Official Toronto Raptors Thread.

[Drex]

That guy went to Bowen school.

[Elbeen]

You guys should've seen Moon play yesterday.

Just amazing! He defended like crazy!

I hope that he continue playing like this.

[TheMC5]

You guys should've seen Moon play yesterday.

Just amazing! He defended like crazy!

I hope that he continue playing like this.

I did see Moon play yesterday, and it was indeed amazing. Like I said, it's so great that he replaced the useless Joey Graham in the lineup. Maybe Sam Mitchell is a better coach that I'd given him credit for.

[Raps13]

Great back-to-back set last two nights. Moon has been nothing short of spectacular though. His defense is amazing as is his attitude, so positive and down to earth, really fits in with the team. If he can keep up his play, he will be more than a pleasent surprise for us. Giving us 8 and 8 a night with his D, would be amazing

It's great to see us bounce back after a depressing 3 game streak. I think we can chalk those loses up to having our spirits crushed against Boston so early in the season. Let's keep this momentum going against Orlando on Wednesday

[cyanide]

I'm really impressed with Moon. I hope he can fit more into the rotation because he's really putting up solid numbers and playing great D. And to think this guy almost got cut after training camp, damn.

[Abctest123]

Jamario Moon! but...

WHAT KINDA DAMN PLAY WAS THAT AT THE END TJ FORD??? YOU HIT THE THREE TO BRING US WITHIN 3, BUT WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT WITH THAT AWFUL PLAY TO TRY AND TIE IT UP???

[TheMC5]

TJ Ford is really starting to piss me off. He's shooting way too much this year, and it almost seems like he's trying to freeze Bargnani out of the offense. I can't tell you how many times this year Andrea's come out for that little pick and pop and the top of the arc that he loves so much, and TJ just drives in, draws Bargnani's defender, and then instead of kicking it out to Il Mago for a wide open 3, Ford pulls his stupid triple-pump, one-footed fade away jumper that, even though it's been dropping this year, makes me want to kill him.

And Bosh! Why does it take him until the 4th quarter to bother even trying to get to the rim? WTF? Bosh could have abused anyone Utah put on him, but instead he kept bailing them out by taking 15-18 foot jumpers. In all fairness, though, the Raptors seem to have a collective aversion to giving Bosh the ball when he's down low.

And I don't want to see anyone shitting on Bargnani for this game. Sure, his shots weren't falling, but the vast majority of them were good lucks, and he also did a good job executing the offense in the 1st half with his drive and dish moves, which was really needed because Ford seemed so intent on playing any position other than PG.

All in all, brutal game, and one that was completely winnable if not for Ford's retardedness, and Sam Mitchell's increasingly inexplicable rotations.

[Abctest123]

Why oh why ?? We had this game and we were keeping a good enough distance from them, with Baron Davis playing not too well. Then the fourth quarter they go ice cold. I don't know what to say, the Raptors threw this one away. Ford played well for the most part I suppose, Bargnani produced some today, Jamario was great on defense, but his shot stopped falling around midway through the third.

Stephen Jackson was keeping the Warriors within reachable distance of the Raptors till Baron finally woke up towards the end of the third and the fourth quarter.

Sigh, this one should have been a win...

[TheMC5]

Why didn't Garbo play? He did so well last game, and Maceo Baston is balls. Damn you Sam Mitchell! I want to see more Calderon action too. I really think he's a better point guard than TJ Ford.

[cyanide]

I want to see more Calderon action too. I really think he's a better point guard than TJ Ford.

I agree with that statement since last season. Calderon's a much better decision maker. I find myself getting pissed at TJ too often for bad decisions, and when Calderon's in, he knows when to find people and take the right 3 pointer or layup. Much more efficient, though for some reason TJ gets more praise.

[Its_asdf]

Well most fans believe Ford has more upside, which is true. You can tell by the way he plays that he can become virtually unstoppable if he can learn to keep his head on straight. A lot of the times Ford likes to go one on one against opposing point guards (especially all-star guards) like he has something to prove. Perfect examples stem from the Warriors game (Davis) and Utah (Deron Williams) where he looked to create more for himself than others and guess what? Both games were losses. He should just run the damn offence and that in itself will get more recognition then trying to uncontrollably swerve into the paint for a ridiculous shot.

[TheMC5]

Bargnani back in the starting lineup. I likes.

[benji]

Interestingly, both are playing like all-stars.

Ford: 21.1pts 3.3rebs 11.2asts, 51% from the floor, 55%, 23.22 PER
Calderon: 17.2pts 4.9 rebs 13.0asts, 55% from the floor, 58%, 24.28 PER

They were the best point rotation with their 18.2-19.1 PERs last year...and now this...

[TheMC5]

benji, as much as I dig advanced basketball stats, this is one of the instances in which stats do not accurately reflect the overall reality. Though Ford is playing great individually, the team as a whole is much more fluid and competitive with Jose in the lineup. Tonight's game was a perfect example. Ford played well in the 1st quarter, making good passes and not hogging the ball. But as soon as he was subbed back in for Jose in the 2nd, the game went downhill. He stopped passing, tried to take his man one-on-one way too often, and just generally sucked the proverbial balls. I'm really hoping this game is the straw that breaks the camel's back and Jose gets the starting spot against Memphis.

Also, what a shitty second half for the Raps. They had the game in hand, and then a slew of bad decisions and questionable coaching cost them. I'm pretty bitter about this loss, and the bulk of the blame rests with Ford and Sam Mitchell. There's no way around it.

[benji]

as much as I dig advanced basketball stats, this is one of the instances in which stats do not accurately reflect the overall reality. Though Ford is playing great individually

That's all the above stats are talking about, individual achievement.

[Abctest123]

We weren't suppose to even be in this game from the start. Then the Raptors played good TEAM basketball to get a 24-point lead. They do well for most of the first half until around the second half of the second quarter. Then everything that they did well for most of the first half goes to crap.

HOW DOES ANDREA BARGNANI GET ONLY ONE SHOT IN THE THIRD QUARTER WHEN HE HAD THE HOT HAND WITH 16 POINTS IN THAT FIRST HALF?? WHY DID THEY SIT HIM FOR MOST OF THE THIRD QUARTER? Bargnani played well for the first half, but for some damn reason they completely forgot about him second half.

TJ Ford left around the fourth quarter; he started going out of control in the third quarter. He played VERY well for pretty much all of the first half (except for that last play of the first half ).

I cannot blame Chris Bosh for this game. He played well and gave it all he got this game. The only thing I will say about him is that when he makes no hesitation at driving to the hoop, it usually has a good result. However, when he stalls and just holds the ball and does nothing for a good few seconds, he will either get stripped or the defense would have already been ready for him.

Jamario Moon bites quite easily on pumpfakes, but because of his hops and length, even when he bites on them, he can still alter shots. I like his effort and hustle. I forgot how many 3point attempts he had, but whatever it is, he should only be shooting 1 or 2 three's a game MAXIMUM or in general as shooting is not his strength. Good game by him.

[TheMC5]

That's all the above stats are talking about, individual achievement.

True. I was just making the point that although the stats show 2 players being roughly equally effective, their overall contributions to winning are vastly different.

Mofo, I disagree with you assessment of Ford this game. He played very well until Jose was subbed in. When TJ came back in, he played atrociously. Absolutely terrible. He stopped passing altogether, except to Bosh. How many times did he drive to the basket, draw the entire defense in, and then instead of passing the ball, just dribble back out to the 3-point line to do it over again? He had that angry look on his face again, and as soon as he gets that look, he needs to come out. An angry Ford is an ineffective Ford, cause he seems to take everything so personally.

[Abctest123]

I don't remember EXACTLY when did TJ come back in for Calderon. Devin Harris started going nuts in the second quarter cause Calderon couldn't keep up with him. If TJ came in at around 4 minutes left (if I'm remembering correctly), yeah I know what you're saying after thinking about it a little more. He was playing mostly only either 2-man game with Bosh or driving under the basket and then coming right back out only to do a random pull-up jumper. Yeah I agree with you, I forgot about that little bad spell at the end of the second quarter.

When Ford sets up as well as he did in the first quarter, its wonderful to watch and the Raptors play well (provided the guy getting the good looks at the basket hits the shot). When he starts doing random drives to the basket and then just comes back out to do a low-percentage fadeaway, thats when the team loses their lead.

[TheMC5]

When Ford sets up as well as he did in the first quarter, its wonderful to watch and the Raptors play well (provided the guy getting the good looks at the basket hits the shot). When he starts doing random drives to the basket and then just comes back out to do a low-percentage fadeaway, thats when the team loses their lead.

Agreed, but I still think TJ needs to come off the bench for a couple of games, if only to a) send him a message that selfish, erratic play and poor decision making will not be tolerated, and b) to see how the team performs with Jose starting the game. It couldn't hurt, could it? It's not like Ford is Stephon Marbury or anything.

[Abctest123]

Ugly game in general, didnt get to the foul line a lot compared to Memphis, but the good three-point shooting kept the Raptors in the game. Good job protecting the ball, low number of turnovers tonight. Wasn't pretty, and was a nailbiter to the end, and nearly lost, but atleast they won.

Bosh with yet another solid effort tonight with a statline somewhere close to 20 points and 20 rebounds.

Bargnani had a double double despite a bad shooting night. Other than last night, he's in a funk shooting wise, hopefully he can get out of it soon. OK other tonight other than the shooting I suppose.

Calderon did a decent job filling in for TJ Ford, with 10 points 8 assists. Nice game from him.

Didn't pay too much attention to how Jamario Moon played tonight, but I do remember him having a sick block on Mike Miller. His statline reads 12 points on 5 for 11 shooting, 5 rebounds, 1 block, assist, and steal, so I would safely assume he played well tonight. Though I do think he should be cutting to the basket a little more and doing less outside shooting. He isnt the best shooter, and I think it would benefit him more to make cuts to the basket. Though I do like the fact for the most part he makes good decisions with the ball and doesnt force his shots most of the time.

Probably the best game Jason Kapono has played for the Raptors with his game tonight, 14 points, shooting 50% from the field and from three.

A not-too-pretty grind-it-out game tonight that the Raptors won in the end. Next game against Lebron and his Cavs on Saturday, early start of 1pm EST.


*By the way, everytime Darrick Martin plays, it angers me when he starts chucking up shots, but I don't know why, for some reason, it also makes me crack up .

[Raps13]

Ugly game for sure but an acceptable game coming off such a draining game in Dallas last night both physically and mentally. Bosh has really been stepping up his game the last few contests and its good to see him back to his old form. One thing I really liked about tonight was Barg's mental toughness, he got himself in a hole shooting the ball but worked around it making a few good passes and plays until his shot started falling. Working through his slumps is a great sign for sure!

[Abctest123]

Ugh I just typed up a post but I unknowingly got the pointer on something else, and when I hit the backspace button, it went back to my previous page. When I came back, my post was gone . Just gonna make a few comments on Saturday and today's game as opposed to making a longer post I was typing out before.

For the game against the Cavs:Not too bad of a game offensively, but they were HORRIBLE closing out three point shooters like Gibson and Jones . Bosh had a big offensive game, tying his career high 41 points. Kapono if I remember played alright, including key baskets in the final minute (if I remember he hit a three and a layup) to keep the Raptors in the game.

For today's game against the Bulls:Missed the first quarter and the first 7 or so minutes of the second quarter, but from what I saw, Raptors played well. Jose played in a well-controlled manner, 17 points and 14 assists. The only thing I would even criticize (if I even could) would be a VERY, VERY short run where he chucked up a couple or a few bad shots, but the rest of the guys on the floor for the Raptors were doing that also for that short run I was referring to. Excellent game by Calderon. Bosh had an average game, 16 points and 13 rebounds, not bad. Jamario Moon was AWESOME today, altering shots, playing good defense. His statline was crazy, 15 points (on 7-12 shooting), 9 rebounds, 6 blocks, 3 steals, and 1 assist. Of course, there was also his one hand fake on wallace, and driving to the basket, and jumping over and extending over the Bulls that tried to block him and finishing over them with a finger roll . I honestly think Moon could have finished that play with a HUGE slam over the defenders. Overall, nice win.

[Raps13]

Overall a good game today. We started off very nicely but allowed Chicago to take over towards the end of the first quarter. It was a good sign to see though that we didn't get caught up in the Bulls game and held our own and eventually controlled it, something we couldn't do in the Golden State game.

Calderon and Bosh have been nothing but spectacular over the last 4 games. Calderon could easily be the second best passer in the NBA (Nash is the best) and his control of the ball and play is amazing. Bosh has been focusing more on the defensive end of the game and rebounding than offense and I like it. The more he focuses on other things the greater impact he has on the game.

Moon, wow, there really isn't anything to say about this kid. He has been absolutely amazing. We should consider ourselves lucky, any team in the NBA could have had this guy and we found him in a walk-on summer camp. That finger roll though, absolutely amazing. I agree Mofo, he would have absolutely crowned the defenders if he dunked that!

[TheMC5]

I hate these early games in the weekend. I always sleep through them.

[Its_asdf]

Yeah I woke up at 2 today and I turned on my computer to realize that the Raptors we well into the fourth playing Chicago. I only caught the fourth quarter and that Jamario Moon swoop to the basket. Man, I'm going to have to pick this guy up for my fantasy team with all the steals and blocks this guy racks up. Then again, I'm scared I might jinx it because every player that I pick up for my fantasy team ends up going through a dry spell.