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Heels @ The Game – A State of Numbness

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Photo Credit: Ron Turenne/NBAE via Getty Images

When they say a picture is worth a thousand words, they were referring to one like the above.

You know what though, I’m going to give you the thousand words anyways. I won’t waste time with the final score and breakdowns by quarter, there are about 200 other articles on the net doing so. Instead, this is more of a reflection of how I felt for the duration of the game and the hours that followed.

You could feel the energy in the building before the National Anthems were sung. An arena full of playoff starved fans and almost every one of them knew what was at stake. A season that had begun with so much promise came down to a game against the Chicago Bulls. Too bad no one informed the Toronto Raptors about the importance of the game — or so it seemed. It started the way it ended with a sprinkle of good in between. But alas, the team just didn’t have enough, or want it enough to get the job done.

Was there ever even a game plan? Jay Triano has seemed to be in over his head pretty much all season and it culminated today. I have said it all season long, it’s a whole different ball game when trying to motivate guys who get paid millions compared to guys playing for their country. X’s and O’s are important and coach has that down but he never found a way to get the guys to buy into his plan. Some say, “Triano can only do so much”, but its inevitable that the team takes on the personality of their coach. When you are getting jobbed by the refs, if the players don’t see you fighting for them, they in turn will stop fighting too. I looked over at the bench in the 3rd quarter and Jay Triano just looked on. I longed for the days of Sam Mitchell. I didn’t even have to watch the post game to know that Jay said he liked the effort he got from him guys. This isn’t the first time he has given his team a pass after a complete dud of a game. Tonight the Toronto Raptors didn’t play well, tonight they were embarrassed in front of the home crowd and coach Jay Triano continues to insult a fanbase that is longing for someone to show some fight.

19 Rebounds from Hedo Turkoglu? Thanks for coming out but that was just like pouring salt on the wounds for Raptor fans. The man got paid for the season but only showed up for a few games. He received the loudest individual boo’s on the one night he didn’t deserve it. I refuse to partake in that stuff but I understand where the fans were coming from. He may be the Michael Jordan of Turkey, but the non-existant leadership skills and professionalism he has showed,makes him unworthy of carrying that title. You play 82 games for a reason, maybe if he had played like he did tonight, the Toronto Raptors wouldn’t be clawing for that final playoff spot.

The thought of Andrea Bargnani and his now you see me now you don’t act leading this team next season made me feel ill. I don’t doubt he is a good shooter, I agree that he has improved, but bottom line — he is no where near ready to carry a team. People questioned Bosh’s ability to handle that role and he was thrown into the fire at a much earlier age. This past week was an audition for Andrea and sadly he failed miserably. When he plays besides Bosh, it is a lot easier to justify his rebounding numbers but his display over the last few games is completely unacceptable. The language barrier has always seemed an issue with talking on the court but as of late he has been a complete mute. He could get away with it if he showed offensive consistency but that too may be asking for too much. So much for the mind blowing Caliper test results eh?

Before I go on to a few positives I have to point out the regression of Jose Calderon. I’ll be the first to admit that I am a fan of Jose – see him for what he is… or was. A sound point guard who brings stability to the team, has a good connection with the star player and can nail the jumper when needed. I let the defensive deficiency slide because the other stuff made up for it. He has had the luxury of holding the golden ticket, or rather a free pass in this city. The starting job was his to lose and he did. He got it back but I am not sure he ever deserved it. On this night, he was outplayed by Jarrett Jack and should have come off the bench in the 2nd half. Even if Jay Triano may have thought to make the change, I doubt he had the gumption to go through with it. Instead, he went to the disastrous 2 PG lineup earlier than usual which essentially spelled the end of the game. Jose is one of those “nice guys” who keeps a teams spirits up, but over the course of the season its been evident that he has not been happy. Unfortunately, tonight it showed in all aspects of his game.

But wait, it was not all bad. There are a few guys who left it all out there. Jarrett Jack, Sonny Weems, Amir Johnson — My heart goes out to you. Antoine Wright hobbled and helpless, probably destroyed the locker while the team was throwing away the season. Chris Bosh, who has carried the weight of this franchise for 7 years watched from home as he nursed a broken face. These are guys I can get behind. They have the mentality you need to succeed and I hope the fans take a moment to appreciate them. This franchise will probably go through another makeover and sadly it will be some of the good guys who will be lost.

The thoughts around these parts are that a playoff appearance will go a long way toward keeping Chris Bosh in Toronto. Two more games to go. Two more nights of scoreboard watching as the fate of this team now lays not only in their hands but that of the Chicago Bulls. So, while this loss was a tough pill to swallow… it ain’t over yet.

12.04.2010 Heels at the Game 11 Comments

Heels @ The Game – Knicks v/s Raptors

Friday, March 5th, 2010

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 2 Comments

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

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

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

Heels @ the Game: Pacers v/s Raptors … Mouse in the House

Monday, February 1st, 2010

Photo Credit: REUTERSSmall ball stymied the Raptors the last time these two teams faced off against each other. The Pacers were able to rally from a 23 point deficit using the approach and the Raptors ran out of time to make adjustments.

Things were different this time around. The Toronto Raptors were prepared and even though the Pacers made a late push, at no point in the game did it feel like they were in control. The Raptors closed the game on a 20-5 run to seal their 5th win in a row.

It may not have been pretty as neither team played a lick of defense for the 1st half. There were mismatches all over the floor and the Raptors exploited them by moving the ball. Danny Granger started at the PF spot and he had his work cut out for him. Bosh being the Vet he is, went at him and that resulted in some early foul trouble. Jim O’Brien had to have considered that scenario but his counter-punch was to put Dahntay Jones on Bosh. Instead of forcing shots, CB changed it up. He drew the 2nd defender and kept making the right pass. At the end of the night he had 7 of the Raptors 32 assists and the team shot a season high 60% from the field.

Bosh has been playing out of his mind all season and it almost feels like the fans here take him for granted. When he drops 44 its almost like it was expected. Last night, he had a solid game but the contributions from his teammates became the story.

With Hedo out of the game early due to injury (update below), Antoine Wright played close to 36 minutes. 36 very productive minutes too as he racked up 15 points and showed more of that perimeter defense he was known for when the Raptors acquired him this past off-season. Earlier in the season, this guy was lodged so deep in coach’s dog house I never thought he would see light of day. Makes me happy to see him finally back up all the talking he did when the team was struggling.

Aside from Bosh and Wright, getting efficient contributions from the likes of Weems and Johnson is a major plus. On nights like yesterday, where defense was no where to be found for 24 minutes, they helped keep the team afloat. The 2nd unit is clicking and the team is running on all cylinders. The upcoming stretch of games will give them a chance to make a major push in the Eastern Conference but they key will be — focus. Tomorrow the Raptors head on the road to play the same Pacer team who will undoubtedly make adjustments and it is up to the players to react accordingly.

Don’t look now but 4th spot is not out of reach…

Hedo Turkoglu: Injury Update

Just minutes into the first quarter, Hedo ran face first into Mike Dunleavy Jr’s Elbow. The call on the floor was an offensive foul but that wasn’t what hurt. X-Rays revealed that Hedo has a small, non-displaced fracture of orbital bone under his right eye. He will be re-evaluated tomorrow and the team will explore options for protective face gear. I’m thinking the one picturesdto the left would work quite well. All the man needs is #BALL

01.02.2010 Heels at the Game 3 Comments

Heels @ The Game – Mavericks vs Raptors… Halfway Home

Monday, January 18th, 2010

Photo Credit: APThe media frenzy that surrounded Bosh this past Friday in NYC, shifted over to Bargnani on Sunday. This seems to happen twice a season when Bargnani gets set to face the player most compared him to pre-draft. With Bargnani playing the best basketball of his career, this is the first time I feel the Dirk comparisons are somewhat justifiable.

“He’s way more athletic than I ever was in my career,” said Nowitzki. “He’s got a quick first step. What you have to do as a young player is improve year over year and I think he did that. He’s always a tough matchup. … The sky’s the limit.”

Big words coming from a former MVP, as Dirk acknowledged what fans in Toronto have begun to see over the past month. Bargnani’s out of control drives have become more methodical, the jumper is falling, he is growing into a better help defender and has finally found his voice on the court. It took a while, but even the skeptics have to stop and look at this guy for the player he has become. Bargnani is playing relaxed. His confidence is building as he sees his value on this team and with that, truly, the sky IS the limit.

Bargnani was just a part of the big picture when it comes to talking about this game. There was a whole lot of good from the Raptors perspective and the complete opposite from the Mavericks. While it is easy to use the early start and the refs as an excuse for the type of game the Mav’s had, they looked nothing like a powerhouse in the West. Horrible on the defensive end playing right into the hands of their opponent while looking out of sync offensively. Josh Howard made only his 6th start of the season and it showed. His shot was off and he played tentative throughout the game. Terry, Marion and Nowitzki came ready to play but as the game progressed they were using so much energy on the offensive end that they never had a chance to D up.

Looking at the Raptors, this was probably the best game they have played as a team to date. The one broken link was Hedo but even his horrible game couldn’t put a damper on the way the team was rolling. Jose Calderon couldn’t do anything wrong. Made the right pass, got everyone involved while mixing up his own game by driving and draining daggers. I like him coming off the bench because he has that ability to make even the bench guys feel comfortable on the offensive end. He becomes a legit scoring threat on the 2nd unit. Having him on the floor towards the end of the game, gives me a sense of security that he will make the right play.

Right now the one thing that stands out is, win or lose, these guys are loving playing together. Sure getting the W is the end game, but if the team is not on the same page those would be few and far between. A 10-3 record over the last 13 with players like Amir Johnson, Sonny Weems, Antoine Wright and even Marcus Banks contributing has taken pressure of Bosh. When your role players can come in and be effective immediately like they were against the Mav’s, you can’t help but get excited about the team as a whole.

The win gave the Raptors a winning record at the mid-way point of the season for only the 5th time in 15 seasons. I said it before and will do again, it took longer than expected for them to come together but there was no doubt in my mind they would make it work. Pre-season I broke down how the team would match up with the other 29 and the Raptors are on the right track. I put the team 45 wins and after the next 41 games are played, I fully expect that to be the mark they finish at — If not better.

18.01.2010 Heels at the Game 7 Comments

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