Remember the Gauntlet from the old American Gladiators show from the ’90’s? I think there was a newer version but I’m not sure it had it. Well, if you recall, it’s like a narrow alleyway that’s populated with about half a dozen menacing, juiced-up meatheads that competitors had to run through. That’s how this next stretch of games feels from the Raptors’ perspective. There’s really nowhere to run, you know it’s coming, and you just hope the gladiators have enough mercy on you to let you eventually crawl your way through. 7 of the next 8 games are against Western Conference opponents on the road, and all, I mean ALL of them are decent teams. Even the Clippers are dangerous this year. If the Raptors can somehow run the gauntlet with minimal damage, say 3 wins out of these 7, it would be considered a success.
It all starts with Chris Paul , far and away the best PG in league (sorry Rajon, Deron, Steve) licking his lips as Jose and Co. drop into town. Chris is a little jacked up from his recent run-in with the aforementioned Rondo, and who needs a punching bag or even a 2 dollar stress ball when you have the Spanish Sieve right in front of you to take out your frustrations on. Jose was asked at practice this morning about playing against the likes of Paul, Jason Kidd and Tony Parker. This is what he had to say:
Like I always say, it’s team defense. In the NBA nobody plays one-on-one, guys play pick ‘n roll or two man games, so the whole team’s got to rotate on shooters, it’s team defense every time. We have to keep working at that, I think we’re doing a better job. Sometimes they score 40 points because other guys didn’t get involved. Sometimes you got to give something like that up. [The defense against Detroit] was good in the last five minutes. Everybody was talking , helping each other, we were missing that in the first and some periods in the third quarter. We got to do it for 48 minutes. I don’t know but sometimes we make mistakes, we relax. But the last five minutes were good. You knew who you help was, it was good.
Sheet, nobody plays one-on-one in the NBA? Must have missed the memo. You can read more of what Jose had to say here.
Then there’s Jarret Jack, coming off his best game as a Raptor. Jack is starting to do some of the things that Raptor Nation wants Calderon to do. Let’s see how this plays out as Jack becomes more and more comfortable with his teammates. I still think, despite all politically correct answers and statement lurks a competitive individual who’s looking out for the starter’s job. He isn’t a prototypical starting PG in this league, but a few more games like this where Jack leads a charge with the second unit, and then you have a mini-controversy. This is good though, and probably one of the reasons as to why BC acquired a quality backup PG…to give Calderon that slightest nudge that he’s got to bring it every night otherwise there is someone perfectly capable of taking away some of his minutes.
Well, it will have to be about team defense now won’t it? Antoine Wright played more minutes than Demar Derozan did last game against Detroit, and you can bet that trend will continue. He’s just come from the Western Conference and had success defending against most of these teams, and defense is already looking to be an issue early on this season. So you plug him in for more minutes, and you know what you’re going to get from Turk, which is smart but not necessarily great defense. Then the last line of defense will be the Killer B’s, who earned that monicker on Wednesday.
Especially Andrea Bargnani, with a couple of emphatic blocks and a career high 12 rebounds, along with his usual offensive outburst. Really liked what I saw from Bargs. It feels like he knows he can score in this league, and now he wants to try to put it all together. The first couple games he was trying to get his rhythm back, and hopefully, Wednesday was the game he decided to turn it up a notch. Or it was just sheer mathematical coincidence and it will never happen again. I think it may be more of the former. Let’s hold hands and pray that it is. Emeka Okafor and David West are an effective tandem, much better than anything Detroit had to offer.
Offensively, Turk should mess with Julian Wright or Peja, who is on his last legs it seems. Let’s have him be the point of attack and have Antoine and Calderon free up for good looks. Let’s make good use of our effective second unit to wear out a team that isn’t terribly deep. There starters play a ton of minutes, so try to wear ‘em out. Lastly, don’t collapse every time in post-up situations, because this is a team that can stroke it. Easier said than done, of course.
For those who can’t wait for the real game, Visser’s simulation says we ended on a massive run to close things off. I know it’s just a sim but I already feel like we have a better chance. Seriously.
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94 Raps
If they win to-night , the sky is the limit.
Not exactly. The Hornets have been struggling as of late. If we win tonight great, but it’s more because Byron Scott needs to be fired than it is because the Raptors are just so awesome.
Now, if we start getting victories over the Mavs and Spurs, we can start talking about how great we are ;)
The limit to me will be a fight for third place in the east as Cleveland lost again last night (at home) to the Bulls even thou all their starters scored in double digits.
The Hornets tied the Mavs in the 4th with really active defense. An incredibly hot Terry couldn’t score at all in overtime, as the Hornets brought the energy and blitzed the Mavs in the extra period. I wouldn’s say they are struggling.
They are still “integrating” Emeka Okafor in their system and against the Western Conference powers, and this Center is not such an injured-slouch. Who knows if the Paul-Okafor combo is in-sync, but at worst case they might be.
I’m hoping with our mobile frontcourt, the hornets pick and roll won’t be so effective…especially if jack is out there trying to make things as hard as possible for Paul.
We have the better wings and bench and I hope this will be the difference maker and get us the W.
Whatever the Hornets run, we will have difficulties because CP3 will have the ball in his hands. We need to keep West and Peja under wraps. Easier said then done…
The Raptors have terrible PnR defence. Barg’s rarely hedges. Bosh does sometimes. And when one of the bigs does hedge, Jose in particular gets totally lost and has no idea if he should switch and often gets lost in no mans land.
Cp3s been averaging 30 and 8 while shooting 64% from the field and 80% from three. Even if Jose weren’t struggling this would be a ridiculously unbalanced contest.
And to think we could’ve traded Charlie Villanueva and Joey Graham for him (the picks, not the actual players). I seriously don’t know how Rob Babcock is still employed in the NBA.
CP3 should be mentioned with Kobe, D-Wade, Lebron and Dwight everytime. He is far and away the BEST pg in this league.
I’m hoping the Hornets start MoP again tonight so we can see him match-up against DeRozan!
Im going on record to say the Raps win tonite…the only other game i did this year was the Cavs season opener and I was right…for whats its worth…which isnt much…but I do think we etch one out on the road tonight…
Thanks for the great tip. Let me go talk to my bookie about liquifying my house on tonights game.
No probs !
I’ll second that. The Hornets have some weapons but I really think they are a team on the decline. They had their chance the past few seasons and didn’t make anything of it.
CP3 isn’t long for NO
The Gauntlet
Reminds me of the Eastwood – Locke movie from 1977, The Gauntlet.
It was their second movie together, Their first was the Outlaw Josey Wales which was filmed in 1975, released in 1976. Eastwood and Locke started their long term relationship in 1975.
I thought she was pretty hot in those days.
I’m not buying into the whole PG controversy (and I’m not a big Jose backer) but his effectiveness isn’t about defense or even how he runs the team. It’s about how much pressure he can put on the opposing team’s PG. The more the opposition has to defend, the less effective they usually are on offense. [This was why Jose/TJ was so successful; for 48 minutes, the opposing team had pressure put on them.]
Yeah, but he’s not even doing that. I could be convinced to settle for (even though I shouldn’t have to at 8M per) him playing one end of the floor very well and being below average on the other. Nash got two MVPs out of it that way. Problem is that he’s putting zero pressure on the defense, last year was the hammy but what is it this year..conditioning?
I think I can recall five plays over the course of the first four games where you could say that he had a burst in his step. That needs to happen 8-10 times every game at the very least.
You pay Calderon 8M a year?!!?!!111
9.4 actually
http://hoopshype.com/salaries/toronto.htm
…and because of him we couldnt get Brandon Jennings.
I was trying to make a joke. Clearly MLSE pays Calderon.
and clearly the money MLSE uses to pay the players’ salaries comes from???
Leafs corporate tickets :P
all those Jersey’s they sell in Spain and Italy.
Burkie’s doghouse
It all starts with Chris Paul , far and away the best PG in league (sorry Rajon, Deron, Steve) >>
IMHO by the end of the year Jennings will be the best PG in the NBA, rookie or not.
If I could have any PG in the league right now it would be Jennings.
Are you serious? Chris Paul’s coming off 2 season that rank with the greatest by a point guard in NBA history. You’re prognosticating this 3 games into the guy’s career? Wow.
To say that BJ will be better than CP3 by the end of the year is of course just hype.
However, in all seriousness if I was putting together a team today I would take BJ over CP3.
Of course this could be debated as to why, but one example is the fact that BJ missed putting up a triple double in his first NBA game by one rebound and one assist. The only player in the history of the NBA to ever do that has been the Big “O”. BJ hasn’t slowed down since.
Call it gut feeling or what have you but I see BJ getting a Title Ring before CP3 or D. Williams and of the three his team is furtherest from winning a title at the moment by fart of all three teams.
I have seen every Bucks game this year, because of him, as well as their LBSL team.
Jennings is just really special.
He isn’t getting much hype in the sports media yet, because a lot of the writers are still P.O.ed about him going to play in Europe rather than follow all the other “One and Done” guys.
wow! BJ on the bucks has a better shot at winning a ring than cp3 or deron williams. how can you even type that.?? its 4 games into the season and BJ plays for the BUCKS!!hes also gonna be stuck there for atleast 4 yrs! if you really mean that your crazy.
Good thing you aren’t a GM, because that’s just dumb.
Sorry!
Could be one of the games we steal.
Interesting match-ups. Their bigs are a bit more mobile. CP3 has been killing better defenders than we have.
Really….. Jason Kidd a great defender…. He maybe the worst PG defender in the league….. Oh yea add to that the wonderful NYK defense?????
CP3 will get his points and get his assists but I promise you he will not end the season hitting 80% from 3point range.
Heck I know nowhere near as much B-ball as many on this site, but the stupidity spewing from some is incredulous.
Yes Boston is a tough defensive team. But Sacramento and San Antonio???? San Antonio’s D has been so-so this year and let’s just look at their point. Parker is a great scorer and guard, but again not noted for his d….
true, but you can’t argue that the raps backcourt D is ‘better’ than any of ‘em, right?
Didn’t say that…. Just pointed out the ridiculousness of the original post.
Why do you imply Kidd defended CP3? In the game I watched on Thursday, it was JJ Barea defending him the whole time he was on the floor. He was the one who took the charge in crunch time that should have sealed the game for his team (too bad Terry and JJ missed 3 free throws combined that would have iced the game).
No I did not watch, but that is the point….. Kidd can’t guard PG’s…. Barrea too is no lockdown defender….. Look at the OP that I responded too.
CP3 was also being guarder by Beaubois much like J. Wright and Mo Pete were covering CP3….
…. hmmm SGs covering the better PGs in the NBA… and we have a great defender in Wright….. maybe Triano can make a connection.
If you feel you have to point out that Paul will not shoot 80% from 3 this year, I have to question your intelligence as well.
The Mavs are a better defensive unit than the Raptors – it’s a team game.
Good luck in your gathering of knowledge!
According to that sim, Bargnani is going to attempt 13 three pointers and get 12 rebounds. That, I’ve gotta see. Meanwhile, Jose will make three attempts to score in 30 minutes.
Like the words. I hope Jose proves us all wrong. It’s not that I am against the guy, I just don’t think he’s a starter and a leader. I am really hoping it’s because he isn’t in shape yet from “rehabbing” his hamstring in the summer.
Any predictions on how man 3’s they tally up against us? I’m going with at least 10 to 15 as we try and stack the paint to try and stop CP3 and West.
7
You must feel pretty smart now that the game’s over? lol
If our guards remain as easily penetrated as Paris Hilton on a Saturday night, we could be knee deep in dung quickly tonight. The only positive for us right now is that the Hornets don’t really have anyone at SG for DeMar, JJ and Wright to worry too much about. Paul on the other hand …. good luck Jose. I see Jack getting more time than usual tonight because of his ability to play better defense on CP3.
If that’s the case then Jose will probably be put on the off-guard while Wright plays CP3.
thats exactly what i think we should do
- Control Okafor on the glass. Last time Bargnani did OK against him.
- If you have to help off of someone, do it off Julian Wright.
- Bosh’s man-defense on West needs to be solid. Must not let him back him down easily.
- Hornets don’t have a wingman that can create his own shot, DeRozan shoudl be OK.
- If CP3 goes off on Calderon early, try Wright and then Jack on him.
- Hornets have issues with playing for 48 minutes, a solid effort on the Raps’ part could be enough. If there’s a game to “steal” on a roadtrip, it’s usually the first one.
CP3 is going to make Jose look like a clown out there….This one could get ugly FAST if we don’t play solid team defense.
Last year the “Killer Bs” reference by Matt was just annoying as the team lost most of those Killer B moments. This year he should be bringing it back, it sounds better after a win.
The real Killer Bs were Bobby Bonilla and Barry Bonds with the Pirates. Both better players in their sport and both had double ‘B’ initials, so the name made way more sense for them. Calling Bargs and CB4 the Killer Bs is rediculous considering that they instill ZERO fear in the their opponents.
thats incorrect sir. the REAL killer bees are JUMPING JIM BRUNZEL and B BRIAN BLAIR!!!
Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, and Lance Berkman from the Astros. That was the real Killer B’s
I still remember that Houston Astros Death Row Lineup, they even had the BEE hive sounds playing on the loud speakers when they cash in runs or hit the homers.
U forgot about Carlos Beltran on the contract year. BBBB, doesn’t sound like a good bra size though compared to Demar DeRozen’s “DD”s…lol
The Killer B’s NEVER sound good. I have to put hand over my eyes and just shake my head every time I hear it. It has to be the the most embarressing, self-inflicted bad moniker ever. Matt saying it is one thing. Therer’s nothing “cool” about that guy at all. But for RR to CHOOSE to refer to Bosh & Bargnani as this? I really expect more out of you guys.
Sorry, but not only is “Killer Bs” not original, it won’t apply until both players are able to open a can of Whoop-Ass on the other teams for a long stretch of games.
Killer Bs is just lame. Can’t Devlin come up with something a little more original?
Yea like “Double D” lol…
These 7 game Western road trips have been Raptor killers even when the team was good!
Winning 3 of 7 isn’t just okay, it’d be bloody amazing! And a sign this team is going to be very very good!
That said, every time Jose has played CP3, Jose has played well.
Last year Jose was 19 ppg & 8 apg and the year before 13.5 ppg & 11.5 apg against NOH.
This could be just the tonic to break Jose out of his early season slump.
San Antonio is not in sync yet offensively, and Dallas is still trying to fill holes in their defense, I hope those Texas teams are still in that mode for next week.
Blair gonna eat us alive in SA, now I am not so optimistic in San Antonio.
Yeah,just like he ate Boozer, Okur and Milsap alive…moron!
Yeah, dickhead Elan thinks CP3 is going to make Jose look like a clown. Last year, Jose went for 19 pts,22 ast,8-11 fg, 2-3 3pt, 4-4 ft and 3 steals against Derrick Rose.Too many of these morons don’t have a fucking clue.
I’d like it if people referred to Jose as “The Prospector” from now on. I’m watching Deadwood and this whole “Spanish Sieve” thing has really got me thinking. I just feel “The Prospector” could be a slightly more accurate nickname, given that you still have the whole “sieve” metaphor to describe his defensive approach to the game, plus as an added bonus you also get to account for the occasional offensive nugget he supplies you to help kill his coach.
The new version of American Gladiators did have the Gauntlet. Unfortunately, Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali weren’t forced to go down it.
I personally love the match up for the Raptors tonight. CP3 is an animal and will torch us but that’s fine. Mo Pete is an easy guard and Peja and Wright will be in big trouble trying to handle Turk. Down low Emeka will be tough but he doesn’t want to come out and guard Bargs at on the perimeter so 12 3’s isn’t out of the question if they are falling and he is aggresive. If Bosh can hold down the defensive glass and play West to a stalemate I like our chances of coming out of there will a win!
THe bench will be key because they are young and inexperienced and guys like Rasho, Jack and Wright should be able to outplay their bench.
I think this could be a breakout game for DeRozan who should be able to use his athletic ability against MO Pete or his size against Thorton and the back ups.
We need this one! Let’s go Raptors!!!!!
Emeka’s offensive rebounding will be the issue that I am worried about.
The key to winning tonight will be for the Raptors starters to come close to breaking even as a unit in the +/- or even winning the +/-.
The Raptors 2nd unit is far better than the Hornets second unit and we should see some positive results again tonight when they are on the court.
In the next 10 games, many away from home and against top level teams, we should not look at W-L record, but how the team plays under difficult circumstances.
The Raptor’s defensive play has still not fully evolved, and these games will be a test of defensive effectiveness. I’m looking forward to seeing how the Raps do on defense as a team.
On scoring and rebounding, I want to see Bosh maintaining his rebounding intensity, particularly on the offensive board. If he does that and his scoring is reasonable, he will most certainly establish himself as a max money player.
If Bargs and Hedo also maintain their level of play that will be a big plus … and, if other players like Wright, MarcoB and Derozan step up that will show us that the bench is effective on the road.
The Raps are still in a development phase, and the next 10 games will be a big test of their progress and reveal their weaknesses … so don’t just honk about ‘wins’ … because that’s moronic.
so, let me get this straight your saying if everyone continues to or starts to play really well it will be good for us… hmmmm i think you are correct sir… brilliant
i think his point may have been that a poor showing in terms of Ws/Ls would be more palatable if they were playing well and were simply beaten by superior teams. if they lay down like last year & start getting whumped…well, not a good sign. or, if they play like shit, but gifted a win by a team that doesn’t show up, sure, it’s great to take the W, but it doesn’t tell much about how the team as a whole is performing.
+1 yertu … and I just added a bit of narrative to my thinking regarding individual performances … after all the Raps are still a team that is a “work in progress” a la BC and JT … and even according to several of the players ….
its a good point and i agree i was just taking the piss. the raps definetly have to work on hese positve aspects of there games to build a solid foundation for later in the year.
“don’t just honk about wins”
What else is there? There are no ties in basketball and I don’t feel like honking over losses
+1
I made a post last week asking how many players have had career nights vs the Raptors. Tonight we can add another to the list as CP3 is going to eat the Raptors (or more specifically Jose’s) food!
obvious prediction: CP3 makes and AND1 video against Jose, gets into the lane. Raptors collapse, CP3 dishes, Hornets bigs get easy dunks/layups.
CP3: 35pts, 18assts
I hope the raps pull it off, but damn, can anyone disagree.
It doesn’t matter any more who has a career night against the Raptors cause now the Raptors can outscore their opponents , can anyone disagree?
uh, there’s a 2-2 record saying that yeah, that can be disputed.
agreed…3rd in the league in scoring…and I still believe Jose and Marco have yet to get there scoring touch back.
IMO, the key to success is:
“Let’s make good use of our effective second unit to wear out a team that isn’t terribly deep. There starters play a ton of minutes, so try to wear ‘em out. Lastly, don’t collapse every time in post-up situations, because this is a team that can stroke it. Easier said than done, of course.”
That NOH bench is still under-talented, just don’t let the scrubs of that bench unit light us up. In Memphis, I had a bad feeling that Demare Carrol will hurt us in an energy-hustle way and he did (you can tell from that crazy dreadlock blackman look). Just play great efficient defense on their scrub bench to give us a fighting chance for this game.
Is Sonny Weems ever going to play? I keep checking the box scores (Raptors games not on local tv in Arkansas believe it or not) but I haven’t heard a word on him since he hurt his foot.
Minutes management and injury precaution purposes. I think Sonny is able to do light practices with the team, but I hope he gets suited up to give us encouragement and same with Reggie. Someone else will then have to put on suits for “they just suck like crap” purposes.
It might surprise some of you, but Calderon played VERY well against Chris Paul last season, averaging 19 ppg on 80% shooting, and 8 apg. Paul is going to get his points, but that’ll be the case no matter who they are playing.
And for those anointing Brandon Jennings the next MVP, I want to mention the name Jamaal TInsley. His first month in the NBA, he went for a triple double, dishing out an astounding 23 assists that game, and narrowly missed getting a triple double two other times in November. He was the Rookie of the Month for November and looked to be a future star.
In other words, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Jennings is putting up very good numbers on a very bad team. I think he’s going to be a very good player, but let’s give him more than 3 games, shall we?
Well it depends also if Jennings will gain +10 to 20lbs of lard, go to strip clubs with shootings, and be a lightning rod for your local Mac-10, Glock, or Tec-9 drive-bys. Some comparisons just need a few more different factors put in to assess NBA point guard success.
Jennings already seems like the type.
Thanks for the breath of fresh air Tim.
Troubling trends…..
Raptors can only win on Wednesdays
They only win at home
Winless on the road
Winless when opposing team scores 100 points
Can’t win on Fridays or Sundays
Winless on early starts
Only can beat teams on back to backs
Anything else we can have seen after 4 games???
Can only win if opponent team have ex-raptors, e.g. A Parker, Charlie V.
Now it is M Pete which translates to a win for Raptors tonight.
More Troubling Trends…..
The Raptors play a lot of games on Wednesdays, when I play basketball, and Fridays, when I’m also busy.
And few more to add…
Raptors are winless when Bosh scores more than 25 points.
Raptors are winless when Turkoglu grabs less than 7 rebounds a game.
Raptors are winless when Belinelli attempts less than 8 shots in a game.
Reason for Optimism…..
The Raptors are undefeated against teams with more than eight letters in their name
I meant more than 7. And undefeated against teams with 7 letters that start with a `D’.
nice sample size to use for your analysis
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