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Raptor Roadtrip – Ready for some fun in the sun

I haven’t been posting here as much as I would like to because my other “work” has taken precedence. I hope to change that but not before a little vacation. With March Madness around the corner, this seemed like the perfect time to head out on the road to catch a few Raptor games (something I like to do each year).

This year I am heading to Los Angeles to take in a game at Staples and then off to San Francisco for a game at Oracle. What’s even better is I have my friend Holly MacKenzie coming along. Make sure you follow both of us on Twitter to get updates from the games — @Nat77 and @stackmack. I may post some game recaps with pictures and such and will be back here next Monday with a breakdown of the Raptors 4 game west coast swing.

08.03.2010 OT, Raptor Ramblings 1 Comment

Heels @ The Game – Knicks v/s Raptors

Its been a while since I did a liveblog from a game so I figured why not.

After a rough road trip the Raptors look to bounce back at the ACC. As of right now, Chris Bosh and Hedo Turkoglu are a game time decision — safe to say this team needs to get back to 100% for the final push. The Raptors have lost 4 in a row but can make up some of the ground over the next two games. Fans got a glimpse of what life would be without CB4 and it wasn’t pretty. The offense seemed forced and the defense backtracked to November ‘09.

The Knicks have been playing like they have nothing to lose with new addition Tracy McGrady stepping in as a point forward. Guys are playing for contracts next season and Coach D’Antoni has released his bench. Players like Bill Walker are getting serious burn and most teams don’t even have a complete scouting report on the guy.

The key to tonights game is to erase the memory of the past 4 and go back to playing like this did for the 20 games before them. The point guards will have their hands full tonight and it is vital they manage the game without forcing things. If Bosh isn’t able to go they can use some of the energy from the home crowd to boost them. Either way, in my opinion this is a MUST win game. No excuses.

05.03.2010 Heels at the Game 1 Comment

Raptor Rave – Teaming Up Off The Court

Photo Credit: Ron Turenne/ NBAE

Don’t they look dapper?

The Toronto Raptors held their annual Red Party event last night and I had the pleasure to attend thanks to @fortressman. This has been the flagship event for the Raptors Foundation (now called Team Up Foundation) over the last 15 years and while I have attended in the past, last night was by far the best. The team has always been at the top of the list when it comes to giving back and this party does that while giving love to the fans who support them.

The event held at Muzik Nightclub, was sold-out to the tune of 800 guests who got a chance to mingle with the players and team personnel. The silent auction had something for everyone, including the “infamous” blue linen blazer worn by Reggie Evans while he was sidelined with an injury. To top it off, there was a surprise guest brought in for the event — none other than, Toronto’s very own “Drake”.

The tickets for the event are on the pricey side but with the proceeds going for charity there is always a nice tax write off involved. While most of the attendees were those who usually fill up the lower bowl at the ACC, it was nice to see some fans come out and support. The players were making the rounds and stopped to take pictures with anyone who asked. The club setting doesn’t lend to too many conversations but just getting a chance to share a few words with people involved with the team is always a great experience. By the time I got home I realized my throat was sore from trying to talk over the music all night.

The whole night is like eye candy for a Raptor fan. I got to chat at length with some of the radio and TV personalities and then moved on to cracking some jokes with Jarrett Jack. Never did make it around the whole place and totally missed Jose, Hedo and Rasho in the house. Oh and I missed out on the food too which was apparently to die for. But with me getting all dressed up, the last thing I was about to do was attempt eating kobe beef sliders while standing.

If I had to pick my favorite part of the night it would be the performance by Drake. As the rapper took the stage, everyone gathered around and even the players joined in as fans. I turned to see Reggie Evans mouthing the lyrics to the songs and DeMar DeRozan bobbing his head as he took it all in. While the suits may not have appreciated this as much, it was nice to see the players just let loose for one night.

My two gripes about the event were minor ones. Firstly, the silent auction was set up in a way it was almost impossible to see what you were bidding on. I got a Jamario Moon playoff worn autographed jersey a few years back and was looking forward to nabbing something but the display turned me off. Secondly, the gift bag had Olive Oil (!), a bag of chips and a coupon for a 12 pack of coke. Seriously? I got a pair of glasses last time with the Raptors logo etched on it. This time the best part of the gift was the bag it came in.

Overall, its definitely an experience I think any fan would love. If you can save up for a good cause and try to make it out next year it will give you a lifetime of memories you won’t soon forget.

  • Read the Raptors.com recap of the event w/ photos (link)
  • Read another recap from @Mrballer who attended as a guest (link)

05.03.2010 Raptor Raves 4 Comments

Toronto Raptors – 15 Year Collage [Contest]

As the saying goes… A picture is worth a thousand words.

After holding a successful contest last month (pair of tickets), I decided to continue with the giving. This time, up for grabs is a “Digital Photo Frame” that was given to me as a gift for being a Raptors season ticket holder. The frame has the Raptors logo printed on the bottom right and comes in a box commemorating the 15 year anniversary of the franchise. These frames were not available to buy so you would have a rare item in your collection.

- Make a collage showing your memories as a Raptor fan.

Contest Details:

  • You can be creative using favorite quotes, screen captures, images but try to avoid using copyright material
  • You can create the image in paint/photoshop or even in word. Creativity is KEY
  • The final image must be no smaller than 400×600 pixels and no larger than 1600×1600 pixels
  • You must upload your image to a site and provide the link to view in the comments section.

Contest Rules:

  • You must live in North America to enter this contest (due to shipping)
  • Any inappropriate images will be removed at my discretion.
  • You must provide your e-mail when submitting your entry (fill it in comment section)

Contest Deadline: 6 PM (EST), Sunday March 7th 2010

03.03.2010 Raptor Ramblings No Comments

Heels @ The Game – This one’s on you Coach!

Every coach has a standard line they use — If you are playing well you are going to stay on the floor and if not you can warm the bench. Jay Triano went against that statement last night by putting Hedo Turkoglu (-22 at the time) in at the end of the game. Coach may have had his reasons, but it cost the Raptors the game and in turn snapped an 8 game win streak at the ACC.

Before looking at the end of the game though it is important to see how the team got there in the first place. The Raptors had a week off between games and they came out playing like they were still on vacation. The Grizzlies having played the night before got in late but that did not stop them from exploding out of the gates. A 12-0 run to open the game prompted a time out called by the Raptors but it didn’t help much. The momentum started to shift when Coach Triano made some substitutions late in the 1st and having Calderon and Weems come in to replace Jack and Turkoglu. The ball started moving and Jose was finding guys for easy scores. Weems being more athletic was able to stay with some of the younger guys on the Grizz. By halftime the Raptors had clawed back to cut what was once a 16 point deficit down to 2.

With the Grizzlies having played the night before, there were thoughts that they would be sluggish in the 2nd half with fatigue catching up. That wasn’t the case as they kept the 2 point lead going into the final frame. The Raptors brought out their “closer” Antoine Wright for the 4th quarter and things started clicking. Bosh scored 10 straight points and the team seemed to be ready to close things out. An inadvertent elbow from Rudy Gay sent Wright to the lockerroom to get stitches and while unfortunate, marked the turning point in the game. Coach brought in a struggling Hedo and left him in by subbing out Weems for the final minutes. Hedo was going through the motions all night with nothing going his way and instead of being a help on the floor he became a hindrance. The ball stopped moving when it got to him and on the other end he was a half second slow on all his rotations. The Grizzlies managed to score 5 points in the last 35 seconds to send it to overtime. The Raptors couldn’t recover from that and overtime was a whole lot of switching gone wrong.

The Raptors had control of this one and questionable coaching decisions may have cost them. It was Triano who decided to mess with what was working. Sure you don’t want your 53 million dollar man warming the bench but Sonny Weems was getting the job done. Hedo admitted to not having his head in the game (dealing with personal issues in Turkey) but it is the coach’s responsibility to recognize that. Triano has been good with making adjustments and as of late was getting a lot of praise regarding the job he has done. This night sent him back a bit. Sitting Jarrett Jack was the right decision but he should have done the same with Hedo. If it ain’t broke… don’t try to fix it!

Injury Update: Chris Bosh injured his ankle late in the game yesterday. It happened when he came down after a monster block and from my vantage point it looks like he may have rolled it slightly by landing on Bargnani’s foot. Reports are that it is a mild sprain and he did not travel with the team to New Jersey. Bosh has played in every game this season and this team can hardly afford to have him sidelined for a long period of time. Here’s hoping for a speedy recovery.

Trade Deadline Update: As expected, there was no movement from the Raptors as the trade deadline came and went. For Raptor fans they can breathe easy as the Bosh speculation goes away if only for a few days and then people can start talking about the summer. There were talks about a possible trade with the Lakers to bring Vujacic and Powell over to Toronto but thats all it was. Talk. The team that suited up last night will be the one the Raptors will have going forward and it is now up to them how far they want to go.

18.02.2010 Heels at the Game 1 Comment

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