BULLS SHOCK RAPTORS AND WIN SERIES OPENER ON THE ROAD

[Azzdogs]

VITAL STATISTICS

Game: NBA Live 10, PS3
Difficulty: All Star
Quarter Length: 8 Minutes
Roster: Dynamic DNA as of the 26th November

ROSTER 2009/10

Starting Five

C: Andrea Bargnani
PF: Chris Bosh
SF: Hedo Turkoglu
SG: OJ Mayo
PG: Derek Fisher

Bench

Rasho Nesterovic
Reggie Evans
Marcus Banks
Amir Johnson
Tyrus Thomas
Demar Derozan
Pops Mensah-Bonsu

Inactive

Sonny Weems
Antoine Wright

OFFSEASON TRANSACTIONS

Sent Jarrett Jack to Memphis in exchange for OJ Mayo
Sent Marco Belleini and Patrick O'Bryant to Chicago in exchange for Tyrus Thomas
Sent Jose Calderon to Lakers for Derek Fisher

2010/11 TORONTO RAPTORS SQUAD

The Starters

I Andrea Bargnani I Chris Bosh I Hedo Turkoglu I Ray Allen I Steve Nash I
The Bench

I Marcus Banks I Marcus Camby I DeMar DeRozan I Ben Wallace I Alando Tucker I Sonny Weems I Pops Mensah-Bonsu I
INS & OUTS
Ins: Ray Allen (free agency), Steve Nash (acquired from Phoenix), Marcus Camby (free agency), Ben Wallace (acquired from Houston) , Alando Tucker (acquired from Phoenix)
Outs: Tyrus Thomas (free agency), Derek Fisher (free agency), Amir Johnson (free agency), OJ Mayo (traded to Phoenix), first and second round picks (traded to Phoenix), (traded to Antoine Wright (free agency), Reggie Evans (traded to Houston)

[Dee.]

Sent Jarrett Jack to Memphis in exchange for OJ Mayo

Oh Shit.

[Azzdogs]

THE TORONTO TIMES

NEW GM SENDS JACK TO MEMPHIS

After the Toronto Raptors hired a new GM he made a very bold move by sending newly acquired Jack to Memphis in exchange for the 2008 3rd pick OJ Mayo. The GM saw Torontos weakness at the 2 guard spot and wanted an exciting, young, and athletic scorer. He saw all this in Mayo and couldn't believe how willing Memphis were to get rid of him. In his rookie season Mayo averaged over 18 points a game and was a member of the 2009 All Rookie First Team. The GM put pressure of Mayo by being quoted as saying 'we expect him to be one of our elite scorers'. We at the times question the GM's faith in Mayo but will not doubt his first move until we see put on the Raptors kit and play some ball.
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[Lamrock]

Really ripped the CPU off there. You should have thrown DeRozan into the trade.

[kibaxx7]

You should have thrown DeRozan into the trade.

At least.

[dare]

You should make trades as realistic as possible, that just an unfair trade

[thaKEAF]

My city has been through enough pain.

[Azzdogs]

THE TORONTO TIMES

RAPTORS FALL TO CAVS IN SEASON OPENER

With huge anticipation around Torontos season opener the Raptors fans packed into the Air Canada Centre. The Raptors got off to an electric start and went into the second quarter in the lead. Jose Calderon had a night to forget with early foul trouble sending him to the bench and a total of seven turnovers. However this left space on the floor for Marcus Banks who came onto the floor and had an immediate impact. OJ Mayo had a great debut for the Raptors and lead the Raptors scoring with 23 points. However the Raptors were clearly outclassed by a sound Cavaliers team. Mo Williams was the high points man with 31 points and was also given the Sprite Man of the Match. A mention should also go out to Shaquille O'Neal who had a superb night on defence with 12 boards and 4 rejections. Despite going down to the Cavs positive signs were shown by the Raptors and they go to Memphis confident that they can get a result.

FINAL SCORE: 82 - 70 (L)

OJ MAYO IN HIS NEW KIT

[Azzdogs]

THE TORONTO TIMES

OFFSEASON SIGNING TURKOGLU LEADS RAPTORS TO VICTORY OVER MEMPHIS

The Raptors travelled to Memphis in search of their first victory and came out firing. After a horror first game Calderon took it to the Memphis defence and tried to find some form. OJ Mayo had a quiet game against his former team and Bosh got his first double double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds. However the best player on the night was clearly Hedo Turkoglu. He had 24 points and had 2 nasty blocks on Rudy Gay which seemed to destroy Memphis's belief. Amir Johnson had a solid night off the bench and rookie DeMar DeRozan got his first taste of what its like in the NBA. His first touch on the ball was stripping Mike Conley and then hitting a fadeaway. The Sprite Performer of the Game was handed to Chris Bosh but the Players Player was handed to Hedo Turkoglu. The Raptors return to Toronto for their next match against the tough Orlando Magic.

FINAL RESULT: 85 - 75 (W)
Hedo rejecting Gay

[Azzdogs]

THE TORONTO TIMES

ORLANDO TO STRONG FOR RAPTORS

The Raptors are still winless at home after they were dominated by the Magic. The Magic were making shots from all over the court. Espically damaging to the Raptors were the 3's from Jameer Nelson and new acquistion Vince Carter. Dwight Howard dominated the boards with 20 rebounds and also contributed 16 points to earn himself a double-double and the Sprite Performer of the Game. Special mention should go to Chris Bosh as he led the game with 30 points and really tried to take it to the Magic. The Raptors need to look past this loss and concentrate on their next game against the Pistons and try and win their first home game.

FINAL RESULT: 87 - 73 (L)
Bosh at the line

[Azzdogs]

THE TORONTO TIMES

RAPTORS BLOW LEAD AND FALL TO PISTONS

The Raptors got off to a hot start and were hitting their shots. Turkoglu and Mayo finished with 26 points each but it was not off enough to stop the Pistons. The Raptors led through the first 3 quarters and were at one stage up by 17. However thanks to great defence from Ben Wallace and Charlie Villanueva Pistons were able to come back. Both players had 4 blocks each including a huge rejection from Big Ben against Bosh in the dying seconds. Turkoglu hit a clutch 3 with 2.6 seconds remaing but was outclassed by Hamilton who hit a buzzer beater 2. This must have brought back memories of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals when Lebron James hit a fadeaway 3 just after Turkoglu had hit what he thought was the game winner. Jay Triano couldn't believe his eyes and looked crushed in the post game interviews.

FINAL RESULT: 82 - 80 (L)

Turkoglu walking the ball up the court

[Azzdogs]

Im sorry people are unhappy with the Jack-Mayo trade but in the trade bloc i saw it and just couldn't resist an offer like that.

[kibaxx7]

Hedo Turkoglu. He had 24 points and had 2 nasty blocks on Rudy Game which seemed to destroy Memphis's belief.

Rudy Game?

You need to bounce back from the losses!

[Azzdogs]

yer i know i'll see what i can do. Thanks for telling me about the typo. I put it in there to see who was actually reading the articles

[Kenny]

Mayo for Jack?! I'm probably a bit late on this but wow, that was a genius move. Not quite to the level as Gasol for Kwame Brown (plus change), but still awesome. Looks like a good dynasty. The Raptors are always interesting to me

[Azzdogs]

THE TORONTO TIMES

CB4 TO STRONG FOR CP3

The Raptors travelled to New Orleans on a three game road trip that also included the Mavs and Spurs. In order to have a successful trip they would have to get off to a good start and thats exactly what they did. The Raptors came out firing in the 1st through Chris Bosh. The Hornets also had a special force to match that of CB4 in Chris Paul. CP3 was the high man in the game with an astonishing 47 points. Bosh scored 34 points and was greatly helped by Andrea Bargnani who had a double double with 19 points and 11 boards. Turkoglu was contributed to the victory with 22 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.. Even though this was a great win for Toronto the struggling form of Jose Calderon can not be ignored. He has not hit a 3 so far this season and has missed easy lay-ups on countless occasions. Is it to quick to look for a trade or should the Raptors have faith in him and give him more time. Whatever they do JC needs to quickly find some form as Toronto needs him in order to be successful.

FINAL RESULT: 77 - 66 (W)

CHRIS BOSH TAKING IT TO THE RIM FOR A NASTY DUNK

[kibaxx7]

Throwback jerseys night. Nice game by the Turk...

[Azzdogs]

THE TORONTO TIMES

NEW ACQUISTIONS LEAD RAPTORS TO VICTORY OVER THE MAVS

After beating the Hornets the Raptors went to the American Airlines Centre with a firm belief that they could win. This belief was quickly squashed in the 1st quarter as the Raptors failed to make shots and the Mavs jumped out to a 10 point lead. However rookie DeMar DeRozan was brought on in the 2nd and seemed to help lift the side. The Raptors eventually grabbed their first lead in the 3rd thanks to hot shooting by Hedo Turkoglu and OJ Mayo who both scored 20 points each. The real hero of the game was Chris Bosh who had a another double double with 14 points and 15 boards. He also had 5 dimes but the most important thing he did in the game was restrict Dirk Nowitzki who only had 13 points. Toronto scored their second straight win on the road to a good team and are starting to play some good basketball. It will be interesting to see how they go in their next games against the San Antonio Spurs.

FINAL RESULT: 74 - 68 (W)
BOSH PLAYING TIGHT D ON NOWITZKI

[Azzdogs]

THE TORONTO TIMES

RAPTORS LOSE IN AN OVERTIME THRILLER

The Raptors faced the San Antonio Spurs on a two game winning streak and were confident going into the game. The Raptors came out hot in the 1st, espically from Hedo Turkoglu. However this did not continue throught the 2nd and 3rd and the Raptors found themselves trailling and in foul trouble. Jose Calderon continued his poor form and Jay Triano had had enough. He put everything on the line and put Mayo at the point and brought on Marco Belinelli at the 2 guard spot. The Raptors got some flow into their game and Amir Johnson had a great night. The Raptors caught up to the Spurs and with the buzzer sounding Mayo missed a jumper which would have secured them the win. The teams went into OT at 70 all and were both playing great defence. OJ Mayo fouled out and this deeply hurt the Raptors as he was having a solid game. Amir Johnson had a big night with 18 points, 7 rebounds and 5 blocks. Along with Johnson Chris Bosh also had a solid night. He finished with another double double having 22 points and 18 boards. With 3 seconds on the clock Belinelli hit a hook jump shot to tie the game at 82 a piece. It looked like the game was going into a 2OT when the Spurs inbounded the ball to Ginobili who hit an amazing three. The Raptors were crushed by this defeat but alot of positives came out of it. This included CB4's dominance and the growth of Amir Johnson, however Jose Calderon had another shocker and just can't get anything to go. We at the Toronto Times ask ourselves with JC stay in Toronto?

FINAL RESULT: 85 - 82 (L)

AMIR JOHNSON HAD A GREAT NIGHT ON THE OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE END

[Dee.]

Box Scores would be great.

[Martti.]

I just love the pictures man!

[Lamrock]

Liking the dynasty man. The pictures and team choice are great! Two things: You should up the quarter length. The Raptors usually put 100-110 points per game, and you have yet to hit the century mark. I know long quarters can be cumbersome, but that's what sim intervention (which is by far Live's best feature) is for. Additionally, I don't think the red font for articles looks that good. Other than that, an excellent start. You have a follower.

[Azzdogs]

Thanks for all the tips i'll try and implement all the ideas.
Simmed Quarter Length: 12 mins
Playing Quarter Length: 10 mins

[Azzdogs]

THE TORONTO TIMES

RAPTORS GET FIRST WIN AT HOME

The Raptors faced the Bulls at the Air Canada Centre and were quietly confident after a great battle with the Spurs two days before. Chris Bosh was the usual rock for Toronto and had a solid double double with 29 points and 14 boards. However the real story was signs from Jose Calderon that he has finally found some form. All this season he has not been able to score and has had way to many turnovers. Marking up against 1st pick in the 2008 draft Derrick Rose JC was going to have to come up with something in order for his team to win. He was equal to the challange and got a double double with 22 points and 10 assists. John Salmons was the high point man with 33 points but could not find any support. The Raptors first win at home has lifted given them some momentum which they will need as they will now go on a four game road trip facing top teams such as the Nuggets and Suns.

FINAL RESULT: 128 - 117 (W)
TOR: 36 28 30 34
CHI: 33 25 20 39

CALDERON SHOWING SOME FORM

[Lamrock]

Scores look a little better (though perhaps 9 would be fitting ), though I think you misinterpreted what people meant when they said boxscore. Furthermore, I still wish you would use black font instead of red for the recaps. To go even further with the nitpicking, you should post your record, and the other team's in the recap. Also, I prefer to put my recaps in quotes, but that's just me.

Really liking this still. Screens are beautiful.