A little bit of theft in the swamp

Hola from a rather dreary waiting lounge at Newark International; the Virgin Atlantic flight to Heathrow just left and it looks like it’s me and one other guy waiting for the Porter plane back to Toronto. And no Starbucks, just a yucky little cart over there selling coffee that I presume was brewed sometime around noon yesterday.

Nice.

BILL KOSTROUN/AP

Vince's record vs. Raptors? Take a guess and scroll down for the answer.

Anywho, that was a bullet dodged, no? They played terribly for three quarters and someone stole one when the Nets botched a last possession in quite uncharacteristic fashion.

But it’s three in a row and judging from the feeling around the locker room last night, these fellas are the best 19-28 team ever.

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Action: Nets’ last play

Reaction: Good or bad?

Okay, I know, from various e-mails and comments over the years (things like “Wow, that Lawrence Frank is a great coach, wish we had him” and stuff like “Wow, doesn’t Lawrence Frank remind of you a cross between Red Auerbach and Phil Jackson and Jerry Sloan and Gregg Popovich) that there are some Lawrence Frank fans among you.

So why haven’t I heard from any today?

No timeout down one with the ball and 20 seconds to go? That’s usually when he shines because he always seems to get his team a good shot. And not to put the ball in Vince Carter’s hands? Hasn’t he done enough against Toronto over years to warrant a shot at winning the game?

Yeah, Frank’s good. There were legit questions last night.

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Action: Raptors’ last play

Reaction: Good or bad?

Bosh iso’d because, as well all know, there’s no one else on the team who can break his man down off the dribble, up one with less than 30 seconds to go.

And for all the, um, suggestions I get weekly (not weakly, but sort of) that Bosh lacks the, um, moxy to handle those situations, he went right at Lopez and while I initially didn’t think there was a foul on the play, viewing the replay makes me think otherwise.

Said Jay:

“I thought Chris made a great play on the drive and thought he got fouled. That’s exactly the play we wanted in that situation, up one. We didn’t get the call but things worked out.”

He’s right.

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From the mail:

Q: Hey, Doug, with Kapono returning to the All Star weekend to defend his 3 point title, I remember that last year, he and the coaches began setting up a mock 3 point competition with racks and balls set up as they would be on the day of the competition. Do you know if Kapono is practicing specifically for this competition again?

Peter L, Toronto

A: I asked my man K. DiPietro, travel co-ordinator, equipment manager, ball-rack construction guru and general all-around good guy, this very question last night.

Yes, construction has been completed and the shooting practice should begin in earnest any day.

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So they’ve got this huge, gaudy development going on around the arena in Jersey, a retail, entertainment complex that includes an indoor ski run because when I think North Jersey, I think skiing.

They call it Xanadu and as we’re driving in last night and seeing swamp and thruway and on ramps and construction and a race track, a stadium or two and an arena, I’m thinking, yeah, that’s a beautiful idyllic place.

Travelogue over.

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From the world of fanciful numbers, they announced the crowd at 10,136. Yes, that’s ridiculously small and I guarantee you it was inflated by a couple grand at least.

And while it was only jokingly that I said you could have met everyone in the audience if you’d taken the time to walk around, it was nice of Sol, taking a break from solving the economic crisis over in New York City, to stop by and say hello.

Funny thing about games in Jersey, there always seems to be a large contingent of Raptor fans. Didn’t seem to be the same last night but there were still enough to make themselves heard.

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Oh, this is going to get me in big trouble:

Q: Hey Doug! You probably get this all the time, but I love your blog! Quick hypothetical situation I wanted to get your opinion on. Some years down the line when it's known that it's Vince's last year in the league, and he plays his last game in Toronto, what sort of reception do you think he'll get/what reception do you think he'd deserve?

David S, Toronto

A: Never got this one before.

He should be cheered but he’ll be booed, trust me on that one. People won’t remember how he put the Raptors on the map, how much he electrified the city – and to some extent the country – and they certainly won’t remember all the spectacular plays. They will, however, remember the last 24 games of a 403-game career.

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Speaking of that guy, did you know New Jersey and Toronto have played 18 times since that fateful trade and each has won nine games? I didn’t until someone pointed it out last night.

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My Man Dave got the night off – lucky dog but coming off a four-game road trip and facing back-to-back road games this weekend it’s entirely understandable – so we’ll substitute the inimitable F. Kerber for our usual look athow the game played in the other papers.

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Oh yeah, one more thing on the Harris jumper.

Why in the world he waited so long to go is beyond me, and most sane-thinking people. Down one, you have to take shot with enough time to give your teammates a chance at an offensive rebound or a putback or something.

That goes double when you’re playing the Raptors, who’ve been known to give up an offensive rebound or two.

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You probably know I’m not a huge fan of numbers as a barometer of a players’ worth but this is something

15.7 points per game, 50 per cent shooting from the field, 6.1 rebounds and 7.3 assists.

That, folks, is Anthony Parker’s stats in the last six games, or when Jay shifted him to starting point guard and now the primary backup.

Now, I’m not suggesting he can do that permanently and an average of 3.0 turnovers a game is a tad troubling but tell me right now why Toronto shouldn’t hang on to him, sign him in the off-season and go into next year with exactly the same point guard rotation it’s got now: Calderon, with a pinch of Parker and Ukic?

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Action: End of quarter play

Reaction: They got one right

Did you see what happened at the end of the third quarter last night? Raps were tied with two minutes to go and finished on a 10-3 run. That never happens.

And it certainly never happens because Jason Kapono makes two free throws and a three, Joey Graham makes four free throws and Anthony Parker makes one. Oh, and toss in a Jake Voskuhl offensive rebound to set up that Kapono three that was Jake's big contrbution in a whole 41 seconds of playing time.

Yes, a weird night all around.

Comments

[Rob V.]

Trying not to think ahead too much (cause these guys are quite capable of tanking the next 5 games) however if we get tomorrow nights game, catch Orlando napping (noon start) on Sunday, and somehow... SOMEHOW get 2 of the next 3 against some tough opponents this would be a nice little run and probably put us in (or very close to the playoffs).

If this happens, is the concensus still to trade JO? Doug, to your point you're absolutely right!... how do we move Parker if the team is finally rounding into form?. If the team is going that well maybe it's best to just leave the squad alone until the end of the season.

I've been a big proponent of trading JO however if we somehow stretch this streak out the decisions become that much harder, no?

JO was clearly brought in to help get us out of the first round. What difference does it make if we've finished with 41, or say 36 wins so long as we make the playoffs. Personally, in a tough 7 game series I'd much rather have JO patrolling the paint than a "rental" wing player. As we all know the playoffs are much more physical and not having a post presence would pretty much revert us back to the teams of the past 2 post seasons (unless the GM can bring in someone of a Brandon Roy's calibre - which is highly unlikely).

Personally,

If we play Orlando in round 1 - I'd take JO over a wing
If we play Boston - I'd still want JO over a wing.
If we play Cleveland in round - Marion might help us with Lebron however they're still a good rebounding team.

Doug, if you were playing either of these 3 teams in round 1 would you take your chances with a healthy JO in a 7 game series... or prefer a wing?

Blogger's note: Too many other variables to think about right now.

[Pipit]

The last play of the Raptors wherein Calderon goes for a long shot and tightly contested was again another horrible last play. Why do the stubborn coaching staff keeps on doing that play every single time everytime there is a game winning shot to be made. This had failed numerous times. Why not try a different play like isolating Parker or maybe a very, very deep lost post play to Bosh. I don't wanna see Bosh facing up the basket almost near the 3 pt line on a game winning play because the probability of that succeeding is very, very low. Doug, do you agree that last play by the Raptors is a poor one?

Blogger's note: The play was busted, it was supposed to be an iso for Bosh, Jersey doubled quickly. Probably not the greatest but they were trapped on that side of the floor in the corner and couldn't swing the ball.

[jordan]

Unrelated and i can't believe i'm writing this this late in the season but....are the Knicks going to the playoffs???!!!

[M.]

I'd be really interested to know AP's FT% in the last 5 mins of games or so. As predicted, he went 1/2 in that last free throw. I find it amazing how consistently he misses at least one free throw in clutch situations. Maybe its a reflection of his mental toughness that contributed to him taking so long to make it in the NBA.

[Josh]

For the record, those 18 games do not include playoffs:

01. February 22, 2005: Toronto 100, NJ 82
02. April 15, 2005: NJ 101, Toronto 90
03. Nov 11, 2005: NJ 102, Toronto 92
04. December 3, 2005: Toronto 95, NJ 82
05. January 8, 2006: NJ 105, Toronto 104
06. March 4, 2006: NJ 105, Toronto 100 (OT)
07. November 1, 2006: NJ 102, Toronto 92
08. December 15, 2006: Toronto 90, NJ 78
09. January 9, 2007: NJ 101, Toronto 86
10. February 14, 2007: Toronto 120, NJ 109
11. November 2, 2007: Toronto 106, NJ 69
12. Feb 13, 2008: Toronto 109, NJ 91
13. April 5, 2008: NJ 99, Toronto 90
14. April 11, 2008: Toronto 113, NJ 85
15. November 21, 2008: NJ 129, Toronto 127 (OT)
16. December 12, 2008: Toronto 101, NJ 79
17. December 15, 2008: NJ 94, Toronto 87
18. January 28, 2009: Toronto 107, NJ 106

9-9

Playoffs:
April 21, 2007: NJ 96, Toronto 91
April 24, 2007: Toronto 89, NJ 83
April 27, 2007: NJ 102, Toronto 89
April 29, 2007: NJ 102, Toronto 81
May 1, 2007: Toronto 98, NJ 96
May 4, 2007: NJ 98, Toronto 97

4-2, New Jersey

[kb]

Is it just me or does Bosh get the ball too far away from the basket too many times? He seemed to rarely get the pass in close enough last night to use his quickness so he just jacks up long range jumpers.

[PK]

Is there a Raptor from the past whose jersey you would retire (for the Raptors, not say, Houston), and if not, who would be the closest?

Blogger's note: Nope, no one. Not even anyone I would remotely consider. So there really is no "closest"

[Gerard]

If Toronto was in the same position and lets say I dont know, Parker has the ball in the dying seconds, somehow breaks down his man and gets his shot off and misses.. Do the Toronto fans crucify him for missing or be as apologetic as we are for Harris' move?

[C.B]

Hey Doug, in your star article, you said, "Harris, isolated on the wing, made a nifty move on Chris Bosh"....wasn't it joey graham?

Blogger's note: That was in the first edition and I only saw Bosh at the right, I believe it was, of Harris, and Graham was blocked from my view. Got it corrected as soon as I could

[GM]

I gotta admit reading all those posts screaming about the lack of TSN2 in Toronto kinda made me feel smug here in Vancouver, as I could watch all the games. Until last night. I set my PVR to record, then got home an hour after the start and fired up the PVR. Black screen. So I turned to the live game. Black screen with a message telling me that I didn't subscribe to that channel.

I called Shaw and when I finally got through to a human, they told me that it was just a free trial before. Now I'd have to pay for it. That's fine, I said, I'll just switch it with one of the many channels I can't watch. Nope. I can't get it by itself. I have to get it as part of a package. They put someone else on the line who told me the same thing. But I guess I whined long enough that they said they could give me the package for free for one month, but after that I'd have to call in to cancel or else I'd be charged. Fair enough. I'll take one free month. After that, I feel your pain, Toronto!

They turned it on and I was able to watch most of the last quarter, just enough to see Parker split the free throws, as I predicted he would. He has never made both free throws in a clutch situation before. And I got to see the Raptors steadfastly holding onto the assumption that Bosh is the ideal choice for a last play. When are they going to learn? Or at least try something different.

[Ryan]

Not to ruin everyone's fun, but the reason we ask questions in the comments section, Doug, is because you generally answer them and in a timely fashion too.

When we submit questions, we usually have to wait a day, and who wants to do that in the age of the internet? lol

I think you should have the moderators remove the "Blogger's note" function, that would solve your problem lol

Blogger's note: I try to do as much as I can here but sometimes it gets a bit much what with the other stuff in the run of a day. So it's never personal, it's not like I'm intentionally ignoring anything, sometimes it's just better to get the comments up so others can see them.

[Nick M]

Brennan,

I haven't taken too much notice in AP's free throw shooting for the entire 4th quarter. But I have been telling my friends for most of the season that he always splits free throws when the Raps need them down the stretch.

[Ekim D]

RE: Vince

I think the fans of Toronto are more than justified to boo him as long as he's playing ball. Asking to be traded is one thing; completely quitting on your team so they're forced to trade you for a lesser value is completely unforgivable for pro athlete. Vince's PPG average dropped 10 PPG during the season he was traded, then majically jumped right back up to normal as soon as he was traded; he also famously told Ray Allen the play they'd be running out of a end of game timeout, and; worst of all, once he was in NJ he gave a well televised interview in which he stated he never really tried at all when in Toronto. We're supposed to forget that and give him the respect that he didn't give us? In other words, while he was more than willing to take $15M from the Raptors, he wasn't willing to earn it. Whatever good he did was destroyed in 2 months of unbelievable selfishness. It's no coincidence that someone like McGrady is treated to a small smattering of boos while Vince gets full on hatred. In pro sports, Vince committed the ultimate crime by openly and brazenly quitting on a team. I would forgive him and not boo him if he apologized to the fans, but of course that will never happen.

[Michel G]

All I know is that Parker now has nine straight games in double figures. Only twice all year did he have two games in a row in double figures. Anyway, he's better at free throws than the Bobcats the other night in L.A. trying to close out that game in regulation time. I thought Brown and the assistants were going to blow a gasket or something.

[Jacques]

doug, I caught the game on www.justin.tv, actually it's a pretty good feed. I missed minutes here and there because of my wife wanting to have quality time to watch American Idol. You got to do, what you got to do.

[Chi of Steel]

Hi Doug,

I noticed the scoreboard on the bottom of the screen was regularly late in updating and sometimes inaccurate (awarding 2 points on 3-pointers and vice-versa) before being corrected seconds later. Do you know whether someone at the TV networks tabulate the scores or if it's fed off the in-arena system? I'm thinking Devlin's botched overtime call was possibly a result of such a discrepancy.

[Phil A]

Wow that crossover by Devin Harris at the end of the game was nasty! I'm surprised Graham managed to stay on his feet on that one. I thought that was a great design by the Nets and like you said Doug, Harris had a wide open 15 footer that he should of hit. He should of maybe shot it 2-3 seconds earlier but I was relieved when it hit rim.

[Bernard]

Hi Doug,

Caught the game last night with the New Jersey broadcast crew instead of our usual Mat Devlin and company. It was good to see an outsiders view of the Raptors who don't see them every night. They were fairly unbiased with the broadcast and had high praise for Calderon throughout the game including props for his defence and tenacity. They also had good things to say about Graham, Bosh, Bargani, Parker and it really opens your eyes to what others think about the Raptors. They were even honest with the non-call against Bosh saying it was definitely a foul.

I think for some reason Toronto media and Fans are overly critical over our teams and players in general. Think about all Toronto stars players VC, Bosh, Calderon,(and pucks) Sundin, McCabe, Cujo, etc... and the abuse they've taken. Is this normal in all cities or is Toronto unique?

[Ron Burgundy]

RE: the last play. My man Brian Fantana once said "60% of the time it works all the time" in regards to 'sex panther' and he never failed, so it's tough to fault harris whose shot "90% of the time works 98.6% of the time".

[meme]

Ball is in Devin hands, what VC can do? How he abandoned the team? He had to yell his teammates to give him the ball then he is very a greatest player.

[Eric]

It is absolutely true that Parker misses at least 1 of 2 (if not both) free throws down the stretch! And he knows it, too. He's a reliable player when nothing's on the line. For some reason he chokes up (not just at the line but everywhere) when his actions actually matter! This has been going on for three years and I'm so glad others agree with me! Good stuff. He had a relatively good game yesterday but his charity misses almost cost the team..... again.

I thought Chris bosh played tough yesterday, though. What a relief. I thought the And-one between Lopez and Simmons was especially important and impressive. Not only was it a finish that hardly anyone else in the league can make (Bargnani, for example, would've put his head down and barreled them over), it came at a key point in the game. It's been awhile since we saw one of those. Hopefully he can keep it up.

[Jordan]

ESPN put O'Neal and Bosh on their list of big men who could be traded before the deadline. They put O'Neal at 60% and Bosh at 5%. Your thoughts? Is this accurate?

Blogger's note: It's 5 per cent too high for Bosh

[ROTR]

Parker shoots 77% from the FT line with 5:00 minutes or less remaining or in OT when up or down by 5 or less.

Clutch stats:

http://www.82games.com/0809/CSORT11.HTM

[kazbid]

"He should be cheered but he’ll be booed, trust me on that one. People won’t remember how he put the Raptors on the map, how much he electrified the city – and to some extent the country – and they certainly won’t remember all the spectacular plays. They will, however, remember the last 24 games of a 403-game career."

Come on Doug, I like your insights usually but I loved and now hate Vince for more than the last 24 games; as i recall, although at the time i didn't realize it, he began "tanking it" in toronto at the end of the 2001-2002 season (to contrast alvin williams who blew out his knee getting us to the playoffs)
the year after that he was constantly "injured"
and the following year when we traded him he was obviously still "tanking it"

[Erc]

What's his percentage when there's less than five AND less than five? Less than 77 per cent, I'll bet.