Tag Archive for Andrea Bargnani

Raptors Report – A Road Well Traveled

January 4, 2012 Nat Raptors Report

After suffering through the 1-15 start in the 2005, this 2-3 start from the Raptors has come as a pleasant surprise. Heading into the season with low expectations and a goal to improve in a multitude of categories, this team has shown a lot of heart and fight early on. Every game has been played with a defensive intensity fans in Toronto have been waiting to see. The offense still needs to get up to speed but considering the tough schedule early on with minimal time to practice, the Raptors are way ahead of the timeline.

Prior to their first 3 game road trip, I had outlined a few goals the Raptors should try to meet. They fell short for the most part but made up in other ways. In each of the first two games the Raptors did a lot of things well but it took a third game to put it together for a full 48 minutes.

Raptors @ Mavericks: Facing the defending champs is a tall task in itself, add in the fact that they were 0-3 after losing a heartbreaker to the Thunder and the Raptors looked like they may see an extended period of garbage time. Not the case. The Raptors managed to hold the Mavs to 44% from the field while Bargnani had an offensive explosion, tallying 30 points. After hanging in for most of the night, the Raps managed to take a lead in this one but a rough night from DeMar coupled with little productivity from the bench did not allow them to sustain it. The Mavs eventually showed why they are champions by taking the reins in the 4th and closing it out.

Raptors @ Magic: For the second game in a row, Bargnani was the best player in a Raptors uniform. This time the guys came out on fire and built a 16 point lead mid-way through the game. Once again inexperience came to the forefront as the Raps started coughing the ball up and gave Orlando a chance to think they were still in it. Once you give a veteran team like that an opening, they are going to take it. Take it they did as the Magic capitalized on the few errors from the Raptors and came storming all the way back to get the win.

Raptors @ Knicks: Without Amare, the Knicks front line looks a lot less intimidating and Bargnani was up for the task once again. This time aided by a 21 point night from DeRozan, the Raptors put the pedal to the metal and never took their foot off. Sure there were lapses and Melo went off but the key was they found a way to close out.

Road Trip — 3 Stars
Andrea Bargnani
Jose Calderon
Defense

Up Next: Cavs @ Raptors. Wednesday, Jan. 4th 2012. 7PM
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Raptors Unable To Capture The Magic

January 2, 2012 Nat Raptors Report

Happy New Year. A very quick recap and no Starting Five today — still trying to recover from the weekend. With another game in a few hours, I will keep the extended analysis for a second post tomorrow.

The lottery bound Raptors train looked like it was about to take a detour last night in Orlando but managed to stay on track with the help of a 4th quarter collapse.

The Raptors have always seemed to match up well with this Magic team, winning two of three games last season, and last night was no different. Andrea Bargnani brought his hot shooting to Florida and with some great point guard play from Calderon, they found themselves with a 5 point lead at the half. Bargnani did finish the night with 28 points and 7 rebounds (still can’t seem to hit that 8rb mark.), but the late turnovers and inability to execute as a team down the stretch did them in.

Hanging on to a 3 point lead with 5 minutes to go in the game, the Raptors allowed Anderson and Turkoglu to catch fire which fueled a 16-0 run Magic run. Shorthanded at the PG spot, Barbosa and Carter got extended minutes and the two vets provided some horrible decision making late in the game. DeMar had another tough night offensively but on the positive side, he never took his mind away from the game and contributed on the boards. The Magic shot near 50% on the night and the new defensive minded Raptors team can’t allow that.

With a short turnaround and these games suddenly coming early and often, the team will not have too much time to ponder over losses. There is little practice time and we may just see the first ugly basketball from the Raps tonight as they get set to face the Knicks.

The Night in Numbers

11 turnovers as a team. The Raptors took care of the rock and in turn only gave up 9 fast break points to the Magic.
40 minutes for Andrea Bargnani who for a second game in a row was the best player in a Raptors uniform. Well, Jose was close.
13 assists for Calderon to go along with his very efficient 18 points. He also became the first Raptor player to reach 3,000 assists for his career.
28 of the Raptors’ 52 first half points came in the paint. The Magic are a big team and the Raptors didn’t back down and settle for jumpers.
+11  at the free throw line. One of the early complaints this season has been the lack of FT’s from the Raptors so this was a pleasant surprise.
16 points was the largest lead of the game for the Raptors which came in the 3rd quarter.
5 minute FG scoring drought for the Raptors in the 4th quarter. The Magic clamped down on D and the inexperienced Raps choked up.
5-8 from deep was Ryan Anderson who got to play the role of Raptor killer last night.

Up Next: Raptors vs. Knicks. Monday, 2nd Jan 2012 @ 7:30 PM
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Raptors Can’t Hang With The Champs

December 31, 2011 Nat Raptors Report

For the second game in a row, the Raptors come up just short but get high praise from the opposing head coach. Rick Carlisle went as far as saying he thinks the Raptors will be in the hunt for a playoff spot in the East. Then again, he also said he thinks Vince Carter was a future Hall of Famer. Either way, he wasn’t far off saying this team is headed in the right direction as they played hard against a tough team, just ran out of steam in the end to lose 99-86.

The Raptors rode the hot hand all night but struggled to crash the boards in the first half. Once the turnovers started piling up it just made things tougher. A 12-0 Raps run in the second kept it close, and a 17-2 run in the third gave them their largest lead at 68-61. The Mavericks went into Championship mode to end the third which essentially closed the book on this one. They had the edge in pretty much every statistical category (most of which are broken down below) and needed just 31 minutes from Dirk to take care of business.

The Raptors did accomplish one of the 3 goals I had outlined for this road trip in my post yesterday — holding the team to under 45% from the field. DeMar tried to get going early but it clearly wasn’t his night. Andrea fell short in the rebounding category but if it wasn’t for him the final score would have been embarrassing. The team has a day off to watch tape and regroup for another tough team in Orlando over the weekend.

The Night In Numbers

50 of the Raptors’ 86 points came from 2 guys — Bargnani (30) & Barbosa (20). The Mavs meanwhile had a much more balanced attack, 5 guys in double figures.
44% was the magic number tonight as the Raptors held an opponent to under 45% from the field for the third game in a row.
2 monster dunks. DeMar with flies in for the slam and Amir with the put back.
7 assists from Jose Calderon who is now just 7 shy of hitting the 3,000 assist mark.
4-12 from the floor was DeMar DeRozan. He had 7 points at the half but ended with just 11. Never got in a rhythm to play hero in the 4th.
-30 The Raptors bench. Mavs bench outscored them 56-26, most of that coming from Carter and Kidd.
38 Free throws for the Mavs and the Raptors got there just 18 times. In the 3rd quarter alone, the Mavs went there 15 times, the Raptors 0.
7 Turnovers by the Raptors in the 2nd quarter after having just 1 in the 1st Q. They ended the night with 17, Dallas had just 10.

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Raptors Road Trip – 3 Games, 3 Goals

December 30, 2011 Nat Number Crunchin, Raptor Ramblings

The Raptors have looked better than expected in their first two games but the real test starts tonight as they kick off a three game road trip. Up first are the defending NBA Champion Mavericks, who have started slow out the gates but are probably salivating looking at their Friday night matchup. It doesn’t get much easier with the Magic & Knicks due up before the team heads home.

With this season being less about wins and losses, rather a learning process, I have broken down 3 issues the team needs to address to deem this road trip a success.

4 Quarters from DeMar DeRozan – 4 first half points through 2 games. It may be nice to pick up your team when they are down but DeRozan would be better served getting his team going early. Both coach and DeMar have addressed the issue and now its up to him to put his words into action. Goal: 2 games of double-digit scoring in the first half.

Rebounding from Andrea Bargnani – 10 rebounds through two games is not what the coach ordered. Even the naysayers can admit Bargnani has looked more active on both ends but the rebounding numbers don’t reflect it. Before the season coach said he wants to see Andrea pull down 2 rebounds per quarter and right now he is falling short. Surprisingly, the issue hasn’t been effort but rather those butter fingers. This trip will have him defending guys who play outside in (Dirk, Amare) and should give him an opportunity to up that rebounding average. Goal: One double-digit rebounding game.

Defensive Intensity – Early stats show the Raptors are buying into Dwane Casey’s defensive philosophies. Sure there have been breakdowns, but for the most part they are greatly improved on that end of the floor (Raptorblog broke down some stats in detail here). Coach Casey believes the team has a grasp on his defensive system, it’s just a matter of time and practice to carry it out consistently. Turnovers have been an issue early on but the guys have been active on the boards and in the passing lanes. Out on the road its easy to fall back into old habits when things are not going well but the Raptors need to stick to the game plan. Goal: Keep opponents under 45% shooting.

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Raptors Can’t Keep Pace At Home

December 29, 2011 Nat Heels at the Game

Talk about sensory overload. An early 6PM start to kick off their home opener, the Raptors introduced the team to a spectacle of pyrotechnics set to the tune of Headlines by Drake. The Canadian content didn’t stop there as Jamaal Magloire took to centre court to address the sold out crowd who were later treated to a halftime show by Kardinal Official. The show stealer though was Justin Bieber who sat courtside to take in the game and even bricked a 3 from Jimmer range during a time out. All the hoopla aside, there was an NBA game to be played so on to that…

Remember that whole thing about small victories and silver linings I mentioned before the season kicked off? Well tonight was full of them as the Raptors dropped a close one to the Pacers, 90-85. Another slow start from DeRozan combined with a struggling Calderon found the team in a 8 point hole going into the fourth. The fact that they were in this position had nothing to do with their defense, which picked up where they left off in Cleveland. Rather, the Raptors struggles came on the offensive end where the lack of practice time and a full length preseason were evident.

Andrea Bargnani carried the offensive load for the first half where the team mustered up just 34 points (Fans better get used to these low scoring affairs). Unlike previous seasons though, the Raptors remained focused on the defensive end holding the Pacers to just 38 points in the same span. They loosened up the D a little in the 3rd, but a late 4th quarter run put the team in a position to tie the game up. Considering this is a learning process and the system is fairly new, this team battled to the end when many times they could have just given up. These are the things you want to see in a team that is rebuilding. Getting the fundamentals right and the offense will follow.

After the game, Dwane Casey said he was happy with the way they played, feels they are right there and with time together as a unit, they are headed in the right direction.

The Night in Numbers

21 points for Bargnani has him join Bosh and Carter as the only Raptors players to score 20 points or more in 4 home openers. (via @RaptorsPR)
54% from the free throw line. Not going to cut it on most nights, especially when they only got there 13 times as a team.
2 straight games the Raptors have shot a better percentage from the field than their opponent. Tonight they held the Pacers to 39.5%
13 steals against a young, athletic team is another example of the effort the Raptors are bringing on the defensive end.
10 Fastbreak points registered by the Raptors who did not record a single point in that category against the Cavaliers.
0 first half points for DeMar though he ended the night with 22. Through 2 games, he has scored just 4 first half points.
22 second chance points for the Pacers to go along with the 16 points they got off 19 Raptors turnovers.

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