Tag Archive for Toronto Raptors

Heels at the Game – Raptors Unable To Put A Stop To The LINsanity

February 15, 2012 Nat Heels at the Game

Photo Credit: (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)The Raptors were on a National stage last night but not for the way they are playing. All eyes were on Jeremy Lin and he lived up to the hype. Before I get into the game itself, please do me a favor and READ THIS story by @Bruce_Arthur, one of the best in the game.

With a large Asian contingent present at the ACC to watch Lin, there was a strong buzz going before things tipped off. A few minutes in though, I along with most on media row were left confused. Fans were booing Lin at the line but as soon as he made the shot the place would erupt. Were these Raptors fans, Knicks fans or Jeremy Lin fans? By the end of the evening when he had hit the game winning shot, I decided they were a mix of both. There were those who were rooting for him to fail but then couldn’t help applaud as he kept proving the doubters wrong. There were others who were rooting for a great story and even more who were there to check out the hype.

Lin struggled early and Jose Calderon managed to run circles around him. The Raptors played out the first half perfectly, giving up just 36 points and looked to be in control. Things changed quickly in the second half, as they often do in the NBA. The Raptors coughed up the ball 12 times and allowed the Knicks to gain momentum. Chandler was in foul trouble but the Raps were unable to take advantage of that playing smaller, though they did outscore the Knicks 50-46 in the paint. The inability to convert at the line, coupled with the turnovers set the stage for Lin and what a heck of a performance he turned in. 27 points to go along with 11 helpers and he hit a game winning three.

The Raptors didn’t seem to buy into the hype to start, but when it came down to crunch time, they became spectators. A chance to shine in front of a huge audience, they became the secondary story. For one more day… Linsanity continues, For the Raptors — tonight is another game.

The Night in Numbers

19 Turnovers on the night but the glaring number is 9 of them came in the final frame. You are not going to win many games averaging a turnover a minute.

-9 at the free throw line. The Raptors didn’t get to the line much but even when they did, they managed to convert on only 60% of them.

25 Points for Calderon to go along with 9 assists and 7 rebounds but he was held scoreless in the final frame when D’Antoni made the switch and put Shumpert on him. Jose played a stellar game but at the end, it was him on Lin and Lin won.

16 Fast break points. The Raptors managed to control the pace of the game and scored 24 points off the Knicks’ 16 turnovers. Earlier in the season, still figuring out the new system, one wondered if they were ever going to get out and run.

11 Blocks for the Raptors, 5 of them courtesy of Amir Johnson as he threw a little block party for Amare Stoudemire. A trend emerging under Dwane Casey’s system is the Raps are winning the hustle categories on most nights.

30 Points given up by the Raptors in the 3rd quarter after holding the Knicks to just 36 for the first half. Lapses like these are what Dwane Casey keeps talking about when he says they need to learn how to play 48 minutes.

12 Points for Jeremy Lin, 6 of those came in the final minute including the game winning 3, ensuring LINsanity would go on for another day.

The Raptors are 1-3 so far on this home stand but the 3 losses have been by a combined 11 points. “Losing pretty” one might call it but there is a quick turn around and it’s on to the next one leaving little time to dwell on the past…

Up Next: Spurs @ Raptors. Wednesday, 15th February 2012. 7PM
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Heels at the Game – Raptors Unable To “Guard The Yard”

February 9, 2012 Nat Heels at the Game

Photo Credit: APThe Raptors opened a seven game homestand with a tough 105-99 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks last night. With a slew of tough games coming up, they needed this one to set the tone at home.

All season coach has preached defensive intensity and after allowing the Bucks to shoot 56% in the first half, Dwane Casey spoke to the team after the loss, stressing “we have lost our pride guarding the yard. We have slipped.” Some blame can go on the limited practice time and the condensed schedule, but Casey put it on himself and his staff to find the time to keep instilling the fundamentals they have been preaching to this team that is still trying to find it’s identity.

The game plan was to make Jennings a non factor and the Raptors accomplished that. Casey inserted Amir Johnson in the starting lineup for match up purposes but that did not stop Drew Gooden from getting hot early, he finished the night with 20pts and 14 rbs. The Bucks not known for their offense got 35 points off the bench from Jackson and Dunleavy and 25 from Delfino who was clearly up for this one agains his former team. The Raptors won most of the hustle categories in most part thanks to James Johnson who is becoming a regular stat stuffer, but losing the rebounding battle while allowing the Bucks to shoot a high percentage was the recipe for their demise.

It doesn’t get any easier with the Celtics, Lakers, Knicks and Spurs coming up but in a season of small victories and silver linings, just getting the team back on track with the defensive mentality would be a win.

The Night in Numbers

6 Three pointers made by Carlos Delfino. The Bucks as a team shot nearly 50% from deep.

+10 in Points in the paint for the Raptors. Considering they played small for most of the game this was a positive.

19 Turnovers for the Bucks led to 20 points for the Raptors. The TO’s and 12 offensive rebounds helped the Raps get out and run, scoring 19 on the fast break.

25 Points for DeMar DeRozan who got hot early but started to fade in the second half when the Bucks brought pressure.

27 Assists on 37 made FG’s for the Raptors at a team. They were moving the ball all night, and most of that contribution came from Jose Calderon (15 ast).

6 Bucks players reached double digits in scoring including Stephen Jackson and Mike Dunleavy who came off the bench

Up Next: Celtics @ Raptors. Friday, Feb 9th 2012.
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Toronto Raptors – The Jumpshot [Cartoon]

January 30, 2012 Nat Cartoon, Humor

Thrilled to bring you the newest cartoon collaboration from IanCartoons (@Vulcanoboy) and myself, Heels on Hardwood (@Nat77). If you haven’t seen some of the older stuff we have done you can check it here.

As always, this cartoon is all in good fun. We hope you enjoy it just as much as we did making it!

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Raptor Rant – This Offense is Offensive

January 22, 2012 Nat Raptor Rants

The Raptors have dropped seven in a row and things can get a lot worse as they kick off their longest road trip of the season today. While the team has been markedly improved on the defensive end, bottom line is, you still need to score points in this league to win. The condensed schedule has left little time to practice and with Andrea Bargnani out of the lineup, offensive production has become the biggest issue for the Raptors during this stretch.

Blake Kennedy, wrote a great post on RaptorBlog pointing out the offensive struggles we have seen this season but unlike him, I saw it coming. A new coach who preaches defense first, the minimal practice time to implement a new offense and above all, the lack of guys who can create for themselves.

Andrea Bargnani was playing at an All-Star level before he was sidelined with the calf injury and this team just doesn’t have the personnel to make up for the 20+ PPG they lose with him out. Jose Calderon has been playing like the guy who was rewarded with that fat contract but he rather stay in his comfort zone of being the distributer, a bit of a problem when he is one of the better spot up shooters on this team. The Rasual Butler experiment seems to have finally come to an end as he continues to struggle with the one thing he was brought in to do but his replacement James Johnson is not someone the team can rely on offensively.

Probably the biggest disappointment so far has been the inconsistency from DeMar DeRozan. James Herbert wrote in his defense, but no matter how you slice it, DeRozan has regressed. After the most recent loss to the Blazers, DeMar admitted he is aware of the issues — “The last couple of games I have not gotten to the line. I have to be aggressive. Just going to the contact and not trying to avoid it, that’s my main issue.” He is taking more jumpers and they each look too strong and too flat. Maybe it is the adjustment he made in order to hit the long range shot but it has hindered his mid-range game a lot. Last season DeMar developed a spin move in the lane as his go to move, he has gone away from that and his resistance to contact has led to his numbers going down in almost every offensive category.

You know that phrase, basketball is a game of runs? Well the Raptors have yet to find  a way to avoid 5 minute offensive dry spells to make their runs count. Until they can get consistant production from guys not named Andrea Bargnani, they are going to be a tough team to watch. Hellloooo (Jack Armstrong voice) Kevin O’Neill era revisited!

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Raptors Play Big, Silence The Wolves

January 10, 2012 Nat Heels at the Game

Photo Credit: APNot gonna lie. I walked into the Air Canada Centre tonight looking forward to watching the Kevin Love – Ricky Rubio show, and walked away with a new found appreciation for the heart and hustle of Amir Johnson. Postgame, coach Casey revealed that Amir was dealing with the flu but it sure didn’t affect his game. Aside from putting up 19 points and 11 rebounds, Amir had Kevin Love on lockdown. He made sure Love earned everything — that ended up being a poor, 3-16 from the field.

Amir wasn’t the only Raptor to impress, Andrea Bargnani continued to silence his critics, putting together his third 30 point game of the season. The Timberwolves bit on Andrea’s fake at the 3 point line all night and he rarely settled for the jumper. He put that quick first step to use and went to the hoop early and often. Tallying 31 points to go with 9 rebounds, one has to think this new version of Bargnani is here to stay. While the Raptor bigs carried the load offensively, the play of James Johnson cannot be overlooked. He made use of his five fouls and showed again why he should soon get that starting SF spot over Rasual Butler who has surely left his jump shot south of the border.

For most of the night it felt like the Raptors were dominating but the scoreboard told a different story. They had managed to contain Rubio & Co. for the most part but the additional free throws and three’s kept the Timberwolves in the game. The Raptors upped the ante on defense in the 4th, and Minny managed just six made field goals in the frame. There were moments where Rubio dazzled but his counterpart and mentor Calderon, held his own. The Raptors’ starters logged major minutes in order to close this one out but may be running on fumes as they hop on a plane and prepare to face the Wizards in less than 24 hours.

The Night in Numbers

9 blocks for the Raptors as a team. James Johnson, who was in the zone all night tied a career high with 4.
75-37 the Raptors starters outscored the Timberwolves’ starting five. 50 of the 75 coming from Bargnani and A. Johnson.
34% FG for the Wolves. The revamped Raptors D was in full effect tonight. This is the fifth time in nine games the Raptors have held an opponent to under 40% from the floor. They only pulled that off five times all of last season. They shot 44% on the night.
3 made three’s for the Raptors. The team struggled from deep going just 3 of 19. Minnesota made 5 of their 8 three’s in the first quarter.
9 points for DeMar Derozan who is struggling to find consistency on the offensive end. He did attack the basket more once that jumper wasn’t falling.
20 second chance points for the Raptors who crashed the offensive boards hard tonight. Amir Johnson had 8 ORB’s and the Raptors had 14 as a team.
45 minutes of playing time for Bargnani. He made the most of them but it is to be seen how the legs hold up in he second and third games of the back to back to back.
26 FT’s made by the Raptors. The team stayed aggressive when the 3 ball was not falling and got to the line 28 times. Barbosa was perfect from the line going 9-9.

Top 10 tweets from the #RTZ chat on twitter (LINK)

Up Next: Raptors @ Wizards. Tuesday, 10th Jan. 2012. 7PM
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