Saturday, February 21, 2009

A Message To Our Followers

Dear loyal readers,
Some of you have likely noticed the lack of new posts coming from Prehistoric Hoops as of late, without any explanation. Well, you deserve one, and here it is:

We here at Prehistoric Hoops have gone on a blogging strike until the Raptors can win 3 games in a row.
In doing this, Prehistoric Hoops hopes to send a message. In fact, one might refer to what we are doing as a 21st century hunger strike.

We feel that our demand is very reasonable as it is no fun to blog about a loss every night, this has done enough damage thus far. My co-blogger has fallen ill due to the disappointment that is the 2008-2009 Raptors season.

See you after the Raptors can get three wins in a row, loyal fans,

Sincerely,

I Swear I'm A D-League All Star and In BC We Trust

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Raps Hang Tough, Lose Thriller - 115-107 Lakers

The Raps carried a two-point lead into the fourth. The Lakers' first lead of the second half came halfway through the final quarter, and the Raps were able to pull within two with 42.7 seconds left. Unfortunately, a storm named Kobe Bryant came runbling in and the Raptors couldn't weather it, wasting fantastic efforts from Joey Graham and Jermaine O'Neal. Jose Calderon sat again with a sore hamstring. The Raps have dropped three straight and playoff hopes are fading rapidly.

NBA.com recap

Player of the Game:
Who saw this coming? JO looked like it was early 2003 again and posted an astounding line of 22 points, 9 rebounds and 9 blocks. He shot 9-17 from the field and 4-4 from the line. If trade talks are indeed in full swing, it looks like his stock has risen quite a bit tonight.

Notables:
Joey Graham - career-high 24 points (11-19 FG, 1-1 3FG, 1-2 FT), 4 rebounds. Joey was on fire tonight and took it upon himself to put pressure on the Laker perimeter D. He again showed flashes of brilliance and why he's definitely going to get some interest as a free agent.
Anthony Parker - 18 points (6-13 FG, 3-6 3FG, 3-3 FT), 9 assists, 5 rebounds. Playing point guard, Parker again shone through in Jose's absence. Point guard controversy, anyone? (Hint: that was a joke.)
Chris Bosh - Unfortunately, this is mostly a bad Notables mention. He did manage 12 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists while on the court, but he left in the fourth quarter with a knee injury. Call it hindsight, but this man looks very, very tired.

Full box score

Stat of the Game:
In a game with a miniscule 14 total turnovers, the Lakers' pressure was a high point, finishing with six steals to the Raptors zero. The Raptors committed 9 turnovers in all, with the Lakers taking marvelous care of the ball with just 5.

Next Game: Friday, February 6th, 8:00 PM at New Orleans Hornets

Raptors Host the Lakers

The Raptors will try and bounce back from their embarrassing 101-83 loss last night in Cleveland back at the ACC against the Lakers. The Raptors have now lost 3 in a row and need a very good answer against a very strong Lakers team. The game is at 7 o clock, and can be seen on TSN 2, channelsurfing.net, and listened to on the Fan 590.

W2W4:
- According to Matt Devil-in, Jack Armstrong, and many other Raptor viewers, Jose Calderon looked a little bothered last night. His shots were off and he just wasn't as explosive as we are used to seeing. Hopefully Jose will come out with a strong effort tonight.
- Yesterday versus the Cavs, Jay Triano elected to go with his big three starting, Jermaine O'Neal, Andrea Bargnani, and Chris Bosh. Bargnani replaced Jamario Moon. Who will he start tonight?
- The Lakers have won their past 3 games, thanks to Kobe Bryant. Last night at Madison Square Garden, Kobe broke the scoring record in that building with 61. Of course, Raptor fans remember when Kobe scored 81 on us as well. Even with losing Andrew Bynum, the Raptors are going to have to have their defense shimmer tonight.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Raptors Fly In To Cleveland

7 pm the Raptors fly into Cleveland to play the Cavaliers. This game can be seen on TSN, channelsurfing.net, or heard on the Fan 590. The Cleveland Cavaliers are a basketball team and a half. They currently stand undefeated at home, 46 games into the season, and sport a 37-9 overall. They have won six of their last seven, with four of those wins coming on the road. The Raptors have a tough project tonight.

In their last meeting on December 9, the Cavs blew out the Raptors 114-94.

W2W4:
- Last game against the Cavs, Chris Bosh had only 9 points and shooting 4-11 from the field. Chris will definitely be looking for some revenge.
- LeBron James has always had the Raptor's number. In his career against the Raps, LeBron averages 28.2 points per game, 6.9 assists, and 7.4 rebounds. Even if the Raptors lose, its always fun to see LeBron put on a show.
- Cavaliers point guard, Mo Williams, has been on a tear as of late. In his last 5 games, he is averaging 25 points per game; a nice little compliment to LeBron.
- It finally looks as if Andrea's hot flash is coming to a close. He has averaged just 12 points per game in his last 3 games alongside shooting a measly 33% from the field and 27% from three point land. Hopefully he will prove me wrong tonight.