The Goods On The Game, Vol. 32, Welcome home edition

Happy New Year's, everyone. Hope you're all out having a wild good time and fun and frivolity and all that jazz. Us? A few of us are here working and watching and wondering what tonight holds.

What it doesn't hold is Jermaine O'Neal, who'll spend this one on the inactive list with a bruised right knee he picked up Monday night in Golden State.

Andrea Bargnani gets the start in his place, and as we've noted earlier today, Anthony Parker's back in the starting lineup. As I type this, we're still not sure whether Kapono's a go or not. He's up in the practice gym getting some work in to see how he feels.

Other than that, it's a quiet night, we're all wondering what kind of crowd shows up tonight for the first New Year's Eve home game in franchise history. We'll let you know later when we're back with the usual fun stuff.

Talk to you soon.
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And let's get started
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No, there's no Kapono, guess the bruised quad didn't come around fast enough.
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Word of warning: Already had some wrieless issues, hope they don't last 'cause I'd hate to think you were missing out on this. :)
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Two of the first three Denver baskets were uncontested Kenyon Martin dunks. Quite a troubling sign for a team that wants to keep guys out of the paint.
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Oh yeah, forgot to tell you: No video recap tonight, sorry. Well, considering tomorrow's New Year's day and some of you may be under the weather, no seeing my smiling mug might not be that bad a thing.
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Not a bad crowd, now that we see it. Certainly not full but not bad for a big night like tonight.
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Nene's just a bit too strong for Bargnani to guard, they're going to have to give him some help when the big Denver centre gets the ball in the post.
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Nuggets 13, Raptors 8 with 6 1-2 minutes left.
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First famous person sighting: Stumpy!!! Up in the stands 'cause he can't get front row seats 'cause of the restraining order, I believe.
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Raptors go zone and immediately cause two turnovers that results in a Bargnani basket in transition and an AP three.
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Of courese, that means the Nuggets immediately go to J.R. Smith, who comes in and drills a three-pointer.
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With no JO, the first big off the bench is Jake Voskuhl, he replaces Bargnani, who's got six shots and a rebound in nine minutes.
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This is Jake's home debut. mark it down in red letters.
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I'm going to post a wee bit more often tonight 'cause of this wireless issue, hope you don't mind.
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Joey's the first wing off the bench, as you'd guess with no Kapono available.
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Two fouls on Calderon -- the second a questionable offensive one -- gets him a seat with 1:20 left and it's Will Solomon time. Solomon's on the court with Graham, Moon, Voskuhl adn Bosh. Hmm, how's that for a lineup?
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Solomon has two fouls in 16 seconds. SIXTEEN FREAKING SECONDS!
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I don't know what's gotten into Jamario but he's all over the offensive glass.
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Toronto 31, Denver 29 after one.
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The Chicken knows how to play the game. He's over there mugging it up with this Brian Burke fellow, who apparently has something to do with hockey and is apparently quite popular with the people. Oh, and he's famous, too.
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JR Smith can score in bunches and he's the guy Toronto's going to have to watch out for tonight. And they'll know who he is 'cause he's the guy who shoots it a lot.
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This is a glitch filled night. My wireless, which is really important, and now the scoreclocks, which are pretty important, too. The refs are over wondering if the scoring crew has stopwatches. And they do so we can play with no clocks.
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You'll notice how I refrained from making any crack about the clocks going out being not quite as bad as the fact this horrible scoreboard only shows the boxscore every now and then and that technology seems to be an issue here.
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They are buying a lot of time with Solomon, Joey,, AP, Hump and Bargnani on the court.
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Raptors 37, Nuggets 33 with 8:55 left.
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It's time for Jose to return, methinks.
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Speak of the devil. Here he is after almost six minutes -- an eternity for him -- of rest.
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Nene has no interest whatsoever in coming out to guard Chris Bosh 16 feet from the basket; Bosh has to shoot it when he gets it there. He has made two in a row now.
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Joey's in there guarding Anthony. They like that matchup a bit better than Moon 'cause Joey's a bit stronger.
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Seventy-one this season, 74 in a row all told for Jose from the free throw line.
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Okay, Bargnani's playing well as a centre, isn't he? May not last but it's been good so far.
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Moon's back for Joey.
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Jose's got three with 3:40 left and comes out. The third was a real cheapie on an out-of-bounds play.
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With Solomon in and Calderon out, it probably behooves the Raptors to play at a much more deliberate pace.
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You've probably all noticed, but assistant coach Mike Evans is back.
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I just saw Anthony Parker take a turnaround fadeaway 20-footer being double-teamed. Then I saw Andrea Bargnani track down the miss with some quickness and make a jumper. It is an odd night indeed.
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Denver 53, Toronto 50 at the half.
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Not sure if you're aware of this but Denver coach George Karl's going for his 900th career win. Not sure of the significance of that number, either. Jay, before the game, had about the same reaction: "900's a number than I'm 896 away from."
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For a team that wanted to play inside-out, the fact Toronto's now taken 12 threes in this game is rather odd, isn't it?
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Jake's now played four minutes and just got his first foul. That's a far cry from the Golden State game.
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Raps have two turnovers this quarter that the Nuggets have converted into baskets.
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Chauncey's having a very quiet effective game. He's got 10 and 7 already.
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Nuggets 70, Raptors 68 with six minutes to go.
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The Raptors are far more active on the offensive boards tonight. AP just had one for a putback bucket.
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Carmelo Anthony is one aggrieved player tonight. I beleive he believes he's been fouled on every foray to the basket.
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I think this has to be another of those games where Jose plays the entire second half, or at least long enough to have the game decided. They did it in Golden State, they should do it tonight.
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In this timeout, Jay's all the way across the court talking to Boy Ref David Guthrie (age? Maybe 17) about a travelling call.
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Raps up one. Game very entertaining. Timeout and they gotta play music, or put the big old "Cheer loud" sign on the scoreboard or do something to keep the fans up, right? Of course not. Lame game with briefcases that causes more yawns than anything. Really.
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Bosh not only has that usual brace on his right leg, he's got a compression sleeve on his left knee tonight.
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With Calderon guarding Billups, the Nuggets want to post up the guard. Of course, JR Smith just absolutely blew by Jamario and Jose had to help, leaving Billups all alone for a wide open three.
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Jay's livid with 'em. Down six, he calls timeout with 1:28 left, screams a bit and then goes and sits on the bench to let the players chew each other out. Bosh did. It came after Toronto gave up two back-to-back middle drives.
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Now it's an eight-point game and trouble signs are brewing.
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Just caught a glimpse of Bryan on the TV screen. He looks displeased.
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Nuggets 85, Raptors 77 after three.
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Jay's staying with Will Solomon to start the quarter. I'm unsure of the wisdom of that one.
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Bargnani's still looking good on offence.
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Now is precisely the time the crowd can make a difference.
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Oooh, a Jake Voskuhl 17-footer is not a pretty thing to see. But he was wide open.
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You don't see this one too often. Kleiza makes a three and Joey gets called for a foul under the basket wrestling with Chris Andersen, who misses the FT and the four-point play possibility.
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Okay, Boy Ref D. Guthrie is not having a good night. He just made a phantom foul call on Andersen on a pump fake by Bargnani that's one of the worst this season.
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Here we go again. Raps on a run, it's a two-point game, Nuggets on the ropes and they call a timeout. Crowd go nuts? Of course not, it's the stupid Spin The Bottle Booze thing. Honest to goodness. This is ridiculous. But I bet it's sponsored so someone's making money off it.
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Next timeout: Maybe a moment of silence.
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I've seen more astute plays than the Joey Graham lob in traffic to Andrea Bargnani I just witnessed.
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Hmm, a contretemps between Kleiza and Voskuhl.
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Bosh and Calderon back with 7:36 left. I might have brought them back a minute or two earlier, when it ws a two-point game. It's a seven-point Denver lead now.
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Nuggets 97, Raptors 92 with six minutes left.
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Plenty of cheering, which is good. And the "Let's go Raptors" chant is well played.
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As Kevin Harlan might say: "Right between the eyes" as Chauncey drills a three-pointer to put Denver up eight with 2:45 left. That, my friends, might have been the dagger.
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The Nuggets have 50 points in the paint. FIFTY!
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A Bosh three-point attempt way back when Toronto was down two wasn't the perfect shot but he was wide open and they'll live with him taking that in rhythm. If he makes it, it's a great shot, if he doesn't, it's a terrible one.
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Hey everyone, have a safe and very Happy New Year.
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Denver 114, Toronto 107

Comments

[Kent]

How many games do we expect JO to miss?

Blogger's note: No idea, day-to-day, if you ask him, one.

[Doug]

just noticing, i think the Raptors are the least tatooed team in the league...whats your thoughts???...

[Steve M]

voshkul is an amazing signing, just for the energy he brings on the bench. that's on the bench, not off it. and i'm serious.

[Tabber]

Bargnani - block (no foul), runs court, gets 3. That's why he's so tough to trade, the potential that one sees from time to time, just needs to be consistent. And setting picks, and getting his own blocked shot and following it up! This is it, the breakthrough! (just kidding, all you nay-sayers)

Doug, you're a better man than I, I would have cut off some of the offending insulters (or is that insulting offenders?) a while back, how do you stay so patient?

[Doug]

what another "glitch" with the electronics at the Air Canada center...this is a running joke...

[pooks]

Poor Ukic...after one quarter everyone got to play but him (not sure if Hassan Adams is on the inactive list). Would be nice to see him on the floor (and his new haircut) for a change.

I have to agree with the tatoos comment--who the heck was that with the lipstick tatoo behind the ear?? Wow, now I've seen everything.

Doug--are they serving any special grub tonight for you and your colleagues?

Blogger's note: I wish. The usual, $12 for barbecue chicken and rice. But the soup, a lobster bisque, was good.

[LS]

Thank you Bargnani. Finally he raises his trade value in a game. Hopefully the rest of the league is watching.

I like the way Moon and Calderon are playing lately. Both playing aggressively and to their strengths.

[ian]

another half-time 'show' with nothing happening. raptors game ops are atrocious. do they have any explanation for this crap?

[aditya]

this one hurts man...good thing next game is on tsn2...and i will go shopping friday evening...

[pooks]

Starting to like Solomon...he's driving more especially after Andersen fouled him. Jay must like him too, since he's on the floor with Calderon.

[Mike Kovacs]

Hi Doug. I was at the game and I swear ref #41 always seems to have it out for the raps. Jose's 3rd foul was so bad - the ref had his back to the play and stil called him for a push! Also you are right about the contests etc - EVERY TIME we needed the crowd to keep going they called a halt to it with a wheel spin!

[Jonathan]

Only complaint I have is they somehow didn't take advantage of being in the bonus with just under 8 minutes to go in the third quarter. Not a single free-throw attempt; they settled for jumper after jumper. Jay called a timeout to remind them of that fact, just to have Bosh fire off another long jumper. Result? Jay calls another time out to let them know they just wasted a time out. I love Bosh and all, but being one of the best at getting to the line, I don't see how he couldn't have punished Denver for being in the bonus so early.

That said, despite the loss, and the record, I'm still optimistic for the season, for Bargnani, and for what the future holds for the Raps. Anyone who has followed the Raps since their inaugural season can't possibly not remain patient.

[jim]

HNY2ALL,Papaloukas and Spanoulis are the answers for the raps period.
Appeasing BCs appetitite for international players both the wing and backup pg problems would be solved whilst also increasing revenue generation from the Greek community.
Look 2 the Greeks people just dont head over to Athens!

[GM]

I was wondering if Jay had it in him to be tough on the players, but he showed it in that time-out. The team responded, too.

Gotta disagree on the Bosh trey attempt. Even if he makes it, it's a bad shot. I mean, the end result would have been good, but all things considered, it was atrocious. And had it been Moon taking the same shot, open and in rhythm, in that situation, I think you would have called him on it.

Finally, I think any time the Raps have Solomon, Joey, AP, Hump and Bargnani (or something like it) on the floor together, the ball has to go through Bargnani's hands every time down the court. For one reason, there's no other real scorer out there with him, and he's a decent enough passer that he won't force everything. For another, it's a perfect chance to show some confidence in him so that maybe he gets some more confidence in himself.

[Diablo]

Well, I attended my first Raptor game of the season tonight. I have to agree, those timeout games really distract the crowd's energy from the game, when we could be building the energy and perhaps helping the Raptors as the "6th" man we are instead derailed and it is up to the Raptors to get our attention back and energy up...which they are having trouble doing.

Oh, and a quick question for you Doug. What exactly is your issue with the scoreboard? Is that not the box score on the upper screen? It always seemed to have the players that are on the floor and their stats (pts, rebs, asts, pfs) listed. Do you want all players listed or something else?

One more thing...loved seeing Jay Triano lose his temper with the players...time for some of them to man-up...fans are howling for them to go to the hole...how do they not get this?..need some players who do! Bosh, you could be setting the example! NOT by shooting 3's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[graham]

some good signs,most notably in the third when the Raptors matched Denver's physical play and Voskhul did a good job. Bargnani was good all game but Moon started well and then stopped going to the offensive boards. Thought Joey did well too and good game for Solomon attacking the rim when he should.
Just one of those games where they needed to be mistake free to win against a better team and couldn't manage to do it...again. The potential is there but the belief isn't yet. Thought it was great to see Jay express his emotions. AP can still play but only in bursts and not extended minutes. Maybe the key to the Raps 2/3 issues is to switch all four more quickly in 4 minute shifts? This game did show the difference JO makes even with Bargnani's good showing: CB$ gets worn down in the middle when isolated.

[brad]

Crappy that they lost, but it really was a good game. Bargnani played solid, Parker had a good game, Calderon played tough...Bosh played good, but still gets stuck in jump shot mode when teams play him physical. The two biggest disappointments were the final 7:24 in the 2nd with zero made free throws (and just two shots) when the team was in bonus, and then the Bosh three. I'm all for Bosh shooting one or two a game when he is in a rhythm...but he wasn't tonight, and he jacked 3 three's...mostly b/c he was being played physical inside. Moon 0/4, Bosh 0/3 from 3...neither should be shooting more than 1 (if any) three's a game.

[Mark L]

Bosh needs to stop taking 3's...the whole team should have chewed him out for that one. That was crucial and then Billups drops the dagger right after. I would rather see anyone else but Bosh take that shot. He wanted to be the hometown hero? On tv after that play you can clearly read Triano's lips, "take the ball to the basket". How come this message isn't getting across, it must be hammered into them by now seeing as how it's mentioned every single time, yet they still settle for jumpers. I've heard Leo mention this more than once now: the other team is in the penalty, yet the raptors still settle for jumpers.

[aditya]

Okay, Boy Ref D. Guthrie is not having a good night. He just made a phantom foul call on Andersen on a pump fake by Bargnani that's one of the worst this season.

really...sorry i just posted about this before, just caught this in your blog and was it a no-call or an offensive foul...by bargnani