That was a big Opening Night hit, wasn't it?

Hands up anyone who saw that coming?

Didn’t think there’d be many of you.

Anyway, the caution is that it’s one game and you can’t draw too many inferences from one regular season game.

But, still, there were moments, weren’t there?

-

THREE THINGS I LEARNED

Talk may not be cheap

I know there had to be a few eyes rolled with each quote from pre-season about the dedication to defence and defence wins games and defence is the key to playoff success and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

I know mine did because you hear that every year from every team and it’s mind-numbingly boring and trite, isn’t it?

Well, maybe they were, you know, telling the truth.

I know Cleveland’s offence was atrocious and they looked like five guys who’d never seen each other at times but if you hold any NBA team to 35 per cent shooting, you must have done something right.

They did shrink the court and take away the lane, they never doubled too aggressively in the post that would leave them vulnerable to outside shooting and I swear I heard more communication on defence in that one game than I have in one in quite some time.

Yes, there will be nights when they revert to form and are quite bad defensively but I think there’s a chance they might be pretty good, too.

Bosh had this to say:

“That is all we talk about. Defence, defence, defence. We are not going to work on it for no reason. You have to work on it if you want to win a lot of basketball games and that’s what we’re going to do. Nobody is expecting us to actually play defence so it’s good to come in the back door sometimes.”

-

Be ready, do something

Marcus Banks gets a lot of grief around here mostly for signing a contract that was offered to him.

But last night, he showed me a little something. And so did Jay.

Less than 30 seconds to go in the first quarter, dead ball, Jay wants to give his guards a break so he calls on Banks to play one possession. Bit of a gutsy move because who knows what kind of effort you’re going to get, right?

Well – and this tells me something about Marcus – Banks comes in, defends like crazy and forces a wild miss by Daniel (I refuse to call a grown man Boobie) Gibson to end the quarter.’

Banks then goes back to his seat on the bench, never to be seen again during the game.

Not a big play in the whole scheme of things and, yes, that’s what pro athletes are supposed to do, work hard when they’re called on. But sometimes they don’t and it was good to see Banks did.

-

More defence?

I don’t have a video clip of it, and I don’t know that one exists, but there was a play, with about three minutes left in the second, that perfectly exemplifies what Toronto wants to do on defence.

Ball’s at the top on the right, can’t remember who drives right into the lane and Antoine Wright, in perfect position protecting the paint and the “house” slides over two steps and draws a charge.

It’s really very simply weakside help defence but last year, and even in this pre-season, the slide would have come late, the lane would have parted like the Red Sea and whoever was driving probably would have dunked.

Again, not a huge play but one we don’t see a lot around the Raptors, who have to be among the worst team for drawing charges by off-the-ball defenders.

-

Now, with apologies to Paul Harvey, here’s the rest of the story:

-

This, apparently, was pretty cool.

Jay’s old Simon Fraser coach, Stan Stewardson, made the trip along with a handful of others to check out the first game of the season.

Well, I’m told Jay’s going to meet them in this little bistro after the game and when he walks and wanders through the place looking for them, spontaneous applause breaks out and one, um, exuberant Raptor fan gives him a big old hug.

Not sure the same thing happens to Ron Wilson.

Of course, the last time something like that happened to a Raptors coach was back in ’04 when the gathered boozers in the same bistro gave a rousing round of applause to Kevin O’Neill after one game.

No one hugged KO lest they get smacked in the face.

-

Hmm, Memphis tonight.

Blues City Café or B.B. King’s barbecue joint?

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

-

In Cleveland, where I’m sure they’ll be calling for Mike Brown’s head any day after that display of KO-inspired offence (lots of KO shots today, no?), here’s what they woke up to read.

-

Nice commemorative ball they gave Jose right before the game to honour him for that 151-154 free-throw year last year, which set a single-season NBA record for free-throw accuracy.

Then he bricks two in a row and I’m sure I saw Bryan asking for the ball back.

-

Good line from AP before the game. We’re chatting with a bunch of people and it’s brought up that he and Jamario, who used to have these goofy singing contests when they were teammates here, might be doing the same thing in Cleveland.

“There’s really no competition. He’s background, he does a lot of background for me, he’s good.”

-

Fifty-seven fouls. Seventy-four free throws.

Where were The Replacements when you needed ‘em?

-

Oh yeah, told you that whole Drake intro music thing was a ruse, didn’t I?

Yep, that’s me, on the cutting edge of modern music information.

-

Best thing about going to Memphis?

You can’t fly there directly, you have to go through Chicago, and you have to leave in the middle of the afternoon so you don’t have to go to practice.

Cool, eh?

More time to build a set for tomorrow’s episode of GruntTV.

See ya.

-

Comments

[Andrew]

Hi Doug,

I was at the game and have to agree with previous posters. The refereeing was so questionable, I almost lost faith as an NBA fan. The 2 offensive fouls on Bargnani, the Bosh put-back where they called him over-the-back, the LeBron travel to end the half and then the charge LeBron should have been called on. To me, it was disgusting. Having seein basketball at all levels, I sincerely believe the officials were trying to let Cleveland sneak back into this game. I have the game recorded and watched it as soon as I got home. This is also excluding the block on AP's dunk, the illegal jumpball by Gibson, the 3 pt. shot where Jack fouled Williams, etc. The lane voilations that gave Cleveland extra foul shots and a jumpball opportunity, and of course the 2 tech's for defensive 3 in the key.

Just such a scam.

I felt like venting becase we actually won and I still feel this way. Not everday does a regular season crowd chant "Bull****" for a minute straight following a call.

The NBA has always had superstar players and superstar calls. Even Chuck would allude to this frequently when calling games. Notice how LeBron had no fouls through 46 minutes of play?

I am not oblivious, I know we often benefit from these calls with Bosh, but after seeing tonight's officiating, I don't believe in a conspiracy theory, but rather have a 48 minute game tape that undoubtedly shows biased refereeing. Heck, no wonder Donaghy was betting, the ref's have more control now than ever.

[BrianV]

That game last night was one of the most enjoyable Raptors games I have watched in a long, long time.

With the first game being against Cleveland, my expectations were low.

I'm not saying we are in contention for one of the top 4 playoff spots, but I laid witness to some play we have not seen in these parts for some time.

Some points of interest:

1) Going on a run after "blowing" the lead to take command of the game. We all know the story here, and every single one of you had a feeling in the pit of your stomach when Cleveland tied the game. If we did not have 9 new players on this team, it would have been easy for the players to say "Here we go again". The 9 new guys know nothing about that past mindset.
2) We had players getting to to the rim. Last year, we had a grand total of zero players capable of slashing to the basket. Last night we had 4 or 5 such players. In past years we lived and died with the jumpshot. When it was not dropping...well, we continued heaving bricks until the final buzzer, as that was all we could do.
3) Bargnani look extremely comfortable out there from the opening tip. There was nothing timid about how he was leaning on Shaq. I know we saw it the second half of last year, but he realizes, without any doubt, that he belongs in this league. Not only that, but he BELIEVES he can be a good player in this league. He oozes confidence.

To paraphrase Yogi Berra:
Sports is 90% mental. The other half is physical.

I want to see this team after 20 games before I form an opinion on where they might go.

My Torontonian DNA is such that my opinions swing wildly from one extreme to another with each game loss or win.

I know the glee we are all feeling right now will swing violently to despair after the first 3 game losing streak, and make no mistake, there will be a 3 game losing streak.

It's a long season, Raptor fans.

Even keel, baby. Even keel.

[Danny]

I told myself I wouldn't get too excited after one game... but against the Cavs is something to be excited about. It may be nothing more than a confidence booster, but it was a hard-fought, well-deserved win.

In your eyes, did the Raptors stick to the defensive mentality of "the house"?

Stoked for Memphis!

Blogger's note: Well enough; still lots of offensive boards given up, but a good jumping off point

[John]

Now I know that I'm incredibly biased, and I'm very good at looking the other way when calls get called in favour of Toronto... But wasn't last nights officiating showing the Cavs a little more love than maybe they should be?

Maybe it's just me...

[Don]

Great game! The referring was scandalous, especially the calls on Bargnani and Bosh. But here's one thing: as much as I think Anthony Parker's a wonderful human bean, I am so, so glad he's not in a Raptor uniform anymore (never mind Moon). No team with AP and Moon playing significant minutes on the floor is going to be a contender in whatever division they're in, much less one of the top three teams in a conference.

[Steph]

Doug, I think the teams success hinges on Bosh understanding his role on this team. Bosh is the guy that needs to do the dirty work on the inside. Bargnani and Turkoglu are the finness players. Bargnani can score from anywhere and Turkoglu the calming influence and secondary ball handler we desperately needed. Would that be a fair assesment?

Blogger's note: I think that's very true; and if Bosh competes on the boards like he did last night, it's a huge boost

[Danny]

The thing that struck me was how many good ball handlers that the Raptors have now. Most of the time they don't need to wait for a point guard to start the fast break.

[Simmer]

"Bargnani, perhaps showing why the Raptors saw fit to give him a $50 million extension in the off-season, was masterful moving in and out. The Cavs' big men could not stay with the former No. 1 overall pick when he was outside. When the Cavs tried James on him for a stretch, Bargnani took him into the post and scored down there. He finished with 28 points on a slick 11-of-15 shooting, which including two 3-pointers. "

This from the Cleveland article made me smile, although was last night more of a new Raptor's team, or a tired Cleveland team?

[Phil A]

Very entertaining game last night and glad to see the Raptors finish on top! It's crazy to see how much of an impact Turkoglu has on the game with his play making ability. Also It's nice to see a guy like Jarrett Jack keep his man in front of him and I thought he had a good game despite only being 2/9 from the field. One more thing, if Bosh and Bargnani can consistently play like they did last night, other teams better watch out!

[Marlon]

I LOLd when, after some very bad calls, Leo said to "...give the refs a break, they didn't have a preseason." Good win by the Raps, beating the Cavs and the refs, and while it's only one game out of 82, it is very encouraging.
Go Raps!

[metal]

no Niagara, it wasn't Parker it was Mo williams, great job on the defensive end boys btw, the team looks good other than bosh taking too many jumpshots, I liked the way he was trying to muscle in the paint, it was good to see, we need him inside and taking the occasional jumpshot, leave the jumpers to better shooters, we dont need you to take those shots any more CB

[mitch]

Some excellent posts. Bosh really looks like he's on a mission.

[Andre]

Very surprised how the raptors played, but like Bosh, imma take this one game at a time... But their defense has improved alot. Wright is a GRITTY player, and Jack's defense is really good too... Now when Evans comes back, with his energy he will amp the others.... Refs really sucked, I'm sorry, but that 5point swing where labron scored was called for a foul, then missed the free-throw, and he hit a 3? That was BULL... man did these refs ALLOW the cav's to come back into this game... although we saw a litte bit of the raptors of old ( Quick jump shots) they went back to going to the basketball (thanks to Hedo)

Tell me that Derozen isnt the truth?? DID YOU SEE THE REVERSE DUNK OFF THE MISS of Marco ( i know it didnt count BUT DANG he has ups) the REBOUNDS this kid had... wow... reminds me of tracy mcgrady, except he seems more composed... One thing i wished they did was give Andrea more touches in the second half, he was HOT... all and all Raptors played defense, bosh went to the basket (REFS NOTICE HIM!!) and Andrea played with confidence...

lets hope they keep it up

[murphy davis]

No mention of DeRozan's game last night? D, rebounding, cool scoring. The kid looks like he will be the real deal.

[SJA]

Doug,
Wasn't it great watching Bargnani last night?
Did you have a chuckle when he missed the open dunk?
I think he was a little to anxious.
GO RAPS GO

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Hello Doug,
Does this opener stand out for you, or, after 15 openers, times 82 other games per year acting as camouflage, are they all kind of a blur for you at this point? Yes, it's one game, but if one game can speak to potential, then cue up Coach Jack with a big "Hello!" and let's keep the line moving—with a perfect (classy) lid on the theatrics by Jay, CB4 and all, post-game; just takin' care of business. Enjoy Memphis, Blues Boy!

Blogger's note: They do blur, actually; but I do remember last year's as being a great, great game.

[Keith Wagar]

Doug, As others have stated, the officiating was absolutely horrendous. As a subscriber since day 1 I have seen over 500 games live and that call on Bosh is the worst I have ever seen! By the way, been to Memphis three times never miss going to The Rendezvous. (Down a back alley across from the Peabody.

Blogger's note: Have been to The Rendezvous, tough to find but well worth it.

[Vince]

The Drake intro was obviously not to be used for the first game, but for the remaining based on what sonny said.

Blogger's note: We'll see.

[RD]

Any thoughts on how the defense will look when they face a better shooting team (Orlando on Sunday)?

Blogger's note: No. Let's get a trip to Memphis over with first

[Alan C]

Doug, great work, as usual. Wish I could say as much for your paper -- at least the electronic version. Not only did I have to sift through numerous articles trying to figure out which ones were really duplicates, but the site goes wingy (not the first time since the redo) and then I almost miss your blog because it's labeled with yesterday's title and date. I know you're not the cause, but could you please pass along the dissatisfaction? Can we not just go back to the old format? Thanks.

Of course, nothing could wreck the feeling after that game.

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Hi again Doug,
Reel me in if I'm getting a bit over-amped here (waiting all those months for a new season to FINALLY get going does that), but the main difference I see in this roster over last year's has to do with floor generals. Last year, we had one, and he was hobbled most of the year. This year, I count five: Jose (hobble-free, knock on wood), CB4 (because he's gotten vocal this year, both ends of the court, and seems ready to shoulder the heavy-lifting of the alpha job), plus Hedo, J Jack and Antoine Wright (as a defensive floor general). I just see a whole lot of depth and versatility that simply wasn't available last year. Yourself?

Blogger's note: I've been saying for months that they're exponentially better 6-10 than they were last season. But they sure miss Pops

[Andrew Gregg]

Hi Doug:

I took the liberty of phoning the city this morning and booking Yonge Street for a June parade. I'm not jumping the gun, am I? I hope Coangelo will reimburse me for my deposit.

Meanwhile, that game last night was a more exciting show than anything the Raps put on last season. Who would've figured we'd have a play-off atmosphere in the first game of the season?

That being said, still way too many jump shots.

To really throw the next shovelful on memories of the Raptors of old, they'll need to take the same intensity with them to Memphis and not fold, like they would have done last year on the heels of a (rare) big win.

AG, Toronto.

[GM]

I didn't think the reffing was as horrible as a lot of posters here. But then again, I didn't think it was as horrible with the replacements. Refs are refs. There's always something to complain about. But Doug, don't you think if those were replacement officials last night and they called the game the exact same way throughout as what we saw, you'd be all over them? I think the regular refs get far, far too much credit and the replacement refs got far, far too much blame. Really, it's just a matter of degrees, and I think the replacements would have caught up in a matter of weeks.

But what a fun game. Hope they can keep it going, especially against the weaker teams. If they can win all the games they're supposed to win, and stay competitive against the better teams, they'll have a great season.

[Eric]

Great start! Love it!

- I completely agree with James. Boy did it feel good to see Poehler on the other team! I love him but he knows how to lose, He knows when to miss shots, he knows when to get dunked on, He knows when to miss foulshots, He knows when to throw the ball away and leave his feet to make a pass. He doesn't do it all the time....... he just does it at the worst time!

- DD's block on Shaq must've been the hilite of his life! I laughed it felt so good. Great kid! I hope he had sweet dreams after that one. Congralutations, Demar. You're pro now.

- Crowd was fantastic. Goes to show it was not their fault last year. The place was a dump because the team was a dump! You play and act exciting, fans get excited.

- Loved the complaining! First time in years! The refs actually know Raps voices now! I think they were in shock!:) It's not easy thing to celebrate but it's key because everyone else does it. Don't get me wrong, Bosh's was a block in the 4th, not a charge. He was little late. But it was nice to see them complain vociferously (how do you spell IT?) anyway :) LOL

- I think I saw the team pick each other up off the floor few times. Couldn't believe it. How long's it been?

- Bosh still settles and talks about how he won't do it anymore. Oh well. Some things stay the same.

- Bargnani's post d's awesome! I think he even smiled once! He did a Poehler and missed an open dunk but oh well. First step on Varejao was amazing!

- When Calderon dribbled to the basket I nearly soiled myself.

- Banks was good observation, Dougers. But I don't think he knew he was going in for 28 secs. So next time might be diferent.

/opening night. Felt great! Go Raps.

Blogger's note: Continually taking a punk shot is entirely tiring, juvenile and, frankly, quite telling. But thanks for your continued reading.

[sean]

Hi Doug,

I'm just wondering if you remember the game last yr TO vs Suns (with the big Cactus)? How he abused Bargnani during that time for 30-40 pts (can't recall off the top of my head), a little bit of pay bk last night. I'm sure Bargnani remembers that.

Blogger's note: It was as much Jake Voskuhl and Bosh and others as it was Bargnani, but times have indeed changed.