Raptors Finish Up Western Road Trip in Golden State

Finally, this 10 day and 6 game Raptor road trip concludes with a game in Golden State. The Raptors are looking for a win to end their road trip with a respectable 3-3 record. The game is on TSN at 10:30, but can also be caught on channelsurfing.net and the Fan 590. The Raptors and the Warriors have met already once this season. On Halloween, the Raptors were able to out run the Warriors en route to a 112-108 victory.

What to watch for:
- The Raptors have an opportunity to pounce on a battered Golden State team. Jamal Crawford has sat out the past 2 games with a strained groin, Corey Maggette has been out since December 6 with a strained hamstring, and who even knows where Monta Ellis is. And I'm sure Marco Belinelli is still having trouble feeling his extremities after this. Watch Marco fly at the bottom right of your screen!.
- Jermaine O'Neal is definitely finding his niche in Toronto, averaging 25 points over his last 4 games. His optimism is only a nice bonus as he notes that, “Obviously, the season hasn’t gone the way we want it to go so far, but there’s lot of time left and I think we’re doing the necessary things to put ourselves in a good position for the second half of the season".
- We here at Prehistoric Hoops have not given enough press to Jose Calderon's free throw streak. He has now set the franchise record of consecutive free throws hit at 69, and he is still going strong. Please do everything in your power not to jinx Jose, he has never done anything bad to you.

Blazers Take Season Series: 102-89 Trailblazers

The Trailblazers didn't need a game-winning Steve Blake shot, as they handled the Raptors to get back in the win column. This loss snaps the Raptors 2 game win streak and the Trailblazers take the season series 2-0. This was due in large part to Brandon Roy, who went 14-19 from the field for 32 points and 9 assists. He dismantled the Raptors in the fourth quarter scoring 14 of his 32 in the frame. Jay Triano had this to say: "We tried different guys, we tried double-teaming him, and he threw it out, we ran and we blitzed him. We had two different guys on him any time there was a screen”. Struggling Portland rookie Greg Oden added 16 and 10 for his team.
The Raptors Trailblazers matchup provides Raptor fans with a glimpse of what could have been. In the 2006 NBA draft the Raptors selected Andrea Bargnani with their 1st overall pick, while Roy went 6th. Roy had 32 and 9 against the Raptors, while Andrea had 13 and 2 rebounds. Roy is a one time all star who is averaging 23 points, 4.5 rebounds per game, and 5.3 assists per game. Andrea may have potential to become a dominant NBA player, but he is currently a streaky pseudo-role player for the Raptors who averages just under 10 points a game (9.9).
NBA.com Recap

Player of the game:
Chris Bosh - 29 points, 9 rebounds. Mr. Consistent. He was a perfect 11-11 from the free throw line.

Notables:
Jermaine O'Neal - 17 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists. Followed up his best game as a Raptor with another solid performance. As Jermaine humbly said, "My success that I've had over the last couple of weeks has been based off my teammates. It's good to get numbers, but it's better to win and get everybody else involved."
Jason Kapono - Jason is in the "Notables" column for the wrong reasons. 0 points tonight, going 0-5, 0-2 from beyond the ark.
Will Solomon - Another one who is in the "Notables" for the wrong reason. 2 turnovers in 9 minutes. Somebody get this guy some glue.
Full box score

Stat of the game:
The Raptors shot just 12 free throws the entire game, 11 of them coming from Chris Bosh's hands. This, combined with their ice cold 12-of-34 from the field in the second half sunk the Raptors. Low free throw attempts numbers indicate that the Raptors aren't being aggressive enough and may be relying on their shooting ability too much.

Raps in Portland

Tonight is Raptors at Trail Blazers, 10 PM tipoff. Our Raps have won their last two games and Jermaine O'Neal is coming off his best game of the season. During the last match-up between these two teams JO had 26 points to go along with 8 rebounds and 6 blocks, and last night against the Kings he had his highest scoring output in two seasons. Hopefully he can keep it up and Chris Bosh can bust out of his slump to give Portland big men a hard time.

NBA.com preview

What to Watch for:
- The Raptors have arguably the best big man combo in CB4 and JO, but Portland boasts several talented post players themselves: Joel Pryzbilla, LaMarcus Aldridge and rookie Greg Oden. The battle down low will be very important in this game.
- Brandon Roy's fantastic start has been slowed recently, but he dropped 22 in the Blazers' previous game and is always a threat to dominate the scoreboard. The Raps' perimeter defense will need to stay focused to keep him from taking the game over.
- The Trail Blazers have one of the best home records in the league at 10-3. Hopefully our boys can hang around and steal one on the road.

Offensive Burst Powers Raps - 107-101 Raptors

Jermaine O'Neal was unstoppable on offense and had one of the most effective offensive games the Raptors have had in a long time allowed them to come back and take the lead for good with about 5 minutes left. It was the first Raptors win in Sacramento in over a decade as the Dinos had lost ten consecutive games at Arco Arena dating back to their last win on March 13, 1997.

NBA.com recap

Player of the Game:
Jermaine O'Neal had one of the most efficient games by a Raptor this season. He had a season-high 36 points on amazing 15-19 from the field and 6-8 from the line, adding 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists and 2 blocks. JO carried this team.

Notables:
Jose Calderon - 16 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, one turnover. A very nice game establishing the offense and had one very pretty play in which he snuck behind the defense for a rebound and putback.
Chris Bosh - 13 points, 7 rebounds. finished the game with 5 fouls and as a result only played 27 minutes, luckily JO picked up the slack this game.
Jason Kapono - 10 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds. Jason hit a couple big shots and moved the ball well. Hopefully he'll keep shooting to allow JO and Bosh to operate.

Full box score

Stat of the Game:
The Raptors shot incredibly well this game, hitting 55.1% (38-69) of their field goals, 36.4% (4-11 ) of their threes and 75% (27-36) of their free throws. Their efficiency helped overshadow the 16 turnovers and the Kings' 40% (8-20) shooting from behind the arc.

Prehistoric Hoops Hiatus

Well, it's the holiday season, and our Clark Kent lives have caught up to us at PH. We'll be going on hiatus for the next few days, and hey, if the Raps can turn it around, maybe we'll stay gone! (Not really. We know how awesome we are and would not do that to you.)

We will leave you with this article about Shaquille O'Neal's free-throw shooting by ESPN stat-head John Hollinger. It's a great read and he (as always) brings up some interesting and unusual stats.

So, happy holidays from Prehistoric Hoops, and if you need something for the person who has everything... donate to charity. The charity being the Raptors. And the donation being wins. Please.

Spurs Kick Raps While We're Down - 107-97 Spurs

Well, Tony Parker played pretty well. 24 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds - not bad. He led the Spurs to a franchise-record-tying 16 three-balls in destroying any semblance of Raptor perimeter defense. Well... the Raps' record ia 10-17. Hope of a turnaround to this season is becoming dimmer every day. Well, here goes the player awards...

NBA.com Recap

Player of the Game:
Jermaine O'Neal put up pretty stats. 24 points on 12-20 from the field, 10 rebounds. But hey, it seems these days it wouldn't be telling the whole truth to ignore that JO didn't get to the line once in 36 minutes and had 5 of his 8 missed field goals blocked. Sigh...

Notables:
Chris Bosh - 17 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists. Bosh's numbers are solid - he's too talented to have bad games, but teams are learning to key in on him, and his numbers are plumetting. He must be getting very frustrated by now.
Jose Calderon - 16 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists. Even the most efficient point guard in the league is having difficulties conjuring up offense in the anemic Raps system. It's a sad state of affairs.

Full box score

Stat of the Game:
Plain and simple: Perimeter defense. The Spurs jacked up 35 three-pointers, making an astounding 16 of them, for a 45.7% clip. The Raptors responded with 4-12 for 33.3%. Jason, Anthony, Jose, Jamario, Joey - put a hand in the face and move your feet. Please?

Raptors Lose to the Thunder! 91-83 Thunder

Orange and blue streamers fell from the rafters tonight. Why? BECAUSE THIS WAS THE THUNDER'S FIRST HOME WIN IN OVER A MONTH. Of course, this had to come against our beloved struggling Raptors. Our team is now in a bona fide basketball recession, losing 4 straight and 9 of their past 11. They now sit unchallenged as the worst in the Atlantic Division at 10-16.
Hey, at least it can't get much worse than that, right? Wrong: Jermaine O'Neal left the game at half time with a sore left shoulder.

Player of the game:
Chris Bosh - 22 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists. 1 of 2 Raptors in double digits tonight. Chris grabbed 8 offensive boards and tried his best to put the Raptors on his back.

Notables:
Andrea Bargnani - 16 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist. The only other Raptor in double figures. Not much else positive to say about his game tonight... He made a three? He had an offensive board?
Joey Graham - 9 points, 9 rebounds. +6 on the floor. He kept bringing the energy that we are all becoming accustomed to.

Stat of the game:
The Oklahoma City Thunder give up 103.3 points per game. Tonight the Raptors scored 83. The Raptors were held to 36% from the floor and 2-17 from three point range. Simply put, the Thunder do not know how to play defense. People keep saying that the Raptor offense is fine, they just need to fix their defense. However, the Raptors have only made it to 100+ points in 2 of their last 13 games. Maybe getting back on the winning end of games involves more than just defense.

Raptors Hit Up Oklahoma

Tonight at 8:00 the Raptors play the newly moved Oklahoma City Thunder. The game is on TSN 2 (BOOOOO!), but regular people can listen on the Fan590 or watch on channelsurfing.net. Our beloved Raptors have lost 8 of their last 10, and made a mockery of their last home stand, going 0-3. The fans booed the Raptors off the court against the Mavericks on Wednesday, and Chris Bosh had some words. "Fans, whether they know it or not, they dictate a lot" and "If I wanted to get booed, I'd go on the road". Luckily for the Raptors, the Oklahoma City Thunder may be the only colder team. The Thunder have lost their last 8 in a row, and are 2-24 overall.

What to Watch For:
- Kevin Durant leads the Thunder in points per game, field goal percentage, three point percentage, and free throw percentage. Looks like the Thunder have a franchise player of their own.
- On Monday, the Raptors squandered a 10-point lead late in the third quarter in a 94-87 loss to New Jersey. Two days later, Toronto led Dallas by 12 points after one quarter, but went on to lose 96-86. Hopefully the Raptors will look to hold on to any lead they can get.
- The Raptors are about to begin a 5 game road trip, and they have lost 6 of their last 8 on the road. They need a good start to this road trip - each passing game becomes more of a must-win for our Dinos.

Jawai Cleared to Play

The Raptors received some good news Wednesday night when Nathan Jawai, the Raptors' rookie centre was cleared to resume physical activity. Jawai had been sidelined since training camp due to an abnormality with his heart. He's now cleared for action and will hopefully be ready to play in the near future.
Jawai was drafted in the 2nd round, 41st overall, in the 2008 NBA draft by the Indiana Pacers. He was then dealt to Toronto in the Jermaine O'Neal trade. In the 2007-08 NBL season, Jawai averaged 17.3 points per game, 9.4 rebounds per game and 1 block per game in 30 minutes.

Mavs Turn it On in Second Half - 96-86 Mavericks

There were a couple of trends that continued in tonight's game. First, the obvious one: the Raps got outrebounded. Big. Tonight was 47-37 in favour of Dallas. The other is not as obvious but has presented itself often in the recent string of games: the Raptors again coughed up a double-digit lead and were unable to mount their own rally. Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry poured in 27 apiece in busting the Raptors' defense down to size (in this case, our size is XXL), and Josh Howard added a solid 20.

Raptors recap

Player of the Game:
Jermaine O'Neal had a pretty nice game down low, going for 19 points on passable 7-15 from the field and perfect 5-5 from the line. He added 7 rebounds and an impressive 3 blocks, and was the best Raptor big man tonight by a long shot.

Notables:
Jose Calderon - 11 points (5-12 FG, 0-2 3FG, 1-1 FT), 10 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 turnovers. Jose had a beautiful game again, but his scoring efficiency, besides that perfect game, doesn't appear to be as deadly as before his injury.
Jamario Moon - 13 points (5-7 FG, 3-3 3FG), 9 rebounds, 2 assists, one block. Jamario was once again in the running for Player of the Game. He's been doing the little things right, playing good defense and not forcing his offense. That's all we can ask from him at this point; he'll really never carry this team.
Chris Bosh - 12 points (6-20 FG, 0-2 3FG, 0-2 FT), 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals. Chris has had an off month in December, but when was the last time he had a legitimately bad game? No, it wasn't tonight as he contributed nicely all-around as usual... but 6-20 shooting? That's bad. He even missed a dunk. And let's face it, if we aren't all that successful when Bosh is putting up MVP numbers... well, you finish that sentence.

Full box score

Stat of the Game:
What were you expecting? Rebounding, people. We again got destroyed on the boards, 47-37. But hold on, maybe the problem isn't as bad as people think. The Raptors shot 42.9% (36-84) from the field, missing nine more shots than the Mavs (who shot 50%, 39-78). That means that all the Mavericks had to do to outrebound us by ten is grab all nine of those missed shots and beat us by one in offensive rebounding. Lo and behold, this game was practically even on the offensive side of things: the Mavs had 8 offensive boards to the Raptors' 7. So maybe it's not just that "this team can't rebound". Don't think I'm making excuses for this team, though - rebounding is crucial to this team's success - but it's pretty clear (at least in this game) that maybe shooting is more important than just raw rebound numbers.

A Guide to Reducing Your Opponents' Total Rebounds, by this humble blogger:
Step one: Put ball in hoop.
Repeat.

Next Game: Friday, December 19th, 8:00 PM at Oklahoma City Thunder

Mavs Pay Toronto a Visit

Tonight we have (another) critical game for the Raptors. Our Dinos currently sit at 10-14, and Dallas comes in at 13-10. The game tips at 7:00 PM and is on TSN2 (boooo!), the Fan590 and www.channelsurfing.net. The Raptors downward slide continutes, and if we can't pull out this game, it might be spiraling out of control.

NBA.com's preview

What to Watch For:
- The Raptors have been outrebounded in every game over the last 13. Not coincidentally, you may have noticed we are 2-7 in our last 9. Time to pick it up on the boards - we're looking at you, Chris Bosh and Jermaine O'Neal. We used their full names cause we're angry, like parents do. See how that works?
- This game's key matchup is Dirk Nowitzki and Bosh. Dirk is averaging 26.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists, very similar to Bosh's 24.1 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Whichever of these players comes out with more intensity could very well win the game for his team.
- Jose Calderon and Jamario Moon have their work cut out for them in the defensive end today, as they'll be guarding Jason Terry and his 21 points and 4 assists, and Josh Howard and his always-solid 19 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists.


* We at Prehistoric Hoops apologize for the lack of a postgame recap for Monday's game against New Jersey. Both editors were in the home stretch of final exams, and unfortunately could not find the time to publish one. Thank you for your understanding, and happy holidays from PH!

Nets Revisit Toronto

Tonight Vince Carter and the Nets return to Toronto. The game starts at 7, and can be seen on TSN 2 (booooo!), channelsurfing.net, and heard on the Fan 590. With Toronto's tough loss to New Orleans, the Raptors fell to 5-6 on home court. "We just have to put something together, get some confidence at home,” said Chris Bosh. Last game against the Nets, the Raptors came out on top with a stunning defensive effort. They limited the Nets to just 79 points, and Vince Carter was 0-13 from the field. The season series between the rivals is now 1-1.

What to Watch For:
- Vince returns yet again. He will be booed. Mercilessly and deservingly.
- Yesterday's game saw the manipulation of the Raptors defense by the Hornets. The Hornets shot 48% (36-75) from the field and 36.4% (12-33) from three. Hopefully the newly defensive-minded Raptors can come back.
- The latest Raptor, Jake Voskuhl, may dress tonight. Let's see what he can bring to the Raptors down low.

Jake Voskuhl is the Newest Raptor

Today the Raptors announced that they signed Jake Voskuhl, an 8 year veteran of the league. Voskuhl is no stranger to moving cities, as this is his 5th team in eight years. Among them, he played in Phoenix with our pal Bryan. Voskuhl is averaging 4.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 15.1 minutes in 412 regular season games. He has a big frame, standing at 6'11, 255 pounds. Maybe he will bring some rebounding and fill up the key in what will probably be limited minutes.

Read the press release

Raptors Can't Get Over the Hump - 99-91 Hornets

The Raptors were in the game throughout all four quarters today, but when it came to crunch time, the Raps could not come up with stops or scores when they needed them. This helped highlight a very poor shooting performance from the Raps: outside of Jose Calderon (perfect 8-8 FG, 5-5 3FG, 1-1 FT), Jermaine O'Neal (7-10 FG and 5-6 FT) and Joey Graham (2-4 FG) every Raptor shot well under 50% from the floor, notably Jason Kapono going 3-14 overall and 1-7 from three and Chris Bosh needing 17 field goals (making six and missing his only three-pointer) and his 13-15 from the line to score his 25 points. Not the efficiency we've come to expect from this team.

NBA.com recap

Player of the Game:
Jose Calderon stepped up tonight and continues to shine against tough competition, tonight's being a matchup with Chris Paul. As noted earlier, Jose did not miss a shot, going for 22 points to go along with 7 assists and 3 rebounds. A very effective game from Ho-say.

Notables:
Jermaine O'Neal - 19 points, 7 rebounds. At times Jermaine was dominant down low, abusing Hilton Armstrong especially, but when guarded by the 6'8" James Posey he had trouble scoring.
Chris Bosh - 25 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists. Despite Chris' tough shooting night, he still put up stellar numbers, and moved the ball exceptionally well against a swarm of Hornets defenders (nice wording, eh?).
Jamario Moon - 7 points (2-7 FG, 1-4 3FG, 2-2 FT), 8 rebounds, 2 blocks. Jamario was active again, shooting poorly but affecting the game positively on the boards and on defense. Another solid performance.

Full box score

Stat of the Game:
The Raptors' stellar defense of the previous two games was nowhere to be found today, allowing the Hornets to shoot 48% (36-75) from the field 36.4% (12-33) from three. The Raptors need to get back to defending if they want to get back to .500 - they proved when they defend, they're tough to beat.

Raptors Host the Hornets

Once again alliteration aside, the Raptors look to extend their 2 game win streak against the New Orleans Hornets, Sunday at 12:30. The game is on CBC, channelsurfing.net, and on the Fan 590. The last time the Raptors had a three game winning streak was during the first three games of the season, from October 29 to November 1st. Hopefully the Raptors can keep up the defensive intensity and fast pace that has helped them win the previous two games. On New Orleans' side of things, they sit at an underacheiving 12-7, 3rd in the southwest division.

What to watch for:
- Chris Paul is averaging 19.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 12.6 assists per game, along with 2.4 steals per game against the Raptors. He knows how to control the floor against the Raptors and is a lockdown defender. Jose Calderon will need to be at his finest to keep Toronto's offence flowing.
- In the last 2 games, the Raptors have shown great team defense and balanced scoring. Hopefully they can keep that up against a tough Hornets squad that boasts some very talented scorers in Paul, David West (20 ppg), and Peja Stojakovic (14 ppg).
- The Raptors are yet to win against a Western conference team above .500, and have only one win against Western conference teams (vs. Golden State on Halloween) in 5 tries. Hopefully the time difference will throw off the Hornets and Chris Paul's basketball-playing-robotic brain.

Raps Learn to Love Karma - 101-79 Raptors

In a game that most likely had every single Toronto Raptors fan in the world smiling, the Raps pulled out another big win for their second in a row in their journey back to .500. Vince Carter had the first game in his career in which he did not make a field goal while playing at least 10 minutes. He spent 29 minutes bricking shot after shot, finishing with a line of 3 points on 0-13 from the floor including two missed threes and 3-4 from the line, 3 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 fouls, 3 turnovers and a +/- rating of a Stephon Marbury-esque -32. Remember Vince's 39 points last meeting? Raise your hand if you like justice, Raptors fans.

NBA.com recap

Player of the Game:
Jamario Moon gets his first Player of the Game nod with a very strong all-around game. He finished with 8 points (4-10 FG), just shy of being the seventh Toronto player in double figures, to go with a team-leading 9 rebounds, 5 steals and a block. Excellent defensive game to help shut down Vince and the Nets.

Notables:
Jason Kapono - 16 points (6-15 FG, 4-9 3FG), 5 rebounds. Had another big scoring night as a starter. Didn't shoot as well as last game, but Kapono taking shots and missing is still better than Will Solomon taking them in the first place.
Joey Graham - 16 points (5-8 FG, 0-1 3FG, 6-6 FT), 3 assists, 2 rebounds. It appears that Joey "OM" G has finally found his niche. He's consistently bringing energy on both sides of the ball and is playing with great confidence. It's also nice to see a thunderous dunk nearly every game to get his teammates pumped.
Roko Ukic - 10 points (2-2 FG, 1-1 3FG, 5-6 FT), 5 assists, 4 rebounds, one turnover. Led the team in assists, contributed on both sides of the ball and had his most efficient scoring night of the season. PH bias, you say? Perhaps, but it looks like Hot Cocoa Roko is learning a thing or two from Jose.

Full box score

Stat of the Game:
Well, this one is easy. The Raptors played great defence for the second straight game (and second straight win - pattern anyone?) in holding the Nets to just 31.3% shooting (26-83) and 26.1% (6-23) from three-point land. The great defence helped counteract a fairly unimpressive shooting performance from the Raptors, in which they shot a mediocre 43.8% (32-73) themselves.

Jerry-atric Sloan: It's Ramble Time!

- I would start off by apologizing for the title, but I hope that's implied by now.
- Congratulations Jerry Sloan! You celebrated your 20th season coaching the Utah Jazz on Tuesday. Sloan was hired to coach on December 9, 1988 and since then, has only had one losing season with the Jazz. No one currently in major pro sports has been coaching in the same place as long as the 65 year old. Congrats Jerry!
- In much more disappointing and possibly apocalyptic news (I know, nice segue), the Golden State Warriors have named Ronnie Turiaf captain of their team! Ronnie joins Stephen Jackson and Andris Biedrins in leading the team. Why shouldn't a man who plays 20 minutes a game and averages 3.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game be captain?
- Earlier this week, Derrick Rose cut his arm with a knife and required 10 stitches. How did this happen? Apparently Rose was carving an apple in bed, stood up to get a bottle of water, forgot the knife was there, and sat back down. Really Derrick, thats the best you could do? Rose referred to it as a "silly accident", and had to miss practice on Monday.
- The NBA's latest crybaby, Antonio McDyess, used the negotiation tactics of a five year old and got his way on Tuesday, as the Pistons resigned him after he refused to play for the Nuggets. His refusal to play was allegedly because he and Kenyon Martin got in a "I know you are but what am I" shouting match, and Anthony Carter relentlessly referred to him as "poopypants".
- Speaking of crybabies (thats segue for you), Alonzo Mourning is still looking to return to the Miami Heat, but is one month away from deciding whether to attempt a comeback from major knee surgery. Although Mourning is 38, the scary thing is he would still probably be an effective defensive centre, despite consistently being one of the worst players in the league in terms of kidneys/minutes played.
- In the first All-Star ballot returns, the results were largely unsurprising. But Yi Jianlian (he of the sparkling 11 points, 6 boards and 1 assist per game) is 3rd in voting for forwards in the Eastern Conference, ahead of the 4th place Chris Bosh by over 82,000 votes! This is simply unfathomable. It is time to do moral justice, basketball enthusiasts. Go to NBA.com and vote your hearts out!

Raptors Go To Jersey

Tonight the Raptors fly to New Jersey to take on the game's greatest Raptor killer, Vince Carter, and the New Jersey Nets. The game is at 7:30 and can be viewed on TSN or at channelsurfing.net, and can be heard on the Fan 590. The Nets currently sit 2nd in the Atlantic Division at 11-9, due largely in part to the best scoring tandem in the association, Carter and Devin Harris. In addition, the Nets' Yi Jianlian currently sits 3rd in Eastern Conference forward voting and is above Chris Bosh who is in 4th. Nobody is quite sure why Yi's 11 points per game and 6 rebounds per game are better than Chris' 24.7 and 10.1, but hey, if life didn't have mysteries, no one would have anything to ponder.

What To Watch For:
- For the first time since November 28, the Raptors are going into a game coming off of a win. Lets see if they remember how to ride the momentum after a win.
- The Pacers game saw the return of Jamario Moon to the lineup, and he responded with 17 points and 8 boards. A great way to counterbalance Andrea Bargnani's recent struggles.
- Joey Graham has scored in double digits in his last 5 games, and in 7 out of the last 8. Credit his aggressiveness and explosiveness. Have we mentioned the irony that he has his pilots license?
- Anthony Parker sat out last game with a sprained ankle. Will he play today? In his place last game Jason Kapono started and responded going 11-16 for 25 points and 8 rebounds.

Raps Get Back in the Win Column - 101-88 Raptors

Smiles from Jamario Moon, Jason Kapono and Chris Bosh in the fourth quarter of tonight's game said it all. The Raptors finally made some runs and stayed on top by double figures for most of the fourth en route to a big win at home. Kapono had his best game this season and provided timely shooting in a game when the Raps were without Anthony Parker and Kris Humphries.

NBA.com Recap

Player of the Game:
Kapono finally broke out with a huge game tonight. He put up 25 points on great 11-16 from the field (3-7 from three), 8 rebounds, 2 assists and even blocked a shot. Even with all his great numbers, the most impressive part of his game isn't visible in the box score. Jason created his own shot, showing off serious handles and putting his great mid-range game on display. On one play, he spun off his defender to his left, took a dribble over and launched a wide-open three. He missed, but if he had made it, it would have been the play of his career.

Notables:
Chris Bosh - 21 points (9-16 FG, 3-5 FT), 10 rebounds and 2 assists. Came out of his recent slump with a nice, All-Star performance. Hopefully CB4's feeling better, and can get some rest before Friday's tilt.
Jamario Moon - 17 points (7-12 FG, 1-3 3FG, 1-3 FT), 8 rebounds, 3 blocks. Jamario showed us a little flashback to last season, being active on defense and on the boards, including a monster putback slam. One thing he didn't show last season was a very hot jumper, knocking down a three and mid-range Js with consistency, and was a great asset to the Raps tonight.
Jose Calderon - 11 points (3-9 FG, 1-2 3FG, 4-4 FT), 14 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and only 2 turnovers. Jose was magnificent. He moved the ball with meaning and kept the Raps' offense flowing, helping five other players score in double figures.

Full box score

Stat of the Game:
The Raptors shot very well, shooting efficient 49.4% from the field, while defending the Pacers very well, holding them to just 34.7% shooting. In particular, the Raps guarded the Pacers' leading scorer Danny Granger effectively, holding him to just 9-25 from the field and 3-11 from long range.

Next Game: Friday, December 12th, 7:30 PM at New Jersey Nets

Raptors Hope to End Skid vs. Pacers

7:00 pm, The Score, Fan 590, www.channelsurfing.net
The Raptors have dropped 5 straight. One can only hope that they can come out on the winning end against the 7-13 Pacers.

NBA.com Preview

What to Watch For:
- In the summer, the Raptors sent TJ Ford over to Indiana in order to assure Jose the starting spot. Tonight presents Jose vs. TJ. We all know that whoever fares better tonight is ultimately the better point guard, right?
- Anthony Parker will sit out tonight with a sprained ankle, look for Jason Kapono to start in his place.
- Jay Triano has talked about how he wants to play active defense and push the ball. Thus far we have seen little fast breaking and too much passiveness. Maybe the Raptors took note of a thing or two from the Cavaliers last night.

Stop Walking and Run

Over the last five games, it's clear that the Raptors' biggest weakness has been exposed for the world to see. No, it's not rebounding, transition defence, fast break points or lack of a slasher. It's the Raps' inability to put together runs. It's really been there the entire year, but weaknesses show up in losses, not wins.

Individual games this season are really shaping up the way the Blue Jays' 2005 season went. For most of the season they didn't record a winning or losing streak longer than five games (out of 162, remember). They did record one 9-game losing streak which was the main reason they ended the season below .500. But that journey seems to perfectly reflect the Raptors in every individual journey so far this season. The Raptors are almost never out of the game in the first half, they're too talented for that. but over and over, you see a decisive third- or fourth-quarter run that does the Raptors in. In last night's game against the Cavs, they completely dominated the third quarter en route to a blowout win.

You always hear the announcers and colour guys talk about how "good teams will always make their run". And it's true - think about the times the Raptors have been up big in the third or fourth (seems like a long time ago, doesn't it?). Against New Jersey the Raptors had a three possession lead with a minute and a half to go, and against Atlanta we had a nine-point lead that was cut to three with a minute left. Whether it's the coaching staff, the motivation they give, or something else, the Raptors have to learn to focus - that means everyone, as a team - and put together some runs. If these guys are willing to trail by a wide margin going into every fourth quarter, it's the only way to pick up Ws.

5th Straight Loss, 4th Blowout in the Stretch: 114-94 Cavs

Good news: the Raptors are in the record books!
Bad news: they are in the record books because LeBron James became the leader in career steals for the Cavs and Zydrunas Ilgauskas became the leader in career rebounds for the Cavs.

The Raptors once again showed a lack of intensity and the defense has not yet shown up. The Raps have now fallen to 8-12, and look to snap their 5 game losing streak tomorrow against Indiana.

Player of the game:
Joey Graham - 17 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist. Used garbage minutes at the end of the game effectively. The Raptors' leading scorer tonight.

Notables:
Roko Ukic - 10 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist. We may be biased because we love Roko, but 10 points, 0 turnovers, and overall +7 when he was on the floor makes for a pretty good night for Roko.
Jose Calderon - 14 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists. Tried to get a stagnant offense going tonight...
Chris Bosh - 9 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists. Bosh's numbers have become less and less amazing during this losing streak. Fatigue anyone?

Stat of the game:
The Cavs beat out the Raptors in every category possible:
- Rebounds: 45 - 33 Cavs
- Assists: 29 - 18 Cavs
- Turnovers: 11 - 19 Cavs
- Steals: 11 - 5 Cavs
- Points in the paint: 48 - 36 Cavs
- Fast break points: 17 - 10 Cavs

I am a believer that the Raptors have the skill to compete with the Cavs and other above .500 teams. However, it looks as if the Raps just don't have the intensity nor the effort to play in these games as of late. Very heartbreaking to any Raptor fan.

Raptors Go To Cleveland

7 o'clock: TSN,Channelsurfing.net, Fan 590
The Raptors are on a 4 game losing streak, and facing Cleveland will be a tough way to get back on the winning end of things. The Cavs are 17-3, and are on an 8 game win streak. The Cavs are also averaging 103 points per game, so the Raptors will have to do their best to try and play defense like a real team.

What to watch for:
- The Cavaliers are a perfect 11-0 at home.
- LeBron James (obviously). This season he's averaging 26.5 points per game, 7 rebounds per game and 6.5 rebounds per game. More astoundingly, he's been doing this in 35.4 per game, down an average of 3.7 minutes per game from last year. "Mr. Fourth Quarter" has been nothing of the sort this year, simply because the red-hot Cavs haven't needed him in the fourth, especially at home. The Cavs led by 26, 26, 40 and 21 points heading into the fourth quarter of the last four home games.
- The Raptors have now dropped to last place in the Atlantic division, hopefully this will give them some flair coming into this game.
- Last game, Jermaine O'Neal played his best game in a Raptor uniform, with 10-18 FG, 24 points, 8 Rebounds, 2 Assists, and 6 blocks. Hopefully he will respond in a big way against the Cavs.

Raptors Lose Close One - 98-97 Blazers

That's right - the Raptors didn't get blown out. Unfortunately, Steve Blake hit a tremendous three with about nine seconds left to put the Blazers up one after Chris Bosh's jumper had the Raps up two. On the other end, Chris looked terribly uncomfortable and ended up throwing up a desperation floater from the baseline that unsurprisingly missed. This game probably lowered the Raptors' morale... if it can go any lower.

Player of the Game:
Jermaine O'Neal had his best game in a Raptors uniform thus far. He put up season highs in points (24 on 10-18 from the field and 4-4 from the line) and blocks with 6, and also added 8 rebounds and 2 assists. Hindsight is 20-20 but... we just don't understand why that final play wasn't drawn up for JO.

Notables:
Jose Calderon - 15 points (6-9 FG, 3-5 3FG), 13 assists, 2 turnovers. Jose was magnificent. No blame can fairly be placed on him.
Anthony Parker - 8 points (3-7 FG, 2-3 3FG), 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals. Excellent defensive game from AP, and guarded Roy quite effectively - Roy shot 6-16 for the game.
Joey Graham - 10 points (4-5 FG, 2-2 FT) and 2 rebounds. Good Joey showed up again! Graham looks more and more like a solid role player with each passing game, and had one monster driving dunk that might've been the play of the night.

Stat of the Game:
Portland had a plus-17 advantage on the boards, including 18 offensive rebounds (to Toronto's four). Folks, just can't win when you give up that many second- and third-chance points. It defeats players' confidence (especially seeing how often those points came after a block) and reduces your own team's ability to put together a run. Toronto has to get back to being competitive on the boards.

Next game: Tuesday, December 9th, 7:00 PM at Cleveland Cavaliers

Trailblazers Visit the ACC

Today is Portland at Toronto, 1:00PM tipoff. Brandon Roy and his young, talented group of bigs visit to try to extend the Raps' losing skid. Hopefully Jay Triano had some choice words for our Dinos and they can play with the same fire we saw earlier in the season. The game is available on TSN, the Fan590 and www.channelsurfing.net.

NBA.com preview

What to watch for:
- Brandon Roy is one of the best all-around guards in the game. With a deadly mid-range game, the ability to penetrate and shoot from deep, Anthony Parker has yet another difficult assignment.
- Portland has a very talented group of big men, including Greg Oden, LaMarcus Aldridge and Joel Pryzbilla. Jermaine O'Neal, Andrea Bargnani and Chris Bosh will need to keep the Blazers off the boards if they want a chance to win.
- The Raptors thus far have had the second most difficult schedule based on opponent winning percentage. But, the bottom line is, the Raps need to prove they can beat "better" teams if they want respect around the league - something they have been completely unable to do.

Raptors Pummelled Again - 114-87 Jazz

Unfortunately, Jay Triano's second career game as head coach (he filled in for one game last year) was a complete and utter disaster. The Raptors again defended like the French army and played with the urgency of a Pizza Pizza delivery man. Utah - a painfully slow-paced team that loves to utilize big men Carlos Boozer (who did not play) and all-around centre Mehmet Okur in the half-court, looked like the Showtime Lakers, piling up transition points with crisp passing and timely rebounds. The Jazz played the Raps' weaknesses perfectly, dominating the paint and glass and getting out and running in the open court.

NBA.com recap

Player of the Game:
Chris Bosh. One of the only bright spots. 18 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks. Played pretty well. Chris had one of his worse games this season and was still by far the best Raptor.

Notables:
Joey Graham - 13 points, 5 rebounds. Shot well (6-9 FG, 1-1 FT), but had four fouls and three turnovers. Good Joey (sort of) keeps showing up. Maybe give him a shot at starting, Jay?
Andrea Bargnani - 7 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks. Nice defensive game from Andrea. Needs to shoot better, he shot 3-12 from the floor, 1-1 from the line and missed all four threes. This team needs scorers. He's one of them.
Jose Calderon - 10 points, 8 assists. Yeah, played pretty well. But as much as we love Jose... we can't help but feel that he's just not the same since he's come back. For lack of a better word: it's as if he's missing his "onions".

Full box score

Stat(s) of the Game:
Where to start? We were minus-14 on the boards. Utah forced 23 turnovers, and put up 31 assists on 47 made field goals. And this must be mentioned: Kosta Koufos and Matt Harpring combined for 24 points and 10 rebounds in 17 minutes. Shudder.

Next game: Sunday, December 7th, 1:00PM vs. Portland Trail Blazers

The Rose of the NBA - A Friday Night Ramble

- This weeks Friday night ramble features Derrick Rose, who broke the ankles of supposed "above average" point guard Andre Miller. Take a look. Rose, as a rookie, is lighting up the NBA. He is averaging close to 19 points, 6 assists, and 4 boards. Too bad, Kirk...
- The Spurs' big three are back in action, as Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker are both back from injury. They have won their last 2 games, and now stand at 10-8 after their dreadful start. Watch for underrated rookie George Hill as well.
- Yesterdays dunk of the night featured Tyrus Thomas. Apparently the rim did something to piss him off. Watch Tyrus soar.
- Dallas’ Jason Kidd made a 3-pointer Thursday night, the 1,386th of his career, tying Antoine Walker for ninth in NBA history. Even Kidd, a career .337 three-point shooter, did it in over 200 fewer attempts than Employee Number 8.
- Philadelphia forward Elton Brand will miss Friday’s game at Detroit with a strained right hamstring. Brand had an MRI on Thursday and did not travel with the Sixers. He is listed as day-to-day. Just a friendly reminder to all those who disliked the Jermaine O'Neal trade due to his past injuries, yet rejoiced at Elton Brand coming to Philly.
- Rockets' guard Rafer Alston was shocked to hear that the Raptors fired coach Sam Mitchell on Wednesday. "We had our issues, but we allowed other things to seep into our relationship, and that's where the problems got out of hand," Alston said rather incoherently. If that weren't enough, Rafer went on to contradict himself by saying "I know (the Raptors) haven't been happy with the way they have played this year, but this shocked me." Its good that Rafer took the time out of his busy schedule of bribing 2K sports to get him rated 79 overall in NBA 2K8 and flexing in his mirror to talk to the presses about Sam's firing.

Raptors Hope To Get A Win Off A Tough Road Trip

Raptors at Utah, 10:30. The game is available for your viewing pleasure on TSN and channelsurfing.net, and for listen on the Fan 590. So far through 2 games on their 3 game Western Conference visit, the Raptors are 0-2, losing by a combined 58 points in those 2 games. In this road trip, the Raptors have let go of their head coach, Sam Mitchell, but hey, at least Jermaine O'Neal returned to the lineup after 3 DNP's.
The Jazz are currently 12-8, while the Raptors are 8-9.

What to watch for:
- Jay Triano! Lets see if he can draw up a play, or tell the Raptors players to play defense.
- The Raptors catch a break tonight as Carlos Boozer will not play, and Andrei Kirilenko, who averages 2.8 blocks per game against the Dinos, is not 100%. This may enable the Raptors to get an advantage inside.
- Jason Kapono and Anthony Parker average 70% and 60% respectively from three point land in their career vs. the Jazz. Hopefully they will be able to lift them out of the shooting funk the Raps have gotten themselves into the past couple days. Last game against the Nuggets, the Raptors shot 36.6 percent, the worst of the season thus far.

Coaching Change - What It Means

As you no doubt know by now, yesterday the Raptors fired head coach of four full seasons Sam Mitchell. Former assistant Jay Triano has been promoted to head coach on in an interim basis. Triano served as head coach once last year, coaching the Raps to a rout over Minnesota.

This deal could signal several things.
1) Bryan Colangelo seized the opportunity to bring in his own guy. For years in the NBA, it has been a custom that for every front-office regime change, there is a coaching overhaul as well. When BC was brought in, he told Sam Mitchell he has a blank slate and would only be replaced if he performed poorly. Well, Smitch went on to win Coach of the Year in helping completely turn the Raptors around. Unfortunately, Marc Iavaroni and Mike D'Antoni, Colangelo's two key coaches in Phoenix, are now the head coaches of the Memphis Grizzlies and the New York Knicks, respectively. If BC wants to bring in his own guy, it's pretty much down to Flip Saunders, Jeff Van Gundy, maybe Pat Riley - or Isaiah Thomas (that noise you just heard was your involuntary cry of "PLEASE GOD! NO!").

2) Jay Triano will be held over as a permanent head coach. Triano is a well-respected assistant in the league, having survived three head coaching changes (Lenny Wilkens, Kevin O'Neill, and now Sam Mitchell), coaching Team Canada to their best-ever record, and helping out with Team USA in recent years. It might be time for Triano to step into the spotlight.

3) BC has a trick up his sleeve. Bryan Colangelo is a man famous for making something from nothing. He turned a laughingstock Raptors franchise into a playoff team seemingly overnight, immediately after transforming the Phoenix Suns from bottom-dwellers into contenders. With the best-dressed front-office executive at the helm of this team, there's really no saying what will happen.

Sam Mitchell Fired

The Raptors have announced that following yesterday's 39-point loss to Denver, head coach Sam Mitchell has been fired. He will be replaced by Jay Triano on an interim basis. Mitchell holds Toronto's all-time coaching wins record with 156, and won Coach of the Year in 2007. The move was somewhat predictable, but hopefully the Raptors can realize the urgency of their current situation and turn the season around - fast.

Read the press release

Raptors Can't Bounce Back - 132-93 Nuggets

Last night was not a pretty sight at all if you're a Raptors fan. The Raptors trailed by fourteen points after the first quarter and lost by the fifth-largest differential in franchise history. The Raptors, in continuing to showcase their acting skills while emulating a seventh-grade phys ed class, allowed the Nuggets to pile up the most assists of any team so far this season. All around, not such a great game.

Read the NBA.com recap... or don't

Player of the Game:
Well, it has to be Chris Bosh. Statistically had a nice game with 24 points on 7-15 from the field and 10-10 on free throws to go with 12 rebounds and 5 assists. Unfortunately, even Bosh was at blame for some abhorrent defense, and his run-of-the-mill Franchise performance was not nearly enough.

Notables:
Roko Ukic - 13 points (3-9 F, 1-3 3FG, 6-6 FT), 2 rebounds, one assist. Hot Cocoa still hasn't found his jumper, but last night (yes, in garbage time, we know) he showcased his ability to get to the basket and hit all six of his free throws. Maybe this will help his confidence and allow him to play with a little more swagger.
Kris Humphries - 4 points (2-5 FG), 8 rebounds, 2 blocks. Nice game in 16 mostly meaningless minutes for Kris. As reader Mintz... astutely pointed out, Humphries had four times as many rebounds as JO... in two fewer minutes.
Jose Calderon - 9 points (3-5 FG, 3-4 3FG), 7 assists, 2 turnovers. Jose was effective as usual. It would be nice to see him penetrate once in a while, though...

Full box score

Stat of the Game:
I'm on the record as saying that plus-minus in basketball is largely meaningless, but one stat stands out as portraying this entire game. Chauncey Billups (24 points, 14 assists) was +48 while on the floor. He did whatever he wanted against non-existent defense. But I suppose it's true... there's no D in Toronto.

Next game: Friday, December 5th, 10:30 PM at Utah Jazz

Raptors Visit Nuggets

Tonight at 9:00 pm, the Raptors play the Nuggets. This is the Raps first look at the Nuggets with Chauncey Billups, who has led the team to an 11-3 record with him in the lineup. Billups is averaging 18.6 points and 6.7 assists in 14 games with the Nuggets. The Raptors look to tread above .500 with a win in Denver. The game is available on The Score, the Fan 590, and channelsurfing.net.

What to watch for:
- The Nuggets star, Carmelo Anthony, left the Nuggets last game in the first quarter with an elbow injury. He says he hopes to play tonight.
- Jermaine O'Neal has now missed three games straight, and it became apparent against the Lakers that the Raptors are missing his body in the middle. Hopefully he will get to play tonight.
- The Raptors were simply outhustled in Los Angeles. Hopefully they will have learned a thing or two from that loss.

Raptors Outrun, Outplayed By Lakers: 112 - 99 Lakers

The Raptors put together a nice little 2 game win streak. However, along came Kobe and his band of 14-1 Lakers. The Raptors were simply outpaced, outrebounded, and outplayed. The Lakers controlled the pace and the paint, making it evident what Jermaine O'Neal brings on a nightly basis. Jermaine, its time to come back. The Raptors are now back to .500 at 8-8. This was the first game of the Raptors' three game road trip. Sadly, the opponents don't get easier, as the remaining games are at Denver and Utah.
NBA.com Recap

Player of the game:
Jose Calderon - 12 points, 6 rebounds, 12 assists. Jose looks like he's getting healthier since his hamstring pull. Jose only took 9 shots, he was probably too busy selflessly passing to his teammates.

Notables:
Andrea Bargnani - 14 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocked shots. Yes, you did read correctly, Andrea had 4 blocks. Even more amazingly he only had 1 foul! Talk about maturing...
Anthony Parker - 19 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists. He was 4-6 from three point land, pretty much the only reason why we could marginally keep pace with the Lakers.

Stat of the game:
Question: What do you get when you combine the fourth letter of the alphabet with a freestanding structure designed to restrict or prevent movement across a boundary?
Answer: You get defense!

Question: What have the Raptors lacked all season?
Answer: Defense!
The Raptors continued their imitation of a sixth grade basketball team's defense against the Lakers. The Lakers hit the 100 point mark with 7:26 left in the fourth quarter! They shot 51% from the field. Furthermore: the Raptors were minus-18 on the glass, minus-26 in points in the paint, and minus-11 in fast break points. If I didn't know better, I would think that Sam Mitchell is resorting to wishing for the ghost of Nate Huffman to somehow appear and keep the basketball out of their net (a la Antoine Tyler in The Sixth Man).

The one positive the Raptors can take out of this game is the balanced scoring. 6 Raptors were in double figs, as well as solid bench production.

Raps to Take On Red-Hot Lakers

Well, if the Raptors were waiting for a powerhouse team in the NBA so they could make a statement, tonight is the night. We have Raptors vs. Lakers, 9:30 PM (EST) tipoff. The game is on theScore and the Fan590. The Lakers have the league's best record at 13-1 and have won six straight road game. The Raptors' record currently stands at 8-7, having won two straight.

Read NBA.com's preview

What to Watch For:
- Jermaine O'Neal is expected to make his return to the lineup tonight. This means Jamario Moon - who has played quite well as a starter - will most likely return to his role as an energy man off the bench. JO will need to help keep Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol off the boards while contributing on the offensive end.
- Chris Bosh has continued to be dominant over the recent stretch. He's averaging almost 34 points per game over his last four and he will need to keep it up to beat a very tough lakers team.
- The Lakers don't foul their opponents very often - on Friday the Mavericks attempted just nine free throws. It's critical that Jose and AP penetrate to allow Bosh and O'Neal to work down low.

Dwight "How-hard" (Can a Free Throw Be?) - a Friday Night Ramble

- Dwight Howard is one of the league's premier big men. He's averaging 21.2 points on efficient 59% from the field, 13.5 rebounds, almost four blocks, an assist and a half and a reasonable 2.7 turnovers per game. He's becoming dominant on defense and his strength and explosiveness make him hard to stop on the offensive end. But he's brutal from the free throw line. Putrid. Awful. Tearshed-inducingly disgusting. He cannot shoot a free throw. In his first season he actually shot fairly well, going for 67%. He hasn't shot over 60% in a season since. This season he's going for 57% - that's right, he's shooting better from the floor than the line. The argument "big men don't shoot well from the line" does not fly with Prehistoric Hoops. Chris Bosh (admittedly more of a finesse player) shoots 83%. Tim Duncan shoots 68%. Carlos Boozer shoots 73%. I kind of feel bad for Stan Van Gundy, really. He has the game's most dominant player, but this kid just can't play more than three feet from the hoop. Imagine if he shot just 65% - not spectacular, but he'll punish you more often than not. This is obviously possible, he shot even better in season number one. But being such a poor free-throw shooter allows teams to use Hack-a-Dwight - which is becoming more and more popular - and watch for it when starting big men are down with injury - and he just can't make them pay. Shooting 65% would put a stop to Hack-a-Dwight, and would make him even more potent down low, as coaches can't throw out their Mark Madsens (yes, still in the league) and Hilton Armstrongs to use six fouls and just push him out of the lane. He would go for 26 a game and record a 20-20 as often as a 30-10.
We at PH play basketball, nothing too impressive, but we can shoot our free throws. I, for instance, pride myself on making 8 of 10 every time. I don't play in the NBA (or do I?) but that also means I don't have 168 hours per week to work on my game.
Just imagine.
- Don't worry! Ron Artest still fancies himself a rapper!
- Stephon Marbury has been suspended for a game for "conduct detrimental to the team." Yawn.
- The Summer of LeBron is in full force. The Knicks, as we've discussed, are major players, with only four players under contract and $18M committed for the summer of 2010. It's gotten so bad that Charles Barkley has said something rude and in-your-face! Barkley said the following in an interview with ESPN, "If I was LeBron James, I would shut the hell up. I'm a big LeBron fan. He's a stud. You gotta give him his props. I'm getting so annoyed he's talking about what he's going to do in two years. I think it's disrespectful to the game. I think it's disrespectful to the Cavaliers." Wise words from the Round Mound of Rebound.
- As a side note, Barkley's autobiography "I May Be Wrong but I Doubt It" is a very interesting read. Unless you've been living under a rock since the 1980s, you'll know that Sir Charles is a very outspoken, articulate man. 250 pages of ranting makes for entertainment.
- The subject of rotund power forwards brings us into our Obscure Former Raptor Update. This week we'll bring you up to speed on the second best player in NBA history with the nickname "The Big O" - Oliver Miller. Miller, according to his Wikipedia page he was once reprimanded by the Phoenix Suns for showing up late to a game while holding a McDonald's bag. Believe it or not, Miller was still playing in 2004 with the Timberwolves, playing 10 minutes a game off the bench, and most likely averaging more oxygen tanks per game rebounds, tipping the scales at 325 pounds. Perhaps the most interesting part of Miller's career is that he twice placed for the Harlem Globetrotters. The only viable explanation for this travesty is that they used Miller's tummy as a trampoline.
Miller's career averages are a semi-respectable 7.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.5 blocks and an impressive three fouls per game. Andrea Bargnani, eat your heart out. Before Oliver Miller eats your whole body.

Second Straight W - 93-88 Raps

Tonight was another must-win game for the Raptors, and on the strength of Chris Bosh and some nicely balaced play from the supporting cast the Raps got their second win in a row. Flat out, CB4 played like an MVP. While we hardly played our best basketball of the season, we got stops when we needed to (read: in the last 3 minutes of the fourth) and Bosh took over all dimensions of the game. Our record stands at 8-7, finishing up the homestand 2-2 before embarking on a very tough stretch of the schedule.

NBA.com recap

Player of the Game
Chris Bosh. Noticing a trend, anyone? CB dropped another monster game, putting up 30 points on 13-26 from the floor (0-2 from three) and 4-5 from the line. This was one of his most well-rounded games to date: he contributed 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 blocks too. Not bad.

Notables:
Joey Graham - 11 points (5-10 FG, 0-1 3FG, 1-1 FT), 5 rebounds, one steal. We've been taking Tylenol, but our Joey Graham Fever isn't going away. He turned in his second straight effective game, looking very confident and had some very emphatic dunks and rebounds. It's great to see him so energetic, and he's giving the Raps needed scoring and toughness in the absence of Jermaine O'Neal.
Jason Kapono - 16 points (6-10 FG, 2-4 3FG, 2-2 FT), 2 assists, 2 rebounds. Nice game from Jason, including a very pretty dish down low to Bosh. Iced the game with two free throws off the inbounds with about 30 seconds left, and shot the ball. That's his job.
Jose Calderon - 6 points (3-11 FG, 0-4 3FG), 11 asists, 4 rebounds, one turnover. Jose shot very poorly, and had one scary moment in which he turned his ankle before falling directly on the ball while going out of bounds. He was fine, and actually had his first "classic Jose" moment, slashing through the lane and finishing off the glass in traffic. His shot will come, and his distribution is still there. No need to worry, Raptors fans.

Full box score

Stat of the Game:
Every Raptor except Roko Ukic (who played under four minutes, recording an assist) scored at least one basket. This was one of the most balanced game scoring-wise in recent memory for the Dinos, and it shows that while Chris Bosh still shoulders the load, he can set up his teammates and be just as effective.

Next game: Sunday, November 30th, 9:30 PM at Los Angeles Lakers

Raptors Host the Hawks

Alliteration aside, Friday night the Hawks land in Toronto. 7 o'clock tipoff; it's available for view on TSN, for listen on the Fan590, and online on channelsurfing.net. The Hawks currently stand at 9-5, coming off a win in Milwaukee. The Raptors are back at .500 (7-7) after a win against the Bobcats. Look for them to try and carry that momentum into this game.

What to watch for:
- Toronto's favourite player to leave wide open, Mike Bibby, is coming to Toronto! Last game against the Raps Bibby had 19 points, 12 assists and shot 71% from downtown.
- Will Jermaine O'Neal play?
- CB4 is 2nd in the league in points per game with 27.6. He is second only to LeBron James, who averages just 0.3 points more than Bosh per game. MVP cheers anyone?
- Roko Ukic was very effective as Jose Calderon's backup in limited minutes against Charlotte. 2 points, 3 assists, and most importantly 0 turnovers in 7 minutes. Maybe Will Solomon can learn a thing or two about ball control from Hot Cocoa Roko.
- I have a confession. I've got Joey Graham fever! Against Charlotte, Joey came off the bench and provided energy, taking the ball to the hoop and being aggressive. Joey ended up 17 points and 6 boards in 22 minutes. If we see him getting minutes against Atlanta, hopefully the aggressive Joey will show up.

Raps Get Needed Win - 93-86 Raps

Tonight was... well, not much of a team game. Chris Bosh was dominant as usual, but a new face stepped up as an efficient second option: Joey Graham. Thanks to solid production, the Raptors survived another lacklustre effort past the franchise player. The Raptors' record currently stands at 7-7.

NBA.com recap

Player of the Game:
Chris Bosh... yet again. CB4 was pretty ridiculous, going for 39 points on 15-20 from the field and 9-10 from the line. Efficient, don't you think? He also added 12 rebounds and two blocks just for kicks. Chris carried us. We needed it.

Notables:
Joey Graham - Joey G actually came up huge in this game, going for 17 points (6-8 FG, 5-5 FT) and 6 boards in 21 minutes. He had 5 fouls, but chalk it up to overeagerness. Excellent production and allowed himself to play big, meaningful minutes. Hopefully he's finally figured out how to string together some good games in a row and we can see Graham's true ability.
Jose Calderon - 10 points (4-10 FG, 2-6 3FG), 9 assists, 3 rebounds. Isn't feeling 100% yet but shows very few signs of slowing down other than driving less than usual. His shot is not too far gone and his vision is still brilliant.
Andrea Bargnani - 11 points (4-15 FG, 2-6 3FG, 1-2 FT), 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks. Nice all-around game on a terrible shooting night from Bargs. Showed he can contribute when his shot isn't falling, and hopefully he continues doing so. Unfortunately put up 4 turnovers and 4 fouls - needs to get back to keeping those down as he has in recent games.

Full box score

Stat of the Game:
The Raptors shot better in all three departments, helping to edge the Bobcats despite Charlotte's plus-seven edge in field goal attempts and plus-four advantage in free throw attempts. The Raps shot 50% (36-72) to Charlotte's 43% (34-79) from the field, 37.5% (6-16) to 18.7% (3-16) from three and 88.2% (15-17) to 71.4% (15-21) from the stripe. As many storylines as Toronto has this year, the game comes down to putting the ball in the bucket, and they did so with efficiency tonight.

Next game: Friday, November 28th, 7:00 PM vs. Atlanta Hawks

Raps Need to Get Back on Track

Tonight we have a clash of Eastern conference titans in Raptors vs. Bobcats, 7:00PM tipoff. You can watch on theScore, channelsurfing.net or listen on the Fan. This is a must-win for the Raps. I hate to say it (I'm a big Sam Mitchell fan) but if they drop to 6-8 he's on the hot seat. They are allowed to lose to Boston and Detroit (even big losses), but they simply have to beat the Bobcats. Period. Let's hope they do - the Dinos won 89-79 in the season's last matchup between these two teams.

What to Watch for:
- The Raptors need to come out with a sense of urgency. 6-7? Come on fellas. Chris Bosh will be playing like a man possessed, and hopefully he can make like KG and get some guys on this squad to play some D.
- The Bobcats have very small point guards: Raymond Felton and DJ Augustin are both six-feet tall. Jose Calderon and Roko Ukic are 6-3 and 6-5, respectively. Look for some big point play: last game the guards combined for 15 points and 13 assists.
- The Raptors played some of their best defense against the Bobcats in the last showdown, holding Charlotte to 37% shooting. If the Raps don't bring it, however, Gerald Wallace, Augustin and Felton, Jason Richardson and Emeka Okafor could all have big nights.

It's The Defense, Stupid

After the Celtics made a mockery of the Raptors on Toronto's home court, the Raptors now stand at 6-7. They are now last in the Atlantic division, and have paralleled their record from last season at this point. "But how is this possible?", the naive Raptor fan may ask, "We made that blockbuster deal for Jermaine O'Neal! He was supposed to give us all the defense we needed."
Well, thus far it has been a roller coaster ride of defensive intensity and rebounding. The first few games were an abysmal attempt on the boards for the Raptors. However recently, in starting three big men, things have been beginning to click on the boards. As for defensive intensity, the Raptors have now allowed over 100 points in 7 out of their 13 games and have lost to every legitimate Eastern team they have faced. And today as the "fire Sam Mitchell" cheers were rabid, and all Sam could muster up in his post game interview was "we have been through tougher times than this". I could not help but smile at this remark. Here you have your franchise player, livid about the lack of effort in this game, and all Sam can say is that there have been worse situations. Maybe its time for a brainstorm, Sam.
Your team is currently giving up 99.25 points per game, 10th worst in the league. Your opponents are shooting 45% from the field against you, 13th worst in the league. Clearly something must be done. Toronto should not be near the bottom, we are supposed to be a legitimate playoff team this year.
Last in the Atlantic Division and a sub .500 record is not doing us justice. I am aware that we are only 13 games in to the season, but I am a believer that adjustments need to be made early. "It was just one of those nights" and "we have been through tougher times than this" should not be legitimate answers to the Raptors failings at this point. Look at what we are doing wrong and address it. It is a simple equation that has worked. Take rebounding, for example. Our first five games we were outrebounded heavily. So in practice, Sam said they worked extensively on rebounding, and unsurprisingly, the worst rebounding team in the NBA began to outrebound opponents. Take a page from your own book Sam, do some defensive drills. It is no shock why the Celtics are in a class of their own in the NBA, they hold opponents to 89 points per game on an average of 39.4% shooting from the field.

Celtics at Toronto

Today the Boston Celtics Visit the Toronto Raptors for a 12:30 matinee game. The game will be available for view on CBC or channelsurfing.net, and for listen as always on the Fan 590. The Raptors look to not sink below .500, they currently sit at 6-6.

What to Watch For:
- The Raptors are currently 0-4 when facing teams with better records than them in the East. This does not exactly scream playoff contender. The Raptors are still looking for that statement win over an Eastern power.
- Jermaine O'Neal is playing today, he is in the starting lineup. He had a big impact in the first game versus the Celtics, will he be able to step up again?
- Last game against the Celtics, and for many of the their games this season, the Raptors have shown an inability to play 48 minutes. In Boston, they dropped the ball in the fourth quarter, allowing Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to go off. Hopefully the Raptors will have learned a lesson.
- Last game in the second half Chris Bosh only had one field goal. That simply cannot happen today if the Raptors want a W.

Knickerbockers Make Offers: A Friday Night Ramble

- Firstly, I would like to apologize for the rhyme in the title.
- The Knicks have completed 2 trades today. First they sent Jamal Crawford to Golden State for Al Harrington, and second they sent Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins to the L.A. Clippers for Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley. These deals have apparently been made to free up salary cap space in 2010, when notables such as Dwayne Wade, Lebron James and Chris Bosh become free agents. Dwayne's and Chris' agent has been quoted saying "I find it sort of strange, the reality is it's two years away. I don't know why there's so much talk about it." Wise words.
- Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder has more offensive rebounds than defensive rebounds this season. He has 39 rebounds this season, 23 coming from the offensive end.
- Chris Paul is averaging more assists per game (11.9) than T.J. Ford and Andre Miller combined (11.6). I think BC made the right move in keeping Jose. As for Andre Miller, to quote my co-blogger Ben, "Only once he establishes the NBA record for unnecessary dribbles in a career will Andre Miller be an above average point guard".
- Dwight Howard has been to the line fewer than 11 times just once in the past six games, averaging 12.7 attempts over the stretch. Too bad his free throw percentage is a miserable .539. Hack-a-Dwight anyone?
- Jose Calderon, unsurprisingly, sits at the bottom of the Eddy Curry Fantasy Line, a stat in which a player must average more turnovers than assists, steals, and blocks combined. Jose is averaging 5.80 good stats to 1 turnover. The top/bottom ten players on the Eddy Curry Line: (1) Desmond Mason, (2) Kevin Durant, (3) Jason Thompson, (4) Thaddeus Young, (5) Marc Gasol, (6) Bobby Simmons, (7) Andres Nocioni, (8) Emeka Okafor, (9) Yao Ming, (10) David West.
- This week, former 10 day Raptor Linton Johnson was released by the Charlotte Bobcats. One may say he had a relatively short stint-on Johnson (I'm sorry).
- On that note, we can launch into our Obscure Former Raptor Update. Today's centrepiece: Nate Huffman. An import from Maccabi Tel-Aviv, 7'1 Nate Huffman played 7 games in the 02-03 season for the Raptors, averaging 3.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. Hooray for another failed Glen Grunwald experiment. Huffman was released by the Raptors and his contract was terminated by the Raptors. Team management charged that he hid a knee injury from them when he signed the contract. Huffman responded by suing them in 2003. In February 2004, however, an arbitrator ruled that the Raptors were responsible for Huffman’s contract. Tough luck, Glen. After getting his money from the Toronto Raptors he decided to fund a basketball camp for children in 2005 with retired Romanian-Israeli basketballer Constantin Popa.

Raps Come Out On Wrong End of Barn Burner: 129 - 127 Nets

It took almost two overtimes to reach a conclusion to what can only be described as a battle. The Raptors looked like they had the game clinched, up 18 halfway through the third quarter. However, a magnificent performance by (I hate to say) Vince Carter, including the game tying three pointer and the game winning bucket, gave the Nets the win. Vince finished with 39 points and the Raptors are back to a .500 team at 6-6. Perhaps the most terrifying part of the game: Jermaine O'Neal left the game after Sean Williams' flagrant foul. He will go in for tests, his current status is a strained right knee.
NBA.com Recap

Player of the game:
Chris Bosh - 42 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists in 44 minutes. How could anyone ever criticize this man? Down the stretch, Chris hit big bucket after big bucket, including the game tying three pointer with 2 seconds left in overtime. Chris also tied his career high in points with 42. It is truly a shame that the Raptors couldn't pull out a win.

Notables:
Jose Calderon - 26 points, 15 assists, 5 rebounds in 44 minutes. A red hot 8-11 from the field and 4-5 from three point range, Jose's back! However, Jose did commit an uncharacteristic 5 turnovers. No one is flawless, but this guy is pretty close.
Andrea Bargnani - 29 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists in 49 minutes. Andrea played the most of any Raptor tonight. He set a new career high in points and played like an elite.
Full box score

Stat of the game:
Say what you want about our production numbers: yes, it is quite spectacular that Bosh, Bargnani, and Jose combined for 92 points; or that we got robbed by Vince tonight. However, our bench combined for 15 points. This results in heavy minutes for starters and the starters being relied upon for the scoring duty. In knowing this fact, it is no surprise that Andrea's three-balls in overtime were hitting the front rim: he played 49 minutes and took 25 shots! In contrast, the Nets bench went off for a respectable 31 points. It's a simple message: the Raptors need bench players to produce in order to take some of the scoring pressure off of the starters.

VC and the Nets Visit the ACC

Tonight is Raptors vs. Nets, 7:00 PM tipoff. The game is available on TSN, the Fan590, and at channelsurfing.net. It's Vince Carter's first return to Toronto this season, and of course he will be booed mercilessly. As he deserves.

What to Watch For:
- The Nets traded Jason Kidd last season for up-and-coming guard Devin Harris as well as scrub DeSagana Diop. Harris has been scoring at a solid clip, around 23 points per game, but he's been fairly ineffective as a distributor, with under six assists per game.
- New Jersey relies heavily on its two big guns to score, with only three players averaging double figures in points: Harris, Vince Carter at 22.6 per game, and Keyon Dooling at 10 even. This means that if Calderon and Parker can lock down their men, the Raps should have a good chance to win.
- The Nets are also giving up over 101 points per game this season. If the Raptors can establish Bosh, O'Neal, and a secondary scorer or two early, they should be able to score at will. This team has very poor big men, with Brook Lopez's non-existent D and Josh Boone's non-existent O, Bosh and O'Neal should have their way down low.
- In a match-up of soft foreign 7-footers, Andrea Bargnani (assuming he plays the 3) will be matched up with Yi Jianlian. Both are averaging around 10 points per game, but Chairman Yi has been a force on the boards, going for a little over seven per game. Andrea will need to think back to the definiton of "box-out" to keep Yi from being a game-changer.

Raptors Get Needed W - 101-95 Raps

Q: What happens when you take the Raptors on Tuesday and add Jose Calderon?
A: We don't really have a punch line, but the Raptors are a lot better with him.
Jose had a game - the only phrase that comes to mind is "ruthlessly efficient" - what we've now really come to expect. He's hurting, no doubt. A man averaging nine assists and double figures in points doesn't reach either figure, posting 7 dimes and 9 points, but you can see it in every possession. Nothing forced. No out-of-control spinning drives that end in "didn't I have the ball a second ago?". Just pretty, intelligent basketball. Jose committed one turnover. He had two steals including a game-changing pick and bucket at the other end. We like this guy.

Read the NBA.com recap

Player of the Game:
Andrea Bargnani was due for a good game - he had a bad game against Orlando, after all - and posted a season high in points with 25 (on 9-15 FG, 3-4 3FG, 4-4 FT) and added four boards and two blocks just for kicks. He did what he's supposed to do - score. It worked.

Notables:
Chris Bosh - 15 points (7-17 FG, 1-1 FT), 11 rebounds, 2 steals. If his 40-and-18 was an ICBM, this was a tactical cruise missile. He saved a little of his energy, didn't kill himself on every possession, and let JO and AP do some work. Isn't it nice when your superstar can take an off night and put up a double-double?
Jermaine O'Neal - 16 points (8-17 FG), 17 boards, 3 assists. JO seems like he's getting in the habit of owning the backboards. Fifth straight game with a double-double. Double double-doubles from down low is a very nice thing.
Anthony Parker - 19 points (6-12 FG, 5-5 3FG, 2-2 FT), 6 rebounds. AP showed up on offense! He was guarding Wade, and he gave up 40, but Flash is one of the best scorers in the league. At least Mr. Parker gave Dwyane something to worry about on the opposite end, making every one of his five threes.

Full box score

Stat of the Game:
The Raptors shot 9-13 (69.2%) from the Land of Three Points, led by Parker's perfect 5. Bargs was 3-4, Jose went 1-2, and Moon and Kapono each missed one. This team looks more like the one that was so fun to watch in the first three games. Let's hope it stays that way, shall we?

Next game: Friday, November 21, 7:00PM vs. New Jersey Nets

Toronto Visits Heat

Tonight at 7:30 PM we have the second face-off between our Raptors and the Miami Heat in four days. The Raps won the previous match-up 107-96, with CB4 leading seven Raptors in double figures with 27 points. Against the Heat, the Raps looked like they could do anything they wanted for 42 minutes of the game (they had a six-minute field-goal-less drought in the fourth quarter) and plenty of Raptors made notable contributions. The Raptors need this game. Period. Going below .500 - even ignoring the absence of Jose Calderon - would be a confidence killer for this team. You can watch the game on The Score (or on channelsurfing.net) and you can listen in with the Fan590.

NBA.com's preview

What to Watch For:
- Chris Bosh. The Franchise is averaging over 32 points in his last three games. Last night against Orlando (against whom he always seems to play well) he dropped a 40-point, 18-rebound bomb - and the lack of a supporting cast beyond Jermaine O'Neal allowed the Raptors to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. The big fella just refuses to quit. As long as he's not exhausted, Udonis Haslem, Shawn Marion and Michael Beasley will have their hands full once again.
- Jose Calderon - or not. He's still "day-to-day" but hopefully after seeing yesterday's gong show involving Will Solomon and seven turnovers, he'll go out and buy a bionic leg or something. This team is just not the same without him. And ignore Matt Devlin - the team's Big Three does not include Andrea Bargnani. It includes Numero Ocho.
- Dwyane Wade shot 6-for-16 from the floor for 19 points last night against the Wizards, but helped out with 10 assists and six rebounds. Anthony Parker will again need to contribute on D and keep him out of the lane.
- Interesting side note alert! The top three scorers in the NBA right now, in order: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh. That 2003 NBA Draft Class wasn't half bad, eh?

Raptors Can't Contain Magic: 103-90 Orlando

It was clear that the Raptors missed Jose tonight. The Raps got off to a blazing start in the first quarter, shooting over 60%, however the rest of the game saw the gradual decline of Toronto. Tonight's game, if anything, proved that two people can not win a game, as the well rounded Magic pushed past the Raptors, rather, they pushed past Bosh and O'Neal.
NBA.com Recap

Player of the game:
Chris Bosh - 40 points, 18 rebounds, 4 assists in 45 minutes. Oh what a night from Toronto's All-Star. Tonight everyone except for Chris seemed to be shrugging their shoulders when given the opportunity to score. He was on a mission tonight, but unfortunately, he could not give us the win.

Notables:
Jermaine O'Neal - 16 points, 10 rebounds in 26 minutes. One of three (yes, three) Raptors to hit double figures in points last night. His third consecutive game putting up a double-double.

Stat of the game:
How about 21 turnovers and only 12 assists? At times this game looked like the Globetrotters versus the Generals. The Magic would easily grab our passes and make us turn over the ball with apparent ease. Will Solomon: 7 (seven) turnovers! What are you thinking Will? Hopefully Raptor point guards for years to come will watch this game and be told, "This is exactly how to not play the point".

The Raptors will have to bounce back quickly, as they fly to Miami to play the Heat tomorrow night.

Special thank you to Matt Devlin tonight for his unneeded negativity while commentating the Raptor game tonight. Not the best way to get a new city to like you Matt...

Toronto Visits Orlando, Tuesday 7:00

Tuesday night the Raptors fly to Orlando to face the team that eliminated them from the 2008 playoffs. The game is available for view on the Score, and for listening on the Fan 590. You can also watch online with channelsurfing.net.

What to watch for:
- In the Raptors vs. Magic series in the postseason of 2008, the Raptors could not find any way to contain Dwight Howard. With the addition of Jermaine O'Neal, how will the Raptors fare in keeping Dwight off of the boards?
- Last game Bosh and O'Neal were huge, posting a combined 38 points and 25 rebounds. Hopefully we can see this production again.
- Jose Calderon's official status is "day-to-day". He will be a game-time decision in Orlando.
- Against the Heat, Sam Mitchell elected to add Andrea Bargnani to the starting lineup. He played well, and allowed Kris Humphries to greatly contribute in limited minutes. Will Sam keep Bargs in the starting 5?

The Magic currently sit atop the Southeast division with a record of 7-3. This game can give the Raptors the statement win they have been looking for all season.

Raps Stop Losing Streak at 2 - 107-96 Raptors

The Raptors showed up for all 4 quarters today, something they were struggling with through the beginning of the season. Even with Dwyane Wade going off for 29 points, the Raptors were able to pound the ball inside against the Heat. With Jose Calderon sitting out to heal his hamstring, Will Solomon got the nod to start. Andrea Bargnani was also placed in the starting 5, replacing the struggling Jamario Moon. Great bench support was very helpful as the Raptors improve to 5-4.

Raptors recap

Player of the Game:
Chris Bosh - 27 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist in 41 minutes. Toronto's All-Star led the Raptors with 27 points, providing key hoops when the Raptors needed them. Overall, the Raptors were +7 with him on the court. Another great outing for Chris.

Notables:
Jermaine O'Neal - 11 points, 18 rebounds, 2 blocks in 34 minutes. Reminding everyone why BC brought him in, Jermaine owned the boards with 18, 5 of which were offensive, in posting his third consecutive double-double.
Will Solomon - 15 points, 11 assists, 4 rebounds in 34 minutes. In his first start, the Raptors latest import played like he belonged with the big boys. He dished the ball beautifully and shot the ball within reason. However, Will again struggled with turnovers, he had 4 today.
Kris Humphries - 14 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists in 16 minutes. In his first outing getting reasonable minutes, Hump shot a near perfect 5-6, got to the line 5 times, and crashed the offensive boards for 4. Bargnani starting at SF may open doors for Hump.

Full box score

Stat of the Game:
Oh my God we outrebounded a team! The rebounds were 52 - 35 in favour of the Raptors, good for a margin of +17. We also put up more points in the paint. This could be expected as Miami is largely a small ball team; their starting centre, Udonis Haslem, is only 6'8!

Next game: Tuesday, November 18th, 7:00PM at Orlando Magic

Heat Visit Toronto

Today's game is Miami at Toronto, 1:00PM tipoff. The game is on TSN2 (boo!) but you can listen live with League Pass or listen on the Fan590. You can also watch live at ChannelSurfing.net! (thanks to reader Adam for the tip). NBA.com's preview is available here.

What to Watch For:
- Heat prized rookie Michael Beasley. A rookie out of Kansas State, Beast-ley absolutely destroyed the NCAA last year. He's very strong, athletic and can shoot the rock, standing at about 6-8. He'll play the 4 for Miami and along with Wade is likely to be a cornerstone of the franchise.
- The Raptors haven't played in four days. They had a pretty busy schedule in the first couple weeks so hopefully they used the free time to get some rest. There's also the risk that the Raps could come out slowly due to rust.
- Update: Jose Calderon is a no-go. Will Solomon will start in his place.

The Curse of the BamBeno - A Friday Night Ramble

- What's the best thing that has come out of Yugoslavia since, well, ever? Beno Udrih tore up the NBA this week, averaging 19 points, 5 boards, 5 assists and just under 2 steals per game. He's been the leader - not Kevin Martin - in his Kings' attempt to get back on track. They were 2-1 this week.
- On the same note of NBA domination, look at O.J. Mayo go! Two 30+ point games this week.
- It was reported this week that Antonio McDyess has fought being traded to Toronto in the hopes of staying in Detroit. Guess what Antonio, we don't want you! Ever thought of that? You can go sit around a table with Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Antonio Davis and Alonzo Mourning and talk about what a dark, evil place Toronto is. We'll be throwing whale blubbber at you from our igloos.
- In other Canuck news, Canadian basketball hero Steve Nash got suspended 1 game for an altercation in the Suns game versus the Rockets. ESPN describes the fight's escalation: During the altercation, Barnes knocked back Alston with his shoulder, and Alston charged him. Nash ran in and was pushed back by McGrady, who was shoved down by O'Neal. Alston and Barnes both got 2 game suspensions.
- The Nets' Josh Boone is shooting 26% from the line this season. Enough said.
- The NBA All-Star ballot was released this week, which included such names as: Eddy Curry, Monta Ellis and Manu Ginobili, 3 players who have not even played a game this year. Remember when there used to be standards to be on the All-Star ballot?

Obscure Former Raptor Update:
On the subject of All-Stars, Prehistoric Hoops' all-time favourite player Jelani McCoy was a starting centre in the D-League All-Star game last year. As well, his Wikipedia page states that Jelani McCoy is able to time travel: "In February 2007, he signed with Spanish club Menorca Bàsquet and two weeks before was dismissed." He was signed, travelled back in time, and was dismissed two weeks earlier. Jelani Marwan McCoy, there's always room for you on the PH roster.

Raps Lose Fourth in Last Five - 106-96 76ers

For pretty much the first time this season, Jermaine O'Neal and Chris Bosh were dominant inside in the same game - and even with a nice game from Bargs off the bench the Raps couldn't overcome a balanced game from Philly. CB4 turned in 30 and 12 while JO had 19, 11 and 2 blocks, and Bargnani continued his string of strong games with 15, 5 and 2 blocks of his own. Philly was led by Elton Brand with 25, and they totalled five players with double digits in scoring, and seven players with at least 7 points. In all, the Sixers came out with more energy, confidence and hunger than the Raptors, and our record currently stands at: average. 4-4.

Raptors Post Up

Player of the Game:
Chris Bosh continued to play like a surefire All-Star, topping the 30-point barrier once again, adding 12 rebounds, 2 assists, one steal and one block while shooting 10-15 from the floor and 10-13 from the line. At least even in this rough stretch we know there's nothing wrong with Mr. Franchise.

Notables:
Jermaine O'Neal - 19 points (6-13 FG, 7-7 FT), 11 rebounds, 2 blocks. For the first time this season Jermaine turned in a second solid performance in as many games. It's great to see he's shooting well and has his confidence back - now we just need to put up the W.
Andrea Bargnani - 15 points (6-11 FG, 1-3 3FG, 2-2 FT), 5 rebounds, 2 blocks. Continued to be solid offensively off the bench. Perhaps Andrea is, in fact, better suited to being instant offense from the pine rather than the pressure of starting. No matter the reason, production from Andrea is something to be happy about.
Roko Ukic - 2 points (1-2 FG), 3 assists, one steal in under 4 minutes. If he had played 48 minutes, he would'e put up a triple double! But in seriousness, solid numbers in whatever action he can get is a good sign from Hot Cocoa Roko as he looks to regain the backup point guard title from Will Solomon, who was decent again last night with 9 points, 2 assists and 2 turnovers. For Roko's sake as well as Jose's, hopefully he can produce meaningfully in more significant minutes.

Full box score

Stat of the Game:
The Raptors, while doing a decent job on the glass (minus-3, 40-37), played Swiss Cheese Defense, allowing Philadelphia to shoot 53.7% from the floor (43-80) and 54.5% from three-point land (6-11). In their court, the Raps shot just 42.5% from the field (34-80) and a very uncharacteristic 23.8% on threes (5-21). It's simple, fellas: pick up the defense and hit your shots. Let's regroup for Miami.

Next game: Sunday, November 16, 1:00 PM vs. Miami Heat