A little fun at the finish

Yes, the game meant nothing. But try telling that to the players who were almost giddy after the win in Washington. Joking, goofing around, laughing. I know they’ve had a horrible year and Lord knows there’ll be time to dissect all that went wrong in the next fortnight or so but, what the heck, that was a good one to watch.

Of course, we could get a pooch of an affair tomorrow in Chicago that leaves a bad taste for a day or two but for now, enjoy it while it lasts.

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NICK WASS/AP

There's just so many happy photos to choose from these days.

Action: Butler gets stopped

Reaction: Credit Alvin.

This story is absolutely legit, the timing just happens to be perfect in my Get Alvin On The Staff crusade.

It’s last Saturday after practice, or so I’m told by people who were there and would know, and Alvin’s chatting with some Raptor types about the Friday game, where Caron Butler hit that jumper at the buzzer to win.

You remember that, Butler set up, dribbled about 10 seconds off the clock and then drove on Marion and scored. Well, in that time he was dribbling out the clock, Butler sort of moved back towards midcourt to get a better angle and create some space.

Well, what Williams couldn’t understand – and I sure didn’t think of it at the time, I doubt any of you did and I’m sure not many Raptors did, either – was why Marion didn’t chase him to midcourt, put some pressure on him, make him go earlier, or at least turn him somewhere he didn’t want to go.

Makes entire sense, doesn’t it?

Well, last night, sort of the same situation (although there was less time and less of an isolation) and we saw Marion right up on Butler, forcing him to go and sending him quickly to help.

Not bad strategy, eh?

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You know who had a lot of fun at the game?

Steve and Jenny of Toronto.

Met the nice couple before the game, replete in their Raptor jerseys, saw them with some pretty good seats during the game and, after the game, they were the proud owners of someone’s shoe, tossed to them as the players walked off the court.

Not sure what it is about Washington but there are always a lot of Toronto fans throughout the crowd. Met a guy last year wearing a Garbo replica jersey from Malaga, there were more than a few Calderon jerseys last night and at least a couple of hundred other Raptor fans that I saw and heard.

Not bad, people. Not bad at all.

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It’s still All Flip All The Time down here, as you’ll see when you troll through the site but Michael Lee still got some game stuff in today’s Washington Post.

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Award time, again.

Since the one I’m really struggling with is coach of the year, let’s leave that until the last minute (I could use another day to think about it) and do the MVP today.

But here are the questions:

Is he simply the best player on the best team? How about the most overall skilled player in the league? Someone who’s great at one facet of the game but only okay in others? Is he the one guy a so-so team simply cannot afford to lose?

To me, it’s a combination, and that’s where the absolute subjectivity of the issue comes in. And that’s why we get to argue about it.

Is Dwyane Wade more valuable than Dwight Howard? How about Kobe over LeBron? Chris Paul or Brandon Roy? How did Tony Parker keep the Spurs together when everyone was hurt? How can you not mention Chauncey Billups?

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

As regulars will know, I was wavering between Kobe and LeBron all year; I still think Kobe’s the best player in the game for all the things he does and LeBron may be the most physically imposing specimen in the game today.

But despite Kobe’s greatness (and I honestly think sometimes he gets short shrift in the East because we see more Cavs highlights than Laker ones over the course of the season)., there’s no way I can’t vote for James this time around.

The ballot, however, contains five slots and filling them out isn’t going to be easy at all.

So, when it comes to turn mine in, it’s going to look like this (unless someone convinces me otherwise today, and I don’t imagine that’s going to happen):

James

Wade

Bryant

Howard

Paul

Have at it, those who disagree.

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I presume you’ve all read this quote in the game story from today’s paper and website but in case you didn’t, what Bosh said after the game resonates:

“For me, playing basketball period is always fun. I’m not going to lie to you, it’s more fun when you’ve got something to play for but it’s still fun, it’s the NBA. I’ve said this before, it’s always been my dream to play here and it’d be a shame and waste to come out here and go through the motions and act like I don’t want to be here.”

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Okay, finally, we’ve got a playoff matchup definitely set.

Cleveland-Detroit became unavoidable last night when the Cavs won and Pistons lost and while there might have been a time when the Pistons could have expected to win a series like that, there’s no way they win a game this time around, I don’t think.

But, most importantly, and most significantly to the Raptors, Chicago’s win over Detroit keeps alive the Bulls’ hopes of finishing sixth and getting Orlando in the first round instead of Boston.

That means they may very well need to win tomorrow night against the Raptors and could turn an otherwise meaningless game into something with a level of intensity.

Now, the other thing I’m going to be watching closely is the reaction of the various grunts.

What do you think they’d rather have: A playoff series in Boston, one of the truly great cities with character, atmosphere, a buzz about it. Or a playoff series in Orlando, a series of off-ramps to outlet malls and amusement parks?

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Hmm, I see it’s raining here in D.C. as I get ready to post this and head to the airport. Since the last time I tried to travel in the rain it took almost 11 hours to get from Pearson to Laguardia, I’m sort of hoping for a better day today. After all, the final off day of the regular season should be spent checking out the culture in Chicago rather than the dreariness of DCA.

Wish me luck.

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Comments

[chris]

Good MVP list...its perfect.

If we don't re-sign Marion, what players in the league are like him in terms of playing style (which clearly fits with the style of our two main bigs)? Either poor (or rich) versions of, or a young up-and-coming player?

Blogger's note: I'd have to find out who might even be remotely available to come up with a list like that and, right now, it's virtually impossible.

[Peter]

Good Morning Doug,

In regards to Bosh's comments, when I first read them, I took the "Here" to mean the NBA, not Toronto. Was there something in Bosh's voice, or in the context that would say that "here" meant anything other then the NBA?

Thanks.

Blogger's note: No, not really. It was the NBA he was talking about. But the quote speaks, to me, to a desire to play as well as he can regardless of the stakes, not taking nights off when games mean nothing. As he, and everyone, should.

[Dan]

I realize statistics don't mean everything, but LeBron has bested Kobe in just about every major category for two years in a row while playing at a much slower pace. He's taken an inferior roster with an inferior coach to a superior record to that of the Lakers. His defence is now at least as good as Kobe's, and he's actually played better in the clutch than Kobe this year. I just don't see how you can argue against him as the best player.

[Nick]

Great quote by Bosh. I was about 90 to 10 on Bosh leaving, but after watching him enjoy the game last night - on top of that quote - I'm now 50 to 50 on Bosh leaving.

[Rob]

I'm no grunt but I've had just about enough of this cold weather that I might be inclined to choose Orlando over Boston.

[Kyron]

MVP ballot is as perfect as you can get it with only 5 slots. Bosh's comments resonate greatly because most people forget that he was here to witness first hand 'He Who Shall Not Be Named' give 13% night after night. I caught the Nuggets-Kings game last night and ended up cursing the fact that Denver had the good sense to not trade JR Smith for Jason Kapono last fall.

[GT]

Hey Doug,
Any chance of seeing your Alvin Williams crusade in an actual article? Then you can take all the credit when the Raptors take your advice. ;) There's a whole bandwagon that needs filling up.

[Pharaoh]

Doug, these comments are a day late but hey, that's what happens after a long weekend. Did you find Bosh's comments before Sunday's game to be hollow? I know I did. It was my first and only game at the ACC this season (it's a long drive down from Ottawa) and I was expecting Chris or someone else to say something after the game, so when he got up there and started talking before tip-off I'm not sure most people were even paying attention. I can't even really remember what he said, that's how memorable it was for me. There was no passion, no anger, no disappointment in his voice; it sounded like he was reading off a cue card. I don't know what's going on inside Chris' head, but if his little speech is any indication of his level of enthusiasm for re-signing with the Raps, I'd say he's as good as gone.

Blogger's note: I think you're reading far, far too much into a 15-second statement over a microphone before a game.

[chris]

Re: the marion comparisons -- i'm not asking who might be available....just what other players in the league you think are like him.

Blogger's note: Like him? Hmm, there aren't a whole lot, actually, with the combination of athleticism, lack of the ability to create on the wing but above average defence and ability to track loose balls. Seriously, he's more than an "energy guy" like a Varejoa or a David Lee, he's less than a Lamar Odom. That's a tough skillset to duplicate.

[AK]

Denver has the 2nd best record in the west. But for Chauncey, they would be much lower or perhaps even out of the playoff picture. I think he should be in your top 5. I would consider punting Paul this year...

[Eric]

I wanted to say something about the Bosh deal. I'm not partial to him staying or going, whatever's best for the team. But the way he's handled the situation this year spurs a lot of questions about his leadership and his understanding of his team's needs (or lack thereof).

If I was Bosh- whether I was planning to stay, leave or neither- it would be my #1 priority to simply shelve the rumours for now!! Just say, with a smile on your face if possible (should have been on Sunday) "This season has been terrible but you know what, if we can turn it around next year and have a great season there's no place I'd rather play!" That's it!.. No commitment to one side or the other, just kill the cloud! THAT'S leadership!

Instead he just lets the cloud hover. I'm guessing he doesn't want to "dignify speculation with a response" but at some point he has to realize that the cloud is hurting his team's prospects for next season. There's enough negative energy around the ACC without having a seemingly malcontent leader slump his shoulders whenever he's asked about the future. I'm already tired of hearing the rumours and concerns from paranoid fans...... I can only imagine how the team feels! Remaining silent is the last thing he should do. This town/media will eat him alive and it'll hurt the team.

[Peter]

According to your photo, it's not only Marion's shot that suffers from proper arm extension... it seems to be his celebrations that suffer too!

[David]

Maybe you can venture an opinion, Doug, on how the Wizards, with a minimum $75 million next season (plus luxury tax plus the salary of a top 5 draft pick) and owing money to Eddie Jordan, can come up with $4 million-plus for Flip Saunders? As for the Raptors, well, despite having a larger average attendance and higher ticket prices than the Wiz, it looks like we get a significantly smaller payroll than the season just ending and one of the lowest paid head coaches in the league.

I smell an organization that's decided to go cheap and screw its loyal fans.

Blogger's note: It's fairly obvious from the standings and the performance of some teams that there is absolutely no correlation between payroll, coaching salaries and on-court success. Let's see how the next year or so plays out.
Of course, I could point out that the Raptors have a payroll of almost $72 million, the salary of a top 10 pick to worry about and could very well pay Sam Mitchell $4 million next season.

[Niru]

With all due respect, your saying not one person on the raptors coaching staff had an idea of putting pressure on the ball handler on the last possession of the game....

Blogger's note: No, I don't know what went on in the huddle before that last possession for sure. But we all saw that Marion didn't do it.

[brennan]

i'm surprised, no one bashing/berating/cussing each other out over kobe vs. lebron. this has to be an internet first.

[FK]

I think KB24 is too low on your list Doug. All of the frequent arguments made for Lebron and Wade are valid, but the same arguments get lost on people when they talk about Kobe.

Yes, without Wade the Heat wouldn't have made the playoffs, no rebuttal. But, without Kobe, the Lakers would have gone about 49-32, and had to play out of the 6 or 7 seed in the West. Is Pau going to get the team past Denver or San Antonio without home court?

Yes, Lebron is a machine (and probably warrants top ranking) but its crazy that he gets accolades for doing it all himself, when Kobe used to do the same thing and get ripped for it.

Personality should not dictate rankings at the end of the season.

[Danny]

Wouldn't the stadium be replete with jerseys, rather than people being replete in jerseys?
They could be replete in jerseys if they had enough terrible stadium food, I guess...

[John]

Wait, what year was it that Kobe led his team to the best record in the NBA all by himself?

[Daniel K.]

James, Bryant, Billups, Howard, Paul

Wade shouldn't be seriously considered for the MVP. Miami is a mediocre team in a mediocre conference with a mediocre record. In the same way you don't win a finals MVP if you're the loser, you don't win the MVP playing for a team like that. Sure without Wade, Miami drops from 5th to maybe 8th (or misses the playoffs), but so what, they're irrelevant at 5th place anyway.

[Rob.V]

Most valuable Player nonsense:

The MVP is a subjective evaluation that is impossible to determine accurately. There is ZERO ability to determine that player A deserves it more than player B. Every team has an MVP and with different supporting casts (some good, some like the Raps) unless you took all those players and played them on the same team, for an entire season, how can anyone really make an argument (or agree on one) for a particular player.

D.Wade, Kobe, or LBJ are all legitimate and can be justified to some extent however so can others... this proves nothing really.

This is the same as trying to determine “best” picture of the year, or most deserving “song”, etc…

Maybe the importance is greater to the players (I understand this) however in this corner… it’s all quite a moot point really!. The politics and lobbying (I’m assuming there is lobbying of course) that surrounds selections is ridiculous.

I.E Why was Kobe more deserving than Kevin Garnett last season?. I’m not even sure if KG finished in the top 3 (Doug do you recall where KG finished last season?).

KG should have easily won the award for the following reasons:

A) He changed the entire culture of the team
B) He led the Celtics to the best record in the league (from near the worst the previous season)
C) They won the championship

There is no way Boston would have come close to where they were without him… and on and on the argument goes.

Nonsense.

The league should look to "define" what an MVP is. Maybe they already have criteria in place that I am not aware of.

Doug, does an MVP candidate have any criteria to meet or could you vote for Calvin Booth of the 16-65 Sacramento Kings?.

Blogger's note: There's no nomination list, I could vote for anyone in the league

[Clarence E. Strange]

I know he doesn't have the huge stats, but I wonder if Billups might get some MVP consideration, as a 4th or 5th guy on the ballot. He's made Denver into a legitimate contender (speaking of east coast bias, from watching national media in both countries one might think Denver didn't even exist in the NBA), IMO he might be the best PG in the game, nothing fancy, takes good shots, makes his shots, spreads the ball around and plays tenacious D. Paul and Williams put up the nice stat lines, but if I was building a team for the 09 playoffs and needed to choose one, I'd take Billups. He's come a long way from the guy Isiah picked up when Kenny Anderson didn't want to come north.

[WSG]

Agree with the MVP list. (LeBron has to be first, I’d say.)

I’d go with these for Coach of the Year:

Mike James – Cleveland Cavaliers

Nate McMillan – Portland Trailblazers

Phil Jackson – L.A. Lakers

Doc Rivers – Boston Celtics

George Karl – Denver Nuggets

Other considerations for me would be Rick Adelman (Houston Rockets), mostly because I don’t (for some reason) think of Houston as being as good as their 53 – 28 record says they are. And … as much as I’d like to get Jerry Sloan (Jazz) in there because I always enjoy the kind of game his team plays, regardless it seems, of who his players are, it’d be hard to justify at 48 – 33.

[Mark L]

Doug, my Raptors history is a bit fuzzy. Is there anyone on the current roster that was there when Alvin Williams was still on the team? Does anyone know him personally, aside from the training staff/management etc.

Blogger's note: Jose, Bosh, Joey were on the '05-06 team with Alvin

[Thane]

If the MVP was supposed to be about the best player, they'd call it the best player award. They don't.

It's about the player who is most valuable to that team - regardless of how well that team does. Bryant's an awesome player, but so are the rest of the Lakers; he's valuable, but is he the most valuable? I wouldn't put him in the top five.

I'm surprised Calderon isn't on that list, really. When he was injured, the Raps sank - when he's on, so are the Raptors. His injury is the nail that sunk their playoff hopes - he's clearly incredibly valuable to the Raptors.

[WSG]

Jumped the gun on CoY list, realized too late.