Good game, good new name, good all-star selections

How good a game was that?

Entertaining, close, fun to watch, lots to chat about in a micro-managing possession-by-possession manner but one of those when the season is over you might remember.

Wonder what they’ll have left in the tank for Orlando tonight?

All right, have at the usual fare, no IGBT tonight either, I’m afraid. Left to my own devices with Super Son, I can see a dinner/first half out night unfolding.

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THREE POINTERS

A make or miss league

No, not sure anyone can rag on Alan Anderson for taking a lot of shots early in the overtime, that’s what he does and anyone surprised hasn’t been paying much attention.

Is it right? Probably not. Is it best for team? Let’s just say that a lot of what Anderson brings his tremendously helpful and appreciated; there’s a whole lot of ball-sticking in his game that needs to be talked about. Yes, he’s a good defender and gritty and valuable to the rotation on this particular team. But the ball stops too often after he catches it.

But he can be criticized a bit for when he took them and from where. At least a couple of them came too early in the shot clock, one after just eight seconds, if my math is right.

There was no doubt that what the Raptors needed were solid, well-executed offensive possessions; they didn’t get nearly enough to them in those extra five minutes.

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Worst. Call. Ever.

I think perhaps even more than silly, bass-heavy, non-musical “music” being played during possessions, I might hate double fouls more than anything in the game.

The one last night – which was almost certainly a charge on DeRozan for putting his head down and barreling into Chris Bosh – was shocking.

One official had it a block, the other had it a charge and even after trying to talk it out, they took the chicken’s way out and gave each of them a foul.

Which, my nature of the rules, is impossible.

It’s a block or it’s a charge. Yes, it is the hardest call in the game but by its very nature, it has to be one of the other. Not both.

Not sure what the answer is: More replay or more forceful officials making their case after conversation but “double fouls” in those situations make no sense whatsoever.

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Making a move

Two Terrence Ross moments that show he might be getting it.

First basket: Jump shot. Off the dribble. Going left!

A very small thing but if you put on tape all the baskets Ross has made this season while dribbling and going left, I figure you get, um, one.

Next basket: See a somewhat stationary Shane Battier in front of him, a guy big enough to crowd him when he tried to shoot, he once again put the ball on the floor, went left, and dunked.

The kid is getting better almost every week.

(I’m not ready to say he’s made the DeRozan contract extension even sillier but we’re close).

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The more? There’s always more.

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You know what every team needs? A song.

Like this birthday boy and The Baseball Team I Used To Support.

Oh, and it’s Neil Diamond’s birthday today, too; he’s 72 and doesn’t look a day over 55 thanks to, well, thanks to modern medicine?

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Seriously.

Mail. Now. Please.

I do not want to have to get up at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning to have to finish it; I have most of Friday afternoon clear, plans for, perchance, a stool and some quiet time and I’d like to have a lot of it knocked off, thank you very much.

Click. Write. Send.

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Hey! They just said on the radio with the windchill it’s minus-26 C.

Come on, Super Dog, let’s go around the block!

Hope Cathal’s having fun in Florida. Really.

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Today’s the day Pelicans are born.

The New Orleans Pelicans become official according to about a billion reports yesterday and I’m all for the name change and cannot wait to see the logo.

The stories say the colour scheme is red, gold and blue and I bet it looks great.

I hate singular names like Jazz, Heat, Red Sox, White Sox, or what have you. They don’t lend themselves to either easy grammar or easy stuffed animals.

And Pelicans is one of those explainable (it’s the state bird, the city’s minor league baseball team used to have the name) and offbeat nicknames I just like.

Muskrats would be another good one, wouldn’t it?

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It’s that day again, the all-star reserves are being announced tonight after the head coaches voted for players in their conference but couldn’t choose guys from their own team.

The rules were pretty simple: Two guards, three “frontcourt” players and two wild cards who can play any position.

The East starters are Dwyane Wade, Rajon Rondo, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and Kevin Garnett and Garnett is the one I don’t think belongs but the fans apparently do.

In the West it’s Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin and Dwight Howard and I know fans love Dwight Howard but he wouldn’t make it as a reserve on my team if he wasn’t a starter.

Anyway, when looking over the possibilities, it was harder to figure out the West than the East but here’s what I came up with (and, yes, you should keep score tonight because there’s nothing I like better than to be told I’m wrong.

EAST

Guards

Jrue Holiday, Philadelphia; Kyrie Irving, Cleveland.

No, neither of their teams are sniffing the .500 level – and that’s a consideration of many coaches and I can see why. But both are having great, great seasons and I think the main snub would be Brooklyn’s Joe Johnson.

Frontcourt

Paul George, Indiana; Joakim Noah, Chicago; Tyson Chandler, New York.

Relative no-brainers all, aren’t they?

Wild cards

David West, Indiana, Al Horford, Atlanta.

Don’t think you can go to wrong with those two; I suppose Brook Lopez needs some consideration and will likely get some.

WEST

Guards

Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City; James Harden, Houston.

What’s the word I’m looking for? Oh yeah:

Duh!!!!

Frontcourt

Tim Duncan, San Antonio; Marc Gasol, Memphis; Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City.

Lots of good ones don’t get picked here, as I mentioned. I could probably be persuaded to trade Gasol for teammate Zach Randolph.

Wild cards

Stephen Curry, Golden State; LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland.

I know, I know. Where’s David Lee of the Warriors or Tony Parker of the Spurs or Utah’s Al Jefferson.

Told you the West was harder.

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Okay, halfway award winners in Nothin’ But Net later for more mockery.

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Comments

[Matt M]

Why would Ross's play make the DeRozan extension silly? I figured only DeRozan's play could do that,

[JT]

Boy, when DeRozan isn't giving you anything offensively, his defensive liabilities really come to light. I can't understand how an athletic and long DeRozan can be so bad against just about anyone he guards no matter size or match-up.

[D-Mac Ottawa]

What a game! The young guys are getting dangerouser and dangerouser. Just wondering, Doug, from the perspective of the Cushy Casa Couch, what you thought of the TSN camera work and graphics (again; as usual)... I know what I thought... Cheers. Go Raps!

Blogger's note: For a first game, not much to compare it to, really. Wasn't put off by the broadcast, was a bit confused about the periodic disappearance of the score/time "bug" in the bottom right of the screen, though

[Lorie]

Good Morning, Doug:
Thanks to a misspent youth reading everthing Enid Blyton wrote, I've long had a thing for Puffins. Plus the Atlantic Puffin is the provincial bird of Newfoundland and Labrador and its nickname is "Sea Rooster" - so already a relation to our mascot. Sort of. Right? And they have a unique growl they make when startled. That we fans could easily adopt. How cool would that be? And Neil Diamond is still fabulous in concert. Was one of those I was almost literally dragged to. And then ended up not wanting it to end. But the "youthfulness"? His face is nothing. Has anyone seen Barry Manilow lately. He's an absolute deadringer for his 18-year old granddaughter. If he had one. Hopefully he's sueing someone for the latest...ahh...adjustment. And a song? It's gotta be Blue Rodeo. Was thinking maybe 'Try'. Or 'Bad Timing' or even the one we all sing along to at their concerts 'Hasn't It Me Yet'...but they all seemed sort of, you know, unnecessarily negative. So how about this one? 'Cause trust is an important component of what makes a good team.
http://youtu.be/qXWMgcA5en0
Now, I'm off to walk to work. Yes, walk. By the time the vehicle warms up I could be there already. Twice over. And seriously, this -36C is nothing...we used to do it barefoot uphill twice a day, right, Doug? And, dammit, we liked it.

[Jerry]

End of the game, Raptors inbound after a timeout with about 36 seconds on the clock. Why not try to go two-for one?

Even the Heat announcers on league pass were dumbfounded... did we all miss something?

Blogger's note: Maybe could have tried to get a shot off in 3 or 4 seconds to have an even remote chance at a good end for a 2-for-1; maybe not. If it takes them six to shoot, Heat run down clock and take shot with six, it's two-three seconds before the ball goes in or is rebounded. Might have worked, might not have

[JHK]

@Matt M: Ross can shoot unlike Derozan, and he has springs on his legs in which he actually utilizes often. Ross is on rookie scale making 2 mill a year or something like that, where as DD is making 10 mill a year.

[SAS]

I honestly would've preferred Ross on the court than Derozen in the OT. Despite the mistakes Ross might make on defense, he still does a far better job staying in front of his man than DD does. I don't know, this is going to be interesting moving forward cause I see far more upside in Ross than Derozen considering how much more advanced he is at this stage of the game. Yeah he's a streaky shooter but he can shoot and he's an athletic beast. If he gets his handles better, then the skies the limit for this kid!

[William Burtoni]

Doug, I am still FUMING after last night's overtime. Never before have I seen a more selfish display of basketball from a minimum contract player in the 10 years I have been following this game. Until it was clearly garbage time, EVERY single shot taken was from Alan Anderson.

I have manage to lose all respect for AA in 5 minutes.

[CJT]

@JHK Derozen is making 3 million.

Blogger's note: Until next season, then it's about $9 million

[Peter]

The interesting thing about Ross going left, for perhaps the first time this year, is that he did it against the defender who probably studies advanced statistics more than anyone. Battier would have known that Ross can't go left, and the best way to beat a guy who thinks you can't do something, is to do that thing. That's either smart coaching or a smart player. Maybe both.

[Alan C.]

I, too, like the idea of Muskrats as a team name, if only to see the inevitable headline after their first win: Muskrats Ramble!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vpuFYQwZ5o for those not of a certain age.

[Tim H.]

Hey Doug:

Since you like to be told you're wrong... it's muskrat ;)

Do you think there is any time when a double foul is appropriate?

Blogger's note; Got it fixed and, no, not off the top of my head

[SR]

Morning Doug,
I though Jack made a great point before the last Miami Heat possession with the game tied and18 seconds to go. Why not foul right away and send them to the line. Worst case scenario, they make two free throws and you are down two with about 15 seconds to go. Then you go for a three and try to win it in regulation. An average 3 point shooter is probably somewhere between 35 - 40%... You got to think that percentage is a lot higher than the chance of the Raptors outplaying the Heat in overtime. Again, not second guessing DC, he is a great coach for this team, but he may have missed that one. What are your thoughts?

Blogger's note: Would have been a huge gamble; it's standard procedure in most European leagues. I'd rather gamble on getting a stop than scoring against Miami's defence

[SR]

Hi Doug,

The gamble isn't so much getting a stop. Isn't the gamble trying to outscore Miami in overtime if/when you get that stop? Personally I'd take my chances of making one shot than trying to stop LBJ and DWade in overtime.

I agree with you, it is a huge gamble. But just against top teams like Miami, OKC etc. it might be a gamble worth taking. Anyway, food for thought I guess.

[Rob]

End of third quarter, Lebron dribbling ball with 6 or 7 second shot clock vs. game clock difference. Raps use foul to give, with something like 6 seconds left on the shot clock. IMHO that must be the stupidest move i have seen. All it did was give the heat those extra 6 seconds from the game clock, and eliminated the chance the raps would get a last shot......and it cost one of our players a foul. Is there ANY positive on that move???

[Ray]

Doug, thanks for the dining suggestion in Miami last night. Lots of stuff to see that might have been missed on the tv coverage. Derozan looked lost before finally going to the basket with 5:04 left in the game (drew a foul). Even his foul shooting seemed to be more of a hope than an expectation. His body language suggests that he is really lacking confidence right now. There was also a mutual hissy fit between one ref (# 42) and the Raptors bench/players in the second half. Ref did not appreciate being called out on a foul and then fired off three more weak calls in a matter of a minute or two. Players were being physically restrained from arguing. Anderson's shots in O/T were pretty open (except for the first one) and three point shooting was the only reason they were close, but some days they just don't fall.

[Michel G]

Regarding Alan Anderson, there was a stretch in overtime when Gray and Fields were both on the floor. As Jack Armstrong put it, when Miami ramps up the defense, it seems like there's 6 guys defending you. With DeRozan on the floor also, that leaves just AA and Jose to take contested threes. That makes Miami's job a lot easier.

Regarding DeRozan, the way I look at it, was there any way the Raptors were going to let him walk in the off-season? I presume the management staff asked themselves that question and that's why they signed him. Jeff Green got the same kind of money for the same type of production from Boston. Isn't this the cost of doing business in today's NBA. I'm starting to appreciate how hard it is to acquire elite or near elite level wing talent in this league, either through free agency or trades. Look at what Memphis did to keep Rudy Gay. Colangelo has spent his entire tenure in Toronto trying to replace Vince Carter. DeRozan is a serviceable player who's contract is mitigated somewhat by the fact that it will run concurrent with Ross' rookie deal for three of the four years. There are worst contracts on Toronto's roster.

Amir fouling out was the worst thing that could have happened last night. When Gray checked in, even the most ardent Bargnani hater would have loved to see him check in instead. Can't wait for him and Valanciunas to come back.

Great game last night. :)

[mw]

Whenever Casey plays Calderon and Lowry together at the end of a close game the Raptors lose. It just does not work. Just look at the results. It happens every single time. When will the coach look at these results and learn??

[DC]

"Toronto has a good team, but not a team you get up for" - Shaquille O'Neal

"They're the fifth best team (in the Atlantic division)... the fifth best" - Charles Barkley

Maybe I'm crazy, but i don't see competitive games. I see good teams play soft for long stretches and turn up the intensity to put the raptors away in crunch time. it's 'a heartbreaking moral victory' for the raptors, but just another close, but ultimately easy win over a flawed roster for the opponents.

Blogger's note: You don't see competitive games? Yeah, you might be a tad crazy. And if you're going to take pre-seaosn quotes out of context and use them 43 games into the year, make that clear. Kinda cheating if you don't

[HopeCaper]

When you play a great team that is playing well you have to accept the fact that any win is a steal. The usual NBA officatiing did their best to ensure the win. The Raptors would'nt lie down. They haven't done that all season (well maybe a game or two) and that is the biggest change since O'Neill was coach. The team would often put their tail between their legs and many fans started calling players soft. This team doesn't quit and you could see the Heat bench on a time out near the end of the game looking down the floor at the Raps bench as though they had vever seen this team before. Maybe they haven't.
While Calderon is their on-floor leader, Johnson gives them heart and hopefully his skill set catches up with his heart.

[kathyt]

I wonder, had New Orleans chosen “Muskrat” as their new name, do you think they would’ve played “Muskrat Love” by Captain and Tennille?

Blogger's note: I would certainly hope so

[lee in ittawa]

I love watching my Raptors, but man I tell you I went to bed when the game went into overtime.

[Wilber]

+1 for Lorie's love of Puffins, but it's my secret dream to one day cheer for a team called the Ptarmigans (google it, people). Maybe if Vancouver gets a team back and Grizzlies is still in use...
Enjoyed watching the game last night and the way the Raptors hung in there. Sadly, I said to myself down the stretch "this one's gonna hurt when we lose" and it did. We pushed them, but they are still the Heat and the Raptors are still the Raptors.

[Ciaran]

Hi Doug

Just thought that you might like to know that your black stars (Ghana) won their second game in the African Cup of Nations 1-0. They drew their first 2-2. Looking good to qualify for the next round.

Blogger's note: Excellent

[Allan]

Have any of the high priced talent formulated any theories as to why the Raptors lead the league in moral victories and keep losing in overtime?

Thanks