Sigh….I’m tired man. I need Bosh to come back, cause I can’t watch D-League ball anymore. Thankfully I will miss the rape and pillage in Utah Monday night.

IBM Winning Strategies:

1. Back to basics on defense
2. Rebound
3. Ball control

Needless to say the Raptors got 1 of the 3 winning strategies. The 3rd one really shouldn’t be a key to winning, as the Raptors do it pretty well. They share the ball and limit turnovers rather effectively.

What kills me is that usually a team only gets one chance to make a run a game when being down. The Raptors got two, count them TWO, chances against the Kings; once taking a 1 point lead, and the second coming within a point. Both times, the Kings went on a mini-run, and pulled away.

Raptors take a 1 point lead in the 3rd:
They took the lead on some really good ball movement, timely shots, and defense. All things they should always be doing, not just in short stretches of games. Anyways, the Raptors take a one point lead, then totally stop playing defense. Sacramento gets a few OPEN looks, and nails them.

Raptors cut lead to 2 in the 4th:
Again, the Raptors play some good defense, hit some shots and get within two points, when Moon decides to shoot a three from the corner. He obviously misses, prompting Chuck Swirsky to say “wow, I’m not sure that’s the shot you want to take.” Anyways, the Kings come back down on the next possession and pop a trey, 5 point swing, game over.

Add in some sketchy substitutions (or lack thereof) by Smitch, TJ not finding a hot Kapono until the well runs dry, and the Raptors generally suckin, and we have a loss against a weak team. Oh yea, Jose sucked for his nth game in a row. Where the heck did he disapear too? At least TJ is trying to make some plays in this last little stretch, Jose has up and left.

Oh, and if the Kings didn’t turn the ball over so damn much, this game would have been much worse than it appeared. I say appeared because the Raptors lost by 6, but it really never felt like the Kings were in Jeopardy of losing. Whatever….

1st Quarter (Click Here for 1st Quarter stats):

• Raps win the tip, but Ron-Ron steals the ball on some sloppy perimeter play, then buries a trey in transition.
• Calderon steps inside the arc, pops and sticks it.
• Ron-Ron puts the ball on the floor, steps back, and hits it in Moon’s eye.
• Moon threads a pass to a cutting Jose for a layup.
• Martin curls off a pick and hits the jumper.
• Moon swings the ball to Parker in the corner for a trey.
• Calderon finds a slashing Moon on the break, who draws the foul, and hits both from the stripe.
• Mikki Moore continues his domination of the Raptors with an offensive rebound and put back.
• Martin pump fakes Moon to half court, steps in, and hits the jumper.
• Mikki Moore hits a turn around in the paint + 1…his domination continues. timeout Raptors.
• I’m really feeling Smitch’s tie.
• Delfino drops an entry pass to Rasho in the paint for an easy baby hook in the paint.
• Udrih hits another open shot, with Jose flying by after he releases.
• Udrih loses Calderon again, and hits a three…man he’s getting killed on D.
• Calderon finds Rasho in the post for an easy baby-hook.
• Udrih hits a layup on the break and 1…no way Jose.
• Jose turns the ball over.
• Martin gets Parker in the air, and hits a J.
• FFS!!! Humphries forces a shot on his first touch, bricks it, but steals the ball and lays it up - my blood pressure settles down.
• Smtich playing musical chairs with the lineup in the 1st.
• Moore makes like Barkley in the paint, and drops it in gently over Hump.
• Kapono steals the ball, and sends TJ on the break for a layup.
• Delfino gets called for a charge.
• Chuck takes Garcia as his X-Factor…not a bad pick for once.
• Ron-Ron lights up Kapono with a step back J.
• Kapono answers.
• Humphries draws a charge on Martin.
• Udrih hits a J in transition on transition.
• TJ hits Rasho with a sweet pass in the pass for a layup. I want to see Rasho dunks those open looks under the rim.
• Humphries gets another shooters roll at the top of the key.
• Sacramento takes a 32-23 into the 2nd.

2nd Quarter (Click Here for 2nd Quarter stats):

• Anthony Johnson hits an open jumper in the corner.
• Kapono hits a runner off the bank.
• Johnson penetrates and kicks to an open Miller for a J.
• Hump finally misses a forced shot.
• TJ steals the ball, gets out on the break and gets it to Kapono for a J.
• TJ gets into the paint and hits a runner.
• Maybe it isn’t a good idea to have TJ cover Martin…that’s just me though…
• Wow, Hump hits another forced shot, I hate him…
• Parker strips Martin of the ball in the paint.
• Mikki gets the ball on the give-and-go with Martin and lays it up…too easy.
• Martin hits a contested J over Kapono and Calderon.
• Parker answers with one of his own.
• Ron-Ron finds Garcia on the break, Raptors timeout.
• Bosh’s suit is the cheapest thing I have ever seen in my life. Man has no taste. Tall dudes should only be wearing three-button blazers…period.
• Rasho with the put-back jam off of Kapono’s missed trey.
• Calderon finds an open Bargnani in transition for an easy dunk.
• JC pushes, and Kapono sticks a trey in transition.
• Kapono penetrates and hits a half-hook in traffic.
• Bargnani gambles on defense, and Ron-Ron gets an open layup.
• Parker steals the ball with Kapono hitting a trey in transition.
• Jose steals the ball out of a timeout, wow that’s bad.
• Kapono sticks another J.
• Kapono finds Rasho in the paint for a turn around hook.
• Garcia gets to the rack + 1.
• Raptors claw back and trail 4 heading into the half - 53-49.

3rd Quarter (Click Here for 3rd Quarter stats):

• Parker thread a sick pass to Rasho under the rim for an easy layup.
• Artest hits a contested J over Moon.
• Parker blocks Miller under the rim.
• Bargnani hits a trey in transition.
• Parker walks to the rim, and gives the Raptors a 1 point lead.
• Martin stops the bleeding, momentarily.
• Bargnani misses a reverse layup on the baseline, should have dunked it…strong not weak man.
• Wow, Hump forces AND hits another jumper the first time he touches the ball…I still don’t like him.
• Martin nails a trey in Jose’s eye
• Martin hits another trey…WIDE open.
• Hump misses a set jumper in the paint, that’s the Hump I know.
• Miller hits a J at the top of the key..
• Kapono hits an open J inside the arc.
• Udrih loses Calderon, gets the inbound pass, and sticks the jumper.
• Rasho bricks a jumper from the elbow.
• Rasho grabs (offensive board) Humphries brick in transition and puts it back.
• Parker crosses over and hits a left handed hook in the paint.
• Parker blocks Udrih’s layup, and Moon finishes the break with a dunk.
• TJ penetrates and swings it to Kapono who takes a step in and hits the J on the baseline.
• Kapono pump fakes and nails another jumper.
• Moon gets on the board with a trey.
• Ford forces a layup and misses.
• Moon finds a slashing Parker who draws a foul in the paint, he hits 1 of 2.
• Raptors shave another point off the Sac lead, 76-73 Kings heading into the final frame.

4th Quarter (Click Here for 4th Quarter stats):

• Moore continues his Raptor domination in the 4th.
• Martin gets out on the break, and gets fouled on the attempt, he hits both.
• TJ needs to be subbed out at the 1030 mark, but Parker gets the call for Delfino…I don’t get it.
• Raptors should have grabbed Mikki Moore in the off-season.
• TJ scores the first 3 Raptor points 3 minutes into the final frame.
• Raptors play some tight defense in the paint, with Moon drawing a foul.
• Delfino draws a foul in the paint, hitting 1 of 2.
• Miller sticks a jumper at the top of the key.
• Moon hits a nice looking jumper.
• Moore hits another hook in the paint.
• Rasho hits an up-and-under in the paint.
• Miller hits another open jumper.
• Martin goes coast-to-coast off the Kapono miss for a layup, Raptors timeout.
• Parker curls off a screen and finds Rasho under the rim for a layup.
• Moon doesn’t swing the ball and jacks it. Luckily Delfino gets the offensive board, and gets fouled, he hits 1 of 2.
• Parker hits a contested shot.
• Miller answers with a tougth one of his own.
• Parker nails a DEEP three.
• Moon swats someone under the rim.
• Delfino penetrates and draws a foul, he hits both - cuts the lead to 1, 92-91.
• Ron-Ron hits a fade-away.
• Martin hits a long jumper.
• Moon misses an open trey in the corner, Chuck musters a “wow, I’m not sure that’s the shot you want to take.”
• 5 point swing off Moon missed shots because a King (don’t know who) hits a trey on next possession.
• Calderon steps inside the arc, and misses a jumper/
• Calderon finds Rasho for an open layup in the paint.
• Delfino splits the defense, and draws the foul, he hits 1 of 2.
• Chuck: “shouldn’t everyone be on the same page to foul or not to foul?”
• Kapono hits a long jumper…he needs to be aware of his positioning, but wow, tough shot.
• Martin ices the game with 2 free-throws.
• Kapono hits a floater on the baseline.
• Ron-Ron adds insult to injury with inside position on the inbound for a layup.