Good game, fun finish and some signs of life

Really entertaining game, wild finish, tough loss and the question now is if they can summon the same energy for Sunday night in Miami.

I wonder.

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THREE POINTERS

(And yes, Chris Bosh had a tough finish with missed free throws and bobbled balls and a couple of missed drives and jumpers and he could have been better. Let’s talk about something else).

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What else could they do?

Sometimes, you just don’t get a break.

On that last possession, the Raptors did pretty much everything they could all over the floor.

Antoine Wright did an excellent job on Carmelo, first by forcing him out about a yard further than he wanted to, and then by getting right up in him and forcing a jumper that was off from the second it left Anthony’s hand.

They got on the glass and boxed people out and it was a footrace to the loose ball over on the far side right by the sideline.

They didn’t win it – mostly because almost all of ‘em were inside their men on the glass – and when a play gets scrambled like that, no one knows what’s going to happen.

Boom, one pass, one shot, one bucket, one buzzer, one loss.

A tough one, no doubt but, as is often the case in pro sports, when things are going bad, a team cannot catch a break.

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Feeding the beast

Saw something in the third quarter last night I don’t remember seeing too often and it was quite refreshing, actually.

About four times in succession, maybe five of six possessions or something like that (chicken scratch barely legible), the Raptors ran stuff in the post for Andrea.

Yes, he had the under-sized Joey Graham trying to guard him and it only made sense that the Raptors would try to exploit that mismatch. But so many times this year there’ve been similar situations – not just with Andrea but more often than not -- and they’ve tended to ignore them, it was good to see they went back to him repeatedly. Part of the problem in the past was that Bargnani would float out to the three-point line instead of getting inside and doing some hard work down low; last night he was fully engaged and animated and it had to be the best all-around game he’s played in quite some time.

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Maybe one change

I know the matchups weren’t there because the Nuggets went small but I wonder if Andrea Bargnani shouldn’t have been on the court for that final Nugget possession.

I think everyone in the world knew that the play was going to be an iso for Carmelo so it’s not like Denver would have gone to the guy Andrea was guarding.

And the way Bargnani was rebounding, I think I would have liked him on the glass; and if Anthony hadn’t settled for a jump shot, I think I would have liked the team’s best shot-blocker trying to provide help.

Anyway, it wasn’t the reason they lost – it’s not like Andrea would have been quick enough to get to the loose ball as it squirted away – but he might have been able to do something on the initial miss to change the way the play unfolded.

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A couple of little things before I head to the big bird for the longish flight.

(And I vow not to say: “Get up, bird” when we take off).

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I really missed George Karl not being around last night.

He’s one of the visiting coaches you always want to go listen to before the game because you’ll usually get some good insight and a good quote.

A top five list? Sure.

I try never to miss pre-game, or at least shootaround chats with:

Doc Rivers.

Jerry Sloan

Stan Van Gundy

Larry Brown.

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A Did You Know

Yes, we all know Chris Bosh and Carmelo Anthony are Olympic gold medalists but there was a third on the court last night.

Leon Wood.

Yes, the referee, who is probably a more accomplished player than a lot of guys he was blowing the whistle on.

Wood was on the 1984 Olympic gold medal team (he would have played against Jay Triano in Los Angeles) and was a former first round draft pick (10th overall, 1984) by the Sixers.

Ran into him, Joey Crawford and Tony Brown after the worked the Portland game in a little decompression session back the hotel and he’s quite a good guy.

Soild ref, too.

And having played 274 NBA games, he will have had a lot longer career than a bunch of the guys on the court Friday night.

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What’d they write about in Denver?

Glad you asked.

You can find out right here.

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In keeping with a burgeoning tradition of telling stories about the city and team the Heroes Of The Hardcourt are facing next, here’s a little Miami yarn.

(And it’s a tradition that’s burgeoning because, quite frankly, there’s not much to say about THOTH every day right now. You like it?) Anyway, it’s a Sam Mitchell story so it’s pretty good and I’ll un-X rate it if I must.

Not sure of the year but they’re down there for a game and they’re getting drilled pretty badly, as I recall.

There have been some suspect calls throughout the game, at least in the opinion of the aggrieved S. Mitchell and, finally, he snaps.

Gets him tossed out of the game and I guess he figures that if he’s going to go, he’s going out with a bang.

He walks about 15 feet on to the court and points directly at each of the three officials, who are spread out over the floor. He points at each of them and says:

“Bleep you.

“Bleep you.

“And bleep you.”

Now, among the people courtside is a bigwig league official who was there on a playoff site survey checking out the arena and to this day, when I see that guy at an all-star game or finals, he tells he remains a it afraid of Our Man Sam.

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Okay, since the plan tonight is for a leisurely evening around the lounge at the Miami airport Marriott (flight gets in late evening, I’m not a beach guy, room rates were through the roof, early flight Monday so why not just stay there), I’ll have some time to do some mail.

So here’s one last call for your submissions.

Make ‘em good, please. No rants, nothing with “here’s my long-winded diatribe and what I think. Your thoughts?” and I’m not doing Bosh sign-and-trade stuff.

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Want good news? Chicago didn’t win.

Didn’t play, but still …

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Comments

[JHP]

Looked like a decent game to me. Your co-worker really needs to layoff Bosh. They lost by 1 point and provided a pretty entertaining game. And staying or going he has done his time and earned the right to make the call. Maybe he should be looking at the other under achievers who sadly are going to be staying. In professional sport not many players spend their entire career with one team and to be honest Chris deserves to be on a more successful team. Maybe he should of wrote an article on how the team played without Hedo. One of the cast of characters that will be back next year.

[coachd]

Hi Doug,

I don't usually disagree with you, but last night's loss can be directly connected with how poorly Bosh played. Denver's best player came through and Toronto's didn't. I'm not talking about the missed free throws at the end of the game, but his overall play was way way below par. Everytime he touched the ball everything came at a standstill. He still had his moments, like all great players do, but in key moments he just looked disinterested and selfish out there. He called out his teammates and they came through last night. Too bad he didn't.

[thedudeabides]

(And yes, Chris Bosh had a tough finish with missed free throws and bobbled balls and a couple of missed drives and jumpers and he could have been better. Let’s talk about something else).

why?

[Penny]

Hi Doug - I really enjoyed the game last night. Like you say a close game is nice to watch, win or lose but of course, a W is nicer. I don't usually criticize Jay but I think he made a few crucial mistakes last night. Jose should have been in for JJ much earlier in the 4th Quarter when the lead went from 10 points to 2 and Calderon should have been on the floor at the 33 second mark to set up the offense for their last shot. As well either AB or Amir should have been on for the last play. After all AB had 15 rebounds and Amir had 10. We had such a small lineup on that we didn't have much chance in that last scrum.

[LeeZ]

Since you have asked us not to talk about Bosh's problems, I won't bring up the fact that the guy just seems plain lost out there, and for some time now. I won't bring up the fact that he seems a step slower, with no lift in his legs, and seems confused as to how and where to get his offence going. But since you didn't ask us not to talk about Jack, I'll gladly bring up the fact that he too seems lost and confused on the offensive end. It's as though he's taken his demotion to heart and wants to reinvent himself as a ball distributor. Clearly, he's not. He's driving less, and when he does drive, he's making ill-advised passes in traffic that get picked off. He needs to get back to what he does best: drive and FINISH at the hoop, and take uncontested jumpers. Jay left him in far too long in the fourth quarter, and that -- along with that guy you don't want us to talk about -- cost the Raps the game. Which is too bad, because I agree with you, they showed a lot of life last night.

[Filip T]

hey doug,
this weekend is the busiest weekend of the year in miami because of the winter music conference....enjoy rubbing elbows with some of the top DJ's in the world. hope youre not planning on getting any sleep

[erc]

Nice, syrupy medium-winded tome. Just what we needed. Kind of like Nero's violin rendition of 'Some Enchanted Evening' in the midst of a slight fire problem.
That nasty old Feschuk sure doesn't mince words. From reading the blog lately, the natives seem to agree. However, as we all know, they're just knee-jerk jerks who need to pay their way in to see a game. Not Feschuk of course, he's a pro, but those ordinary Joe-types that sometimes clutter up your view of the basketball landscape.
Yes, it's wonderful news that the Bulls stink too.
It's great that the Raps decided to put a little effort into a game. That should hold them for a few more games til the anguished screams again force them to actually, uh compete. Why do their backs always have to be against the wall for them to give an honest day's work for a year's pay, unless of course, they really don't give a carp.
Life is pretty darn good in Raptorland, if you have a long term, multi-million dollar contract or you're the resident beat grunt.
How about a short rendition of 'Devil Went Down to Georgia'. Fits better.

[Gene O]

Tough loss, too many turnovers ( Bosh 5), but it was a fun game to watch. I like the rotation without Hedo in the mix. The worst thing about Hedo is that he takes floor time away from the "young guns"

[SS]

Effort is contagious and what you saw lastnite was great effort on all fronts because when you have one guy (Hedo) who is not consistent with his energy or desire it rubs off on guys like Andrea who is weaker willed than most guys. I was so hurt by the loss but I was really proud of them guys! Btw keep Wright and Weems in the starting five, it balances it out a lot better than before.

[AT]

Tough luck. But if the raptors were playing the way they did against the nuggets every night, and were still losing, the frustration level of the fans would not be so high. but hopefully by playing so good against one of the best teams in the league will give them a boost they need down the stretch.

Great Smitch story Doug, keep 'em coming!!

[jimt]

2 crazy shots by billups n melo,wow,made for a great game,tough break for us.
good lineup change,any word on turkeyflu?

[John]

Let's talk about something else? That's lame Doug. The Bosh story deserves some ink right now. Dave provided a fair and reasoned piece (for once) and you dismiss the issue outright?

Blogger's note: You don't think it's getting enough ink? I do. And you can only hammer one nail so often before it gets boring.

[Paolo Porra]

Doug I'm in a sort of honeymoon with your comments today.
In your usual and polite way you did not agree with the coaching management of the game's end. I do too. CARPE DIEM has to be the coaches's philosophy on sports. Andrea best rebounder? Let him play in the last seconds! OK if we loose with him nobody could say anything, but ..... HE DID NOT PLAY! Bargnani could grabe that rebund, could block the Carmelo's shot, could do ..... Triano is a real gentleman but they need a soldier's instructor with easy solutions and some offensive play for someone not named CB. What's about Bosh? He has solid stats, he is a strong player and a nice guy but he is not a leader. The too Bosh-centric system of the Raptors has created an only other offensive logic in wich every player is authorized to take crazy and selfish shots. Hierarchies must be clear in a team and for Raptors, behind Bosh, each player can play how he prefers without a real basketball logic. So I continue to blame Triano for not killing Wright who's taking 12 threes in 2 games or Calderon not watching Williams for minutes and minutes and for not feeding the 2nd team's scorer (Bargnani) when he has many advantages on mismatches during the season. Is Andrea asking to play 10 meters far from basket? Say to him where he has to stay! Is it a Triano choice? Change your system may be since october! Now it is late but you can save your minimum season's objective the playoff. Next year I'd like a different coach, less polite, more aggressive an with a dream in his mind. I'm italian and I love Messina, nothing more to say!

[Ted S.]

LOL Great Smitch story! High school coaches can only dream of being able to express their "feelings" so vividly.

I loved the team's effort and wing play last night. I'll continue to beat the Weems drum. I wonder if Jay considered using Johnson late last night. He's been rebounding all-season, not just the odd night (Kudos to AB last night though). In addition, Amir has the mobility in lose ball situations.

I didn't miss Turk for a second.

[Leonardo]

You right Doug. It was very strange not having Andrea on the court in the last play of the game. Yesterday the best Rebounder of the team. We will never know how the game could finish with him on the court, but we know that was a bad call by Triano.
I like Jay but yesterday his decision was not that brilliant.

[norm]

Hey Doug,
Do you remember perchance if the Raps ended up winning that game after Mr. Mitchell so kindly explained his feelings to those three officials? Quick follow-up, do those outbursts generally help/hurt a team in the long run?

Blogger's note: I'm sure they lost

[Tiger]

Did you mean "he tells he remains a BIT afraid of Our Man Sam"?
Other than that, the daily recountings are a nice addition.

(And sadly they are the most interesting thing going in Rapsland these days, not because THOTH are losing, but because that bunch has pretty much answered all the questions I had about them ... but I digress... )

What this new feature needs is a spiffy moniker, hopefully something much better than "Brushes with Dougness of Yore" or "Free Throes" or "Raps Wrap" (i.e. much, much, much better).

[Matt M]

Good game by the Raps. I was thinking the same thing as you (Doug) on that final possession but instead had Amir instead of Bargnani. But now that your point with Bargnani does make more sense. I was also thinking that Triano might have been worried about Amir or Bargnani getting switched onto Carmelo on that last possession. Maybe.

It was nice to see Bargnani playing with his heart on his sleeve. It was nice to see him not let the shooting slump to begin the game not affect his defense lor rebounding. I had given up on him for the first time in his career after that last slump. Now he need

[James Online]

Played a major role in bringing the Raptors back into the game in the second quarter. Great shooting from all over the court. Again, had the best +/- on the floor for the Raptors, a plus five in a loss! Tough nosed defense (watch the tape, his man rarely scores).

Who? Marco Belinelli. Play him 30+ minutes and you'll have another 20+ scorer on the floor every night.

When Marco plays, the ball moves much better. Good passing isn't just about assists. It's about moving the ball to advantage and keeping the defense guessing. Raptors' stand-around-throw-it-to-Bosh offense does not lend itself to ball movement, but when Marco's out there the offense is much more varied and dynamic.
Did anybody miss Turkoglu?
Antoine Wright is 1 for 12 on threes in last two games and his defense is WAY over rated.

[JT]

Doug,
I've put together an unscientific tally of 9 games now (over the course of the 7.5 weeks) that I've watched from start to finish (not missing an second of play). I've counted a total of 24 rebounds where Bargs and at least 1 other teammate went for the rebound and Bargs ended up letting his teammate take the board from him. Basically, instead of being strong and just grabbing the board, he takes a quick peak and lets whoever it may be (Bosh, Wright, Jack, Weems, DeRozan, Turk, Johnson, etc.) rebound it (even when the board was coming right to him). So by my count, that's 2.67 rebounds a game where Bargs easily could have gotten a rebound but instead, he let some other teammate take it. He's averaging 6.2 rebounds per game right now so you add in the 2.7 and all of a sudden, he's at a very very respectable 8.9 rebounds a game.

[Disco]

Doug, why dont you just write your own Q&A? These rules on what we can ask you are ridiculous... if you cant handle the questions dont ask for them. Bosh has a bad game and you dont want us to mention it? Job getting a little too tough for you? Your job is to tell us some insight and opinion, let us do the same.

Blogger's note: From the department of missing my point, you can talk about anything you want, I really don't mind.

[JHP]

Hope you are enjoying Miami. I worked in the area for 6 years and the weather was always better then Chicago :-((( Speaking of Chicago I took in the first 3 quarters of the Bulls/Heat game. Hard to look bad in winning by 30 but they did make it look effortless. Suspect Toronto is in for a test tomorrow. By the way did Hedo make the trip ?

Blogger's note: Sorry, don't know on Hedo yet; they haven't flown but I'm at the airport

[Matt G]

i get the request to talk about something else, but sheesh it would be damn nice if:
a) they varied their play calls in those crunch time possessions
b) the man who's about to leave town actually protected the bleeping ball in a way that makes me think he knows everyone including the mikki moore's of the world have figured out how to defend him
c) the players could play that hard every game so that it would be easier to swallow losses like last night

[sm]

Some thoughts -
James Online has a man crush on Marco -
Antoine can't shoot from from three point range -
Dave Feshuk isn't a fence sitter when it comes to his like/dislike of CB4 -
I like Weems on the floor at the start of the game -
DD was pretty good off the bench -
Andrea - when awake, can be a pretty good rebounder -
The Raps are an inconsistent lot - but can keep up with the best of them when they actually - PLAY Hard.....Just too bad the effort isn't always there -

[dave]

wow disco chill. I thought the Bosh line was fine. Do you really think Bosh wont be the best Raptor next game or that it is time for off season chit chat? DF likes to stir the pot and that's fine but we dont all have to jump into the hot tub. As has been made clear here, a one and done makes the sign and trade a likely road (that would be the time for a top 5 of teams for the s&t). No one wants that, enjoy the ride.