I don’t even know where to even begin. I started to take some notes, but I soon realized that it was in vein. I am not sure what the Raptors were doing today, but it wasn’t playing basketball. Kidd had another triple double (he would have had it, but he sat out the entire 4th quarter), Carter was half man-half amazing and Jefferson did the rest.

The lone entertaining parts of the night for me were:

1. When Swirsky said that “Leo likes dick” during the the Dick Bavetta reminiscing. That was the funniest shit Swirsky ever said. I don’t think he meant it maliciously, but I have to find a clip of that, and post it, cause it was awesome (UPDATE: found the clip!).

2. The Bruce Willis interview, in what can only be described as drunken rambling. He so graciously capped it off with “Yippy kai ayy mother fucker.” LOL

Ok, now down to business…

Why the f*ck is Bargnani getting so many f*cking minutes? He put up 16pts on 5 for 8 shooting, but it was in garbage time, when the game was decided. This kid is going to be good, not sure how good, but he will be good…I am not questioning that notion, but to give him so many minutes when others can produce tangible results is ridiculous. Why is Humphries in the doghouse all of a sudden? Is it even a doghouse, or just that Mitchell forgot that the kid has done nothing but play hard all season, and when he finally is putting together a good stretch of games, he gets to sit, and watch someone take his place, who isn’t providing the team what it needs to win games?

Hopefully Bosh learns from these first 4 games, and develops some low post moves (back to the basket, Kevin McHale type shit). He obviously doesn’t want to go to his jumper, and he can’t take it to the rack, so that leaves the low post. I can’t say I am too surprised at his play, as I am sure we all remember how Carter played that first playoffs against the Knicks. At least Carter was shooting and missing, Bosh isn’t taking the same shots he was taking in the regular season.

I have a lot more to say, but I am sick of saying the same things over and over. To me, anyways, it seems as though Mitchell has lost his chance at coming back to the Raptors next season. He might have been able to swindle the Raptors into resigning him to a $10.5mill/3 year contract, if they had a better showing, but not after this. I made a bet (actually I put my balls on the line) in February with my buddy that Mitchell wouldn’t be the Raptors head coach next year, and all signs point to me holding onto my balls for a bit longer.

Technorati Tags: New Jersey Nets, Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson, Chuck Swirsky, Leo Rautins, Dick Bavetta, Bruce Willis, Andrea Bargnani, Kris Humphries, Sam Mitchell, Chris Bosh, Kevin McHale, Balls

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To be fair, I only caught the game from about 2 minutes into the 2nd, but I imagine it played out like the rest of the game did. Hopefully the Nets put me out of my misery quick and not let this series drag on. You know me, I give credit where it is due, and Ves picked the Nets in 5 when we all were slave to the Raptors bandwagon. I picked the Raptors in 7 for both the pools I entered. I talked myself into thinking the Raptors would continue to play the same way as the regular season, and keep the Nets on their toes. I never thought this would deteriorate into a grind of a series (although the Nets lit the Raps up tonight). So on with my game analysis: Continue Reading

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Last nights 89-83 win over the Nets was a tough one to stomach. Sloppy play on both ends of the court, by both teams, raised my blood pressure and thinned out my hair line. Last nights game took a lot out of me, as I was cheering and jeering on the same play, far too often.

Fittingly (or is it ironically), on the night Mitchell’s coaching excellence was honored, I (and the group of guys I watched the game with), on more than one occasion, wondered about Mitchell’s decision making (wondering being the G-Rated description of conversation about it). Substitutions, and calling time outs were suspect, but I credit them with grinding out a tough win.

Game notes:

1. I haven’t seen Bargnani play so bad all season. He should not have been on the court in the 4th, no excuses. He got way too many of Humphries minutes.

2. Why is Bosh playing so timid? He is hestitating with his decision making. Everytime he decided to take it to the rack, he did. He needs to realize no one on Jersey can play with him.

3. I am concerned with how TJ sat the first 9 minutes of the 4th, then was thrown into the game, cold, during the run. It worked out, but could have very easily went the other way.

4. Morris Peterson/Anthony Parker/Joey Graham did a much better job containing Carter and Jefferson. The two combined for 33 points on 12-40 shooting from the floor.

5. Bosh left Nachbar wide open, far too often in the 4th. The man can shoot, get up on him.

6. TJ Ford played huge down the stretch. Call me a heretic, but he could very easily end up being the leader on this squad…I’m just saying…

7. Anthony Parker is a bad ass…straight up…that’s all I have to say.

8. Was it me, or did it seem that Dixon played way more than 4 minutes? He made some big plays in his limited time on the floor.

9. It is almost humourous how Nesterovic plays the 1st and 4th quarters, and basically sits for the rest of the game.

10. Chuck Swirsky sucks at picking the Gatorade X-Factor. I think he has picked the best one like 5 times in the last 3 years.

11. As much as Swirsky is a homer, I hate Leo. His arrogance is unwarranted. He played in the NBA for a minute, and presumes to offer his expert opinion on everything.

12. I don’t care what Bill Russell said, game 1 is very important. The Raptors have huge pressure to win a game in Jersey now to avoid going down 3-1 in the series.

13. The refs seem to get worse game after game. At least it was equally bad on both sides (although the Raptors almost had twice as many trips to the line than the Nets). Something needs to be done, asap.

Technorati Tags: NBA Coach of the Year, 2007 NBA Playoffs, New Jersey Nets, Sam Mitchell, Andrea Bargnani, Kris Humphries, Chris Bosh, Morris Peterson, Anthony Parker, Joey Graham, Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson, Bostjan Nachbar, TJ Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, Chuck Swirsky, Leo Rautins, Bill Russel, Juan Dixon

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Congratulations are in order for Sam Mitchell. I definitely called this one wrong (I had Jerry Sloan). All the little things aside, to take 9 new players, and get them on the same page to win 47 games (increase of 20 from the previous year), win the Atlantic, and secure first round home court, is an incredible feet. The case Colangelo had to make for not renewing Mitchell’s contract just got a little harder today. I have been really thinking about this Mitchell situation hard over the last few months, and have come up with a list of things I would like to see addressed in the next coaching regime:

1. A defined/robust offensive system. High pick & roll, and sharing the ball are not an offensive system, unless you have the DNA of the Suns.

2. A commitment to the defensive end. Dare I say like when Kevin O’Neil was here. Granted defense was all he brought to the table, but still, it was good to see defense played.

3. Clearly defined expectations/roles for the players. Getting in and out of the dog house quickly do nothing but kill motivation.

4. Someone with enough credentials that bloggers, fans, media and the organization can not question his decisions (i.e. Don Nelson starting Al Harrington at centre, and people praising the move. If Mitchell started Humphries over a healthy Nesterovic, all hell would break lose)

5. A passionate person with a dope wardrobe. I have to give Mitchell credit: he always looked good, and his emotions/passion were very refreshing (that hug he gave MoPete after the shot of destiny gave me a lump in the throat).

As long as these items are addressed, and the coach is not another rookie head coach (Iavaroni anyone?), I don’t care who/what/where this guy comes from. He could even be the head coach from Benneton Treviso, who coincidently is rumored to be in the running.

Technorati Tags: Sam Mitchell, Bryan Colangelo, Jerry Sloan, Kevin O’Neil, Don Nelson, Al Harrington, Kris Humphries, Rasho Nesterovic, Morris Peterson, Iavaroni, Benneton Treviso

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What a night! The Warriors made the Mavs look ordinary. The look on Cubans face the whole game was priceless. He looked like he was going to jump into the bench, and start cutting cheques to motivate the rest of the team. Nelson was masterful in his strategy. Like watching a well played game of risk…total domination. Avery had no answers. Forget the Suns, guess what the next cool thing will be? Small ball a la the Warriors. Continue Reading

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Are you? I know I’m not. To say I was frustrated with today’s game is an understatement. I felt like I had entered a time warp, and was watching a game from last season. The one play they have, the high pick and roll, was not executed for most of the game. In its place, we had the misfortune of watching isolation plays, no ball movement, and poor shot selections, by everyone on the court. Had it not been for Ford and Calderon’s play, this game would have got out of hand - the Nets badly outplayed the Raptors.

Sam Mitchell showed bad judgment all game with his substitutions, plays out of time outs, and offensive sets. On top of all that, he dawned the ugliest suit of the season. I suspect he draws a great deal of his coaching ability from his attire. All season, his rotation has been a sore subject to me, and today was no different. Joey Graham has been playing well lately, but over the last two seasons, he has maybe put together 25 or so good games. Today was not one of them. He hit his first shot, and it was all downhill from there. Richard Jefferson used and abused Graham in the first half with about 7 easy layups/dunks to get him going. I am unsure what Mitchell sees in Graham, but I don’t share the same view. Graham played about 20 minutes too many this game, being ineffective on both ends of the court. The fact that he played the whole 4th quarter, while Ford sat, was a horrible decision by Mitchell.

On the offensive end, the Raptors did not execute their customary high pick and roll. They not share and swing the ball. And did not hit their shots. What got them 47 wins, and home court advantage in the first round, was apparently not the strategy Mitchell wanted to employ in this game. TJ and Calderon were the only ones able to create their own shots, but that is not what will win games for the Raptors.

Keys to the game:

1. Bosh got into early foul trouble, and Mitchell elected to sit him for 10 minutes in the first half, instead of allowing him to play through it. This game was lost in the first half, don’t fool yourself.

2. TJ Ford was the lone bright light in the first 3 quarters, but was sat in the 4th. Why? When you are playing for a win, you play the best players available. Ford and Calderon should have been on the court in the 4th.

3. Joey Graham was a liability on the court, but logged 36 minutes. Why?

4. What the fuck happened to the pick and roll?

5. What the fuck happened with swinging and sharing the ball?

6. What the fuck happened to the Raptors?

I am so glad I didn’t buy tickets from scalpers for this game.

Technorati Tags: New Jersey Nets, TJ Ford, Jose Calderon, Sam Mitchell, Joey Graham, Richard Jefferson, Morris Peterson, Chris Bosh

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Sorry, this is a bit tasteless, but I couldn’t stop laughing when I first saw it…oldies but goodies.

Sam Mitchell about Vince Carter:

Sam Mitchell about Rafer Alston:

Technorati Tags: Sam Mitchell, Vince Carter, Rafer Alston

Popularity: 4% [?]

All I seem to hear is how Carter wanted to play the Raptors, and how he is going to light up the Raptors, and how the Raptors are…bla bla bla. Chris Broussard from ESPN even revised his greatest dunkers list to move Carter to # 1. Talk about a full court press.

In response, here is a list of my own:

Top 5 reasons to celebrate VC not being a Raptor:

1. We don’t have to see him wince in pain after any physical altercation

2. We don’t have to watch him settle for jumpers when he can take anyone he wants off the dribble, anytime he desires

3. We don’t have to see him come out, hug and kiss everyone on the apposing team, pre tip-off

4. We don’t have to wonder when he will go down with another injury

5. We have a real leader who puts his nuts on the line, and makes watching games worth it, win or lose.

Carter in the offseason (no wonder he got injured so much):

Technorati Tags: Chris Bosh, Vince Carter, Chris Broussard, ESPN

Popularity: 4% [?]

In what can only be described as a bad collapse, the Bulls had everything to play for, but couldn’t deliver. In a game I would have bet a lot of money on that they would win, the Bulls didn’t even show up. They went from facing the Wizards then Toronto (at home) to get the Eastern finals, to being on road against Miami and Detroit.

I imagine it is a testament to the Nets. They have coasted for most of the season, suffering injury after injury, and when the iron was hot, they struck, and secured an easier road in the playoffs.
So the circus begins. Carter, the steward of Bosh’s throne, returns to the ACC for first round series that has everyone in T-Dot buzzing. I wonder how much those blood sucking scalpers are going to get for their tickets now? Would I rather have had faced the Wizards? Yes. Can the Raptors beat Jersey? Yes. Will they beat them? Hopefully.

The Nets have put it together down the stretch, short of Krstic, they have everyone in the line up healthy, and ready to go. Mikki Moore has been a handful for the Raptors all season, and now with Josh Boone back in the lineup, things only get a bit tougher in the front court. My key to this series is how we defend Kidd, Carter and Jefferson. My tentative matchups look as so:

PG:
Toronto – TJ Ford, Jose Calderon, Juan Dixon
Jersey – Jason Kidd

SG:
Toronto - Anthony Parker, Morris Peterson
Jersey – Vince Carter

SF:
Toronto – Joey Graham, Anderea Bargnani, Morris Peterson
Jersey – Richard Jefferson

PF:
Toronto – Chris Bosh, Kris Humphries
Jersey – Bostjan Nachbar

C:
Toronto – Rasho Nesterovic, Kris Humphries
Jersey – Mikki Moore

Bench:
Toronto – Jose Calderon, Juan Dixon, Morris Peterson, Kris Humphries
Jersey – Clifford Robinson, Jason Collins, Eddie House, Josh Boone, Marcus Williams, Antoine Wright

I don’t like how we match up at the point. Kidd will be abusing Ford, Calderon and Dixon in the low post. They are dangerous on the wings, but we can keep up. The Raptors shine in the front court, but guys like Mikki Moore (Renaldo Balkman) have been a scourge on our house all season…as Big John McCarthy would say “LET’S GET IT ON!”

Technorati Tags: Chris Bosh, TJ Ford, Jose Calderon, Juan Dixon, Anthony Parker, Morris Peterson, Joey Graham, Andrea Bargnani, Kris Humphries, Rasho Nesterovic, Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson, Bostjan Nachbar, Mikki Moore, Clifford Robinson, Jason Collins, Eddie House, Josh Boone, Marcus Williams, Antoine Wright, New Jersey Nets

Popularity: 5% [?]

How do you do Mr. Jackson? Talk about making me eat my words, and giving me something to close the regular season out with. So in 39 minutes, Mr. Jackson went 12-16 from the floor, 4-5 from the line, 4 boards, 5 assists, a steal…topped off with 30 points. He played so well, it kind of overshadowed Bargnani’s return, for me anyways…for some reason, I have been obsessed with Luke Jackson since he got drafted. Once Chicago nabbed Deng, I wanted either Iguadala or Jackson, but we got Araujo…and we know how that worked out, but I digress….

So a couple points about tonights game:

1. Why was Bosh, Parker, TJ Ford playing more than 15-20 minutes?
2. Why did we lose with both Iguadala and Korver not playing?
3. Why wasn’t Slokar playing after he put up a career night the night before?

Truth be told, I was flipping between the Raptors game and American Idol (really wanted to see if Sanjaya lasted another week), so I missed a lot of the games happenings. That being said, it seemed like every time I flipped back to the game, it was either Jackson or Green making a basket, got funny after a while. Tonight’s game has kind of inspired me to keep the ‘Line on Luke’ series going. I know this was the best it is going to get, and he is going to be riding major pine, but whatever…dude endeared himself tonight.

Technorati Tags: Luke Jackson, Andrea Bargnani, Luol Deng, Andre Iguadala, Raphael Araujo, Chris Bosh, Anthony Parker, TJ Ford, Kyle Korver, Uros Slokar, Willie Green, American Idol

Popularity: 4% [?]