There is no place like home…where the hell were these guys the last two games? The Raptors came out, and gave a full 48 minute effort against the Magic. Smitch must have been passing around that brain juice. I expected a win, I’ll be honest, but not one where Bosh got 15pts 5rebs 5ast.

From the tip, TJ/Calderon took it right to the Magic guards, eliminating the staple “penetration and kick for an open trey.” Forderon had a brilliant game, combining for 39pts 16ast 12reb and 4to, while limiting Nelson/Arroyo to 8pts 7ast 4rebs and 2to’s. Ford was the man in the 1st half, and Calderon picked up the slack the rest of the game. The offensive production was great, but their defense was the key. It has been a while since they have outclassed an apposing teams point guard(s).

Parker and Moon did a great job keeping Turkoglu off the board in the 1st quarter. Denying him the ball, clogging the lanes and contesting his every move. I’m not the biggest Moon fan, he isn’t disciplined enough on the offensive end for my tastes, but I appreciate him responding to his demotion from the first two games the way he did. He hit the boards hard, took shots in rhythm (except the last 3) and played solid defense. Turkoglu got his in the end, the guy is sick, but limiting his effectiveness in the 1st quarter was crucial to the win.

A big cog in the machine was Bargnani’s defense on Howard. Never thought I would ever say that, but he kept active on the defensive end, and forced Howard out of his comfort zone around the paint. He contested shots, played great positional defense and was an all around pest for the big guy. The Raptors won the battle of the boards 42-34, Orlando still grabbed 10 offensive boards, but they were hard fought.

I was going back and forth with AltRaps over messenger the whole game, and he pointed out, more then once, how Smitch did a bang up job. I’m not one too hate, and have ripped Smitch one everytime he made a bad judgment call (imho), but he was on the ball tonight. He made great substitutions, actually called timely timeouts, and the Raptors seemed to respond to his pre-game brain juice he was passing around.

Playoff Kapono is a different beast than regular season Kapono. He is getting more minutes, and a few more touches, but he is really aggressive on the offensive end. Manufacturing shots, getting open behind the arc, nailing daggers. I imagine this is what BC had in mind when he signed him to that massive contract. Is he worth the money? Probably not. Is he finally earning those ridiculous cheques? Definitely. He is really making a case for himself as a starter come next season.

Down 21 to start the 4th, the Magic made a run, and cut the lead to single digits, but the Raptors didn’t fold. They made timely shots, made defensive plays (tips, steals, blocks) that lead to a score in transition, and really took it to Howard, forcing him to commit 3 fouls in the 3rd. Howard picked up his 5th foul early in the final quarter, and was really limited in his ability to be aggressive on both ends of the floor.

What was incredible about this game was that the Raptors won in convincing fashion, without shooting an out of this world percentage from the field. We have become accustomed to seeing the Raptors shooting 53% + in big wins, but they were held under 50% (marginally) and still pumped out 108 points. They did it by sharing the ball, hitting the glass, forcing turnovers - and capitalizing on them, and hitting their shots when it mattered. All this on an average offensive night by Bosh who really leaned on the Forderon, Kapono, Moon and Parker to carry the load. Hats off man. I’m a happy camper…on to the PBP:

1st Quarter:

• Raptors lose the tip.
• ACC roaring!
• TJ strips Evans of the ball in the low block.
• Bargnani commits a charge on Hedu (missed a trey in transition on last possession).
• Howard commits a foul on a bad screen.
• Moon tips in Bosh’s missed jumper.
• Howard puts back Lewis’ missed trey.
• Lewis hits a fade over Bargnani in the paint.
• Nelson lobs an alley-oop to Howard for a dunk.
• Ford hits a jumper from the elbow.
• Bosh, trailing on the play, jacks and misses a trey…not a good shot.
• Parker hits a floater off the handoff from Bosh.
• Bosh strips Lewis of the ball, and grabs the offensive board on the forced trey by Hedu.
• Howard gets fouled by Moon on the layup attempt, hits 1 of 2 from the line.
• TJ penetrates and kicks to Parker in the corner for a trey.
• Moon hits a trailing Bargnani for an open trey.
• Lewis gets the ball to Howard in the post, Howard turns and dunks.
• Bosh gets the double team, kicks to Ford for an open trey.
• Ford gets to the rack on the break and draws the foul, hits both from the line.
• Moon steals the ball and puts down a dunk on the break, Magic timeout, 18-7 Raptors!
• Lewis hits a jumper high off the glass over Bosh.
• Parker gets the swing pass from Moon, takes a dribble inside the arc and pops the J.
• Bargnani plays solid D on Howard and forces him to miss the shot in the post.
• Evans misses another open trey from the corner.
• Bargnani hits a deep jumper from the corner.
• Bargnani tips the away from Howard, and Moon puts back Ford missed layup on the break.
• Howard gets open in the paint and puts down a nasty two-hander.
• Moon slashes to the rim, and lays it up in traffic.
• Bogans gets open and nails the trey.
• Howard is active under the rim, and tips the ball a couple times off the backboard, and finally puts it in, Raptors timeout.
• Parker and Bosh force Howard to travel.
• Bosh strips Howard of the ball.
• Delfino draws the foul from the corner.
• Kapono gently lays the ball up in the paint.
• Howard puts back Nelson’s missed layup.
• 28-20 Raptors lead at the end of the 1st quarter.

2nd Quarter:

• Calderon nails a trey.
• Bogans penetrate and drops off to Gortat for a dunk.
• Calderon turns it over.
• Delfino penetrates and turns it over.
• Calderon nails another trey.
• Hedu strolls to the rack and lays it up casually.
• Kapono takes a dribble and pops a J.
• Moon doubles Howard and steals the ball from him.
• Calderon pick and roll with Rasho for the jumper.
• Moon grabs an offensive board.
• Moon draws the charge from Lewis on the post up.
• Raptors swing the ball around the perimeter to Moon and he nails the trey.
• Howard misses both from the line.
• Bosh checks in at the 5:48 mark, the Raptors extended the lead with him on the bench.
• Nelson fouls Calderon on the offensive end.
• Calderon grabs Delfino’s missed trey.
• Bosh kicks to Calderon for the trey.
• Lewis drifts off the pick-and-roll and nails the trey.
• Bosh misses another trey, I can do without him never taking another one…ever.
• Moon grabs another offensive board, off Kapono’s missed trey.
• Bosh takes it to the rack and draws the foul, hits both from the line.
• Hedu draws the foul and hits both from the line.
• Delfino plays with the ball which turns into a forced shot by Moon from the corner because the shot clock was expiring.
• Ford gets to the rack and draws the foul from Arroyo, hits both from the line.
• Bosh tips the ball away from Howard in the paint.
• Ford hits a jumper from 18.
• Ford comes back, steps inside the arc and nails another 18 footer.
• Arroyo turns the ball over again.
• TJ shakes and bakes and nails the jumper.
• Delfino penetrates and hits the trailing Bargnani for a trey.
• Turkoglu hits the jumper + 1.
• Ford blows by Arroyo, lays it up and draws the foul, hits the free throw.
• Bosh forces the turnover, Ford sends him on the break, he nails a turn-around/spin/two-handed dunk.
• 61-40 Raptor lead at the half.

3rd Quarter:

• Nelson penetrates and kicks to an open Lewis for the trey.
• Raptors turn the ball over and Lewis hits a trey in transition, Raptors timeout.
• Bosh gets the ball in the post and hits a turn around jumper over Lewis.
• Nelson steals the ball from Bosh, gets called for the foul.
• Lewis strolls into the lane and hits a floater.
• Parker gets to rack and draws the foul, hits 1 of 2 from the line.
• Bargnani gets called for a BS foul on Howard.
• Dooling hits a layup in traffic.
• Bosh grabs his own offensive board, but turns it over.
• Dooling takes it to the rack and puts down a two-hander, easily, Raptors need a timeout.
• Parker fights Howard for the offensive board, and Bosh gets fouled in the paint, hits both from the line.
• Bargnani fakes the trey, steps in and hits the jumper.
• Howard gets his own board and puts it back.
• Bosh draws an off-the-ball foul from Howard.
• Hedu gets called for a T, TJ hits the free throw.
• Parker comes off the curl and hits a jumper from the elbow.
• Howard fouls Parker on the screen.
• Ford hits a fade-away over Lewis.
• Parker hits Bosh with a perfect entry pass, and Bosh puts down a two-hander on the baseline.
• Hedu draws the foul on the drive, hits both from the line.
• Hedu draws the double and kicks to an open Dooling for the trey.
• Hedu goes coast-to-coast and lays it up, Raptors need a timeout.
• Bosh throws up a brick, FUGLY.
• Moon blocks Howard in the paint, then Howard draws the foul, hits 1 of 2 from the line.
• Bosh draws the double and kicks to Calderon for a trey.
• Bosh gets called for the moving screen.
• Howard gets called for the moving screen on the other end.
• Bosh jacks and misses another three.
• Lewis sticks a J inside the arc.
• Lewis hits a floater over Bosh.
• Calderon comes off Kapono’s screen and nails the jumper from the elbow.
• Hedu hits jumper over Bosh.
• 80-69 Raptors at the end of the 3rd.

4th Quarter:

• Bogans penetrates and lays it up, 9 point game.
• Delfino blows by Lewis and lays it up.
• Calderon gets Kapono the ball in transition, and he nails the trey.
• Bogans flashes to the rim, takes the pass from Nelson and lays it up.
• Parker blocks Nelson’s layup.
• Rasho gets called for a moving screen.
• Rasho forces Howard to take a tough post shot.
• Calderon grabs his own rebound off the three pointer.
• Jose draws the foul on Howard (his 5th) and hits both from the line.
• Hedu draws a foul on Calderon, hits both from the line.
• Rasho fouls Howard on the hook attempt, he hits 1 of 2.
• Raptors need to take it to Howard now, and get him out of the game.
• Moon jacks a trey.
• Bogans misses an open trey.
• Hedu draws the foul on the drive.
• Parker blocks Bogans on the baseline.
• Kapono nails a trey in transition.
• Bogans answers.
• Calderon hands off to Kapono for a jumper inside the arc, Magic timeout.
• Calderon takes it to the rack, and drops it off to an open Bosh for a dunk.
• Delfino nails a trey off Calderon’s feed.
• Hedu answers with a jumper.
• Parker forces Turkoglu to shoot an airball.
• Parker hustles for the loose ball, then grabs another one over Howard.
• Kapono nails a wide open trey.
• Turkoglu lays it up right back.
• Calderon hits Bosh with a sick lob pass for the open dunk.
• Nelson throws Bosh to the ground…pansy.
• Bosh gets the roll on a deep jumper.
• Calderon takes it to the rack, fakes the pass and puts it in off his shoe laces.
• Delfino takes it to the rack, and lays it in over Howard, wow.

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