Gotta take the wife out for a movie, we are probably gonna watch a crappy romantic comedy which will give me enough time to gather my thoughts and hit you guys up with something in a couple hours…. *sigh*

Just one thing before I leave, my thoughts on the IBM Winning Strategies:

1. Bounce back - Raptors won 1 of 4 quarters., enough said.
2. Gritty defense - The words ‘gritty’ and ‘Raptors’ should not be used int he same sentence.
3. Physical Rebounding - The words ‘physical’ and ‘Raptors’ should not be used in the same sentence, but they did grab 2 more (3 more offensive) rebounds then the Cats.

To even suggest the Raptors need to play gritty defense is frankly absurd. They haven’t displayed that all season. It’s not something you can turn on, it is part of your makeup. The only gritty guy we have is Smitch, and he’s wearing a suit on the sideline.

*sigh*

I made $250 bucks tonight betting against the spread (Raptors by 9.5) because I knew the Raptors wouldn’t cover. The Bobcats are a tough match-up for the Raptors, I am absolutely not surprised the Bobcats won.

UPDATE:

I really didn’t want to add more to this post, but I promised, and really only have a couple things to say:

Jamario Moon
I have been pretty tough on him, so with his good play over the last few games, I have to give him some props. He has played in control, isn’t forcing as many shots, the shots he does take are in rhythm. Khandor made a good point earlier, that Moon should take some of those shots, and hast to hit them. That really stuck with me, and te only image of the Raptors in the playoffs that stays in my head is Moon being given 15 shots from the perimeter, and the hopes of the Raptors resting on his ability to hit at least 8 or 9 of them.

Inability to stop a run
The last two games, the Raptors have been the victims of a run, that they were unable to anticipate, stop or counter/answer. Like last night, the Hawks started the 4th on an 11-2 run before the Raptors called a timeout. That was ultimately the game.

Do we really want to back into the playoffs?
My thought is no, I sure as hell don’t want to back in. There is no established rhythm, no confidence, no culture of winning, all necessary ingredients for playoff success (not the only playoff ingredients). What everyone expects to do to/against the Magic is beyond me…

Stay tuned for Jersey tonight, I hate Saturday night games:

1st Quarter (Stats):

• Raptors lose the tip-off.
• Felton hits a trey.
• Moon flashes through the key, gets the pass from Bosh, turns and hits a hook in the paint.
• Ford penetrates and kicks to Rasho for the jumper from the elbow.
• Okafor posts up Rasho, spins into the paint and hits a left handed hook.
• Bosh jacks a jumper…misses.
• Richardson is left wide open, and hits a trey.
• Ford penetrates and kicks to Bosh for a jumper from 19.
• Richardson crosses Ford over and crowns Rasho with a nasty dunk, Raptors timeout.
• Bosh takes it baseline and puts down a two-hander.
• Moon blocks Richardson on the layup attempt.
• Ford gets a layup under the basket.
• Bobcats move the ball around the arc, getting Wallace an open three, he hits it.
• Parker comes off Bosh’s high screen, catches and shoots, money!
• Moon dishes to Bosh in transition for a layup.
• Richardson hits Davidson with an entry pass for an open layup.
• Richardson pulls up in transition, and nails a trey.
• Ford lobs an alley-oop to Bosh for a dunk.
• Ford steals the ball, then Richardson steals it back, and Wallace finishes the layup on the break.
• Rasho draws a foul on Davidson, hits both from the line.
• TJ doubles Okafor in the paint, and forces a travel on Emeka.
• Ford finds Parker with an alley-oop in transition.
• Bosh checks ou at the 3 minute mark?
• Moon blocks Dudley, then tips in Parkers missed floater in transition.
• Richardson runs the baseline, takes the swing pass, and hits a tough trey from the corner.
• Bosh checks back in at the minute mark…weird substitutions.
• Felton blows by Bargnani, and lays it up past Bosh, no help D.
• 27-22 Bobcat lead at the end of the 1st.

2nd Quarter (Stats):

• Richardson breaks down the Raptors defense drives the lane, hits a layup on Bosh +1!
• Delfino draws a charge on Richardson.
• Bosh misses a jumper on the iso.
• Bargnani fouls Dudley on the drive, Dudley hits both from the line.
• Bargnani flashes through the paint, Calderon finds him, and Bargs lays it up.
• Bosh takes the dish pass from Calderon, and hits a layup on the baseline, should have been +1.
• Dudley blows by Bosh and finishes the layup.
• Dudley picks up the trash under the rim, and lays it up.
• Calderon blows by everyone, and lays it up.
• Dudley loses Bosh on the screen, steps back, takes the pass from Boykins and nails the jumper.
• Bargnani draws a foul on the drive, and hits both from the line.
• Boykins shakes Bargnani off, and hits a jumper.
• Calderon finds Bargnani in the paint, and Bargnani puts down a dunk.
• Bosh draws a foul on Okafor on the drive, hits both from the stripe.
• Kapono misses a wide open jumper after losing his defender.
• Bargnani blows by Dudley on the baseline, and finishes the layup.
• Calderon steals the ball, and dishes to Moon for a layup in transition.
• Richardson hits a contested jumper inside the arc.
• Parker forces the Bobcats into a 24 second shot clock violation.
• Bosh turns the ball over in the paint, then Moon steals the leads pass to Richardson.
• Bosh finds Rasho in the paint for a layup.
• Bosh jab steps, loses Okafor, steps back, and hits he jumper.
• Felton answers with a layup in Bosh’s grill.
• Davidson left wide open, and hits a jumper…I can live with him shooting that.
• Parker penetrates, finds Rasho in the paint, and Rasho lays it up.
• Parker runs down his rebound then forces a layup…Richardson hits a crazy/reverse layup in transition.
• Parker bricks a three point attempt.
• Ford finds Moon for a jumper at the buzzer.
• 51-46 Bobcat lead at the half.

3rd Quarter (Stats):

• Parker airballs the finger-roll in the lane, lol.
• Bosh turns the ball over in the paint.
• Davidson hits a jumper over Bosh.
• Moon hits a step back jumper on the baseline.
• Ford hits a jumper in the paint.
• Richardson gets another open look, and sticks the trey.
• Bosh sticks a jumper.
• Ford finds Rasho in the paint, Rasho turns and hits a fade +1.
• Parker goes baseline on the inbounds pass, and draws the foul, hits both from the strip, Bobcats timeout.
• Ford forces Felton into a bad shot out of the timeout!
• Ford finds a wide open Rasho under the basket for a layup.
• Richardson hits a circus shot over Moon +1, wow.
• Moon takes the pass from Ford, and nails a trey.
• Ford hits Rasho with a wicked pass under the rim for a layup.
• Richardson goes baseline, spins into the paint and hits a layup in traffic.
• Bosh misses Ford on the give and go, swings to Parker who misses the jumper.
• Ford finds Parker slashing to the rim for a layup +1.
• Ford finds a trailing Bosh who sticks a trey.
• Bosh draws a foul on the defensive boards, hits 1 of 2 from the line.
• Ford steals the ball, and gets a layup on the break.
• Okafor answers with a layup in traffic, +1 (he misses the FT).
• Bosh misses an open jumper from 14.
• Felton finds Okafor under the basket on the break.
• Mohammad pump fakes and lays up the ball.
• Bosh penetrates and kicks to Moon for a trey.
• Ford forces Boykins to take a bad shot as the shot clock expires.
• Mohammad forces an ugly hook, and hits it.
• Ford gets sloppy, and turns the ball over in the paint.
• 76-74 Raptors lead at the end of the 3rd.

4th Quarter (Stats):

• Richardson penetrates and lobs a pass to Okafor who hits a layup in the paint and draws the foul, he hits the FT.
• Rasho misses a hook in the paint, grabs his rebound, and sticks it back.
• Mohammad puts back Richardson’s missed jumper.
• Moon misses a trey, wasn’t a good shot.
• Boykins penetrates and kicks to Felton for an open trey, Raptors need a timeout.
• Felton hits an open trey in transition.
• Calderon hits a jumper out of the timeout.
• Chuck: “Raptors are trying to avoid an embarrassing home loss to the Bobcats.”
• Calderon finds Rasho with a nice entry pass for a layup.
• Parker steals the ball from Mohammad.
• Richardson finds a WIDE OPEN Mohammad for an easy-ass layup.
• Bargnani flashes to the high post, Delfino finds him, and he hits the jumper.
• Calderon finds a rolling Rasho with a pass for an easy layup.
• Rasho forces Felton into a bad shot from the corner.
• Parker crosses Richardson over, and hits the jumper inside the arc.
• Felton gets by Calderon and lays it up over Bosh, Bosh didn’t rotate fast enough.
• Dudley sticks a jumper inside the arc.
• Calderon goes baseline, creates some space, and hits the layup.
• Felton lays it up in traffic, easily.
• Calderon/Delfino force Felton to turn the ball over.
• Bosh elects to shoot a jumper over Mohammad, misses…
• Boykins penetrates and kicks to Mohammad who sticks a jumper from the elbow.
• Rasho grabs Bosh’s missed layup, and draws the foul…hits both from the line.
• Felton gets to the rim, again, and draws the foul, hits both from the line.
• Calderon uses Rasho’s screen, and sticks a deep jumper.
• Bosh takes Dudley off the dribble on the baseline, and lays it up.
• Raptors luck out as the Bobcats miss a couple shots, and grab an offensive board
• Parker misses another trey in crunch time.
• Felton gets to the rim again, misses the layup, but Mohammad grabs the rebound and draws a foul, hits 1 of 2 from the line.
• Bosh drives the lane and draws a foul, hits 1 of 2 from the line.
• Raptors luck out again as Felton misses an open layup on the baseline
• Boykins strips the ball from TJ and hits a layup on the break +1, could be the game.
• Parker hits a trey from the corner on the inbounds play from Calderon.
• Felton gets fouled, and hits both from the line, 4 point game.
• Parker airballs a trey from the corner, bad shot…that’s the game.

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