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
Showing posts with label Bobcats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bobcats. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
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.
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.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Raptors Come Back - 89-79 Raptors
For the first two and half quarters of this one, it looked like the Raptors had lost all their confidence, hustle - and ability to shoot. But Chris Bosh played like a superstar, giving us energy, scoring, rebounding and defense down the stretch to lead a 19-0 run late in the game which gave the Raps an unsurmountable lead. Andrea Bargnani also played well, and Will Solomon gave some nice backup minutes for Jose.
Check out the Raptors recap
Player of the Game:
Chris Bosh was the man today. He took it upon himself to not allow our team to drop to 3-3, and it turns out against a team like the Bobcats (though they knocked off New Orleans the other day) his talent and determination was enough. CB4 had 30 points (on scorching 12-17 FG and 6-7 FT), 15 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. He - like the rest of the team - looked a little rusty early, and he ended up with 5 turnovers and 3 fouls. But you can't take anything away from him - he was dominant.
Notables:
Andrea Bargnani - 18 points (6-10 from the field including 3-5 from three, 3-4 from the line), 5 rebounds, 3 blocks. Another excellent, rounded game from Bargnani. Maybe even more importantly, Il Mago only had one turnover and one foul. Also had some key defensive plays down the stretch and hit some huge shots. Getting production like this every game would be a lifesaver.
Jose Calderon - 13 points (6-10 FG, 1-4 3FG), 7 assists, 0 turnovers. A solid if unspectacular game from Jose. Was backed-up effectively by Will Solomon (2 points, 6 assists, 1 turnover) and as a result "only" played 35 minutes.
Jermaine O'Neal - 5 points (0-5 FG(!), 5-6 FT), 9 rebounds, two assists, one block. For some reason, his scoring is just not there. But there's no doubting that Bosh is loving the move over to power forward, looking at his stats. It's definitely nice to see that JO is active on the boards and on defense despite his scoring. Before the start of the season, we were worried what would happen if JO didn't get his touches, and if his attitude would rub off on the rest of the team. Thus far, he's been a veteran leader and hopefully just wants to win. Only played 20 minutes tonight because the Bobcats were going with a small line-up and because Bargnani was playing so well.
Jamario Moon - 10 points (5-8 FG, 0-2 3FG), 9 rebounds, 3 assists, one block. A return to last year's Super Jamario - hustle, chipping in some points here and there, great rebounding and defense. He needs to be active to be effective, and tonight he was both of those things.
Full box score
Stat of the Game:
The Raptors shot 49.3% (35-71) from the field to Charlotte's 37% (30-81). But tonight, for the first time this season, the Raptors outrebounded their opponents, 44-36. Yeah, it's almost completely because the Bobcats couldn't land a shot in the ocean with a beach ball, but baby steps, people.
Next game: Tomorrow (Monday) at Boston Celtics, 7:30 PM tipoff
Check out the Raptors recap
Player of the Game:
Chris Bosh was the man today. He took it upon himself to not allow our team to drop to 3-3, and it turns out against a team like the Bobcats (though they knocked off New Orleans the other day) his talent and determination was enough. CB4 had 30 points (on scorching 12-17 FG and 6-7 FT), 15 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. He - like the rest of the team - looked a little rusty early, and he ended up with 5 turnovers and 3 fouls. But you can't take anything away from him - he was dominant.
Notables:
Andrea Bargnani - 18 points (6-10 from the field including 3-5 from three, 3-4 from the line), 5 rebounds, 3 blocks. Another excellent, rounded game from Bargnani. Maybe even more importantly, Il Mago only had one turnover and one foul. Also had some key defensive plays down the stretch and hit some huge shots. Getting production like this every game would be a lifesaver.
Jose Calderon - 13 points (6-10 FG, 1-4 3FG), 7 assists, 0 turnovers. A solid if unspectacular game from Jose. Was backed-up effectively by Will Solomon (2 points, 6 assists, 1 turnover) and as a result "only" played 35 minutes.
Jermaine O'Neal - 5 points (0-5 FG(!), 5-6 FT), 9 rebounds, two assists, one block. For some reason, his scoring is just not there. But there's no doubting that Bosh is loving the move over to power forward, looking at his stats. It's definitely nice to see that JO is active on the boards and on defense despite his scoring. Before the start of the season, we were worried what would happen if JO didn't get his touches, and if his attitude would rub off on the rest of the team. Thus far, he's been a veteran leader and hopefully just wants to win. Only played 20 minutes tonight because the Bobcats were going with a small line-up and because Bargnani was playing so well.
Jamario Moon - 10 points (5-8 FG, 0-2 3FG), 9 rebounds, 3 assists, one block. A return to last year's Super Jamario - hustle, chipping in some points here and there, great rebounding and defense. He needs to be active to be effective, and tonight he was both of those things.
Full box score
Stat of the Game:
The Raptors shot 49.3% (35-71) from the field to Charlotte's 37% (30-81). But tonight, for the first time this season, the Raptors outrebounded their opponents, 44-36. Yeah, it's almost completely because the Bobcats couldn't land a shot in the ocean with a beach ball, but baby steps, people.
Next game: Tomorrow (Monday) at Boston Celtics, 7:30 PM tipoff
Raptors Go To Charlotte
At 1:00 today, the Raptors will play the Bobcats. The game is available to watch on CBC. The Bobcats are 1 game into a 6 game homestand. Last game they defeated the New Orleans Hornets 92-89. On the Raptors side, they have dropped 2 straight games and look to bounce back from a blowout in Atlanta.
What to watch for:
- Larry Brown became coach of the Bobcats in the offseason. This is the Raptors first look at Brown's Bobcats.
- Jason Richardson, Gerald Wallace, Matt Carroll, Adam Morrison, and Jared Dudley can all put the ball in the basket. Look for the Bobcats to spread the floor with their ability to penetrate and shoot.
- Jason Kapono may replace Jamario Moon in the starting lineup today. Kapono had 14 points on Friday, while Moon has had some struggles in the season's beginning. Sophmore slump?
- The Raptors have been outrebounded in every game thus far, and keeping Emeka Okafor off the glass will be no easy feat. Hopefully Sam Mitchell will have ran some rebounding drills in Saturday's practice.
The Raptors, who started the season at a powerful 3-0, have now fallen to 3-2. This game could make the statement that, either the Raptors can bounce back and are a contender, or they are simply a .500 ball club. Hopefully it will not be the latter.
What to watch for:
- Larry Brown became coach of the Bobcats in the offseason. This is the Raptors first look at Brown's Bobcats.
- Jason Richardson, Gerald Wallace, Matt Carroll, Adam Morrison, and Jared Dudley can all put the ball in the basket. Look for the Bobcats to spread the floor with their ability to penetrate and shoot.
- Jason Kapono may replace Jamario Moon in the starting lineup today. Kapono had 14 points on Friday, while Moon has had some struggles in the season's beginning. Sophmore slump?
- The Raptors have been outrebounded in every game thus far, and keeping Emeka Okafor off the glass will be no easy feat. Hopefully Sam Mitchell will have ran some rebounding drills in Saturday's practice.
The Raptors, who started the season at a powerful 3-0, have now fallen to 3-2. This game could make the statement that, either the Raptors can bounce back and are a contender, or they are simply a .500 ball club. Hopefully it will not be the latter.
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