Bosh Battles Hard But Falls Short

Toronto Raptors were coming to America with no Eddie Murphy or Arsenio Hall to be found. In the Comedy movie Eddie Murphy went to Queens New York to find a women to be his Queen. The Raptors were heading to Detroit in search of respect from the rest of league and the United States as a whole. What message would they send to the NBA and America? That is what we are going to find out. The ABC broadcast was quick to point out the Raptors had been losers their last 9 trips to Detroit.

But don't tell anyone but Mark Jones who was calling this game on ABC is the brother of Paul Jones the Radio play by play man of the Raptors. Actually ABC pointed out the fact to the national audience. The early returns in the game were positive for the Raptors as they were in the game and not off to one of the slow starts that have been part of the problems that have plagued them. They had a 12-8 lead and Chris Bosh had 6 of the 12 points on the board it was a good start to the Raptors Infomercial to America. These Pistons blew the doors off the Washington Wizards who have become the cool dark horse pick of the American media. Despite Hubie Brown taking the Raptor defense to task the Raptors were doing a solid job holding a slim lead through most of the first quarter. Jamario Moon was getting a lot of love from the ABC broadcast. Pistons would go on a 6-0 run to take the lead. But Jamario Moon would show America why he was entered in the Slam dunk contest to bring the game to even. But the Pistons closed the quarter on an 11-2 run to have a 5 point advantage on a Prince 3 point shot at the buzzer of the first.

The Raptors were not embarrassing themselves on this national stage. But It was pointed out they had 0 offensive rebounds and 0 free throw attempts which would have to change. That fact is universal and has been a constant issue for this basketball team throughout the season. The Pistons would continue to roll in the second and push the advantage to 9 points. Chris Bosh would respond and take it at Theo Ratliff . Bosh had 10 points and the Raptors were starting to get on a run of their own. Carlos Delfino would draw a foul and have a chance to get the Raptors back to with in 3 points. The former Piston would only get 1 of 2 from the line. Raptors had successfully taken Detroit's first major punch to try to take this basketball game. The Pistons had gone to the bench to play most of the second quarter and they were doing more then enough to maintain the lead for Detroit. The Raptors bench got lots of love at start of year but Detroit has a bench as good as any one in the NBA. Chris Bosh was having a outstanding half so far and was doing what he could to lead his team back. Andrea Bargnani who sometimes has had some of his best performances when the Raptors get in big games with big exposure was not on this afternoon. He missed a 3 point shot badly that would have got the Raptor back to level with the Pistons. Raptors would get called for a 5 second violation missing another chance to get back to level or within 1. Rasho Nesterovic would get a chance to get the Raptors back to within a basket as but he would miss the free throw to finish the old fashion 3 point play. The Raptors would trail by 5 points 50-45.

The ABC broadcast as far as Raptors were concerned gave a lot of love to the amazing story of Jamario Moon. It was even going to be a halftime feature on the broadcast. They also had Moon wired for sound as part of the regular things they do. The story of Moon is well known to Raptors fans but it is a great story and even knowing it makes it no less amazing. Jamario Moon is everything that is good about pro sports. Any love and attention he gets I can totally support. After all who can say the guy has not earned it for holding on to his NBA dream for so long. Before the Moon feature the panel of Micheal Wilbon of PTI fame and Jon Barry former NBA player were saying the Raptors were a disappointment and at beginning of the season were thought to be a 52-47 win team. Then why did some publications not even pick them to make the playoffs? I admit the Raptors have underachieved to a degree but not to the level that this broadcast suggested it. Some did see the Raptors winning 50 games but I don't think many were living south of the Canadian border.

So back to basketball what would the Raptors offer in this second half? How much would the Pistons play the starting unit? To start the 3rd the Piston starters would return for now. Both teams started the quarter playing a little bit sloppy. The Raptors would get back on track first and pull to within just 1 point as they were fighting to try to take their first lead since the First Quarter. T.J Ford would do just that but it would be short lived as Rip Hamilton responded at the other end. The Piston starters were doing a terrible job in comparison to their bench. The Pistons in the best in the league at taking care of the ball were making turnovers. This was giving the Raptors chance to come back. But the mistakes would end and Detroit started a mini 5-0 run to bust out in front from a tie game. Detroit missed several chances to extend that lead but the Raptors could not take advantage to this point. Chancey Billups would finally hit a 3 point shot and give Pistons back the 5 point advantage. Chris Bosh would hit a 3 point shot late and Raptors had a chance to take the lead or tie but did not. Bosh had 9 points in the quarter and 26 in the game if my math skills are up to snuff toady.

Raptors down just 2 points and would wonder which Pistons would take the floor for the final quarter. The starters or the second unit who held their own in the second quarter. Flip Saunders would give the answer in his interview after the 3rd. Saying that his second unit would play down the stretch. That would not be reason to let up for the Raptors. It would still take a huge effort to get a win. Pistons were proving that as the second unit started where they left off in the second quarter. They extended the lead to 6 points. Raptors needed to match the effort and intensity that was being shown by Detroit's reserves. The opportunity was on the table for the Raptors as the Pistons were not going to try to lose but they were not using the guys that could make that happen easier. That being said the argument could be made that Detroit's second unit had out played the starters on this day. So far the Piston's Zoo crew was getting it done half way through the 4th quarter up 8 points. If the Raptors were going to lose this game no blame could go to Chris Bosh he had 30 points and 9 rebounds to this point. Raptors were misfiring and just not able to combat the aggressive Piston defense. With just 3 minutes to go the Raptors were down 8 points and needed defensive stops if they hoped to beat the Pistons. They could not make them thus far as Pistons were getting to the paint and getting easy points. A Rodney Stucky jumper made the lead 9 and I am not sure what they bring out in Detroit but whatever it is was brought out on that shot. Raptors made a good effort in this game but defense and 4th quarter play that have been key issues would be the key issues in this game and they did not solve them. All that being said Toronto did enough to keep the momentum they had established heading into this game. The final score would be 91-84 in favor of the Pistons. If the Raptors needed any motivation on why they need finish 6th they got it today.

Boxscore:http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=280413008

Podcast: http://dinoblogger.podbean.com/2008/04/13/raps-fall-short-in-motor-city/

Old vs New...V.C vs CB4

Chris Bosh had made some bold statements to his fan base and anytime you do that you are taking a risk. But the fact Vince Carter was coming to town and the Raptors could officially eliminate the Nets from the playoff race was a lot of motivation to get loud. But unfortunately the start look much like a the 5th quarter of the game played 6 days ago. Vince Carter would not let the Toronto fans get in his head early as he was just as dominant as he had been last Saturday. His Nets stormed out in front out in front and after one quarter of play they had a 30-18 lead. The Toronto defense was not playing with the Passion and energy that Bosh showed in his UTUBE video.

But the Raptors and the crowd and the crowd got things going late in the second quarter going on a 14-2 run to close the quarter and trail by just 2 at the half. One of the people who was helping get it done was Carlos Delfino off the bench. He would end up leading the team with 24 points and he was 6-8 from the 3 point arc. Another thing the Raptors were doing was getting to the free throw line. They picked up there defense as well and they would carry that momentum into the 3rd quarter. Jose Calderon did it in the second quarter. He was hobbled by stepping an Andrea Bargnani's foot. But Ford was able to pick it up right where Jose left off. Jose would return later on in the 4th and would loOK ok if anyone was worried. Combined the two point guards had 25 points and 18 assists and they had 0 turnovers. That is excellent point guard production. The Raptors would outscore New Jersey 37-19 in the 3rd Quarter.

From that point it was party time as the Raps would continue the party into the 4th quarter. The crowd like the team built to a fever pitch. Raptors had 7 players that scored in double figures and it was a much better defensive effort in the final 3 quarters of this basketball game. The Raptors were showing some toughness and fight that really has not been seen. They were aggressive and had an attitude to them. New Jersey may have been in the perfect spot to motivate this Raptor team. Needing to win or else they were done was to good a opportunity for the Raptors to pass up on. It is not often a team gets a chance to eliminate the team that took them out the year before.

One another thing of note on this basketball game was the play of Andrea Bargnani. He showed an aggressive nature that people have wanted to see from him. He was battling hard and even grabbing the odd rebound. He was driving to the basket and drawing fouls. If this continues for Andrea it would be a huge advantage for the Raptors heading into the playoffs.

Speaking of those playoffs. Unlike the other night where Washington and Philadelphia both were losing on this night. The Raptors had found there way back to that Magical sixth spot in the Eastern Conference. Even if the Raptors managed to get up to 5th spot it may not be as bad as you might think. Yes Lebron James is still on the Cavs. But James has had injured back and his team has struggled recently. Still when all is said and done Orlando is the place the Raptors want to be. The team they would least like to play is there next match-up. On national T.V in the United States it is the Raptors vs the Pistons. Another extra motivation for this basketball team to push that little bit harder. So Chris Bosh got his NOISE but he also got his WIN. Both are important but the Win is the most important thing.

Boxscore:http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=280411028

Podcast: http://dinoblogger.podbean.com/2008/04/11/good-bye-vc/

Raptors Battle To A Win!!!

Toronto Raptors were taken to school by their former Franchise player in Vince Carter on Saturday. On this Wednesday night welcome back Charlie V. He would score the first 11 points for the Bucks. Both teams took awhile to get started but once Villanueva got rolling he was on fire. But other then that Raptors were taking care of the rest of the Bucks. The Raptors were showing more hustle and more effort. That effort would be rewarded with a 23-18 lead. Vilanueva had 14 of the 18 points for the Bucks.

Charlie would not stop after 1 though his highlight reel was being extended. It was a message to the Raptors who gave up on him. But it was a message to his own team just as much who had been starting Chinese Star Yi in front of him most of the year. Mo Williams was also not in the line-up for the Bucks but it was the Charlie V show and needed no stinking point guard. Charlie V was scoring at will and quickly ate up the Raptor five point lead. The Raptors Chris Bosh was trying to answer the the surge of his former team mate with some offense of his own. The rest of the Bucks were starting to see open looks. Eventually the only thing that would stop Charlie was fouls as he picked up a foul on Bargnani and that was his second which would send him to the bench. Raptors once again were having to fight hard to get a win against a team with the 3rd worst road record in the NBA. Chris Bosh remained on the floor and he himself had 22 points. Charlie V would return and he was on verge of a first half double double that would look like a complete game for many. He had 27 points and 9 rebounds a solid night of work for many a NBA player but that was in a half. Despite that monster performance the Bucks trailed by 2 points at the half 50-48.

Normally we wouldn't mention anything that happens at halftime. But Cabbie of the score was taking a shot that could make a fan 100,000 dollars. Cabrel Richards is known and loved personality on the score. Made famous for his zany antics with NBA stars especially. Cabbie on the street was on the court. I have met Cabbie a couple times he is a good dude. But if he makes this shot I will be more shocked then the dude who was getting the money. Predictable Cabbie missed and they allowed the contestant a chance to make the shot. The fan actually caught rim and might have made the Bank of Montreal sweat a little. Brett Pilon was the man referred to as dude and fan by me. He did end up walking away with 6 thousand bucks and some other Raptor autographs and goodies. Cabbie walks away with SHAME. But I still love the guy he is one of the best things on T.V in this country.

We now return to our regularly scheduled Raptor Rewind. Charlie V had a career high 48 vs the Bucks as a Raptor. He would need 22 in this second half to break that mark. Raptors would prefer that did not happen. The first to games in this series were blow out wins for the respective teams but this game was close. Micheal Redd was very quiet in the first half while Charlie was going crazy. He was starting to score for the Bucks. But the bucks were not playing much defense on the other end and Raptors were scoring with pretty much little challenge. Jamario Moon was breaking a Raptor Rookie record for starts on this night. But for a guy who should be the 4th or 5th scoring option in the starting line-up far to many possessions end with him taking jump shots. Sometimes it is his fault other times he is left holding the hot potato but it is a problem. But Raptors had a lead and were starting to extend it so we will leave the offensive analysis for another time. Chris Bosh hit a 3 pointer which he has started to use more often and Raptors had a 12 point lead and he had 27 points. But yes there was that whole 4th quarter falling apart thing to still look dead in the eye. But let's enjoy the rest of the 3rd quarter while we can. Bad news from around the NBA as well as the Wizards and Sixers were both leading threatening upsets over Boston and Detroit. Only scoreboard the Raptors needed to focus on was their own. Raptors were causing turnovers and showing more defensive hustle. Good idea seeing as the Bucks were on second half of a back to back which saw them lose a heart breaker to the Celtics. Charlie V had went silent and his Bucks were struggling. Raptors were showing a team effort on both ends of the floor. That close game I mentioned earlier was no more. Raptors lead 83-68 and would look to keep it from being close as they had a 4th quarter left to finish this off.

If Raptors had a check list heading into this game the last thing on that list would be 4th quarter play needs to improve. So would it they had a lot of wiggle room to get it done. So far so good the Raptors were holding on to the advantage that they built for the most part. Andrea Bargnani showed some flashes of brilliance on back to back drives to the basket. In between Charlie V would have a Jam that would push his total on the night to 38. He was trying to get back his swagger from the first half. The Raptors were doing a better job stopping him in the second half. The 38 points he had so far was a season high for Charlie. The Bucks were threatening to get to with in single digits and Chris Bosh would come up with a key rejection to stop that. Just six more minutes remained to hang on for the Raptors. There really was little excuse if they did not as the Bucks as mentioned were coming off a back to back. Raptors were getting key stops and doing what it took to close out a game. That had been something that had been lacking for them in this bad stretch they have been experiencing. The Raptors were not playing a great fourth quarter but it was good enough thus far. Chris Bosh was having a great game of his own with 30 points so far. Jose Calderon was having a nice night when he was on the floor for T.J Ford he had 9 assists .The Raptors down the stretch extended this lead to as much as 16 points. It would cause the first Salami and Cheese sighting in a long time on an Anthony Parker 3 ball. The unfortunate news was both Philadelphia and Washington were on route to upsets with double digit leads against the Pistons and Celtics respectively. But Bosh had 32 points and his team had a much needed 111-93 win and it was very much needed.

Boxscore: http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=280409028

Podcast:http://dinoblogger.podbean.com/2008/04/09/raptors-win-raptors-win/

Carter Returns To Kill His Old Team

Vince Carter was a question mark with an ankle injury but would start for New Jersey. Something Raptor fans would have liked to see him doing when battling injuries in Toronto. But for the first time in a long time Vince Carter was not really the story coming into this game. The Raptors struggling was the story and the fact they backed in the playoffs last night was not sitting well with Raptor fans. This was a much different Nets team from the one the Raptors beat twice early in the season. Jason Kidd is in Dallas now and Devin Harris is now the point guard in New Jersey. The New look Nets would start the game on a 10-2 run and the Raps were behind early once again. After getting booed off there home court the night before one might have expected a better effort. But realistically this has been a far to often script for this basketball team. Raptors would but the brakes on New Jersey and get the game back to close. The Raptors may have had an excuse for the slow start as the team bus only got to the I-ZOD Center just 45 minutes before the game. Nets were getting easy baskets in transition. Raptors were fighting for every point they got. The Nets were scoring far to easy and they had a 20-12 lead when Sam Mitchell had seen enough. You could actually at points hear Mitchell screaming instructions at his club on the broadcast. In part because of the lack of a crown in New Jersey but still to get picked up by mics you need to be yelling awfully loud.

Raptors would turn the ball over after the time out and it was looking like it was going to be one of those nights AGAIN. T.J Ford would get frustrated by a non call on a made lay up. He would voice that displeasure to the Referee while his man Devon Harris was going the other way and scoring. Jose Calderon was waiting to check in as this went on and he would after that and immediately hook up Chris Bosh with an easy score a stop and another easy feed to Bosh and a score. Calderon would make a shot himself he was doing  his best to rally the Raps but defensive breakdowns were making that tough. Raptors were trailing the Nets by a score of 33-26. The Nets were shooting 65% and the Raptors were still looking like a team with no idea how to play defense at an NBA level.

Raptors were just looking worse at the start of the second. Vince Carter drove and scored the Raptor then fumbled the ball away. Things were not looking good at all if you were cheering for the men in the red shirts on this night. The Raptors were making uncharacteristic turnovers and playing bad defense it was a bad combination. Just you were read to take the remote and decide the merits of throwing it at your television set the Raptors would go on a run and get this game down to a much more respectable 3 point advantage for New Jersey. It would be if the Nets were a good team but the record and the 10th place in the Eastern Conference would suggest otherwise. There was just no sense the Raptors had any element of control in this basketball game. The low point may have been Bargnani missing a 2 foot lay in and having Vince Carter drive and spin and score on the other end. If there was a bright spot it was Rasho Nesterovic who has just been unbelievable good for Toronto. Rasho was having his way with an undersized Net team he had 14 to this point. But other then that it was all bad for the Raptors. The only good thing was this game was in New Jersey and not Toronto because fans would be booing not just Vince by this point at the ACC. Rasho to the rescue? It seemed that way. Raptors kept feeding the fire which was one of the first things they had done right in this basketball game. Rasho had 2 blocks too. Tim Ducan said it RASHO IS ASSUME. On this night he was so far. Raptors would have a chance to regroup and Rasho ripped down the net when he rejected a Net Shot.

The Game was delayed for like 5 minutes while a new net was put up with 4:15 remaining in the second. Jose Calderon would score on a broken play and get the hoop and the harm and the Raptors were down 3 points. Calderon was left in the game with 3 fouls and he would get a fourth. T.J Ford did not look good earlier and would need to be better now given that Jose would be limited by having now 4 fouls. The Nets were starting to show signs of taking this game over again taking the lead back up to 7 points. Bosh who looked tired of late was showing that again and the evidence was at the line where he missed 4 of 6 free throws down the stretch of the half. The Nets had a 9 point advantage at halftime and the Raptors had some serious soul searching to do.

Proof the Raptor were really not playing their normal game of late they went without a three point shot made for the second consecutive first half. Raps started to dig in and were creating turnovers and getting points off of them. Vince Carter is hated in Toronto but he can make some amazing plays and he did that in the third quarter with a spin and a lay in. He is skilled as anyone when he sets his mind too it. Despite the Vince highlight the Raptors were still charging back into this game. the Raptors had never had the lead in this game and were pushing towards taking their first. But the Nets were doing enough to hang on to the lead for now. What has been on of the few good trends for Toronto is the chemistry that is build between Ford and Moon. The two players hooked up on another alley opp play and the Raptors were down a basket. Raptors would get the game to even. A rare Ford three point shot would give the Raptors their first lead of the night only to have that answered by a Carter Jam off a Raptor turnover a Devin Harris block on T.J Ford driving attempt. Ford would continue to drive and draw a foul on Harris and he would make his free throws putting Raptors back in the lead. Carter answered with a 3 point shot and Ford back the other way would score again. Ford and Carter were having a scoring battle. Both were getting caught up in it and both would have turnovers back to back and the game was level at 74-74. Calderon would play the final minute has he was nursing his 4 fouls from the first half and Ford was likely in need of the break to calm down and rest as well. Vince Carter would draw a foul on Delfino to give the Nets a slim 76-74 lead after 3.

The good news for Toronto is they could not be accused of blowing a lead in the 4th quarter tonight. They were still in the game though and really needed to produce down the stretch. Not only for this individual win but for this teams overall mental attitude.Vince Carter was taking it to Carlos Delfino and the Raptors were not making the rotations needed to help out an over matched Delfino. The Nets had started the quarter on a little bit of a run extending the lead to 6 points. Proof of how important this game was could be seen in Sam Mitchell calling a time out earlier then you might expect to try to kill the momentum Jersey was starting to build. He also would need to fix the defense on Carter if he could. But Vince would hit a jumper and continue a nice effort in his return to the line-up for his Nets. He was not known if he would play on this night and the Raptors would have preferred if he sat out. But Jersey was not dead in the playoff race officially anyway. The Nets had extended the lead coming out of time out pushing the advantage to 11 till Parker would finally answer for the Raptors. Toronto had at times looked disorganized on not only the defensive end but on the offensive end as well. Vince Carter was getting heated up and was looking pretty good for a guy on a bum ankle with 30 points so far. This was like rubbing salt in an open wound for Toronto Raptor fans. Vince gutting it out to beat on the struggling Raptors it was almost to much to handle for some I would imagine. The Raptors were hitting rock bottom and hitting it hard. To have the former franchise player taking them to school with his far less talented team should be the bottom for most Raptor faithful. The Nets had an 11 point advantage with just 4:20 to go. The way the Raptors have been playing was getting to be embarrassing. To think that the Raptors owned this Net team on this floor in November. Fast forward to April and a different Net team granted but not a better one and they were killing the Raptors. Unless the Raptors had a huge run in them they were going to drop below .500 and remain in 7th in the Eastern Conference. Raptors will not play again till Wednesday and were in desperate need of some practice and soul searching before taking on Milwaukee at home. No Salami No Cheese just more of the same as the Raptors lose to the Nets 99-90.

Boxscore:http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=28040501
Podcast:  http://dinoblogger.podbean.com/2008/04/05/vc-returns-to-kill-raps/

Frustration Is Growing

Toronto Raptors would get another chance to do the ultimate goal of every NBA team to make the post season. You can't win a championship till you do that. The Raptors had 3 different scenarios that would make this happen. But the most positive would be a win on their home floor vs the Bobcats. A blown chance and a questionable call in Atlanta were in the past and needed to remain there. Bobcats only had 9 wins on the road this season and a lose in this game would be unacceptable. The Raptors had been pushed hard by this club this past Monday in Charlotte. The Bobcats have nothing to play for but that can also mean they have nothing to lose.

They would play that loose free style to start this ball game and had the early advantage. Jason Richardson was big in the effort on Monday and early in this game looked to be a challenge once again. He had a nice jam worthy of a slam dunk champion. Bosh would respond with a jam of his own. The Bobcats were hanging on to the advantage they had but the Raptors were starting to heat up. The Bobcats were taking advantage of the 3 point shot and were making them. The defense that is a concern continued to be one for the Raptors in this game to this point. Raps never have trouble scoring though lucky for them. T.J Ford would make a no look alley opp pass to Anthony Parker that was a thing of beauty. That play would get the Raptors to back within 2 points. Chris Bosh was having another good night against the bobcats who just have no one that can guard him. He had 8 points before making way for Andrea Bargnani. Jose would check in not long after that with score tied. The Bobcats were still killing the Raps from deep as Jason Richardson made a 3 point shot to break the tie. Bosh would return after a quick break and his team was now down 5. Raptors had one last chance to cut into the lead but a Bargnani shot would miss by a lot and Raptors finished the quarter down 27-22. A far from impressive effort from the home side.

Bobcats were shooting 50 percent which was far too good. The Raptors struggled on defense on Monday much like they were on this night. In the playoffs this kind of thing will cost you basketball games. Bobcats continued the run they started at the end of the first. They had a 10-0 run before the Raptors would respond with a Bargnani lay in to break the run. Bargnani on the next offensive trip would drive and drop it off to Chris Bosh for the easy slam. The truth though if you didn't know the standings you would think the Bobcats were the team looking to clinch a playoff spot not Toronto. Sam Mitchell if things continue this way will have no voice left for the playoffs should his team continue these type efforts. If there was a bright light Andrea Bargnani was doing some good things on offense. But the problem was clearly on the defensive end. Raptors would not wait for the screaming of Sam Mitchell in the locker room as the tried to fight back and got back to 3 points down. But Jason Richardson was making key scores for Charlotte as he would hit a shot that would be ruled a two pushing the lead back to 5 points. Richardson would have 18 points in the half and was the major reason his team was leading this contest. Charlotte  brought him in to be the veteran leader the team needed. Injuries would hurt the Bobcats having no Adam Morrison or Shawn May before this season every got started. The future in Charlotte is not as dark as it might seem. But the Raptors could care less about the Bobcats future and needed to address there immediate future. A nice jumper for Jamario Moon would keep the Charlotte lead at 5 going into the half.

It is a rare thing when Toronto does not make a three point shot in a half. They were 0-6 from beyond the 3 point line in the first half. Raptors were making silly turnovers and they could ill afford them. Good news though for Raptors in that Gerald Wallace would like miss the rest of this game with a groin strain. It would have been nice if it was Ricard son and not Wallace but it was a break for the Raptors as Wallace in a key part of this Bobcat team. Raptors were making a push and looking to finally establish some control of this basketball game. Down now just by 1 point the Bobcats would call for a time out. Emeka Okafor could use the time to cool off as he was frustrated with a call that did not go his way. Matched up on Rasho Nesterovic now instead of Bosh as on Monday he still was having problems. Hard to imagine that there was a debate between who to take between Okafor and Dwight Howard. Howard is a stud and Okafor is a nice player the gap is large unlike this basketball game.

The Raptors after the time out would take the lead. But as many times before in this game that would be the call for Jason Richardson to make a play. He had the old fashion 3 point play. Jamario Moon would reply with the modern version. T.J Ford was managing his club well he had 12 assists and was doing what he could to get the Raptors back in this thing. The lead was changing hands back and forth. First team that could play some consistent defense could likely take this over and get the win. The thought that ether team could do this was a different story. Chris Bosh would nail a rare three point shot and the Raptors had a 5 point advantage. After not being able to make the long ball in the first half the Raptors were starting to find the range. The Raptor had a 9-0 run and T.J Ford's assist total was at 14 in the game. Thus far this game looked much like the contest in Charlotte on Monday. Raptors would have a turnover and a miscue and the chance to extend the lead to 5 turned into a chance to cut the lead to 1 for Charlotte. They would split a pair at the line and trail Toronto 76-74.

Ford would enter the 4th quarter just 5 assists short of a career high. But more importantly need to keep up his effort to secure a win and a second consecutive trip to the post season. Ford would start the quarter looking on though at his fellow point guard Jose Calderon. The Bobcats would start the quarter playing well and jumping back in front by 7 using the 3 point shot to do it. Gut check time was here for the Toronto Raptors. They would likely be in the post season by end of the night based on the out of town results. However the way they have played they have not looked like that playoff team. This was all about pride as much as post season positioning. Charlotte started the 4th on an 11-2 run and the time for a comeback was now. After a time out the effort was stepped up and they were back to with in 3 points. Raps were really in trouble as Charlotte had looked like the better team most of the night and were a confident bunch. Jamario Moon was doing a good job for the Raps having 16 points. Anthony Parker would nail a shot to push the Raptors back in front only to get answered by Raymond Felton with a easy lay in on the other end. Bobcats had answered every Raptor push in this basketball game.

T.J Ford would join Calderon to close this contest and hopefully rally to a win. 4:20 left to pull out a victory for Toronto. Rasho Nesterovic has been doing a quite solid job and had a 20 plus scoring night for Toronto. Lots of great individual nights but still it was not translating to a win on the scoreboard. Chris Bosh who looked tired in this game still found the energy to get a basket to get the Raptors back to just 1 point back with just under 2:30 left to play. Raps missed a chance to take the lead and would get bailed out by a missed free throw by Charlotte and they trailed by just 2 instead of 3. Bosh would draw a foul and head to the line and return the favor missing his first free throw and Bobcats were up 1 with just over a minute to play. Raptors would get the defensive stop only to have Earl Boykins steal the ball from Ford and get a layup and a fouled for the old fashion 3 point play and a 4 point lead with only 40 odd seconds remaining. Raptors would misfire again and barring something unlikely the Raptors were going to lose and fall to .500 at 38-38 and in danger of falling to 7th by the end of this night. In the playoffs but playing the Pistons. Anthony Parker would keep hope alive making a 3 point shot to cut Charlotte lead to 2. Raps would need a break with free throw miss. But it did not happen. Parker tried another desperation 3 point shot that would be an air ball. There would be little time to feel sorry for themselves as they were taking a plane to New Jersey to meet Vince Carter and the Nets. A 105-100 win for Charlotte would lead to BOOS from the sellout crowd at the ACC and these BOOS were justified.
 
Boxscore:http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=280404028
Podcast:http://dinoblogger.podbean.com/2008/04/04/defenseless-in-bobcat-win/

Update: The Wizards won which does clinch a playoff spot for Toronto.

Hawks Steal A Win

If all went right by the end of this night the Raptors could be heading to the post season officially for the fifth time in franchise history officially. They were not as life and death to make the playoffs as the team they were facing in the Atlanta Hawks who had the final invite to the playoffs should they start today.The Hawks played like the more desperate team in the start of this one. The fast start would be put on ice courtesy of T.J Ford. He had scored 7 straight points for the Raptors. The Hawks were doing a good job getting to the basket though it would be turnovers that would be costing the Hawks from building up a lead. Chris Bosh had a very quiet first six minutes of this ball game and had yet to register a point. Back to Back three point shots by Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby busted open a tie ball game giving the hawks a six point advantage. A new combo for the Raps has been Ford to Moon and it is getting to be a nightly happening to see a T.J to Jamario Alley Opp. Ford had 5 assists but none of them to Bosh who remained scoreless. Calderon would check in for Ford with the Raptors down just 3 points. Bosh would also head to the bench in favor of Andrea Bargnani. He would get a put back tip on a rare Rasho misfire . The hawks though when they were taking care of the ball were getting the ball in the basket. The Quarter would end with a rare sight for the Raptors though. In Fact it had never happened in this man's NBA Career. Rasho Nesterovic made a 3 point shot in the regular season. Rasho had made a 5 pointer in the playoffs with the Spurs. Just what the Raptors need another shooter.But in all to be serious Rasho closed out a great quarter with the long distance shot giving him 11 in the quarter. but the Raptors still trailed by 4 points with the score 31-27.

The Raptors started quarter on a run and Bosh finally had a basket. Raps started the quarter on a 7-0 run. Jason Kapono who was a DNP the last time out against the Bobcats. Jose Calderon was doing a good job in relief of Ford and maybe Calderon could find a way to get Jason Kapono back on track. He had 0 points in 16 minutes as a starter the game before his DNP vs. the Bobcats. Raptors were getting it taken to then on the glass by the Hawks as several Hawk points had come via offensive rebounds and easy put backs. The lead would be traded back and forth and Chris Bosh after getting a donut in the first quarter he was producing in the second. Mike Bibby the newest Hawk had yet to face the Raptors in his new jersey and was having a solid game himself. Jason Kapono was on the board in this game with a couple free throws he would then make a shot and Raptors had a 1 point advantage. Speaking of struggling Raptors Andrea Bargnani was having a decent night so far doing the things fans have wanted to see driving and getting the odd board. the Raptor defense that had struggled as well was slowly coming alive too. Bargnani was really getting dialed in getting a three and then made another he had 14 points off the bench and lead the Raptors in scoring. Raptors would end up with a 59-54 advantage heading into halftime.

If T.J Ford had an nervous feeling about this return to Atlanta it sure was not showing. He took over from Jose and lead the charge throughout the 3rd quarter. Everyone would get there chances on the offensive end. The Raptors has a team shot 75% from the field and Ford had himself a double double.  The Raptors were threatening to put the Hawks away early and sweep the season series vs Atlanta on the season. The Raptors would be hard pressed to find a better offensive quarter in this season and had extended the lead to double digits heading into the 4th quarter. It was a great team effort and a slightly better on on defensive end.

The 4th quarter would begin with the Hawks making one final push to try to get back in this ball game and the would cut the advantage down to 9. This would have Sam Mitchell looking for a time out and time to refocus his basketball team. The Hawks had got off the floor and come up swinging much like how they started this basketball game. The Raptors who at one point lead by 17 were now just up 95-89 with still 9 minutes to go. Chris Bosh sensed the danger his team was in and was driving to the hoop again and again racking up the free throw attempts. When this team needs something Chris Bosh will make it happen or bust his butt trying to make it so. Like the Bobcats though the Hawks were not going away and with good reason having much more to play for then the Bobcats did. They had battled back to just down 3 with 6 minutes to play. Again Bosh would have a very emphatic answer with a dunk right though Josh Smith. Bosh was fired up and so was his team. Raptors had taken the momentum back in this ball game. A battle between two of the NBA's young stars in Bosh and Josh Smith was developing down the stretch of this game. Both were trying to be the catalyst for their respective teams. The Hawks Joe Johnson would miss a 3 point shot that could have tied it. But the Raptors could not take advantage. This ball game was in the balance with less then 2 minutes to play. Another Hawk mistake with under a minute and thirty seconds to go but again Raptors did not make them pay. Atlanta would have one final chance to tie this game down 3 points with 11 seconds to go. Whoever loses this ball game can point back to several key mistakes in the final couple minutes that could have changed the outcome. What that outcome would be was yet to be determined. Atlanta missed 2 good chances at a three point shot from Bibby and Johnson. The Hawks as the ball went out off a Raptor. Just 3.8 seconds to play and Mike Bibby would hit the big money shot. Raps had half a second to make a miracle happen. T.J Ford would make that happen if replay would agree. he converted an alley opp pass from Delfino. The drama of this game would continue after it's final buzzer. The Referee's would say no basket and more basketball would be ahead we were going to overtime.

As we got set for overtime yet another scorer's table controversy in Atlanta as Ford basket likely should have counted as the clock started before it touched Ford's hands on the alley opp. Could the Raptors win the game regardless? They would start the overtime scoring the first 4 points. This two teams have developed a heck of a rivalry this season. The last game of the season series had as much drama as any of three previous. Atlanta would fight back and take a one point lead on a 3 point shot. Raps would answer only to see hawks come right back and score. Chris Bosh would once again take it to Josh Smith and Score and draw a foul to give the Raps a slim 2 point advantage. It was short lived as Mike Bibby would hit a 3 point shot. Josh Childress would block a Ford shot and Atlanta would go down and hit another 3 ball to have a 4 point advantage with less then 30 seconds to play. Bosh would miss a simple lay in and this game looked to be over. Should the Raptors go on too lose which was likely lots will be made about that final play of regulation but the Raptors had a 17 point lead and realistically it never should have got to the point where that play was necessary to happen at all. Atlanta was going to escape with a much need win for them. On the out of town scoreboard the Wizards had lost and if Raps had of won they would be fifth. Raps lose it 127-120. Raptor fans will recall the the Moe P three ball that at the time vs Washington last season was thought to be a great thing. It ultimately would be what forced Toronto into a series with the Nets and not the Wizards. On this night A disallowed Ford basket looks bad now but should it mean a series vs the Magic and not the Cavs it may be the biggest favor the Hawks have ever done for Toronto. Still this was a game Toronto should have won and the fact of a bad call or the future of what it might mean does not take away from the sting of a disheartening lose.    

BOXSCORE
http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=280402001

PODCAST

http://dinoblogger.podbean.com/2008/04/02/screwed-in-hotlanta-again/

Air Ford???

For those thinking a trip to Charlotte would mean an easy win. Not so fast. Charlotte was hot and they beat Raps on this floor earlier in the season. The effort of yesterday would not cut it if Raptors want a win on this night. It started out as a good old ABA shoot out. Both teams were shooting well and defense was only a rumor that was drifting through the small crowd in Charlotte. Bosh was off to a good start taking advantage of his match-up with Emeka Okafor. Bobcats had 3 big road wins over Portland and Seattle and L.A Lakers. So the Raptors needed to respect this basketball team. Bosh was doing his part by continued effort going at the shot blocking Okafor. The plan seemed clear to try to get Okafor in foul trouble. T.J Ford was starting to heat up dropping a Dime to Moon via the alley oop and then a smart quick pass to Bosh. Chris Bosh next would hit a rare three point shot only his 7th of the season and that was the Raptor lead Ironically 27-20.

Ford was lightning fast on this night and causing all kinds of issues for the Bobcats. He was making good choices mixing in his own offense when needed and Raymond Felton could not handle Ford on the defensive end for the Bobcats. Ford was looking just amazing the best he had since that night in Atlanta that sent his season off course. The T.J Ford show was keeping the Raptors ahead but the Raptor defense was not putting the Bobcats away. A fun quarter of basketball as the Raptors had a 39-32 lead and Ford and Bosh were the 1-2 punch that Raptors had visualized when they acquired him from the Bucks. Bosh had 17 points a lot of them courtesy of T.J Ford passes. But Bosh was finishing them off. The Raptors shot a staggering 81% from the field and yet only lead by 7.

Jose Calderon would take over for Ford to start the second. The Bobcats back-up point guard little Earl Boykins would come in and spark the Bobcats to 12-0 run to start the quarter. A time out and after that time out a Carlos Delfino 3 point shot would break the run. Bosh would get in the books with a basket his first of the quarter. He had played all 18 minutes so far. Ford would Return and Bosh would take to the bench. Jose and T.J would attempt to rally the Raps together. The newest Raptor was on the floor as well Linton Johnson. He was less then impressive after a nice outing yesterday. Things were going from bad to worse as the Bobcats now lead by 10. The Raptors had gone cold and the lack of defense was now catching up with them. Raps were getting it back together a bit. At least on the offensive end. But it could not stop the trend on the other end. Defense was just brutal and Raymond Felton was doing the same to the Raps That Ford was doing to him in the first quarter. The Raptors were lucky to be down 5 at the half after shooting 80% from the field in the first quarter bizarre but true. Sam Mitchell needed to find a way to get his team to play some defense if they hoped to win this ball game.

Bosh would start going after Okafor again drawing another foul. Raps started the quarter on a 7-0 run to get the lead back. The Raptors had come out and started this half with purpose and jump. Sam Mitchell had at least done his job to get his team back in position to win. The starting unit was doing a good job all in double figures half way through the third. Jamario Moon was looking energized back in the starting line-up. The Raptors were frustrated throughout the night with the referees and some calls but they battled through. The defensive effort that was lacking in the first half was there in this quarter. Rasho Nesterovic often over looked was contributing he had a double double already before hitting the bench to rest up for the 4th quarter. Raptors held the Bobcats to just 10 points in the quarter and had a 79-73 lead for their effort on defense. Could they maintain that effort for another quarter and close out the Bobcats was the question.

Calderon would start the 4th quarter and would need better effort then he had in the second. He would be matched against Earl Boykins again. Boykins would hit a shot on a broken play to pull Bobcats to with in two points. The Raps would answer the mini Bobcat run not allowing them to retake the lead. Raptors were doing what they could not to slip backwards but the difference between point guards on this night was evident on the offensive end. Calderon was struggling and the Offense was running better with the ball in Ford's hand on this night. Sam stuck with Jose though just like he had when T.J struggled. The team would help out Jose picking him up on many night he had done the same for them. Raptor were battling hard and trying not to let this one slide away. Both teams were struggling to score and every point was hard fought to be earned. Raptors still had a slim 4 point lead with about half a quarter left to be played. Jason Richardson was coming off an Eastern Conference player of the Week honor and has having a decent nice with 20 so far. He would have to score more and his team would have to deal with T.J Ford who checked back in for the final 5 minutes. Calderon remained on the floor as the Raptors used both point guards down the stretch. Bosh was continuing to take it to Okafor he hadn't got him out of the game but he was dominant against him.

The line-up of Ford, Calderon, Parker, Rasho and Bosh were doing what it took to walk away from Charlotte with a win. Rasho and Bosh were battling hard down low. The change of Rasho to the starting line-up has been just as big as the return of Ford to it. You may even say bigger when you consider the dramatic difference between Rasho and Bargnani. Calderon and Ford are far more close in what they produce. For the record Bargnani had been ineffective again on this night and would be a spectator for most of this game. Jason Kapono was also in the dog house on this night never seeing the floor at all. Two minute warning and Raps just had a three point advantage. It was a much tougher effort to get a win then the fans would have expected heading into this basketball game. Bosh played heavy minutes as you can see that he is healthy and needed on the floor. Bobcats had nothing left to climb that last little bit to get back into the lead. Raps were playing rope a dope all night long but had enough left to deal the knock out blow. Jason Richardson would miss a three point shot and that would end the Bobcat hopes as they were down six points with 30 seconds to play. Next up for the Raptors would be the Hawks who are in a battle of their own to make the playoffs. They were putting the boots to Memphis. Another team that many will feel that Raps should handle but it won't be easy. These Bobcats were battling to the end and will do the same when they meet up with Toronto later in the week. Later tonight the Wizards will be taking on the Jazz. Raptors had a 104-100 win and could make it to even with Washington should the Jazz get a win in Salt Lake. Jazz are one of the best teams at home so it is a good bet to think they would. A tie at the end of 82 games would favor the Wizards if you call playing Lebron James and the Cavs as a favor.

Boxscore: http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=280331030

Podcast:http://dinoblogger.podbean.com/2008/03/31/bosh-and-ford-lead-way-to-win/

Friends To Foes

The Toronto Raptor fans did the right thing as far as it goes with Morris Peterson. They cheered him and he kissed the logo at center court.It was a good moment for a good guy and for once the fans did the right thing in a season where they have done there share of bad things at the ACC. The warm fuzzy feelings would melt away and a basketball game important to both teams would take place. New Orleans part of the race in the wild wild west also had a news years eve lose as motivation to take it to Toronto. They would do just that early on lead by David West who had been huge in that loss on New Years Eve. Hornets were scoring with relative ease and were looking to run the Raptors off their home floor. The general on the floor is Chris Paul  and he was looking to make his team successful and out play the Raptor duo of Ford and Calderon.  So far so good as Paul and his Hornets lead 37-28 after one quarter of play.

The Paul Mastery of the court would continue into the second quarter as he would feed the fire that was David West. Carlos Delfino would try to respond with a neat trick of his own but his team was trailing by 12. The real problem to be solved was how the heck to stop David West. They never really did it in New Orleans and they had yet to do it here. West was a happy surprise All Star selection for the Western Conference along with Paul who was not. Paul in fact is rapidly becoming a part of the M.V.P race. Things were looking to easy for New Orleans. Raptors were doing very well on offense but with little defense to be found it was not going to matter. A run and gun game was what New Orleans would favor and that is what they were getting thanks to poor Raptor defense.A Raptor mini rally to get back to within 9 would be short lived. Raptors need to make stops if they wanted back in this game. Chris Paul had 9 points and 11 assists one shy of a double double. A lot of those 11 assists went to David West that had 24 at the half. Raptors trailed 69-58. Hornets were shooting 65% is was ugly sight to see for Sam Mitchell.

That bad feeling would carry over into the the 3rd quarter were the Hornets lead by Paul would but this game on ice for the most part. They would out score the Raptors 32-21 in the the quarter and it would send Paulwould and West to the bench for the start of the 4th with a big lead. The Raptors woulld also go deep into the bench and we would get are first look at Linton Johnson who is on his day contract and played like it. He along with the rest of the garbage time crew but a 4th quarter charge on that would at least concern Hornets coach Byron Scott enough to put Pual and West back in the game. But the Raptor comeback was not going to happen as th Hornets showed why they are one of the best teams in the west. Raptors are thankful to be done with the Western Conference for this season. The next west team they will face would be in the NBA Finals if they were to get there or next season. The way they played defense on this day the mention of the finals is just comic relief. They will be hard pressed to escape the 1st round if they can not improve the defense in this last stretch of games. There is no time to fix it as they are on the plane to Charlotte hoping they fair better vs the New Charlotte franchise then they had vs the old one on this night. Chris Paul showed Rap fans why many are saying he just might be the M.V.P and is starting to be considered the best point guard in the game. On the native land of Steve Nash he made is case that he is just as good if not better then the Canadian 2 time M.V.P. T.J Ford and Jose Calderon are both good but not that good. Both got a reality check of what Elite point guard means in the NBA.

The Raptors only have 1 team above .500 remaining that being the Detroit Pistons but the Bobcats are on the radar for now as they will face the Raps in 2 of the next 3 games. The first being tomorrow night in Charlotte. Some soul searching on the plane ride will be needed. I forgot to mention Jason Kapono was inserted in the starting five but that is ok because he forgot to take advantage of it. Sam Mitchell said this was done for match-ups vs. Hornets but if it was an audition to join the starting 5 in favor of Moon then Kapono failed. He had 0 points in 16 minutes that is not exactly taking advantage of the opportunity. The final score of 118-111 was very much flattering to the Raptors who really were not in this game at any point.

Boxscore:http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=280330028

Podcast:http://dinoblogger.podbean.com/2008/03/30/cp3-is-mvp/

Tried adding some more photos to the Raptor Rewind. What did you think? Let me know if you like it. Also Don't Forget You are the star of the Blog this Thursday so send in those comments to DinoNationBlogger@hotmail.com (AFTER TODAYS GAME REMINDER THESE WILL BE POSTED NO SWEARING LOL)

Eyes On Playoff Race

The Toronto Raptors were coming off a big win over Detroit but no room for a letdown vs the New York Knicks. They would start on a 7-2 run and look to take control and have the 20 win Knicks roll over and play dead.If you believe the New York media that would be an easy task as the Knicks have been accused of tanking it down the stretch. If you think back to the first Raptor season and the dispute that took place between Brenden Malone and Isiah Thomas over Damon Stoudamire's minutes down the end of the season you could make a case they are right. Thomas wanted Malone to lower the minutes for the eventual rookie of the year and Malone would disagree wanting to win and it would cost him his job.

Ex-Raptor now Derrick Martin was on the bench in a suit and looking every bit the coach he may likely become. Linton Johnson the newest Raptor was in uniform and hoping for a chance as he looks to cash in on his 10 day contract into a more solid position with the Raptors. The Knicks were able to beat this Raptor squad and it was a lot to do with Jamal Crawford. He and his team were hanging around. Crawford was not exactly tearing it up and the Raptors would hope it would stay that way. Crawford once as a Bull dropped 50 on the Raptors and is one of those players that seems to have good nights when matched up against them. He averages 32 points a game in his career vs. Toronto. Raptors good but not great and doing enough to be in front. But they were starting to build a bit of momentum late in the quarter. The Knicks to this point were not going away though and staying close. Andrea Barganani would hit a 3 pointer and give the Raptors there largest lead of the night which was 7 points. He would add a couple free throws next time down the floor and the Raptors end the quarter up by 9 points 32-23.

Jose Calderon got Chris Bosh rolling in the second with a lovely feed for an easy bucket and easy assist for Jose. Raptors were shooting the ball very well and getting great ball movement. They had an 11 point advantage and were looking to build on it. Andrea Bargnani was having one of those night that tell you all that bust talk may just be that talk. These flashes of greatness are what ultimately lead to the frustration about him throughout the organization and Fan base. The plan in the Off-season is to have Bargnani head to Texas with John Lucas as he will not have to compete for Italy as they failed to qualify for games in China this summer. Raptors were hitting the long ball and pounding the disinterested Knicks who had no Curry and No Randolph and no chance it would seem. Raptors had extended their advantage to 17. Knicks would go on a 14-0 run and get back to within 3 points. So the thoughts of a blow out easy win were gone for now. Chris Bosh would end the run with a jump shot to close out the half. Raptors were up 5 points but could not have been happy despite the 49-44 lead.

Sam Mitchell would have had a strong message given the way his team closed out the half. How would they answer the challenge that the coach no doubt laid out at the half? Raptor would respond as they built off Bosh's last shot of the half to go on a run of their own taking advantage of the Knicks lack of size to go on a 8-0 run. But again the Knick would not go away clawing back into it again. Raptors were not playing great but they were doing what it took to stay ahead of the Knicks and did just enough to keep a level of comfort. Sam Mitchell got fired up about a missed call by the officials and he would win a rare battle with officials as they reversed the call. Raps would not cash in on the extra offensive chance. Isiah Thomas meanwhile looked emotionless and ever bit the dead man walking that people feel he is. Despite that his Knicks were putting in a quality effort as they were playing short handed with Randolph being a late scratch with the flu. But like that cream that rises to the top the Raptors were starting to build on it's lead again behind the their All Star Chris Bosh. Bosh coming off his injury was starting to show that jump shot that is a big part to his game that makes him a nightmare to guard. It was really a sleepy kind of affair though as there was little to get excited about. Bargnani was showing some of that aggression that people have wanted to see. He had a 5 of 6 night from the free throw line a place the Raptors would like to see him get to more. There would be a delay late in the third as a referee would end up get slammed into on of the advertisement display walls. He would be ok and remain in the game and called a foul against the home side. Which would end the quarter with a 76-68 lead.

The Raptors would like to start the 4th quarter and put the Knicks to bed. They had been able to close against Detroit something they had struggled with the two games prior to that. New York was far less talented then any of the Raptors recent competition. Jose Calderon would start the quarter out right with a 3 point shot his first points of the night to extend the lead to 11. After that he would make a few mistakes and Sam Mitchell would call for time. He would remain in the ball game and run a play for Bosh and get the basket out of the time out. Bosh despite a pretty ugly game was playing like the best player on the floor which he was on this night. You had the sense that he would not allow the Raptors to let this game slip away. He would get the support of his team with Parker and Delfino making key shots to maintain the advantage. Bargnani would exit with foul trouble picking up his 5th foul but he had 12 points and played decent on this night should he not return. A better team could have challenged the Raptors but the Knicks were not that team. Raps were doing enough to beat the level of resistance that was being provided which was far less then earlier points on this night. Bosh was on the floor for almost all of this one and was showing what the Raptors had missed when he was out. This was the type of game the Raptors would have to win down the stretch run. Only 2 teams above .500 remain in New Orleans on Sunday and one more date with Detroit who the Raptors just beat. Both point guards would be on the floor for the closing minutes as it seems this is what Sam Mitchell has chosen to do when teams give him the option by not having great height. Raptors by the end of night should be back in the magical 6th spot. The Suns were pounding the Sixers back to a little sense of reality. Raptor fans had Pizza and Raps looked to have a win barring a major self destruction on behalf of the Raptors. there was no sense of that happening. T.J Ford schooled his friend and Ex Rap Fred Jones and it was all but over. Raptors were seconds away from a win 103-95 win to take the season series 3 games to 1 over the Knicks. Up Next the return of Old Raptor Favorite Morris Peterson and his very good New Orleans Basketball team lead by Chris Paul. A team the Raptors beat to close out 2007.

Bosh had 29 points and 10 rebounds for the rest of the stats check out the boxscore below.
Boxscore:http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=28032802

Podcast:http://dinoblogger.podbean.com/2008/03/28/knicks-raps-post/

Ford Shines Thanks To Jose

The Toronto Raptors made a bold move heading into the game tonight vs.Pistons. T.J Ford and Rasho Nesterovic were inserted back into the starting line-up and Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani were placed on the bench. The fact that Toronto Raptor fans were going nuts over this issue all day would lead to an interesting atmosphere in the building. T.J Ford did not exactly play his way into the starting line-up and Rasho Nesterovic clearly did. How would all 4 players do in the new roles the answers were to come. Not exactly the easiest team to do it against in Detroitanticipation.

The crowd almost seemed to be in of a nervous anticpation mode to start this ball game. The Pistons started on a 7-2 run the piston starting five is always the same and has years of chemistry so not a surprise. Even down Richard Hamilton the masked man still doesn't change that. Raptors would battle back to get the game to within a point and at least it was a case of so far so good. Sam Mitchell was in many people eyes taking a huge risk with 12 games left to play. That being said this team was in need of something as it's star player had called out his team to perform better. Bosh himself has always had a hard time matching with Rasheed Wallace. Bosh was coming off a near triple double performance and would look to carry over that performance. The Raps had taken a lead on the strength of an 8-0 to lead by 4. It would be short lived as Pistons responded with an 8-0 run of their own. Calderon would come off the bench and got a warm welcome from the fans. He would take a jump shot and make it on the first offensive opportunity when he entered the game. So your early returns on the new look/old look Raptors are not to bad after a quarter. They trailed the Detriot just 20-19.

Raptors despite trailing were shooting 47% after one. Andrea Bargnani would enter the game and he would be playing at the 4 spot alongside Nesterovic. He would not be a factor at least early on but Raptors were hanging tough tied 22-22. Carlos Delfino would eventual find a way to get a bucket. After getting swatted by Theo Ratliff and missing a dunk he would nail a 3 point shot to draw the Raptors level. He would make another later in the quarter and Raptors had a five point advantage. Jose Calderon unlike Bargnani showed zero difference in his new role. You get the same Jose no matter what and he will be widely praised if this line-up shuffle works and he should. Sam Mitchell could not have made this move without the knowledge that Jose could and would accept it. Something that Ford was unable to do which made this move happen. Bargnani may have same issue as a bench player he went scoreless in 9 minutes on the floor. Ford in his second tour of duty on the floor was off to a rough start missing a 3 badly and hearing boos from the crowd. That was the beginning of a number of miscues by the team as a whole. But the game was still close and the Raptors had done a reasonable job making the adjustments. They trailed by just 2 points 35-33 at the half in a slugfest with the Pistons.

It would be key to get off to a good start for the reunited first unit. Ford would most of all as he needed to win back some people in the stands. Dropping a dime to the other returning starter Rasho Nesterovic couldn't have hurt. Some help from above on a jump shot was nice as well. After the season Ford has had he will take any good vibes he can find. A dime to Jamario Moon and cheers for Moon's finish on a dunk. Raptors had a slim 45-41 lead on the the Pistons. Ford had kicked his game into another gear and being T.J it was at high speed. The T.J Ford show was in full effect but it had co-stars and the most exciting would be Jamario Moon getting another for dime and taking flight to throw it down. To finish the 3rd quarter even Jose would get a cameo appearance. Raps were rolling and extended to an 8 point advantage. But the problem of the fourth quarter still lied ahead. The last 2 games had been less then kind to Toronto. To be more to the point Lebron James and The Denver Duo killed them. Ford had 7 assists and Raptors had a 10 point lead. More good news is that Pistons were playing 3 game in 4 nights which would make a 4th quarter comeback a bit harder to pull off.

The Raptors would enter the fourth and look the more energized team. They extended the lead to 17 capped off by a Bargnani 3 pointer who had been silent to that point. Get out the Salami and....Wait a second Detroit would put a hold on that order as they climbed back to within 9 prompting a Sam Mitchell time-out. There was bout 7 minutes left to go. The Piston push would get to within 5. But Ford would return and Calderon would remain. Ford to Calderon for 3 and Raps were back up by 10. Ford would make another shot and Now GET OUT THE SALAMI AND CHESSE THIS BALL GAME WAS OVER. I think T.J Ford would enjoy this quote from the legendary wrestler Ric Flair to sum up the night. Whether you like it or don't like it, you better learn to love it. Cause Ford was back as starter and Forderon was running on all cylinders. T.J answered the call and Jose gave him the chance to make it happen. Another Piston push would not be enough. Tonight you saw why people both love and hate T.J Ford. But on this night there was much more to love!!! Raptors were in the winners circle with an 89-82.  Bosh quietly lead the team with 21 points but was no doubt happy to do so if it meant a win for his team.

Boxscore: http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=280326028

Podcast: http://dinoblogger.podbean.com/2008/03/26/raps-shock-pistons/