Raps find Magic formula | Toronto Sun
Incredibly, Orlando wasn’t called for its first foul in the fourth quarter until one minute remained.
Mind you, the Raptors weren’t exactly aggressive, preferring to move the ball on the perimeter, but no fouls in 11 minutes raises eyebrows.
More damning was the 10-0 disparity in Orlando’s favour when it came to fouls, a factor that may have contributed to Toronto’s lethargy.
“It slowed the game down,’’ Chris Bosh said.
Bosh had a quiet night, but a late possession that sent him to the line, where he converted, was one of many key plays the Raptors finally made in preserving their win, a victory that comes on the heels of another quality win when they beat San Antonio on Sunday.
“We came out with a focus, a different mentality where we hit first,’’ said Jarrett Jack, who provided some late-game suspense after he missed an attempt from the charity stripe. “We have to keep rolling.”
The Raptors didn't have to make a roster move in the wake of Jose Calderon returning to the lineup following a hip injury. When the team released Pops Mensah-Bonsu on Tuesday, a roster spot became available. Calderon entered the game with 1:49 left in the first quarter and made his first shot when he buried an open three-pointer in the second quarter.
Doug Smith’s Toronto Raptors blog
If they use it – and they are going to because, believe it or not, the coaches don’t take advice from us – the primary ball-handling duties have to be Calderon’s.
He’s got better skills in that department than Jack and he makes better decisions.
So any time Hedo isn’t initiating the offence, it has to Jose.
Oh, and would the dozens and dozens and dozens of you who swore up and down that that’s a better team with Jack and Marcus Banks as the point guards than it is with Calderon and Jack please explain your thinking to us again.
Two of the biggest baskets of the night came when Calderon drove right, got right to the rim and kicked the ball out to a wide open Bargnani, who made three-pointers.
No one else on the roster makes those plays.
Feschuk: Raptors stave off a late collapse – thestar.com
And there were plenty of other reasons for Raptor fans to revel in the win. How about the defence of Andrea Bargnani, the conscience-less three-point shooter whose one-on-one banging with Howard set the early tone? And how about the picture of ho-hum lassitude that was Vince Carter, the former Raptor who has under-delivered in Orlando thus far? Carter's seven points on 2-for-7 shooting were punctuated by a second-half technical foul for moaning to a referee. Meanwhile, DeMar DeRozan, the Toronto rookie who famously announced himself as the second coming of Air Canada, outplayed his counterpart at shooting guard with a 12-point effort.
Best of all, how about Toronto's defence? On pace to be historically horrendous at this season's worst moments, it held the Magic to 42 per cent field-goal shooting.
Calderon shakes off the rust with emphatic win
Until the last two games, the Raptors' winning ways could be questioned. Before a Saturday loss to Boston, the Raptors had won five straight games, but none over teams currently in playoff position. But with a victory on Sunday over San Antonio, and especially with this win in Orlando, the Raptors can certainly puff out their chests, if only a little. At 18-18, it is the first time the Raptors are at .500 since they were 5-5 in mid-November.
Orlando Sentinel – Orlando Magic BasketBlog – Vote: Do you miss Hedo Turkoglu?
The last time Hedo Turkoglu came to town, fans at Amway Arena had mixed reactions to him. He got cheered during introductions, but there were definite boos during the game when he got the ball.
Stan Van Gundy had a pretty strong reaction to that after the game. He said he couldn’t imagine how any real Magic fan could boo Turkoglu.
I’m sure a lot of you are on either side — the booing side and the cheering side. When he comes back to town what do you remember? Do you remember his departure, or all the good times before that?
Raptors vs. Magic – NBA Videos and Highlights
Raptors Hold Off Magic, 108-103 – ESPN Video – ESPN
Hedo Turkoglu scores 17 against his former team to lead Raptors
Tip-In: Toronto Raptors Post Game Report – On a Roll – Raptors HQ
Biggest win of the year?
In a game full of ups and downs the Raptors beat Orlando to continue their current hot-streak.
Barely.
The HQ breaks down last night's win.
Raptor Mid-season Grades | Toronto Mike’s Blog
My buddy Kic is a big Raptors fan, so I asked him to chime in on the Raps periodically.
Here's his mid-season report card for our Toronto Raptors.
Hinrich and Thomas for Chris Bosh? | Dabullz
In a rumor being discussed on 670 the Score, the Chicago Bulls would send Kirk Hinrich, Tyrus Thomas, and draft picks to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Chris Bosh.
Now the positive that this rumor has going for it, is that the trade works under the collective bargaining agreement. However, the positives of this rumor end there, as someone would have to be a fool to believe there is any validity to this rumor.
The Raptors would be trading for a scrub in Kirk Hinrich, who is shooting 36.7% from the field this year, the opportunity to give Tyrus Thomas a raise or let him walk, and a non-lottery draft pick, as the Bulls would surely make the playoffs with Bosh on the roster.
Magic Struggle to Re-Discover Chemistry — NBA FanHouse
It was one thing to lose back-to-back games in Chicago and Indiana, even if the Pacers were missing half their key players. It's something else to lose at home to the Raptors, falling behind by 18 points before they picked up the pace and made it close at the end.
Magic Drop Third Straight Game | Howard the Dunk
The Magic had 10 offensive rebounds to Toronto’s two but the two teams grabbed the same amount of total rebounds – 35, but the Raptors shot the ball very well so it didn’t really give the Magic a chance to grab a lot of boards on the defensive end.
Orlando played no defense against one of the most efficient offensive teams in the NBA. The Raptors shot an effective field goal percentage of 61.2% and the Magic shot just47.9%. The Raptors seemingly did whatever they wanted, however they wanted. They scored from all over the court, hitting 13 shots at the rim, three from inside 10 feet, one from 10-15 feet, 13-23 from 16-23 feet and nine from beyond the arc. They also had six players score in double figures with no player scoring over 18 points.
CBC News – Toronto – Raptors roll to 7th win in 8 games
They smothered Orlando defensively in the second quarter, with things getting so bad that Vince Carter's jumper hit the side of the backboard. Toronto scored 11 straight points late in the half, capped by a three-pointer by Jarrett Jack that helped it go ahead 56-45.
But the Raptors were just beginning.
They slowly pulled away to take an 86-68 lead at the end of the third quarter on a jumper by Sonny Weems. Some Magic fans covered their face, and a chorus of boos were issued against the home team for one of the few times in Orlando, giving Toronto all the more reason to smile.
"I think we are just figuring out how to play together," Bosh said. "We are finally getting it on defence and rebounding a lot better. Everything right now is clicking for us. We just have to keep it rolling."
Toronto Raptors 108, Orlando Magic 103 – Orlando Pinstriped Post
So Orlando's effort was there for most of the night, and they capitalized on the Raptors' silly fouls in the fourth quarter. But the Magic simply could not rotate quickly enough on the defensive end, and the Raptors punished them with excellent ball-movement and execution. With combo guard Jarrett Jack, point guard Jose Calderon, and the point forward Turkoglu on the floor together, Toronto found and exploited all the holes in Orlando's defense. 31 assists on 39 shots for Toronto, with the aforementioned trio of ballhandlers tallying 19 itself. The ball rarely "got stuck" in Toronto's offense. Few broken plays, few bad shots, and a lot of player movement. It all added up to a tidy 108 points on 91 possessions and 62.3% effective field goal shooting.
We’ve got more questions than answers after Orlando Magic drop third straight
Assistant coach Brendan Malone told Stan Van Gundy the Magic looked “shell-shocked” at halftime, trailing by 10 against a Toronto Raptors team they had easily beaten three times this season.
After the Magic dropped their third straight game against a sub-.500 opponent, I think we’re all a little shell-shocked.
It’s not that a loss against the Raptors is a monumental cause for concern — they’ve won seven of eight games and it’s always difficult to beat a team four times in a row — but when you couple Wednesday’s poor performance with back-to-back losses to Chicago and Indiana, it raises your eyebrows.
The greatest upset in the history of sports « That’s what I’m saying, guy…
Aside from the actual result, the most satisfying part of this one had to be watching baby boy Dwight Howard bicker all night with the refs. Is there a bigger whiner in the league? No, not if you ask me. Dwight: You’re a seven-foot tall freak with about 300 pounds of muscle — you should be able to dunk every time to touch the ball and block every shot that comes within a mile of you. Shut up and play the game. Oh yeah, and it was also a lot of fun watching #15 finish with a sparkling seven-point effort.
So, a surprise win in Orlando leaves the Raptors 18-18 with a pushover in Philly set for Friday. Time to get it cooking on the road? I think so, but I’ve been thinking that for awhile. To quote my pal Tim Bentum, “Let’s see what happens!”
Jay Triano speaks with the media following the Raptors' win against the Magic.
Hedo Turkoglu speaks with the media about getting his first win against his former team this season.
Andrea Bargnani – Jan. 6, 2010
Andrea Bargnani speaks with the media following the Raptors' win over the Magic.
Chris Bosh speaks with the media following the Raptors' win over the Magic.
Jose Calderon speaks with the media following the Raptors' win over the Magic.
Raptors Game Recap – The FAN 590 Toronto
THE FAN presents all of the highlights (1) and Eric Smith's game recap (2) from Wednesday's 108-103 win for the Raptors in Orlando, their first in four tries against the Magic this season.
HIP HOOP JUNKIES – A Toronto Raptors/NBA Blog: .500 – RAPTORS 108, MAGIC 103
The Raps looked good up until the end of the third quarter where Dwight Howard picked up his fifth foul and the Raps finished the quarter on a 17-5 run, up 18 pts on Orlando. But in the fourth quarter, the Magic made a run, and on top of that, the Raps weren't getting any foul calls from the refs. The first Magic foul of the fourth quarter came called with one minute to play. Vince Carter got the Magic within two with less than a minute left to play, but JJ Redick's three ball came up short with nine seconds to play.
Mediocre Forever – A Toronto Raptors Blog: Win of the year (so far)
I usually have no problem if Bosh doesn't have a great night and we still win, but tonight was different. When the Magic made that furious come back from an 18-point deficit, anytime Bosh got the ball he dished it right back to the perimeter, because he was double-teamed. But he's GOT TO ask – NO – DEMAND the ball back, and ATTACK! For God's sake Howard was playing with 5 fouls too, he's not going to be super aggressive guarding you! I honestly think the game would've been over much earlier in the fourth had he just tried to take it to the hole a few more times – instead – Bosh passes it, we swing it around, and Jarrett Jack or somebody else bricks a shot..BADLY and the Magic come back and score.
24 Raps
If they trade Bosh for Hinrich/Thomas….I am no longer a fan of this team and to quote Simmons…I’ll light myself on fire
That has to be the dumbest trade I have ever heard of. Lets get nothing for bosh and draft picks like VC
Why don’t we just trade amir johnson and marcus banks for derrick rose while we are it, who makes up these ridiculous trades up.
I think there’s no chance of that trade happening. The article even states how bad a trade this would. Plus it’s not like the raptors need another point guard.
I don’t see and Bosh-to-Chicgao trade working without at least a 3rd team being involved, because Chicago has nothing of value for the Raps.
Chicago won’t trade Rose, Noah plays the same position as Bargnani, Hinrich has a horrible contract. Tyrus Thomas would have to come back to replace Bosh, but adding expiring contracts to balance the salaries (Miller/James) and at least 1 first round pick, just doesn’t seem like the best deal available.
The article stated that the trade was an idea suggested by a Chicago-based sports radio show, so of course it’s going to be a lopsided idea that doesn’t worry about effectively addressing the Raps’ needs.
A dumb trade like this would set us back just like the inane Vince Carter trade. I would like to believe that Colangelo is smarter than this.
How about Calderon for Caron Butler straight up. The salaries match and the Wizards might not ever get Arenas back, so they need somebody (straightlaced ha ha) to run their offense. Who else is going to do it? Crittenton? Mike James? Hopefully whoever is running the Wizards is a staunch believer in PER cuz that would seal the deal vs. Crittenton’s non-exisint PER and Mike James 4.3 vs Calderons 16.1
It makes me laugh when I read these rumours. The Bulls get a superstar to focus their offence around, while the raptors get another guard to battle for minutes with Jose, Jack, Banks, Belineli, Weems, and Wright. we’d start looking like the GS Warriors. Tyrus Thomas had a lot of upside, but he is no substitute for Bosh.
the raps will keep bosh the rest of the season and work out some sign and trade deal with one of the Texas teams and/or Washington for Jamison (that’s who I like)
Colangelo rather trade Bosh for a blowjob from the current Miss Illinois USA and a draft pick. I mean, it’s a waste of time and money to get Hinrich, and Thomas which both of them are slightly below mediocre players that never going help the team at all. If he ever going to pull this trade, he’s implying that he wants to get fired and wants out of Canada.
“they capitalized on the Raptors’ silly fouls in the fourth quarter”
should read… they capitalized on the Ref’s silly foul calls in the fourth quarter.
Fixed. Makes more sense now.
The gap in fouls was disgusting and the Raptors deserve credit for fighting through the two opponents (Orlando and the Officials) in the fourth quarter. Bargnani had a great block on Howard in the fourth that was called a foul. If he keeps this up, the calls will eventually come his way.
I’d feel better about the whole thing if I knew that league officials were sent a tape of the fourth quarter.
Why does raptors republic even acknowledge dumb sports rumors like trading bosh for the side bread crum pieces of chicaco! If that happens im never watching a game of ball ever again. . .
It at least gives us an idea of what the NBA blogs and experts think of Chris Bosh. I presume you do not agree with Gary Payton about Bosh being the most over rated player in the league.
So from the comments you’ve posted, you don’t seem to think Bosh is worth very much. Problem with that is that he is outplaying almost every other big man in the league this year…
I guess this is what has lead to your vast confusion.
I think Zach Randolph is also in the mix. Would you want him on your team?
How can you compare Bosh to Zach Randolph? Why because of stats? Bosh is a character guy who does what he says and Randolph can’t stay on a team. You have to think that a guy who puts those kind of stats up and yet gets traded every year…there’s got to be something wrong there.
No but I agree with the opinion that Gary Payton has the biggest mouth of any ex-player on television.
I don’t know what you guys opinions, but US people is funny. They always say CB wanna join a team could make a run in playoff, and thats y he wanna a trade.
1.So, why don’t we use Bulls as a example for this issue. If Bulls wanna get CB4, they must give up something big, such as 2-3 starter, and a pick as well, and of coz TO may use this chance to say good bye to Banks as well. Under this situation, do you think Bulls still strong enough to make a run in playoff??
2.If Raps going to trade CB to a weak team, and get some good picks(let say like NJN), so do you think NJN will make a playoff after they got CB?
If you re Bosh, will you request a trade and head to the team like Bulls or even NJN type team, and still can’t make a big noise in playoff?
3.I believe Bosh only could alongside with a superstar like Kobe, DW…etc. otherwise, I don’t think Bosh has any chance to play in June. Heats, is the most possible team he could land, and has a some young gun Raps looking for, but how many players they have to give up and exchange a 15+M bosh is the question.
I am very sure, Raps could get the playoff spot this year, so do you think Bosh will give up to play @ toronto and go to anywhere in US like US ppl say? If you re Bosh, you still wanna trade even you still can’t taste the final or semi-final after??
that trade is just a prayer post published by some guy in Chi Town and won’t happen, as can that really be considered even legitimate trade or give away?
but, what i believe could be a good trade scenario in the current situation with Wizards:
(Caron Butler) for (Marcus Banks, Reggie Evans, Antoine Wright or First Round pick)
though about in different angles and looks good for both sides their current respective ball club situations. Please comment.
It would be great for Raps but I don’t think Wizard will do that
Your right, I actually posted this in the forum. My feelings were telling me that the Wizards wouldn’t bite. I’m just day drifting at work.
Or maybe the Chicago trade scenario got into my head and I’m just venting on the Wizards instead, if that makes any sense.
seriously thought, Chris Bosh should not be in the conversation unless Derrick Rose was in the talks, but that wouldn’t make sense either for both teams.
maybe I’d agree on Reggie Evans for Tyrus Thomas. Someone should publish an article on this one haa!
Not saying that this trade scenario works…but who knows what Washington is going to do in the next little while. They might go on a whole scale fire sale. The way Memphis did two years ago when they gave Gasol away for a Bud light and a picture of Jack Nicholson.
I think the Wizards are going to be looking to cut and run. I think they want to make a run at the John Wall lottery this year. And getting rid of an aging star might be the way to do it.
Hrm, so I spent more time poking around basketballvalue.com.
I think an argument can be made that we should feature Belli a lot more at SG, rather than these Cack lineups.
First, Belinelli is featured in one of literally one of the best units (Bargnani, Bosh, Hedo, Belli, Cald) in basketball right now (Offense Rating=129, Defense Rating=101, ~34.5 minutes of data, ranked in the top 25 by Net Offense/Defense Rating):
http://basketballvalue.com/amofunit.php?year=2009-2010&unit=612-673-319-331-151
You can compare this to the Cack lineup, which simply blows in comparison:
http://basketballvalue.com/amofunit.php?year=2009-2010&unit=612-319-331-296-151
I then examined a lineup similar to the above, but with Jack swapped in as PG. Not quite as much data (~26 minutes worth), but also very dominant results:
http://basketballvalue.com/amofunit.php?year=2009-2010&unit=612-673-319-296-151
In fact, if you eyeball the top lineups featuring at least Bosh+Hedo+Belli, it quickly becomes clear that this combination is simply amazing. (To be more convincing I should compute the ratings for this combination, but hopefully this is obvious to you just by looking at the relevant lineups in the link above.)
What do you guys think? Misleading statistics, or accurate? At the very least, I think we need to experiment with Belli getting crunch-time SG minutes (ala Ginobili or Terry) and see how things look.
Err, forgot link for other Belli lineups:
http://basketballvalue.com/player.php?year=2009-2010&id=673
Like I said, most of the plausible “crunch-time” lineups (those featuring Bosh+Hedo+Belli) do outstandingly (i.e., top 30 in NBA) well.