There are games that matter less and games that matter more. A Wednesday night thrashing of the Grizzlies at home doesn’t get anyone too excited, a win in Boston does. Hell, a win anywhere against Boston does it for me. In the last two seasons we’re 1-7 against them and frankly, it’s been frustrating and embarrassing. The Raptors could have two five game win streaks sandwiched around a loss against Boston and it still wouldn’t feel right. Wins against high-caliber teams, especially division rivals, employs confidence in the players and I felt our record against the C**tics thoroughly deflated our morale last year. Once you add in the three massive blowouts we had against the Cavs, you can’t help but feel that the team lost some belief in themselves. We salvaged some self-respect against Orlando but it was too little and way too late.
The reason for the four defeats against Boston last year were as follows:
1. The Raptors blow a big first half lead after being unable to handle Boston defensive pressure in the second half.
2. Rajon Rondo dominates a gimpy Calderon to set the tone for the game. C**tics cruise.
3. Ray Allen hits 8 threes to seal the deal.
4. Raptors fail to score on nine straight fourth quarter possessions.
I think those four defeats highlight different problem areas that the Raptors have taken steps to correct. In the first and last defeats the C**tics simply increased their defensive effort and pressure thus suffocating the Raptors into turnovers, bad shots and panic. Enter Hedo Turkoglu. Mr. Clutch who can cool down an active volcano just by standing next to it. We’re banking on him to provide the composure and control we lacked last year in pressure packed situations. Going scoreless for nine possessions late in the fourth quarter can spell the death for any team, let alone the Raptors and the biggest thing I’m looking forward to is watching Hedo operate in the fourth. Check that, watching Hedo command the offense in the fourth.
The second defeat speaks of weak defensive guard play, more specifically, Jose Calderon. If you recall, that was the game where he limped off after coming back too soon from injury. Rondo made him look like an 80-year old cripple and thoroughly exposed his injury. Things were never the same. Enter Jarrett Jack. When the swine flu came to get him, it pissed its pants. We’re not the greatest at help-defense and the easiest way of fixing that is to not help and that’s exactly what Jack is designed to do. Stop dribble penetration by playing smart, hard-nosed basketball and putting pressure on the ball-handler. It’s all easier said than done and I’d rather have a Keyon Dooling type do that kind of specialized tasks (long arms and all) but Jack will do, he’ll stop Rondo, or at least he’ll neutralize him.
The third defeat was all about nobody being able to handle Paul Pierce and the Raptors unable to keep track of Ray Allen. Enter Antoine Wright. He uses Tabasco sauce for eyedrops. Hailed by Rick Carlisle as one of the best defender’s he’s ever coached, Wright can slow down opposing wings. Sure, you’re thinking of Carmelo in last year’s playoffs right now but c’mon, he was on absolute fire then. Wright is good enough to slow down the likes of Pierce without needing constant help from other wings, thus allowing us to keep a keener eye on Allen. Don’t forget DeMar DeRozan, he’s got 20-year old legs and once won a game of connect-four in three moves. You think he can hang with Allen on those screens? I don’t know, but he’s going to do a much better job than Parker did. Forget not that Jack can play Allen much more physically than Parker did and if there’s one thing shooters hate, it’s physical defending.
Oh, I forgot the most important ingredient for wins against the C**tics. Chris Bosh can’t get scared of Kevin Garnett and needs to stand up to that bully when he starts taunting our guards in the backcourt. He needs to show up against them and he hasn’t so far:
vs. C**tics: 16.5/8.8/0.8 on 43% shooting.
Overall: 22.7/10.0/2.2 on 49% shooting.
Mental toughness cannot be developed, it has to be there from the start and that’s the one area that concerns me the most about playing the C**tics, that Kevin Garnett will simply intimidate Bosh and the Raptors into playing basketball which is well below their potential, and that nobody on this team will rise to the occasion to face that punk. But wait, enter Reggie Evans. He hunts Cheetahs on barefoot with a menacing glare as his only weapon. Who says toughness can’t be imported? We just got rid of Kapono for a man who intimidates every other man for fear of his privates. He’ll get in that phony’s face and make him think twice, it’s not a substitute for your star wimping out but he’ll sharpen that mean edge. Yeah, he’ll do that.
I think we’re better prepared for the C**tics this year.
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78 Raps
Great Read. Thanks
Very good points are being made in this article. Can’t wait for October, this website has kept me going through this offseason. Very funny analogies to how tough our new additions are. LMAO @ the turkoglu and Evans ones.
C**tics = Coptics ???
(Now if you meant ‘Cuntics’ .. there is no such word….)
Now lets not get into sementics here. Arse has been using this word for a while and we on this website know what it means. So this word does exist in our dictionary…
Yup … arse is a walking talking lexicon of bball terminology … and represents a fresh perspective of the Raptors that the juvenile tribal honkers cannot tolerate … Wonder where all these jerks came from because they certainly were not on the old forum .. where khandor could flourish regardless of the critique.
It’s almost become a weed patch of tribal honking keyboard athletes .. sheesh.
The only ‘juvenile tribal honker’ (a phrase you use a lot) I see is you, but I don’t mind. Like I said in a post yesterday, you’ve become amusing, like a pet dog.
It is also funny to watch FAQ’s posts pile on the dislikes, regardless of how much sense and how intelligent most of the content might have been.
And I say most, because he will usually add a “tribal honking” in there at the last minute to keep the status quo.
That.. was.. amazing…
Very very nice read. Love all your analogies cracked me up! You’re absolutely right we’re much more prepared for the Celtics this yr. This article just hyped me back up as things have slowed down as of late this off season. BC spoiled us with all the moves early on LOL. Can’t wait for the season to finally start!!! Go Raps!!!!
Arse, what the hell is your problem with the “C***ics”? Is it because they played harder than the pansy-ass Raptors? Because they showed more heart and agression?? Because they weren’t pretenders who accepted losing or made lame excuses after each game??
Anyway Garnett isn’t healthy and will probably be a shell of himself when he returns. Did you hear about what happened to his knees? Bill Simmons has talked about it in more depth than probably any beat writer out there so check that out. Because if you don’t follow his NBA work you’re really missing out.
IMO, the Celtics will probably regress more than generally expected this year with Rasheed (who in his mind still thinks he’s good), Rondo (who amazingly was completely shat on this summer by the Celtics brass even with his great playoff run), and their other two aging stars (did you see how worn out Pierce was in the postseason & how many FTs he missed?).
I still think they’ll finish this year with a better record than the Raptors but they won’t be an elite team as most would think.
Don’t know about Arse, but my problems with “C**tics” begin and end with Garnett’s antics. I admire their drive but i do mind Garnett’s attitude. All that shouting, yapping, and picking on the weak guy is quite silly. Play like a real player (Duncan, Jordan, Kobe), not like a f**king bully and psycho.
I don’t like the arrogance that the Celtics carry themselves with. The Cavs are a superior team, as are the Magic, but they don’t walk around with the same sense of entitlement that the Celtics do. I think that’s what bugs most people.
Still, Jordan was the most notorious trash talker in the league. As long as you’re winning, you can talk all you want.
The best way to shut someone up is to win.
“The best way to shut someone up is to win”; 100% agreed on that…but there’s a world of difference when comparing Jordan’s whispers to KG’s cartoonish antics on the floor and on the bench.
Sure, Jordan talked trash but he didn’t overly show up his opponents (unless you’re an idiot like Chris Childs and call him overrated) by crawling on all fours and barking like KG did to Jerryd Bayless. Not to mention Rondo and Perkins who are also punks.
Remember the off-the-floor-alley-oop to end the game that was already won against the Raps last year? Bush league. No class.
Suggesting Bill Simmons as required reading for any sport is ridiculous. The guy’s a huge loser who caters exclusively to his even bigger loser readers by indulging them in their lame list requests. “Hey Bill, my buddies and I were comparing (sports teams/players) to (random pop culture reference). What do you think? Who would be the mahogany desk in this situation?”
I disagree Re Simmons. Aside from his customary pop-culture references, which, if you play along, can be kind of insightful and even entertaining, he digs into areas of this game that he loves and follows in ways that are sometimes clever, sometimes bang-on and sometimes even eye-opening. A lot of style, sure, but often, substance as well. And every now and then, he makes me laugh. Out loud. But that’s just me.
I loved his analysis of the shitstorm that is the LA Clippers franchise. There was tons of stuff there I had no idea about. He either really did his research or he watches bball religiously. I’ll go with the latter.
Garnett is the type of bitch that will be all up in your face for people to see on the court. But if you come up to him in a back-alley somewhere, he’ll pussy out. I think one of the Knicks (forget which one) said the exact thing about the entire C**tics team.
They do play defense though. Didn’t know Doc Rivers could bring it out of them, but once you look at Rivers’ career its not really surprising.
I actually love the Celtics and have for a long time. I also really love Garnett and have for a long time. But yeah, your right, he is becoming a monster. He used to be passionate, now he’s just a dick.
I think he’ll tone it down this year. Altho, expect some fireworks when he goes nutsack-to-hand with Reggie.
re: Rasheed.
I’d be careful discounting the Celtics like that, my man. Remember what he did for the Pistons when everyone was calling him a head case? Yeah, got himself a phat ass ring.
You are only thinking he’s no good because the gave up on the Pistons and decided to save his body.
A motivated Rosco is not to be messed with.. he will school you. He’s good, really good and not only in his mind.
In order to cover Allen, I will not forget Belinelli.
The game in which KG fouled him hard, was because he was driving Allen nuts
Marco sure does have 4 games in the Eastern conference to pick a bone with KG and Ray Allen.
Great post Arse.
I think even a healthy and head-on-straight (back OFF of Rondo, Jose, OFF!) Calderon would have a decent effect on Rondo’s ability to change a game.
But Jack is definitely a plus, especially if there are parts of the game where we get Jack matched up against Rondo, so Jose can work some magic against the backups. If Jack can neutralize Rondo for parts of the game, Jose can rip the backups to shreds for parts as well. Net gain. Might make up for the sections of the game where Rondo may take advantage of Jose.
This will be an interesting aspect to the season…how often with Jack play more minutes (or start) at PG due to match issues for Jose?
I assume Jack may play PG with Jose at SG for stretches but that’s not always going to work.
this will happen nearly…. never….
Well, how can you tell who is playing PG and who is playing SG? I would expect Jose would be used as primary facilitator there, with Jack off the ball, but that Jack would defend the stronger/quicker/better guard on the opposing team, which often enough would be the PG.
Jack will not start due to matchups. Very rarely will he play more minutes than Jose, if ever.
I was going to comment but Hardcore Raps and DanH said it all.
I watched part of a game between Portland and the Pacers last night and Ford and Jack look pretty damn good together, especially Jack at the 2. I think Calderon and Jack will complement each other very well and finish games great together.
I agree that the majority of the time Calderon with be the PG (guiding the offense) when Jack gets his minutes at SG (while guarding the tougher of the opposing PG/SG’s) but I respectively disagree with “never”. There will be games where Jack will be the better option bringing the ball up the court and leading the offence when Jose is in the game (where he “technically” will be the SG as a spot up shooter) AND there will be teams where Jack and someone else at SG will be the better match-up but how often and will Jay have the balls to make that call? We’ll see (or not if I’m way out to lunch on this one).
“this will happen NEARLY…. never….” there was a key word missed there. There will ofcourse be random times where this will happen(and like Dan H said.. it will be more of Jose playing pg on O, while Jack may cover the PG on D)
Jack is a poor man-to-man defender at the point guard spot … mainly because his lateral quickness is lacking
A speedster like Rondo will tear him apart whenever he wishes … especially if, and they likely will, the Raptors repeat their awful pick and roll defense from last season.
A speedster like Rondo tears EVERY PG apart. Same with Harris, Nash, Paul, Parker and Williams. The only way to effectively cover this guys is with length (ie, a relatively tall and quick SG or SF… but then you give up positioning else where).
Those guys simply can’t be covered… they can’t even cover each other. What is necessary is solid team defense (stepping in, hard fouls, shot blocking, taking charges)… question is will Toronto’s bigs be able/willing to do all that?
Keving Garnett dominates CB4 when they play boston unless that changes they will not beat them.
When KG was pulling his antics on Jose, why didn’t CB4 step in and do something? A true leader wouldn’t let that happen to his team mates.
What……. Jose can’t defend himself?
No, he really can’t.
Not to mention that Rasheed also does the same.
Wow Arse! So happy to see your analogies back in action. This article had a flavour of a roll call. “Tabasco sauce for eye drops”, “Hunts Cheetahs barefoot”, and “When swine flu came to get him it pissed its pants”, all classic RR humour. This seriously gets me excited for the season more than anything I’ve read up to this point.
Another thing to note, this toughness we’ve brought in, such as Evans and Jack, is going to help get guys like Bosh and Jose prepared for these battles against the upper tier teams in the league. I can’t imagine Bosh or Jose have had much trouble scorching our team in practice over the last couple of years. Having some strong bench players will seriously help our team this year.
And BTW, this was a good post. Thanks Arsenlist.
“Enter Hedo Turkoglu. Mr. Clutch who can cool down an active volcano just by standing next to it. We’re banking on him to provide the composure and control we lacked last year in pressure packed situations.”
Careful with that wishful thinking, Arse.
I do recall him losing games in the playoffs for the Sacramento Queens due to his FTs. He did the same thing in Orlando.
“Missing the free throws in the game really cost us,” Adelman said.
And did you watch the Finals, when as the primary ball handler he was shut down by Ariza and then Lee and JJ had to do it.
Look at game logs of the Finals, it will tell you all you need to know.
In the 4th q he’s prone to turnovers, missed shots, fouling and missed FTs.. ESPECIALLY in crunch time.
“But Hedo Turkoglu rushed a pass to Webber into traffic that was broken up and grabbed by the Lakers with 48 seconds to go.”
He is not the answer to these problems, he just appears to be. There is a reason why the Spurs didn’t keep him around.
“Hedo Turkoglu got the start in Stojakovic’s place, missed all eight shots and did not score.” Riiight.
I normally don’t sgree with Flux but I think Hedo has been overhyped as our crunch time saviour. He’s not the player everyone is making him out to be. He’s a solid player but not a dominant one. He’s never even been an all-star.
I think the Raps need to take a more team-oriented approach into ends of games. Keep the ball moving and make the defense work as a whole. If we just give the ball to Hedo and watch him do his thing, we’re as doomed as we were giving it to Bosh.
Oh, and it sounds like Arse just ripped off all those terrible Chuck Norris jokes. I’d rather read sound logic about why a guy is intimidating than read some made up line that makes no sense. Let’s face it, no one is scared of Jarrett Jack. He’s tough, but not intimidating.
And for everyone complaining about KG’s antics…sure they’re borderline disrespectful but you can’t say you wouldn’t want him on your team doing the exact same thing to opposing players. You were all Tie Domi fans I’m sure and he was just as big of a clown…like all Leafs actually…
Robert,
I couldn’t agree more. People are hyping up the players for absolutely no reason. Well, expect for the fact they are (as FAQ would say) tribal honkers.
No one is looking to see why and how these players got to the Raptors.. all they see is a bunch of names that look better on paper then the ones we had last year. Reality is no one on this team, at any position, scares any team and we still don’t have a go to guy in the clutch.
KG.. do I hate the antics because they are fake? Yes. (Remember Anthony Peeler getting in his face and him running away like a little girl?) Classic. But true enough he is skilled and appears to be the ultimate team mate. I’d take him here anyday.
So you hype volatile Sheed (one of favourite players BTW) and state he is going dominate after a sub-par year, is going to be 35 in a few days and has a history of not keeping himself in shape in off-season yet Hedo, who has improved steadily each year, generally considered all-star caliber, is in his prime and was one of, if not the most, sought after free agent this year is overhyped for no reason?
He may be overhyped by some but there are as many detractors as there are t-honkers about Hedo’s game. At the very least he will make a difference in late game situations by spreading the defence and keeping them honest…you will not see as many 5-6 minute “can’t get a shot off let’s just dump it into a Bosh double team” droughts in the 4th quarter which will make a difference in the W-L column and a huge difference come playoffs (yes, I do think they will make it).
…and calling out fans (fanatics) for getting excited about new players who are considered an upgrade is a bit silly, no?
…and please name the truly consistently “clutch” players in the league right now?
…and, our pissing match aside; welcome back – you are missed in the Raps forum.
Wow… DOMINATE, ha? Talk about putting words in my mouth. I say the guy will not be garbage as stated… so that means he is going to DOMINATE? Right on.
Yes, IMO people are overhyping him. Look at his history, IN THE CLUTCH, which was the topic btw.. and it doesn’t give me any confidence he gets it done. If it does to you… so be it.
As far as calling out people – I see people on here get absolutely destroyed for having an opinion that’s not of the “Raps are the best” sort.. (you know who I mean) kind of like me today. Well, I think it’s time they (the destroyers) get a taste of their own medicine. Fair enough, no?
Clutch… c’mon. I know you know what I mean. Can you honestly say that you think we have one on our team? Like, last possesion.. 0.4 on the clock.. who do you give the ball to and lay your life on?
Good to “see” you too, Raptoronto. {handshake}
I just think there are very, very few players in any sport who have been truly “clutch” players (it’s cliche to me)…I don’t see one clutch player on the Raps but with the players we have now we’ll have a better chance of making a clutch shot than we did last year (Hedo will be a big reason).
“he will school you. He’s good, really good” – Flux
Hedo won’t be our 4th quarter saviour. Belinelli will. YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST!
Oh yeah? Hmm… ok, that goes into Flux’s quotes of the year – to be reviewed at the end of season. Hopefully the RR crew will allow me to make a post with all these fantastic quotes I have collected over the summer. Some people here are not the brightest crayon in the box, as time will tell.
Flux .. yer wasting yer valuable time tracking all the ludicrous one-liner blurts being deposited on this fine forum .. indicative of the shriveled mentality of the juvenile tribal honkers infesting the forum. They provide us with their heart-felt approvals or indignant disapprovals .. as if anybody cares how they feeeeel.
Where does this detritus come from … trying to make the forum into a personal chatsite with their shitchatting … sheeesh …!!!!
wow.. tell us how you really “feel”
FAQ: I’m really starting like you. Big words, the ubiquitous phrase ‘juvenile tribal honkers’ in every post, the overuse of punctuation to compensate for you know what, and the classic ’sheeesh’ to end every post. Go FAQ go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’d love to see my name in print.
I’m not saying I disagree with the statement that we could be expecting too much if we think Hedo will be our fourth quarter saviour..
But trying to reason that this is because he couldn’t do it more than six years ago in Sacramento and San Antonio seems like a weak argument, especially since he’s clearly evolved his game since those days, and has also won Most Improved player since that time.
OLR,
Fair enough about Sacramento and San Antonio, (it was more to give you a “complete” picture… but talk to me about that Orlando Laker Final that I also mentioned? Is that recent enough? With the chips down, Ariza shut him down. Look at the game logs… same story from 8 years ago. A zebra does not change it stripes, not matter how much big it grows (or player develops) Shaq developed his game, but them FTs didn’t, did they?
I’m not anointing him the saviour. I was pointing out the rationale behind the moves as it applies to the matchup against Boston. I think Hedo’s best years are behind him, Orlando got him when he was at his peak and BC’s hoping we can get at least two years out of him at 75% of what he was last year. In the end it’s not about Hedo, it’s about Bosh and what kind of mileage he can give us playing clutch minutes. Hedo in itself is not an answer to anything, this equation only works if Bosh, Calderon are functioning at high levels.
A response like this could only come from a twenty something who believes that 30yrs old equals beyond prime. I believe that Hedo is in his prime right now. I also feel that the decline in his game will be minimal for the next 3 years and he will still be a very valuable asset to the Raps when his contract expires.
When I was a twenty something I thought that 30+ was old too. Now that I’m in my 30’s I think I know better, then again maybe I’m just an old man?
Hedo will be an all-star this year in a Raps uniform. Go Raps!!
He is due
When I say his “best years are behind him” I don’t mean he’s an old man with one foot in the grave. The situation for him in Orlando was perfect, he was often the second or third threat on the team behind Howard and Lewis – two mismatch nightmares – and was afforded space accordingly.
Jordan and Kobe are just recent examples of superstars who were at their best in their 30’s so I’m not saying what you think I’m saying. I just feel that the situation in Orlando allowed Hedo to have an amazing year and that situation will be hard to recreate here.
“be hard to recreate here”. Well said.
Are Bargnani and Bosh not mismatch nightmares? Or at least bad dreams?
The good thing about Howard and Lewis is that they were different types of mismatch nightmares, while Bosh and Bargs have similar advantages.
That’s not to say a clever coach couldn’t still use them effectively. I don’t see much difference in Turk’s role here as opposed to in Orlando. He is still the 3rd (or maybe even 4th) option.
An All-Star, ha? Interesting.
Hedo should have been an all-star the last two years.
Shoulda, coulda, didn’t.
That sort of clears it up, but it def. didn’t come across that way. Maybe I lost something in the “translation”, Arse.
The Celtics keep beating the Raptors because the Celtics play defense and the Raptors don’t. It is as simple as that.
+ ohhh I dunno… 1 million. You blow monster half time leads because the other team decides to shut you down, while you look like a pylon on your end.
Maybe Evans can give Kev the “ball” treatment?
He’ll try but will quickly find there’s nothing for him to grab. At least he won’t be too shocked at what he doesn’t find, after all, he will be practicing against Bosh.
Imagine if we somehow traded for Kaman. That would be an awesome locker room full of awkward moments…
Great Post.
By the end of every game against Boston last year I felt like shit. I wan’t to slap Bosh in the back of the head and say ” stand up for youself”, “stand up for your team mates and the fans”.
I’m with you, we need to win some of these games this year and better to do it early to build confidence.
Right in Arse’s wheelhouse of hate…Celtics, Bosh, and recapping games from the season that HO ruined us.
Nice piece.
good post.
basketball is all about matchups.
we will match up better with Boston, and others now that we have jack, hedo and other additions.
On paper are the raps the best in the east? No but we do have the pieces to play well and at least match up on good nights with the best in the east- and the league.
I look forward to seeing it happen.
Spewdog Millionaire
I think we can manage AT LEAST 1 win against Boston. Even if we don’t, there’s a lot of other teams out there..
If you have a good year you’ll end up with the 6th spot in the Eastern Conference and be eliminated in the first round .
Boston will win the Championship .
Have fun .
I’m not even convinced that they will win the conference. I’m not saying it won’t happen and that they don’t have the talent or will to do it. It’s just that I think Boston will need a little bit of luck to do so.
I think the only way the Raptors beat the Celtics is if they shoot 72% from three point range again.
The Raptors are starting from such a massive disadvantage, relative to the Celtics, in both defense and rebounding … that’ll take a phenomenal freakish effort in some area to even the field.
That, or, the Celtics have one of their worst games for the season. A game where it’s more about them losing than the other team winning.
If the moves made this summer mean the team is no longer a bunch of pussies who fold when they get pushed by a team like the Celtics (who are good, sure, but you’ve got to hate them if your not a Celtics fan), they can be considered a success. That’s what I’m looking for this coming season more than a certain number of wins or spot in the Eastern Conference standings. I remember the first game against Atlanta last year (I think) when the same old Raptors showed up and folded against a team they could definitely beat just because that team took it to them. Boston does the same every time they play. I’m sick of seeing it.
“I’m looking for this coming season more than a certain number of wins or spot in the Eastern Conference standings”
-this is EXACTLY the case. Too many people have been talking we need to contend, or get to the 2nd round, or have a 45+ win record etc. for this year to be a success. But that is not the case. If the Raps can compete against the good teams nearly every game and beat the bad teams nearly every game this year will be successful. Although, I will say if they don’t make the playoffs (or getting man handled in the playoffs)it will be a serious dissapointment. This years East is a lot tougher than the eastern conference of the past.
Great Article , very true
Chris Bosh pisses me off everytime we play against the Celtics. KG made Carter look like he has more heart compare to Bosh.
I think the elite teams are measuring sticks for where your at and the Celtics proved they are ina different world. I think the Raps are similar to the magic and Hedo will not slow for afew years because he is more of a skill guy. He does use athletic ability to get by. He is not the savour but he is a gamer who isn’t afraid to make plays. I agree that the whole “Clutch” thing is a over used under proved quality. But as I said he does,kt run from the big shot, isn’t caught in the momment with that shell shocked expression you see on the Raptors faces when the tough situations arise and does’t demand X number of shots. He is a complimentary player that can give you 30 and be the best player on the floor on a given night.
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