And another return comes and goes

Glad that’s over?

Not nearly as bad as it’s been – I actually saw a few people standing and cheering when Bosh came on the floor, which nice – but it’s nice to have that night out of the way.

What I wonder is when – or if – we’ll feel as much energy in the building supporting the home side as we did in the fourth quarter.

Anyway …

-

THREE POINTERS

Trying whatever it takes

We all know that no one outside of Andrea or DeMar could make a shot to save their soul and Jay spent a lot of the night trying to get something going.

And that included playing all three bigs – Bargnani, Davis, Johnson – for a stretch of the fourth quarter. Didn’t work, but it didn’t kill them, either.

“We tried different guys in there, even tried going big to see if we could get one more scorer in there or at least get rebounds if we weren’t going to get that scorer.”

Not sure it’s going to be a regular thing, and I still don’t think it works for any extended period of time but desperate times called for desperate measures.

-

Bad math

If Jay had wanted to spend some of his hard-earned salary, he might have made the following point forcefully in his post-game media session:

In the fourth quarter, the Heat shot 17 free throws and the Raptors shot two.

I don’t think the officiating determined the outcome of the game but that’s a wide, wide, wide disparity that’s hard to believe, especially when the Raptors weren’t being predictably passive on offence.

-

And, finally …

One last Bosh-crowd thing, and it was bush league.

Knowing that the fans were going to boo, and having heard them boo when he ran onto the court, why in the world would whoever handles such things instruct the scoreboard video cameraman to take a close up of him during the playing of the American national anthem?

I’m pretty sure the guy singing really appreciated it.

-

Why would a guy who drives a plane do this?

Why would be sitting there on the plan about 20 minutes from departure time and listen to him say there’s one mechanical glitch that has to be looked at and that the mechanics would be over in 20 minutes to take look and then tell us an hour and 50 minutes later (after we’d de-planed and re-boarded) that we were ready to go.

Would that be because (a) he was making it up; (b) there’s a different time system in Indiana or (c) there were a lot of broken planes at the airport?

Anyone got a guess?

Anyway, given all the travel hell with me and Hoosier-land this season not having to go back is a good thing, methinks.

-

Not sure what they expected but there were a lot more uniformed police officers in the arena last night than for a usual game.

And I’m sure a whole bunch of undercover dudes.

But, all in all, it was a rather calm crowd in the vitriol department. And that’s good.

-

What’d they say in Miami about the comeback game?

This.

-

Now, I was probably never going to stop by the D League all-star game out in L.A. this weekend – I think I’d rather eat nails – but it’s cemented for sure now that I’m not going.

Because neither is Trey Johnson.

He told me last night he’s taking the weekend off to go home and see his family instead of playing in the game and I wonder if last night was the last night we’ll see him around the Raptors.

His second 10-day has expired, it’s time for the Raptors to either sign him for the rest of the year or let him go and I think they’re best suited with keeping an open roster spot until next Thursday’s trade deadline in case Bryan finds some one-for-two deal out there.

Not hearing too many trade rumbles – that’ll like pick up this weekend when a bunch of people are out west – but the flexibility is important.

And having watched the Raptors Not Named Bargnani go 1-for-8 from three-point range and realizing that they remain dead last in the NBA in that skill, if Bryan’s got even a wee tiny deal cooking, it’s got to be for someone with shooting range.

-

Here’s one from the mail that gets to a pet peeve of mine, too.

Q; Doug, dude, it bothers me to see guys hugging and shaking hands of opponents before tipoff. Is this beyond the coaches control or do they condone this? Is there any team that doesn't participate in this ritual? I have no problem with players being friends but think that pleasantries should be exhibited in private, not on the battlefield. It just looks wrong.

Mike S, Rexdale

A: I suppose some hard-ass coach could forbid his players from fraternizing as openly as they do but that might be counter-productive and tick them off unnecessarily and coaches have bigger issues to worry about anyway.

But it was interesting to hear Jose last night after the game. He’s probably Bosh’s best friend on the Raptors and someone asked him if he’d talked to Chris before the game.

“Just wished him good luck and maybe now I’ll talk to him a little bit. I think maybe it wasn’t the moment at the beginning of the game.”

I think that’s the way it should be done.

-

Wrote about this during the game but for those who missed it, a classic moment unfolded about a row or two behind us.

There was this kid just killing Bosh, about how soft he is and that he sucks and he should retire and it was incessant.

Kid was really loud and ticked off about Bosh’s mere presence.

Might have been taken a little bit more seriously if he wasn’t wearing a Bosh No. 4 Eastern Conference all-star jersey when he was screaming at him.

-

Speaking of mail, I’d appreciate some.

Thank you very much, hit the button here and do your stuff.

-

All right, I wonder what Air Canada will have in store for me today? Check with later this morning before the noon flight to the fun and hilarity that is all-star weekend.

-

 

 

 

Comments

[DMcCalgary]

Doug,
I'm not one of those people who come here to spew that you don't know what you're talking about. I've been coming to this place since it's birth and enjoy your writing as well as many irregulars. That being said, I have a couple of bones to pick.
-
Your comment in todays blog that bad officiating didn't determine the outcome of the game. With the wide disparity in foul calls, and some very glaring examples of bad calls (Amir's clean block turned into a foul, Bayless foul for letting LeBron fall from his own momentum, etc.), how do we know the outcome wasn't "encouraged" by the refs. We see far too much of this stuff, and all we ever get from the league is that they have someone reviewing every game. Nothing changes though. In almost every NBA game, there are different rules for the stars, and dare I say, often for the preferred team. It may not be mandated by the league, but the refs keep doing it, and nothing is done.
-
In last nights in game blog, someone asked if you thought Bargnani wanted the win more than Bosh. Your response was "No, no, no. A thousand times no. Everyone on the court wants to win; there really is no difference". No difference? Really? What makes champions, if not a Ray Allen or a Steve Nash working harder in practice than anyone else? What explains players often having their best games against former teams, if it's not wanting it more than other games? We all wish that players were all consistent, but the difference between winning and losing is often wanting it more. Perhaps I'm misunderstanding your response?

[D-Mac Ottawa]

@Eddy, Hearing you call someone else a whiner is pretty amusing. That's all.
Cheers. Go Raps!

[doug]

you know how Bosh comes across to me..I was watching the post-game presser with LeBron,Wade and himself and first off they seem like frat boys, immature and oblivious to what's around them, just in their own world...but Bosh it struck me reminds me of this kid we all knew when we younger, that is nice enough on his own, pleasant to be around etc...but since he can't do it on his own, he becomes accepted into the "cool" crowd, and becomes one of them..the shy, quiet respectful kid becomes emboldened and his true colours come out...no longer a likable kid, he's arrogant, and thinks he's reached heights he strived for but couldn't on his own, Bosh is that kid, with his new best friends he thinks he's at the top...but as the after game kiss to the fans shows , he's still just that lost little boy, trying to please and fit in,but just doing the wrong things for the wrong reasons... trying to please the wrong people now, his "cool "new teammates..and he comes across as this wannabe tough cool guy as Durant hit the nail on the head and it looks just sad

that game was a good one, Barg's,DD, E.D, and Amir played very well...we need more offense from our point position, and although Jose has strengths he needs to hit these open looks he gets on a more regular basis...the difference in that game was our 3 guards Bayless,Barbosa,and Jose going a combined 3-19...not good, not good at all...

[sam]

I Think Eddy needs to adjust his priorities -
He Seems like a very angry boy.....

[Mel Preston]

Doug,
Are you surprised there was no 'video tribute' for Bosh on the scoreboard? Did BC mention that at all? I think MoPete got one - didn't he. And the Puck guys even gave one to Darcy Tucker (sigh). Maybe they'll do it for his second game back.Would put some closure on this I think - and show some class as an organization. We can cheer after the tribute - and go back to booing when the game is on - as he is now on the other side.

Blogger's note: The majority wouldn't have cheered a tribute in a thousand years

[Wallace]

Hi Doug,

Watching the press conference with the three wise men, you could almost believe that Bosh was sincere....until Wade made that comment about never wanting to play in a place like Toronto or Cleveland, and seeing Chris Bosh snickering and laughing behind him like a school boy.

As for the unbalanced refereeing in the NBA, I think that is now acknowledged by most observers as a fact.

[Kent]

please stop whining about the refs. If the Heat and the Raptors played on your driveway without refs or rules, the Heat would still win everytime.

[Lorie]

@DMcCalgary
I think that question from last night's IGBT was clearly asked and answered; no one player "wants" a win more than any other player. They all show up to win. The "wanting" is universal. The phrase "wanting more" is moot. What isn't is how each player is unique in turning the desire to win to its actualization. Andrea will say he wants to win every game. Ray Allen will say he wants to win every game. As will Chris Bosh. The goal, or rather, the desired end result, for each of those athletes is the same. What differs is the actions they take to try to make it happen. Oh...and Karma. The Bitch.

[Mike kovacs]

I was unable to see any of the game last night but it is good to see AB continuing to do well in the 4th quarter. Jose is due to turn around his shooting slump.

[plk]

I'm kind of surprised at how some people get on the players for their pre-game hugs and handshakes. This to me just seems like a very sportsmanlike tradition, maybe like the NBA's version of the post-playoff series handshakes in the NHL.

[SF]

NBA officiating makes watching difficult sometimes. I'm pretty sure, for the most part, the officials try to keep things balanced for both sides, which inevitably leads to calling non-fouls to make up for bad earlier calls. Which is absurd to me, but besides that, you look at last night and I think a bias was quite obvious. Let them play. How can you stop the flow of the game by calling a foul on a 6-19 200 pounder touching finger tips with another 6-8 250 pounder. I just don't see much consistency when it comes to officiating in this league. And I can't believe that people are not up in arms over it. There should never, ever, ever be a non-contact foul called. It detracts so much from the game IMO.

[Penguin]

Officiating in the NBA the worst and most biased of any major professional sport? Yes I know that plate umpires in baseball tend to give the benefit of the doubt to pitchers and hitters who they believe have control of the strike zone, but that pales by comparison to the way NBA refs favor the stars and star teams every night. It's really frustrating to watch some games.
What do you think, Doug?

Blogger's note: I think NBA basketball is the hardest sport in the world to officiate

[doug]

this whole discussion about athletes wanting to win as much as the next guy is a interesting one...we tend to in my opinion to put athletes and teams into this separate sub-section, sub-culture of society...to me a team is no different then a corporation or a small company...within the team at a small company you have go-getters, people that sincerely want the company to grow, or employees that are strictly the 9-5'er's that do their jobs well, but have nothing personally invested in the company, then you have the types, that get caught up in the politics, promotions etc. and can become a albatross or a negative influence...the list goes on, and having been a part of many teams the dynamics are the same, so to say everyone wants to win as much as the next guy is a fallacy, they don't...people are all wired differently and have different strings being pulled at different times and for some wanting to win or trying their hardest is not part of their mindset...athletes and teams are no different then other walks of life...people are people...I think the bigger statement is people want or hope that the members of their favorite teams want to win, and care as much as they as a "fan" do, hence a Carter example, to go to a graduation ceremony on the day of a 7th game in the playoffs is unfathomable to "fans" and some players, coaches...those kind of acts illicit strong reactions from fans as they I feel, feel betrayed...it shows a lack of caring, and better yet shows that Carter was and always will be a "9-5'er" nothing invested, does his job with no emotional attachment and goes home at the end of the day, different level of commitment then a "go-getter" (Garnett, Kobe,Allen,Jordan) who want to win at all costs and in doing so make the company or team more successful, they bring others along with them, willingly or unwillingly....to me sport just mirrors the life we live when you get down to the basic human characteristics...

[Lyndon]

Did it seem to anybody else that LBJ seemed disinterested in scoring last night and was instead deferring to CB? It felt like maybe the Heat players were trying to make sure Bosh had a special night back at home.

[Smalahove]

Why blame the pilot? If he gets an indication from his instruments that the plane is malfunctioning, he notifys the airline's dispatcher. Everything that happens after that is on the company, not the pilot. Methinks the pilot has been Boshed.

[Gerald]

I thik people make far, FAR too much of the hugging thing that NBA players do, although I can say that I once looked askance at it.

The reality of it is that, contrary to how gentlemen of a ... um ... more advanced age (and I am well placed among that category) deal with social niceties, the hugs that are distributed among players at an NBA game are simply refelctive of how young men greet each other as friends in this day and age. They do not stick their hands out from a distance and deliver a firm handshake; Rather, they grasp their hands and pull themselves closer to touch their shoulders or upper bodies. The degree of that upper body touch is a function of the closeness of the friendship, but even mere acquaintances do it.

When you think about it, it is pretty codgerly to take issue with it. It would be akin to old men in the 70s or 80s chastising us for slapping palms or givnig high fives, instead of the old-school handshake.

Incidentally, the teams shake hands before pro soccer matches as well.

[Richard]

Hey Doug,

I don't always catch the IGBT, but I just checked out last night's and it was very entertaining. Great perspective offered up and good snark, when required.
Nice work.

I haven't gone through today's blog or comments yet but I'm anticipating a barn-burner.

[Steve]

Hi Doug, I watched the press conference on Raptors TV last night, and noticed that it seemed like Bosh had some choice words about Jay Triano during it, with regards to saying hello or something to the fact. Can you elaborate on what he said? Thanks.

Blogger's note: Nothing, really. Some obtuse comment about Jay not shaking his hand before the first game in Miami

[HopeCaper]

Thanks Doug, great job as usual. I was disappointed that TO booed Bosh. He has said nice things about the city, Canada and even had a press conference he obviously didn't want to do to clarify all of the "digs" he reportedly made. Bosh maintains the digs were taken out of context and reiterated how positive he felt about his time with the Raps and some people still couldn't get around it. I don't think we should be surprised considering many of these "haters" didn't like him when he was here. They are hanging onto every slur and misquote they can drum up in his direction. Well they are entitled to their opnions no matter how wrong they are. I don't really hear a whole lot of Bosh is soft in Florida.

Have a good one.

[GM]

Doug, here's a possible assignment that I'm sure would get big readership around the league (if someone doesn't beat you to it): It's clear that a lot of people have problems with NBA officiating. The league even acknowledges it by having Ronnie Nunn do a spot on NBA TV each week. So why not do a big story getting the real and honest opinions of players, coaches, scouts, management from lots of teams? Now, with Big Brother Stu Jackson watching over, and the fear of financial retribution from the league, you'd have to assure your interview subjects that they would only be identified as "an eastern conference executive" or "one western conference player", etc. But that way you'd get them talking freely. It seems that many players and coaches want desperately to talk about the officials, but even if they say the slightest thing they'll be fined. This way, the powers-that-be wouldn't know who to fine. And they couldn't touch you (or could they? They wouldn't rescind your credentials for something like that, would they?) And you could even include positive comments because, as you say, basketball is the hardest sport to officiate. Do it, Doug! I think it would be a must-read. It wouldn't have to be a sour grapes thing, either, because I'm sure players like LeBron have issues with the refs, too. Just different issues. It would be interesting to hear what everyone thinks honestly. It's your Pulitzer Prize moment!

[The J]

I know it's all about the win and nothing else should matter, but watching this team push the mighty Heat to the limit was pretty exciting. I mean, a lot of times the better teams looks past the weaker one. But you know Bosh was motivated, and Lebron even said they would be extra motivated, so this means the Raps pushed a superstar heavy, powerful and MOTIVATED team to the limit. There are no real moral victories, just wins, but that still felt pretty good. It would just be nice if they could find this kind of motivation for all games, not just the bigger ones.

The other thing, which I talked about the other day, is I still kind of felt that the Heat won, but in some ways Bosh didn't. He had a decent night, but didn't kill us like Vince, or how Lebron did to Cleveland. It was Wade who took it to the Raps all game, and Lebron who put the game away. But Bosh seemed to almost dissapear in the 4th. Meanwhile his understudy Bargnani was hitting baskets right in his face, while Amir and even rookie Ed Davis dominated him on the glass. In fact last time the Raps lost to the Heat when they had a full roster, Bosh was on the bench while Bron and Wade were putting the game away. Too bad the Heat beat us, but good thing Bosh didn't. Hopefully the Raps get them next time, and I'm not just saying that because I have tickets to the next one.

I wonder from Doug and those at the game, the kisses to the audience, did they seem more like a thank you or a "embracing the villain" FU to the crowd? On TV I couldn't get a sense, though I noticed some people clapping while he walked off.

So I guess I can't ask if the Raps should sign Pops anymore? That sucks. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to stick to asking when Reggie will be back. BTW, when will Reggie be back?

[vank]

"Why would be sitting there on the plan about 20 minutes from departure time and listen to him say there’s one mechanical glitch that has to be looked at and that the mechanics would be over in 20 minutes to take look and then tell us an hour and 50 minutes later (after we’d de-planed and re-boarded) that we were ready to go."

Hey Doug, I suggest watching 30 Rock. There is a humorous episode that explains this problem quite well :)

[kelsey]

@ Gerald That was a great break down, That is the way many of us greet even people we arent friends with but know. Its not a love fest. I like the comment of another poster who mentioned if they should be like hockey players and try to "kill" each other running 30ft away full speed guy back turned into boards, or how about punching a guy in the back of head when not looking.Oh yeah thats great!!

Back to Raptors. Bargnani great offensive game, but I just cant stand a 7ft player who goes a half no rebs,3rd qtr 1 and total of 4??????14 in last 3 games. I know he scores but nothing else, very fustrating..

Really Amir, Ed Davis and DeRozan that is the future, everyone else can and should be looked at to be moved. Barbosa can stay as a back up, Calderon, Bayless,Weems,Klezia, Bargnani, Evans can all be moved (i know it wont happen) but wow...Need a new Regime!!!!!

[If you see someone vandalizing the train...call a helicopter]

Re: The Pilot Lying.

The pilot has some type of indication pop up that needs to be cleared or deferred (If deferring it is possible) before they can depart. When the mechanic arrived/troubleshot the problem the issue must've persisted, requiring further work to be done. Often times with aircraft you will clear one problem only to have another pop up right away and even if it is only an indication light, the issue must be resolved prior to departure, which makes it very difficult to actually guess when an aircraft will be ready.

In this case the pilot was going off the fact that the initial issue may have only taken 20 mins to resolve.

[Keith Wagar]

It's time that the NBA brass (Davis Stern) stop protecting referees by fining every coach or manager who criticizes them. Let team officials tell it like it is! If they think they are being hosed by officials say it!