Raps Hope To Use Momentum Against Boston

12:30 on CBC, channelsurfing.net, or the Fan 590, the Raptors will host the Boston Celtics. The season series against the Celts currently stands in favour of Boston, 2-0. This is the first game in a home and home with the Celtics, and these two games will be the last time the Raptors see the reigning NBA champs in the regular season.

W2W4:
- The Celtics are struggling? That's right! The hottest starting team in the NBA has hit a rough patch in the new year, losing 4 straight. In these 4 losses, they have been held under 90 points 3 times. The Raptors need to play defense and have solid interior toughness.
- The Raptors are winning? That's right! The slow starting Raptors are now 4-1 in the new year, and they are doing it all without Jermaine and Jose. In their wins, the Raptors have used a quick start in the first quarter to build a solid lead. Look for that vs. the Celtics and for the Raptors to use the early game time to their advantage.
- Coming into this game, Andrea Bargnani is red hot, and has provided a huge offensive filling while Jermaine and Jose rest. He is averaging just under 21 points per outing in the new year, while shooting just under 67% from 3.
- Raptor fans keep twiddling their thumbs, waiting for Jose Calderon and Jermaine O'Neal to return. Will this be the game?

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.

Raptors Drop One in Boston - 94-87 Celtics

For the first three quarters last night it looked like the Raps could pull off a huge confidence booster in Boston. We were playing solid, efficient offense and stingy defense. But when the Celts made their run in the fourth we couldn't stop the bleeding and some threes by Jesus Shuttlesworth and Paul Pierce broke the game open. Jermaine O'Neal busted out of his slump with a big game, but unfortunately the good guys couldn't pick up the W. Our record currently stands at 4-3.

Raptors Post Up

Player of the Game:
Jermaine O'Neal all the way last night. It looked like JO's intensity would carry us through, although that wasn't meant to be. He finished with 23 points (on 8-17 FG and 7-9 FT), 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Hopefully for him and Raptors fans this means he will finally break out of his offensive slump.

Notables:
Jason Kapono - 14 points (6-10 FG, 2-3 3FG), 6 assists, 4 rebounds. A surprisingly well-rounded game from Jason, and he stepped up when no one else could play backup to Jermaine's main event.
Jose Calderon - 7 points (2-9 FG, 1-4 3FG, 2-2 FT), 10 assists, one steal, one block. Played distributor as always but did not shoot well at all. He needs to be more consistent shooting the rock to allow him to penetrate more easily, but it's impossible to pin the blame on him.
Chris Bosh - 9 points, 7 rebounds. Looked sluggish after Sunday's dominance in Charlotte. While he didn't have a particularly bad game, this team counts on him to dominate the post alongside Jermaine O'Neal, and needs both to play well. One or the other just won't cut it against the best team in the NBA.

Full box score

Stat of the Game:
Boston was plus-11 in free throws, shooting 88.9% (24-27) to the Raptors 72.2% (13-18).

Next game: Wednesday, November 12th, 7:00 PM vs. Philadelphia 76ers

Raps Visit the Champs

Oh boy... big game tonight. Raptors at Celtics, 7:00 PM tipoff. It's available on the Fan as always and on Raptors NBA TV. You can also listen live with League Pass. The Raptors are in the second game of a back-to-back, on the road, playing the best team in the league. It would be very very nice to see the guys rise to the challenge. Last night Chris Bosh was a superstar. Jose and Will Solomon combined for 15 points, 13 assists and one turnover. Jermaine played great defence and was active on the boards, and Bargnani was huge off the bench. That said... it takes a whole lot more to beat the reigning NBA champions than the Bobcats.

NBA.com preview

What to watch for:
- A match up of quite possibly the two best forwards in the East - Bosh and Kevin Garnett. While it unfortunately doesn't look like CB's defence will ever be quite like Defensive Player of the Year KG's, it's improving rapidly and his intensity is getting up there as well. This is a critical match up.
- Perimeter play. Boston has one of the best swingman combos in the league in Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon will have to give maximum effort to keep these guys from dropping bombs all over the court.
- This year the Raps have a definite advantage in two positions: point guard and centre. Jose is having a monster year already (16.2 points, 9.3 assists, 3.5 rebounds, just 1.7 turnovers) and Jermaine... well his scoring has been lacking. His defence has been nothing short of sensational (when he's not in foul trouble) - he's averaging nearly two blocks a game. If Jose keeps Rajon Rondo working on the other end (as quick as Rondo is, he can't contain Calderon) and JO stops out of his funk, these two guys will give the Raptors a chance to win.