With their resounding 107-90 win over the Hornets last night, the Raptors showed that they are now staring to gel as a team and are developing the kind of chemistry to begin achieving their expectations this season. With all of the veteran players seemingly in the prime of their careers, they came together as a team tonight in the first game of their first road trip of the season. The timing of this win was ideal.
Overall, the Raptors played what could be considered a perfect 48 minute game – a rare feat for this franchise, but not particularly this team – that had everything to do with great coaching and great shooting. There was a definite game plan in terms of neutralizing Chris Paul in making him a non-factor, which was most evident during an 8:30 minute stretch in the 3rd quarter when the Raptors went on a spectacular 27-4 run that broke what was a very close back-and-forth game completely wide open.
The strategy of the coaching staff to frequently send a second defender on Paul as soon as he would get the ball at the three-point line took away his ability to beat his primary guard off the dribble to get into paint and pick apart our help defense, or to even take a shot. This forced Paul to pass the ball early in the shot clock. But because no other Hornets player is able to effectively create their own shot, it made the job of our help defense less difficult and made our defensive rotations look good. After forcing Paul to pass the ball, what resulted was another Hornets player trying to get the ball to West or Okafor in the post. But when that wasn’t made easy with our bigs fronting their bigs, it usually led to either some posturing dribbling and a low-percentage shot, or an eventual pass-back to Paul. But even when Paul did get into the paint forcing the Raptors interior help defence to collapse on him to take away the lay-up option leaving Paul with having to kick-it back to his open teammates on the perimeter, the glaring problem with this Hornets team is the fact that they don’t have any really good shooters surrounding Paul. Adding to the Hornets flawed roster is that they aren’t all that athletic and aren’t a great rebounding team. Altogether, Jay Triano and the assistant coaches demonstrated that the Hornets aren’t as good as they once were, while the players executed to perfections a game plan that had opposing team scouts eager to communicate it back to their bosses.
As for the players, the highest of praise has to be bestowed on Chris Bosh. Scoring 27 points in 30 minutes on a measly 9 shots, and making every one of them including a 3-pointer, is downright incredible. He got to the line 11 times by being ultra-aggressive in going and getting to the rim. Plus, he also got some close fouls called his way – Dick Bevetta has been a ref in the league for nearly a century because he’s as old (and smart) as David Stern and because he knows how to treat “superstar” players. What I’m seeing from Bosh so far this season is a max-money player.
Quick Game Notes:
* I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the consecutive bricks Calderon threw up before he took a seat and called it a night. But his on-ball defence against Paul was pretty good and the charge he created and took by stepping into Paul’s way when Paul had his back turned to receive an in-bounds pass was great!
* Chris Paul had 17 points and 10 assists at halftime, but only 4 points and 8 assists in the 2nd half.
* Did anyone else notice the message Byron Scott sent by keeping Paul, West, Okafur and Wright on the court for 5 last minutes of garbage time?
* Bosh’s two-handed, turn-around, monster dunk in the 2nd quarter was an awesome display of his power, and his over the head, backwards tip-in on a missed Jack shot was an unbelievable display of his soft hands and athletic coordination.
* Morris Peterson is done as an NBA player. He’s had a nice career, but he’s no longer effective.
* Peja Stojakovic is done too.
* How many alley-oops is Paul thowing Okafur? Do you think the Hornets fans are going to start regretting that trade pretty soon?
* The fact DeRozan is starting as a rookie and isn’t forcing anything on offense and is holding his own against non-all-star SG is so enjoyable to witness.
* It’s always great to see a Raptors box score when Bargnani has more rebounds than 3PA.
* It looked like we stole and implemented entire the Orlando Magic playbook taking 29 three’s.
* The Raptors shot 50% from the field and 48% from beyond the arch.
* Since they happen to be playing again tonight against a talented Dallas team, it’ll be tough for them to pull out another victory, but it may not be as surprising as it may seem if they do.
80 Raps
“What I’m seeing from Bosh so far this season is a max-money player.
dont jinx it
sorry just had to add…
-I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the consecutive bricks Calderon threw up before he took a seat and called it a night.-
doesnt matter that he went 6-11, 16 pts, 8 assists and 0 turnovers all while showing the effort on D. He still cant get love. His 2 bad shots were all you can remember about him last night…..
edit… His 2 bad shots were the FIRST THING you remember about him last night…..
Yeah, that and “a Raptors box score when Bargnani has more rebounds than 3PA” stood out for me in what was otherwise a nice read since I couldn’t watch the game and wondered how it came to pass. It’s like everyone on the RR staff has to spew at their favourite disappointment no matter that they played well.
That is a very sad comment to make.
Who complains about someone shooting 55% on the game and 50% from 3?
You don’t have to make bizarre comments to get responses.
How about Bosh and Bargs only got 41 & 16 while letting West and Okafor go for 20 & 12. And West & Okafor got to play the last 5 minutes while Bosh and Bargs sat on the bench.
I really wonder why some of these people even follow the Raps with comments like that…
The only thing wrong with this sight is the maturity of the commentators.
Impressive, state of the art, always first to post, has the most links. Commentators need to grow a little…….
There was nothing to complain about in the New Orleans game.
Everyone played well.
Stats for individual players could have been even higher if they weren’t resting for the Mavs game Saturday.
Saying a guy missed 2 shots is like saying he woke up and came to the gym.
The only reason they were bricks were that the Raps were using up the clock. They were more worried about the time than doing more scoring and then he launched the ball before the buzzer. Big Deal? Great clock management.
Hornets 2’s and 3’s are is bad as ours last year pre Marion trade.
I know this is going to sound like I am complaining but when Bosh was hot in the third after his massive dunk, the Raps did not get him the ball enough… Of course they made like six million 3’s in a row so I know its a moot point. When your big man is feeling it and screaming and making the Hornets look like school girls get him the ball….
However shooters shoot, and they made them, and we crushed. I am just saying in a closer game I just hope we give to the hot hand no matter who it is….
I think when this team adds Reggie it is going to be a huge boost.
A toughness that we are already seeing from bosh and most of the team will just get tougher not just from Reggie but I think what he brings can be contagious.
Chris Paul in the first half looked like he may be the best PG ever and he maybe whne its all said and done but as this team is currently constructed I would bet my house they don’t make the playoffs.
Mo Pete starting is a joke… And I like him.
If we have a good month with this schedule sky is the limit….
I am starting to think (I know its only 5 games in) if we play any team not named Boston in the playoffs we have a legit shot to beat them…
GO RAPS!!!
I think any team not named Boston or Orlando and we have a legit shot.
Unfortunately, Boston is likely to be the 1st seed (with Orlando a close second). That means that the only way to avoid them is to NOT be 4th or 5th.
Then again, if Cleveland is the 3rd seed, most Raps fans might be just fine with a 6th seed ;-)
Can you imagine Bargnani and Bosh abusing the Cavs front court all series long? I sure can.
I mean in the second round, that is. Obviously we would not want to get the 8th seed (or probably 7th seed either), even because those lower seeds might not be enough to make Bosh stay.
On the other hand, I could see Bosh being VERY happy with a 6th seed if the following is true: A) We started out slowly, but REALLY got rolling as the season progressed; and B) We get to play the Cavs and abuse them in the playoffs. We would at least have a decent shot against Orlando in the second round (if we get our perimeter defence sorted out by then).
Man, how pissed would Lebron be if the Cavs directly react to a bad matchup by picking up Shaq, only to have that cause another bad matchup (against Toronto)! I would NOT want to be a towel-boy or anything else that involves being near Lebron at the end of the last game of that series (should all of that ever come to pass)!
That would be one of the funniest situations ever, not even just in the NBA. That would also mean Hedo beat him in the playoffs two years in a row.
However, hoping for the six seed against Cleveland reminds me of wanting Orlando a couple years back. I think the best situation is to get home court with the fourth seed and play whoever. I honestly believe they can get 4, call me crazy.
I would in no way imagine facing Lebron in the playoffs as the “best possibility”.
WOW 5 games into the season and 1 game over .500 and you guys are talking about possible playoff matchups??????….get a grip for fuck sakes !!!
Truth.
Maybe he would consider joining us next year!! Which is the better team today without LBJ?
Just dreaming….
Good analysis.
I cant help but feel some hope coming out of this game. Calderon finally gave me something to feel good about. He looked like his old self for stretches last night. The Hornets did look awful for the most part, and Bosh is definately making a statement to the league (he wants a max contract). Despite all the rumors that he may not end up back in toronto next year, I think we have a good nucleous right now. This is the first year in many that I have the feeling if Bosh goes down for a couple of weeks, we may still pull out a few wins.
Great game, look forward to tonights match, should be a beauty.
Can a guy have a slow week without the world coming to an end?
A rare “feet??” That one just amused me.
You beat me to it. I got a good chuckle out of that.
Calderon played his best game by far. I loved the in-your-face play he had with Paul. Paul is a tough kid so not backing down to his aggression on that one pay was impressive.
The extra muscle Bosh has added has definitely helped him elevate his game to the super star level.
Jack and Calderon played well together. I expect to see a lot more of that going forward even though it will take minutes from DeRozan unless Triano plays DeRozan at the #3 with them on the court.
I give Johnson a C- on yesterday’s performance. He still tires after about 6 – 8 minutes stright on the court. He committed his 4 fouls when he got tired and was having trouble moving his feet on both defense and offense. Other than that his energy level was maybe average. I expect him to go to the bench after Evans returns.
Overall a nice game play on defense that was well executed. The Raptors broke a franchise record last night with their 8 three’s in one of the quarters. It was the most that the franchise has ever made in one quarter.
Its tough to lose when you throw up that many threes and make about 50% of them or more.
A nice way to start to the trip.
Don’t know the general feeling about Hollinger on this site, but just checked his player ratings and Patrick O’Bryant has a fantastic -18.25 PER.
God bless the Irish,
Geez, why are we starting Bargnani at C? Get POB out there!
/sarcasm
“It looked like we stole and implemented entire the Orlando Magic playbook taking 29 three’s.”
Jay Triano has made no secret of the fact that the Raptors have indeed “stolen” and planned to implement the Magic playbook! He’s been quoted numerous times saying just that. The goal being to get the most of their new star small forward!
A better road map to beating the Hornets was the playoff series against Denver last spring. I’m sure that’s what Triano and his staff were studying.
For DeRozen, our team’s priority is to make the playoffs and advance as far as we can. So the other Rookies can score as many points and pad their stats, and advance straight to the lottery with their 30 win teams. It’s good DeRozen is learning how to be a glue guard first because it makes him focus on moving the ball on offense, take the high percentage shots, moving without the ball, and improve on his effort on defense. It’s very (Orlando) Courtney Lee-ish
Except that DeRozan has a lot more to offer from a skills and athleticism perspective than Courtney Lee does so we are entitled to expect him to improve faster and to become a better player.
Triano has handled Derozan perfectly. With the talent he has around him, ease his way in. We do not need to rush. This is the first time in his life where he is playing against better b-ball players than himself, not the most talented on the court, and look at him- he is still a kid. Wish the nickname “Babyface” would stick.
I already got “babyface” on lock lol. But atleast its better than “kid dynamite” uhhhh
Derozan should see more playing time today since he is playing the mavs. Their starting SG is also a rookie, I think.
I’m disappointed on DeMar DeRozan. I thought he has a lot more potential than any other rookies this year but he’s not that great. He played like Fred Jones and Joey Graham when they were rookies.
If DeRozan has a lot more potential than any other rookies this year, why he’s currently the #9 in the best rookies while Brandon Jennings is the #1 who was a 12th pick. I mean Colangelo made a mistake on choosing DeRozan who averaged 5.8ppg, and 1.2apg instead of Jennings who averaged 18.8ppg, and 4.8apg.
Man, that’s a huge difference right there.
Derozan only scored 4 points in 18 minutes against Hornets? Are you kidding me? He supposed to be score 25 points last night, and posterizing dunks on Morris Peterson, Emeka Okafor, and yell in their face. That’s how you get the Rookie of the Year award. And possibly a $50ish million rookie extension contract.
A few things to consider:
-5 games in
-Antoine Wright (and to some degree Marco)
-this team is looking to the playoffs… not solely on 1 player
-he is extremely young and clearly raw – its called development
-nobody is expecting a ROY award for him
-Jennings last night 9 points in 27 minutes on 25% shooting… (oh did I mention that was against a rookie PG… should have been able to light him up)
-Jennings = Allen Iverson… whether thats good or bad is up to you
Jennings also played pro in Italy for 1 or 2 years. He’s clearly got the advantage with that as well.
1 year…and apparently he didn’t play much, nor look particularly impressive over there. So good on him for getting off to a good start here.
Derozan played quite well and was taken off for no reason in the 1Q. He hasn’t shown much yet, but don’t compare him to Moon and Graham. At least he doesnt force 3s and jumpers up like them.
Why would we want Brandon Jennings when we have 2 very capable PGs. Jennings (one of my fave players) is a scorer. The raptors have more than enough scorers and they really don’t need a PG jacking up shots.
We need to be careful not to judge rookies based on their stats, and especially after 5 games! Remember that Damon won ROY for us in a year that also saw KG, Sheed, Jerry Stackhouse, Antonio McDyess, Kurt Thomas, (I could go on). Does that mean he was the best player in the draft? Of course not! Sometimes being on a crappy team (such as the Bucks) gets some players the most opportunity to shine as rookies. Not saying DeRozan’s the bees knees, but you’re being really harsh on him.
your expectations are way off (esp in the short term). If he’s better than Lee last year then we should be very happy.
“He supposed to be score 25 points last night”
I am not sure I understand why you expect him to put up those numbers on a team where he is the 4th/5th option in the starting line up. He is a rookie on a team where Bosh, Bargs and Turk are expected to get the most amounts of shots.
Not even 4th option. Bosh, Bargnani, Turkoglu and Calderon are all ahead of him.
LilRomeo obviously fell for and misunderstood all the hype. Most potential doesn’t mean play like LBJ in the first season — it means he could be the best player from the draft a couple years down the road. Nobody said he was the most ready for the league — in fact, quite the opposite considering he played only ONE year in college.
If the Raptors wanted someone to produce right away, they would have taken Gerald Henderson (and look at how he’s doing!). If DeMar averages 12 pts, 5 rebounds and a block a game toward the end of the season, it’ll be a very good rookie year for him. He has the potential to be like Jason Richardson 3 years down the road.
i don’t think derozan’s mom even expected him to get 25 points last night…he was the 9th pick, not first overall….
Sigh…more importantly…would you rather have the Bucks talent pool?
LilRomeo, You’re An Idiot… It’s 5 Games In… Just For Having That Name You’re An Idiot But Obviously Your Basketball IQ Isn’t Very High Either. Jennings Went #10 Anyways, C’MON NOW!
+1
I was going to call LilRomeo an idiot also, but you beat me to it. Stats mean absolutely nothing for DeRozan this year. NOTHING!!!
I don’t even lool at his boxscore.
You guys like the new verb I invented (lool = look).
You are an idiot! A good NBA player is based on his stats. Also, the word you invented sucks.
Ok, you’re right! Praise DeRozan! Yes, DeRozan has the highest potential compared to any rookies this year!! Thank god, Colangelo picked him!
No wonder why he’s LOST all the time tonight vs Dallas.
This team is finding a way to surprise and delight the way internet porn used to back in my old dorm room days of 1996. When was the last time you saw the Raptors put up a third quarter like that against a team with a claim to quality? While its WAY too premature to make any judgements (I’m waiting 20 games – so I can see if that loss to Memphis was a fluke), I have to say that almost all unanswered questions I had going into this season are tending towards positive resolutions. That rarely happens. In particular –
1) Coach Triano – I thought he was a complete bust last season and that there would be no market for him to head coach elsewhere in the league. So far, he’s been solid. Came up with a sound strategy to defend Paul last night and it worked. He’s starting to win me over.
2) Bargs – I thought giving him 50 mill and 5 years was a mistake – but I don’t think there’s been a game this year where you could say he was overpaid (vis a vis the rest of the league). In fact, on some nights, the opposite seems to be true. Perhaps his ceiling really is higher than Mehmet Okur’s.
3) Bosh – This one really pains me. The guy’s starting to play like a max player. It hurts even writing that.
4) Jack – I thought the contract was too pricey. He’s been uneven, but at least he’s an NBA player. I hated Ukic and Solomon, but it wasn’t until now that I realized exactly how badly their terrible play impacted the team. Jack won’t win us any games, but he won’t lose any either. You could only say the former about our backup PG’s last year.
The only exception to the rule – for me – seems to be Jose. I like the guy, but I’m still not buying that this is the same player we had in 2007. The good news is that it doesn’t seem like we need him to be that guy in order to win games.
To sum up… BC is a better GM than you.
Hey, I’ve been highly critical of the guy and I’m trying to give this team its due – but don’t be so quick to forget who brought in Solomon and Ukic. Even I would know better than that. I honestly believe I could run a team (so could you) that could make the playoffs if I was allowed to spend up to the cap (16 teams make it every year). Especially if I inherited Bosh, Calderon, Charlie V. and the number one pick.
Plus, I’m in this for championships – not 47 win seasons. The full impact of these moves won’t be known for several years – for instance, how will we part ways with Hedo at 12 mill per season 4 years from now? But for the time being, I’m glad to see that it appears there won’t be a repeat of last season. That would be the worst case scenario. If we’re spending to the max, lets at least put a team out there that will make the playoffs. So kudos to Brian for our 3-2 start – if that’s what you want. But I don’t think that’s a hallmark of a great GM.
Solomon was awful. I like the Ukic trade but only b/c of the guys we’d brought in. Ukic would have been well served to spend a year in the D-League and then to come up as a 3rd stringer who had to fight for his PT, a la Douby. No doubt.
Everyone had Aldridge ahead of Roy and most had Bargs ahead too… what would you have done differently?
I think that it’s likely that BC would be better at your job than you would be at his.
Honestly, regarding your last comment, you might be right. I would suck as a GM and I suck at the job I do. BC would probably be a better husband and father than me as well.
But at 33-49 – (whatever the equivalent of that works out to be in the narcotics division) – I’d probably be out of a job. No, I would have been fired. They tend to fire people around here when they are given all the resources they need to be successful and then fail miserably. My wife would have divorced me. Interesting point, though.
I like when people think they’d be good GM’s because they could (theoretically) think up of 12 better players that they would put on the team. That’s like me saying I’d be a great politician by just stating the new laws I would enact if I were the PM.
Yes, its the same thing.
Colangelo makes mistakes but he also recognizes them and fixes them. The worst thing that ever happened to him in Toronto was that stupid 47 win season. It was a fluke and couldn’t be sustained, but it raised the expectations of some fans who now “won’t settle for anything less than a championship.” You were wrong on Bosh, Bargnani, Triano and Jack–he was “wrong” on Solomon, Ukic, and let’s throw in Fred Jones. Who is the better GM?
I think first you’d need to learn the difference between the cap and the luxury tax level, because I’m not quite sure how you’d run a team without that knowledge. Probably end up like the Knicks, thinking the cap is above the luxury tax level. Okay, maybe you do know what the cap is, but when you say “if I was allowed to spend up to the cap” and then add “16 teams make it every year”, it sounds like you’re being critical of the team not spending up to the cap, when they’ve been over the cap every year. In fact, they’ve been bordering the luxury tax level at least the past two years.
“Plus, I’m in this for championships – not 47 win seasons.”
Basically what you’re saying here (and in the statements following) is that you’d tank continuously until you draft a young prodigy a la Kobe, LBJ, Wade or Duncan, before spending to upgrade the team. Good luck waiting.
And the reason why NBA management is unlike your job, is because the prospective pool of applicants is much smaller than yours. Have you seen how often NBA GMs switch teams? New GMs have to be groomed, and all the good ones already have jobs (San Antonio, etc). Firing BC after a bad season simply means we’ll be stuck with another Rob Babcock. Hurray for that!
J, You are right. The pool is super small. It gets harder still, when people keep hiring their kids to fill GM Vacancies.
Not sure if that was sarcasm, but I can only think of two (Donnie Nelson and Bryan Colangelo), and both were well deserved, and had been groomed for the position.
Yeah, it was sarcasm. Seriously, now you’ve got me thinking. First thing I do when I take the reigns is fire Gheardini and hire the Assistant GM from San Antonio. I hire you and Khandor to be assistant GMs as well. When the three of you agree on something, I ask Triano to approve it – then I put my rubber stamp on it (no questions asked) and the Raptors make the move.
After 15 years, we see if my method leads us to at least one playoff series win. If it does, the savings to the club will be astronomical – (since I work cheap) and the result will be the same.
Honestly though, surrounded by all that staff, lawyers, capologists, etc…
“people keep hiring their kids to fill GM Vacancies”
and you think BC’s hiring wasn’t deserved solely because he was Colangelo’s son? What credidentials was he lacking to NOT deserve the position?
Edit: Colangelo Sr’s Son (just incase that was unclear)
I heard Charles Barkley wants to be a GM, he may be up for the job.
God there are some fickle fans on this site, Raps have a win and they are suddenly going to win the Championship, then they lose one and they suddenly need to sack BC who was GM of the year when he got all those trades pre-season.
Calderon has a few bad games so should be traded, Bargs can’t rebound so lets get rid of him too, and don’t give Bosh max money because he aint no Lebron.
No wonder people get dissapointed , the expectations are too high.
I thought Demar was playing pretty well in the 1Q (2/3) and a couple of rebounds. Then Triano took him off. At least they ran him that alleyopp play. But I really wanna see this kid play a little bit more.
Yeah, unfortunately, the team wants to play him mostly during the first half of the first and third quarters, to ease him in. Not a bad move if the team is looking for him to really contribute in his third year and not his first.
Pending on how DeRozen takes in his experience, or if there are injuries to Wright (GOD hopefully not), he will play more. Triano seems to be playing his cards right if his players are building a lead and playing well, and not just substituting for the hell of it. If the five on the court is playing well and it involves DeRozen, then I guess it means DeRozen is making an impact. The thing that makes feel that “Colangelo made the right draft pick” is seeing DeRozen jump right into a crowd for a defensive rebound or an offensive rebound or chasing a loose ball. As long as he contributes as a stealth player, not as an invisible player.
Good analysis on the game guys.
Hopefully this is a sign of things to come but i think tonight’s game will really give us an idea what this team is made of and where we are.
With respect to Derozan, can everyone just relax. The raps are doing EXACTLY what they should be doing with a 19 year kid, one year out of college and that is bring him along slowly. I think everyone would agree that Derozan is playing controlled and within what is being asked of him. It was not a deep draft and there were few first pics that could make an immediate impact. Let’s reserve judgment until next year (at the very least). How many times have we seen a team ruin a promising young prospect? (cough…cough…leafs…cough…cough). He needs to mature mentally and physically before we can start judging him and the pick.
The Leafs had promising young prospects? :-p The last one I recall was one Jeff Ware.
DDR comparison to Jennings is just silly, Jennings plays on Bucks team where theres no other true PG plus a team where u can take as much as shots as he wants (but hes still going to be a beast). Factor in his last year playing pro ball (European) which gives him much more experience than a raw DDR. I remember reading somewhere that Jennings is saving much of his money and that he leaves in a cheap apartment complex (condo maybe?) and he drives a ford focus (I’ve never heard a young NBA player do that). They said before his 1 year over seas he was a cocky kid, so that 1 year trip really paid of for him and he will be beast in this league, I think after Jennings more kids will skip college and go overseas for a year or 2 to improve before coming to the NBA.
I think we can all hope that this is a sign of things to come for our man, Jose:
Jose Calderon,
FG 6-11
3pt 2-
FT 2-2
Reb 4
Ast 8
Stl 1
Blk 0
TO 0
PF 2
+- +19
Pts 16
Impressive statline against the best PG in the league. I hope to see this continue, and a sign that he is getting back into game shape, and learning how to play with other ball-handlers on the floor.
I got my fingers crossed that he’s “back” and not just “playing up” vs a “name” pg.
Jose has played well in every trip to the Big Easy.
15.5 points, 8.3 assists, 3.8 boards, 1.3 steals over the past 4 seasons.
okay general questions in the fantasy league my opponet bench is stats gets added to the overall stats but my bench is not active and they not injury either so how do i activate my bench?
Um, I would presume you get to change your “starting lineup” for each day, so if some of your starters aren’t playing, you can switch in a sub for that day. Really you should look at the help section in your fantasy league. =P
I see a lot people now talking playoffs after this win. I would calm down a little. What I saw last night was a team at it’s peak performance for say 40 of the 48 minutes. Yes, many positives were brought to the forefront but as I see it, we will NOT be at 48% shooting three’s every night so I consider this game a bit of a lucky night. I hope the Raps do not fall in love with this type of game and continue to get into the paint and get to the foul line. Defensively, it was their beat performance and what I get out of this game is #1 Bargnani, 9 rebounds (that’s 20 in two games), #2 If Bosh continues to play the way he has so far, he’s gonna be a monster, #3 Calderon, Jack and Turk are starting to get their groove going #4 Wright is coming in and playing awesome defense and Bellinelli is establishing himself as a pure scorer. We have a long way to go, let’s hope that last nights game is more of a reflection of what we are going to see this year. Can’t wait for Reggie!!
There are lots of people predicting playoffs before the preseason who still think this is a playoff team – even a 47 win team!
Playoffs or not, the one thing that’s for sure is this team is a lot more interesting than last year’s. I love that we’ve shown we can come back from a huge deficit (even if we still lose), as well as regain a lead after losing a big lead — two things we were unable to accomplish last year.
The reason that we were able to make the 3’s is that we had the interior presence with Bosh and great playmaking. In my opinion, we can keep doing that for the entire season, and I disagree with saying that some days we cant hit wide open 3’s 50% of the time.
This team is really a different team than years past, The way that they pulled away last night and the way that the perservered after big comebacks by the Cavs and the Pistons tell me that this team is tough mentally. I agree with Elan when he says that it’s too early to talk about playoff matchups but it’s never too early to talk about the raptors making the playoffs! I hope Chris Bosh keeps up the strong play and this is not just another hot start, I think he will though. Plus, I like the fact that when one player struggles there’s someone else to pick up the slack. This is a top 5 team at least in the East! Go Raps! By the way I loved the Sonny Weems sighting last night!