Of the game and being part of a science experiment. For real!

Be warned: Sap time.

Look, I only know a few of you very well, and some of you not at all, and Lord knows we all don’t get along every day in this little piece of cyber real estate.

It’s like a bar, in some ways, or a crazy big house party. Lots of people here and there, conversations going on in every nook and cranny and if you want to avoid someone, you can.

But we do all kind of live here, or at least make it part of our daily destination and, for the most part, we’re all civil.

So believe me when I say, at this time of hopes for peace and friendship and fun and gentle times, that I hope every single one of you and your families has the bestest of Christmases.

I hope Santa’s good to all of you, I hope all of your families enjoy nothing but prosperity and that none of you burn the turkey or something silly like that.

Give someone around your house a hug or a smile and tell ‘em Merry Christmas.

And give yourselves a hug or a smile (I’ll let you decide which) and tell yourself Merry Christmas from me.

Have a great couple of days, peoples.

Now, let’s get back to writing things that drive you mad.

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THREE THINGS I LEARNED

Get the slings and arrows ready

Yes, the Pistons were short-handed; yes, it was a game they “should” have won easily. I know all that. So do you. But, still, they did what they had to do. As they have more than a few times of late.

So I will say this and take the heat because, well, because it’s what I do.

Perhaps now we can all agree that maybe suggesting things like this team was destined for 20-something wins and was among the worst ever and that the only thing to do was blow it all up and fire everyone after, oh, let’s say 20 games, was somewhat silly.

If we’ve learned anything so far, it’s that maybe the season is indeed a marathon rather than a sprint and just because things look bleak in November, it’s not necessarily going to be that way in January or March or even December.

Now, they will lose games badly sometime in the next 60 or so and there will be losing streaks. But I also think we’ve seen enough to think there’ll be some good wins in the next 60 or so and there will be some winning streaks.

All the sackcloth and ashes of the first five weeks seems, at the moment, a bit unnecessary, doesn’t it?

I said and I know many didn’t believe me. This isn’t an awful team. It’s not championship calibre at the moment but it’s not nearly as bad as some of you painted it early.

I’ll let Chris Bosh make my point:

“You can’t over-react early. It’s a long season That’s what people have to understand. It’s a very long season, mistakes are going to happen. You can’t write teams off because they’re struggling at a certain point. We were put together and sometimes it takes teams longer to gel than others. We’re going to be fine.”

Well said.

-

Turk as Nash or Stockton

It’s the second quarter, Turk can’t make a shot to save his soul and it looks like it might be a long night for him.

But something seems to twig about three minutes into the quarter and Toronto up two.

He passes up a pretty good look on the far side, drives, draws a defender and hits an open Jack in the corner; Jack makes a three.

He gets the ball again on the next possession, again doesn’t shoot, draws a guy and hits Belinelli with a pass; Belinelli makes a three.

Turk goes on to pile up three more assists in the quarter, ends with five in the 12 minutes he played in the second and the game is, in effect, over.

I’ve mentioned that it’s not always about points with him and that he needs to have games where he truly steps up and dominates.

That’s exactly what he did in that second quarter.

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They were quick like bunnies

Usually, there’s a bit of a wait after a game before we grunts can get our work all done.

Some players (cough, Chris Bosh, cough) have a tendency to dawdle and there’s always some chatting and goofing around and, you know, generally making life miserable for deadline-avoiding writers.

Last night?

Not so much.

It wasn’t more than 12 minutes after the final buzzer that Jay was out doing his stuff; it wasn’t three minutes into locker room time before Hedo was talking to us and even Mr. Bosh, historically the last Raptor to do media, was ready inside of about 20 minutes.

They should have Christmas breaks and awaiting limos and airplanes every single game.

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And in other pressing matters (or something like that):

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Sonny Weems has really gone up in the estimation of lots of fans and rightfully so given the way he’s played since ascending to a regular spot in the rotation.

I’m think a few more might like him a bit if they’d seen him wander out of the Raptors locker room after the game on Wednesday.

There he went sporting a nice new replica Montreal Expos hat.

Very cool.

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This is what the Detroit readers saw this morning.

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From the department of statistical anomalies, you all know that Hedo Turkoglu had one more assist on his own Wednesday than the entire Pistons team had.

I cannot for the life of me ever remembering that happening in a Raptors game – it might have, but I don’t remember it – and no one connected with the team could think of another time.

So, I mentioned it to one of Hedo’s teammates and, protecting his identity because I’m sure he didn’t want me to use it for attribution, he said of the Pistons:

“That team doesn’t like each other.”

And I don’t know that many people would argue with him.

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Weird, weird things happen on the road. This is among the weirdest ever.

I’m walking back into the hotel after a quick fresh air break yesterday afternoon and there’s a young lady and a young man, carrying video camera and a shopping bag, sitting on one of the couches.

“Excuse me, sir,” he says, “are you going to be using the elevator?”

Since I don’t walk 12 storeys ever, I answer in the affirmative and she says, “well, would you mind taking part in a science experiment?”

Hmm, thinks I. Kids, camera, shopping bag, science experiment. Hell yeah, I said, quite intrigued.

Well, turns out they were two quite nice Troy High School students and they tell me that, as part of a science experiment, they have to prove or disprove Newton’s Second Law.

Now I have no idea what Newton’s Second Law is at the time and figure, hey, Newton was a pretty bright fellow, whatever the law is, it’s probably right. But I want to find out for myself.

Well, without getting too technical – because I’m a dolt when it comes to such things – Newton’s Second Law says something like as you accelerate, your weight goes up, as you decelerate, your weight goes down.

There’s lots of formulaic gobbledy-gook that goes with it, but that’s the gist of it.

So I get in the elevator and they produce some scales out of the shopping bag.

I’m X pounds to start (and that’s a number that’s between me and the kids, thank you very much), I’m X plus 10 when we start to move and I’m about X minus 10 when we slow down. And, presto! change-o! I’m back to X when the elevator comes to rest.

Told you that Newton guy knew what he was talking about, didn’t I?

All this is on video. Me, the kids, the scales the ride.

Anyway, if they don’t get an A for that project, I’m questioning the credibility of the Troy High School science department.

Now, lots of strange things happen on the road but that takes the cake.

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Here’s the schedule for the next little while, if you care.

Lots of driving and shopping and doing last-minute stuff for me today and a GruntTV episode this afternoon I hope.

But then it’s time to shut it down for a little while; not sure if I’ll be back Saturday morning or Sunday with the mailbag; it may depend entirely on how much, um, celebrating I do.

Whenever it is, I’ll see you then.

The Goods On The Game, Raptors at Pistons

Ready for some excitement?

Or just a game?

Who knows what we'll get.

GruntTV has a co-star of sorts

Raptors pre-game chat

Doug Smith held a live Q&A Wednesday at noon, ahead of the Raptors taking on the Detroit Pistons

A bunch of stuff and a two-week reprieve

Join Doug Smith for a live Q&A at noon today, as the Raptors prepare to take on the Detroit Pistons.

Man, it’s like 0 C here in gorgeous (and by gorgeous, I mean dreary) Troy, Mich., which makes it an okay morning.

No snow, no rain, no nothing.

For a guy facing a four-hour Smelly Ford Focus trek back to the Hazelville in the morning, I’m quite okay with that.

And I’m quite okay with this stuff.

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I am almost afraid to write the words “Marcus” and “Banks” any more because I cannot handle the immediate reaction:

Marcus looks good, trade Jose.

Seriously, it stuns me.

First off, I will tell you with absolute certainty no one in the organization, in the darkest recesses of their minds, thinks about a deal involving the team’s starting point guard. Ain’t happening, folks.

And there’s this:

This team is better with Calderon than without him. That’s not even a debating point.

He’s a better shooter than either of the two other point guards, he facilitates the offence better and, get your typing fingers ready:

He’s not nearly as a bad a defender as so many of you think.

No, he is not all-defensive team material; anyone knows that. But you’d like he was me out there the way people bust on him.

I don’t know where all this stuff comes from, it’s like some self-fulfilling prophecy or something. One guys says he’s no good and the avalanche starts. Incredible.

We all really need to rein in some of this crazy over-reaction stuff, okay?

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Here’s one for you. Jay drops this one on us:

“Our first 30 games happened in 53 days; our next 30 happen in 73 days. That’s 20 more days where we can do two things: No. 1, rest; and No. 2, practice.”

That’s pretty incredible isn’t it?

Now, there’s a three-day Christmas break and the all-star break tossed into that equation, but still.

That’s wild. Thirty in 53 and then 30 in 73?

What’s it mean, Jay?

“I’m hoping it means that we’re fresher for more games and instead of the number of back to backs you have, you can focus on getting better as a team in practice time."

What’s it mean, Grunt?

“I’m hoping it means that on at least a few of those many off-days that someone helps me come up with marginally interesting off-day stories because they’re hard to come by when games are coming fast and furious, let alone with a bunch of non-game days. Oh, and maybe I’ll be fresher, too.”

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So they went all Quincy Douby on Pops, extending his contract guarantee day to Jan. 5 from yesterday.

Three ways to see it, and all are being considered and thought about inside the organization, I’m hearing.

One, like Quincy, they’re trying to find him another job to help him out; Quincy found a gig in Turkey in the two weeks he was in Raptors limbo.

Two, they might be working on a deal – MIGHT, and I don’t know anything about anything specific – and a cheap contract may be ballast.

Three, there are people who wonder if he shouldn’t play a bit more, although that’s a big minority. There is no room for him in a 10-man rotation, as we all know.

Anyway, no idea how it’ll shake out, it’s certainly not the most significant thing to think about but there’s a large amount of interest in the young fellow, as we all know.

One thing that has nothing to do with anything, as I mentioned to a fellow over in the comments section, is Reggie Evans.

No way does this mean Reggie’s going to be ready the first week of January. He hasn’t done anything full speed on the court, he’s still got some work to do on the foot and you’re still looking at mid-January as a best guess.

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Oh, we’ll chat today, if you like. Right around noon as usual before the in-game bloggy thingy we do.

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This, my friends, is a sad story.

Way back in the day, I’d favour a Rolling Rock when I’d be out and it’d be available.

It was a nice little brewery from the rolling hills of Latrobe, Pa. (maybe not as famous as, say, Arnold Palmer but …) and it tasted pretty good.

Well, when the brewery got swallowed up by Budweiser, I was dead against it. I’m certainly not a big Bud guy.

“They’re going to start calling your beer Bud Green” was how the inimitable C. Sheridan put it in a phone call of condolence.

Well, we’re across the street from the hotel here last night and, while my friend Stella and I are being reacquainted, Stumpy orders up a Rolling Rock.

Time comes to order No. 2 and the young serving lass informs my boy there is no more Rolling Rock in the fridge. Then she drops the bombshell:

“We do have some Rolling Rock Light.”

ROLLING ROCK LIGHT!

I HATE the Budweiser brewing company.

(A late add, courtesy of Dan over in the comments: I had forgotten, or refused to believe, that the same people who brew Rolling Rock Light ultimately brew My Friend Stella. This, folks, puts me in a huge quandary. What to do, what to do?)

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Oh yeah, the Pistons.

Jay told us yesterday the Raptors are preparing as if Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Ben Gordon are all going to play.

No one’s sure if that’s going to happen – maybe it makes sense to get ‘em back one day before a nice break; maybe it makes as much sense to give ‘em another night to heal and a longer rest.

Here’s what they’re saying about that, and other things, in the local paper.

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Last call for mail, folks. You did a pretty good job yesterday which means my Saturday might be busy, but since I figure you’ve all got stuff to do tomorrow (like help me get shopping finished) and Friday (family, turkey, presents) let’s get some in today.

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Of developing assets and dangerous days

With the Smelly Ford Focus all gassed up for a post-practice trek down the highways to Auburn Hills, let’s get this stuff out of the way.

And that afternoon journey’s likely to keep me away from this infernal machine for a few hours so if the comments are slow getting posted, there’s your reason.

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There is no doubt that Marcus Banks, an admirable fill-in at point guard in the absence of Jose Calderon, has opened a few eyes of late.

And in the cold, cruel world of professional sports, he might be just playing well enough to be traded.

I know that’s a bit harsh, all the guy has done is be professional and stay ready and give them what they need, but it’s the way the world works.

Now, there are 29 teams who have seen him play recently and seen him do a pretty good job. And if someone wants a backup point guard, he’s got to be in the mix, at least whenever Jose gets back in action.

I’m not suggesting there’s a deal in the mix but I know there are people in the organization who are thinking what I am: That Banks has become a far more attractive “asset” in the last week than he was at the beginning of the season.

And it’s never a bad thing to have assets.

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How about this?

Not only is Toronto going to play in Detroit on Wednesday after two days off, they get another schedule break.

The Pistons are in Charlotte on Tuesday night and the Raps will be sitting in their ritzy hotel waiting. Pretty sure that schedule quirk hasn’t happened at all this year.

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Of course, negating that advantage might be the fact it’s the game before the holidays start and that’s always a dangerous one, as Jay pointed out at practice:

“They always say there are four games – the game right before Christmas, the game after, the game before the all-star break and the game after – where you really have to stay focused on it. There’s no use looking at the schedule at the end of the year and saying ‘we’ve got three games left, we need to win two’ when you can take care of business around Christmas and all-star time. The teams that stay focused are the teams that get a chance to steal a couple of games.”

And how do you do that?

“Solid game play, not changing the ritual, not getting caught up in all the other stuff that’s going on at this time of year.”

Cool, does that mean I can drop this one at home:

“Sorry, Super Wife, I can’t get caught up in the all the other stuff that’s going on, have to stay focused.”

Think that works?

Oh, and why is there a turkey in our fridge?

Jay’s right, of course. Players do tend to let their minds wander at times in a season and thinking about flights home tomorrow and the like could make the game in Detroit quite sloppy.

It’s not like this is a group of mentally tough guys at the best of times, is it?

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Catching up to an old Alvin Williams story from Sunday that I kind of forgot to use Monday morning.

(I need to send myself more notes to remind me of stuff. Remind me of that, will you?).

Anyway, apparently the Villanova Wildcats won the NCAA Division 1 football championship last week, beating Montana or somesuch.

Division 1, if I’ve got this right, is for the all the schools that aren’t, you know, good or have real football programs.

Anyway, mention to Al that I hear this news and wonder if they were able to beat The Sisters Of The Poor or the Hawthorn Hawks to cop such a coveted honour. He says:

“It’s like winning CFL.”

Ouch.

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Today’s the day.

Pops Day.

Apparently, Dec. 22 is the day that the contract of Pops Mensah-Bonsu becomes fully guaranteed and I haven’t had a whisper of which way the Raptors are leaning, actually.

The monetary savings are huge – about $400,000 maybe – but the roster spot might come in handy as they move towards the trade deadline.

I guess they could guarantee the deal and eat any financial losses if they have to, or use that money as cap ballast in some future transaction.

It’s not a huge deal but when there’s an absolute dearth of news around these lads, it’s at least something worth checking into.

And I shall later on when we gather yet again for practice.

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I’m just pointing this out for no other reason than I thought of it just now scanning last night’s headlines.

The Chicago Bulls blew a 35-point lead – A THIRTY-FIVE POINT LEAD AT HOME – and lost to Sacramento on Monday night, booed off the floor as K.C. points out here.

They go to New York to play tonight, dragging the weight of that collapse with them.

The point of this whole thing?

On Dec. 24, 2001, Tim Floyd was ousted as the Bulls coach.

On Dec. 24, 2007, Scott Skiles was fired as the Bulls coach.

Thursday, I believe, is Dec. 24.

Cue the scary music.

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All right, I’m confused here, as is the norm at this time of year.

Today’s Tuesday, right? And Christmas Eve is Thursday (or, as it’s known around here The Day Dad Does All His Christmas Shopping) and the next day’s the big day?

Guess you’ll all be busy and I might be, too, so here’s an early call for mail for the weekend mailbag.

And if you come up with stuff as good as last week, you can expect a little something extra in your stockings. That is, of course, if the mall’s aren’t too busy and I’m not facing some Shopping Rage charge after spending time in them.

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A bit late but hopefully worth the wait

Good win, pretty good opponent, they play well at both ends. Everyone happy?

Or at least mildly pleased?

Oh yeah, sorry I'm late.

Life got in the way.

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THREE THINGS I LEARNED

Best thing I’ve seen

Raptors get the ball with 23.8 seconds left, up 98-92, New Orleans isn’t fouling and I know what’s coming and so do you.

Of course they’re going to dribble out the clock, no one’s getting a piece of sauce-covered cardboard and I’m waiting.

There is no way in the world that the people will be upset, right?

Well, some of ‘em were and if you don’t think the players know, think again.

As Amir is dribbling out the clock in the far corner – which is entirely what he should have done – Hedo is standing across the court, waving his finger at him to say, “hey, respect the game and the Hornets, don’t you dare put up a shot.” And, to me, Turk went way, way, way up in the level of appreciation.

Of course, we’re in the locker room after and there are guys busting on Amir, telling him he’s going to get booed the next game for not shooting.

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Their new favourite

It’s 86-81 Toronto, the Hornets are rolling a bit and Toronto calls tmeout to gather itself.

What, I wonder, will they call out of the timeout because it’s a crucial possession and they have to get a good shot. Whether they make it or not is entirely out of the coach’s hand, it’s a matter of drawing up the right play.

So they run their new favourite, the Bosh at the elbow thing. That tells me they know that’s a good one and will always get them a good look.

They got a good shot but a Turkoglu miss and, after a Hornets miss, they run the same thing.

That’s now rocketed to the top of the chart in the play-calling division.

How does Bosh like it?

“For me, posting up on the block, usually you have guys looking at you no matter what’s happening on the weak side. At the elbow, it’s a little different. You can’t really double, if they do you can see the court a little bit easier and there’s less help. If you get that weak side action, you can pick apart the defence a little bit.”

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More Hedo, more heads-up play

Little thing, late in the first half.

Turkoglu’s got a little guy on him so he goes to the low block and I imagine eight out of 10 guys would either force the issue and get up a shot or back a guy down to kill any kind of movement on offence.

But no,

He waits and waits and waits for someone to move and finally, Bosh dives diagonally from the high side across the court.

Of course, two defenders dive with him so that pass isn’t there and what’s everyone do?

They wait another second. Turkoglu holds the ball just long enough for Amir to make a really strong and decisive move on the baseline.

Turk sees him, makes the pass, Amir finishes with a layup.

Heads up play all around.

Not particularly earth-shattering but good nonetheless.

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And now …

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Do you all know it’s Christmas on, like, Friday? How’d that happen?

I best be getting some shopping done, no?

What would y’all like?

-

I’d love to show you want my guy Jimmy Smith wrote in the pages of the New Orleans Times-Picayune today but something kept him from traveling.

I’m guessing it’s finances but they employed a local scribbler and here’s how he played it.

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So we’re talking to Sonny after the game while one of us is trying to develop a story on how hard it is to stay mentally sharp through the drudgery of practice when you know it’s going to take a bolt of lightning or something for you to get any minutes.

Is it?

“It is. You never know, especially with my thing, where you’re going to get your shot but a guy like me, in transition it’s going to come.”

I will say this for Mr. Weems.

Early in the year, as I mentioned, he kind of shot it every time he touched it, which isn’t unusual for a guy in his position.

But he seems to have gone away from that and is now making the right play rather than the selfish one.

A career-best five assists Sunday is a testament to that.

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Oh yeah.

I mentioned in the in-game blog the other night against Jersey that I wondered if Jay would even ask a veteran like Rasho to play in such a blowout.

It’s a respect thing more than anything. Why ask a veteran to go out there and eat garbage-time minutes. Maybe he’d rather get the entire day off.

Well, Jay put it this way when I asked him about it:

“If I don’t put Rasho in, then CB, Amir or Andrea has to play. I think he’d rather play the fourth quarter than have to come up here and run after. And it’s better for him, rather than lines and just trying to get the heart rate up.”

The “up here and run after” thing refers to a team policy that anyone who doesn’t play in a game has to go up to the practice gym right after and get a workout in with a member of the training staff. It’s not a penalty, it’s just making sure they get their heart rates up and some cardio work in just so they keep in some semblance of shape.

Little things I wonder if you knew.

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Think we’re in for a long day.

For a couple of weeks now, any time we mention practice and the lack of time for a really good one, Jay’s been pointing to today.

Two days off before the next game, coming off an afternoon game so no one’s really tired and a chance to get ‘em in the gym and work on some things.

So I’m thinking two, two and a half hours, right? Which means maybe an hour of standing around the concourse waiting for them to get finished.

Luckily, there’s a skatearound for the pucks so there will be some people hanging around.

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The Goods On The Game, Hornets at Raptors

It's like unofficial Mo Pete day here today.

Which is good, he's a heckuva good guy.

This is a very, very good mailbag, you should be proud

You know what? I’ve been doing maibags for a long time now and I think this might be one of the top three or four all-time. Questions about basketball philosophy, Raptors history, some off-court stuff, required reading outside of sports and a pretty good Mamadou N’Diaye story at the end

Way to go, folks.

Thanks.

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Q: Hi Doug. I asked this in a game-chat the other day but I know you have a million comments coming in at once. It also might have read as a leading question, but trust me, it wasn't. More philosophical.

You've been on record as saying you're pretty much against any coach firing anywhere. But I know that can't be the case. Surely there is a time when you think it's best to do away with the head coach. What are the factors involved where you would agree that a firing would be in the best interests of a team? And I'm not suggesting Triano be fired. Just curious in general about what you would think needs to happen for a coach to get canned.

Gus M, Vancouver

A: I know this is going to sound like the easy way out, but I don’t think there’s any one trigger, to tell you the truth.

But, yes, there are times when a move is necessary.

A lot of times it’s when there’s a breakdown in respect, if that’s the best way to put it. Players do tune coaches out and if one or two or them are doing it and potentially poisoning the atmosphere around the team, a change could be necessary to, say, save the development of young players.

And there are times when coaches simply defy their bosses, maybe not openly, but in subtle ways regarding style of play, the use of promising young players, etc.

Those instances may not be entirely apparent to the public – and it’s quite simple for fans to say “he’s lost the team” without any real knowledge of the situation – but when they do occur, I’m all for change.

And, quite simply, I do think there are times when a change of voice is required.

But it’s never one thing; and it’s not usually the same one case-by-case.

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Q: PLEASE answer my question! I've been submitting tons of questions and I haven't got a single response! Please do it this time!

Wasn't there 0.3 seconds still left on the clock when the ball passed through the hoop during Kobe's game winning shot against the Bucks? What are the official rules regarding when the game clock should be stopped after a made basket? By the way, Kobe travelled right before the shot. Here's a clip of the shot:_http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62wXe4P-HGE

Ashley H, Toronto

A: It’s when “the ball clears the net” which is quite subjective and part of the reason they’ve increased the use of instant replay in such circumstances.

Yes, Kobe probably did travel; but only after he committed an offensive foul on an earlier, equally crucial, possession.

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Q: Hi Doug. Here's a non-Raptors BB question: How much involvement / time does it take for you to head up the basketball writers association? Is there any US vs. Canada bias out there with writers? I know that may sound silly since I assume they had to vote you in for president, but then again I view your writing and insights up there as one of the best so it might be a non-issue in your case specifically.

Thanks and keep up the amazing writing.

Pete T, Georgetown

A: It’s not a lot of time, actually, if things are running smoothly in the 29 cities. There’s a monthly newsletter, you have to administer the organization’s writing contests but there are two truly hard-working colleagues --- vice-president Steve Aschburner and secretary-treasurer Rich Dubroff – who do the heavy lifting.

If there are league-wide issues, such as repeated access violations, change in NBA policies that have an impact on us, that’s it’s time to chat with league poobahs.

As for the bias? None whatsoever. I think there’s a respect for what everyone does, regardless of the passport. In fact, once the Raptors and Grizzlies arrived, they changed the name of the organization from Professional Basketball Writers Association of America to reflect the new reality.

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Q: Hi Doug, fabulous blog, part of my daily routine, keep up the good work.

I know good advice generally warns against discussing religion or politics, but my question is related to religion. Having just finished Eid, being in the middle of Hanukkah, and with Christmas coming, I was thinking about the extent, if any, that religion plays in the day-to-day life of the Raptors.

In the past the Muslim community has been happy to have Hakeem around, he was a regular member of the downtown mosque in Toronto and was generous with his time, presence and money to community causes. Hedo, given his Turkish heritage is at least in name probably Muslim, but I suspect he does not make it a part of daily life.

As for the questions, I have many, but some of them would include:_Along the spectrum of Athiest to Fervent believers, where do most lie? Are any special considerations made to players or staff to allow for religious practice (ex. meals, days off)? Does it affect the game or practice schedule in any way (ex. no practice please, it's the Sabbath)? Does the team have a pre or post game "prayer" of any sort?

Amr E, Mississauga

A: Religion being, as you well know and have put it, such a personal matter, it’s hard to really tell but I would surmise from the interaction I have that the team would, collectively, fall at the atheist end of your spectrum.

That said, there is a non-denominational chapel service held before every game in every arena. I’m not entirely which Raptor attends the most regularly because I’m not there, but I know some do.

And, with this team, there has never been a post- or pre-game prayer but, again, I would imagine some team have done that in the past. You may recall the Knicks of the early 2000s used to have a post-game prayer circle at mid-court following every game, to which they would invite members of the opposing team; that was the most open religious “celebration” I recall.

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Q: Always enjoy the blog, Doug! You've already listed your top basketball/sports books, but I was wondering what your top grunt books would be - that is, books that helped you become the charismatic (too thick?) writer you are today. Feel free to list your favorite novels too - the kids need to read more these days, Doug!

Jay D, Toronto

A: Man, I wish I could give you five. Or even 10. But taste is such a personal thing I’d feel bad for leaving something off.

But I will say this:

Anything by Hemingway is a must-read (brilliant author who used to be a Toronto Star reporter; what’s better than that, I ask?) and I will say this: The opening chapter of Don DeLillo’s Underworld is brilliant (it’s got a baseball bent that makes it spectacular). Oh, and I hear Super Wife saying if I don’t put To Kill A Mockingbird on the list I’ll suffer some serious consequences so it’s here, too.

Personally, my taste runs more to non-fiction than fiction and if you get your hands on almost anything by David Halberstam, you cannot go wrong.

I know this is not a definitive list but …

And, for all you kids out there, listen up:

Read. Read for entertainment, read for education, read books or magazines or newspapers or websites; read whatever you can get your hands on. Try different things, broaden your horizons, I one million per cent guarantee you that you’ll become better people if you read.

End of rant.

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Q: Hi Doug. When I look at current elite teams like the Lakers, Nuggets, Caviliers, Celtics,etc, and championship calibre teams from the past (i.e. the Bulls, Celtics, and Lakers) there always seems to be an Alpha dog that both leads and rips into those who are not lifting their games to his level. So my question is whether Bosh has the capacity to be the Alpha dog for the Raptors?

On an unrelated note, I recently bought the Beatles' Abbey Road remastered CD. I forgot how good it was. Which got me thinking, about my top 5 all time favorite albums. I've got: Abbey Road; Boston's first record; Chicago 9; Toto's greatest hits, and the Dobbie Brothers' greatest hits ( a decidedly '70s theme). Given your recent top 5 binge, what are your top 5 favorite albums?

Mark L, Abbotsford

A: Sure, he has that capacity, but certainly not at the level of guys like Jordan, KG or Kobe but, who does? Bosh does get after people in his own way; it’s far more quiet and private that many would like (and I know of it from conversations with coaches and other players) but it’s the way he is. And it’s not going to change.

I’m not sure I can go with a lot of your albums, though. Sorry.

If I was going to an island and needed a variety of great sounds, I’d be packing The White Album, Dark Side Of The Moon, Frank Sinatra’s Greatest Hits, The Joshua Tree and, Born To Run. Oh, and I'd sneak in something of Van Morrison, maybe his greatest hits and take my chances no one would notice.?

A bit of this and what I hope is a good Mo Pete story

I realize we’re a bit late today but I’ve got to tell you, dragging your sorry butt out of bed closer to 8 a.m. than 6 a.m. is highly recommended every now and then.

Have yourselves a nice day. Get all your shopping done early.

After you read this, that is:

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THREE THINGS I LEARNED

Does it mean anything?

It’s funny. I’m getting a few “who cares, it’s only the Nets they beat” comments and, yeah, the Nets were unspeakably bad but, still.

A win is a win. They aren’t easy to get and heavens knows you’ve seen this team play down to the level of its competition enough times that I bet a few of you were worried.

But they did what they had to do.

Got a team down and stomped it and I don’t care that New Jersey scored 62 in the second half, that was about 21 minutes of garbage time.

As I mentioned in game story, Jay had told us before the game he wanted a more aggressive early defence, quick hands, fast doubles and he got it. I don’t know how many runouts the Raptors had in the first half after creating turnovers and rushed shots but it had to be a season high.

No idea if they can keep it up against the Hornets tomorrow but if they do, I remain convinced this isn’t a bad team.

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What a mouthy guy

This is something I noticed about Andrea the night in Milwaukee when he didn’t play but I didn’t mention it because I figured my mind was playing tricks on me.

At that game – and I was sitting about 10 feet away from him – he kept up a steady stream of conversation with guys on the court, moving them here and there, calling out screens and plays and generally being involved.

Like I said, I figured I’d been slipped some hallucinogen in my cheese-based Milwaukee dinner and let it go out of my mind.

So last night, I’m watching him again, on the court this time, and he’s doing it again.

Communicating on defence, moving guys around on offence (in two third-quartet sets in a row he moved Amir Johnson to the right spot to start a play) and generally being yappy.

And since I’m sure the good folks in the media room here wouldn’t slip me a mickey, it must have happened.

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They love that play

First possession: Bosh gets the ball at the elbow, they run the dribble-handoff action with Turk and he finishes with a layup over Lopez.

Raptors get the ball about two minutes later and Jay stands up and yells “first play, first play” as they start up the court, which is Raptor-speak to run the same set they started the game with.

Anyway, they do, Bosh gets the ball, fakes the move to Turk, turns on Eddy Najera, who’s guarding him, drives and draws a second foul on the Net.

It’s two options off the same play, a new play that they run an awful lot and one I quite like.

I’ll have more on this in tomorrow’s paper, I think, but suffice it to say, Bosh likes it a lot, too.

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And elsewhere …

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The Irregulars will know that I have had some issues with the “celebration” of 15 years of franchise history, although it was nice to see Muggsy last night.

Sunday, though?

Sunday might be cool.

As part of the ongoing recognition process, they’re going to take time out to honour the one and only Mo Pete, I’m told, and that’s one I can fully support.

Mo’s one of the true great guys and I would presume the fans will stand and cheer loudly – very loudly – whenever they do it.

After all, the guy played more games – 542 in the regular season, 19 more in the playoffs – than anybody in franchise history.

Now, that’s a dude you should recognize.

They got that one right.

A Mo story I don’t think I’ve ever told out here in the big, wide world.

It’s the second week of the 2005-06 and somehow Sam’s decided the rookie Joey Graham will start in the spot that is historically Mo’s.

Well, Mo says all the right things ‘cause he’s a pro but it’s obvious he’s miffed and Joey’s not exactly lighting the world on fire.

We’re in the locker room after a home game and someone’s getting scrummed about two lockers over from Mo. I’m on the periphery of it, not really listening to closely when I hear Mo in my ear over my shoulder.

He’s telling me he’s ticked, I should write it, he wants his job back and “something’s got to change.”

Me? I keep pretending I’m listening to the scrum, all the while taking notes on what Mo’s saying.

Get a story no one else has, Mo gets his starting job back like the next game or something and a Day In The Life Of A Grunt turns out to be a good one.

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About six minutes into the second quarter, I’m watching the Nets and thinking:

“How’d they ever win two?”

But, you know, the pieces actually are there and I imagine if you’re an unemployed coach, it’s not a bad situation to explore at the end of the year.

I like Lopez, I like Devin Harris (but I do think he misses Vince Carter) and they’ve got a lot of cap room and a shot a very, very good draft pick.

And if the ownership works out, they’ve got a dude with deep pockets and a love of basketball rather than a love of real estate deals.

That might be the best coaching gig out there this summer.

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So I’ve got to do/start/finish some Christmas shopping this morning. You think the malls will be busy?

Oh, and I hear candlesticks always make a nice gift.

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Speaking of the Nets, my man Dave D, who gets parolled in February to chronicle the wonders of the Winter Games, says this about that.

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You know that I’ve come to hold Marcus Banks in higher esteem now, right? Has come in, done his job admirably and been a pro about it.

Well, last night, people, we witnessed history.

Really.

He made two three-pointers, which is one more than he’s ever made in a game wearing a Toronto uniform.

Yep, he was 1-8 this season before last night from beyond the arc and made one – one – in his entire time with the Raptors last season.

Another reason last night was a night to remember.

Or not.

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In New Orleans, where they’ve got a new coach and a very average team, this is what’s going on.

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