the answer is no. The Hornets have one of the most versatile players in the NBA, Chris Paul, as their leader and even Billups can't match up to him. CP3 is arguably the best point guard in the league. The Nuggets front court being leaded by Carmelo Anthony is good but David West and Chandler will bring their A game.
Hornets in 7
San Antonio Spurs (3) vs Dallas Mavericks (6)
A Ginobi-less Spurs will try to defeat a very confident Dakkas team. Only a couple of months ago I would have told you that the Mavericks would be that unlucky team to get the 9th spot in the West, but now are sitting comfortably in the 6th spot. The Mavericks have an advantage in the front court with Dirk and Dampier, but The Red Rocket can matchup pretty well against Dampier with consistent jumper and Duncan has more winning experience than Dirk. In the bench category the Mavericks have Jason Terry coming in with 19 points per game, but Drew Gooden will also be an impact coming off the Spurs bench. The two areas in which the Spurs have the upper hand in are the backcourt. I'll take Tony Parker and Roger Mason instead of Jason Kidd and J.J Berea. The other area is the coaching having Popovich who just simply has been in the winning side and knows how to stay there.
Spurs in 6
Portland Trailblazer (4) vs Houston Rockets (5)
I like this young Portland team who gives 120% in every game and is just filled with tons of talent. In contrast the Rockets are sluggish team filled with veteran experience, but without the Mcgrady playoff curse to hold them back. Despite being curse-less the Rockets still have no depth in their bench with Von Wafer and Landry while the Blazers have the Spanish stud Rudy Fernandez and Outlaw coming off the bench giving a one-two punch.
Trailblazers in 6
Remember anything can happen in the playoffs.
Let the fun begin!
So before I start my thoughts on the 8 series how about a song? Microphone!
It's the most wonderful time of the year
With the all fans yelling
And everyone telling you "The Lakers win this year"
It's the most wonderful time of the year
It's the hap-happiest season of all
With those 7 game series and NBA sports show
When friends come to call
It's the hap- happiest season of all
Stop the insanity! The playoffs shouldn't be celebrated with parodies!
Now to the serious stuff.
Cleveland Cavaliers (1) vs Detroit Pistons (8)
If you would have told me last year that the Pistons would be the 8th seed coming into the playoffs this year, I would have thought that it was a joke. The Pistons have at least made the Eastern Conference Finals in the last seven years, but Lebron and company could end this. The Cavaliers have a better front court by far than the Pistons and a mix of young & veterans coming off the bench to give the team a boost (Gibson, Smith and Szczerbiak). The Pistons have a slight edge in the starting backcourt with Stuckey and Hamilton matching up with Mo Williams and Delonte West which could help them win one or two games max. Trading Billups for Iverson was the worst thing that the Pistons could have done.
Cavaliers Win in 6
Boston Celtics (2) vs Chicago Bulls (7)
The young guns vs the old guys is what the title of this sub-heading should really be. I think the Bulls have a better backcourt with Derrick Rose facing a very over rated Rajon Rondo who can't shoot the midrange jumper for his life. The Boston bench is also very thin and the Bulls have a slight edge with a Hinrich, Tom Thomas and Brad Miller bench compared to a House, Big Baby Davis and Moore bench. The one difference between these two teams are that Boston has two strong game changing while Chicago really has none. Paul Pierce with a little help of Ray Allen will walk away with the series. Without Garnett though there is no way that the Celtics retain their title though.
Boston Celtics in 7
Orlando Magic (3) vs Philadelphia 76ers (7)
I hate the Magic for what they did last year to the Raptors, but either way their an extremely good team. The Magic will dominate the front court with the brute force of Dwight Howard that Dalembert will have lots of trouble containing. The 76ers have an upper hand in the back court with Andre Miller being one of the most consistent point guards in the NBA. Both benches are quite weak having Williams as the 76ers biggest "X" factor and Orlando having the veteran Johnson. Van Gundy will just have the Magic playing a little zone with the worst three point shooting team in the NBA and it should be a quick and painless series. Orlando will reach the Conference finals this year. Book it.
Magic in 5
Atlanta Hawks (4) vs Miami Heat (5)
This is probably going to be the most interesting of the series which in my opinion will go down to the 7th game. Miami has bounced back from being the last team in the East thanks to none other than Dwayne Wade and his 30 points per night. I wouldn't want to be Joe Johnson at the moment that's for sure. Even though the Heat have a strong back court it's front court is nothing compared to the Hawks. Josh Smith and Al Horford will give Jermaine O'neal and Haslem a hard time. The thing about the Hawks is that their bench is not strong unlike the Heat who have Beasley and Moon for back up. I will follow this series closely to see how the former Raptors Moon and O'neal are doing.
Heat in 7
Los Angeles Lakers (1) vs Utah Jazz (8)
Kobe! Kobe! Kobe! Kobe! Do I really need to say more?
Lakers in 4
Denver Nuggets (2) vs New Orleans Hornets (7)
Another series that will not fail to entertain I can guarantee. With the leadership with Billups the Nuggets have gone from barely being and 8th placed team to 2nd in a tough Western conference; however, will this team be able to win in the playoffs? In this case the answer is no. The Hornets have one of the most versatile players in the NBA, Chris Paul, as their leader and even Billups can't match up to him. CP3 is arguably the best point guard in the league. The Nuggets front court being leaded by Carmelo Anthony is good but David West and Chandler will bring their A game.
Hornets in 7
San Antonio Spurs (3) vs Dallas Mavericks (6)
A Ginobi-less Spurs will try to defeat a very confident Dakkas team. Only a couple of months ago I would have told you that the Mavericks would be that unlucky team to get the 9th spot in the West, but now are sitting comfortably in the 6th spot. The Mavericks have an advantage in the front court with Dirk and Dampier, but The Red Rocket can matchup pretty well against Dampier with consistent jumper and Duncan has more winning experience than Dirk. In the bench category the Mavericks have Jason Terry coming in with 19 points per game, but Drew Gooden will also be an impact coming off the Spurs bench. The two areas in which the Spurs have the upper hand in are the backcourt. I'll take Tony Parker and Roger Mason instead of Jason Kidd and J.J Berea. The other area is the coaching having Popovich who just simply has been in the winning side and knows how to stay there.
Spurs in 6
Portland Trailblazer (4) vs Houston Rockets (5)
I like this young Portland team who gives 120% in every game and is just filled with tons of talent. In contrast the Rockets are sluggish team filled with veteran experience, but without the Mcgrady playoff curse to hold them back. Despite being curse-less the Rockets still have no depth in their bench with Von Wafer and Landry while the Blazers have the Spanish stud Rudy Fernandez and Outlaw coming off the bench giving a one-two punch.
Trailblazers in 6
Remember anything can happen in the playoffs.
Let the fun begin!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Ending a Low Season on a High Note
33 wins and 49 loses. That's the third time in the fourteen years of Raptors history that the team has gotten this record. The last two time were in 2003-2004 season and the 2004-2005 seasons. This record is extremely disappointing for a team to get because it means that the team just lost some easy, but crucial game that differentiates them from being a playoff team and well the 13th placed team that they are now. This season had it's highs and lows ......let's take a blast to the the not so far away past.
The Good
Even with such a mediocre record some "good" things have happened to the team.
Andrea's Development
After three years of hearing endless rants about how Bargnani was a "bust" and how he was too soft to ever be a center in the NBA, Andrea's game suddenly went from being mediocre at best to a 15 points, 5.9 rebound and 1 block player over night. I think that having Triano as the head coach and the training over the summer were the main reason for this improvement for Bargnani. Can't wait to see how much more Il Mago will improve next year.
POPS
We have found a player that hustles more than a junk yard dog. Pops Mensah Bonsu instantly became a favourite of all Raptors fans as he fights for every rebound like there was no tomorrow and can put down a hard dunk whenever he gets the chance
Jose's Free Throw Record
Even though Calderon didn't get a 100 free throws in a row he did get 85 and ended with a record of 98% (151-154 free throws.) This is the best record in NBA history. The last guy to hold the record was the former Rocket, Calvin Murphy, who got 96% of his free throws in 1980! 29 year old record broken by none other than numer ocho.
Orlando Payback!
Being a Raptors fan I was quite sore about losing to the Orlando Magic in the playoffs last season in only 5 games. This season the team has even gotten better with the development of Dwight Howard and a couple of improvements made to the team by adding Alston and Michael Pietrus; however, the Raptors were able to win the season series against them 2-1. What happened Howard? Somebody put Kryptonite into your wheaties?
The Plain Ugly
O'neal.......
Bryan Colangelo rolled the dice by trading Ford away for a injury prone Jermaine O'neal and no he's paying the price. O'neal was extremely inconsistent while playing in Toronto and definitely. Colangelo tried to patch things up by trading O'neal for Shawn Marion, but the damage to the team had been done
Other things that made me depressed
-Vince Carter winning in over time with a reverse dunk
-Shawn Marion's jump shot
-Every time Jason Kapono came into a game
-Jose Calderon being limited with an injury
-No Humphries!
-TSN 2
-Matt Devlin. to quote him "Overtime......No Raptors win!"
-Obviously not making the playoffs
The list could go on and on........
I'll continue to blog throughout the playoffs and during the Lottery. Tomorrow I'll have a new blog about the most wonderful time of the year......The Playoffs unless you're a King,Clipper, Thunder,Timberwolve, Warriors, Sun, Grizzlie, Wizard, Raptor, Knick, Pacer, Net, Buck or Bobcat fan.
The Good
Even with such a mediocre record some "good" things have happened to the team.
Andrea's Development
After three years of hearing endless rants about how Bargnani was a "bust" and how he was too soft to ever be a center in the NBA, Andrea's game suddenly went from being mediocre at best to a 15 points, 5.9 rebound and 1 block player over night. I think that having Triano as the head coach and the training over the summer were the main reason for this improvement for Bargnani. Can't wait to see how much more Il Mago will improve next year.
POPS
We have found a player that hustles more than a junk yard dog. Pops Mensah Bonsu instantly became a favourite of all Raptors fans as he fights for every rebound like there was no tomorrow and can put down a hard dunk whenever he gets the chance
Jose's Free Throw Record
Even though Calderon didn't get a 100 free throws in a row he did get 85 and ended with a record of 98% (151-154 free throws.) This is the best record in NBA history. The last guy to hold the record was the former Rocket, Calvin Murphy, who got 96% of his free throws in 1980! 29 year old record broken by none other than numer ocho.
Orlando Payback!
Being a Raptors fan I was quite sore about losing to the Orlando Magic in the playoffs last season in only 5 games. This season the team has even gotten better with the development of Dwight Howard and a couple of improvements made to the team by adding Alston and Michael Pietrus; however, the Raptors were able to win the season series against them 2-1. What happened Howard? Somebody put Kryptonite into your wheaties?
The Plain Ugly
O'neal.......
Bryan Colangelo rolled the dice by trading Ford away for a injury prone Jermaine O'neal and no he's paying the price. O'neal was extremely inconsistent while playing in Toronto and definitely. Colangelo tried to patch things up by trading O'neal for Shawn Marion, but the damage to the team had been done
Other things that made me depressed
-Vince Carter winning in over time with a reverse dunk
-Shawn Marion's jump shot
-Every time Jason Kapono came into a game
-Jose Calderon being limited with an injury
-No Humphries!
-TSN 2
-Matt Devlin. to quote him "Overtime......No Raptors win!"
-Obviously not making the playoffs
The list could go on and on........
I'll continue to blog throughout the playoffs and during the Lottery. Tomorrow I'll have a new blog about the most wonderful time of the year......The Playoffs unless you're a King,Clipper, Thunder,Timberwolve, Warriors, Sun, Grizzlie, Wizard, Raptor, Knick, Pacer, Net, Buck or Bobcat fan.
Monday, April 13, 2009
How About Those Magical Washington Finishes
There's something about playing the Wizards that make the Raptors have amazing finishes every time. Anybody recall the Morris Peterson hail marry shot?, Anthony Parker's clutch three being guarded by three player or just last game where Kapono had two three pointers in a row. Well now there is a new story that has been added to the saga by none other than by Toronto's All star, Chris Bosh. Let's just say that the Raptors have been nailing the Wizards in so many buzzer beater situations that the Wizards commentator yells "Oh No....Not Again" while Devlin yells "Overtime.....no wait Raptors win!".
The Play
Unlike the in play which Morris Peterson chucked up the hail marry, this was a set play which Jay Triano had planned before. In the play Jose attracts a double team while going into the lane which leaves Bosh open for the three point shot. Bosh was 0-10 from behind the three point line before that shot and there wasn't a better time to break that slump. The play kind of reminded me of Tim Duncan's three point shot in over time against the Sun's in the last playoffs.
REWIND
I also wanted to talk about the other "laboratory" play that Triano set before in which Kapono hit Marion with the ball and got him the easy layup. Afterward the former Raptor scrub Juan Dixon was pressured which made him throw the ball out of bounce.
Identical Stats
Both Bosh and Marion showed what they were made of by getting identical stats of 25 points and 15 rebounds; however, Marion shot 12-23 from the field while Bosh shot 7-15 from the field. Nothing special for Bosh as he was mainly being guarded by Songoila and Mcguire, while Marion was being guarded by a very relaxed Caron Butler.
The Doubted
How were the three relatively new Raptors doing tonight?
Scouby Douby Doo: Came into the game and seemed like a ghost. In 9 minutes all he got was 2 turnover and 2 assists. Not showing enough to stay next season.
Pops: The man was a beast like usual. Get this 9 points, 12 rebounds and 5 steals.
Patrick O'Bryant: A ghost trying to grab a rebound would have done better than this man who is a 7 footer. Soft as cotton.
Flipping Saunders
Even though the Wizards still have .........who's their coach again? Let me look him up. Right Ed Tapscott *whoever that is* as their coach, the former Piston coach Flip Saunders will be there next year for sure.
Real Gm Wire Tap
"He's definitely [Washington's] top choice," an executive said. "He's the top candidate out there, so in this shrinking job market, I imagine that he and his agent will want to sit back and see what offers they get."
As far as who the Raptors have as a coach next year I think that Triano should stay; however , it should take me to write a blog on all their options.
Last game of the Raptors on Wednesday. They haven't had a early summer in
two season. Kapono will get to the golf courses early and then hopefully to another team.
How come every time I see Ed Tapscott I think of that guy from Law and Order Criminal Intent?
It must be the beard.
The Play
Unlike the in play which Morris Peterson chucked up the hail marry, this was a set play which Jay Triano had planned before. In the play Jose attracts a double team while going into the lane which leaves Bosh open for the three point shot. Bosh was 0-10 from behind the three point line before that shot and there wasn't a better time to break that slump. The play kind of reminded me of Tim Duncan's three point shot in over time against the Sun's in the last playoffs.
REWIND
I also wanted to talk about the other "laboratory" play that Triano set before in which Kapono hit Marion with the ball and got him the easy layup. Afterward the former Raptor scrub Juan Dixon was pressured which made him throw the ball out of bounce.
Identical Stats
Both Bosh and Marion showed what they were made of by getting identical stats of 25 points and 15 rebounds; however, Marion shot 12-23 from the field while Bosh shot 7-15 from the field. Nothing special for Bosh as he was mainly being guarded by Songoila and Mcguire, while Marion was being guarded by a very relaxed Caron Butler.
The Doubted
How were the three relatively new Raptors doing tonight?
Scouby Douby Doo: Came into the game and seemed like a ghost. In 9 minutes all he got was 2 turnover and 2 assists. Not showing enough to stay next season.
Pops: The man was a beast like usual. Get this 9 points, 12 rebounds and 5 steals.
Patrick O'Bryant: A ghost trying to grab a rebound would have done better than this man who is a 7 footer. Soft as cotton.
Flipping Saunders
Even though the Wizards still have .........who's their coach again? Let me look him up. Right Ed Tapscott *whoever that is* as their coach, the former Piston coach Flip Saunders will be there next year for sure.
Real Gm Wire Tap
"He's definitely [Washington's] top choice," an executive said. "He's the top candidate out there, so in this shrinking job market, I imagine that he and his agent will want to sit back and see what offers they get."
As far as who the Raptors have as a coach next year I think that Triano should stay; however , it should take me to write a blog on all their options.
Last game of the Raptors on Wednesday. They haven't had a early summer in
two season. Kapono will get to the golf courses early and then hopefully to another team.How come every time I see Ed Tapscott I think of that guy from Law and Order Criminal Intent?
It must be the beard.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Anybody get the Tanking Memo?
So they decided to start winning all of a sudden. Half of the Raptor fans right now are thinking, you goons we need to get a better lottery draft pick, while the other half is thinking that that it's good that they won for some respect (especially since the game was shown on NBA TV). I'm kind of in between in this one. I would love to draft a guy like James Harden or Ricky Rubio in the lottery, but I also don't think that "tanking" has ever been the answer for any team. There's no formula of what a team should do when they're having a terrible season; however take a look at the 2002 Cavaliers and 2003 Magic tanked and look at them now though (Dwight Howard and Lebron James ring a bell?). Like I said before I'm in between in this issue.
At the Moment the Raptors are 9th in the NBA lottery
Thanks to www.nbadraft.net
Being the 9th in the NBA lottery means the Raptors have a 1.7% of getting the first round pick, 2% for the second, 2.3% and 81.3% of getting the 9th. Miracles have happened before.
Shall we talk about the game now? No more splish splashing about mindless statistics about the NBA lottery.
The 76ers just didn't seem to be into the game, it was almost like the Raptors were the 6th placed team going into the playoffs and the 76ers were the ones having the early summer. Igoudala even thought that he was one of the original globetrotters and tried to give a behind the back pass to Miller.....which of course went completly out of bounce. It hasn't been his season that's for sure.
How weak is the east that we have a Phildelphia 76ers team making the 6th spot with a 40-38 record so far.
How about that Williams fellow I always remembered how Chuck Swirsky used to say how much he like "that Lou Williams kid". I always liked his game too and he showed what he was made of in this game. 23 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. He's getting better each year and will be and even more solid player next season.
The Quincy Impact!
If there is one player that helped out the Raptors the most coming off the bench this game it would have to be Quincy Douby. In only 11 minutes of play he got 7 points and 2 assists. I hope this kid finds his place in a team.
Keeping Pops
Every Toronto Raptors fan know that Pops Mensha Bonsu is a keeper but it's nice to see on paper that Bryan Colangelo is going to do something to keep him.
Bryan Colangelo-
"Let's just say that at this stage I am inclined to extend the qualifying offer so we are in a position to control the cards in free agency.
Around the NBA
How about them Cavaliers? Today they showed that they have enough team chemistry, home dominance and determination to win the championship this year. 107-76 win against the Celtics; however, this was was without Lean Powe and Kevin Garnett. Along with this comment I add that I think Lebron James should get the MVP award this year.
Next Game is against the Wizards. Let's see if we can just splish splash our way through this one.
At the Moment the Raptors are 9th in the NBA lottery
Thanks to www.nbadraft.net
| 1 |  | Sacramento | Blake Griffin | So. |
| 2 |  | Washington | Jordan Hill | Jr. |
| 3 |  | LA Clippers | Hasheem Thabeet | Jr. |
| 4 |  | Oklahoma Cty | James Harden | So. |
| 5 |  | *Minnesota | Brandon Jennings | Intl. |
| 6 |  | Memphis | Demar DeRozan | Fr. |
| 7 |  | Golden St. | Earl Clark | Jr. |
| 8 |  | *New York | Gerald Henderson | Jr. |
| 9 |  | Toronto | Chase Budinger | Jr. |
Shall we talk about the game now? No more splish splashing about mindless statistics about the NBA lottery.
The 76ers just didn't seem to be into the game, it was almost like the Raptors were the 6th placed team going into the playoffs and the 76ers were the ones having the early summer. Igoudala even thought that he was one of the original globetrotters and tried to give a behind the back pass to Miller.....which of course went completly out of bounce. It hasn't been his season that's for sure.
How weak is the east that we have a Phildelphia 76ers team making the 6th spot with a 40-38 record so far.
How about that Williams fellow I always remembered how Chuck Swirsky used to say how much he like "that Lou Williams kid". I always liked his game too and he showed what he was made of in this game. 23 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. He's getting better each year and will be and even more solid player next season.
The Quincy Impact!
If there is one player that helped out the Raptors the most coming off the bench this game it would have to be Quincy Douby. In only 11 minutes of play he got 7 points and 2 assists. I hope this kid finds his place in a team.
Keeping Pops
Every Toronto Raptors fan know that Pops Mensha Bonsu is a keeper but it's nice to see on paper that Bryan Colangelo is going to do something to keep him.
Bryan Colangelo-
"Let's just say that at this stage I am inclined to extend the qualifying offer so we are in a position to control the cards in free agency.
Around the NBA
How about them Cavaliers? Today they showed that they have enough team chemistry, home dominance and determination to win the championship this year. 107-76 win against the Celtics; however, this was was without Lean Powe and Kevin Garnett. Along with this comment I add that I think Lebron James should get the MVP award this year.
Next Game is against the Wizards. Let's see if we can just splish splash our way through this one.
Friday, April 10, 2009
The Weak vs The Weaker
You know you don't have a life when on a Friday night you're watching a game between the 14th placed Toronto Raptors against the 15th placed Washington Wizards (The two teams are so bad that ESPN 2 dropped the game from their programming quite a while back). I must admit I don't have a life; however, I'm also a big Raptors fan that has only missed one game this year. I've always enjoyed watching the games between this to teams......let's just say crazy things happen. Anybody remember that hail marry buzzer by Morris Peterson or Parker's buzzer beater?
So before I start my regular blogging, I want to talk about how the Wizards went from being a playoff team into becoming the worst team in the east.
Reason Numero Uno: Fragile Agent Zero- After signing a 6 year 111 million dollar year, Arenas needed a third surgery meaning that he would be missing another season. As much as I hate this guy and his blog, he did put up 29 points and 6 assists only 3 seasons ago when he was healthy.
Reason Numero Dos: Firing Eddie Jordan: Even though the Wizards started with a 1-10 record it was still a pretty foolish decision to fire him so quickly. After being with the team for four years and making the playoffs for three seasons while handling an incredible amount of injuries the team suffered, they should have made a statue of Eddie outside the stadium instead of firing him. Ed Tapscott wasn't the answer to this team that's for sure.
Reason Numero Tres: Not Resinging Roger Mason- With Arenas being injured in the 2007-2008 season Roger Mason ,at the time an NBA scrub, got to more playing time an had a breakthrough season. The Wizards decided not to resign him and so the San Antonio Spurs signed him. The result was the Spurs got a good back up player that averages 11 points and 2 assists per game while the Wizards are left with scrubs like Dominic Mcguire and Juan Dixon as their starting shooting guards.
Now even with all the flaws this team have they still managed to beat the Raptors at home. Quite sad if you ask me.
Kapono! OH NO! OH YES!
Throughout this season I have cringed each time that Jay Triano decided to bring out Kapono from the bench. Most nights it resulted in Kapono coming in getting a couple of travels called on him, a missed layup and on the odd night a wide open three pointer in a transition play. The thing about Kapono is that he's an extremely streaky shooter, don't get me wrong he has an extremely fast shot. Watch his episode of Sports Science if you don't beleive me. Anyhow when Kapono gets hot he gets hot and this was one of those nights. 6 of 9 from being the arc....two of those were clutch. If he was only somewhat consistent each night.
Caron Butler For the Win! Caron Butler was quite in the first half but then was flaming hot in the second half. The Raptors were not playing any defence down the lane and so letting him get easy points. Even after the Raptors did make a couple of defensive stops to get the game tied up, Caron silenced the crowd of about 18,000 with a buzzer beater. Marion played terrible defence of that play.
Raptors.com Fail!
Whoever is running the Raptors website wrote "Gerald Butler hit the game winning buzzer beater Friday night". I know that Caron Butler is under rated but this is just pathetic. Maybe the guy writing it was thinking about the actor Gerald Butler. It's been 4 hours since the game ended and it still hasn't been fixed.Do the Alvin Boogie
There was a Alvin Williams sighting at the ACC. He chatted with Matt and Jack for a while and seemed to be visiting some old friends in Hogtown. Gotta love Alvin Williams. That game winner against New York will never be forgotten. Hope he can get a gig as an assistant coach of the Raptors. Wouldn't mind seeing Darrick Martin too.
Next game against the 76ers. The Raptors were them a year ago.....the 6th seed going into the playoffs. Watching tv and Mr.T is in an infomercial......I better hit the sack.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
The Ping Pong Diaries
That game was pretty rough, huh? 130-101....ouch.
A combination of having played 4 games in 5 night, being eliminated of the the playoffs with a 30-47 record and having Andrea Bargnani with a sore left knee will guarantee you a blow out loose every single time.
The Douby and O'Bryant Hour
If anybody was surprised by the amount of time Quincy Douby and Patrick O'Bryant have been receiving in the last few game then, NEWSFLASH it's the end of the season and Triano and Colangelo want to see if the have any skills left over. So far I've liked how Douby has been playing by driving to the basket ; however, Patrick O'Bryant hasn't convinced me even though he got 16 points and 7 rebounds last night in 20 minutes. He's just too "soft" and will just be one of those players who couldn't take their NCAA game and bring it over to the NBA ( 6 fouls in 20 minutes against Hibbert and Foster.....EAT YOUR W
HEATIES MR.OBRYANT). Douby in the other hand could become our third string point guard.
Joey VS Joey errr I mean Stephen The two identical brothers met once again yesterday. The question that every writer tries to get a cheap laugh with " could they switch places before the game just to play with people's minds". The Winner of the brother vs brother fight was "good" Joey 14 and 4 rebounds while Stephen had 8 points and 3 rebounds.
Willie "The King" Solomon Update
You know you're bad when you are being waived out of the Sacramento Kings while having a 14 man roster. Solomon should start packing his bags to head back to a mediocre European team.
The Elimination Game
Who do I think is staying and leaving the team? Take a look.....If you dare!!
The Starting Five
Jose Calderon Hogtown Approved- Colangelo choose him over Ford only a year ago and will stick to him unless he is planning to make a big trade.
Anthony Parker Goner- Parker has passed his prime at the tender age of 33 years old. He would be a good back-up player, but I'm thinking we are going to bring back Delfino.
Shawn Marion Goner- The amount of cap space he takes up is a little too much for what he offers for this team. I think he will help us make a good sign and trade/
Chris Bosh Hogtown Approved- People say that his just waiting for 2010 to run off to New York along with Wade and Lebron James.......to me that sounds like a conspiracy theory more than anything. Bosh loves Toronto and will be sticking around for a long time.
Andrea Bargnani Hogtown Approved- All those Andrea Bargnani haters have suddenly vanished into thin air. He's shown that he is not a bust and can one day become an All-star. Can't wait to see him next year.
The Bench-
Roko Ukic Hogtown Approved- This young point guard has a bright future if he can just shoot a jump shot properly. I think we'll see a big improvement next year.
Jake Voskhul Goner- He was sort of like Primo Brezec 2.0, a great cheerleader in the bench, but when it comes to game time all the man can do is give a couple of hard fouls.
Joey Graham Mixed Feelings- I wanted Joey to be out of this team every year, but I think that he's become much more consistent and like the scarecrow in the wizard of oz......he found a brain.
Pops Mensah Bonsu Hogtown Approved- I like everything about this guy, his energy, dedication and toughness. All things the Raptors have been lacking this year. Great six man player.
Jason Kapono Get That Garbage Out of Here!- I was actually excited when the Raptors signed Kapono, but he can't dribble the ball and he can't ever find his own shot.
Quincy Douby- Mixed Feelings- He could be our third string point guard, but having a veteran would even be better.
Patrick O'Bryant Goner- Like I mentioned earlier he is just too "soft" and I think that we can find a better reserve point guard than him.
Kris Humphries Hogtown Approved- His Jumper is sexy, his game is sexy so why not bring him back?
Marcus Banks Goner- He is not worth 4 million dollars and I hope that we can somehow get rid of him in a deal involving him and Kapono.
Nathan Jawai Hogtown Approved- He had a rough year having medical problems at the beginning of the year. It would only be fair to give him a second look.
A combination of having played 4 games in 5 night, being eliminated of the the playoffs with a 30-47 record and having Andrea Bargnani with a sore left knee will guarantee you a blow out loose every single time.
The Douby and O'Bryant Hour
If anybody was surprised by the amount of time Quincy Douby and Patrick O'Bryant have been receiving in the last few game then, NEWSFLASH it's the end of the season and Triano and Colangelo want to see if the have any skills left over. So far I've liked how Douby has been playing by driving to the basket ; however, Patrick O'Bryant hasn't convinced me even though he got 16 points and 7 rebounds last night in 20 minutes. He's just too "soft" and will just be one of those players who couldn't take their NCAA game and bring it over to the NBA ( 6 fouls in 20 minutes against Hibbert and Foster.....EAT YOUR W
HEATIES MR.OBRYANT). Douby in the other hand could become our third string point guard.Joey VS Joey errr I mean Stephen The two identical brothers met once again yesterday. The question that every writer tries to get a cheap laugh with " could they switch places before the game just to play with people's minds". The Winner of the brother vs brother fight was "good" Joey 14 and 4 rebounds while Stephen had 8 points and 3 rebounds.
Willie "The King" Solomon Update
You know you're bad when you are being waived out of the Sacramento Kings while having a 14 man roster. Solomon should start packing his bags to head back to a mediocre European team.
The Elimination Game
Who do I think is staying and leaving the team? Take a look.....If you dare!!
The Starting Five
Jose Calderon Hogtown Approved- Colangelo choose him over Ford only a year ago and will stick to him unless he is planning to make a big trade.
Anthony Parker Goner- Parker has passed his prime at the tender age of 33 years old. He would be a good back-up player, but I'm thinking we are going to bring back Delfino.
Shawn Marion Goner- The amount of cap space he takes up is a little too much for what he offers for this team. I think he will help us make a good sign and trade/
Chris Bosh Hogtown Approved- People say that his just waiting for 2010 to run off to New York along with Wade and Lebron James.......to me that sounds like a conspiracy theory more than anything. Bosh loves Toronto and will be sticking around for a long time.
Andrea Bargnani Hogtown Approved- All those Andrea Bargnani haters have suddenly vanished into thin air. He's shown that he is not a bust and can one day become an All-star. Can't wait to see him next year.
The Bench-
Roko Ukic Hogtown Approved- This young point guard has a bright future if he can just shoot a jump shot properly. I think we'll see a big improvement next year.
Jake Voskhul Goner- He was sort of like Primo Brezec 2.0, a great cheerleader in the bench, but when it comes to game time all the man can do is give a couple of hard fouls.
Joey Graham Mixed Feelings- I wanted Joey to be out of this team every year, but I think that he's become much more consistent and like the scarecrow in the wizard of oz......he found a brain.
Pops Mensah Bonsu Hogtown Approved- I like everything about this guy, his energy, dedication and toughness. All things the Raptors have been lacking this year. Great six man player.
Jason Kapono Get That Garbage Out of Here!- I was actually excited when the Raptors signed Kapono, but he can't dribble the ball and he can't ever find his own shot.
Quincy Douby- Mixed Feelings- He could be our third string point guard, but having a veteran would even be better.
Patrick O'Bryant Goner- Like I mentioned earlier he is just too "soft" and I think that we can find a better reserve point guard than him.
Kris Humphries Hogtown Approved- His Jumper is sexy, his game is sexy so why not bring him back?
Marcus Banks Goner- He is not worth 4 million dollars and I hope that we can somehow get rid of him in a deal involving him and Kapono.
Nathan Jawai Hogtown Approved- He had a rough year having medical problems at the beginning of the year. It would only be fair to give him a second look.
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