Now how do you feel about the Celtics?

Good morning Celtics, er, I mean Raptors fans.

How’s things?

Much better than yesterday morning, I imagine.

And this will make it even better. Really, it will.

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THREE POINTERS

Sign of things to come?

I’m sure you all noticed that the Raptors used Hedo Turkoglu at power forward for a big chunk of last night and, you have to admit, it worked pretty well.

Eight more rebounds, eight more points (on six shots) and four assists but, most important, it created matchup problems that allowed Andrea and Amir to get going as well. There just seems to be more space for the bigs to operate when Turk takes a four out to the top to run pick-and-roll stuff.

I know it’s only being done because Bosh isn’t around and they are concerned about putting Reggie out for extended minutes because sometimes the offence bogs down when he’s on the court.

But it has looked good and I’m sure you’ll see more of it tomorrow night when the Knicks go with one of their unorthodox lineups at times.

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Strong finish

You know these Raptors aren’t among the greatest of teams at finishing quarters, right? Sometimes concentration wanes in the final couple of minutes and what was a comfortable lead shrinks, the other guys get some momentum and games change.

That’s why it was it was quite unusual to see how the final 2:30 of he first half ended last night.

A Charlie V bucket had cut a 15-point deficit to nine, the Pistons seemed to have some life (and that’s a relative term because they really didn’t play with any intensity at all) and it was “oh, oh” time for Toronto.

Well, Jay calls a timeout, they get an open look for Turk to knock down a three on the ensuing possession, Andrea hits one the next trip and they end up finishing the half with a 12-point lead.

Might have saved an awful lot of angst and, perhaps, the game.

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Shudder at the thought

There was a moment in the third quarter when the Pistons were trying to junk up the game a little bit by pressing and trapping and swarming the Raptors for 94 feet.

And when I looked up at one point and saw DeMar dribbling against the pressure in the backcourt, my immediate reaction was to close my eyes.

Now, the kid might eventually be very good, I don’t know for sure, but right now he is hardly Meadowlark DeRozan and the last thing he should be doing is dribbling against pressure.

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A wee bit more? If you insist.

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And this, courtesy of my good friend Mr. Bonnell, is why I respect Larry Brown:

“The Chicago game is going to be different. If that game means something to Chicago and Toronto, I think for the integrity of the league, we’ve got to have all our players available.”

Brown’s Bobcats didn’t use everyone in their win Monday in New Jersey because, as Brown said:

“I know New Jersey is not going to be in the playoffs so I don’t feel as bad not playing everybody.”

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You know I’m not the biggest fan of the extraneous, um, stuff that goes on at NBA games, the in-host screamers, the zany contests, the sponsored this and the sponsored that.

Well, I saw one schtick last night that was hilarious. And should be mimicked in Toronto somehow.

During one of the late breaks, the played Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing at somewhere near ear-splitting decibels as part of a “singing bee” where they scroll the words on the bottom of the scoreboard screen, flash a camera on fans, who have to sing. But while they do it, a huge majority of the fans are singing, too.

It was great.

I know it’s not original (bless my Sweet Caroline-warbling Red Sox fans) but it’s really funny if the crowd plays along. Now, maybe that’d be an issue in Toronto, I don’t know. But they should try it with some song that’s got a catchy tune and that you can dance to.

Oh, and when they put the camera on Jack and Matt, I almost laughed out loud.

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How are the Bulls feeling?

Let’s ask KC.

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Okay, so you’ve had the defensive players and all-defensive team and the three post-season all-star teams.

Here’s how one ballot would fill out a few other categories

(and I’m saving MVP, rookie and coach until tomorrow because that might be a slow day)

Most improved

Marc Gasol, Memphis; Aaron Brooks, Houston; George Hill, San Antonio

This is a tough one because it’s so nebulous. Does a guy get better because he gets more minutes? Or does he get better because he improves his game in every facet? I think Gasol did the latter.

Sixth man

Jamal Crawford, Atlanta; Manu Ginobili, San Antonio; Jason Terry, Dallas.

Not particularly difficult, in my opinion; this one could be a landslide.

Executive of the year

John Hammond, Milwaukee; Steve Kerr, Phoenix; Donnie Nelson, Dallas.

This is actually voted on by NBA GMs but we know they need all the help they can get.

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Hey, the folks at Canada Basketball need your help still. Remember a few weeks back, I mentioned they were doing this easy-for-you fund-raising gig where you text a number and make an automatic $5 donation?

How easy is that?

Well, it’s still going on, they’ve got a lot of world championship mouths to feed this summer and every little bit helps.

Click here. Do it. You’ll feel good about it. Promise.

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I have a new favourite NBA broadcaster, hands down.

Brent Barry of NBA TV.

No question about.

I did a little hit with him, Eric Snow and Matt Viner before the game and before they even starting grilling me about the Raptors and Bosh and all things Toronto, Brent says he loves Grunt TV!

How could you not love the guy? Seriously.

And, by (semi) popular demand, it’ll return tomorrow for giggles.

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You’ll note, by reading this story out of today’s Boston Globe, that they’re talking a good game around the Celtics about everybody playing and playing hard and needing to finish strong because they’re still in a tight race with Atlanta for third and fourth in the conference.

We, as they say, shall see because last week when the Cs were in town one of the bigwigs I was talking to suggested it was hard to get ‘em motivated because they were waiting for the post-season and, despite what they say, weren’t all the concerned whether they finished third or fourth.

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Okay, long drive, lots of scribbling to do once I get back, have yourselves a fine day.

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Comments

[Joel]

Hey Doug,

I wonder if Michael Jordan is going to have any influence on how the Bobcats come out on Wednesday? Am I silly for thinking that it might matter to him whether Chicago wins or loses, and that it could affect the Raps' chances as a result?

[Omar]

A couple of comments...one more for your editor, and one regarding a statement you made above.

1) Someone needs to fact-check your colleague's work...the other Raps article today stated:

"They were laughing at, among other things, the fact that Charlie Villanueva guaranteed a Pistons win on Twitter on Monday afternoon. Villanueva, of course, is the Pistons forward who was traded here from Toronto a few years back, and word of his words seemed to breathe a little life into the pre-game locker room."

But, as we know, CV was not traded to Detroit, but ended up there as a free agent well after he had been traded by Toronto. And, yes, laughable comment. Very happy to have traded him then, though I'm sure he's a nice guy. CV and Ben Gordon - and their contracts - must make Detroit fans squeamish.

2) Brent Barry may have a future on TV, and is much more eloquent than Eric Snow (who may have a ton of knowledge, but presents like he played: average, and boring). That being said, not sure if you caught their post-game discussion, but it was surely the most awkward 5 minutes of debate, where neither one would back down - Barry saying he was impressed by the Raps' bounceback, and Snow arguing he could not give credit to a team that laid down against their critical opponents the night before. It eventually culminated in Barry saying, "I know you guys are wearing your Bulls underwear and all," which highlighted a display of on-screen animosity I have rarely seen on sports telecasts. Cue the crickets...

[Matty-Pix]

I was hoping we could get Charlie V to predict a win for the Bulls tonight!!!

[Mark]

Hey Doug, if the Boston Celitcs are a "high-mileage luxury vehicle" as the Boston Globe suggests what do you think that makes the raptors?

[Andrew]

Have you met John Barry? he comes off as such a jerk on ESPN...

[pn]

Any word on Sonny Weems' ankle?

[Matt M]

I think that power forward may end up being Turks default position, especially when the match up is right. It would certainly help his mobililty problems agains quicker forwards. Besides how many forwards have a really good post up game anymore anyways? Then again, maybe he should get a lot stronger this summer before before it would work.

[Ted S.]

Toronto fans know, perhaps better than most, that talk is cheap. I'll judge Boston and Charlotte by their actions. As you mentioned, they are talking a good game. I hope their players are listening.
.
As for the Raps, keeping the pressure on the Bulls is the only thing we can control. Kudos to AB and Amir as well as very steady PG play from both guys.
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When will we hear about Sonny's injury? It seems to me that he (and DeMar) are a big reason we want to make the play-offs and have that intense battle experience.

[Craig]

Hey Doug - funny to see you write Marc Gasol in for the Most Improved Player.

When I suggested that in December (January?) you were adamant that it was no, and that Jeff Green would certainly out-improve Gasol light.

Guess Green's season didn't pan out like you envisioned?

Blogger's note: In a shocking development, things changed in four months. Go figure. Gasol's improved

[Blake Kennedy]

But...Doug, this just isn't right, you praising Larry Brown. After all, just 12 days ago on TheFAN 590 Bryan Colangelo said defensive-minded coaches don't last in the NBA, and said basketball is a "pretty" game. I can't think of a coach who better fits that profile than that fraud Larry Brown, who only exists to frustrate the true geniuses and artists of the sport, like Bryan Colangelo, whose resounding success surely speaks for itself.

I think we need to stop praising the Larry Browns of the world and their scorched earth approach to basketball, which ruins its inherent prettiness and start thinking more like Bryan Colangelo. And that is especially true when we are within Colangelo's earshot.

[Matty-Pix]

Not sure what's wrong with my math ... but by my count Boston is 1.5 games behind Atlanta for 3rd. So, let's say Atlanta loses it's final game and Boston wins both of their remaining games ... that leaves them tied, and Atlanta has won ALL four meetings with Boston, giving them the tiebreaker.
-I've seen it written all over the 'net this morning that Boston has something to play for, so I stand to be corrected ... but it seems their locked into #4.

[CC]

I missed your gig with the NBA TV people, is there any link in the web where we could see? Or better yet, maybe on the star website. Thanks Doug...

[Noslak]

The Atlanta Hawks have already locked up 3rd Place in the East as they swept the season series against the Celtics and are 1.5 games ahead of Boston.

Atlanta has 1 game left and Boston has 2 games left so there aren't enough games left for Boston to pass Atlanta.

So all this big talk by Boston is only posturing because they have absolutely nothing to play for right now and with an old banged up team, they will probably be resting almost everyone vs Chicago.

Plus, we know the NBA wants Chicago to make the playoffs so I can promise you that the officiating will NOT be on Boston's side for once.

Blogger's note: Actually, you're dead wrong, but thanks for making the point so vociferously

[Canmilin]

Maybe Doug can confirm this. Boston and Charlotte have really nothing to play for; Atlanta owns the tie-breaker over Boston and Milwaukee owns the tie-breaker over Charlotte. It's set that Boston is #4 and Charlotte is #7; If they want to play hard to preserve the integrity of the game or play hard to finish strong is a different story. The point is those games against the Bulls mean nothing to these two teams. All Raptors fans can hope for is Boston and Charlotte play a bit hard and Chicago blows it. The good thing is Chicago has been worse than the Raptors this season, at least I dont think the Raptors lost 10 in a row like Chicago did, so I would not be surprised at all that Chicago drops at least one game.

[Matty-Pix]

Hey Doug,
I posted earlier about the Hawks having the tiebreaker over Boston from their head-to-head record ... upon further research (maybe you already knew), in a tiebreaker, the edge would go to a division winner!
-so, maybe they will play against Chicago!

[jimt]

haha doug the jokes on you,the raps won only cause its detroit,lol.The best part was Charlie V guaranteeing a W on twitter lol what a twit.anyhoo chicago had recovered from some earlier injuries thus came out on top of the Boshless raps.
Also e.smith posted a twitpic of jack n matt singing(lets call it that)and yes your in the backround far from laughing out loud and more to the tune of napping :)
P.S please include SuperDog on GruntTV (sidekick desp needed)(name him brent 4 giggles).OOOOOOOOOOOOh and can u please link the NBATV interview u did.thx

[David]

Doug can you clarify? I thought the best Boston can do is tie Atlanta and Atlanta won the season series between them. Doesn't that mean Atlanta already has the 3rd see locked up?

Blogger's note: No, division winner prevails

[Mike Kovacs]

Doug are we going to find out after the season that Jose has been playing with a lingering injury? It only makes sense with respect to his play over the last part of the season which has not been up to his usual.

[Sean]

Hey Doug - is it not time for Jarrett to start permanently over Jose? He comes off the bench and consistently does better not just in points and defense but in basic PG stuff too like assists and playmaking. Why does Triano insist on starting him? The game last night, to me, was proof positive of who has more determination and fits in better on this squad.

[doug]

as i said yesterday Jose is better then the Jose we have seen lately, he excels in a slow, methodical offensive approach that utilizies ball movement and is based on a system....last night was, when the raps and Jose play the best they slow the offense down...

I think Bargs can really only be effectively coached by 6-7 coaches in the league....to coach Bargs you don't go into the game thinking he is going to play 35 minutes , starters minutes.....you have to watch him, if he is on a roll like last night you play him until he drops, if the bad Bargs shows up the cold shooting one, you take him out and play him 20 minutes a game, as he doesn't bring much else in terms of defense or rebounding......but to do that you need to have people skills as a coach or you'll lose him, to just say you'll play him x amount of minutes, starters minutes is wrong as he is a streak shooter, you hurt the team....Phil,Larry, Popovich,Sloan, Adelam, thrive in awarding guys for quality time and also not losing them as players when they sit them.....

Steve Kerr exec of the year??...for what realizing that maybe what the Suns were doing before he came was pretty good...it only took the Porter coach signing, the botched Shaq trade for him tos ee the light..let Nash play, defense be damned and let them play ball....so he gets a nod for exec of year I guess for comign to his senses...

saw the Pulitzers were awarded yesterday, that committee must not read blogs, I didn't see this blog being given its due....dam maybe next year....

[Steve G]

Wouldn't the best the Celtics can do be tie the Hawks? And therefore would still be fourth because the Hawks (if my memory serves) own the tie-breaker no?

Blogger's note: No, Boston would get third as a division winner

[Pipit]

any news on Sonny?

Blogger's note: Nope, nothing until tomorrow

[will]

we're playin the knicks on wednesday, not the kings. ;)

[Al/]

Hey Doug,

Any updates on Sonny? I hope it was nothing serious!

[Dan W]

I read on hoopsworld that a writer who gets to vote for mvp, decided not to vote for Lebron. It was due to the fact that he is sitting out games when he is healthy. If he sticks to that I will be happy to see Lebron not be the first unanamous mvp.