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Toronto Raptors 2009/2010 Season Preview

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:16:49 EST

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The 2009 – 2010 Toronto Raptors are ready to make a move up the standings after a very disappointing 2008 – 2009 season which saw injuries take their toll on the players and making them a very difficult team to cheer for as they tried to fill huge holes with sub-par talent. Many believed Jermaine O’Neal would provide a presence inside that would bring back memories of other Twin Towers such as the Spurs Tim Duncan and David Robinson, or the Rockets Twin Towers of Hakeen Olajuan and Ralph Sampson that took the Rockets to the Finals in the 80’s. Well, after losing their starting PG Calderon for a good portion of the season to an injury he never fully recovered from, that team fell apart by February 13th when he was traded to the Heat with Jamario Moon for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. On July 9th, Shawn Marion signed a free agent contract with the Dallas Mavericks. That began an off-season of moves that can only be described as fantastic by Bryan Colangelo who showed his worth and why he is considered one of the top GM’s in the game.

Raptors Post Mortum - 2008 - 2009 Season Review

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:24:19 EDT

Raptors Post-Mortum

The 2008 – 2009 season started with high hopes for this Raptors team. Trading T.J. Ford for Jermaine O’Neal sending a shoot first PG to the Pacers and allowing Jose Calderon the reigns to this team gave us a sense of hope as the team would become the central issue and the focus of the offense, not one guy deeming his team mates worthy of touches.

The year started with a quick 3 win streak as the Raptors came out fast with wins against the Warriors, the 76ers and the Bucks. Tough losses against the Pistons and the Hawks followed by two wins against the Heat brought us eventually to an 8 – 8 record and the firing of Sam Mitchell. Jay Triano inherited a team that featured Chris Bosh scoring at a 26+ ppg clip and a struggling Jose Calderon working with Jermaine O’Neal and an emerging Andrea Bargnani. It became obvious very early that Jose would struggle physically this entire season as his hamstring just never seemed to recover and he never seemed comfortable on the floor and the team suffered through a long period where the PG position was handle by a platoon of Roko Ukic, Will Solomon and Anthony Parker who was perhaps the most under rated Raptors player this season and is often the focus of derision from fans because he isn’t a 20+ ppg SG like Kobe Bryant or Dwyane Wade.

Raptors - Week 15 Catch up Review

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:12:15 EST

Week 15 – Catching up with the Raptors

Well, let’s see, we lost Chris Bosh for a few games, lost to the Magic, the Cavaliers, the Lakers, the Hornets and the Grizzlies, but we recovered to beat the Al Jefferson – less Timberwolves, but barely. This team is now 20 – 34 and they play the Spurs, then have the All-Star break to rest, though they should have training camp at this point and start over! Then they have the Cavs again and the Knicks a couple of times, then the Wolves again, then the second game against the Suns to end the month. Not much to look forward to at this point.

The Magic game – Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard had huge games as the Raptors offered little resistance. Jose Calderon lead the team with 16 points while Chris Bosh had 9 rebounds. Joey Graham had the first of a series of solid games this past week. Lost by 23 and it was flattering at best!

Raptors - Week 14 in review

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 11:36:11 EST

Well, here goes another attempt at trying to figure out the enigma that is the 2008/09 Toronto Raptors. With wins last week against the Bulls, the Kings and the Nets for their first three game win streak since opening the season 3 – 0, stopping a 7 game losing streak in which they lost 2 to the Celtics, as well as one to the Bulls, to the Pacers, the Suns, the Hawks and the Pistons, they find a way to let the Bucks, playing without Michael Redd, beat them and then they get embarrassed at home by the Magic.

Wednesday, January 28th, 2009

Raptors – 107

Nets – 106

Raptors - Week 14 in Preview

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 12:31:55 EST

Week 14 on the Raptors schedule offers them the opportunity to move back up towards the .500% mark and take a couple of steps back to the playoff race. With games against 2 teams within 4 wins of us at this point. After last weeks losses to the Suns, Hawks and the Pistons, the Raptors are coming off of two wins against the Bulls and the Kings as Jose Calderon and Jermaine O’Neal both return to the team, with Jermaine O’Neal coming off the bench as Andrea Bargnani has earned the starters job with his very solid play in the past month, but more on that later.

Wednesday night the Raptors are travelling to the Nets to complete the season series which the Nets hold a 2 – 1 edge in. Coming into the game, the Nets are 3 – 7 in their last 10 games and lost 3 of 4 games last week on a 4 game swing through the west losing to the Hornets, the Spurs and the Thunder while beating the Grizzlies. Tonight they will be looking at beginning a bit of a run up the eastern standings as they have fallen to 9th overall behind the Bucks, who the Raptors play on Friday. Vince Carter turned 32 on Monday and here is a very nice touch from a teammate – “He started his career with the Raptors, now he's technically a dinosaur." -- G Keyon Dooling joking about "old man" Vince Carter. No matter how old he gets, he seems to love playing his former team and tonight will be no different. With Devin Harris playing at a very high level, this Nets team has one of the best back court duos in the league. Vince Carter averages 21.3 points and 5 rebounds and 5 assists as the SG, while Devin Harris leads the team with 21.5 points, 3 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game. I am not sure, but I would be hard pressed to find a more productive starting back court in the league right now. The Nets will put Ryan Anderson, Bobby Simmons, and Brooks Lopez on the floor as well which should offer the Raptors the opportunity to work the ball inside against the smaller Nets front line with Yi Jianlian out of the lineup. The Raptors will have to find a way to slow this back court down to give them the opportunity to work the ball to Andrea Bargnani and Chris Bosh who will present many challenges to this young front court and with JO off the bench, the balanced front court attack we offer needs to be augmented by solid back court play from Jose and Anthony Parker as well as their backups Roko Ukic and Jason Kapono or Will Solomon. To me the X-factor in the game tonight will be Jamario Moon on Bobby Simmons. If Jamario can win that battle all night, we have a very good chance of keeping this game in our control.

Raptors - Week 13 - Jose Returns

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:57:55 EST

Week 13 saw the return of both Jermaine O’Neal and Jose Calderon as the Raptors wallowed in the midst of a 7 game losing streak. Since I have discussed the Pistons game and the Hawks game, I will focus on the Bulls and the Kings games which saw Numero Ocho return and remind us of what was missing from this lineup.

Friday, January 23rd, 2009 Raptors @ Bulls

Raptors – 114

Bulls – 94

Raptors - Week 11/12 review - late

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 14:09:45 EST

I must admit, it has become harder and harder to write about this Raptors team that continues to struggle at pretty much every part of the game night after night. After the two losses to the Celtics in which Ray Allen and Paul Pierce took turns destroying our already thin back court defense, week 12 continued with losses against the Bulls, the Pacers and the Suns leading into week 13 which has brought us losses against the Pistons and the Hawks. Here is how I saw those games.

Wednesday, January 14th, 2009 – Raptors vs. Bulls

Raptors – 98

Bulls – 102

2009 Free Agent Class - Overlooked and Forgotten?

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 12:23:47 EST

I know we are all focused on 2010 when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh become free agents and the rumours that are swirling around with that, but what about next years class? looking over the list i see a lot of pieces that many teams would love to have, so, the question is do you think this season's batch of free agents will be pretty much ignored or will there be a flurry of trades and deals to secure some of these guys before 2010 which, in my opinion, is really a three team race right now.

Here is the list

Hawks -Josh Childress, Solomon Jones, Marvin Williams

Mike Bibby, Zaza Pachulia

Raptors - Celtics - Back To Back reviewed

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 23:44:06 EST

I think at this point in the week, I need to pause and do some reflection on the two games we just witnessed with the Celtics. The Celtics came into the game Sunday having lost 4 straight games to the Knicks, the Bobcats, the Rockets and the Cavaliers and were looking to turn around the play of the team to where it was when they were 27 – 2 and winners of 19 straight. The Raptors were coming off a week which saw them beat the Magic, the Wizards and the Grizzlies, but lose to the Bucks. Both teams were looking to show signs of life but are at very different points in their seasons. The Celtics seem to have been deflated by the loss to the Lakers on Christmas but are still a top 3 team in the league but are struggling to maintain consistent energy and focus during the long season. The Raptors were looking to show that the gains made as a team last week despite the injuries to Jermaine O’Neal and Jose Calderon were not just blibs on the radar of this below average season of hope.

Raptors - Week 11 in Review

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 13:28:53 EST

As 2008 came to a close, the Raptors struggled losing their last 3 games of the year to the Trail Blazers, the Warriors and the Nuggets. With a 12 – 20 record, they were looking for a new year that could offer hope that indeed had a team that could be competitive every game. As the year began, they picked up a huge win over the Rockets which brought them into this past week and games with teams they felt were beatable. Here is how I saw the past week in Raptorsland.

Sunday, January 4th, 2009 Raptors vs. Magic

Raptors 108

Magic 102

Raptors - Week 11 in Preview

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:26:04 EST

Week 11 begins tonight with a game against the 16 – 19 Bucks, currently in 8th place one place ahead of the Raptors for the last playoff spot in the East. In the past 10 games, they have won six including wins over the Spurs, the Jazz and the Knicks, split games with the Bobcats and have lost to the Rockets, the Pistons and the 76ers. Following this on Wednesday, the Wizards complete a short 2 game road trip with neither Jose Calderon nor Jermaine O’Neal traveling with the team. The Wizards are struggling for consistency as well and are a dismal 7 – 25, yet were able to defeat the Cavaliers who have gone 2 – 2 this past week splitting games with the Heat and defeating the Rockets before losing last night to the Wizards. Friday brings the Grizzlies to town and their 11 – 23 record having lost to the Suns, the Spurs and the Timberwolves before knocking off the Mavericks Sunday. Here is how I see the week shaping up.

Raptors - Week 10 Review

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:15:00 EST

Week 10 in the NBA for the Raptors provided an insight to this team long overdue. With games against the Warriors, the Nuggets, the Rockets and the Magic, we faced 3 teams with 20+ wins and a team that pushes the tempo any chance it gets. Starting week 10 with a 12 – 18 record after losses to the Clippers and the Trail Blazers and a victory over the Kings on the road, this team finished its 6 game road trip in Sacramento before heading home to face the Warriors. Here is how I saw the games last week

Monday December 29th, 2008 Raptors @ Warriors

Raptors 111

Warriors 117

Raptors - Nuggets - A Game in Review

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 13:24:04 EST

New Year’s brings with it a time to reflect on the year that was and unfettered hope for the year about to commence. Wednesday evening at the ACC in Toronto, the Raptors held their collective breath as they hosted the Denver Nuggets in the rematch of the 39 point loss suffered in Denver on December 2nd. To open and close a December in which this team went 4 – 12 after losing another very winnable game against the Nuggets seems to be appropriate.

Heading into the game without Jason Kapono and Jermaine O’Neal sitting with leg injuries, this already undermanned team began the game under extreme pressure up front and would need huge games from Andrea Bargnani and either Anthony Parker or Jamario Moon who would be given the task of trying to slow down Carmelo Anthony. At some point, someone on this team that plays the 2 or 3 position needs to decide that they are embarrassed to be schooled every night. At this point, it seems, this Raptors team play 3 on 5 at both ends of the floor night after night. With Jason out, Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon would draw the tough job of covering J.R. Smith and Carmelo Anthony who would combine with Linas Kleiza and Dahntay Jones to total 50 points and 14 rebounds while the Raptors would get decent games from Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon, Joey Graham was only able to add 6 points to Parker’s 12 and Moon’s 10 for a difference of -22 from the off-guard/wing position while collecting 13 rebounds as a group. At this point, there really isn’t much else to add as our inability again to defend the wing/perimeter game allowed this smaller quicker Nuggets team to open up the inside for Nene who scored 21 points mostly inside. The Raptors again were dominated in the paint giving up 50 points in the paint while holding this running team to only 10 points off the break while Chris Anderson had a double double off of the bench. That improvement was a small victory as this Raptor teams any positive signs they can find right now. As I watched this game, it became very clear to me that this group of guys has decided that losing is what they do best. I can understand Jay’s frustration after calling a time out and walking away from a time out in the third after getting into bonus 8 minutes left in the quarter and then not even taking the ball to the rim until Chris Bosh hit the line with about 2:30 left. These guys gave the game away in that stretch committing turnovers and jacking up stupid shot after stupid shot, it’s no wonder Jay was screaming at them. Not much a coach can do when the players won’t do the obvious small things you need to do as a team that will put you in a position to win. Again in the 4th after bringing the game back to within 1 possession, they again tried to be the Lakers or the Hornets or the Spurs and began to settle for 17 – 25 foot jump shots. I am not sure what the numbers for the 4th look like but I suspect they shot less that 40% for the quarter despite scoring 30 points. I am pretty sure that our bench must be held to account on this as well as Will Solomon, Kris Humphries, Jake Voskuhl, Joey Graham and Anthony Parker were again weak to start the second quarter offensively. Their defense was decent, but the lack of consistent offense in the 2nd and 4th quarters puts the fragile group of starters under the gun to outplay opponents. Last night, the Nuggets bench outscored the Raptors bench 36 – 17 and was ultimately the difference in the game. Turnovers cost this team the game again as the Nuggets were +7 in points off turnovers.

Raptors - Week 10 in Preview

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 18:22:52 EST

Tonight, the Raptors head to the Bay area for the conclusion of a dismal road trip that saw them lose to the Thunder, the Mavericks, the Spurs and the Trail Blazers while scoring victories against the Kings and the Clippers. Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard, Jason Terry, Tony Parker, Brandon Roy and LeMarcus Aldridge all played top notch games against this struggling Raptors team that saw great games by Chris Bosh and Jermaine O’Neal and some solid play off the bench by Andrea Bargnani and some awful play by Jason Kapono and Joey Graham. Jamario Moon is coming off a good week on the glass and looks to contribute more in the up tempo games to come this week. Here are the games as I see them this week.

Monday, December 29, 2008 Raptors @ Golden State Warriors

Raptors - Week 9 In Review

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 16:28:01 EST

The conclusion of Week 9 in the NBA finds the Raptors with a 12 – 18 record after recording 2 wins and 1 loss in games 3, 4 and 5 of the 6 week road trip that winds up tonight in the Bay area against the Warriors. With victories against the Clippers and the Kings and a game against the Trail Blazers in which both Brandon Roy and LeMarcus Aldridge played major roles in the second half blitz of the enigmatic Raptors, we end this trip with an opportunity to take a .500% record back to Toronto. As we stand today, we are 4th in the Atlantic behind the Nets and the 76ers and the Celtics.

Here is how I saw the games this past week.

Monday, December 22, 2008 Raptors @ L.A. Clippers

Raptors 97 – Clippers 75

Raptors - Trail Blazers - A Game in Review

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 12:25:16 EST

I guess there are many reasons why the Raptors lost against the Trail Blazers Saturday night in Portland, I will try to discuss a few of the biggest reasons I noticed while I watched. Firstly, the Raptors came into Portland with a small 2 game win streak with wins against the Clippers and the Kings. It doesn’t sound like much, but at this point in the season, small victories are vital to the health of this team. Most of the year, this team has struggled with ball control and finding opponents shooters in the context of the defensive schemes they have been using. With the team focused on interior defense and protecting the paint, they have allowed teams to beat them from the outside as the Hornets did, as the Nets did and as Brandon Roy and LeMarcus Aldridge did last night. With a combined 43 points, these two were able to find shot after shot over the defense and were pretty much wide open combine that with some timely rebounds and you get a sense of the frustration this team has faced as they seem unable to contain shooters or it seems every team has one guy turn in a spectacular game against them. As Jay continues to work, this team has gotten better at closing out shooters, but last night, it seemed they could not find the open guy, who was usually Brandon Roy.

Raptors - Kings - A Game in Review

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 11:15:33 EST

After a win Monday over the Clippers on a night when Jake Voskuhl looks more and more like Bill Laimbeer knocking Zach Randolph to the ground then leave the game, the Raptors went into Sacramento to play the Kings Boxing Day looking to keep the little momentum of this victory alive. Monday night Chris Bosh was the key to the win scoring 18 of his 31 points in the 4th quarter after Randolph left with 19 points. Eric Gordon added 19 and Baron Davis 16 for the Clippers who had no response to Chris Bosh and Jermaine O’Neal who scored 23 and added 9 rebounds. The Clippers were short benched with Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman both out leaving Al Thornton and Brian Skinner to carry the bulk of the work as they used an 8 man rotation. Jamario Moon continued his rebounding work grabbing 8 boards while Jose Calderon had 8 points, 9 assists and 5 rebounds to lead the offense. The strength of the front line was evident as the Raptors ended the game + 10 in total rebounds as well as + 8 in points in the paint.

Raptors - Week 9 In Preview - Christmas Week

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:55:22 EST

The week that is ahead offers the Raptors some hope as we arrive in Los Angeles to play the Clippers tonight before having a few days off before Christmas to re-group, then they play the Kings and the Trail Blazers on Friday and Saturday before finishing this 6 game road trip against the Warriors on the 29th. With the Mavericks, the Spurs and the Hornets behind this trip, the return home will bring the Rockets, the Magic and the Nuggets to town. This week appears to be our best chance to record a much needed victory, especially one or two on the road, and maybe 3.

The Clippers come into the game tonight with an 8 – 19 record after a week in which they went 2 – 2 with victories against the Thunder and the Pacers and losses to the Bulls and the Bucks. The Clippers are lead by Zach Randolph who is averaging 22 points and 11 rebounds a game and Marcus Camby who is averaging 11 points and 12 rebounds per game. With Baron Davis and Al Thornton averaging 18 and 17 points per game and Eric Gordon averaging 9.1 points per game, even with Chris Kaman out, this team has a solid front court with a very active back court and will provide Jermaine O’Neal and Chris Bosh and Jamario Moon fits at both ends of the floor. Tonight I look for Jose Calderon and Jason Kapono to carry the game as our guard play will have to step up and provide some consistent scoring as our front court will be challenged all night by two very good defensive forwards. I look for the tempo to be calculated and to not be pushed as this team would love to get Baron Davis in a running game against our much slower back court. Turnovers will be critical and we will need to work hard to take advantage of every rebound we can acquire as they will be looking to control the game on the boards against one of the weakest rebounding teams in the league. I think the Raptors can pull this one off, but they will have to desire and attack every ball and every rebound and out hustle this Clippers team at both ends of the floor.

Raptors - Week 8 In Review - A season on the edge

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 12:59:28 EST

Week 8 for the Raptors was a week of frustration for the fans and a week of tough losses for the team. After 3 losses at home during which the fans have begun the boo-birds have made their presence felt, the team has continued to seem lost as a group. I won’t turn this review into whine fest as that is for other forums and blogs. So, here is a review of the past week for the Raptors, as I saw it.

After ending last week on a high winning two games against the Pacers and the Nets, they ended last week 10 – 12 with a 3 game home stand to start the week in anticipation of the start of a 6 game swing through the western conference.

Sunday, December 14th, Raptors vs. Hornets @ Toronto

Hornets 99 Raptors 91

Raptors - Thunder - A Game Preview

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:30:31 EST

Tonight, the Thunder play host to the Raptors who are starting a 6 game western road trip at a critical point in the season. Having fallen to 10 – 15, this team is suddenly out of the playoff race in the Eastern conference looking up at the Bucks, the Knicks, the 76ers and the Bulls and are sitting in 12th place in the Conference and last in the Atlantic division. To say this was not the start envisioned by this team would be quite an understatement. At this point they are 12.5 games behind the league leading Celtics and 1 game behind the 76ers in the division. The Nets are 2.5 games up in second place in the conference, but they themselves sit in 6th in the conference. The Raptors are not out of the playoff race at this point, but the team needs some good things to happen at this point having lost 8 of their last 10 and are 7 – 15 since starting 3 – 0 this season.

Raptors - Mavericks - A Game Preview

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 12:52:53 EST

Tonight, the Raptors host the surging Dallas Mavericks who have won 7 of their last 10 games with wins over the Grizzlies, the Bobcats, the Suns, the Hawks and the Pacers. They are 3 games above .500% right now and are .5 of a game out of 8th in the tough Western Conference. Having lost to the Nuggets in Dallas on Monday, they come into Toronto to start a short 2 game eastern swing, with the Nets hosting them on Friday, home to the Grizzlies again on Sunday, then they head out on a tough pre-Christmas tour of the West with games against the Trail Blazers, the Jazz and Clippers. They are looking to Toronto to be the start of a push back up the ladder in the West.

The Raptors are coming into the game with the memory of two stinging losses fresh in their minds losing to the Hornets on Sunday and the Nets on Monday. Both of those games the Raptors seemed to play aspects of the game well but could not play well in others and it cost them. Sunday, they were able to use their new defensive schemes to contain Chris Paul and hold him to 12 points and Peja Stojakovic was held to 10 points, but James Posey was left virtually alone all the time and scored 20 on 6/10 3 point shots and David West outplayed Chris Bosh scoring 29 points from the low post area. The Nets game was very much the same thing as they were forced to shoot and shot only 38.1% as a team, but when Ryan Anderson outscores Chris Bosh in the PF position, something is not right. Offensive rebounds allowed have become the team’s demise. The lack of rebounding coupled with a 0 – 14 shooting stretch in the 4th quarter allowed this game to get out of reach.

Raptors - Week 8 in Preview - Another tough week

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:31:55 EST

Week 8 for the Raptors feels like more waves of a tsunami as we have the Nets again in Toronto, then Wednesday we host the 13 – 9 Mavericks who play the Nuggets tonight. Friday we are in Oklahoma to play the Thunder then head south to play the Spurs. Combined records of the Spurs, Mavericks and Nets – 39 – 28. We start the week 10 – 13 in 4th place in the Atlantic division and 10th overall in the Eastern Conference with the Knicks and the Bulls 1 game up and the Nets 1.5 games ahead of us for 8th spot. Considering all this team has gone through, we are still positioned well at this point and a few wins now would help not only mentally but over all in the playoff race as well.

Monday, December 15, 2008 – Raptors vs. Nets @ the ACC

Raptors - Week 7 in Review

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:23:32 EST

Week 7 in the Raptors season saw the team move far away from the Sam team and become the Jay Triano lead Raptors. With games against the Trail Blazers, the Cavaliers, the Pacers and the Nets, we knew it would be a rough week. 3 of those games were against teams above us in the standings and one against the team we made our huge trade with last season so emotionally, that Pacers game had a lot of mystique around it as team looked to recover from the brutal road trip against the Lakers, the Jazz, and the Nuggets.

Sunday, December 7th, Raptors vs. Trail Blazers @ ACC

Trail Blazers 98 – Raptors 97

Steve Blake scored on a 3 point shot that they borrowed from Vince Carter and the Nets to ruin Jay’s bid to win his home debut. Scoring 19 points on 5 – 8 3 point shots he kept the Trail Blazers close enough to win on the last shot. The Raptors played a much better defensive game allowing only 24 points in the paint which is half of what they had been averaging. Andrea Bargnani was a first over all pick, that, we are well aware of, but the Trail Blazers have the 2nd and the 6th picks in LeMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy. Bargnani has shown improvement but has not accomplished nearly as much as these two to this point in their careers. Andrea has not completely grown into the role he was projected to fill to this point, though this season he has improved in a lot of areas and I believe could be a solid player. Aldridge finished with 20, Roy with 15, Bargnani had 5 points. Player of the game for the Raptors was Jermaine O’Neal, for the Trail Blazers, Steve Blake. A game we should have won again exposed our weak wing defense and perimeter defense.

Raptors - Hornets - A Game Review

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 16:02:12 EST

Well, a tough loss to the Hornets Sunday on a day when the Raptors could just as easily pulled out the win. After a solid defensive effort in the 1st quarter, the Raptors began to lose track of shooters like James Posey and Rasual Butler as the team ranked #1 in 3 point shooting in the league put up shot after shot as the Raptors struggled as they have all year with perimeter defense.

Here are the keys to the game as I saw them.

Keys for the game:

1) Protect the Paint – allowing only 34 points in the paint to the Nets was a huge victory for this Raptors team that had been averaging 47+ points in the paint nightly. Against the Hornets Chris Paul and Rasual Butler will look to force the Raptors out of the defensive lanes that held Vince Carter to 0 – 13 shooting with no lanes to penetrate. Sunday, the Hornets outscored the Raptors 28 – 20 as the Raptors seemed to have no desire to attack the teeth of the Hornets defense with NO Tyson Chandler.

Raptors - Hornets - A Game Preview

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 17:55:40 EST

Sunday afternoon the Hornets visit the ACC to take on the suddenly 2 in a row winning Raptors with a new head coach and a new defensive attitude holding the Pacers and the Nets to a combined 34.1% field goal percentage in the last 2 games. Sunday, Chris Paul and David West lead the Hornets with Peja Stojakovic to give them a different level of test of their defensive mettle. Chris Bosh and Jermaine O’Neal will be tested inside all afternoon as Chris Paul looks to penetrate and kick all game looking for Peja and Morris Peterson off the dribble. With Tyson Chandler questionable for the game, Hilton Armstrong will be looked upon to provide some offensive boards for this team who will be out manned up front. With Kris Humphries and Anthony Parker still in suits, it will be up to Andrea Bargnani to step in and provide solid defense up front while Jason Kapono and Jamario Moon get the start at the 2 and 3 spots.

Raptors - Nets - A Game Review

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 11:37:17 EST

Friday night in the Swamp, the Raptors faced the Nets in a game where both teams had something to prove. The Nets were looking to build on a 7 – 3 in the last 10 games and still enjoying the OT win in Toronto after being down 18 points for most of the game. The Raptors were looking to show that their defensive improvements over the past 3 games critical in the win over the Pacers Wednesday night in which they held Danny Granger pretty much out of the game though he finished with 22 points, he was held to 9 – 25. The Raptors were looking to re-establish the interior defense that they had in the 3 – 0 start of the season, but lost before the change of coaches. On a night when the Nets were still without Eduardo Najera and Josh Boone was playing his first game after missing 14 games, the Raptors were looking to exploit that thin front line.

Raptors - Nets - A Game Preview

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 22:15:32 EST

Friday night, the Nets welcome the Raptors to the swamp and look to return to the win column after losing to the Knicks on Wednesday evening. Having won 4 of the last 5 and 7 of the last 10, this team is playing good and since beating the Raptors in Toronto on November 21st they have beaten teams like the Jazz, the Suns and the 76ers with losses to the Lakers and the Wizards and the Knicks, consistency has been an issue as they are still without Josh Boone and Eduardo Najera. Since that game in November, the Raptors have had a very serious schedule that has been the second worse in the NBA behind the Pacers so far this year. Since that game, they have beaten the Bobcats and have been pounded by the Celtics, the Lakers, the Cavaliers and the Nuggets as well as tough losses to the Jazz and the Trail Blazers. The win on Tuesday evening was a much needed break for this team who have become weary to say the least.

Raptors - Pacers - A Game Review

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 23:28:54 EST

Wednesday night, the Raptors and Jermaine O’Neal hosted the Pacers with T.J. Ford and Rasho Nesterovic in their return to the ACC. Emotions were running high on both sides of the floor as the Raptors had come into the game with a 4 game losing streak looking for the first win as a head coach for Jay Triano, while the Pacers were on a 3 game losing streak after beating the Lakers with 2 losses to the Celtics and 1 to the Cavaliers! As a Raptors fan, I thought we had a tough schedule, but we are second behind the Pacers in that regard. With games against the Lakers, the Nuggets, the Jazz, the Cavaliers and the Nets, these two teams have played a lot of very difficult games in the past 2 weeks so both were looking to this game to help readjust their outlook to some winning ways.

Raptors - Pacers - A Game

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:33:35 EST

Well, tonight the Raptors return home to host the Pacers and one of the most beloved/hated players after Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter left town. T.J. Ford returns with Rasho Nesterovic and Danny Granger to take on a Raptors team with very little energy, very little offense and very little defense. After a thrashing last night at the hands of LeBron James and the Cavaliers, the challenge for this Raptors team will be to not run and hide. Yes, the Cavaliers are only ranked behind or with the Lakers and the Celtics, but there has to be a point where players have to decide that getting thrashed and embarrassed night after night has to stop. The Raptors have not hit that point yet and seem quite content to run around and score their 95 or 96 points a game while surrendering to who ever decides they want to control the game. Chris Bosh has disappeared from the team at both ends of the floor, and Jermaine O’Neal so far has shown glimmers of what he was brought in for, but has not been able to consistently help this team inside as ONE player won’t bring solid defense and a defensive mentality to the floor night after night. Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant and LeBron James give their teams that pressure to perform every minute they are playing and even when they aren’t, the team responds to their leadership. It is at this point, the Raptors have their biggest vacuum.

Raptors - Cavaliers - A Game in Review

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 10:30:52 EST

What can be said about the Raptors game against the Cavaliers Tuesday night that hasn’t been said yet? Probably not much, so I will offer a few thoughts on what I saw last night and express some of the issues that I feel need to be addressed immediately.

First and foremost, this team has surrendered as a group. From Chris Bosh down to Hassan Adams, this group has no life, no passion and absolutely no will to win. The starting 5 of Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderon, Anthony Parker and Jermaine O’Neal were given a 7 point ball game in the second half and at one point were out-scored 19 – 4 in the quarter. The energy for playing defense starts with every man on the floor deciding that they want to be contributing and that they want to be outplaying the man across from them. Right now, Chris Bosh looks like he has no intention of trying to stop anyone and that attitude is sensed and has become part of the culture of this team and that has turned them into a team that every backcourt in the league is waiting to play. Jose Calderon and Anthony Parker played a sloppy game at both ends of the floor as reflected in 19 team turnovers. Passes were late, into double coverage, and the first two possessions of the game LeBron James caused a turnover and ended with a dunk. 4 – 0 in the first 10 seconds of the game and it only got worse. Defense defines the heart of a basketball team and judging by what was on display last night this team has no desire to compete at any level. The Cavaliers are a good offensive basketball team, but to a man, they play solid defense and are constantly putting themselves in a position to obtain the ball whether it be a loose ball or a rebound or jumping a passing lane, this team has become an elite team in this league from their glass out. Wally Szczerbiak scored 16 points against us mostly from outside, but he was able to grab an offensive board and on the put back against I think it was Andrea, got the foul and made the shots. I am not sure, but at 7’ tall, rebounding should be a big part of his game, but it is not.