The Dinosty’s been quiet for a week because:

a) He hit it big in Vegas and stayed a few extra days to get fatter, richer, and drunker.

b) The devastation of our first round embarrassment caused what’s known as ‘Severe Affiliate Depression Disorder’ (aka SADD)

c) The wise and well-regarded Ballislife’s eloquent thrashing caused me to take a long, hard look in the mirror and realize that yes, I am a hack wannabe and yes, all the companies who pay me daily for my words are wrong.  (Oh, and Henry Abbott’s a journalist. Can’t forget that.)

d) I have been quickly making a name for myself in the criminal underbelly of Liberty City.

e) All of the above.

Regardless of your choice, I’m back. So stop your whinin’, and let’s get going.

I should be punched* for fooling myself into projecting a Raptors victory. There was nothing in the last three months of Raptors basketball that should have made the smart, sober side of my brain think they’d pull it all together. The fan in me has gone fishing, taking the bitterness with him and leaving the rational side to recognize that we were facing a better coached team who’s strengths directly exposed our weaknesses. No one could have expected Jameer Nelson to decide to try for the first time all season…but honestly, no one could have said that about Kapono either.

*Ballislife, here’s your chance.

I’m not interested in rehashing a long dead series (first team eliminated, hurrah!), but I think a reflection on the season that was is warranted. 

Am I surprised our season consisted of being a .500 team and a first round blowout? Yes, absolutely. There were high hopes in Toronto following last season’s dramatic rise to the “top” of the East (which coincidentally smells JUST like the bottom of the West). Kool-Aid was flowing from the MLSE taps, and we were sucking it up faster than the Ottawa Senators (the only hockey reference of the season, enjoy it). Fans became fanatics, TJ and Jose were working in harmony, and Salami and Cheese became the most popular sandwich in Canada.* Then TJ went down, Bosh went down, we stopped making excuses for Andrea, and Kapono learned to sleep standing up. We were 32-24 at the end of February, and ended up 41-41.  Perimeter defence, rebounding, and inconsistent support from the bench is what this season boils down to.

*Onions won Top Veggie, though narrowly beating out the Calgary Cabbage.

Boston became a juggernaut, Orlando hired the smartest human potato on earth to coach them, and the East suddenly had three legit big boys, instead of just Detroit. That left New Jersey, Cleveland, Washington, and Toronto left to fight for seeds 4 thru 8 (sorry Philly, no one felt ya until you were there). Suddenly there weren’t 7 spots up for grabs, and though I know Sam and the squad couldn’t fathom a season where we didn’t make the playoffs, there was a point in late March where we were dangerously close to slipping out. 

Would we have been better off? No, because I think about 4,000 Torontonians would have jumped out their 450sq. ft condos. All I ask for is progress, and it’s disappointing didn’t see that this year.  There’s a lot of work to be done this post-season, but we’ll get to that another post. 

Dinosty Picks: 

Best Game of the Season: Raptors/Blazers, Jan. 13 2008. Going to have to agree with Doug Smith on this one - the double-overtime home thriller against what was then the hottest team in the NBA (Portland was 22-14 at the time) was a come from behind win and one of three times this season where we showed any sort of mental toughness. The other times? Here and here.

(Looking back through our season, only 6 of our 41 victories were of margins 5 points or less. Of those 6, only 1 was after Jan. 1, against Charlotte. What does this mean? In close games, we can’t get it done. Execution or coaching? You decide.)

Worst Game of the Season: Raptors/Knicks, Feb 22, 2008. Up huge in the first quarter against basketball’s version of Tom Sizemore, we decided being the better team was good enough. It wasn’t. They came back so easily we could have just chilled in the locker room and let them go 5 on 0, and the result would have been the same. Plus, it’s the Knicks. Can’t lose to them, as a rule.

Honorable mention: This record-setter. 

Most Points in a Game: 127, Raptors/Magic, Feb. 20th, 2008.  Aka, “The One Where Bosh Had 40 And Earned The Doomsday Nickname”. This game was evidence that we figured out how to beat the…..oh, wait. Nevermind. 

But how did we win? Crisp ball movement, hot shooting, and no TJ. The opposite of our playoff performances.

Least Points in a Game: 77, Raptors/Celtics, Dec. 16th, 2008. This was back when Boston had lost as many games all season as they have in the first round.  We shot 11% from the field, had 29 turnovers, and Eddie House impregnated Darrick Martin during halftime.*

* This is untrue. We shot 38.9% and had 17 turnovers.

Funniest Moment: Primoz’ first game, Raptors/Knicks, Feb. 24th, 2008. 15 minutes, 11pts on 5-5 shooting, 4 boards, and 3 fist pumps.When he came in with the energy of a puppy on Red Bull and slapped the backboard around for five minutes, and everyone expected he’d be our starting All-Star Center for the next 8 years.  Then he opened his mouth, and we instantly realized we went to high school with a guy like him, and we hated his guts.

Saddest Moment: TJ goes down, Raptors/Hawks, December 12th, 2007. Whether you’re a TJ fan or not, watching that stretcher come out was nauseating. He was absolutely going off in this game - 26 points in 30 minutes - and I know we’ve all absolved Horford of blame, but seeing the ferocity in him during this Boston series, well…

(for the record, I know this is irresponsible of me to say, but it had to be said.)

Best Raptor: Jose Calderon. He emerged as a legit All-Star (sorry, Grandpa Kidd), had a 4,000-1 assist-turnover ratio, made it cool to hold your fingers in the air, slid into home more than any Blue Jay, and became automatic from the field and behind the arc seemingly overnight. Without him, we’d still have Juan Dixon and Darrick Martin backing up TJ. If Colangelo had known what he had in Calderon, I don’t think he trades Charlie V. for Ford. As good as Bosh has been and despite Rasho carrying us on his pasty broad shoulders to the playoffs, this is a no-brainer for me.

Worst Raptor: Andrea Bargnani. I thought long and hard about putting Kapono here, but when it came down to it, Andrea got the opportuntity to improve and Jason didn’t. All his stats decreased except for FT shooting. We were hoping for some Copperfield from Il Mago, instead we got Gob.  Too many threes, too many fouls, horrid decision making, and just enough 20 point games to keep him around another season. Calling him inconsistent is like calling Jackie Christie protective.

That’s all I got for today. Good to be back. Now throw on your MoPete Hornets jersey and let’s go get those Spurs! (I saved you a seat on the bandwagon).

Quick Question: Who are you rooting for: Orlando or Detroit? 

One big happy family.  

We all whined after the game 1 blowout. Does the Game 2 heartbreaker sit any better?

We talk the talk, but we don’t walk the walk. 

It appeared that we came out of the gate with more energy and focus, but all that quickly evaporated as Erratic TJ captained the ship that registered a pathetic 6 turnovers in only 6.5 minutes. That’s a 48 TO pace. 

Down 17 after the first. Add that to last game and we’ve been outscored by 37 points in the two first quarters. That’s disgraceful. We started Parker on Hedo early, that didn’t work. TJ tried getting the ball into the paint, that didn’t work. We tried to pick up our defence, which DID work, but was quickly erased by our unforced errors.

We narrowly missed being victims of FIVE wide open running-from-the-foul-line dunks in the first quarter thanks to a lazy Bargnani foul on Hedo. I guess after four uncontested dunks by the “high medium low flying” Turk, we had enough. Our paint defence was nonexistent, as was our transition defence. So far, we have no answer for Hedo despite having a roster full of Hedo stoppers (at least on paper). Parker, Moon, Delfino, even Joey Graham (don’t say “who?”)  should all be capable of containing him off the dribble. 

And when Anthony Parker and Stan Van Gundy score the same amount of points, you know the offense is shot. It’s not like he went 1-12 or something - AP took only 4 shots, which is NOT going to get it done at the SG spot. Yet, despite his invisible performance, Sam played Parker 38 minutes.

It’s like Sam’s living in Isiah’s fantasy land, where lawsuits are licorice and “reality” is just a buzzword created by the haters. Why does he think the Magic have to match up to us? Clearly, they don’t give two shits who we put out there. They’re coming at us with the drive and kick and deep post position, no matter what. Why? Because we can’t stop it, that’s why. 

Sam’s promised lineup changes for game 3. GREAT! Clearly he puts no stock in the outdated notions of “chemistry” and “consistency”. Why would he? He’s convinced he and only he knows what’s right, and if something doesn’t work, it’s because the players didn’t execute, not because he didn’t do HIS job. 

BTW, have to mention this: Right after Hedo’s flagrant on Bosh, Sam was in his face, tearing into him…or was he? Did anyone else see Sam wink at Bob Delaney right after? As if to say “I’m just playin’, ref”? I’ll tell you one thing, Popovich doesn’t ‘play’. Jackson doesn’t play. Even SVG doesn’t play.

Smitch, he plays. 

Anyway, Jose has to start Game 2, but who knows what kind or reaction Me-J will have if he’s sent back to the bench. There’s liable to be tears and tantrums from Sir Dribbles-Too-Much.  TJ Ford is no better than Mo Williams or Earl Watson - believe that. Breaking out one every seven games might impress the rookie ball fan, but us vets know better. Jose is by far the more consistent professional. I’m tired of saying this. Thank God TJ’s playing himself out of town. It’s a blessing in disguise, trust me.

TJ Ford: Making the average look extraordinary since 2008. 

We all knew the Raptors had holes, but something’s become crystal clear: 

It’s beginning to look like we can’t mentally handle the task of playing D, running the offence, boxing out, and getting back in transition all at the same time: basic basketball multi-tasking. We can do one or two of these things, but adding more responsibilities causes us to spin out of control worse than Oceanic 815. When we play D, we can’t score. When we score, we can’t play D.

On the most crucial possession of the game with the Raptors up 1, Orlando gets three offensive boards and finally takes the lead. This has happened time and time again, and teams that do this don’t deserve to be in the playoffs, let alone win. Golden State must be hating this right now (besides the fact that they would have put a MUCH better effort against New Orleans than this sorry Dallas bunch). 

Bosh throwing the ball downcourt is the “smart” move, the one you’re taught from an early age - BUT - there were two Raptors standing in front of him! Wide open! As in, eligible to receive the pass, get fouled, hit two FT’s, and put us up by three.  

Bosh played an intense, passionate game but had no legs left for that 15 footer at the buzzer. Kapono and Calderon were both good options, and 9+ seconds is more than enough time to run a play, but I think if the ball IS in Bosh’s hands, down 1 point, we need to take it to the hole and hope for the foul. Doug Smith says he’ll take a Bosh jumper any day of the week, but come on. You’re cool with settling for a flat jumper despite having Howard covering him outside the key, only down ONE? Not the smartest move, but I’ve come not to expect the smartest move from our coach.  

Jose and Carlos both played excellent, efficient games (without them, we’d have never been in a position to win), but Jason Kapono is ON FIRE*. He’s doing what we wanted him to do since, oh, DAY FREAKIN’ ONE! I don’t buy this whole “now he’s getting the touches” crap. He was getting touches before (when he played). He just wasn’t taking three’s. Maybe all the wide open 3’s Orlando is getting has reminded him that shooters will hit their shots when unguarded. Either way, he’s suddenly our second biggest offensive threat. That sound you just heard is my head exploding.

*Howard’s hitting FT’s? Kapono’s leading the Raptors? Ah, the magic of Disneyland. 

If you’re going to bet on anything (God knows I am), it should be that Dwight Howard is going to grab 80 rebounds in this series. If they head back to Orlando, he’s going to top 100. He’s an absolute monster, and we just don’t have anything to stop him. It doesn’t help that we haven’t been able to box out all season. Remember when we were begging for the Magic instead of the Pistons? The We-Just-Lost-To-Reggie-Evans Pistons?

What’s our excuse if we come out flat next game? We can’t keep saying, “Well, we didn’t play D in the first.” It’s time to start saying more than the obvious. I know if Colangelo could, he would. But now’s not the time. After we pack up for the season…then the truth must be admitted. 

I loved when they cut away to a furious Sam, and Primoz was in the background rubbing his hands to get warm. So cute. Like he thinks he’s actually going to play!

As much as I hate to do it, we’re taking the next two games off here at the Dinosty. When Vegas calls, you gotta answer. Time to play some cards, watch some ball, and enjoy the sun. So if you happen to read the following headline, “Canadian wins BIG betting against home team”, tip your hat to yours truly. Chances are, when I get back on Monday, the series will be over. But check back on Monday/Tuesday for some sort of half sober, semi-depressed post.

To get your Raptors juice in the meantime, check the blogroll or visit The Good Sam, Arsenalist, or Cuzzy McCuzzerson.

If anyone out there was hoping for an admission of error by Sam following the mindless and detremental tinkering pre Game 1:

Maybe it’s gutsy, maybe it’s insane. It certainly is not backed by air-tight logic: “Getting down 20 (points) so quickly, we don’t have a clue if (the lineup tweak) was a failure or not because we didn’t get a chance to really see it.”    

Uh, I think we saw it Sam. That’s WHY we were down so quickly. Bargnani can’t cover Hedo (or Rashard, or Dwight). Do you REALLY think he’s going to do a better job than Jamario? Since we’re not getting offense from Andrea anyway, he doesn’t stretch the defence the way you want.

After losing the fans a long time ago, Sam seems now to be losing his star player as well. And as Bosh goes, so goes the franchise. 

Enjoy the last three games of the Sam Mitchell era.  

You know what the worst part about yesterday’s game was? That I almost called it. We were a few possessions away from Dirty Victory #1. When we got within five, part of me (the drunk part) was waiting for the lousy call/lucky bounce or two that allowed us to steal the game out from the furious home team. It could have happened, despite us being completely outplayed for 48 minutes. Had it happened, the tide of this series would be leaning towards Toronto, instead of getting ready to sweep* us to the ocean floor.

*Did I say sweep? Must have been a Freudian sweep.

 When I saw Bargnani starting for Moon, two things popped into my head:

1) If this works out, Sam will be called a genius.

2) If this doesn’t, this will expedite his off-season departure. 

Honestly, I had conflicting feelings about this.  

Is Sam falling apart? He seems to be in full-on “mayhem” mode. First he puts Bargnani on Hedo, which makes about as much sense as dumping Natalie Portman to ’see what’s out there’. I think we can safely call this a failure. Then, in huddles he keeps repeating ”we’re all right, we’re all right”, which was about as disturbing (and telling) as Britney Spears chanting “I’m not insane!” while shoving orange Tic-Tacs up her nose. Then, when Jason Kapono woke up from his season-long slumber to bring us within 5, Sam decided to keep Bosh on the bench despite Howard being back on the court, and all was essentially done (nope, no snide celebrity simile for this one). 

Everybody, your 2007 Coach of the Year!!

So what happened? We got schooled, from here to Epcot and back. I was reading the old joke (for about the three thousanth time on Basketbawful) about the Enver Nuggets having no D, and it made me realized why we’ve never had any D in Toronto. While this is nothing new,  we should be utterly embarrassed by our total lack of defensive effort and energy. When a team opens up 7/7, dropping 9 threes and 43 points on your slackjawed asses during GAME ONE, aka the statement game, you have to re-evaluate your preparation routine, your gameplan, and your personnel.  

WIDE OPEN 3′S. I have this scribbled all over my notepad, in different shapes, sizes, and ferocity. If my notebook was found on the sidewalk, people would think it belonged to an asylum escapee. WO3. WO3. And the very scary part? Hedo and Rashard were a combined 4-12 from behind the arc. They weren’t missing contested shots either…

Dwight Howard manhandled the Raptors frontline. Not that we expected anything different but, as the broadcast team continued to point out, watching Dwight swat shot after shot into the tenth row must have intimidated the team - hell, I was intimidated sitting in my living room 1000 miles away. Superman was getting easy layups off putbacks and deep position passes, so effective down low that Sam tried the Hack-A-Howard. How’d that go? Beastor went 9-11 from the line. Mission Accomplished, Sam!  

Dwight Howard: Cant Stop Won’t Stop.

And happened to our PG’s? Jameer frickin’ Nelson - come on!  Doolson wiped the floor with Forderon…wasn’t this supposed to be our big advantage? Our guards went 4/20 from the field (and on 4/20 too,  the odds!) and got absolutely burned on the defensive end. If we can’t stay in front of our man, this drive-and-kick seminar Stan Van Gnomey is putting on is gonna continue. But look on the bright side: it’ll only last 4 games!

But all sorts of credit to the Magic. Sure, we played shitty, but the Magic came out prepared and focused, with good D, crisp ball movement, and a sense of urgency. Us? We waltzed out of the gates like it was a charity Pro-Am. Bosh had to come in and set the tone early, and he just didn’t have the impact we needed him to have. I agree with Arsenalist, he was the hardest working Raptor yesterday afternoon, but 4-11 from the field just won’t cut it. We’re sunk if 2007 Playoffs Bosh has returned for a second showing. I mean, who told our players not to draw contact? To pull up short rather than go into the paint defender? This is playing into Superman’s big, “chiseled” hands (thanks Chuck and Leo, great job).

I don’t trust us to come out in Game 2 to “prove something”. I just can’t picture it. I’d like to say I stand by my Raptors in 6 projection, but I feel like I was thinking like a proud pageant parent who just can’t see how ordinary their child really is. I see us folding like my grandma’s bridge chair, followed by Chuck and Leo talking about how we have to “take care of business” at home in Game 3, followed by boos filling the ACC as we lose by double digits in our house. Game 4 will be the subsequent “give it your all, season’s on the line” effort that just falls short, as we lose by 6.  This is our future. 

Bring on Game 2!  Go 76ers go…er, I mean Raptors. Right. Raptors.

Woo.Hoo. 

(Yes, I realize I’ve totally skirted the fact that Kapono shot the lights out. That’s because I don’t really believe it happened.) 

I’m going on the record and saying Raptors in six. There’s nothing the team has done to make me think we’ve got a fly’s chance in a lizard factory (y’know, where they make lizards) of moving past Orlando. But I just have one of those gut feelings - it kinda burns, kinda aches, and it means I think the Raptors will win.

Notice I didn’t say we’re going to “beat” the Magic. I don’t think that will be the case at all. But as we’ve seen countless times in NBA history, a few calls (or no-calls) and a few kind bounces from the rim can steal the series right out from under the team that’s “beating” the other. And that’s the kind of dirty highway robbery I just sense is coming.

Raptors in six, not seven, for one important reason: We won’t win game 7 in Orlando. Nope, not this season. So if we’re 3-2 going into the ACC, I think we’ll steal it. I don’t trust Rashard Lewis in big games, no matter how many times we leave him open behind the arc (over/under 19.5). Dwight can’t do it alone because he can’t hit a free throw, and Hedo’s poor man’s Ginobili act has to end sometime. As long as Doomsday conquers Superman like we’ve all seen he can do, Controlled TJ locked Erratic TJ in an airport locker, and Bargnani unzips his life-like bodysuit Scooby-Doo style, revealing the kid who showed so much promise last year, we’ll be fine. We’re still going to leave Rashard and Hedo and Keith and Kenyon and J.J. wide open from behind the arc, cause that’s how we do, but streak shooters are streak shooters, as we all know too well. Can’t depend on those on either side.

So yeah, I’m saying Raptors in six, though my fellow foolish Raptors bloggers and I are the only ones silly/warped enough to think the Dinos can squeak into Round 2. But what you call warped, we call visionary. Or something like that.

We need to win games 1, 3, 4, and 6. That’s the recipe for a second round sweep against Detroit.

Four nights ago, 12:15 am, Dinosty’s bedroom:

Dinosty: Psst.

Dinette: [sleeping] Wha?

Dinosty: Psst. You awake?

Dinette: I don’t want to be. What?

Dinosty: I think the Raptors are going to win.  

Dinette: What? Go to sleep.

Dinosty: I just feel it. In six.

Dinette: Why are you telling me this?

Dinosty: So when it happens, I’ll be on record.

Dinette: I’ve etched it in granite. Now go to sleep. 

Now I’m officially on record, and I’ll either look like a genius when we win, or an utter daydreaming fool when we get swept in 4.

Either way, two things are true:

1) Thank God we’re not Golden State fans

2) The Playoffs are here!

GO RAPS GO!

Sorry folks, might have to wait ’till tomorrow AM for the definitive first round preview.

Got a problem? Take it up with the newest member of Dino-Nation:

Btw, he picks the Raptors in 6.

You know what’s good? Cracked Pepper and Olive Oil Triskets and turkey breast, dipped in hummus. You know what’s not? Tonight’s game against Chicago.

If you enjoy watching shitty players with inflated sense of accuracy, then by all means, tune right in. But this game is meaningless unless you placed a pre-season bet that we finish over .500. (Would have been a good call, by the way). Me, I’m going to save my energy for the Detroit seri — er, I mean Orlando. Phew, that sounds better. 

I can’t decide if both teams are going to set field goal records for futility, or if both defenses are so bad that someone will end up over 60% for the game. But either way, I don’t care. As far as I’m concerned, the smart move would be for BC to forfeit, sequester Sam and the team in a hotel meeting room, and run tape until their eyes bleed. With our luck Delfino and Bargnani will get injured blocking [insert out-of-control Bulls guard here] and give us ZERO chance of winning a round. In fact, I might have just jinxed us by saying this. Fool! If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go throw pepper over my shoulder and find a white cat to cross my path…

If I can borrow a phrase associated with snot-nosed kids and newly-minted champions: We’re going to Disneyland! 

This is what we were gunning for, right? The Magic and Superman and the Too-Many-Million-Dollar Man? You fished your wish boys, lace ‘em up. Last night’s sputtering victory against the D-League All Stars (whom outplayed and outhustled us for 3/4 of last night’s game)  doesn’t instill me with confidence but what the hell, bring on Orlando. 

We’re in a rush today (I know, I know, LAME. I’ll make it up to you, I promise). In the coming days we’ll have a Round 1 Playoff Preview, as well as a gloves-off debate with Ben Q. Rock of Magic blog Third Quarter Collapse, but for now, here are some random thoughts about last night’s near loss emphatic win against Miami:

- When you get soundly embarrassed by a starting lineup of Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Stephane Lasme, Chris Quinn, and Daquean Cook - a night after being bitched by the Piston’s BENCH - that doesn’t bode well for your post season hopes. 

-  Chuck says these Heat kids have nothing to play for. You mean, other than an NBA roster spot next season, right? This makes them very, very dangerous…as we saw last night.

- Early on it seemed Rasho was gunning for Kobe’s 81, getting anything he wanted down in the post. 

- Bargnani just CAN’T seem to hold onto the ball. Every time he gets fouled going to the rim, the ball squirts out of his hands like it’s covered in bacon grease. I’m pretty sure things like “holding onto the ball” are imperative to pro basketball success.

-  How jealous is Chuck of that Jack Armstrong/cheerleader photo? Let’s start the guessing at “extremely”, and go from there.

- Mark Blount might have the worst shot selection in the NBA. He’s learned so much from Ricky Davis and Jason Williams, it’s really touching. 

- The one time Bargnani bends his knees, he hits a shot. It’s not rocket science. There’s gotta be a word for “bend” in Italian.

- Kapono made some shots! Faithful reader Jon W. shared his Kapono Situation theory with me, and I gotta say it makes WAY too much sense:

Now, someone would need to check the details of kapono’s contract, but i imagine he gets a bonus if he leads the league in 3-point %. maybe he just decided it was better to stop shooting once he got his percentage high enough. shooting 48% from downtown, surely nobody was going to knock him from his throne, and when you’re hitting close to half your three-point attempts, you certainly couldn’t expect to do any better. He looked into his crystal bong…i mean ball…and realized that he had nowhere to go but down…so he just stopped shooting.yup, that’s the only way to explain it, i’m pretty sure  

I’m convinced. Why else would he consistently catch the ball 3 feet too close to the net?

 - I can’t believe Chuck and Jack were making Socrates jokes when we’re getting killed by the Heat. They’ll be quoting Garfield by Game 2 in Orlando, I promise you that.

 - Was the Bosh-Moon-Bosh-Rasho not the ugliest fast break you’ve ever seen? I’ve seen smoother passing in the restroom of an old age home.

 - Al Pacino will play Pat Riley in the feature film. I’m willing to wager the contract’s already signed.

 - Chuck: “Riley’s called out his team multiple times, threatened lineup changes, and questioned their effort.” Sounds like a tactic someone else should use… (sidenote: Riley spent the game standing on the sideline, shouting out to his 14-67 team. Smitch sat on the bench as his playoff bound Raptors stunk up the joint).

 - How much effort does it take to defend Chris Quinn behind the 3-pt line? Answer: Too much.

 - Primoz T’d up with seconds left in the 4th after a no-call. Dude, this is a decided game between the Heat and the Raptors, the second last of the season. These refs just want to get back to their hotel and watch CBC. They’re not calling fouls on seldom used big men, sorry.

- We win…but why does it feel like a loss? 

With the national stage Sunday and the bad boys, I haven’t done a game diary in a while and thought it was the right time. Plus, life’s insanely busy right now and this is the quickest way to get you a post. Nearly 24 hrs later, I know…the guilt is eating my up. Just pretend this was posted yesterday, and all will be fine.

************ 

Pretty excited to watch a Raptor game without Chuck and Leo. That guy from the Casino Rama Grill Room makes a big deal about getting local boy Dan Shulman  on the broadcast. Unfortunately, it’s Mark Jones and Hubie doing the game…Strike 1, Grill Room Schmuck.

- Looks like Flip’s playing his starters. Thank god for doubleheaders. 

- Hubie just called Chris Bosh “the engine” of the Raptors. He’s wrong - that’s Jose. Bosh is the heart of the squad, similar to how Chauncey’s the engine, but ‘Sheed is the heart. Agree?

- I hope Jamario doesn’t embarrass himself on national TV by biting on every pump fake and taking bad jump shots.

- Jamario swats a lazy ‘Sheed from behind. So far so good.

- Ball goes back into Wallace. They’re trying to get him going early on Rasho, but we all know Rasho’s been playing great ball lately.

- Two things immediately apparent from the ESPN broadcast: there’s MUCH less ’schtick’, much more actual in-game analysis. And it’s clear that Chuck and Leo’s shameless hometown bias compramises the quality (and integrity) of their work. No bias, better broadcast. 

- Obligatory Paul Jones/Mark Jones brotherly love splitscreen. One look at them side by side, and it’s clear why Mark got the ESPN job…while Paul likely always got stuck with the ‘one with the lovely personality’ in high school. 

- A lighting fast 6-0 run by the Raptors. We’re hanging in the game, thanks to Controlled TJ. Let’s hope Erratic TJ missed the flight. Raps up 19-15. Flip takes a quick timeout to correct the troops.

- Jamario Moon has to lead the league in botched alley-oops. Someone needs to make a YouTube mix of his best blunders of the year.

- Chat excerpt with Matt from HP: (following Jamario’s baseline dunk): “See that? Rookie knows when to attack the rack. That’s what you want out of your rookie.” I immediately Fedex’d him DVD’s of the previous 78 games. Three days later, I got this email: “Oh.”

- Since the timeout, Detroit closes the quarter on an 11-2 run. 26-21 Detroit. Stupid sexy Pistons.

SECOND QUARTER:

 - Rasho’s fighting 3-on-1 for every rebound. We need to crash the glass if we want any hope of winning this game.

- They’re being really physical with Bosh on the block. The Detroit big reserves aren’t shy, that’s for sure.

- No Rasho, no interior defence. Pistons getting easy lay-ins. Bosh’s  biggest focus this off season should be defending the paint.

- Seeing the playoff preview gave me the same feeling as the first time I saw Baywatch. Like the Warriors last year and Lebron’s 54, there are going to be so many all-time stories this playoffs…get ready.  

- Delfino, Jose, Bosh, Andrea, and Parker are out there. This unit was big against NJ. 

-  Maxiell is schooling Bosh in the post. Look above three points.

- If David West is the best 16-19ft shooting PF in the league, Bosh is second.

- I love that the ESPN crew is giving Jose his props. Now if they could just pronounce his name… 

(You’d think American broadcasters would be more comfortable with Spanish names, really.)

- Detroit’s starters are glued to the bench. We have to take advantage. (Spoiler Alert: We don’t.)

- Why is Kapono still in the game? If we brought Parker back, that awkward under the net pass to Bargs, which forced him to backstep his way into a bad fadeaway wouldn’t have happened.

- Jamario Moon’s an awful rapper.

- Rare Sam Compliment: Good substitution with two minutes left to bring TJ in for Jose. See if he can use his fresh legs to blow past Stuckey for a few easy buckets.

- You CAN’T have 5 sec violations in the first half. This game’s too tight to waste a possession. Call a timeout!

- Rasho bailed out TJ, but misses the FT. Detroit’s bench is playing excellent man and help defence. 48-45 Det.

- Jamario’s Journey: A Halftime Feelgood Feature? This is so November, ESPN. You’re about as current as parachute pants.

End of second: 50-45 Detroit. Can’t help but feel like they haven’t hit third gear yet. Meanwhile, we’re playing out hearts out. Not good.

3rd Quarter:

 - Detroit’s starting the quarter with rare mistakes, and we can’t capitalize. Needs to happen against this team.

- Kurt Browning and the NBA don’t mix. This Grill Room officially has ZERO credibility, congrats!

- TJ’s whirling dervish gives us the lead bcak! 53-52 Raptors.

- Chauncey misses a FT. Maybe this is our day…

- Watch out, Auburn Hills. Bosh is turning to Doomsday mode. When this happens, he might as well leave his kicks at the free throw line.

- Mr. Big Shot gets the crowd back in it with a transition 3. 

- TJ’s overdribbling, instead of moving the ball like he was in the first. Maybe Erratic TJ was just late to the arena.

- Detroit Pistons Lesson #1: Now THAT’s how you finish a fast break alleyoop, Jamario. (This lesson brought to you by the Tayshaun Prince Is Long And Lanky Association, aka TPILALA)

- Rasho takes a hook shot from about 3 feet too deep. Wait –! If he’s three feet too deep, then who’s there to rebound? Uh oh…

- Here comes Bargnani. Rasheed just opened his eyes, tucked in his jersey, and bent over to tie his laces.

- Bosh gets blocked but stays with the play, grabs the ball, and stuff it down. Still kickin’, 63-60 Det.

- Much better Raptor defense in the 3rd.

- Bosh drains a big baseline 3! Now that’s confidence. Bosh took 3 three’s in this game. That’s three more than Kapono, if you’re counting. (I am…but what’s the point?)

- Delfino crashes the glass and is rewarded with the ball out of bounds. Need lots more of that.

- 65-63 Detroit. This is usually when they bring the clamps down. Does Flip trust his bench to close it out?

- Seeing my first ever Leon’s Loft ad almost made me pee my pants. Are they serious? Do they think we’re morons? (Answers: yes and yes.

4th Quarter

- I’m watching the 4th quarter on the Score because I miss Chuck and Leo. Or because my ABC feed is all messed up.

- Delfino lays it in. Good things happen when he takes it strong to the hole. 65-65.

- Bosh needs at least 6 FT attempts at this quarter if we want to win. He’s got to stop taking jumpers and keep Doomsday breathing.

- Kapono hit another a shot! He’s on fire!

- Ratliff got away with a bad foul fighting with Kapono for a loose ball. He misses two FT on the other end to balance out the karma.

- An awful foul by Ratliff bails out Rasho and sends him to the line for two. 75-71 Detroit.

- Rasho demands the ball in the paint, powers home a baby hook.

- Detroit Pistons Lesson #2: That’s how you prevent a 5 sec violation. Tap your shoulders. Tappa-tappa-tappa…

- I’ve had it. Listening to Chuck and Leo try to remain optimistic and talk about how it’s anyone’s game, and how Detroit’s doesn’t have the game in control, it’s enough. They’re insane. Going back to screwy ABC.

- Our starters vs. their bench. Their bench is winning. In front of all of North America. Stings, just a little bit.

- AP is ice-cold, missing a jumpshot we needed to fall. 

- Delfino and Rasho playing the two man game won’t win this for us.

- Give it to Bosh! Stop missing jumpers! Who am I yelling at? 

- Oh well, we lose to a much better team. Their starters are better, their bench is better, their coaches are better, and their playbook is better. Not going to cry over this one…even if we WERE in a position to win it with 12 minutes left.

Thank god for Miami! 

That a hard enough foul for ya, Chuck? 

Maybe it was the shoulder massage Primoz gave Jamario in the pre-tipoff huddle. Maybe it was the YouTube video Chris Bosh made, asking the fans to bring the noise. Maybe it was the magnitude of the moment, the epiphany that there are three games left in the season and we’ve not shown to be the least bit prepared for playoff basketball. Whatever it was, for 36 minutes last night the Raptors were clicking on all cylinders, playing with an energy - and more importantly, a swagger - that we haven’t seen since mid-December, when we rolled out wins against Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, and Indiana. 

Like the first bloom of springtime and the first sight of short skirts on Queen St., seeing the Raptors play like we’ve always known they’re capable of was so very refreshing, so very needed.  I couldn’t watch the game until this morning and it’s put a little bounce in my step on this rainy spring Saturday.

I said yesterday that a few things needed to happen in order for us to close the season out strong:

“Efficient and controlled play from our PG tandem”. How’s 25 points and 18 assists with 0 turnovers for you? Both TJ and Jose played fantastic games, from Jose starting the rally in the second quarter by pushing the ball, finding the open shooters, and hitting some jumpers of his own, through to TJ absolutely embarrassing Devin Harris and Marcus Williams in the third, dropping 12 points and 4 assists while dancing in and out of the paint at will.  

“20 points out of our SG’s and 25 out of our SF’s”. When I said this yesterday, for some reason I was considering Delfino a forward, but I’m wrong on that one.  While Parker never really asserted himself offensively but still managed 10 points on 50% shooting, Delfino had his first 20+ game since February. Buddy couldn’t miss from behind the arc, dropping six three’s (including 4 in that 2nd Q run). When he’s hitting like that, it opens up the lane for him to use his superb ball-handling to get to the rack. Whether he decides to take off the next three games remains to be seen, but whatever he had for lunch on Friday, he might want to start making part of his routine.  Kapono played 17 scoreless minutes, but at least he notched 3 fouls. That’s having an impact, folks.  Let it be known that I’m all for Kapono’s spot in the playoff rotation to be given to Humph - Kapono’s a total liability on defence and since he’s not shooting, he’s useless on offense as well. At least we know with Humph he’ll bring some energy and toughness (along with some poor shots, but oh well).

“We need Rasho/Bargs/Humph to grab 20 rebounds”. We got 14 out of our bigs not named Bosh, which is below the 20 but still a positive number.  Rasho only grabbed 4 boards, primarily because he wasn’t getting his own missed buckets. Bargnani had 6 boards in perhaps his best game of 2008 (we’ll get to this in a second), and Humphries grabbed 4 boards in only 5 minutes of play. Let’s give him some minutes, Sam!

“We need 15-20 free throws per game”. In what might be the most exciting revelation from the game, the Raptors got to the line 37 times. 37 times! How/why? Because we were pounding the paint all game, taking the ball strong instead of relying on our streaky shooting to carry us through. I’m pretty sure I clapped at every single free throw attempt. Every Raptor except Rasho, Kapono, and Primoz got to the line, with Bosh and Bargnani shooting 9 a piece, easily his season high.

If you needed evidence that Bargs knew where the rim was, you got it last night. 

Bargnani shot 9 free throws? In one regular, 48 minutes basketball game? This is what happens when you play like a 7-footer, Andrea! Il Mago has much to be proud of with his 24 minutes of PT, and Raptors fans got a glimpse of what could be if he’d give up his dreams of being an SG. I know he’s had a rough year, but let’s take a moment to give credit where it’s due. He was a constant presence around the net during the fourth quarter, grabbing boards, driving to the lane, and using his size to take up space. He only shot 3-8 but suddenly, a 6 point performance turns into 14 when you don’t settle for deep, straight-legged three’s and get to the free throw line. 

There’s one play in particular I’d like to revisit for a second: 3rd quarter, TJ’s got the ball up top, trying to shake Marcus Williams. Bargnani flashes a screen, forcing Nachbar and Williams to switch. Suddenly, TJ’s facing up against a slower Nachbar and Bargnani easily overpowers Williams for post position. TJ misses the shot, but Andrea’s there for the board, going up and getting fouled.  Smart basketball…and this is a term rarely associated with #7. If Bargnani plays like a big who can shoot rather than a big shooter, he’s a matchup nightmare for 99% of centers in the league. And finally I can get off his back…because I want to like his goofy ass. I really do. 

We started off the game just awful, allowing Vince to get easy layups, deciding not to cover Devin Harris, and inexplicably biting on Stromile Swift’s pump fakes from the top of the arc. Jersey popped out to a 12 point lead, shooting 61%…but it was all Raptors from there. Mental toughness? Discipline to follow the game plan? Check and check, if only for one night. 

You can downplay the significance of this victory, saying we beat a lottery team that we should beat, but I’m going to let you in on a secret: New Jersey’s not bad. In fact, they’re a way better team than their record indicates. The whole Jason Kidd cloud which was raining on their season has been lifted, and they will be a different team next year. Add that to the fact that they always play well against us, and the whole playoff thing from last year, and this was a very big win indeed.

Our win combined with Philly’s loss moves us into 6th, since we hold the tiebreaker against them. Let’s hope Jack didn’t jinx us, as he practically guaranteed we’re locked in with Orlando. I don’t hear any fat lady singing, but it was an important win at an important time.

Tomorrow’s nationally televised game against Detroit is tough to predict. Ordinarily, Flip would choose to rest his starters and play his bench, as he has been the past two weeks, but I think we might see Chauncey and the gang tomorrow for two reasons:

1. It’s nationally televised, and don’t think for a second that the NBA didn’t send the Pistons a basket of scented candles with a card that reads “Hope to see Sheed on Sunday!”

2. I could see them playing their starters as a sort of pre-playoff message, should they land the Raptors in Round 1. 

I haven’t used the term ‘pride’ very often this season, but I’m proud of the effort they put forth in last night’s game. I’m not baking Mitchell a cake or anything, but fingers crossed that it was a sign we’re finally ready for April. 

GO RAPS GO!