Couple interesting things about the game tonight: for those of you who follow the money lines - on Wednesday, the spread was Toronto + 14; yesterday it was Toronto + 11; today it was Toronto + 10. Anyways, I took Indiana today, not because I thought the Raptors were going to lose, but because I was thinking the Pacers weren’t going to let the Raptors sweep them so easily, and would really come out of the blocks gunning.
Now the interesting thing: I think the line was fixed for this game. After that ESPN article was published praising the Raptors, the powers that be in Vegas knew that the sweep would be difficult, and set the line a bit lower thinking idiot gamblers would jump all over such a low spread with the Raptors blowing out teams in 8 of the last 16 games they played. Add that to the fact that Bosh showed up with a gimpy knee, and didn’t play past the 9 minute mark of the 1st quarter, and you have yourselves the making of a serious reap at the ticket counters.
I really want to know what Chuck/Jack are shocked about? What did they expect, a Raptors win without Bosh? A Raptors sweep of the Pacers? Come on man, seriously, enough with the ball licking. I expected this game to be closer (not knowing Bosh was injured)…but in all fairness, an 11 point loss with Bosh after already beating the Pacers twice this season isn’t shocking. The Pacers didn’t steal shit Chuck…you’re just one of those idiots who bet the Raptors + 10. Idiot.
Anyways, I fully blame the loss on Moon, seriously. With the Raptors in the middle of a 15-0 run to cut the Pacer lead to 1, Moon, for the first time all season, decides to post up, and commits an offensive foul. Dunleavy hits an open trey when Moon forgets to cover him. Dunleavy hits a sweet finger roll, after blowing by Moon. Then blows by Moon again, hits the layup and the free-throw. Moon personally swung the pendulum in favour of the Pacers…joke is he is a Raptor…a shitty one at that.
1st Half:
I was stuck in 2 hours of traffic, and missed it, by the looks of it, the only thing I missed was being over taken by stress. Surprisingly, the Raptors out-rebounded the Pacers 24-20.
3rd Quarter:
- The half started with the Raptors broadcast crew dropping the ball with the coverage.
- Moon got a swing pass from Parker, and instead of swinging to Bargnani, who had his hands out waiting, he jacked it and missed.
- Parker doubles a driving Murphy, who kicks to an open Rush who buries a trey.
- Moon jacks another one, misses…waiting for Delfino to trot to the scorers table.
- Dunleavy hits a runner in the lane over moon.
- Rasho answers with a half hook on the baseline.
- Chuck: “where’s the firetruck, where’s the toughness?”
- This team on the floor isn’t going to get it done. Bring TJ and Delfino in asap. Thankfully they call a timeout, a couple possession late, but they called one.
- Mitchell replaces Rasho, the only one contributing with Delfino…
- Rush nails another trey.
- Moon jacks another shot…he actually hit it though; still no consolation for me.
- Bargnani hits a trey off Calderon’s penetration.
- Parker misses a layup in the lane, I’m so glad I missed the 1st half.
- Moon misses an open dunk…he missed the whole rim.
- Bargnani draws back-to-back charges on Murphy.
- Stephen Graham freaks me out…he’s got that same stoner/disintrested look as Joey.
- Bargnani hits a trey from Calderon’s swing.
- Parker hits a pull jumper to cut the lead to 6, Pacers timeout.
- Parker sticks a serious trey off a broken play.
- The Raptors steal the ball, then Moon hesitates and nails a jumper.
- Moon decides to post up for the first time all season, and commits a foul…killing the Raptors run…for now…
- Diener curls off a screen and hits a jumper.
- Chuck: “I go facially”
- Dunleavy hits an open three…Moons foul was really bad.
- Parker curls off of Bargnani’s screen, and draws the foul, he hits both from the line.
- Dunleavy hits an easy/sweet finger roll in the paint.
- Calderon turns over the ball, and Dunleavy pulls up in transition and nails a trey.
- Parker grabs the offensive board, and puts it back off of Delfino’s missed shot.
- Dunleavy blows by Moon and lays it up + 1.
- I don’t know why Moon is still on the floor…I don’t care that he just hit a turn around jumper.
- Bargnani catches and shoots and sticks it.
4th Quarter:
- Daniels misses a short jumper to start the quarter.
- Parker hits a left handed layup in traffic, should have been + 1.
- S. Graham hits a layup after grabbing the offensive board + 1.
- Daniels walks down the lane, and hits an uncontested layup…Raptors timeout.
- Parker hits a layup in traffic + 1 - he missed the ft.
- Bargnani put-back jam off of TJ’s missed layup.
- Bargnani sticks a trey off the pick and roll with Parker.
- Murphy answers with one of his own.
- Bargnani misses his own answer.
- Moon BRICKS a trey, but blocks a Daniels layup on the other end.
- Dunleavy hits another trey…he was open.
- Calderon finally checks back in at the 6 minute mark.
- Daniels hits a layup in transition + 1. Bad foul by Bargnani who picks up his 5th. At least make sure he doesn’t hit the layup man.
- Man I’m glad I missed the 1st half.
- Man Colangelo looks pissed off…I feel no ways about it man. You should have done something before the deadline when you had the chance.
- Bad play out of the timeout…
- Calderon hits a layup off the turnover.
- Daniels gets fouled under the basket, hits both from the line.
- Dunleavy puts the nail in the coffin, hitting another trey.
- Parker hits a nice runner in traffic.
- Bargnani hits a step back jumper.
- Rush shakes and bakes and hits a layup + 1.
- Bargnani hits a layup.
- Parker hits a tough layup in traffic, should have been + 1.
- Bargnani fouls out, and I’m calling the game.
Technorati Tags: Andrea Bargnani, Anthony Parker, Carlos Delfino, Chris Bosh, Jamario Moon, Joey Graham, Jose Calderon, Kareem Rush, Mike Dunleavy, Rasho Nesterovic, Stephen Graham, TJ Ford, Travis Diener
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February 29th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Great job by the Pacers tonight. They came out and tested our perimeter defence and attacked the basket. The Raptors were horrible on defense tonight and Moon couldn’t cover Dunleavy at all; in fact nobody could cover him. Moon really upsets me. His lack of offensive skill is really starting to show, and he depends much too heavily on a weak jump shot.
Parker and Bargnani played well. Everyone else was really bad.
I felt sick watching this game.
February 29th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
(I am sounding like a broken record)
Wait. So no one thinks that the Raps were let down by our wonderful ability to try and match up with a sorely depleted team?
Hmmm, Bosh with gimpy knees. Hmmm. I guess the antidote for that was to play him a gazillion minutes during blow out wins. Cool. For my knee/s rehab 2morrow, I’m going to do 100 burpees, then run sprints!!!
As well as Bargs played, you still can’t count on him to be a good 4 on a “normal” team (without a big bruiser inside to bang/box/board), or as a 5 on a small team. Maybe one day. Nice drives and dunks though.
Calderon watch up to 5 games and counting. Time to start TJ.
Would have liked to see Bargs, Primo, and Rasho play together. For at least 5 minutes. I mean, heck, we tried Nellie ball right (and we don’t exactly have Nellie on the bench, either)? Might as well try the triple towers approach. Maybe with Jose at point and Delfino/Parker at the 2.
For those of you who thought that a Jose and TJ back court idea is any good, it’s not.
Time to either start TJ, or, at the very least, start Rasho or Primo over Moon.
February 29th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
SiC, how would you describe our play since TJ came back? And please don’t use numbers.
February 29th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Daniel > I am a Jose fan. We have a theory that Jose might either be really tired (he looks gassed a lot lately), or, is playing “down” a level to get TJ the starting position. Sound crazy? Maybe it is.
But, to answer your question, TJ has brought a level of intensity to the floor when he is in. When/if you surround him with the right players (quick + good hands), he and to the extension, the Raps flourish.
Jose needs some downtime (we just got TJ back, now CB4 is down–I do NOT want to see Jose go down as well), and having him come off the bench with Delfino could do him some good.
February 29th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
small ball only works when you have the team golden state has. i mean come on…smitch is starting to regress, at least it seems that way to me. in the last couple weeks, bosh has logged two 40+ minute games in blowouts. that seems wrong to me. it totally explains the sore knee. thankfully tj is back, otherwise calderon would run the risk of injury heading into the playoffs.
i agree, i would have liked to see the 7 footers all at once. give it a try, i mean, you’re already down. what makes you think the small lineup can mount another comeback? once a game is plenty enough, twice is pushing it.
i can’t see jose playing down to get tj to start, that is just crazy. he actually didn’t play that bad tonight. 13pts and 11ast is pretty good man. but who knows. i really didn’t think it was a good idea to start tj in this stretch, but i don’t know anymore…tj has been playing really well. he just has to get his shot back to pre-horford and he should take that starting role back.
what a roller-coaster ride at the point. i really don’t think there is a controversy, all depends on the type of offense you want to run. calderon runs that pick and roll to perfection, and tj can break down the defense and find the open man, or finish. each has its advantages (i like breaking down defenses personally).
i agree with SiC on the level of intensity since tj has come back. he’s the only raptor with real attitude and swagger.
February 29th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
Raps Fan > The wife had to take her laptop and leave the room as I was swearing at the telly a lot. LOL.
I don’t think there is a need for controversy. Jose had good numbers, but 5 TO’s is crazy for him. I can’t pretend to be him, but there are times he just looks tired. Let’s rest him. It won’t be a demotion, not with the threat of burn out and injuries looming.
“he’s the only raptor with real attitude and swagger” ~ you forgot the “gangsta” Primo
February 29th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
how the hell could i forget primo!
i agree, give the guy some rest, he played his balls off for a solid run there. can’t afford to lose him for the playoffs, or even any extended stretch, with all the holes this team has, no need to lose one of three bright spots.
February 29th, 2008 at 11:42 pm
Raps Fan > lol, could have used Primo to knock Dunleavy down at least
March 1st, 2008 at 12:51 am
To be fair, a few of those turnovers by Jose were due to some boneheaded plays by his own teammates.
I don’t think you muck with the PG situation. If anything, sub TJ in a bit earlier, but try and keep the units the same so they get used to each other.
It will be interesting if Bosh misses a game or two to see what Jose can do. As RapsFan says, Jose is running the pick and roll like Stockton, so do you have Bargs take the place of Bosh and see if he can do what Bosh does?
I’m not sure this team is a lottery team without Bosh, but it does speak to the level of fear I have for this team moving forward. You look back to our playoff years with Vince and you had a second option. You take Bosh out of the mix and our only second option is this team playing as a unit. No one person can step up and dominate at this point, which begs the question: is this team really on the road to becoming a championship team given the nucleus and their contracts?
By the way, the crowd was even quieter tonight than Wednesday. I also heard they announced a sellout. Riiiiiiiight.
March 1st, 2008 at 9:45 am
well, they might not be a lottery team as you probably don’t need to win 41 games to make the playoffs in the east, but they are right there. the second option should be bargnani, but he doesn’t seem to be able to play along side bosh at a high level. always seems like one or the other has a good game, never at the same time…at least it seems like that to me.
i think jose’s minutes should be cut to under 32/game for the next 15 or so, let him rest for the playoffs.
March 1st, 2008 at 9:46 am
AltRaps > that much is true about Jose’s 5 TO’s. And I appreciate the Stockton reference, people call me crazy for it, but it is apt.
I’ll alter my stance a bit and say this, it doesn’t matter who starts now, just as long as they have the right people around them because as you said, they can become more familiar with their “crew/group/cast/line”.
Personally, I wish we re-invent the basketball wheel, borrow from hockey, and sub lines in and out.
Who replaces CB4? Rasho might be a better fit. Really. I didn’t care for Jack Armstrong trying to tell us that CB4 and Bargs are a good fit and play well together–right now, give another year and a 1/2. Rasho won’t demand the ball, and Bargs can post up or camp, and all Rasho has to do is rebound, defend, box out, put back, rinse, repeat …
March 1st, 2008 at 9:58 am
Tj ford is not the answer. He thinks he is.He was 5 fo 17 last night and hogged the ball as usual instead of passing and ran around dribbling all night. I think the team is mixed up-too many conflicts-they were great with Calderone running the offence -consistent and knowing what to expect every night but with all the hype re Ford in the papers there is no consistency now. Who ever heard of 2 point guards?. They don’t play well together- TJ never passes to Calderone.
March 1st, 2008 at 10:30 am
STFU Mary Jane. Without TJ we get blown out in the first half.
I don’t understand why we messes with small ball. The Pacers will have the advantage there because their 2/3’s are more athletic and better scorers. Throw in our porous defense and you have a recipe for disaster.
March 1st, 2008 at 11:44 am
agreed, tj also had 9 assists…that seems like he did his job. if he was able to hit a couple more shots, no one would have said he took too many. i agree with arse…w/o tj this game is much much worse.
March 1st, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Calderon may not understand English perfectly however I’m sure he’s not deaf or blind and understands a lot what’s happening around him. The drop in his play and numbers are shocking starting exactly the game TJ came back. The excuse with the fatigue is shallow: he had 1 week off during ASG and in the first game after it he had a stellar performance against Orlando. I don’t know what’s being said or implied during practices or other team events however nobody can deny TJ has been groomed to be part of the core of this team and the indisputable starting PG. The latest move blew me away: we hired a former drug addict as b-ball players development consultant only because he is some kind of personal trainer and friend to TJ. There are a few NBA players that have their own trainers (Dirk comes to mind) however the implications of this move must be obvious to Calderon. Even though he says the right things it is impossible not to be affected mentally. There can be only 1 PG moving forward for the Raptors and this decision will impact our team for the next 10 years.
March 1st, 2008 at 9:31 pm
you make good points daniel. i really feel like a move is going to be made either way in the offseason. either ford or calderon will be moved. i am pretty sure bc knows enough that you cant commit 15+ mill to one position when you have other big gaps, considering bosh already does 15 himself.
March 2nd, 2008 at 1:49 am
I don’t know why the hiring of Lucas should have anything to do with Calderon. Lucas is here to help TJ mentally deal with his previous injuries. He has an excellent reputation with helping players who are suffering from some kind of mental setback; this has nothing to do with Jose. Him being a former drug addict is irrelavant; thats a personal issue. Colangelo has made it very clear that he will “do whatever it takes to sign Jose Calderon, and that “he will match any offer”. If that is not a statment in favor of Jose Calderon I don’t know what is. To suggest that Jose is playing bad because of TJ and the attention he is getting is a stretch for me….a big big stretch.
March 2nd, 2008 at 6:01 am
I think the hiring of Lucas may have a positive effect on many of the players. With Bosh needing rest the other players will need to step up and show they are part of next years plans. If you can not hire a tough player then the next best thing is hire a tough coach. He lends support to TJ and can tell it like it is. Work them hard for a couple months and see what happens.
If they can keep Bosh healthy then they may surpise a team in the playoffs.
March 2nd, 2008 at 8:12 pm
raptors suck