Game Recap: Grizzlies 91, Raptors 103

Congratulations first to Rasho Nesterovic for the birth of a healthy child and his return to the lineup. We missed you big guy. On to the game…

A funny thing happened at the game tonight. The Raptors suddenly found their pace when Bosh left the game with a strain. It was in the 2nd quarter that the Grizzlies began to relax and the Raptors kept up their intensity and pace. Perhaps it was partially because the Grizzlies were playing a back to back without a strong team with a strong bench. Maybe it was because Mitchell stumbled upon a good lineup that included Rasho and Bargs on the floor. Whatever the case, it was the first large win of the season that I really felt the Raptors exert their will on their opponents rather than watch their opponents fall to the wayside.

The Raptors came into this game without really being able to show their pacing in a game. Some say it’s due to their increased attention to defense. There is some logic to this as a slower Raptors’ team tempo was being played, and as a result, the offensive pacing was slowed as well. Passes weren’t as crisp and neither were the decisions being made. In contrast, the Raptors managed to play to their strengths once they managed to get to the half with a nice lead. Bargnani continued to be aggressive to the hoop, trying to post up smaller players consistently. He’s still not getting quite enough touches in the post and he’s definitely not trying enough to draw fouls. Nevertheless, he remained active on both sides of the ball which is some kind of progression. It’s too bad he left the game early in the 4th quarter due to a knee-on-knee hit with Stromile Swift. Delfino and Kapono both were steadying presences on the offensive and defensive end respectively. Smooth and accurate, Kapono showed his worth in being able to jump start an offense and being more than just a spot shooter by driving and shooting. Delfino, on the other hand, managed to find his offensive game while playing solid defense. Both however, have now showing their worth to this Raptors team as they have now grown comfortable with the team.

Rasho and Calderon though, have proven to be invaluable. It’s been my long standing belief that the Raptors lost several games in the past week due to the lack of Rasho’s steadying presence. In a game like this, we saw Rasho perform accurate pick and rolls, trying to work the glass and anchoring the defense. Perhaps he was trying to show his new addition to his family just what daddy does. It was just ridiculous towards the end of last year when the Raptors nation began to question the usefulness of Rasho, as they collectively forgot about his production in December, January, and February as a consistent presence on the floor. Calderon, on the other hand, just continued to impress with his incredible accuracy and offensive capabilities. As TJ has been knocked out for a bit, Calderon has shown his ability to take over games in a different way from Ford, and he has finally found the correct pace and spacing to run the team. Shooters are getting the ball in their “zone” and he’s finding ways to get the ball into the post with a fairly accurate lob pass.

Glancing over at the Grizzlies though, it reminds me of a Raptors team a few years ago. They have a fairly good outside threat, an impressive “inside” presence, a couple valuable pieces, and they mixed it with a new coach who was projected to be “brilliant”. However, like the Raptors of old, the team just didn’t seem to gel yet because the communication and attention to defense was not there. In addition, there are a few players on the Grizzlies that act as negative presences on the team. A guy like Rudy Gay, or Kyle Lowry have to become better recognizers of the offensive scheme. There were also many sets that saw the Grizzlies make one pass before shooting. Of course, if you’re Juan Carlos Navarro (who I drafted in my pool and everyone laughed) it’s not so bad. Juan, quite possibly one of their most dangerous offensive presences shows the ability of one of the Spanish national team players. He’s able to shoot accurately while play within the offense and is not afraid to drive to the basket.

But look, at the end of the day I took some perverse pleasure in seeing Joey Graham take the floor. Watching Joey on the floor just reminds me just how much of a blessing it is to have Jamario Moon emerge out of the lineup. Jamario, while only making 6 points, took most of his shots within the offensive scheme, and was a very good defensive presence who tried to consistently keep his man in front of him. Not seeing the inconsistency and the lack of ability on the defensive end of Joey for a while, I shuddered to think if Joey was playing the same minutes he was last year as the Raptors have been trying to find their feet for the past few week. We could have been looking at a Raptors team well under .500. Thank our lucky stars.

Next Game: Cleveland @ Toronto

Couchside Report: Grizzlies and Raptors

It’s Spanish night in Toronto! No word on whether the Garbajoa bobblehead is in street clothes.

But seriously, folks, the Jorge Garbajosa situation is one that had to eventually come up in the NBA. It’s just unfortunate that it had to happen to Toronto – but really, what other NBA team is virtually half non-American?

The Raptors are 7-7 on the season, while the Grizzle are floundering at 5-9 coming into tonight’s contest.

In Raptorland, Jose Calderon is getting a ton of minutes while TJ Ford sits out for a 4th straight game with a stinger.

Gotta love the Raps starting lineup: a 27-year old rookie journeyman (Moon), a 7-footer from Slovenia (Nesterovic), two guys who played overseas for the better part of their careers (Parker and Calderon), and an All-American franchise player named Chris Bosh.

Since The Basketball Jones brought it up: I like the idea of an Office-esque feud between TJ Ford and Jose Calderon. I think that would mean Calderon is like Karen (currently getting the play), and TJ Ford would play the role of Pam (not looking so hot with, um, a new girl in town).

Oh my – the Swirk is calling Jamario Moon blocks like so: “You’ve just been mooned!”

Further to the Jamario Moon discussion: Swirsky is running the official “Give Jamario Moon a Nickname” contest. He called Moon the “Bama Slammer” on his blog recently.

TJ Ford, on what a stinger is: “Um, it’s a sensation that kinda tingles.” Thank you, Dr. Ford! Also, I think he’s wearing shoulder pads under his jacket. He looks like a box with a head sticking out the top.

By the way, we’re well off and running here in Toronto. It’s tied at 16 with five minutes to go. Damon “Now Just a Mouse, No Longer Mighty” Stoudemire is enjoying a nice stroke this evening.

Stromile Swift is still in the NBA? How long can a player get paid for being “long”? As I type that, putback Swift, then running jumper. 1 minute, 4 points. Way to shut me up, Stro Show. Just as I finish typing that sentence, he goes and throws it into the 5th row. Apparently, Mr. Swift is doing the opposite of whatever I type.

Start of the 2nd quarter, tied at 29, and we have a Darrick Martin sighting.

Chris Bosh sits early in the 2nd, heading to the locker room. Never a good sign, but let’s not panic yet.

Wow, a Joey Graham sighting. That’s less expected than Darrick Martin.

Delfino looks good early. He’ll get minutes tonight. That probably means someone like Anthony Parker won’t unless he emerges in the game. That’s what this Raptors team is all about: whoever plays well plays most.

Raps go on a bit of a run, leading by ten with just under 5 minutes to go in the half.

Jason Kapono looks like he could “pass” on Spanish night. Kaponajosa?

Juan Carlos Navarro shoots like I did when I was in middle-school: two-handed push shot with a release from below his neck.

Raps on a, well, crazy run. They end the half leading 57-39, with three guys in double-figures already (Bosh, Delfino, and Parker) and Calderon has 8 assists.

I’m not sure Delfino was speaking English during that interview with Leo Rautins.

Chris Bosh will not return. No injury to report.

Rasho comes out and “dream shakes” two defenders. Nice.

Damon Stoudemire used to be really fun to watch. Now? He just seems to shoot a lot. I think he was the first NBA jersey I owned as a kid. Ironically, I got it as a gift the week after he got traded.

I hate, hate, hate it when Andrea Bargnani fakes a three and only takes one dribble toward the basket for a layup attempt. He almost never makes it to the rim without bowling someone over or losing complete control. Sometimes it’s fun to see him try, but it’s not a great idea on only one dribble.

Jamario Moon makes his presence felt with a two-handed chin-up dunk.

Outside Steve Nash, is there a point guard in the NBA with a more consistent jumper than Jose Calderon? Since last year, he has missed only a handful of jumpers when he sets his feet.

Toronto are up 75-51 with just under five to go in the 3rd Q.

“Rudy Gay is not having a Rudy Gay night.” Swirsk, resisting the gay joke.

Poor Kyle Lowry just got mugged with no whistle. He’s a nice 2nd round pick for Memphis from a couple years back. He comes back with a nice steal and dunk a few minutes later.

I wish the NBA were a stock market. I’d make a living (or lose a living) doing that.

Is Mike Miller wearing finger warmers?

Jason Kapono just hit a three, and becomes the 7th Raptor in double figures. Yikes. Talk about balance. Oh, and Calderon with 10 assists as he leaves the 3rd quarter. And zero turnovers. Chuck Swirsky is about to pop in his pantaloons over those stats.

Toronto are up 82-60 heading into the 4th quarter.

I hate this quote from Leo: “The Washington Wizards might be better defensively without Gilbert Arenas.” Obviously, the Wizards are not better off without Gil. Sure, maybe they’re better defensively without him, but they are far worse offensively without him. To me, this is a dumb thing to say. It’s like saying, “You know, you can lose a lot of weight by not eating food,” while you starve yourself to death. Um, or something like that.

You really need to see Jason Kapono’s ad where he stares eerily into the camera reading the prompter talking about Raptors gift cards. It feels like some kind of local car dealership commercial from the 80s.

Knee-on-knee is never a good thing. Goodbye Andrea Bargnani. I hope that’s just a bruise.

Boy, Toronto are up 88-66, with almost 10 minutes to play. Meaning? Darrick Martin is going to shoot. Lots.

Salami and cheese are out of the fridge. On a completely unrelated note, Kris Humphries enters the game.

How is Juan Dixon the only Raptor who dressed that didn’t play?

What difference does it make to call it “Spanish Night” since we’re in garbage time here. I was at “Italian Day” at the ACC, but I didn’t know it until I arrived. I’d have a hard time believing that a whole bunch of Italians went out and bought tickets for my game. Same for Spanish people. I bought my tickets in October. Do people show up and get tickets on game day?

We’re just playing this one out here, folks. I see Brian Cardinal and Terence Kinsey on the floor with Kyle Lowry, Lawrence Roberts, and Stromile Swift.

And we’re out! Final score 103-91, Raptors win. Thanks for playing, folks.

An Ugly Situation

There’s been a lot of hoopla floating around now that Jorge Garbajosa has been recommended for (possible) season ending surgery. The prognosis seems to be fairly nasty, and there’s been this question floating around about just how hurt Jorge is. In some circles, it’s turned into a he said, he said situation where anyone related to Spain has given the thumbs up, while everyone on the Raptors have given a hard thumbs down.

Nevertheless, there are a lot of things to chew on in a situation like this. For one, the Raptors allowed Garbajosa to play in the FIBA tourney, in spite of what their own doctors had recommended. Although Jorge managed to contribute, there was no doubt that there was hesitation in his game as well as a tentativeness. Nevertheless, he managed to help his team get to the finals before succumbing to the Russians. Returning back with the Raptors, he played sparingly since, but managed to contribute at times, and disappear at others. It wasn’t long before he went to see a specialist to either prove or disprove the Raptors medical staff.

It’s here where I begin to have problems, especially with the Spanish media. Yes, we’re all entitled to our opinions, but the Spaniards like Pau Gasol, need to learn to shut their trap in this situation though. (This same Pau Gasol that has been frequently injured throughout his career.) The fact of the matter is, the Raptors allowed Garbo to play for a Spanish National team that had already qualified for the Olympics. By electing not to do surgery, he’s going to have to go under the knife again and while he might be out for the season, the Spanish officials will eventually have to answer to the fact that Garbo might not be at 100% for Beijing next summer as a result of the delayed surgery. I’m sure that no one has thought about that yet, but if Garbo has to miss an entire season, he’ll need to go into rehabilitation and you can bet the Raptors will look towards further assurances that Garbo is 100% before allowing him to hit the court again in any capacity.

The short sightedness of the Spanish officials in pushing Garbo to play for their national team may eventually lead to Jorge being unable for Beijing in the summer of next year. Right now, we’re already seeing the set up. The headline? “Raptors Cost Spain at Beijing Due to Unnecessary Surgery.” Mark my words, the blame will come and the conspiracy theorists will shout out that the Raptors pushed Garbajosa into unnecessary surgery because their insurance policy was about to expire. However, at some point, Jorge needs to stand up and protect this NBA team that allowed him to go ahead and do what he loves to do, possibly at a great cost to the team itself. A word or two just to insulate the Raptors and to show that his NBA career actually matters and that he may just have made a decision against those that actually had his best interests in mind.

At least, one can hope.

Weekend Recap: Highs and Lows

This year has been tough for us fans. It’s not been a horrible start to the year, but it’s far from the hopes and dreams of the average Raptors fan. For example, if this organization is going to take steps forward, it can’t rely on teams to beat themselves in order to win.

The facts are, the Cleveland and Chicago games this weekend just served to give us a look at how the Raptors have won and lost the majority of their games this year. In the Cleveland game, the Raptors played an opponent that many would say are at or below their level. Without Anderson Varajao, there was no excuse for not getting the majority of the rebounds within the game. Granted, the Raptors played without Nesterovic who has always played well against Ilgauskas, but the fact is, the Raptors were playing a team that they should have had a clear advantage over. Strong point guard play, an over reliance on LeBron James, and a weakened interior should have all played into the Raptors hands. Nevertheless, the Raptors kept having difficulties shooting the ball consistently, and could not draw fouls with the exception of Bosh. The Chicago game also was similar in the lack of foul shots.

This lack of foul shooting seems to be the Raptors’ M.O. this year. A year ago, we still had Bosh taking the majority of the foul shots, but people like Mo Pete, Joey Graham, TJ Ford, and Fred Jones all managed to help out by getting to the line. There are multiple reasons why getting to the line is important for this team. For one, it helps establish a rhythm for the team, especially if their jump shot is not falling. Another major reason is that the Raptors shoot such a high percentage that they should be thinking about doing it more often. Granted, we don’t have the same players, but it comes down to aggression and bating the other team into fouling your players. People like Andrea Bargnani, Anthony Parker, Carlos Delfino, and Jamario Moon should be getting to the foul line a lot more frequently.

This weekend, the Raptors also played Chicago, but were fortunate to get the win. Once again, had Chicago been a better shooting team, the Raptors would be in a lot of trouble.  The final score was definitely not a good indicator as the Raptors only managed to push such a lead in the final minutes of the game after logging in heavy minutes from Bosh and Calderon.   In fact, looking back on their opponents so far, the Raptors have had difficulties with any team that has shown an inkling of consistent shooting. Dallas, Boston, Golden State, and Utah have all given the Raptors difficulties because they haven’t managed to keep shooting teams from making their shots. It’s the lack of perimeter defense that seems to be the prevailing pattern. The teams that have lower shooting percentages, like the Bulls, end up missing wide open shots. It’s by this virtue of luck that allows the Raptors to come up with wins which is very disturbing.

However, the most concerning thing should be the fact that the Raptors will need to beat teams like Cleveland to be the kind of top team we expect them to be. It’s teams like Cleveland, Orlando, Golden State, and others that the Raptors made sure to beat last year, while beating their rare share of teams that were “better” than them. More so than just keeping a good home court advantage, it was the Raptors ability to consistently beat under .500 teams that insured that they had a base number of wins to get to their record tying 47 wins.

When it comes down to it, the Raptors should be concerned with the fact that it’s already the end of November, yet the Raptors have not managed to recreate their winning atmosphere. Part of the difficulty is that the team has been in a constant state of flux. TJ Ford’s injury along with Garbajosa’s leg difficulties (which may see him sidelined for the rest of the year) have perhaps had a greater impact in terms of developing and rediscovering the chemistry that made the team so successful last year.

However, we’re almost 20 games into the season. If the Raptors don’t pick up the pace, they might just get left behind.

Next Game: Memphis @ Toronto

FantasyFanatics.com Basketball Notebook

By Rob Shaw, Lead Expert for FantasyFanatics.com

Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison are enjoying a jump in value with Gilbert Arenas out. Lebron James is taking his game to a whole new level, and Amare Stoudemire and Dwight Howard are two players dominating the paint these days. Here’s a look at a few of the topics being discussed over the past week on the fantasy basketball forum at FantasyFanatics.com.

Gilbert Arenas Out Three Months
This is not an injury that you want to deal with in fantasy basketball. Arenas is a top five talent who was likely drafted in the first round of fantasy drafts. Knee injuries and back injuries are the most common and most dangerous in the NBA, as these are commonly chronic conditions associated with tall athletes putting plenty of pressure on their body. In addition, they are usually chronic, which means they do not go away and can return at any time. This has been a common issue for Tracy McGrady in recent years, which likely kept him from being drafted in the first two rounds of your fantasy draft despite his 30-point potential.

While the Arenas injury hurts the chances of any fantasy manager who invested in Agent 0, the injury is good news for plenty of other Wizards. For starters, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison spike in fantasy value. They will each be called on to score more often. With a pass-first point guard now handling the ball, they will find that the offense will be centered on them.

This is also good news for those lucky enough to get their hands on Antonio Daniels. He’s a player who can rack up 12 points and 7 assists for the next few months while padding his stats with the occasional steal and three. Also keep an eye inside, as Andray Blatche has enjoyed some success recently. With center eligibility, the Wizards for the first time have a big man with some potential.

Dwight Howard Is Dominating Inside
Ironically, the last player to dominate the interior early in his career the way that Dwight Howard has recently also donned an Orlando Magic jersey over a decade ago. We’re comparing him to Shaquille O’Neal and the similarities don’t end with the points in the paint. Howard’s post-presence also leads to many hacks, accruing double-digit free throw attempts on a nightly basis. Just like the original big man donning the black and blue, Howard’s kryptonite is also found at the free throw line. This could be a serious hindrance to consider when assessing his fantasy value.

On the young season, Howard is averaging 23.4 points, a ridiculous 14.5 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game. He it knocking down 61.5% of his field goals, while only hitting 60% of his free throws. Howard single-handedly puts up the type of numbers that can rank your fantasy team at the top of the charts in field goal percentage, while also bringing you down to last in free throw percentage. This is a fact to consider and possibly lead you to trading for Amare Stoudemire, Al Jefferson, or another well-rounded option in the middle. Just like the Shaq Attack, Howard’s value can go both ways.

Blast From the Past: Kenyon Martin
Just like the shopping chain, this K-Mart has gone down in value over the years. The Blue-light special has lost his luster because of younger and better-conditioned players, not to mention more disciplined talents who can stay on the court. He has missed 106 games over the past two seasons due to knee surgeries. Nonetheless, for once early on, Martin was able to stay on the floor.

On Friday against the Timberwolves, Martin scored 18 points with 6 rebounds, even making a block and grabbing two steals. It was the type of performance that had fantasy managers scrambling to the waiver wire to grab the talent who once averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Nets. Then came a subtle reminder. After a decent half against the Rockets, on the second day of a back-to-back, Martin felt soreness in his knee. Sure enough, he has been diagnosed with a strained knee and will undergo an MRI. It’s once again time to send K-Mart packing.

The Other Rookie In Seattle: Jeff Green
Kevin Durant is the name you know. He’s the star from Texas who would have been the number one pick in the NBA draft if it wasn’t for the steady, 7-foot Greg Oden. While the big guy will sit out the year due to knee surgery, Durant began the season on fire, scoring at least 24 points in three of his first four games. Coming off the bench in those games was fellow rookie Jeff Green.

These days, it’s Green who has become a more consistent option. He is fresh off back-to-back double-doubles, racking up 14 rebounds in each of the past two contests. While Durant is creating a reputation as a scorer who will need to develop some discipline, Green has evolved into a hard-working forward who will out-hustle for the extra rebound and loose ball. He can also become the more steady fantasy option if his playing time continues to hover around the 30-minute mark. We would like to see him develop the ability to rack up steals and blocks, but for now, he’s a guy who will flirt with the double-digit mark in points and rebounds, which should be good enough to stack at the end of your bench.

Top 10 Fantasy Ballers as of Week 4:
RANK LAST WEEK
1. Lebron James 7
2. Kevin Garnett 4
3. Marcus Camby 10
4. Shawn Marion 2
5. Chris Paul 1
6. Manu Ginobili 3
7. Yao Ming UNRANKED
8. Dwight Howard UNRANKED
9. Kobe Bryant UNRANKED
10. Steve Nash 12

NO LONGER RANKED LAST WEEK
11) Rashard Lewis 6
15) Andrei Kirilenko 5
16) Carlos Boozer 9
17) Allen Iverson 8

Game Recap: Grizzlies 124, Wizards 118

It was funny, when I was catching a few Z’s a couple days ago; I accidentally left the TV on. Sometimes, whatever channel I have the tube on is what I dream about. It’s how I found out about Tyson losing in Japan, Juwan Howard becoming the newest member of the Miami Heat, and it’s also how I found out about Gilbert’s surgery.

After being coaxed down from the balcony by the Montgomery County Fire Department, I calmed down, realizing the long road ahead and watched as the guys reeled off wins against Philly and an improved Bobcat team, with Butler and Twan leading the way. Life without Gil will be hard (see: the Golden State game), but not impossible (remember “Impossible is 0”).

But three months of Antonio Daniels!? Are you serious?

Looks that way, and tonight against the Grizz (who’s record really should be a lot better) our backcourt continued to look shaky as the Blue Bears posted a W in Graceland. The Wiz didn’t realize the 3 point line was active for most of the night, and started making threes in the last minute or so before finally taking the L.

Tonight was an odd night, in which the Big East All Stars (Memphis) got the green light from coach Iavaronni to hoist any and everything from downtown. Memphis simply could NOT miss tonight.

Rudy Gay (27pts, 8rebs) is a completely different player than he was last year, and you can tell that he’s been working on his jumper. The guy had the Midas touch, and refused to cool off. This wasn’t typical bad Wizards’ defense, but just Rudy’s jumper being cash money all evening.

Ernie G has to be kicking himself (for now anyways) after trading a future first rounder for Juan Carlos Navarro (28pts, and a ton of sick moves). This was my first time really checking him out since the FIBAs and he lived up to the hype for sure. A guy you can compare his game to is Mark Price, just without the assists and ten times better footwork. At one point in the second half, he gave a disgusting stepback crossover to Roger Mason (who of course fell for it) and buried a 3 in his grill.

Some things became clearer in this game as far as the W.G. (Without Gil) Wizards go. First and foremost, Caron Butler (27pts, 7rebs, 6ast) is your new floor leader, with Jamison (41pts, 11rebs) being first lieutenant. Twan handles to scoring duties, while Caron is more vocal, which will work until we face squads with above average point guards (see Memphis/Golden State/Charlotte).

Antonio Daniels (10 pts, 11ast) did a half-decent job at the point tonight, but let’s face it, he’s a backup point guard, and on any other team he’s close to 12th man status. It’s almost as if he’s torn between “take charge, be aggressive” and “I don’t wanna do too much and play us out of this one”. Either way he needs to find himself or we’ll be horrendous in the backcourt for a while, because DeShawn (7pts, we paid HOW much for this guy?) was once again missing in action. I’m not asking for 30 a game from ol’ boy, but can I get some threes, drives in the lane and made layups? He’s a shooting guard, not a defensive back. Andray and Brendan are the same size, but go at totally different speeds on offense. In the first period, Brendan drove the lane for a layup, and a week later it fell through the hoop. I swear, he’s getting slower, and he needs some of the liquid DSL you see in those cable commercials. Andray, in my opinion should start over Brendan, because he’s 10 times quicker, brings more energy and has a smoother scoring touch.

But one thing about the NBA is that any given night, a team can heat up and burn you for 48 minutes straight, and it happened tonight. It doesn’t look any brighter with Texas road games and Ryans’ Raps coming through in a few days. I’ll keep you guys posted.

Game Recap: Raptors 95, Grizzlies 89

Consistent inconsistency.  How else do you explain the fact that for the first half while Chris Bosh, Jamario Moon, and Jason Kapono are on, Bargnani, Calderon, Parker, and Dixon are not.  In what has been a maddening series of events, the Raptors inconsistency on the offensive end has once again reared its ugly head.  I did not think that we would be talking about troubles on offense this early in the year, while saying that for the most part, the Raptors have managed to keep things close.  Committing only seven turnovers for the entire night, the Raptors kept the game in control even without the benefit of TJ Ford revving things up.  TJ, missing a game after receiving a stinger similar to the one he took in Game 5 of the playoffs last year, left the team in the hands of Calderon, who was a calming presence.  And even though the Raptors might not have scored as effectively as they could have, they played a relatively mistake-free game. 

Luckily, everyone also played defense.  It was in a game like this that Bargnani truly showed his worth by bothering the slightly slower Pau Gasol for the entire duration of the game.  Jamario Moon kept up with the equally athletic Stromile Swift for most of the game, and managed to recover from a vicious foul early in the game to come up with some big defensive and offensive plays.  Delfino looked to take charges throughout the game while Calderon attempted to keep his man in front.  When the Grizzles tried to go to the basket and made a few buckets inside, the Raptors didn’t deviate from their plan and often kept up to their outside shooters. As a result, many of Memphis’ threats such as Miller and Navarro couldn’t get the open shots they wanted. The Raptors managed to take a lead into the half as a result of this hard work. 

And then, Chris Bosh gets knocked out of the game.  Then Bargnani.  Yes, on this night, the Raptors bigs found themselves in foul trouble.  Ironically, Jorge Garbajosa probably would have had his number called if he wasn’t injured, as Maceo Baston and Kris Humphries proved to be poor substitutions.  Speculation is abound as to the condition of Garbajosa’s leg, but even though the MRI came up “fishy”, Garbajosa is still on the road with the team.  

In the end, Bosh and Bargnani begun to find their rhythm as the entire team rallied around their general who left his heart out on the floor.  Bosh looked like a man who was just waiting to savour the upcoming Thanksgiving dinner he would be receiving.  However, there was business to be done, and Bosh proved in the end that he is the muscle of the team.  In fact, he was only one rebound away from putting together a 20-20 game (22 pts, 19 rebs).  Bargnani, once again, showed that even though he might have a slow quarter or two, he could always come back for a big shot if given the opportunity.  The only question, once again, is how to get him to try and invite contact to get to the line when he isn’t shooting well.  Unfortunately, unlike Bosh, we often see Bargnani trying to finesse his shot by avoiding the direct contact.  This results in a lot of wasted opportunities for the young magician, and it’ll take some encouragement from Bosh to finally see Bargnani fix himself out of a slump the same way Bosh can.  The 3 point shooting, in the end, saved the Raptors tonight. 

I’m also going to have to get up on my soapbox and take some aggression out on the refs for this game.  Usually, we can see that the refs might not be making certain calls, but it usually goes both ways.  Tonight, we saw them giving the Grizzlies all the small touch fouls, while allowing Bosh and others to be consistently manhandled under the basket.  They refused to allow the Raptors to take any charges (Bosh was especially clear taking a charge late in the game) and had the Raptors lost, I would have been calling for their heads. 

In any case, they didn’t and the Raptors can go into their mini break for Thanksgiving and Black Friday before heading on another back-to-back with the Cavs and Bulls this weekend. 

Next Game: Toronto @ Cleveland