He’s just talking trash, he didn’t do that to her, don’t sweat it JC. Trust me.Unlike the Raptors, we continue to work hard at RR and bring the goods. The good news is that AltRaps’ and Arsenalists prediction for a 3-1 week is still alive. The bad news is that all three have to come on the road starting tonight in Atlanta. After losing Sunday to a Pistons team without Ben Gordon, Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince, we can expect this team to want to rebound. You will all be in my thoughts tonight as this one is going to get messy, I can guarantee you that.
The last time these guys played, it didn’t go so well, with the Hawks taking down a 118-110 decision. There was some playoff seeding on the line in that game, as the Hawks had a couple game lead over the Bulls for the 4th seed, but the Raptors had already thrown in the towel, even if Marion hadn’t.
The Match-ups
The Point: Calderon and Jack are both coming off of good games last night, Calderon more so than Jack. Triano needs to manage these two better today…if Calderon is hot, ride the wave man, don’t be afraid. What happened last night was terrible. We have to make sure that if Calderon is hot, that we use that, and not take the ball out of his hand. On the flip side, Jack needs to know his role, and not try to take the game over. He hit some big shots last night, but we have a lot of guys who are better scorers (better shooters) than he is, and they need to be utilized for these types of roles. Bibby has always hurt the Raptors, and I don’t see that changing much. If Calderon/Jack leave him open, he will take and hit that three. Triano needs to NOT play them together as the thought of these two playing defense on a combination of Bibby/Crawford/Johnson makes the Pad Thai I had for lunch make some noise in my stomach.
The Edge: Atlanta
The Talent: Johnson is going to murder DeRozan/Belinelli/Wright/Jack/whoever covers him. I don’t see any ways around this one. Hopefully Jack will not be assigned even a minute of duty covering this guy. Crawford is the other Raptor killer on this team. How many times have we seen him drop 50 on us? Again, he wont have much trouble slicing and dicing.
The Edge: Atlanta
The Wing: Turkoglu is continually being under/incorrectly utilized. His usage rate is at 18.9%; to put it in perspective, he was at 23% and 24.8% the last two seasons in Orlando. Figure he is getting between 4-6 less touches a game, as well he is being used to do the wrong types of things (should be a playmaker for others, not told to get his own shot off), and we have ourselves a problem. To put this in perspective, Jack is being utilized at 17.3%….yeah. I like this match-up with Marvin Williams for Turk, he wont get abused on defense, and should be able to do what he wants on offense.
The Edge: Raptors
The Big: Bosh vs Smith, I love this match-up. The PF battle will be crucial off the bench with Amir “put me in coach” Johnson battling Joe “I’m still kickin around” Smith on both ends. It’s amazing Joe Smith is playing, and at such a high level. A true pro, and a great pick up for the Hawks IMHO.
The Edge: Even
The Strong: I don’t have any problems with Bargnani right now. He’s doing about what I expected. Sure, I could use some more rebounding and better rotational defense, but f*ck it, the system sucks. Horford does represent some big problems for Bargs though. This guy is relentless on the boards, and lives in the paint. Leave him alone 15ft out, and he can knock those down. Bargs needs to box this guy out, job # 1. I don’t even care if he doesn’t score a lick, keep this guy off the board and in foul trouble, and this game is ours, simple.
The Edge: Atlanta
The Line
The Hawks are a 9 point favourite with an over/under of 211.5
Simulation
Visser’s sims are 13-6 this year and this time the crystal ball is predicting a 107-95 Raptors loss.
Prediction
AltRaps predicts a win. Arsenalist predicts a win. Who am I to disagree? I’m a realist, that’s who I am. Raptors lose, sorry guys.
Come swing by the RR Forums and check out our game thread. You want Twitter? Live Chat? ESPN Daily Dime? We got you son!
58 Raps
Count me in for a loss tonight too Raps Fan. :(
L.
how many points in the paint do you figure we give up this game? 75? 88? 110??
going to be ugly.
60 sounds about right to me.
If Jay Triano stays true to form – Expect the Raps to be up by 5 at the end of the third with Bargs on a 20 point night and Bibby struggling.
Then he’ll trot out his winning line-up of Jack & Calderon and feeding Bosh in the post and Bibby & Johnson & Crawford will go off – the Hawks putting up 40 in the fourth for the win.
Maybe Triano will catch the flu?
Gotta hope Bosh & Turk can find the bottom of the basket tonight!
How about a Frustrated Fan Night!
FML
That’s the Raptors I know and love!
I have a great idea that works for me to keep my angst against the team. Only watch the first half. My stress level has gone way down since I started this practice last year when they were losing horribly.
Give it a shot. Your heart and blood pressure will thank you for it.
I usually stop watching in the middle of the third. On top of that my volume is down all the time, so I don’t have to listen to Matt, Leo etc. Makes it little bit easier.
Matt is ok. Leo is the one that frustrates me. He sounds like one of those people who THINKS he knows what he is talking about but really is just talking out of his ass repeating the same phrase each and every game.
We’re in trouble tonight guys.
Check out where the pre-game meal is tonight. This is courtesy of DeMar’s Twitter page:
@DeMar_DeRozan Waffle house baby….
I’m no nutritionist, but don’t waffles sit in your stomach like a block of cement? They do for me at least. :(
You’re right.
You’re no nutritionist.
The caption on the picture is absolutley hillarious :P. Loss for the Raps tonight… whens the last time 2 players on the same team dropped 40? Might happen tonight with Crawford and JJ.
I’m expecting JJ to drop 30+ tonight. And I also expect Marvin Williams to have his monthly statistical big-game against us.
I’ll be watching how many 3FGA Bargs takes compared to the number of rebounds he’ll pull down.
And the fact the Hawks haven’t played in three days, while we’re coming off no-days rest doesn’t bode well for the good (soft) guys.
You know… Sam Mitchell lives in Georgia. ;) I’d love to sneak down to the lower bowl and sit next to him for this game.
SAM IS LAUGHING HIS ASS OFF RIGHT NOW. I GUESS IT WAS HE’S FAULT FOR THE TEAM’S POOR PERFORMANCE. WHEN IT’S ALL SAID AND DONE, COACH TRIANO WILL NOT HAVE A BETTER RECORD…!!!! SHEEEEEEEIT
I smell rape, and lots of offensive rebounds for Atlanta.
lol raped i smelled tortue, abused and and a 50 point defeat if we got blown out by the athletic bobcats by 35 lol imagine what hawks will do to us if we lose by 20 i will be happy
Nice catch about Turk being under utilized. I know people are crapping on him, but I still would like to see him be a bigger part of the offence. Bargnani as well. Seems like Bargnani gets hot, then doesn’t get a pass. We go back to the old Smitch play book – give it to CB4, let him hang on to the ball for 8 seconds, clank a 17 footer off the rim, and continue on to a 7 for 22 night. Just not feeling it as that guy as the focal point of an offence.
Couldn’t agree more. We need to share the offense, Bosh is the perennial ball sticker and is terrible in clutch situations. Haywood/Jamison denied him repeatedly in crunch time last night.
I agree that Barg’s should have had more touches last night as CB didn’t play as well as he has this year, but I love when all of the haters creep out every 4th of 5th game to diss him.
Where were you all when they played the Celtics, when he was scoring efficiently and not getting ‘owned’ while others in the starting line-up were getting benched?
Does your Roger’s highspeed go down during those games or is it because it’s hard to criticize without making it look like you hate him? lol?
Why not hope for good efforts from your team, because it’s quite obvious they can’t win unless they get good perfomrances from everyone.
But isn’t Bosh the leader of the team. Isn’t he suppose to lead by example. If he was shooting well in Boston then good for him. As a leader of the team his objective is to win not pad stats. Against Washington he wasn’t bringing his “A” game. He should have focused on the defensive end (wasn’t he guarding Jamieson in the 4th when he scored all those points) to help the team win. That’s what good leaders do for their teams.
Give me 20 min of playing time, I’ll get you 4 offensive boards, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 8 points, (4 fouls).. and a win. #FreeAmir #Hustle
ROTD
Last night you got 20 minutes of playing time and you gave the Raps 4 offensive boards, no steals, no blocks, 2 points, (4 fouls)…and a loss.
I think we all realize that Bosh is best in the garbage man roll… when someone else becomes the focal point on offence and Bosh is free to worry about rebounds and put backs, that seems to be when the Raps do their best. Now, who that focal point on offence can be…
Our beloved Ratpors need all the BIG MO’s … MOtivation … MOmentum … MOtion … MOjo … MOnstrosity …!!!!!!!
Otherwise they are just a bunch of MOfo MOnkey MOron MOpes …!!!!
No MO’ ….
I’m going to watch this game the way my wife watches a horror movie. With a pillow in front of my face, grimacing at all the horrors that I expect…and some new ones that I’m frightened might happen.
With this team, you can always count on new surprises. True horror show.
Kudos on the caption for the pic. Classic.
This is completely off topic but I found it interesting. It’s from True Hoop about Reggie Evans:
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/11153/the-other-ex-sixer
A veteran of the D-League and overseas leagues, Owens knows first-hand the power of Reggie Evans. He has a blog at Waiting for Godunk, and Hugging Harold Reynolds recently published Owens’ tale of spending a day learning from professor Reggie Evans:
I have played some strong people and I have played some quick people, but I have never played anyone as strong and as quick as him. No matter where I went, he was there. If I ran the floor. he was running next to me. If I made a post move, he was doing everything he could to stop me. I felt like I was playing in the NBA Finals. But that is Reggie. Guys like that will always have a place in the league. They out-work everyone, they out-hustle everyone and they out-rebound everyone.
Unfortunately for me, this is the man standing between me and a roster spot for the 76ers. I am guessing since I am writing a blog about waiting to go play basketball, you figured out the outcome that day. I can’t help but thinking that my road to the NBA could have been a little easier had Reggie been caught in traffic that morning.
I walked out of the gym that day with a better understanding of hard work, and about a dozen or so deep lacerations all over my arms and chest, courtesy of Reggie. The most frustrating thing about the day is that I got a lot better. I learned a lot from both Reggie and Elton [Brand] — things that I have worked hard on incorporating into my game. Sadly, the only viewers who have seen my newly refined game are the good people of Kosovo.
im sick of this team’s individual play and lack of competitive desire. whether we win or lose id like to see hustle and fight. im sick of this team playing like damn pussies. id like to see every dunk and layup challenged with a hard foul or tech or flagarant. i dont care if we lose i just want to see team play,effort and some passion. if were getting blown out and the camera pans over to Bosh and he’s got that pussy assed glazed over eyes and a blank stare looking off into space im going to smash my plasma into 20 freaking pieces.GRIT YOUR TEETH YOU BITCH,SHOW YOUR FANGS AND GET ANGRY AT THE OPPONENTS INSTEAD OF LOOKING LIKE A VICTIM.
im goin out on a limb. we win.
I hope we will win… But the odds are stacked against us with the way we’ve been playing…
Hope for a W, but it’s gonna be a L.
Can Bosh actually score in the second half especially in the 4th quarter to make an impact in the game. What were the play-by-play at the most crucial stage in the fourth for Bosh against Washington- missed, missed, missed and turnover.
The last two games Bosh took 26 shots for his 30 points against Phoenix he took 22 shots for his 22 points against Washington. This particular stat was conveniently ignored by the board.
Are we seeing a trend by Bosh to keep shooting even if it is detrimental to team success so he can maintain his 20+ avg.
some people believe in the rain dance, well here’s the raptors win dance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EonJy5zfuvY
Does deductive logic work here?
Raps beat Pistons
Pistons beat Hawks
Rap therefore should beat the Hawks?
Right.
Just a matter of simple logic even if you are not green blooded.
“keep this guy off the board and in foul trouble, and this game is ours, simple.”
Somehow, I don’t think it is that simple. I hope it is though.
I guess the game will depend on how many points CB wants to produce. If he is in a roll to jack up his stat, then expect a L. More points, less less team plays.
Watch JC pass the ball to CB and CB penetrating the middle, Hawks collapsing on CB and all the rest of the Raptors waiting for a pass. Foul on CB, take the free shot. Over and over and over. Guess that is the only play they know right now.
I’m not watching the slaughter continue…. I can’t! This team has to prove to everyone (including themselves), that they can still play.
I’m on a stick no b-ball on my T.V. until the Raps win two in a row. Could be until the end of the season.
Everyone put up their hands if they were complaining about not having TSN2 last year and wanted the ability to watch more Raptors games…
now those of you with your hands up, put up your middle finger if you regret complaining and wish TSN2 never existed and you didn’t have to witness the “lack of effort” slaughter that has become Raptor games over the last few weeks…
Remember guys & gals, if using the live chat here at RR isn’t your “cup of tea” and you like a slower pace of chatting during games, please don’t hesitate to come over to our forum to discuss tonight’s match-up vs. the Hawks.
Link: http://raptorsrepublic.com/forums/showthread.php?t=260
every game I watch gives me the same feeling as stepping in a big pile of dog shit in the park.
Great team
I feel better stepping in a big pile of dog shit than watching this team. There’s a huge difference between watching this team fail and watching a team like the Nets fail; we are supposed to have talent, a direction, and a superstar. We just don’t have defense. Too bad that’s what we need the most.
Triano is an IDIOT. He doesn’t set plays for players who are hot, doesn’t call time outs when his team needs them, doesn’t bring in players who are scoring, messes around with the most random lineups and fails to inspire his team. These players deserve better.
the problem is that the players don’t
Toronto bench was laughing and joking during this newest humiliation. Jose, Chris, Wright had a good time. Those are the guys paid millions of dollars a year. People are paying hard earned cash to see these guys play.
I think empty ACC would be the best message this franchise should get.
I disagree.
This is not the Leafs, where not selling tickets is a real statement. If we stop going to games, supporting the team, then MLSE will just cut the budget and we will be worse than the Nets.
Leo Rautins in the 3rd quarter: “This is a fun team to watch …”
Leo Rautins’ commentary pisses me off. He should be fired too.
I turned Leo off about 10 years ago. He really is a dinosaur and maybe that is why he is still employed by the Raptors. I wish we had Jack for all 82. I would even take Sherm to replace Leo’s games.
holy shit, turned the game on near the end of the 3rd 114 – 84, thought it was the 4th winding down, then I saw the quarter. please FIRE Triano! His defensive scheme promotes laziness and is so demoralizing to the players. Look at there expressions……..FUCK YOU JAY
Iavaroni is the defensive coach .. the brains behind the Raptors lockdown defensive strategy … but if the millionaires just don’t feel like working on defense, there’s not much you can do about it … unless these players have a very low defensive IQ .. i.e. they are dummies on defense.
Interesting though … in the pre-season all the t.h. posters were proclaiming what a great offensive team they were, and would blow away the opposition … Who wudda thunk that the Raps achilles heel wud be their non-existent defense … go figure …!!!!
There is no excuse, FAQ, for the defense we play. Our players are not “The worse defensive players in the history of the NBA” but our defense IS historically bad, which is a result of effort, intensity, and “couldntcarelessitude”.
You and I both know defense is %50 effort, and %50 ability and even a limited defender can make a reasonable go with hustle and effort.
We have no hustle, no effort, and little ability.
The results are 146-115.
Seeten … playing offense is easy, but playing solid defense is tough and requires more bball IQ than playing offense. A development team like this one cannot be expected to play coordinated defense against superior athletes and better scorers … they get confused and collapse on defense and then the offense goes to shit. Been there .. done it…!!!
The Ratpors have failed to overwhelm good teams with a run’n gun offense … they get shut down and are dismembered on defense … so obvious ..!!!!
When you put three big, slow guys (Bosh, Bargs, Hedo) on the floor at the same time, and they can’t play defense worth a squat … well you know what the opposition will do … put fast athletes on the floor and run them out of the building … no mystery ..!!!!
Making mental mistakes is understandable, making physical mistakes is understandable, I don’t mind putting up with some miscues while these guys figure it out together.
We aren’t just making miscues and mistakes, though, that would indicate the issues you are citing.
We cannot be bothered to even put our hands up, we aren’t just out of position, we don’t even run back to get into position in the first place.
In short, we don’t care to play defense. It isn’t that we can’t, or try and fail, we do not even get to the point of TRYING.
That is what is frustrating. If we were trying as hard as we could, but just didn’t have the goods, I’d be alright with it.
I’m not alright with watching guys making 10+ million mail in their effort.
Our bench played more minutes than our starters, against the hawks? What the hell is the coaching staff smoking?
Honestly , get a defensive center and point gaurd , only way they will improve.
and get a good coach