3rd in the east? I think not. Seriously, the Knicks have some nice players, but they suck. Let’s face it - they were 16-38 heading into this game, but you wouldn’t know it. You also wouldn’t know that the Raptors were two days removed from dropping 127 points against the Magic IN Orlando, off of monster games from Bosh, Calderon, Delfino and Moon.

The Raptors limited the Knicks to 12 points in the 1st quarter, but let them score 69 over the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Who’s your daddy baby? Who knew Zeke could coach? With the Raptors up 14 early in the 2nd, Curry gets the boot, enter Lee…Crawford rips the Raptors from the perimeter, Lee and Randolph rape the Raptors in the paint.

Contrary to what Primoz said during half-time to Jack, dude is soft. Good thing too, you wouldn’t know it, but soft/pussy/pansy ass game is a quality this team has in abundance. Not convinced? Ok, well lets start with rebounding: Raptors 36 (5 off) Knicks 45 (12 off). Not enough for you? How about the Raptors lead 21-12 at the end of the 1st, and instead of coming out in the 2nd with some heart/grit to put the game away, they let the Knicks hang around until Crawford found his rhythm to lead the Knicks to a 40 point output for the quarter. Randolph finishes the 4th with a hail mary that saw the bottom of the mesh, and the rest is history.

Crawford is a Raptor killer, seriously, he has bee carving up this team for a couple years now. I don’t know what gives, seriously. Can’t the Raptors put together some semblance of strategy to shut this guy down? Or least limit him to say…22 points? 43 is just ridiculous.

Ultimately, I blame this loss on Arsenalist for suggesting that it would be difficult to sweep the Knicks, regardless of how bad they are…down to business:
1st Quarter:

• Bargnani misses his first shot, then Curry comes back and drops a baby hook from 3 feet.
• Bargnani drives on the next possession, drawing a foul, hitting both from the stripe.
• Calderon continues his hot shooting, stepping inside the arc, and draining it.
• Bosh finally gets a touch on offensive, and hits a turn around jumper over Randolph on the baseline.
• Bargnani gets called for a bullshit charge.
• Parker drains a trey then steals the ball and draws a foul on Curry.
• Parker catches a pass off a swing and drains a trey.
• Bosh has an open Nesterovic under the basket, and throws it away…Smitch looks disgusted.
• Jose throws the ball over two possessions in a row on errant passes.
• Moon blocks Curry on a dunk attempt.
• Rasho drops a pass to Bosh in the paint, Bosh draws a foul, hits 1 of 2.
• Raptors show zone defense, then Balkman dunks the ball in the paint off a couple swings around the perimeter.
• Bosh catches the entry pass from Jose deep in the paint, turns around and hits a half hook over Randolph.
• Rasho gets called for a bullshit foul on Curry.
• Man this is a boring game.
• Parker splits the defense with a sick cross over but loses the dribble and misses the layup.
• Jose gets out on the break, misses the layup, but Moon puts back the rebound.
• Zeke is wearing an ugly ass tie/handkerchief combination…wow that’s ugly.
• Bosh drains a jumper from the elbow off Parkers screen.
• Humphries gets on the floor, and bricks a jumper in the key right away…
• Bosh draws a foul taking it to the rack, he hits 1 of 2.
• Ford drives to the rim, but gets blocked by Balkman. I’ll take Ford driving, he needs to start getting aggressive on offense.

2nd Quarter:

• Bosh puts down a sick dunk in transition off of Ford’s scoop pass.
• Randolph gets the ball in the paint, and draws a foul from Bosh, he hits both from the line.
• Delfino busts the zone with a trey off a sketchy pass off the backboard.
• Humphries finally hits a shot over Lee in the paint.
• Crawford hits a floater in the lane on the penetration.
• Humphries misses a layup, then doesn’t block Crawford out on the boards. Crawford tips the missed shot in.
• Contrary to what Armstrong said, Humphries did not provide quality minutes while Bosh was on the bench.
• Knicks go on an 8-0 run, and Raptors call a timeout.
• Bosh catches a friendly roll and hits the jumper.
• Bosh and Delfino play pick and roll with Bosh hitting the layup + 1.
• Crawford is a beast against the Raptors, hitting a trey with Parker in his face.
• Parker draws a foul on the next possession, hits both from the line.
• Delfino grabs the defensive board, takes it coast to coast for a layup, Knicks timeout.
• Swirsky thinks the Raptors can get that 3rd seed in the east…what do you think?
• Crawford gets into the paint, again, and draws another foul, goes to the line, and hits both…again.
• Parker curls off a low screen, pump fakes in the paint, ducks under and hits a layup over Crawford.
• Crawford hits another trey.
• Delfino fouls Jones on the break, and all of a sudden, this is a 3 point game…
• Moon tries to do too much, and travels.
• Moon nails a trey at the top of the arc, extends the lead to 6.
• Fred Jones drives around the whole Raptor team and finishes a semi open layup.
• Rasho grabs an offensive board, then Calderon splits the defense and lays up in the paint.
• Bosh sets an illegal pick after a Raptor timeout.
• Crawford attacking the Raptor defense, draws a foul, hits both from the line, and cuts the Raptor lead to 2.
• Parker dribbles off Humps screen and nails a jumper.
• Crawford cuts the lead to 1 with a trey.
• Moon hesitates and nails a three.
• Randolph steps over half and hits a long ass hail mary…53-52 Raptors…

3rd Quarter:

• Hopefully the Raptors don’t play like they did in the 2nd.
• Knicks take the lead on an open layup by Lee.
• Bargnani hits a trey to give the Raptors a 2 point lead, off the pass from Jose.
• Bosh drives from the elbow with a swooping right handed hook in the paint.
• Crawford hits a trey…he was wide open…Jose decided to double Robinson for some reason.
• Calderon layups up in traffic, flying by Randolph.
• Bargnani misses a trey, but Bosh grabs the board and draws a foul.
• Bosh sets another illegal screen and gets called for the foul on Robinson.
• Bosh turns the ball over, which leads to a dunk in transition by Richardson.
• Bosh gets fouled on a shot attempt, doesn’t get the call, Richardson hits a trey in transition, and Chuck is getting really emotional about it.
• Bosh then gets stripped like a slut in the lane.
• Richardson hits a turn around jumper over Moon + 1.
• Lee grabs the offensive board, but turns it over to Moon.
• Parker gets out on the break, puts down the dunk + 1.
• Lee grabs his own offensive board, and puts it back up for 2…against the zone…Lee hit a layup against a zone.
• Moon hits another trey, 3 for 3 on the night.
• Crawford hits another jumper.
• Parker steals the ball and sends Calderon on the break. Robinson hits Calderon hard, Jose hits both from the line.
• Maceo Baston checks in…what the hell is going on tonight?
• Moon throws the ball away, I don’t know what he thought Maceo was going to do with it if he caught it.
• Jose takes matters in his own hands, drawing a foul in the paint, he hits both from the line.
• Randolph grabs an offensive rebound, and puts it back + 1.
• Moon hits another trey, they have all been clutch!
• Crawford answers with a trey of his own.
• Moon needs to take it to the rack, and not dish it off when he gets close.
• Crawford penetrates and dishes to a wide open Randolph who drops in the layup.
• Bosh gets a friendly roll, and hits the jumper.
• Bosh has Richardson pinned on his hip, but airballs the hook over him.
• Lee and Randolph taking it to the Raptors in the paint.
• Crawford crosses over, creates some space and drops a floater with 0.2 seconds left in the 3rd.

4th Quarter:

• Delfino forces a brick to start the final frame.
• Balkman sets an illegal screen on Parker.
• Ford is going to have his hands full with Crawford.
• Delfino misses another trey which leads to a Randolph layup from Crawfords penetration, Raps need a timeout, but don’t call one.
• Delfino slashes to the rim and draws a foul, hits both from the stripe.
• This is still a boring game, but the Raptors are losing the Knicks of all teams, so it’s double-y boring.
• Moon hits another jumper off TJ’s penetration.
• Ford is absolutely afraid of taking it to the rack, get him off the floor, he’s not ready to play.
• Calderon needs to be covering Crawford right now, not Ford…
• Calderon throws the ball away on the pick and roll.
• Crawford blows by Ford and draws a foul from Moon with the floater, he hits 1 of 2.
• Ford misses a forced jumper in the paint.
• Crawford hits a pull up jumper.
• Delfino answers with a trey.
• Robinson grabs an offensive rebound, then gets reward with a wide open look bucket below the rim…way below the rim, my girlfriend is taller than the dude.
• Randolph extends the lead to 10…
• Bosh hits a couple from the line on the other end.
• Calderon hits a trey, cutting the Knick lead to 5.
• Randolph answers with a running floater in the lane.
• Moon obviously misses the one jumper I was hoping he hits.
• Parker fakes the trey, and drives to the rack with a finger roll.
• Raptors force the Knicks into a 24 second shot clock violation.
• Delfino nails a clutch trey off Bosh’s swing pass.
• Dagger Crawford answers with a trey.
• Delfino draws a foul taking it to the rack, he hits both from the line.
• Moon grabs an offensive board off of Delfino’s missed trey, goes nowhere since Moon misses his 3rd straight jumper.
• Bosh misses a forced jumper in the paint, after a timeout mind you.
• Delfino draws another foul from Richardson taking it to the rack, he hits 1 of 2.
• Randolph takes Bosh off the dribble for an off balance banker on the drive, 99-95 Knicks.
• Calderon airballs a trey, but it doesn’t matter, Richardson turned the ball over.
• Bosh bricks a trey of his own, Randolph gets fouled, he misses both.
• Parker grabs an offensive board off of Delfino’s missed trey, hits the layup, and cuts the lead to 2.
• In the timeout play, Nate Robinson is wide open, and ads insult-to-injury faking a shot from the corner, and waiting to get fouled.
• Robinson then ices the game hitting both from the line, game over.

Technorati Tags: Andrea Bargnani, Anthony Parker, Carlos Delfino, Chris Bosh, David Lee, Eddy Curry, Fred Jones, Isiah Thomas, Jamario Moon, Jose Calderon, Kris Humphries, Maceo Baston, Nate Robinson, Quentin Richardson, Rasho Nesterovic, Renaldo Balkman, TJ Ford, Zach Randolph