Well that sucked, eh? I don’t know what’s worse, getting blown out completely or blowing out the other team for the first half and then choking your chicken in the second. The first half was too good to be true, our movement was too perfect, the scoring was too balanced, our execution too sound, it was nothing like the real Raptors. You just knew it wasn’t going to last for two reasons: 1) The second half is where the pressure is at and 2) We weren’t getting production from Bosh. No matter how good the supporting cast is playing, road games against great teams are won by your superstars. Paul Pierce stepped up the scoring for the Celtics in the fourth quarter and our superstar got neutralized by Kevin Garnett. Again. And once more the overarching reason for the loss was the pathetic fourth quarter offense that resembled that of a middle-school JV team.
Paul Pierce had 22 points in the fourth quarter. Chris Bosh had 0. Box. In fact, he had 2 points in the entire second half and took only one shot. Let me say that I’m thankful to Bosh for saving us against the Bobcats and coming through against Golden State and hitting tons of clutch shots for us this year but all that doesn’t mean a damn thing if you don’t even wake up for the big games. This right here was a big game and we needed him, we needed his scoring, his intensity, his leadership and his passion and we got nothing. Jermaine O’Neal carried the team in the first half and Jason Kapono did all that’s in his power to keep the offense chugging along in the second half. Jose Calderon didn’t have a great game but when you have Kevin Garnett’s sweating dripping on your face you’re going to look at your big man for help and when its not there, you’re going to struggle. Even Joey Graham and Kris Humphries came off the bench to give us a spark. The guy that was missing was Chris Bosh and what made things even worse was that Garnett was bringing the intensity, trash talking every Raptor, D’ing up Bosh on the perimeter, fronting him in the post, playing him physical and we didn’t manage a whimper in response. We just sat there and took it. Disgusting. Chris Bosh, go look yourself hard in the mirror tonight.
Let’s talk about wing production again. You’ve been reading these posts now, I don’t need to dig up the Detroit and Atlanta numbers up for you to guess that we got killed here again. Pierce/Allen outscored Moon/Parker 55-20. That alone is a stat that should lose you the game but thanks to our strong rebounding effort (even at 39) and good ball movement (25 assists), we were somehow in the game till late but just never got the boost we needed. Obviously Chris Bosh didn’t provide that boost so we looked at Andrea Bargnani who picked up 4 fouls in 11 minutes and went 1-4 for two points and 0 rebounds. We can’t really ask more than we got from O’Neal so we looked to Jose to provide that boost but its hard when you’re running the same play 30 straight times in the second half and Boston keeps negating the pick ‘n roll by not allowing you shooting space and not allowing the pick setter to roll. What do you do then? Nothing. Nothing because that’s all we’ve got. That’s all Sam Mitchell’s pathetic excuse for a playbook has in it. All that movement we saw in the first half doesn’t work in the fourth quarter because the Celtics are awake and playing defense, not just loafing around. We needed somebody to demand the ball and want to win this game by attacking and putting the onus on the defense to stop them. Never happened.
This team just isn’t able to get easy baskets. In the seven games we’re played so far, here are our fast-break points:
4, 6, 4, 0, 3, 2, 2
I don’t know who’s fault it is, maybe its Jose not being aggressive enough or our wings not running the break or making attempts to leak out, bottom line is that we can’t run or play transition basketball. This would be more than acceptable if our offense functioned properly but since we labor to get good shots and struggle to score when it counts, it becomes crucial that we make up for it elsewhere. Having a strictly half-court offense while being crappy at it will only lead to losses like these. We need points and need to be creative in getting them. High pick ‘n roll only takes you so far.
It’s no surprise that Sam Mitchell’s playbook is thinner than a menu at a hot dog stand but at least we can expect some sensible substitutions, no? Is Jason Kapono qualified to be guarding Paul Pierce in the fourth quarter? I mean, you’d think after Pierce’s first 30 points he’d switch and let Moon or even Graham check the man or maybe God forbid double him since our rotations weren’t bad last night. I’d even settle for Kapono checking Ray Allen instead of Pierce, at least he wouldn’t have gotten blown-by and posted-up on the same play. I understand that if Bosh is choking to death you have to keep Kapono out there because he’s the only guy who’s got something going but does he have to guard Pierce? We didn’t even do offense/defense substitutions late in the game!!! How appalling is that?? Hey Sam, what’d you think of Kapono guarding Pierce:
“You look at the shots Paul Pierce made. He drove the basket a couple of times, but he was making a lot of 18, 19-foot shots with guys contesting him.”
No you clown, he had Jason Kapono guarding him and Paul Pierce has made a career out of hitting the 18 footer. If you think getting a token hand in the face is called a “contest” then you’re sadly mistaken. Once again Sam throws his hands up in the air and goes “Oh well, what can you do”. No, this should not be tolerated. We need to get him some coaching help ASAP, maybe a willy old defensive-minded assistant coach or a guy who can remind him when to play offense/defense. Something. Anything to keep him from doing shit like using Bosh as a decoy for an entire quarter.
There was a key play in this game. Trailing 84-81, Boston called timeout and came out with a great play that got Ray Allen a wide open three and he drained it to tie the game. The Raptors in response brough the following out of their timeout:
2:41 Jermaine O'Neal bad pass 84-84 1:50 Kendrick Perkins blocks Jermaine O'Neal's 15-foot jumper 84-84 1:17 Jermaine O'Neal turnover 84-86 0:52 Jose Calderon misses 13-foot jumper 84-88 0:30 Anthony Parker misses 26-foot three point jumper 84-90 0:17 Jason Kapono misses 26-foot three point jumper 84-92
Pretty pathetic eh. What these lines don’t tell you is that we took most of these shots with less than 3 seconds on the shot-clock and basically threw the ball into O’Neal when nothing else worked. There was no semblance of a play being run here, just us running around like chickens with our heads cut off.
One of the substitutions that hurt us the most was Jose Calderon being pulled for Will Solomon for absolutely no reason. We’re just coming off the third quarter break and there’s no reason to give the reigns to Will Solomon in this pressure packed environment. We’re nursing an 8 point lead and should be focusing on extending it rather than letting the Celtics back in the game. Mitchell goes with Solomon and here’s what our offense does under Solomon who struggled to get anyone the ball without at least 16 seconds running of the shot-clock:
10:57 Will Solomon enters the game for Jose Calderon 69-61 10:41 Will Solomon bad pass (Tony Allen steals) 69-62 10:18 Jason Kapono bad pass (Eddie House steals) 69-63 10:00 Jermaine O'Neal offensive foul (Leon Powe draws the foul) 69-65
It’s only three possessions but its three fourth quarter possessions that we get nothing out of and continue giving the momentum back to Boston. We have a day off tomorrow and our big guns need to be in there to see this thing through, there’s time to rest later. I’m just singling out one substitution but there’s also Joey Graham who had a great first half but didn’t play the entire third quarter and then was brought back in the game in the fourth ice cold.
Give kudos to Jermaine O’Neal for getting the Raptors off to a hot start, his 19 first half points were the main reason the Raptors were in this one and I’m starting to think that if it weren’t for him this game could’ve gotten out of hand early. He’s also the only guy that showed some real intensity by getting in Kendrick Perkins’ face in the first half and backing people down like a man possessed. In the second half we stopped looking for him and when we did, he got doubled and passed the ball well out of it. For the Raptors to win games consistently we need three scorers, tonight we got one and it wasn’t our main guy. I’m shocked we didn’t get blown out, oh wait, we did: 58-39 in the second half.
Is it me or did you want to throw a brick at your TV when you saw KG trash talking Calderon as poor Jose couldn’t believe it. Or how about Pierce crying out at the sky as he sinks another clutch jumper. Did you wish we had players that did that kind of stuff? Show outright emotion, play with their hearts on their sleeves, get pumped up and inspire their teammates, not settle for a loss and will their teams to big wins in big divisional games. I’m sad, it makes me sad that we don’t have anybody like that.
The Raptors last year beat the weak teams and lost to the good ones and this year appears to be no different. We just took one up the arse!
91 Raps
If you believe lying box scores, Jamario Moon played almost as well as Bosh in 16 minutes vs. Bosh’s 40. This is not a good sign.
I’ve been down from day 1 and that was one of the most painful games for me ever. I can’t even talk about it.
I watched it with the f*cking Boston commentary too…that makes it even worse.
1. Two people need to take the blame for Bosh only taking 8 shots, but more of the blame falls on Mitchell than on Bosh. Good coaches find easy offense for their stars.
2. Speaking of easy shots, I miss the hell out of Carlos Delfino. Not because he’s Carlos Delfino, but because we’re desperately missing a guy that can create easy offense early in possessions through a quick outlet upcourt to someone who isn’t Jose. All it takes to get your defenders scrambling is to put pressure on them before they can get set up, even if that’s just a bit of probing penetration and a kick back out to a shooter. Toronto is desperately missing this kind of easy offense that most wing players can provide (and that’s before getting into drawing fouls, attacking the basket in the halfcourt, end-of-clock possessions, etc). The Raps just have to work way too damned hard to get a decent shot, on every possession their slow and methodical set up allows the D to get set and then relies on execution to trump it.
Arsenalist,
Personally, I thought it was a tremendous game!!! … with both sides showing plenty of positives, in a back-2-back, and their fair share of ‘Needed Areas of Improvement’.
Of particular interest was the stretch in the 2nd Quarter when the Raptors first pulled away from the Celtics [i.e. Tor 32, BOS 24] and played some of their best basketball of the young season with
Chris Bosh at C,
Kris Humphries at PF, and
Joey Graham at SF.
As I’ve said before … THAT’S an interesting and effective way to use these 3 players. :-)
==============================
Overall, my impression of the Raptors tonight is best summed up in a quote from Jose Calderon’s post-game interview:
“I like my team tonight.”
==============================
That is … until the deep 4th Quarter … when:
i) Kevin Garnett upped the ante, substantially, on D, including his textbook ‘Show & Recover Hard’ vs CB4;
ii) Kendrick Perkins basically said to JO,
“Mr. Former 6-time all-star, who punked me off in the 1st half, you ain’t scoring no more with that Turn-raround J from the Right Block”;
iii) Tha Truth took over … vs Jason Kapono (???);
and,
iv) Jesus Shuttlesworth [took and] made that huge 3PT-shot, running off the staggered baseline screens to shake free on the Right Wing.
Until then … it was one heckuva game.
======================
FWIW … In the 4th, Boston’s attention to detail, concentration, re-activity, and will to REBOUND [+5 in this Q] & rotate on Defense was a thing of beauty.
The Raptors learned a lot about themselves in this game, and their opponent.
Why are the Raptors CONSTANTLY learning? Why can’t they just DO, or, why can’t they just WIN when it counts? I don’t care about the damn learning curve. I’m tired of excuses. I’m tired of “our guys just didn’t make their shots,” and “we just couldn’t stop them.” Get rid of Smitch already.
Soooo, in conclusion … Boston’s ‘atheticism’ and ‘bball-wise’ was superior to the Raptor’s ‘athleticism’ and ‘bball-wise’.
Bosh’s under-performance is somewhat of a mystery .. and maybe tomorrow we’ll have a better understanding of what happened.
sams a fucking moron and bc is a dumb bitch for keeping this loser….honestly, when kg was taunting jose up the floor those 2,3 times i was waiting for one of our bigs to run up on kg with a hard blind side pick to send a message and get him off jose,it didnt happen and i lost alotta respect for the boys tonight for that can u say PUSSIES….they were denying bosh the ball,but thats not on bosh,its the coaches job to get the ball into his best players hands, RUN A PLAY!…..WHAT THE FUCK IS SAM?he isnt a coach. no d subs,lettinf pierce rape kapono for 22 and in post game its about shats?…fuck sam.
The Celtics turn to Pierce in times of trouble. They have a team idenitity. Bosh is a top tier star.
i dont trust sam.
Robert Archibald says:
November 11th, 2008
Epic post alert! – Epic post alert!
I am slowly changing my expectations of this team. As is the right of every fan, I came into the season expecting a dominant team. JO would prove all his doubters wrong and help hide the fact that we have no wings.
I am still quite high on the Raps, but I think they have to realize that they are going to have to play their best basketball to do well this season. I still expect a fair it of internal improvement, as it is too early for JO to be properly integrated and Smitch still doesn’t seem set on any clear substitution patterns. I also expect BC to make a trade at some point in the season, probably closer to the deadline, to address the 2/3.
Our bigs are doing quite well already and should only get better. JO is still finding his groove, but he ate Perkins up last night. Bosh seems to have legitimately taken the next step, and Bargs is improving in almost every facet of the game. I actually doubt BC will allow Bargs to be his trading chip when that time comes along.
Our starting guards are okay. Jose is living up to expectations on O but is showing his Spanish heritage too much with his ‘Ole’ defence. Parker is shooting lights out and has the occasional Bowen type defensive game. I get the feeling he gets tired though – and this is early in the season. Nice segue to Solomon, I agree with Franchise that he should see more time at the 2. His D is solid and he hits his own open shots. Giving him regular playing time should give Jose and AP some needed rest, and allow Solomon to adjust. I hope it doesn’t sound like a man crush, its not, but Solomon is probably the best option we have right now. Give Roko time to develop and bury Adams.
The SF spot is killing us and Sam doesn’t seem to have any solutions. Well, unless he really thinks Moon is the solution and he keeps rolling him out there all season long despite Moon’s flaws. Raps fans have waited for this position to be addressed for YEARS, that is why Moon excited us all so much last year. I think this the position most needed to be addressed by BC, and likely will be to some degree before the deadline. Harrington and Wallace would both fit the bill nicely, but I just don’t see BC giving up Bargs to acquire them, I don’t know if that would be a deal killer.
To address the SF spot with our current personnel, we need to see what is and isn’t working. Again, to reiterate what Franchise has said, Moon alongside Bosh and O’Neal isn’t working. There are 2 options for change;
1) Start Kapono. We all thought he would be the starter before the season began because his natural talents perfectly compliment our twin towers. He is getting starters minutes anyways, so why not put him on with players in complimentary roles. This would allow you to bring Moon off the bench with Bargnani. Again, this would be putting players in complimentary roles. Moon helps hide Barg’s rebounding deficiencies and Bargs helps hide Moon’s lack of O. I think this substitution pattern helps both units run smoothly.
2)Start Joey. Sam just will not give poor Joey a chance, but he is the only slasher on the team! Good Joey seems to be winning the battle with Joey this year and this would bring us a dimension that we lack. Kapono would still be on the bench to get some instant offence, or Moon would be there if we needed to keep up defensive pressure. I happen to think that Joey has earned has chance this off season, and when he is on the floor and playing well, he is the only Raptor that brings an all around game.
Either way that leaves us with:
Jose – Solomon
Parker – Solomon
Kapono – Moon
Bosh – Bargs
O’Neal – Bargs
OR
Jose – Solomon
Parker – Solomon
Graham – Kapono (Moon)
Bosh – Bargs
O’Neal – Bargs
Both are nice tight rotations, but still allow plenty of rest for the starters without too much of a drop off.
In closing, I would like to comment on Sam. I don’t like him as coach. I think he may have improved a little each year, or maybe the team has. But Sam isn’t good at giving people roles they excel in. This team has lacked an identity for YEARS! It still hasn’t found an identity this year, when it should be fairly easy with the current players on the team. If your only coaching strategy is to send out players and run the same pick and roll all year long, then send out some players with complimentary skills and let them figure out how to play with each other. Sam has failed to let players know what their role is in the team. That is why I sit here and act like an armchair coach and create my own line ups – frustration!
Sorry for the long post, I had the day off!
“Robert Archibald says:
November 11th, 2008
Epic post alert! – Epic post alert!”
No.
I agree with Andiamo
“honestly, when kg was taunting jose up the floor those 2,3 times i was waiting for one of our bigs to run up on kg with a hard blind side pick to send a message and get him off jose,it didnt happen and i lost alotta respect for the boys tonight for that can u say PUSSIES”
ThAt waS a hard fought game againSt the cHamps, On the road, in the Last gamE of a back-to-back. It’s seems to me that the Raptor’s blogosphere is a little too pessimistic and reactionary this year. When we win you’re pissed off and when we lose, look out, this is the worst team to ever play the game. I understand the need for critical analysis, but come on. Why don’t you mention at least some positives along with your scathing review, that, at least, would be a more reasonable reaction to a tough loss on the road.
Robert Archibald,
Franchise?
When I’m confused about something, I ask a question.
Please explain further what you mean by this? :-)
Andiamo,I could not agree with you more…FUCKIN PUSSIES !!! I felt for Jose…where the fuck are my boys ? The mvp from the finals was being guarded by ? give me a break.
Khandor,a great game !!!! no a great first half….
I don’t think anybody expected us to go into Boston and take names,but having said that we were,and without our franchise player,never mind Waldo where the fuck was Bosh.
Please lets not chalk this up to experience….,gold medal and a silver medal,only one medal holder showed up !!!!
I was waiting for someone to bitch slap fuckin KG,and PP doing his best warewolf imitation…..Andiamo correct,Khandor,take your fuckin rose colored glasses off,oh thats right nobody can bitch about your man crush boy Mr. Bosh .
d279,
When you look at Voice of Fire, What do YOU see?
I see a $1.8 million ‘piece of Art’ looking back at me.
Do YOU?
[or, do YOU C something else ... different entirely? : ) ]
=========================
Bro,
THE Difference between your eyes, ears, and mind … in comparison to someone else around here, for example, like ‘Dave’ … is like that which exists between CB4 and KG, still, at this stage of their respective careers.
One is just 24 years of age; the other is turning 33, an counting … with an entirely different ‘game’, in his pocket.
And … No … I do not expect YOU to be able to recognize THAT … in either situation.
Imagine THAT … me with rose coloured glasses? : )
I wouldn’t do THAT if I was you … cause it might induce some Vertigo.
- RODNEY [but not Art, except perhaps to my dearest friends] CARNEY!
: )
Dinosty,
Can drop a piece of photoshop Art in here, please … with ‘Genghis Khan’ and a pair of ‘rose coloured glasses’ on?
For everything else … there’s Mastercard. : )
This game was over when the Raps were up by 15 and were stopping Boston but couldn’t up their lead while Boston was basically sleepwalking. I liked JO getting in Perkins Face, and Calderon and Garnett Yapping. Hopefully Bosh can get a Mean streak, nice big men dont win Championships, excluding Duncan who thrives in physical pressure situations.
And Remember when we picked up AB he passed some test that showed he could thrive in pressure situations? Did anybody see that BRICK when the crowd was going crazy in the fourth? He was Nervous.
Lastly Raps gotta rotate to the basket when JO comes for the block. And Smitch needs to get Bosh the Ball in more creative ways. I notice when JO picked Garnett, Garnett and Perkins would Switch so Smitch shouldve done some picks down low, and got Bosh the ball with Perkins Guarding (I know this probably wouldnt work in the 4th Q).
Overall a tough loss on a 3 game road trip, but an expected one. Hopefully this can turn into a little rivalry.
Aaron says ThAt waS a hard fought game againSt the cHamps, On the road, in the Last gamE of a back-to-back. It’s seems to me that the Raptor’s blogosphere is a little too pessimistic and reactionary this year.
Is this a contender or a team you’re happy played well enough to lose. We have different expectations, I was told this team could win the big games against good times unlike last years. We’re right in calling out Bosh and questioning Sam’s moves, doesn’t means the fans are being negative. Read this:
http://raptorsrepublic.com/blog/2008/11/09/supporter-or-fan/
I’m tried of people making excuses. JO needs time, Bosh is maturing, Bargnani’s getting better, Jose’s learning the point, AP’s got to get in his mid-season groove, Moon’s learning to shoot, enough of this. Let’s get something going and stop waiting. When is that game gonna happen when Bosh will ARRIVE for real. I don’t mean against the Bobcats, I mean against a great team so he can announce the Raps as contenders…if you’re to be believed we should accept that its not going to happen on a back end of a back-to-back (in game #7).
—————————————
re: When is that game gonna happen when Bosh will ARRIVE for real.
—————————————
In the 2012-2013 season.
well, it’s all been said. i wanted to give myself the night to think things over before posting.
my 2 cents…khan, gotta give it up for your boys robo-joe & hump, they played really well.
jose – reminded me of bobby hurley going up against UNLV back in the day…intimidated by the perimiter pressure, picking his dribble up 28 ft from the hoop, not creating any passing lanes, not getting any help from his bigs. at least he showed some fucking heart…of course, it’d also be nice to have a good game from him as well.
bosh – it’s all been said. you just can’t not show up. can’t. doesn’t matter the circumstance, the poor play calling, the fact you’re being checked by a lunatic; a team’s star & go-to guy has to step up & demand more of himself. he was far too passive. and i didn’t witness a whole lot of ‘dominant’ rebounding.
bargs – hello to the rest of his career. i guess it just goes to show how little we expect, or rather, how many of us simply accept the fact we can’t count on him for diddly fucking squat. no on can be surprised that he follows up a very good outing sunday with this pile of shit. there’s your #1 overall pick folks. BC sold us an outhouse & told us it was the taj ma-fucking-hal. like an outhouse, bargs is useful every so often, but for the most part, just stinks.
going back to the ‘fan’ or ’supporter’ – if, during the 3rd Q with the raps still up double digits, you thought they were going to win, you’re a ‘fan.’ if, on the other hand, you were absolutely, positively, unequivocally certain that they’d find a way to lose, then you’re a ’supporter.’ last night sealed it for where i’d classify myself…
overall…the most frustrating kind of loss. they show glimpses of what they can do/be, but in the end, there’s just something (or, quite a few somethings) missing.
it was a tremendous game, and the raptors were a couple bad smitch decisions from winning it:
1. joey graham never saw the light of day after a solid showing int he 1st half. in fact, most of the substitutions were suspect in the 2nd half
2. that ray allen three was expected out of the time out. smitch didn’t recognize that jesus has been doing that for a decade and is why he makes 20mill/year
3. poor timeout calling
4. no plays were ran for bosh in the 4th quarter
it’s games like this that really force bryco to dip into the teachers pension fund (and tanenbaums real estate ventures) to get a solid 3 like he should have after the o’neal trade. could bargnani be on his way out?
I thought I was prepared for a loss but I lied to myself; that hurt. I can’t go mad over one loss (especially when it’s against the champs on the road) but this team better come out pissed off for a good stretch of games. We got punk’d in the worst way by KG and PP and the refs showed zero respect for this team (may as well give KG the whistle). We have some intense guys (JO, CB and JC) on our team but they don’t seem to care about each other as much as I’d like. I don’t give a crap about who KG is and will be (HOF), you can’t let him bully one of your star players and turn a blind eye. Do you think KG would have let anyone on our team taunt Rondo like that? Raps need to show me some heart and thump a few teams.
If I’m to point fingers it going to be at Sam for letting his ego get in the way of making the best decisions when needed late in the game. He pulled Moon because of the 4 threes he chucked in less than 20 minutes but we needed him late in the game. Bench him the next game if you want to make a point but when its personnel by possession time you gotta use ‘em.
OK, at the end of the day…
- Paul Pierce had fresh legs and made some HOF shots in the fourth quarter (such a smart player).
- Bosh played 44 minutes the night before and didn’t seem to have the mustard to fight KG for 40 minutes. We needed him late and he turtled. I expect he will give us more in the future.
- Jermaine still doesn’t have his fourth quarter legs as he ole’d a few block opportunities in the third and fourth quarter and had no spring in his jumper. I expect him to get better and more consistent as we go further into the season.
- Boston is one of the best defensive teams of all-time, if they want to stop you they will….ask Kobe.
As gut-wrenching as it was, it was a great game of basketball and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. It’s amazing how much emotion gets tied into a game when you cheer for a team that is trying to establish itself against a true winner…no other sport can give you that roller coaster of nerves, excitement and utter sense of defeat. I need to go shoot some jumpers…therapy.
This team just isn’t able to get easy baskets. In the seven games we’re played so far, here are our fast-break points:
4, 6, 4, 0, 3, 2, 2
I did not know that. That is where we miss TJ, the guy had big time problems but he pushed the ball in transition and encouraged his wings to run. Calderon doesn’t do that, JC had a couple nice passes (one for alley-oop dunk) in the half-court set but nothing easy. When the Celtics were shooting bricks in the first half we should’ve taken advantage and gone into the half with a 18-20 point lead.
Even when Calderon has the lane he chooses to pull up or pass. I don’t see that ‘turn’ in him that I saw last year where he used to use the high screen and just burst for a layup. Bad loss, if Bosh or Bargnani would’ve given us something we could have taken this. Don’t get me started on the Kap on Pierce…
Dear Chris Bosh, I think I speak for many Raptors fans when I say “we like you, we really really like you”. You’ve got game and this year it looks like it might all be coming together. You can be a beast, a killer, a major player in the league. You can be just like the guy you idolized growing up. And the guy you idolized growing up shows just how smart a player you are. You chose the right guy and the right game to emulate.
But here’s the thing. That guy on the Boston Yankees, #5, he’s not the Kevin Garnett you idolized coming up. He’s some CGI David Stern-via-hollywood recreation of the real Kevin Garnett. It’s still a great player out there but it’s a bit like a night at a strip club – all silicone and marketing. Kevin Garnett – he’s a great player. Great story and I fell for it for most of last season. But then it opened its mouth in the playoffs. It did that endless interview with Bill Russell. It streamed gibberish after Paul Pierce and the Yankees won the championship. Then it was clear: that’s not a great player, that’s a douchebag. I mean I hated Larry all through the 80’s (but I see the error of my ways now) and he wouldn’t have come close to that shit last night. If he had a problem with Jose he would have Laimbeer’ed him not hammed it up for the cameras.
Maybe you didn’t see it last year but, dude, you had to see it last night. Phony Garnett, and the rest of the cunty Yankees think you’re soft and last night they were right. If anyone ever taunts your pg (or sg, or sf or c or water boy) you set a HARD pick. Don’t let them take you out of the offence but you set picks right? So why not set one with a little English next time?
Alright, so hopefully you’ve taken last night in. Hopefully, the rest of the team has too. But here’s the thing: You guys play the Yankees again soon – November 23rd to be precise. Phony Garnett should be there. So there’s still time to send a message – a message that involves that douchebag on the ground and you standing over him. And then you fucking scratch and claw you’re way to every ball he tries to touch. I don’t care if he outscores you 20:1 and we lose by 40, this team and you make a leap this year if you don’t back down. So next time, don’t back down.
Oh, and I’m keeping the tickets I was wondering about. Mostly I’m keeping them because I’ll be up in the nosebleeds on Nov. 23rd rediscovering some of my youth – a deep, abiding hatred of the Boston Yankees. Fuck them, their corrupt trades, their homer calls from the refs and their douchebag captain. It feels good to be young again.
For whatever it’s worth:
A) That was Joey Graham’s best quarter as a Raptor. That he didn’t get a chance to continue to shine is a travesty.
B) Jermaine O’Neal takes it to the rack -he scores, gets to the line. Jermaine O’Neal fades away – he misses, gets blocked, or travels. I’m gonna keep harping on it.
C) Kapono impressed me tonight. He was a lot more mobile and creative than I’ve seen before.
D) You do NOT let the other team’s big get in the face of your guard. Oakley would’ve gotten suspended if he was on the team. Scratch that, he would have waited for KG in the parking lot.
E) I think I broke my fist on the coffee table.
good point on not letting the other teams bigs get in calderon’s face. that was unnecessary, but effective. would have liked to see o’neal or bosh step up and protect their pg. send in hump for a couple plays to throw some elbows even!
Where was HO in the second half? Back to his 2008/09 normalcy, I suppose. The Celts did a good job shutting down a pouring tap. We didn’t.
I am also with Andiamo. Where was the toughness when Jose was being taunted? What would Oakley have done? Hell, what would the Red Rocket have done? HO and CB should have been in Garnett’s grill, AllStar to AllStar, giving that shit right back. At the very least, put Humph or whomever out there for a hard foul. Send a message while the world is watching. That HO/Perk thing was nothing. It’s happened before and is one of the reasons I thought HO would have a big game. Should have remembered he fades away like hope of another Raptors banner.
Interesting that Chisholm is now talking about the Bargs rumours. Smoke…fire…although I still think he doesn’t get moved. If he does, I’m heading to the Raptors head office, wait for BryCo and point and laugh. Loser.
I’m with RapsFan. I thoroughly enjoyed that game. Some people thought we would be blown out, but we took it to the champs in their house. Our 3 headed monster didn’t deliver and we lost. Barely.
AltRaps, please don’t give me the ‘barely lost’ bullshit. We got blown out in the second half 58-39. The reason it was even close is because we got off to a hot start when the Celtics were still finding themselves.
I like how you start off your sentence ripping on JO who happened to be the only Raptor to show up. Yeah, he had a bad half but at least he had a good one too.
People look at the final scoreline and go, “Oh, we were right there against a good team”. Which is the exact same shit they said against Detroit. Bottom line is that we didn’t come out with a W and expecting anything less is LOOOOSSEER mentality which this franchise needs to shake off. As Endo said, I was told this team is good enough to win clutch games and I’m not one to bail out after 7 games but so far we’re 0-2. And please don’t give me the back-to-back BS. It’s the seventh game of the season for fuck sakes.
yertu,
Sam is in a tough situation right.
IMO … Bryan Colangelo has saddled this team, and specifically, its head coach with a series of serviceable players but, also, with serious deficiencies in their overall games.
I am not speaking here of Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon, Kris Humphries, Joey Graham, and Jamario Moon, who are solid NBA players that are going to get better at hiding their deficiencies, and Will Solomon, Roko Ukic, and Hassan Adams, who have minor back-up roles on this year’s team … which is not to say that each of these 8 players have ‘0′ holes in their respective games but, rather, that the holes they do have are not ’serious’, in nature or extent.
Unlike, say, the serious holes that exist in Jason Kapono, Jermaine O’Neal, Anthony Parker and Andrea Bargnani, at the moment.
When the Raptors play against the other Middle-of-the-Pack teams, in the NBA, or the Low End teams … in general, they match-up quite well, at each of the 5 spots on the floor.
However, when they must go against the High End teams, in THIS League, right now, they will likely ‘more-times-than-not’ come out on the short end of the deal … quite literally, when ‘push comes to shove’ … as a result of the serious holes in the games of the 4 players I listed above.
IMO, it’s the ‘average-only’ assessment of talent ability that Bryan Colangelo brings to the table for this team, as its GM … which has hamstrung Sam Mitchell, as its coach, in a ‘classic Catch-22′ situation … based upon the reality of the current strengths and weaknesses of these 4 specific players.
[not to say that Sam is a perfect head coach, just yet, because he's not, IMO, he is still very much a work-in-progress, in this regard]
* Jason Kapono … whose ‘offense’ was sorely needed in last night’s game, but whose D & Board-work on a HIGH QUALITY Wing like Paul Pierce is suspect.
* Jermaine O’Neal … whose ‘low post offense’ was big in the first have last night, but in crunch time, has consistently been inconsistent throughout the course of his career when he finds himself in late game situations versus the likes of Kendrick Perkins and Perk says, “No More, Tonite”, and slams the door shut on him, when the individual possessions count the most in Big Time NBA Games, i.e. coming down the home stretch, in the Final 5 minutes.
* Anthony Parker … whose very solid skill set belies the fact that he just isn’t ‘Big & Strong & Quick & Tough’ enuff to successfully combat the likes of ‘Jesus S’ coming down the home stretch of said Big Time NBA Games, more-times-than-not … as the principal #2-spot player for an elite level team in this League.
* Andrea Bargnani … whose spot-up 3PT-shooting, when it’s on, is a solid compliment to Chris Bosh – and an example of what CB4 NEEDS from a Big Man running mate, amongst other things which a better balanced player like Kris Humphries can provide – but whose overall lack of ‘lateral quicks’, as a Big, on any Pick & Roll/Pop ‘action’, results in numerous fouls against Bargnani, and too frequent ‘blow-bys’, in 1-V-1 isolations against HIM, after a ’switch’ has occurred, initiated from the Top Of The Key, which are deathblows to the Raptors’ chances for success versus the High End teams in this League coming down the stretch of Big Time Games.
IMO … each of these 4 players are on this team because of crucial decisions which have been made by Bryan Colangelo & his staff.
It’s not a matter of them being low level NBA players. They do not fit into that category. But, neither are they the ‘right fit together’ for this team, right now, to function as an elite level squad in the NBA.
[BTW ... Which doesn't mean that all 4 NEED to be changed ... ONLY that, at least, 1 of them needs to be 're-positioned' down to a lower rung on the ladder of this team or, possibly, expunged altogether, in favour of a different ... better? ... type of player at that spot for this team to succeed in a major way.]
re: Raptors Toughness.
You mean the same toughness that witnessed Kobe’s 81?
Thought that was a terrific game. Raps and the rest of us see how far we are from elite status. KG’s intensity was a joy to watch. Obviously I’m disappointed that nobody stepped up to match it, but hey, it’s the C’s and that’s why their champs.
KG ramped it up and the Raps wilted. Jose was giving up his dribble early and I haven’t seen Bosh look so timid since his second year in the league.
Bosh not touching the ball in the 4th is a joke. Also, just once I’d like to see JO and Bargs play well in the same game. Why must it always be either/or?
Raps host the C’s Sunday, November 23rd. Less than 2 weeks away. The fans better go nuts and the Raps MUST show some mettle. Take it to them instead of vice versa. I am so looking forward to that game.
my next question that is begging to be asked is based on what we have seen so far, is it reasonable to expect the raptors to beat the elite/upper echelon teams in the league, or at least in the ec? if we can’t have our three headed monster be at the top of their games against the elite (we have only seen detroit and boston so far) now, can we expect them to down the line when fatigue and injuries begin to rear their head? do we have the firepower to hang with them? and most critically, do we have the stopping/defensive grit to stop the big boys from doing what they do?
Sorry Badass but’s KG’s intensity is anything but a joy to watch. Did Bird act like him? No, even though Larry Legend was one of the league’s premier trash-talkers he didn’t pull that look-at-me shit. Did Jordan ever do anything like that? No, when Derick Martin called him out he just laced them up and shoved it down Martin’s sorry throat. Again, no look at me shit. Did Bill Russell do that shit? Name a great player who pulled that crap. You can’t.
So what’s the word on KG on the road? Is he Kobe or Dwight Howard? Do fans pay for taunting him or can they put him off? I’d like nothing better than to hear the ACC chanting “phoney” when he comes to line on the 23rd.
Jeesus Christ khandor, can you summarize your thoughts in shorter posts? I mean, I have to do some work at work too.
It looks like you’re saying that the lack of depth on the team (Hump, Graham, Moon, Solomon and Ukic) aren’t the problem but instead its JO, Parker, Kapono, Bargnani. There’s no doubt that every player on the roster (save Bosh kinda) has some serious issues in their game, I’m just not willing to give Moon, Solomon and Graham a free pass just because they suck which is basically what you’re doing. I think Kapono was a solid pickup at the wrong price, he’s got a place on this team and is not a bad player “saddled” on to Mitchell, he’s never been used well. Even last night when he had a good offensive game we asked him to guard the MVP of the finals, how the hell is that on Kap?
Sam, KG’s intensity is only a joy to watch if you’re a Celtics fan.
I think Robert Archibald forgot what site he was posting on. “Franchise” is one of the writers from RaptorsHQ. I suspect a “copy-paste” cross post where he just forgot to edit a few things. Anyway, the gist of the post still works.
Newsflash. KG isn’t Bird.
Bosh or JO should have popped him for that shit. That’s the difference between the two teams.
Overall, good first half. Second half…gotta find some intensity!
As long as the raptors don’t be though and punch kg to the floor they will never win a play off round , they have no toughness.
but the refs have been doing a solid job fixing the games with horrendous calls and no calls . kg should have been T’ed up .
see who the real star is , she what champions do cb4 . and btw start defending a player when he’s in the low post, you get humbled , where is your spine against a real star. sure i got shot again.
grow a pair , take your team on your back and don’t let your pg be dissed ? smack that pompous ass to the floor
and let’s start on smitch you let kapono guard pierce in the 4th and last 2minutes, without doubling, seriously ,only that should make BC fire your ass.
and stop japing and play the players you got , maybe develop a player not named bosh . we haven’t seen a rookie grow up, jose wouldn’t have had the chance at starting was it not for tj breaking down and then be a whiny little bitch . trading bargs is not the solution it makes it worse an even shorter bench ,seriously if we get harrington/wallace for bargs and scrub /bust failure of a player ( graham , hump). seriously then kapono and (hump/)graham are only bench players with offense, give me a break , your bench would have 1 serious scoring option and btw he’s not that consistent , so if kapono fails , this team would be an epic failure.
if BC does such a trade he’s asking for injuries due to high playing time of players.
and then lets fire away at JO , stop taking fade away 6+ footers
seriously how many does it take to know you’re not scoring on that option.
i didn’t care about the fact you take 22 mil because i thought you gave this team the necessary toughness and defensive attitude to bust away from the pack , and it was really needed for the first time you let your team down , you should have bumped kg to the ground when jose was driving up the court smacking the bitch to the ground , i would have paid to see you make that technical , you let take over the game emotionally , just like how rasheed wallace got in your head, now it was KG ; guess what those players have , a ring around their finger . they dominated the hole team ,an the lack of any kind of playbook killed us , no i’m not starting again over that asshole without a playbook with the arrogance of MJ .
how to fix our flaws
1. fire mitchell
2. stop dreaming about a trade for a better wing player , we don’t have the chips to trade for a good/solid wingplayer
3.An open invitation to JO AND CB4 to start growing a pair and start japing back against other stars and don’t get dominated psychically,and step up for your teammates !!
4.hire a coach that has the x& o under control , don’t come out of and time-out with a pick and pop or pick and roll , or an isolation for a bosh jumper that he always misses when we’re down and it’s close after4 years a coach should notice such a thing no ?
5. hire some psychiatrist maybe just maybe it could help get consistency in graham/ bargs to a lesser degree, it’s clearly in their heads , if smitch ain’t fired , buy him a chiwawa , so he can bark to something with the brains that can understand his total nonsense.
stop using players as scapegoats
X/dream. hire oakley sit him on the bench and show those softies how it’s done
all the good parts we’re not left out ,they we’re none when your up 16 in the third you need to close out the game
well i could rant all day
piece out
I think this game demonstrates how important it is to have a superior wing player. As good as Bosh is, he can’t initiate his own offense. He has to get position and get someone to throw him the ball. Now, few defenders can totally neutralize him like KG (and ’sheed), but against the elite of the East, that’s what he’s going to see. Pierce on the other hand can just take the ball from the point guard at half-court if necessary and go to work. Give the ball to Bosh above the 3pt line and little good is likely to happen. Let Pierce have it there and well, we saw what happens.
Raptors 4th Quarter: 22 points
Pierce’s 4th Quarter: 22 points
How does this happen? Joey, Jamario, AP, hell, even Hassan Adams are better man defenders than Kapono. This is totally and completely unacceptable, and Sam should apologize to his team for putting them in that situation.
Long time reader, first time poster.
A very important point has been overlooked by all of the poster’s here today so I feel the need to weigh in. KG did a great job at denying CB4 the ball last night. He has been able to do this with a high degree of success over the past two seasons.
BUT, at the beginning of the 4th quarter, KG sat down for 5-6 minutes and at that point THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NOBODY ON THE FLOOR CAPABLE OF GUARDING CB4!!! Despite the fact that KG shut him down for 3 quarters, this was the Raps’ opportunity to get their all-star going. They needed to take advantage of this, and I feel that it was a wasted opportunity.
Also, Joey Graham should be applauded for a fantastic first half. He didn’t try to force anything and all his offence was within the team flow. Why he didn’t get the opportunity to guard PP in the 4th, I’m not sure.
I don’t know, Arse…I think Kapono showed up, I think Joey showed up before hurting his back, I think Humph did his job, I think Jose was his usual self. I just think you are crusty because you now see what we have: nothing more than the last few years and at the cost of our salary cap.
Fact is, I still feel that we have been better, for some unknown reason, with HO on the bench. The first half last night has been the EXCEPTION to his game all season, correct? He was back to reality with fouls in the second half and no output. Put that up against what Bosh has done since the season opened and I question why he is held up as a scapegoat last night, especially given he saved our bacon against a bad team the day before.
Even if one is having a bad night, I would hope that if a teammate is being taunted and we are in a new era of “Raptors Toughness”, one of your 2 leaders would either pop someone or at least call a team huddle when things were starting to turn. You see quality teams do it quite a bit when runs are happening, so why didn’t our 2 leaders bring the guys in and show some direction?
Dinosty, agree and disagree. If Kap hits shots to offset his horrendous D, then it’s a risk that pays off. I, for one, thought he did a good job creating his shot in the last 2 games, even taking it inside.
I do agree, though, that if he is flailing offensively, yank him and put someone else in. Pretty hard, though, when we are playing catch-up, given our rebounding and takeaway stats.
I’m not going to trash the officiating because there was bad calls on both sides, but how does KG get away with a half-court long finger wag? Mutumbo was getting T’d up for that years ago. I know he’s a superstar, but call the game.
Bosh still can’t get any respect from the refs either, and he pretty much took himself out of the game because of it.
I was absolutely sick in the 4th quarter. For the first half we gave Pierce wide open shots and he got hot, then we wonder why Kapono can’t cool him down for the last half. Some coaching needs to be done.
Endo,
I respect and agree with the fact that you want to criticize Sam and Bosh and so on, as I said in the comment. All I’m saying is that there were some positives in the game and I think we should talk about what is working, as well. I mean there is such a thing as reality, and in reality we are trying to integrate a major acquisition into the team and there are going to be mistakes and in case you hadn’t noticed Boston is insanely good and even more so at home. I have high expectations for this team, too, and there are definitely significant problems we’ve seen so far. But that’s just it , we’re only 7 games into the season and it really hasn’t been all doom and gloom, at least in my opinion. Again, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t criticize, I’m just saying talk a little bit about what is working.
I try and teach my children to turn the oother cheek, but agree wholeheartedly with
“Bosh or JO should have popped him for that shit”
With all due respect, HO did a finger wave after a block earlier in the season and didn’t get T’d up. Most here thought it was “great and wonderful…swoon”. Double standards?
Also, I’m not always a fan, but I think Doug Smith’s blog today hit a lot of stuff right on the head, including some items brought up in the comments here.
http://thestar.blogs.com/raptors/2008/11/whos-playing-th.html
Alt, there’s a difference between JO overcelebrating to his team mates and the Big Phony’s antics. The real Kevin Garnett would have actually defended on Jose and then turned to his bench to tell them it was time to ramp it up. Hollywood Garnett is busy counting his Youtube hits
Kevin Garnett can die in a fire.
Arsenalist,
Would have been great if an NBA game was 36 mins. I think CB4 deserves a pass ‘cos he has to have the ball in his hands to work his magic. Smitch is more to blame for not adjusting his game plan to counter Bostons & for the moronic subtitution of Jose for Will in the 2nd half.
Best to deal Bargs now b4 he gets labelled as inconsistent and loses value. If I was BC I would try dealing AP or Kapono with Bargs for David Lee and Jamal Crawford. This would give us some much need perimeter scoring with some added toughness. Also helps New york trim down its payroll.
Sorry Grumpy, I’m not giving him that. I’ve hear “the guard has the ball in his hands argument” and it doesn’t jive here. If the guard doesn’t pass you the ball, demand it. Demand it like the you did against the Bobcats. What’s the difference here? Oh wait, big bad mean KG’s guarding you and D’ing you up all the way to the 3pt line while trash talking your mates so you get scared and become a complete non-factor. I appreciate Bosh more than anyone but its in times of great adversity that you find the mental makeup of a person and it saddens me to say that so far he’s failed every test.
No one commenting on Sam using Bosh as a decoy being the reason Bosh didn’t get any shots?
http://www.thestar.com/Sports/NBA/article/534501
The plain truth about the Rap’s Boston game is that they are the NBA champions, looking to repeat, and Rap’s are a .500 playoff team looking to win 1 or 2 series this year. No comparison talent wise.
Boston completely destroyed the Pistons in Detroit the night before, and you all expected the Raptors to beat them with Bargnani scoring 2 pts and Bosh 9, on their home court.
KG, Allen, and Pierce (all-stars/hall of famers)are so much better at their positions than anyone on Rap’s, that it’s impossible to even compare them. Bosh, O’Neal, Moon, AP, Kapono, all good NBA players, with Bosh having the potential to be great, but not there yet, but can’t compare with that talent/experience, are you kidding, or what ???
With all that said, the encouraging part of the game was that the Raptors, with a little better execution, in the last 2 minutes, could have won, due to their defensive play and the play of the bench players, Kapono, Graham, and Humphries.
Three key areas needing improvement defense and rebounding and bench play, all areas where they competed with the best
Calderon, although he had 10 assists, struggled with his shot, but did well in the matchup with Rondo that everyone was concerned with. Jose must be more aggressive early, and throughout, to offset the coverage on Bosh and O’Neal on the P&R plays. I would have loved to see Jose bump chests with KG when he challenged him, but at least he spoke up and told him off.
Excellent for MLSE
One of the reasons they fired Babcock was because he was unlikeable and sort of like the black sheep of the company. Didn’t have the respect of his peers.
So hire a GM with a confident persona in Colangelo instead. Even if he doesn’t know how to assemble a team that don’t matter because he’s such a nice guy. So media savvy , I mean who would bash him in the media? His flaws as a gm are masked in a sense. MLSE don’t want a contender they want a perfect 1 round and out team.
Same with the team. Assemble a bunch of nice guys with good character and let them get swept in the first round. There nice guys so the fans will always love them regardless. Toronto is a european market so lets hire euros. Fans would never boooo there countrymen.
Only player who had a pair TJ Ford.We trade him away.
Bryan could be a serial killer and people would love him. lol Its just that aura he has.
i can’t imagine why anyone would use their best player as a decoy on every single play of a quarter. for any series of crucial plays. or for anything other then ONE shot, if that.
to suggest that a “franshise” player was locked down by a defensive player for an entire quarter is absurd. we forget that the best players FIND a way to get the ball, and make ‘plays’ when the coaches strategy fails to get him the ball:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d8Ll9xgQ3U
The aura…and what looked like his early magic touch. Hey, he managed to trade Hoffa for a living, breathing NBA backup caliber basketball player :)!
The Raptors’ offense has always been a problem. In the previous years, when Bosh don’t score, we’re screwed. This year it is a bit better because O’Neal can also help out (which he finally did last night for the first time this year). However, our playcalls are just so obvious, and we have no movement whatsoever.
As for the defense side, I also question why Kapono is covering Pierce. I would rather have parker D up on Pierce, and let Kapono chase Allen around (Kapono is not a good defender and I’m being nice). And a big question mark should point towards the coaching staff on this. How could they not know that Pierce will burn almost anyone in the league from around the free throw area? He’s made that shot ever since he entered the league!!! At least find a way to get him out of that spot!!
Lastly, the game last night showed the difference between a playoff team and a championship team. There was no fire, not only in Bosh, but in the whole team. Aside from JO, I don’t think there was anyone that seemed like they really wanted the ball. All the players on the Celtics team from Garnett to House to Powe, they all looked like they wanted the ball a lot more. There was no fire, which is essential for a championship team. I think that needs to be addressed too.
Sam, he didn’t overcelebrate to his teammates, he wagged it at an opponent as he (HO) lay on the ground after blocking the shot. Same stuff Mutombo would do (except he wouldn’t be on his back).
TJ Ford almost becomes paralyzed last year and not one person sticks up for there friend. I show my dad and Nonno this and they go, Wait arn’t there teammates going to get involved?
Then that fucking pansy Parker in an interview after defends Harford saying it was an accident and no hard feelings basically. Oh Right, nice guy I know. worst starting SG in the league too BTW.
Lebron making fun of Bosh’s GF last season and taunting her. Bosh does nothing as always. I wish he went up to her and kissed her.
I dont give a flying Fuck if you can blow out Sacramento by 40 points. or Oklamhoma. Bosh always thrives when teams best players are injured too. He can beat Houston. So long as Artest, Mc Grady, and Ming are injured. Win a fucking 4th quarter against an elite team.
Alt, I’m pretty sure JO was wagging the finger as Bosh or someone else was about to help him off the deck. You’ve got plenty of other arrows to fire for your JO crusade.
KG’s intensity is bad for basketball, especially at lower levels. He fails to see the limits of talking while playing. Tons of other competitors who were more intense than KG (e.g. Bird, Jordan) knew where the balance lay. I liked KG and wished his T’wolves had made the leap with Spree and Cassel but with his current incarnation, I’ll take Lebron having fun over KG’s grim passion any day. Besides, Lebron might have gotten the T’wolves over the hump, bad GM and all.
You going to the game on the 23rd? Surely a supporter shows up for that one? You can prove your point to BC the other 40 games.
Sam and AltRaps, who cares if he wagged a finger or taunted or whatever. Bottom line is KG/PP showed us up and got in our faces and we got rattled and didn’t respond. Does it matter that much if he didn’t get a tech?? C’mon guys. I can’t wait till the 23rd when we get to see how this Raptor team will respond because they have to know they got humiliated.
Sam, I couldn’t disagree more. Some guys play with a quiet intensity, and some guys wear their hearts on their sleeve. KG may be a self-promoter, but you can’t tell me his antics yesterday weren’t effective. Bosh and JC WERE intimidated. In the face of KG’s ferocity, they wilted. The C’s defense was swarming and it started with KG.
The finger wagging in JC’s face went too far and he should certainly have been T’d up. But if I saw Bosh fiercely manning up Rajon Rondo, and forcing him to pick up his dribble 30 feet from the hoop to give up the ball, I’d be thrilled. So when KG does it, I can appreciate it. His Celtics teammates are obviously feeding off of it. Its working.
I love Bosh. And last night he was KG’s bitch. The way Bosh responds next Sunday will be telling.
We, myself included, have probably blown the finger pointing out of proportion.
I’m looking forward to the 23rd too. Sure hope the actual team is. I also hope they take their frustration out on Philly tomorrow.
I have to agree with almost everything that Arsenalist wrote here. One thing I always maintained, Sam Mitchel is one of the WORST coaches in NBA, if not THE WORST. How come someone can be, one year the laughing stock of NBA and arguably the worst coach in NBA, then all of sudden, the very next year becomes “coach of the year”. I mean, come on. What happened, his fair god mother made him a genius overnight, please. Arsenalist points are very valid:
- Which coach would let guy (Pierce) score 22 in a quarter on you and you play him with your, perhaps the worst defender Kapono (what about putting Moon or Graham on him), and not trying to get the ball out of his hands, double teaming him, etc…
- how in the world your BEST player gets only 8 shots in this game, HOW, HOW? Only extremely STUPID, third rate coach would not INSIST and MAKE SURE that his best player gets the ball in 4th quarter and to run offense through him (Bosh)
- What about timlely calling for time out, stoping the momentum of the oponent, and setting up good play out of time out….
Anyways, I can go on and on, but these are the most obvious points..
My conclusion is: mitchel is VERY BAD, VERY STUPID BUT VERY AROGANT COACH, he is actually POOR EXCUSE for a coach. Raptors will not be able to make next step forward with him, Raptors MUST fire mitchel A.S.A.P and bring someone who knows what is he doing……..
So here’s what they’ve given us so far …
Blocks/Min: Bargnani, O’Neal & Moon
Rebounds/Min: Bosh, Graham & Bargnani
FTs/Min: Bosh, Calderon & O’Neil
FGs/Min: Bosh, Calderon & O’Neal
3s/Min: Calderon, Parker & Moon
Assists/Min: Calderon, Parker & Kapono
Steals/Min: Moon, Parker & Calderon
+/-: Parker, Bosh & Moon
Efficiency/Min: Bosh, Calderon & Humphries
In order of total contibution: Bosh, Calderon, Parker, MOON, BARGNANI & O’Neal (tied), Graham, Kapono & Humphries.
In order of minutes: Bosh, Calderon, Parker, O’NEAL, Moon, KAPONO, Bargnani, Graham, SOLOMAN, UKIC, Humphries, (& Adams)
So, Sam, Moon & Bargnani are being under-utilized, while O’Neal & Kapono are being over-utilized by you.
I think the thing i’m concerned about most is the fact that Bosh ripped on Mitchell’s game-plan in the postgame. I wonder how close Sam is to losing this locker room? At the end of the playoffs last year there were similar grumblings. I’m guessing its only going to get worse. Bosh had the team USA coaches give him some pointers and watched how they went about their business, I bet that Mitchell looks like an idiot in comparision.
For Sam to get canned all that would need to happen is the entire team go to Bryan and tell him about there experience in the locker room and during the game. That he’s a detriment to the team and need a better strategist. Bryan would Listen.
Sam is an idiot.
Would Lebron James be used as a decoy in the 4th? lets have him go for 0 pints and use Varajao as out go to guy.
Tim Duncan?
The Mutumbo rule works like this: you can taunt (finger wag) to the crowd, to no one, to the roof, whatever, you just can’t taunt at a guy…ie get right in his face and start wagging. Mutumbo still wags, he just wags to the crowd instead of to the guy he just blocked.
God I hate the Celts…and I hate the Raps for not stepping up to them.
Yup, Adam’s got it right. KG deserved a tech but who cares, it’s a just another tiny little detail that compounds them misery of this loss. I wasn’t pissed that he didn’t get a tech, I was pissed we didn’t do the same thing.
Imagine Calderon going for a layup like TJ last year and Garnette clocks him hard and breaks his neck.
I think the death threats for Garnette would reach George Bush Highs
Well it looks like not much has changed huh! The raptors are still blowing big leads and choking in the clutch. Its fucking ridiculous that CB took 1 shot in the second half! I really feel like Sam mitchell is trying to get JO good numbers instead of helping the team, it doesnt matter what he does, he still stays in the game! He had a great game last night but at the cost of a loss! I really dont think JO and Chris Bosh can produce at a high level at the same time!
OOOPPAAAA…fantastic comments here,crowd!!
—-
re: diaper filling Raps in Money Time – “If you scared, say you scared”
re: game – “If you don’t like that, you don’t like NBA basketball!!” (Kings dude)
re: team – “They are who we (some of us) thought they are”
re: mental make up: “90% of this game is half mental” – Yogi – I hate KG the poser, but you gotta love how he gets into peoples heads. I thought we had “swagger”?! We got a bunch of players that front like they got “IT”, but they are fugazzi, straight up. They melt faster then a snowman in the middle of the desert. I’m looking at you,…aaah f it.. the ENTIRE effing team!!! (except Sam, he wouldn’t have taken that crap)
Maybe just me, but what’s the last time you heard CB4 getting booed in an arena?
2nd in the East, baby!!! NBA Finals – here we come! Twin Towers! Contenders all the way!!
p.s. love the “here’s what you do to fix it crowd”, bet they can’t balance a check book.
Was Sam a detriment when he won COY?
Discuss.
uh, wasn’t doc rivers the ‘worst coach in the league’ until KG & allen came to town?
We sure could have used Matt Bonner last night. He’d set that Garnett character straight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGIiO8SW7HA
Ah, those were the days.
It isn’t the players, it’s the coach & the system & the in-game decisions he’s making, period.
oh and rest assured that lil cunt TJ would have made buckets in Money Time last night, but he’s gone now. YAAAYYY!!!
Are Jose and Bosh All Stars? Is Bosh an MVP candidate? Why is HO here? Why didn’t we trade Jose and got 5 players in return, as opposed to trading away the farm for a six time washed up one legged fugazzi swagger having finger waving All-Star? Why do we keep importing former NBA dudes no one in their right mind would pick up? Is CB4 a franchise player (no)?
And WTF is Sherm talking about “this was a learning game”? WTF does this team need to learn that it doesn’t already know, Sherm? OOOH, we are the team on the short little yellow bus? Ok, my bad. Same lessons the last 5 years Sherm, ya tool.
GOOOOO CRAPTORS!!! Got your black unis yet?
Alright Flux I’m giving you that Indiana chick’s number
Was Sam a detriment when he won COY?
Discuss.
That team overachieved. It was the players that made the coach look like gold, Sam just reaped the reward. Boston New York Atlanta were gutted pretty much. When you bring in 9 new players Obv there will be a buzz in the locker room and there going to prove they belong in the NBA. Plus, scouting reports- No one could stop the Raps at that time.
Sam just said to them, play hard, make shots and have fun. A fucking person with Down Syndrome can tell them to do all that.
Garbajosa was my favourite player on that team that year. I think we miss him worse than anyone realises.
are the sam supporters retarded?.sams first year was full of mo and vince hating sam and we were horrible,sam was voted worst coach and opposing coaches would make fun of sam.2nd year bc gave sam all kinds of talent and sam cheerled this team to a winning record by jumping up n down like a buffoon while we won, and then sitting and rubbing his eyes cocooning on the bench when we lost.when it boils down to the brass tax and where a coach earns his paycheck,its the motherfucken playoffs and sam was out of his league.STARTING JOEY OUT OF THE BLUE,we played 4 against 5?THEN STARTING BARGS OUT OF THE BLUE,LOL.its comical how shit a coach sam is.u dummies need to open your eyes…..if u notice the postgame interviews these last couple games,its almost like bosh and jose are making fun of sam and his “shats mantra”.i saw bosh and jose make that same excuse in interviews,they both individually said”we just didnt make our shat”…lol.
sam=idiot.
This game was on tsn2 wight?
So, by using that theory as mentioned by most of you above, re: Sam winning COY, this team, as assembled, is worse than that squad.
Sweet. I can hardly wait to see what the rest of the year will bring.
And, to be clear, he has nothing to do with a winning team, but is the main reason we lose or play average (as our record was last year)? Right?
Just want to be sure.
we win in spite of sam…with a real coach this team would be upper echelon.
^^^^^ hahahahaha….
Now THAT, my friend, is comedy.
Great stuff.
u really love sam….its cute.
It’s the same old refrain. Winning’s on the players, losing’s on the coach. I’m tired of it. Sam’s a decent coach. Could be better, could be worse. I don’t think coaching plays that big of a role in the NBA. Talent rules in this league. Coaching can get you over the hump, but it doesn’t turn shit into gold.
I dunno
If Smith replaced Jackson and was running the Lakers do they win a series against Denver, San Antonio, Utah?
I dont have a clue.
I think they beat Denver and then chock against Utah 2nd round.
Look at the Knicks now. Running, gunning and seem happy now.
Just before the season started, Sam was reported as saying the Raptors were not an ‘athletic’ team but they were ‘basketball-wise’. Now what would prompt a coach to say that about his team?
The coaching staff assessed the talent of the Raptor players, and compared it to all the other players in the league, and then concluded as they did.
Regardless of what happened in Boston, the Raptor players are not what you would call ‘athletic’ in the NBA … they are marginal athletes with unique skills that enables them to earn a good living as NBA basketball players.
Of all the players on the Raptor roster, only three are legitimate starters, and even then. There are no overwhelming physical specimens and the players skills may not even blend with each other.
The Raptors may jell into a playoff team or they may not. In any event, they do provide a measure of entertainment for their Toronto fans, who must be happy that the NBA is in Toronto. Those who believe they deserve a near-championship team from this edition of the Raptors may be unrealistic in their expectations.
Of course you can’t reason with demanding tribal honking fans who think they know the workings of an NBA basketball team, or for that matter any basketball team. Sometimes I wonder if some on this forum have even played bball at a higher level given what they post … you know … on a team. Be critical … but be reasonable too.
With that ^^^ in mind …
THE persons who SHOULD be critiqued for the current state of the Raptors’ team, in relationship to where it could be otherwise, after almost 3 full years at the helm together … i.e. Feb/2006 to Nov/2008 … are Misters Tanenbaum [Principal Owner], Peddie [Principal Owner] and Colangelo [President/GM of Basketball Operations], which is where the Buck Stops, in Raptorville.
If others like where this team is at right now, and heading forward, in comparison with the other Top Tier teams in the NBA … others should have no problem with these 3 individuals AND the employees who work for them.
If others are not that pleased where this team is right now, and heading forward, in comparison with the other Top Tier teams in the NBA … others should focus their attention on addressing the roles played by these 3 individuals, specifically, NOT the employees who work for THEM.
If they really wanted to win they never would have hired Babcock to begin with. What were they thinking? Peddie is the cancer of that entire organization. This is the idiot who Hired Babcock, Then Ferguson for the Leafs, Then last year Scotty Bowman wants too run the leafs and Peddie dismisses him. That company is corrupt. Teachers need to make money right, you cant do that if your winning a championship. It costs too much in player salaries, exceed the luxury Tax.
MLSE probably told Colangelo from the beginning. Look, we think your perfect for getting us into the playoffs. That’s all we need from you. A 1st round is ideal, anything further isn’t necessary with us. We’ll pay you 3 million as well. Ok Deal.