So, I had a lot of time to think about this game before writing my summary. I have to say it once, because it is the greatest achievement that Smitch Sam Mitchell has attained as the head coach of the Raptors. That out of bounds play that he drew up to win the game was impressive, I must say.

However, it should not have got to that point. The Raptors took an 11 point lead into the 4th, and true to form, Smitch didn’t have the write people out on the floor when all 37 people in the stadium knew the Hawks were going to make a push for the game.

To compound this, he went small ball. He went small ball against a long-athletic team. I mean Rasho, who was having his way in the paint, didn’t get into the 4th until about 5 minutes left in the game. The Raptors haven’t enjoyed any success playing small ball all year. I don’t get it.

Why not make the Hawks adjust to us? Rasho had 19 points in only 24 minutes heading into the 4th, so why sit him when the Hawks clearly couldn’t deal with him? Grrr….figures Smitch makes a stupid decision like that, but then draws up a great out of bounds play.

The Raptors really need to step up, and make teams play their brand of basketball, I don’t know what that is exactly, but when you have your bigs playing so well, why not give your big some more minutes? Makes sense to me, no?

Defensively, the Raptors need to stop doing a couple things asap:

1. Switching off a screen: The have been burned the last couple games switching off the screen instead of fighting through them. This has led to bad mismatches that have exploited every time at the Raptors expense.
2. Double teaming: The Raptors weak side defensive rotations are garbage. In fact, they are non-existent. Every time they send the double team, the ball gets kicked out, and no one rotates. By the time the defender (in today’s case Parker) got back with a hand up, the ball was already halfway to the rim. The Hawks got great looks, and hit %54.5 from three.
3. Mix up defensive sets with some zone: that is pretty self-explanatory. They have used zone with varying degrees of success, but have moved away from it.

The Raptors moved the ball around and got great looks, but so did the Hawks, the only difference being the Hawks hit big shot after big shot, and the Raptors fell apart in the 4th. I was pretty happy with the game, but as AltRaps said to me, and I totally agree:

“you know what, I didn’t mind the game. I thought they played pretty well….but I also think they played pretty much to their max…which is frightening….if you look at their past 4 games, games that they should have played as well as they can to try and secure their position, they have barely gotten by and blown out. I can’t see them stepping up more than this.”

So yea, the Raptors got robbed with a bad call, but they did let a 17 point lead slip from their hands. This game was the Raptors to lose, and they lost it. It should not have come to a backdoor alley-oop layup with 0.5 seconds left on the clock when you have such a huge lead.

On a positive not; Chris Bosh is starting to get some All-Star type calls on the offensive end. He got bailed out by the refs with some sketchy calls in big situations. Finally we have a player who will be getting some premium calls when the going gets tough!

One last thought before the PBP, I don’t want Orlando in the first round for one reason: Chuck Swirsky thinks they can beat the Magic in a 7 game series. He seriously jinxed the Raptors last year, begging for Jersey, and what happened? VC tea bagged the city with some great play. Now Chuck wants Orlando? Give me anyone else, the Raptors need to do exactly the opposite of what Chuck is suggesting.

1st Quarter (Stats):

• Turned the TV in time to watch Bibby hit an open jumper.
• Bibby loses TJ on the inbounds play, and hits a wide open jumper from the corner, Raptors timeout.
• Clearly the Raptors haven’t come out with any energy…
• Bosh gets stripped taking it to the rack, and Joe Johnson hits a trey in transition.
• Ford answers with a jumper.
• Ford brings it up the floor, stops and pops.
• Bosh forces Smith to airball a 6 footer in the paint.
• Ford takes it to the rack, and gets continuation + 1 baby!
• not having the score on the screen is pissing me off.
• Johnson hits another open jumper.
• Smith cuts to the paint, and lays it up over Bosh.
• Ford gets in the paint and kicks to Rasho for a short hook.
• Ford penetrates, draws the double and kicks to Rasho for a jumper.
• Moon draws the foul getting to the rack, hits both.
• Johnson hits a tough trey from the corner.
• Bosh gets his shot blocked in the paint, then Bibby hits a trey in transition.
• Moon grabs an offensive board, kicks out to Ford who swings to Parker for a trey in the corner.
• Bosh gets blocked again, but Rasho cleans up the loose ball for a hook in the paint.
• Ford lobs an alley-oop to Moon in transition.
• Childress answers quickly in transition.
• Bibby freezes Calderon and hits a jumper in his eye.
• Bargnani tips in Rasho’s missed jumper.
• Bargnani misses an open trey.
• Childress penetrates, and kicks to an open Williams for a jumper (Bargnani was nowhere to be found).
• Rasho hits a trey as the 1st quarter finishes.
• 31-27 Hawks lead at the end of the 1st.

2nd Quarter (Stats):

• Bargnani gets deep in the post, and hits a tough hook over Smith!
• Delfino draws a charge on Childress in the lane.
• Parker gets the pass on the curl and kicks to Bosh for a jumper in the corner.
• Hawks commit a 3 second defense violation, Calderon hits the foul shot.
• Bosh takes the pass from Calderon and hits another jumper from the foul line extended.
• Pachulia gets back to back layups.
• Calderon hits a layup in traffic.
• Marvin Williams rips the offensive board away from Bargnani, and dunks it.
• Delfino penetrates and kicks to Bargnani for a long jumper.
• Pachulia answers with a layup + 1 drawing the foul from Bargnani.
• Delfino puts the ball on the floor and hits a jumper over Childress.
• Bibby penetrates and kicks to Childress for a trey, its ugly, but deadly!
• Calderon throws a back-door alley-oop to Bosh + 1!
• Bibby left wide open, and sticks the trey.
• Kapono draws a foul taking it to the rack, hits both from the stripe.
• Bosh makes a lazy pass, and turns it over which leads to a J-Smith dunk in transition.
• Kapono catches the pass, takes a dribble and sticks a jumper.
• Bargnani takes it baseline and puts down a one-hander over Horford.
• Delfino takes the pass from Kapono and hits a reverse layup…pretty.
• Chuck: “Leo, if you want to be like that, I can come back to you about your brief Hawk career.” lol
• Bargnani knocks down a trey from Calderon’s swing pass.
• Bargnani knocks down another trey from Kapono’s swing pass (Kapono had an open shot, and passed up on it to get it to Bargs).
• Johnson answers with a layup in traffic.
• Delfino steals the ball from Bibby, and gets fouled in transition.
• Josh Smith left wide open and hits a trey… *sigh*
• 59-55 Raptors lead at the half.

3rd Quarter (Stats):

• Parker hits a fade-away in the paint.
• Smith penetrates and kicks to Johnson for an open trey (Parker was drifting too much).
• Parker answers with a jumper.
• Johnson hits a tough step-back jumper over Rasho.
• Parker answers with a J off the screen.
• TJ goes coast-to-coast and finishes a wide open layup.
• Marvin answers with a wide open layup of his own.
• Ford dishes to Rasho for an alley-oop-layup. It wasn’t pretty, but it was effective.
• Johnson penetrates and dishes to Smith for a short hook.
• Parker gets the ball to Rasho on the pick-and-roll who hits the layup.
• Johnson splits defense in the low blocks and hits a hook in the paint.
• Bosh hits a jumper from the top of the key.
• Bosh steals the ball and sends TJ on the break for a layup.
• Ford finds Bosh under the rim for an easy layup.
• Parker forces Joe Johson to shoot a tough jumper, he misses.
• Horford finishes an alley-oop with a dunk in transition.
• Parker gets it to Rasho in the corner for a jumper.
• Bibby penetrates and kicks to a cutting Horford in the paint for a layup.
• Parker hits a trey as the shot clock expires.
• Childress answers with a dunk off Johnson’s penetration.
• Fags are at it again…
  • Chuck: “Leo, what was your shoe size?”
  • Leo: “Why, do you want to know my shoe size?
• Raps up 10, Hawks timeout.
• Chuck: “I’m on the record, the Raptors can beat the Magic in a 7 game series.”
• Rasho finds a cutting Ford in the paint and lays it up.
• Bargnani pops a trey with Williams in his face off Rasho’s kick pass.
• Childress puts up a BRICK as the shot clock expires…man that’s ugly.
• Ford penetrates and dishes to a cutting Rasho in the key for a short hook + 1 (he misses the FT).
• The Hawks grab 3 offensive boards in one possession, and get the basket.
• Childress hits a layup in transition off the Raptor turnover.
• Smitch is sweating like a savage, lol…working hard on the sidelines.
• Kapono fouls Johnson who gets continuation and hits both from the line.
• 91-80 Raptor lead at the end of the 3rd.

4th Quarter (Stats):

• Johnson penetrates on Delfino and hits a jumper, Raptor timeout.
• Bosh turns the ball over after the timeout, leads to Johnson drawing the foul on Delfino, and hitting 1 of 2 from the stripe.
• Bibby finds Smith under the rim, Smith draws the foul from Bosh and hits both from the line, 6 point Raptor lead.
• Bargnani misses a short jumper in the paint.
• Raptors need another timeout…dont take it.
• Bosh draws the foul taking it to the rack, hits both from the line.
• Bibby takes the handoff, and hits a trey.
• Bosh takes it to the rack and draws the foul, hits both.
• Bosh gets fouled again, sketchy call, but hits both from the line.
• Smith finds Bibby with a back-door pass, and Bibby lays it up +1 drawing the foul on Delfino.
• Johnson curls off the low screen and dunks the ball from Smith’s entry pass.
• Delfino runs down the offensive board.
• Bosh puts down a nasty dunk over Smith.
• Moon takes the swing pass and sticks a jumper from the corner.
• Rasho finally gets in at the 5 minute mark.
• Smith crosses Parker over and puts down a two-handed dunk.
• Bosh misses a short hook in the paint.
• Parker steals the ball from Smith.
• Bibby finds an open Smith who draws the foul, hits both from the line.
• Ford penetrates and dishes to Rasho who misses a short hook in the paint…
• Delfino misses a trey from the corner…
• Johnson penetrates and kicks to Horford who hits a J from the line.
• Ford penetrates and hits a tear drop in the paint.
• Parker doubles Johnson and JJ throws it away.
• Bosh jacks a trey as the shot clock expires, brick…
• Ford misses a foul line jumper, Hawks grab the rebound and call a timeout. Delfino almost grabbed that offensive board…
• Hawks inbound to Bibby who is wide open, misses the trey, Hawks grab the offensive board, kick to Johnson for an open three, misses…out of bounds to Raptors!
• Hawks inbound to Bibby in the corner, and Bibby hits a trey with Ford in his face. Raptors timeout.
• Raptors inbound backdoor to Ford for an alley-oop layup at the buzzer. Didn’t count, should have - officials missed the clock starting late, but damn that was the best play Smitch has diagrammed in this career.

1st Overtime (Stats):

• Parker finds Rasho under the rim, Rasho draws the foul and hits both from the line.
• Bosh finds Ford outside the arc, Ford takes a dribble in and hits the jumper.
• Ford takes it to the rack and hits a layup in traffic.
• Johnson splits the D and hits a floater.
• Rasho grabs the offensive board off Parkers missed shot.
• Smith gives the Hawk the lead with a trey.
• Ford hits a fade in the paint over Childress.
• Horford catches the ball in traffic, and hits a layup.
• Bosh gets the ball in the high post, takes it to the rack, hits it + 1!
• Bibby is wide open again, and hits the trey.
• Bibby penetrates and kicks to an open Smith for a trey…
• Bosh misses an open layup off of Fords lob pass, Hawks rebound the ball, and draw a foul.
• Ford takes it coast-to-coast for a layup.
• Marvin ices the game with a free throw from the line.
• Tough loss…

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