The Morning After The Night Before, LVIII

About the middle of the third quarter, one guy on press row turns to the guy next to him and says, “I’ve never seen so many people wearing sunglasses inside.”

Dude on the other side leans over and says, “posers.”

Welcome to Staples Centre.

And, to cap a starlet-free trip, here we go:

Three Things I Learned

Kobe’s good

Now, wait. Kobe’s really good.

Hang on. Kobe’s freaking out-of-this-world good.

One play: He’s on the left baseline, gets by his man (easily and I don’t remember who it was) but has his path blocked. He ends up switching the ball over and taking a left-handed runner that gets nothing but net. At full speed. Two guys around him. I don’t think anyone else in the NBA makes that play.

Dude is other-worldly. As I may have mentioned, MVP voting stops and starts with him.

-

A tribute?

In the second quarter, they flash Kareem’s picture up on the board, introduce him as The Captain and the place goes nuts. Standing O. Well-deserved. Guess T.J. got in the mood, too, because I swear that third-quarter quasi-sky hook he put up had to be in homage of Abdul-Jabbar.

Speaking of T.J., I got almost as many “he sucks” e-mails last night as I did after the Orlando game. I guess you can’t please everyone. Personally, I think 23 shots is a tad excessive but watching him last night, you didn’t think he was forcing as many as he did against the Magic. And it wasn’t like anyone else was really filling it up. He had an advantage over Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar and he took advantage of it.

-

Changing it up

Not sure what you call it, but they showed a kind of new-look defence last night that worked pretty well. It was something akin to a box-and-one on Kobe, or a floating matchup zone, a little twist that might have stolen a game if a Laker team that came into the game shooting 37 per cent range didn’t knock down 15 of 32 tries. It was a bit of a gamble but it worked as well as they’d hoped and maybe it’s a precursor to what we might see in the first round of the playoff if Cleveland and LeBron are the opposition.

-

Quickly to the mail, because it’s 6:15 a.m. here as I type and I’ve got to be in the lobby at 7 to get to the airport.

Q: As a follow-up to the question about Dikembe's finger wag.

Apparently, the rumour goes that a while back when the NBA instituted stricter taunting rules, Deke went to David Stern because the finger wag was his signature move that he had been doing since the dawn of time.

Stern said that he could continue doing it, but that he could not wag his finger in the direction of any players on or off the court, which is why he turns to the fans and wags it with pride.

Any truth to that or is it just an urban legend?

Matthew S, Victoria

A: Not sure if Deke actually spoke to the commish but the rule does say you can wag, but only to the fans and Mutombo’s the only wagger in the league. The NBA is as much about the show as it is the game and it’s a good show.

Speaking of Deke, check this out, which was pointed out to me by the velvet-voiced yet sunburned E. Smith of the broadcast crew.

-

Here’s an ominous sign, and then a good one.

Talking to Bosh before the game, someone asked him if he could play if it was the playoffs; you know, fight through the pain and all?

He says, “even if I wanted to play, I couldn’t. They’d score on me every time and I couldn’t move on offence.”

Guess his return isn’t imminent.

However, he was on his way to the court to get up some set shots, the first shots he’d taken since the pain in his knee arrived.

-

The L.A. Times chronicles the game thusly. And the San Francisco Chronicle sets up tonight's contest like this.

-

Take the over. No matter what it is. (although gambling, unless sponsored by the goverment, is illegal)

The Golden State Warriors lead the league in scoring, averaging 111 points a game. They also lead the NBA in points allowed, giving up 108.

-

Here’s a couple more from the mail

Q: Lucky Doug. Enjoying the warm weather while I'm toiling with snow removal. Your blog and the mailbag are indeed great consolation for this winter turmoils!

1) O great one, why not Jefferson over Nocioni for BC's summer hunt?  Is it due to financial equation, or is it because Nocioni is the missing Argentinian to BC's (aka Noah) collection of twos?

2) If 'team performance minus the candidate' is the main criterion for MVP consideration, who will get your vote among Kobe, LeBron, Paul and Garnett?

3) Knowing that the Raptors are still playoff-bound even while losing all these 5 western trip games, is the lack of urgency a factor in keeping Bosh out of the lineup as long as the team's comfort zone?  Would you see his absence a blessing in disguise leading to matchup with a more preferable opponent in the first round?

Rikki C, Burlington

A: Hello, again.

Nocioni, I think, does more of the things the Raptors need than Jefferson, who certainly doesn’t suck and would be a good addition. But Noce’s defence, his ability to guard a couple of positions and his all-around game’s a better fit. The money’s cheaper, too.

I think if you read above you’ll know Kobe’s the MVP in my humble opinion.

You can’t manage where you’re going to finish, it’s folly. Let’s say they finish sixth and Cleveland ends up catching Orlando. What good does that do anyone? No, you’ve got to play to win every game and see what happens when the season is over.

-

Q: I honestly think that Chris Bosh cannot be a true "franchise player". Even given time to grow and blossom to reach his peak, he will never be a clutch performer. It seems he should be a second superstar to be a "sidekick" of a true superstar. Either we should acquire a true superstar now, or trade Bosh while he is still worth something big for a huge name that may take the Raps to the conference finals. And honestly, why do we still have Joey Graham.

Greg H, Toronto

A: I honestly think, with all due respect, that you may be off your rocker. You don’t find a lot of 22 and 9 guys around the NBA these days. I’m all for them acquiring “a true superstar” but if it was easy, wouldn’t everyone be doing it. If anyone’s learned anything in the last two weeks, it’s just how valuable Bosh is to this team.

Joey? Well, you gotta have guys on the end of the roster and he’s as good as any other 11^th, 12^th or 13^th guy in the league.

-

Okay, off the LAX, will check in later from lovely San Francisco. Keep the cards and letters coming.

Comments

[Aneil]

re: Personally, I think 23 shots is a tad excessive but watching him last night, you didn’t think he was forcing as many as he did against the Magic. And it wasn’t like anyone else was really filling it up.

Agreed - he was doing some good scoring BUT "it wasn't like anyone else was really filling it up" just shows that he wasn't distributing the ball like he should have been. AP was HOT last night and with his strong D on Kobe, he needed more touches, especially in the 3rd and 4th quarter. TJ has this swagger and cockyness that every ball player needs but I think it's too much with him and he's still looking for his WAY too much in the game. He needs to keep more guys involved. In my opinion, They will stop caring on D if they aren't getting touches on O.

[Jason Ohashi]

I don't know how TJ played against Seattle because I didn't see the game (at church), but TJ looked a lot better against LA. I think you're completly right on how TJ played last night, though he did take a lot of shots, it wasn't as forced as it was in the Orlando game where everyone's open and everyone's collapsing and he still takes a shot. TJ did have some nice lead passes and hopefully it's a sign of more good things to come.

[dan p]

I'm sure this comment is going to be in the middle of 12 trade TJ comments, who I think played well, but I'd like to focus on another player.

I really like the game that Andrea played last night. He was far from spectacular, but as Doug said, he looks like he starting to "get it". Offensively, he was patient and he took what the defence gave him (unlike the rushed, out of control Andrea we saw earlier in the year). His shot wasn't 100% on, but he made driving layups, a mid range pull up, and a 3, and none of it really seemed forced. His dribble drive is improving and he's making good decisions with the ball, either getting to the line (where he is becoming academic) or setting up a teammate with a good, decisive pass (6 assists to 1 turnover, Chuck must have melted when he saw that).

Defensively, you know Bargs played well when you don't hear his name called too much. He didn't get glaringly blown by, and he had only 2 fouls in 30 minutes. I think I even saw him battling for a couple of those boards (albeit none of them offensive).

Games like this give me (and I assume BC) hope that Andrea could still be the player envisioned on draft day. This was not one of those 25 point nights where everything was falling for him, this was a night where he shot fairly well and played a good all around game. This was a game where his vast skill set was showcased (wihtout him having to take every shot) as well as some of the tweaking that has been done since his NBA career began. Our Dirk Jr. might just pan out yet...

Either that, or maybe I'm reading too much into a 15-6-6 game...

[jk]

Oh great...we have the next Stephon Marbury and the next Jermaine O'Neal (how many games does Bosh have to miss before and alarm goes off???)...carrying this team...I for one no longer enjoy watching the Raptors...the selfishness and sheer lack of talent is becoming depressing.
Couple the weak play with the excruciatingly bad announcing by the 2 cartoon character buffoons (everyone I know watches the broadcasts on mute) and it's clear last year was a Cinderella year and the clock has struck.
Are we the only NBA team without a wing player capable of driving to the basket??

[Ian]

Hey Doug, I agree that TJ was better than he had been last night, I also think he still hurts the team when he doesn't dish off. Parker *was* "filling it up", and didn't get a touch in the 4th quarter. While TJ did score on many of his possessions, doesn't it hurt the team to take everyone else on his team out of the flow of the game? If the guys haven't had a shot in 15 minutes, how likely is it that when you need the big three they're going to drop it (I know, I know, they're professionals, but holy jumpin' jiminy there's a reason why the call it a basketball *team*).

Also, if all he does is careen wildly toward the basket, it also makes it harder to get an offensive board (although Rasho was nicely there for his dunk attempt).

[Ak]

Thanks for this mornings blog Doug. I just wanted to say that I actually thought the Raptors played well last night. Played with heart and didn't give up. Andrea has been putting some nice games together that don't come easy. You can see how hard he works out there. 6 boards and 6 assists!

And my goodness...tell me you saw the first play of the 3rd quarter when J.Moon actually drove the ball to the basket and tried to dunk it!! I almost fell off my chair... I couldn't believe he drove the ball. Of course he missed the dunk, no foul, and we never saw another drive.

[Jeff W]

"with all due respect, you may be off your rocker."

Way to channel your inner Ricky Bobby, Doug. :)

But you're right: 22-and-9 guys who can hit free throws like CB4 are rare in the extreme. His patented drive-and-get-fouled move is a game changer.

Perhaps the key things that keep Bosh from being considered a "true superstar" are his demeanor and his location.

[voislav]

CB's knee is becoming a bit of a worry, it really looks like it might be a long-term problem. Raptors should really take the time to consider what to do here, because knee injuries, and CB had a couple in his short career, have a nasty tendency to turn into a chronic problem. Maybe rest is enough short term, but if surgery is needed as a permanent solution they should do it as soon as possible.

[Sorin]

Quote from your comments - about TJ's performance:
"And it wasn’t like anyone else was really filling it up."
Sorry Doug, but did you watch the same game? Did you watch the game that up to the 3rd quarter AP was 7/11 and 4/5 from 3? And Rasho a decent 6-12? Did you watch the game that AP not only didn't take a shot...but he actually couldn't have had a shot...if he almost didn't touch the ball all quarter - when the team on the offense? And Rasho didn't get a shot until the 2 min mark from end of the game?
I guess you've been too much drawn into the "TJ show"...so you perhaps forgot that there was a game there - that should be played 5 vs. 5...and not 1 vs. 5.
Hope we'll have a good TJ vs Warriors game tonight.

[Ellie]

I caught part of the game on the radio and I'm glad it wasn't a blow-out. A win would have been nice, but I'm happy they played with dignity given the lack-o-Bosh.

How awesome has AP been lately? After the trouble Kobe gave him last time in Toronto, he deserves serious props.

[Leon Monette]

Those in the know understand that it's poseur, with a u.

[GM]

Entertaining game last night. I don't think TJ sucked at all. But 23 shots is way, way too many. It was a close game throughout so it's not as if nobody else was doing anything. And even if they weren't the point guard should still look for ways to set up his teammates easily before himself.

I don't know. Kobe's great and all, but don't you think Cleveland would be way farther behind L.A. if you took LeBron and Kobe off their respective teams?

[jimmie]

In reference to Greg H's email: What a stereotypical Toronto fan's comment. The grass is always greener. This isn't even worth arguing. Outside of Kobe and Lebron, the "superstar" these people seem to want in Toronto as an alternative to Bosh simply does not exist.

CB4 scores at a very high rate of efficiency, keeps his team in games single-handedly sometimes, plays decent defense, has a deep passion to win, and seems to have the ear of his teammates and is acknowledged as the clear leader of the team on and off the floor. All this as a 24-year-old 5-year veteran who is clearly getting better each year.

None of these people ever list names of guys they think are better than Bosh. After the two noted above, who would you really want over Bosh (forget about the actual ability to acquire them)?
-Iverson = old and not a good fit.
-Howard = nice, but you can't have him on the floor at the end of a close game, and he's a ways from being a team leader.
-Chris Paul = great player; you could make a case, I suppose.
-Nowitzki = No-win-ski?
-Carmelo = no leadership skills, just a scorer.
-Stoudemire = physical specimen, sure, but again, not a leader. Without Nash, where would he be?
-Baron Davis = coming into his own late in career. I wouldn't trade Bosh for him though.
-Boozer = small PF, little upside beyond what he's done so far.
-Duncan = future HofFamer, but arguably not even the top player on his team anymore (Ginobili, Parker).
-Nash = old, but probably the best true leader in the game today. Wouldn't trade Bosh, though, due to the age.

Bosh's Batman needs a Robin, no doubt. We're like Cleveland: Our superstar is not quite so high in the stratosphere as Lebron is, but our support cast is much better than his. I don't see Daniel Gibson or Varejao developing into a 2nd all-star for that team, but there is a good chance that Bargnani, Ford, or Calderon do for TO. In fact, there's a remote chance that Bargs becomes as good as Bosh from a production standpoint, IMO. If you told me Toronto could have TWO 20+/7+/3+ players in our frontcourt in a couple of years, I'd consider that pretty good and certainly good enough to take the team deep into the playoffs.

Damn, Doug -- you just gotta stop printing these emails! Build up the intelligence level of the blog by not giving the idiots a voice!! ;-)

[oliveira]

staid up to watch the game and I feel that the raps could've won. Few qs:

why would the coach play 3rd role playesrs in the 4th quarter so much(ie. Humphreys, Graham)? Kobe played 47 minutes last night.

Even though TJ scored 28 pts, why didn't Calderon play in the 4th? CAlderon is a better play maker than TJ.

Why couldn't the raps run more plays to try and shoot 3 pointers?

I don't know if you agree, but with a little better coaching, they could've won the game

[Ryan Vender]

Hi Doug,

Love the blog, read it daily.

I have question/comments in regards to Bosh and also the rest of team. I agree that Bosh is a really good (I wouldn't say a great) player and I am happy that he has taken on a leadership role. Earlier in the year you made comments about how it takes time for Bosh to really get 'warmed' up and playing up to his full potential. Those comments you made were in response to earlier in the year his numbers weren't where they should have been due to the fact that he sat for most of the summer with the foot injury. So come the regular season when he got back into action he wasn't in full form. However, once he started playing and practising again he was playing really well, but if you recall that took some time.

My question here is do you feel after being off from this injury which is looking longer and longer day by day he will need a lot of time to get back to his true form? And if this is the case how will the Raps actually do for the last part of the season and the playoffs?

Which brings me to one other point. You commented today in the blog about how valuable Bosh is to the team and seeing how the games have been over the past 2 weeks you seem to be right. Will this motivate BC to go after another 'all star' type player? Another big man that can rebound and score (like A. Jameison for instance)? It seems like that is what the team is really in need of at this point.

Thanks

Ryan, Toronto

[anton]

doug, i agree with your comments on t.j.

last night's performance was better than orlando. for me, the bottom line is this: is that what we really want from our point guard?

he seems like mike james half the time.

[Amanda]

JK, if you don't like the Raptors then why are you commenting in here? Go watch the Leafs NOT make the playoffs, and we'll be here waiting for you in May when the Raps make it to the second round because of Bosh, and you'll actually have some positive things to say. Thanks.

[Rob Habes]

TJ just doesn't get it.

But whats more concerning, is why hasn't Sam explained it to him. Its been two years.

[Travis M.]

Haha Deke is so inspirational. All 50 year old washed up ex-nba players must look at him and think they can still do it. He is the sole reason guys like Penny Hardaway try to come back to the league, yet they all fail and year after year Deke returns and wags his finger at a ton of players.

[jus]

most over-rated shoot-first, over-dribbling former starting point guard: TJ

most over-rated former coach-of-the-year: Sam

most under-achieving 3-point sharp-shooter: Jason

gotta keep it real....Raps out in 1st round.

[CARLoS M.]

I love TJ's swagger. That dunk attempt on Kobe was fantastic!!! Andrea/Moon you two paying attention??

The problem is that he takes his team mates out of the game. Last night he didn't force as many shots as he has recently but he should be keeping the others involved. They lose interest on defense if they don't get touches on offence. And on offense, they take crappy shots if, by chance, they get the ball out of TJ's hands. It is so frustrating to watch him penetrate, pick up his dribble, then turn around looking for someone to bail him out only to demand the ball back immediately.

Tonight don't watch TJ, instead keep your eyes on the other Raptors on the floor with him. Watch how their play falls off when TJ takes over. They don't set hard screens and end up standing around. TJ causes this!

[Sean]

Doug,

I hope you and all of the other posters on this thread realize that Jose shot 21 FG attempts two games ago against the Wizards. He was widely praised for his efforts. A blind eye was turned when Jose was getting blocked repeatedly and when he utterly failed in his attempt at last minute "heroics".

Let's stop the unwarranted Ford hating.

[anton]

sean,

i see where you're coming from, but the difference between jose and t.j. in that regard is that t.j. only sees scoring as his only option. jose uses scoring in conjunction with his passing game. in other words, he scores as a secondary option. the wizards were giving him the shot because he was a threat to pass it inside. it's not about the quantity of shots, but rather the context of when he takes them.