Some Game 3 thoughts

That was some night. Great fans – loudest I can ever remember the joint (maybe the Philly series matched it) – and all around great atmosphere. Of course, the big start fed into it. Be interesting to see what the passion’s like for an afternoon game tomorrow.

Anyway, some thoughts and then off to do some mail:

Action: Sam’s plan worked.
Reaction: Is he now a “good” coach?

It’s weird being a basketball coach, or a baseball manager, or a hockey coach, I imagine.

AARON LYNETT/TORONTO STAR

They're good again! Scroll down to see Calderon's basketball IQ at work.

You do the things you think will work and if they do, you’re good. If they don’t, you’re a bum. And, as we’ve seen, it can change in 48 hours, at least in hoops around these parts.

Let’s say Jamario Moon doesn’t have eight points and five boards in the first quarter, let’s say he doesn’t finish with 11 and 10.

How badly would you or we be killing Sam today?

Still think he could have gone to Kapono or Delfino for the reasons I’ve oft-stated but maybe the guy does know something. Maybe he knew that the Moon would provide some energy and rebounds and deflections.

Maybe he knows his team better than we do.

Maybe the dude knows something.

Maybe he’ll gloat.

Maybe not.

"I’m not going to take any credit for it, and I would be scared to death if you actually gave me some,” he told us after the game. “Some things you do are going to work, some things aren’t going work. (If) you do things based on what people are going to say about you, you’re in the wrong business.”

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Action: Magic loses
Reaction: Stan Van Gundy self-flagellates.

Coaches. Ya gotta love them. Team plays bad, he takes the hit

"It's on me. I've got to get us into some stuff that's a little bit better. I thought we had a good plan coming in, we did not and we go back to work [today] and try to figure some things out.”

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Action: Orlando’s on a run and score’s now 64-51.
Reaction: Fans cheering wildly as T.J. brings the ball back up the court.

Well done, folks.

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You wanna to go tomorrow’s game and help a worthy cause? Listen up.
There’s this dude, Jawad, who always has a question or two for the mailbag, and now he’s come up with a way to raise some money for the Raptors foundation and since those people work so hard and do so much good, I gotta help them out.

Jawad’s offering two tickets to tomorrow’s game (Level 3, midcourt, seven rows back, good seats indeed) through the foundation.

Here’s how it works:

Go here and follow the instructions and whoever wins, have fun at the game.

This is a good cause, you get a tax receipt for the donations and everyone should give it shot.

The fine women who run this part of the foundation tell me the auction opens at 10 a.m. today, closes at 4 p.m. so you’ve got to hurry. They’ll let you know by e-mail tonight if you won.

Oh, and Jawad? That’s a good dude doing good things.

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Action: T.J. goes for a post-game meal.
Reaction: A spy tells me gets a standing ovation in the restaurant.

Maybe he's Sally Fields.

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Action: “Now in the game for Orlando, Marcin Gortat.
Reaction: “Who?”

He’s no one you’ve ever heard of but if he ever becomes a player, you can thank an ex-Raptor coach.

"I think Brendan Malone has done as a good a job with a player in a short amount of time than I’ve ever seen,” said Stan Van Gundy. “Every single day he’s with him and he’s developing not only his physical skills but mentally, his understanding of the game.”

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Action: J.J. Redick badly misses a wide-open three.
Reaction: Jason Kapono drills a contested three on the next possession.

Some day, young fella, you might make it. That day isn’t here yet.

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B. Schmitz sums up things this way.

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Action: Dwight Howard gets fifth foul with almost nine minutes left.
Reaction: Might have been smartest play Jose Calderon’s made in weeks.

Jose passes up a chance at a jumper to dribble right at the big fella and initiate the contact to draw the foul. Exactly the kind of play the Raptors generally get sucked into, not the one they make.

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Action: Maceo Baston in uniform.
Reaction: The Gangster on the inactive list.

Did you notice?

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Action: Carlos Arroyo guards T.J. Ford.
Reaction: Call the cops, that was criminal.

I don’t remember 3 1-2 minutes of beating like that in a long, long time. Looked like me trying to guard him. Sam stood on the sidelines for about three of the possessions screaming at the team to run the 1-4 spread play so T.J. could get isolated. He wasn’t chuckling when he was doing it, but I bet Ford was smiling inside.

Comments

[t-vor]

So, who was wearing the tweed jacket?

Blogger's note: I can't divulge beat grunt fashion tips, since I have little fashion sense myself. But it wasn't me.

[CARLoS M.]

Oh happy day! Everything is so much better with a win. I think that fickle fans are a result of inconsistent play by the Raptors. After a game like that, how can you not show your love? TJ included. You just wish that they played with the same intensity more often. Kapono stepping back and nailing those threes almost brought tears of joy.

[Ellie]

Yes, I noticed the Gangster. We were sitting in the reds above the Raptor tunnel in line with the bench, so I had a pretty good view of the Gangster and Garbo all night.

Hilarious moment: Bosh comes out at the end of the game and it's high-fives all the way down the line, only he stops when he gets to the end of the uniforms (Rasho) and sits down, leaving Primoz standing there with his hand in the air.

Rasho and Garbo look at Primoz and then offer their hands for a high-five, which Primoz whacks with gusto.

I swear Rasho and Garbo were talking non-stop the whole game. Seems like they have a good rapport.

At one point when Howard was shooting free-throws and the crowd was taunting him, I was surprised Bosh popped up on the bench and raised his hands for more noise. Could he get a technical for that?

Please tell me the Magic fan they played that nasty trick on with the blind-fold-coupon-rolling at halftime was a Raptor staff plant. Otherwise, that's just cruel.

I was pleased the fans made an effort to a) show up early and b) cheer like mad during the first quarter. You could feel the mob willing them not to dig a hole.

Hopefully TJ will take the crowd-love as a positive sign and continue to play as well with Calerdon as the series goes on. But it was Jose's name that the fans were singing in the lobby, in Union station and on my subway car going home.

[bballer]

great win by the raps. i will no longer criticize this team until the offseason. sam has quieted his critics whether we win or lose this series. tj has shown why he was highly coveted as a pg. hopefully he can keep it up. it was great seeing bargnani getting a tech for arguing a call. we need more emotion from that guy. how can we get him to get a single rebound in the game? i think the magic will unravel. so raps still in 6, but it looks like it may go 7 games.

[Louis]

Hi Doug,
Pleasant morning in Raptorland isn't it? The point guard matchup in this series may have just gotten even better. The article in the Schmitz blog says that Jameer Nelson collapsed with back spasms on his way to the locker room las night. He says he is fine, but there is no way that they are going to play him as long or as hard. This means that TJ can have lots more fun with his pal Arroyo. Or at least I hope so.

A question: I know that teams that win the first game of a series go on to win the series 79% of the time. My question is, is there any percentage number for teams who lose the first two games and come back and win the series? What are some signifigant playoff matchups that you can remember this happening in?

I am still plenty confident that if the raps play their game and ride the momentum that they have right now that they can pull of a win in this series.

Blogger's note: Teams that win the first two games, win the series like 93 per cent of the time or something crazy like that.

[Tree]

Props to TJ - he had to show up after his terrible performances in game 1 and 2, and he delivered. If he had delivered performances even just half as good as last night in the first 2, they're up 3-0. I think he's deserved all the criticism he's gotten and brought it upon himself, but this morning he deserves praise. Let's hope Ford and Calderon show up again tomorrow and tie this thing up.

[mark]

nope. he's still not a good coach. not even close.
but his team decided to show up last night.

[Robert]

Fans should start giving equal time to cheer TJ Ford and Calderon with that soccer chant: Tee-jay, Teejay-Teejay-Teejay, Jose, Jose! (Aside: TJ starts, of course...)

[Mary - Anne]

Just finished watching Sam Mitchell being interviewed on Raptors' channel after last night's game... I'll leave the analysis of his coaching ability to you sports' writers , but his media skills range from being juvenile to seriously rude & annoying (not "cute" or amusing in any way). I was just wondering if ever a head coach(who so poorly connects with media & thus, indirectly with fans who watch/listen to these interviews) is ever relieved of this part of the job. Surely, an asst. coach, a management rep.,or even the team mascot could do better!

Blogger's note: I've never heard of a head coach not handling the media duties on a regular basis.

[Aaron Campbell]

I love playoff basketball!

More please.

Good for TJ. Good sign of character on his part. John Lucas must be doing one hell of a job.

[Remy]

Doug, love the playoff coverage! - 2 quick questions:

That was some abuse of Carlos Arroyo. Kudos to TJ for recognizing the advantage and making the run. However, if Jose is on the floor when Arroyo checks in; what happens?

Also, TJ is starting, and looked happier last night, but is it going to become a problem that he doesn't finish important games?

Blogger's note: Jose's not as quick as T.J. but Arroyo still couldn't guard him and they would have run the high pick and roll at him incessantly.
I can't see it being a problem if they win and they split the minutes like they did Thursday night.

[Dallas]

Hi Doug,
You've slagged the raps fans this season but admit it; you had to a have been proud of them. I know I was. The rest of the league may not know about the Toronto fans yet, but I'm okay with them finding out the hard way.

[Jim K]

Doug - can't anybody tell the refs to count to 10 when Howard is on the free throw line? I've counted to 12 almost every time he is on the line. Don't they call that violation anymore?

Blogger's note: I've been going to games for 13 seasons now and I cannot remember a single instance that call was made.

[Lindsay]

I don't want the following observations to be misconstrued as I'm more than delighted with the result of last nights affair but there at two points I would like to raise.

1) I'm amazed that I've not read one mention by either a columnist or a blogger about the refereeing last night. It was both fairly lopsided in our favour and far to prevalent for my liking. All fine and good last-night but if things tip the other way sometime in the next couple games everyone will be up in arms.

2) I too wish to praise TJ's excellent on court actions last night he was at times playing as well as possible for almost any NBA player, I wish Carlos "covered" him every-night. But I certainly noticed that during the 4th Q he was pretty much sulking and scowling on the bench obviously not happy to be there rather than on the floor soaking up some adulation. Your team is in the process of laying a beat-down on your opponent, you've played an amazing game and you still can't be happy for your back-court mate or your team, I say take us to the second round or conference finals then have fun in Seattle or where ever you end up next year.

[Rahil]

Best play of the series, Calderon getting Howard to commit his 5th by not settling for the jump shot. Good call.

Were you worried when Bargnani missed his first shot, then threw away the next possession? Was it a set call to give him the first shot of the game, or was it just that he was left so open?

Bosh taking 5 3 point attempts in the game? Good or Bad?

Blogger's note: Bad. But it was actually three. Bad, though.
Bargnani? That was in the flow of the game, not a set call.

[Derrick]

I'm wondering why the Raptors can't wear their red jerseys at home.
It would only make sense with the whole arena wearing red.
Is there a rule that prevents them from wearing red at home? I remember they wore red on Sundays during the season.

Blogger's note: Once a team decides what uniform it will wear on the road for the playoffs (the regular road jerseys or a "third" jersey), it has to stay with that for the duration. And home teams must wear their light uniforms.

[Pete Z]

FYI re: Marcin Gortat

only Polish player in the NBA, sort of came out of nowhere at training camp to make the Magic, son of a famous Polish boxer, Janusz Gortat, who won 2 Olympic bronzes.

and now back to your regularly scheduled Raps talk :)

Blogger's note: I believe he will eventually make Eric (The Polish Rifle) Piatkowski irrelevant.

[bballer]

it seems as if even sam brings a championship to toronto fans will still hate him, much like blue jay fans couldn't stand cito until 10 years after the fact. sam is doing a great job with this squad. this team is definitely a tier II team in the east who is not in the league of cleveland, detroit or boston. with better personal, all coaches become better with better personnel. ok, not george karl.

great interview with the swirsk on the fan 590. surprised you admitted that ford and calderon can't coexist. i still love tj especially when he plays as he is capable of playing. he is a starter in this league. nevertheless, raps in 7 and let's enjoy it as much as we can.

[GM]

Good comment, Mary - Anne. I agree completely. Sam doesn't seem to understand that he's speaking to the fans through the media. And as long as he's rude and/or condescending, he's indirectly being rude and condescending to the fans. Also, has Mitchell ever self-flagellated? Um, that sounds rude. But you know what I mean. Has he ever taken full responsibility for a loss? Not that I want him gone. I think he's a decent enough coach. But man, he sure could use some PR lessons.

Great to see the TJ-Jose combination working so well. It's been a long time coming. Hope they can keep it up.

[Thane]

I really don't put much stock in those '93 percent of teams that win the first two games go on to win the round' type stats.

I don't doubt they're true, but those are usually home wins. And why are they home wins? Because they had homecourt advantage because they had the better record and are probably the better team.

Shocker: The better team wins most of the series.

Wow.

[DS]

Hey Doug - you stole Chuck's line re: TJ's "criminal" abuse of Navarro. Shame!

Blogger's note: Huh? I don't know when Chuck said what and if I stole it, it was inadvertently. This was on our website as part of my first-edition game story about 20 minutes after the buzzer:

"Ford’s treatment of third-string Orlando point guard Carlos Arroyo in the final 3:25 of the first half bordered on the criminal. With Magic starter Jameer Nelson on the bench with three fouls and Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy not using backup Keyon Dooling, Ford abused Arroyo.
"Ford hit a couple of free throws followed by three straight jump shots and then beat Arroyo down the lane for a conventional three-point play to cap the 11-point barrage that had the audience howling."

[vak]

Hey Doug,

After Ford made the bucket and draw the foul on Arroyo, Ford swaggered by the Toronto bench. Bosh, Moon and Kapono took turns saying their thing to Ford, though Kapono grabbed him by the shoulders took his full attention and uttered a few words that made Ford have the biggest grin. At this point in time I wish i was watching TNT and not the Score in hopes they had the bench mic'd up. I figured if anyone can find out what he said it would be you, think you can find that out for me?

Cheers.

Blogger's note: I can try, but players usually like to keep that stuff private. Believe it or not, it sometimes includes profanity or phrases not suitable for publication.

[Rob Enderle]

Does a 1st round 4-1 ouster guarantee that Smitch is gone?
Please, please, please...

Blogger's note: All a 4-1 ouster guarantees is that I'll get a day off sometime this week.