DeMar DeRozan who did not find playing time in the fourth quarter last night and then he sounded off on twitter after the game saying Bull s--t situation and he was off his game in the first half and missed layups and was 2 of 7 and 3 of 5 from the line and had 5 points and had 4 assists. Then in the second half he was 6 of 11 and 2 of 3 from the line and had 14 points in the half with 7 in the both the third and fourth quarter and had 6 boards while Calderon put up 10 of the Raps 29 first quarter points and they shot very well between the Hornets opening the game on a 14-6 run and another 14-6 run in the second quarter after the Raps started the quarter on a 7-1 to finish a 30-12 run by the Raptors and even though the Raptors lead 51-46 @ halftime they shot 33% in the second quarter. In the third quarter the Raps shot under 30% and only scored 11 points in the quarter and the Hornets went into the fourth quarter with a 7 point lead with the score 69-62 but in the fourth the Raptors got hot again going 4 of 4 from beyond the arc to start the fourth and they were 9 of 15 in the game. The Raptors started the fourth 10 of 10 from the floor and 13 of 18 from the floor in the quarter and outscored the Hornets 33-15 and they won the game 95-84.
The Raps also got good performances from Kleiza who had 21 points off the bench with 12 in the first half and then 9 in the fourth quarter and was 5 of 7 from beyond the arc after going 0 for 5 last night. Barbosa had 15 points in the game and shoot 5 of 8 from the floor and 4 of 4 from the line and Ed Davis had 3 block shots in the first half but ended with no points while Calderon and Bayless combined for 11 of the Raptors 22 assists on 34 made baskets.
The Hornets got 14 points from former Raptor Marco Belinelli in the second and ended with 20 points in the game to go with 7 boards while going 6 for 6 from the line as the Hornets were 21 of 27 while the Raptors were 18 of 23. Chris Kaman who had 10 of his 17 points in the first half and ended with 10 boards as the Hornets crushed the Raps 49-36 on the boards.
The Raps matched their road wins from last season with 6 but if they want a high draft choice then this is a game they should of lost (I do not know, I;m just saying)
Tom Mehegan
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Ed Davis is different but the Raps first quarter isn't
Ed Davis attacked the boards tonight and took down 15 of the Raptors 47 boards in the game and he had 10 of them in the first half and was a guy who saw Jamaal Magloire's effort (4 boards but was everywhere and doing everything) and with younger body just got everything he could out of it in 22 minutes and ended the game with 5 points.
DeMar DeRozan ended with 17 points and was 5 of 6 from the line but it was the Johnsons who got the most playing time with James getting 16 points, 8 boards, 3 assists, and 3 steals in 33 and a half minutes while Amir had 10 points and 6 boards in 29 minutes.
In the end the Raps did not get smarter during the all-star break as they came out flat against the Houston Rockets and were down 12 after the first quarter as it was 27-15 and the Raps shot 31% while allowing the Rockets to shoot 47%. The Rockets got 6 points from K-Mart and 8 from Luis Scola in the quarter but Jamaal Magloire came in and shutdown Scola and K-Mart as they did not have any second quarter points combined while the Raps got it down to 4 trailing 30-26 and started the second on a 11-3 run but then fell into old habits of not passing the rock and not attacking the basket and just three after three up and at half had not hit a single one going 0 for 8 from beyond the arc which allowed the Rockets to almost even the quarter as they went into the locker room with the 45-36 lead.The Raps have had their chances as they have a 28-19 rebound lead but also have a 11-5 turnover lead as well that was a 8-1 lead at a point and they have gotten to the line 12 times and made 8 of them by half and were 13 of 18 by the end of the game but the Rockets were 12 of 16 from the line in the half and 23 of 28 in the game. The Raps got their shooting upto 38.5 by half and upto 46.7% by the end of the game and Rockets down to 37.8 by halftime and even lower in the second half as they were shooting 38.7% at the end of the game so that after the first quarter the Raps shoot way over 50% and the Rockets shoot less than 35% and the question why can they not do it in the first quarter.
The game ended the way most Raptors game end with the opponents getting a rebound late in the game and this time it was K-mart (Kevin Martin missed a shot and Patrick Patterson came in and got the board even though the Raps were plus 10 on the boards. The Rockets were given the ball for an extra 24 with the score 85-83 Rockets and after some more good D Anthony Carter fouled K-Mart and he hit one of two free throws. Then with 11.7 seconds left the Raptors had the ball and it got into the hands of Kleiza who put up a three to tie the game but just like his other 4 it missed as the Raps attempted 17 and made only two in the game. The Rockets won the game 88-85 as they got 26 points (6 of 7 from the line), 3 boards, and 5 assists from Kyle Lowry while Luis Scola had 15 and 10 boards and K-Mart had 14 points (7 of 8 from the line) and 5 boards as the Rockets are now 6-1 in games decided by three points or less.
At least more lottery balls
Tom Mehegan
Tom Mehegan
DeMar DeRozan ended with 17 points and was 5 of 6 from the line but it was the Johnsons who got the most playing time with James getting 16 points, 8 boards, 3 assists, and 3 steals in 33 and a half minutes while Amir had 10 points and 6 boards in 29 minutes.
In the end the Raps did not get smarter during the all-star break as they came out flat against the Houston Rockets and were down 12 after the first quarter as it was 27-15 and the Raps shot 31% while allowing the Rockets to shoot 47%. The Rockets got 6 points from K-Mart and 8 from Luis Scola in the quarter but Jamaal Magloire came in and shutdown Scola and K-Mart as they did not have any second quarter points combined while the Raps got it down to 4 trailing 30-26 and started the second on a 11-3 run but then fell into old habits of not passing the rock and not attacking the basket and just three after three up and at half had not hit a single one going 0 for 8 from beyond the arc which allowed the Rockets to almost even the quarter as they went into the locker room with the 45-36 lead.The Raps have had their chances as they have a 28-19 rebound lead but also have a 11-5 turnover lead as well that was a 8-1 lead at a point and they have gotten to the line 12 times and made 8 of them by half and were 13 of 18 by the end of the game but the Rockets were 12 of 16 from the line in the half and 23 of 28 in the game. The Raps got their shooting upto 38.5 by half and upto 46.7% by the end of the game and Rockets down to 37.8 by halftime and even lower in the second half as they were shooting 38.7% at the end of the game so that after the first quarter the Raps shoot way over 50% and the Rockets shoot less than 35% and the question why can they not do it in the first quarter.
The game ended the way most Raptors game end with the opponents getting a rebound late in the game and this time it was K-mart (Kevin Martin missed a shot and Patrick Patterson came in and got the board even though the Raps were plus 10 on the boards. The Rockets were given the ball for an extra 24 with the score 85-83 Rockets and after some more good D Anthony Carter fouled K-Mart and he hit one of two free throws. Then with 11.7 seconds left the Raptors had the ball and it got into the hands of Kleiza who put up a three to tie the game but just like his other 4 it missed as the Raps attempted 17 and made only two in the game. The Rockets won the game 88-85 as they got 26 points (6 of 7 from the line), 3 boards, and 5 assists from Kyle Lowry while Luis Scola had 15 and 10 boards and K-Mart had 14 points (7 of 8 from the line) and 5 boards as the Rockets are now 6-1 in games decided by three points or less.
At least more lottery balls
Tom Mehegan
Tom Mehegan
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Toronto Raptors - a look back @ the first half of the 2012 season
It has been a very hair raising 33 games for Dwayne Casey as he has not known if his players put out the effort on the court game-to-game and it has not been because the game plan they were given for a game in Phoenix were they used the game plan well and won and then they were given the same game plan when they went into Washington twice and let the Wizards win two of their 7 wins in their first half. The game plan from game one to game thirty-three has not changed on offence its pound the rock and crush the hoop with layups and mid-range jumpers of 5 to 15 feet and on defence its about tough D where they are not supposed to give up easy baskets and make it tough for teams to put up points.
One of the Raptors biggest problems this that they come out flat at the beginning of the game and go down double-digit defect in the first quarter and it really hurt the Raptors especially in the Utah Jazz game where they went down huge early and if they did not go down huge then the Raps would of not lost Andrea as he got injured in the overtime session and has not returned since.
Another problem has been that they have played up to the level of the better teams in the league where they were a basket away from beating the Lakers, lost by three to the Mavs, keeping it close with the Pacers, went into South Beach and kept it close along with the Magic, went into Utah and Phoenix and beat both for the first time in 7 seasons. While also putting the Celtics on their wallets after being smoked by them twice along with keeping it close with the Bucks. Then when the weaker sisters meet up with the Raptors they get their wins as the Wizs won twice, the Bobcats came in and broke their 16 game losing streak and a hurting Nets team came into town and got healthy thanks to the Raptors.
The Raptors got a huge 13 games from Andrea Bargnani who would of been a likely candidate for the all-star game as he put up 23.5 points and 6.4 boards a game while guys like Jose Calderon has been hot and cold with games with double-digits in assists or have 20 plus points a game and then had games where he could not hit a shot setup a basket to save his life. Then there is DeMar DeRozan who one game can get to the basket and shoot well from the floor and get to the line and the next game takes long jumpers and misses a lot and gets nowhere near the line while a guy like Barbosa is a streaky player and how he goes so do the Raps as he is allergic to passing the ball like if he passes it and gets into a better shooting position he will not get the ball. The Johnsons (Amir and James) just like DeRozan can put a great effort on the court when they want to but both are too inconsistent while Ed Davis has more rebound games less than 5 (8) then double-digit rebound games (7). While when a guy like Jamaal Magloire gets on the floor its more likely than not that he is a game changer and if he plays is likely to play anywhere between like 5 minutes and most likely 15 minutes and the games he does not find the floor I usually asking why not and a guy like Arron Grey can get boards when he works hard and earns his minutes. The rest of the Raptors have become after thoughts especially a guy like Rajui Butler who was brought in on the cheap for his 3s and as they are not falling and he is unlikely to get dirty in the paint then he just not a useful part.
The Raptors has played tougher on the road then at home this season even though they have 5 wins at home and on the road and if this team was to put the effort on the floor on a nightly basis they may have had a chance to sneak into the playoff picture especially with a healthy Bargnani and then some other games I wish that I could trade this team in for a D-league team or an ABL team that would work their tails off to stay in the NBA.
I guess Jonas Valanciunas is coming next season and combine that wish a good player in the draft and maybe this team can respectable because it does not take a lot to be respectable in the NBA
Tom Mehegan
One of the Raptors biggest problems this that they come out flat at the beginning of the game and go down double-digit defect in the first quarter and it really hurt the Raptors especially in the Utah Jazz game where they went down huge early and if they did not go down huge then the Raps would of not lost Andrea as he got injured in the overtime session and has not returned since.
Another problem has been that they have played up to the level of the better teams in the league where they were a basket away from beating the Lakers, lost by three to the Mavs, keeping it close with the Pacers, went into South Beach and kept it close along with the Magic, went into Utah and Phoenix and beat both for the first time in 7 seasons. While also putting the Celtics on their wallets after being smoked by them twice along with keeping it close with the Bucks. Then when the weaker sisters meet up with the Raptors they get their wins as the Wizs won twice, the Bobcats came in and broke their 16 game losing streak and a hurting Nets team came into town and got healthy thanks to the Raptors.
The Raptors got a huge 13 games from Andrea Bargnani who would of been a likely candidate for the all-star game as he put up 23.5 points and 6.4 boards a game while guys like Jose Calderon has been hot and cold with games with double-digits in assists or have 20 plus points a game and then had games where he could not hit a shot setup a basket to save his life. Then there is DeMar DeRozan who one game can get to the basket and shoot well from the floor and get to the line and the next game takes long jumpers and misses a lot and gets nowhere near the line while a guy like Barbosa is a streaky player and how he goes so do the Raps as he is allergic to passing the ball like if he passes it and gets into a better shooting position he will not get the ball. The Johnsons (Amir and James) just like DeRozan can put a great effort on the court when they want to but both are too inconsistent while Ed Davis has more rebound games less than 5 (8) then double-digit rebound games (7). While when a guy like Jamaal Magloire gets on the floor its more likely than not that he is a game changer and if he plays is likely to play anywhere between like 5 minutes and most likely 15 minutes and the games he does not find the floor I usually asking why not and a guy like Arron Grey can get boards when he works hard and earns his minutes. The rest of the Raptors have become after thoughts especially a guy like Rajui Butler who was brought in on the cheap for his 3s and as they are not falling and he is unlikely to get dirty in the paint then he just not a useful part.
The Raptors has played tougher on the road then at home this season even though they have 5 wins at home and on the road and if this team was to put the effort on the floor on a nightly basis they may have had a chance to sneak into the playoff picture especially with a healthy Bargnani and then some other games I wish that I could trade this team in for a D-league team or an ABL team that would work their tails off to stay in the NBA.
I guess Jonas Valanciunas is coming next season and combine that wish a good player in the draft and maybe this team can respectable because it does not take a lot to be respectable in the NBA
Tom Mehegan
Arron Gray was the MVP of the game as the Raps controlled the Pistons
Arron Gray was the "MVP" of the game as the crowd chanted MVP as Arron Gray was at the free throw line as he ended the game with a double-double as he had 12 points and 12 boards of the Raps 47 boards which was a plus 10 on the boards and he had 29 and a half minutes of playing time and combined with Jamaal Magloire who had 2 points and 3 boards in just less than 9 minutes and they set the standards of "D" fence for the night.
The Raptors had 19 assists on 23 field goals and shoot 57.5% from the floor in the first half and took a 8 point lead 53-45 into halftime. They really must of not liked having to come in on Saturday after given a gift win to the Bobcats on Fan night on Friday and have taken care of the ball only 5 turnovers in the half and the D that allowed the Bobcats to shoot 50% from the floor held the Pistons to 40.5 shooting and Jamaal Magloire is the energy guy that is stirring the team and is got a serious game face on after not playing Friday and has gotten under Laurence Franks's, the head coach of the Pistons, skin and they had some words during a Piston free throw attempt. DeRozan is leading the team with 16 points including 4 free throws while Calderon has 9 assists and even more surprising is that Barbosa has 3 and had 8 points in 4 of 6 shooting but a Ben Gordon dunk attempt on a breakaway with blocked by Ed Davis showed the Raps D in the first half. Arron Gray had 6 of his 12 boards to lead the team who look like they being dominated on the boards but still had 5 more than the Pistons (25-20) and Calderon had 4 of them but the Raps went into half with the Pistons scoring the last 6 points and the Pistons came out to start the third quarter on a 7-2 run to cut the lead to 55-52. The Raptors outscored the Pistons 34-12 in a 11:12 game time and then the Raps lost a lot of their strong D for a 3:21 span where the Pistons outscored the Raps 16-2 to make the game closer than it should of been but the Raps finally finished off the Pistons 103-93.
The Raps had 30 assists on 40 made shots from the floor and they shot 52.6% and Jose Calderon had half of the assists and had 6 points and ended with 8 boards while the Raps had 6 double digits in points lead by DeRozan who had 23 points along with 5 of 6 from the line to go with 7 boards while Barbosa had 17 points and 4 assists along with 2 boards. the Raptors were 20 of 28 from the free throw line while only had 7 threes attempted and made three of them and it was good to see that they did not throw up to many from beyond the arc and they outscored the Pistons in every quarter until late in the fourth quarter. The Pistons had one player really going off and that was Greg Monroe who lived at the line as he was 12 of 16 as the Pistons were 21 of 27 while Monroe ended with 30 points and had 14 of the Pistons 37 boards in the game.
It is nice have almost a week without a game
Tom Mehegan
The Raptors had 19 assists on 23 field goals and shoot 57.5% from the floor in the first half and took a 8 point lead 53-45 into halftime. They really must of not liked having to come in on Saturday after given a gift win to the Bobcats on Fan night on Friday and have taken care of the ball only 5 turnovers in the half and the D that allowed the Bobcats to shoot 50% from the floor held the Pistons to 40.5 shooting and Jamaal Magloire is the energy guy that is stirring the team and is got a serious game face on after not playing Friday and has gotten under Laurence Franks's, the head coach of the Pistons, skin and they had some words during a Piston free throw attempt. DeRozan is leading the team with 16 points including 4 free throws while Calderon has 9 assists and even more surprising is that Barbosa has 3 and had 8 points in 4 of 6 shooting but a Ben Gordon dunk attempt on a breakaway with blocked by Ed Davis showed the Raps D in the first half. Arron Gray had 6 of his 12 boards to lead the team who look like they being dominated on the boards but still had 5 more than the Pistons (25-20) and Calderon had 4 of them but the Raps went into half with the Pistons scoring the last 6 points and the Pistons came out to start the third quarter on a 7-2 run to cut the lead to 55-52. The Raptors outscored the Pistons 34-12 in a 11:12 game time and then the Raps lost a lot of their strong D for a 3:21 span where the Pistons outscored the Raps 16-2 to make the game closer than it should of been but the Raps finally finished off the Pistons 103-93.
The Raps had 30 assists on 40 made shots from the floor and they shot 52.6% and Jose Calderon had half of the assists and had 6 points and ended with 8 boards while the Raps had 6 double digits in points lead by DeRozan who had 23 points along with 5 of 6 from the line to go with 7 boards while Barbosa had 17 points and 4 assists along with 2 boards. the Raptors were 20 of 28 from the free throw line while only had 7 threes attempted and made three of them and it was good to see that they did not throw up to many from beyond the arc and they outscored the Pistons in every quarter until late in the fourth quarter. The Pistons had one player really going off and that was Greg Monroe who lived at the line as he was 12 of 16 as the Pistons were 21 of 27 while Monroe ended with 30 points and had 14 of the Pistons 37 boards in the game.
It is nice have almost a week without a game
Tom Mehegan
Friday, February 17, 2012
Naughty by Nature was amazing but the Raps sucked big time
The Naughty by Nature concert was amazing and they did a three song set that started with OPP, then uptown anthem and finished with Hip Hop Hooray and that was the best part of the night and the crowd loved it and worst part was that the second half happened and it was not good.
The Raptors seem to be in the NBA because they need an opponent that the Wizards can beat (two wins this season) and so that the Bobcats do not match the biggest losing streak in NBA as they won their first game in their last 17 games. The Raptors got 18 of their 45 points from DeMar DeRozan while James Johnson had 10 points in the first half and Jose Calderon had 8 points but were down 2 points at halftime 47-45 with Reggie Williams who had 16 points and Corey Maggette had 9 points while they moved the ball way better than the Raptors as they had 13 assists compared to the Raps 6 in the first half.
In the second half the Raptors shot longer jumpers and threes as they took 16 from beyond the arc and made only two of them while the D was not very good as the Bobcats shoot 50% from the floor and the Raps did not get inside enough even though they took 28 free throws and made 19 (68% and that's is very low) and cleaned up some misses and put them back but not enough. The Bobcats in the second half did take the body and put a lot of fouls on the Raptors and helped the Cats to put up 30 points in the fourth quarter and they ended up having Reggie Williams had 22 points, Cory Maggette had 16 points, D.J. Augustin had a double-double with 11 points and 10 assists, and Bismack Biyombo was a monster on the boards with 13 boards.
The Raptors did not get very much offensively in the second half and DeRozan got an offensive foul and he was hit hard just the before the half way through the third quarter and went down and covered his face and they had to call a timeout and he was out a long time and came back at the 8:40 point of the fourth and ended with 24 points and the best part of his game was 8 of 12 from the line. Barbosa had 16 points but only 1 assist in the game compared to 14 shots he took while Amir had 15 boards to go with 6 points while James had 14 points and 8 boards and Calderon had 14 points and 8 assists. Ed Davis had 10 boards but the surprise of the game was that after Arron Gray had 5 boards in the first quarter and then did not return until the beginning of the second half and ended with 7 boards in only 13 minutes and Jamaal did not play in the game and he should of played and could of done good work and could of helped the team win over the Bobcats.
Casey has his boyz til Wednesday and I would not want to be those boyz this next week
Tom Mehegan
The Raptors seem to be in the NBA because they need an opponent that the Wizards can beat (two wins this season) and so that the Bobcats do not match the biggest losing streak in NBA as they won their first game in their last 17 games. The Raptors got 18 of their 45 points from DeMar DeRozan while James Johnson had 10 points in the first half and Jose Calderon had 8 points but were down 2 points at halftime 47-45 with Reggie Williams who had 16 points and Corey Maggette had 9 points while they moved the ball way better than the Raptors as they had 13 assists compared to the Raps 6 in the first half.
In the second half the Raptors shot longer jumpers and threes as they took 16 from beyond the arc and made only two of them while the D was not very good as the Bobcats shoot 50% from the floor and the Raps did not get inside enough even though they took 28 free throws and made 19 (68% and that's is very low) and cleaned up some misses and put them back but not enough. The Bobcats in the second half did take the body and put a lot of fouls on the Raptors and helped the Cats to put up 30 points in the fourth quarter and they ended up having Reggie Williams had 22 points, Cory Maggette had 16 points, D.J. Augustin had a double-double with 11 points and 10 assists, and Bismack Biyombo was a monster on the boards with 13 boards.
The Raptors did not get very much offensively in the second half and DeRozan got an offensive foul and he was hit hard just the before the half way through the third quarter and went down and covered his face and they had to call a timeout and he was out a long time and came back at the 8:40 point of the fourth and ended with 24 points and the best part of his game was 8 of 12 from the line. Barbosa had 16 points but only 1 assist in the game compared to 14 shots he took while Amir had 15 boards to go with 6 points while James had 14 points and 8 boards and Calderon had 14 points and 8 assists. Ed Davis had 10 boards but the surprise of the game was that after Arron Gray had 5 boards in the first quarter and then did not return until the beginning of the second half and ended with 7 boards in only 13 minutes and Jamaal did not play in the game and he should of played and could of done good work and could of helped the team win over the Bobcats.
Casey has his boyz til Wednesday and I would not want to be those boyz this next week
Tom Mehegan
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Tony Parker and DeMar DeRozan lead their teams into a shootout @ the ACC
Tony Parker lead the Spurs as he put up 34 points as he was 12 of 12 from the line which helped the Spurs to go 23/25 from the line and shot 48% from the floor (11/23 from the floor) and he was not shooting he was putting the ball into the hands of teammates who had high percentage shot as he had 14 assists and the Spurs had 53.9% shooting from the floor. They were shooting 56% @ half and then shot almost 56% from the floor in the third but the Spurs did not use any other starter very much as Parker's 39:18 of floor time was almost 12 minutes more than any other starter and they decided to rest Tim Duncan as he played just over 19 minutes and he had 8 points, 3 boards, and 2 assists and left the game half way through the third quarter and was done for the night. Danny Green was 3 of 6 from beyond the arc and ended up with 13 points and ended with 7 of the Spurs 37 boards and Tiago Splitter with 6 of 8 from the floor to go with 5 boards and ended with 13 points while red rocket (Matt Bonner) had 10 points and 5 boards.
The Raptors were lead by DeMar DeRozan who had 28 points as he shot 62% from the floor (13/21) and it helped the Raptors shot 54.7% from the floor but once again the Raps were down by 11 points in the first quarter and were down 14 points in the second quarter and they were down 10 @ half and were shooting 47% but came out in the third quarter and made their first 7 shots and shot over 60% in the quarter. They got the lead down to 5 by the end of the third quarter and they got a few stops in the fourth but went for 3's after stops and the Spurs went into the paint when got stops and built up the lead again and won the game 113-106 in a very high scoring game. Calderon had 8 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and over 50% (8 of 14) and 11 assists and Amir had 7 of the Raps 35 boards to go with his 10 points but with Bargnani and Bayless still out they had no Kleiza as he turned his ankle last night so Anthony Carter played over 20 minutes and had 7 points, 5 boards, and 6 assists who helped rest Calderon who play 34 minutes and Rajai Butler had 10 points, 3 boards and assists in the game which was a better performance this season. Ed Davis continued to improve with 10 points and 5 assists but the Raps hurt themselves by not getting to the line a lot only 9 of 14.
The all-star is close only two games in the next almost two weeks
Tom Mehegan
The Raptors were lead by DeMar DeRozan who had 28 points as he shot 62% from the floor (13/21) and it helped the Raptors shot 54.7% from the floor but once again the Raps were down by 11 points in the first quarter and were down 14 points in the second quarter and they were down 10 @ half and were shooting 47% but came out in the third quarter and made their first 7 shots and shot over 60% in the quarter. They got the lead down to 5 by the end of the third quarter and they got a few stops in the fourth but went for 3's after stops and the Spurs went into the paint when got stops and built up the lead again and won the game 113-106 in a very high scoring game. Calderon had 8 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and over 50% (8 of 14) and 11 assists and Amir had 7 of the Raps 35 boards to go with his 10 points but with Bargnani and Bayless still out they had no Kleiza as he turned his ankle last night so Anthony Carter played over 20 minutes and had 7 points, 5 boards, and 6 assists who helped rest Calderon who play 34 minutes and Rajai Butler had 10 points, 3 boards and assists in the game which was a better performance this season. Ed Davis continued to improve with 10 points and 5 assists but the Raps hurt themselves by not getting to the line a lot only 9 of 14.
The all-star is close only two games in the next almost two weeks
Tom Mehegan
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Jeremy Lin's legend grows but not before three very good quarters by the Raps
Jeremy Lin has flare for the dramatics as he hit a three with half second left as the Knicks won six straight games as they won 90-87 after Tyson Chandler ripped a board down with 20.8 seconds and the ball got sent out to Lin who watched the clock go down until it was the last second and made sure that it was either game over or it was heading to overtime. Jeremy Lin finished hot as he had 12 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter as the Knicks outscored the Raptors 24-12 in the fourth quarter and it started with a 10-3 run to cut the lead from 75-66 to 78-76 but Lin did not start well as he had 9 points but 6 assists to 5 turnovers as the Knicks had 11 turnovers which lead to 21 points.
The Raptors played hard for the first three quarters of the game as they shot 63% in the first quarter while the D kept the Knicks down shooting 43% and the Raptors lead 28-21 and Calderon had 12 points and 2 assists in the quarter. The Raptors lead 47-36 @ halftime and they kept the Knicks at an arms length as Jeremy Lin put up 6 points and 4 assists and the Knicks had only 2 turnovers in the third quarter and the Raptors were lead by Calderon who had 13 points and 4 assists in the quarter and the Raptors had 40 points in the paint through the first three quarters but the Raps had 7 fourth quarter turnovers after only 11 through the first three quarters.
The Raptors were lead by Jose Calderon with 25 points, 9 assists, and 7 boards while Amir Johnson had 5 blocked shots as the Raptors had 11 as a team to go with 10 points. Kleiza had his first double-double in 14 month as he had 15 points and 11 boards and DeRozan had 14 points and got to the line 4 times and made all of them but still lead the team with 6 of the teams 18 turnovers while Barbosa had 13 points as well.
In the end the Knicks D showed up in the fourth and the Raps did not really have an answer for it
Tom Mehegan
The Raptors played hard for the first three quarters of the game as they shot 63% in the first quarter while the D kept the Knicks down shooting 43% and the Raptors lead 28-21 and Calderon had 12 points and 2 assists in the quarter. The Raptors lead 47-36 @ halftime and they kept the Knicks at an arms length as Jeremy Lin put up 6 points and 4 assists and the Knicks had only 2 turnovers in the third quarter and the Raptors were lead by Calderon who had 13 points and 4 assists in the quarter and the Raptors had 40 points in the paint through the first three quarters but the Raps had 7 fourth quarter turnovers after only 11 through the first three quarters.
The Raptors were lead by Jose Calderon with 25 points, 9 assists, and 7 boards while Amir Johnson had 5 blocked shots as the Raptors had 11 as a team to go with 10 points. Kleiza had his first double-double in 14 month as he had 15 points and 11 boards and DeRozan had 14 points and got to the line 4 times and made all of them but still lead the team with 6 of the teams 18 turnovers while Barbosa had 13 points as well.
In the end the Knicks D showed up in the fourth and the Raps did not really have an answer for it
Tom Mehegan
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Jose Calderon and Jamaal Magloire lead Raptors after their worst quarter under Casey
Time management and the worst first quarter in the Dwayne Casey era of Toronto Raptors Basketball cost the Raptors a win against the not that good on the road Lakers (5 and 10 this season) as Rajai Butler was asked one thing in the whole 48 minute game that was to inbound the ball within 5 seconds as the Raps were down 93-92 with 4.2 seconds and was not able to get in in time. The Raptors were not able to have a final shot for the win but instead after Kobe Bryant hit 1 of 2 free throws the Raptors with 3.7 seconds remaining in the game had a chance to win it as DeRozan put up a buzzer beater three that did not go down.
The Raptors decided to allow Pau Gasol to run the game in the first quarter as he had 8 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds in the quarter as the Lakers shoot 70% from the floor which I do not remember the Raptors ever allowing before and they put up 34 points in the quarter which is the most a Raptors team under Dwayne Casey has ever given up in the opening quarter. Andrew Bynum had 8 points and 3 rounds as well for the Lakers while Jose Calderon was 5 of 6 from the floor in the quarter and had 11 of his 30 points in the quarter while the rest of the Raptors were 2 of 17 from the floor and the Raptors were down 34-19 after one quarter.
Then Jamaal Magloire came in and in 9 minutes of the second quarter had 5 boards and 4 points as he just shutdown Andrew Bynum as he had 10 points before Magloire came in and then no points the rest of the quarter while Gasol had 4 points in the quarter as the Raptors went on a 23-14 run after he came into the game to cut what was a 18 point lead all the way down to 8 by halftime.
In the second half Kobe Bryant put up 9 points in each quarter after having 9 points in the first half but the Raptors cut the lead down to 3 in the third quarter and in the fourth quarter they had a 7-0 to take the lead 88-84 with 2:11 remaining in the game and it could of been a 7 point lead with 69 seconds left but Kleiza's three that was three quarters of the way down popped out. Kobe had 7 of his 9 points in the last minute of the game to lead the Lake show to a 94-92 victory over the Raptors to pick up their 5 road victory of the season as Gasol had only 4 points in the second half even though he had 17 boards in the game while Bynum had only 2 to go with his 9 boards in the game.
Besides Calderon the rest of the starters were 7 of 26 from the floor and only had 19 points in the game while Kleiza was good on the boards late it was Magloire with 7 and Davis with 8 who put the Raps into the game with the boards. Kleiza had 15 points off the bench and Barbosa had 12 off the bench and DeRozan was 2 of 13 from the floor still got to the line 5 times (made 4) and passed the ball as he had 7 assists which was even more than Calderon's 6 in the game.
I wish this team could play the first quarter like they play the rest of the game
Tom Mehegan
The Raptors decided to allow Pau Gasol to run the game in the first quarter as he had 8 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds in the quarter as the Lakers shoot 70% from the floor which I do not remember the Raptors ever allowing before and they put up 34 points in the quarter which is the most a Raptors team under Dwayne Casey has ever given up in the opening quarter. Andrew Bynum had 8 points and 3 rounds as well for the Lakers while Jose Calderon was 5 of 6 from the floor in the quarter and had 11 of his 30 points in the quarter while the rest of the Raptors were 2 of 17 from the floor and the Raptors were down 34-19 after one quarter.
Then Jamaal Magloire came in and in 9 minutes of the second quarter had 5 boards and 4 points as he just shutdown Andrew Bynum as he had 10 points before Magloire came in and then no points the rest of the quarter while Gasol had 4 points in the quarter as the Raptors went on a 23-14 run after he came into the game to cut what was a 18 point lead all the way down to 8 by halftime.
In the second half Kobe Bryant put up 9 points in each quarter after having 9 points in the first half but the Raptors cut the lead down to 3 in the third quarter and in the fourth quarter they had a 7-0 to take the lead 88-84 with 2:11 remaining in the game and it could of been a 7 point lead with 69 seconds left but Kleiza's three that was three quarters of the way down popped out. Kobe had 7 of his 9 points in the last minute of the game to lead the Lake show to a 94-92 victory over the Raptors to pick up their 5 road victory of the season as Gasol had only 4 points in the second half even though he had 17 boards in the game while Bynum had only 2 to go with his 9 boards in the game.
Besides Calderon the rest of the starters were 7 of 26 from the floor and only had 19 points in the game while Kleiza was good on the boards late it was Magloire with 7 and Davis with 8 who put the Raps into the game with the boards. Kleiza had 15 points off the bench and Barbosa had 12 off the bench and DeRozan was 2 of 13 from the floor still got to the line 5 times (made 4) and passed the ball as he had 7 assists which was even more than Calderon's 6 in the game.
I wish this team could play the first quarter like they play the rest of the game
Tom Mehegan
Friday, February 10, 2012
Toronto Raptors dominated the Celtics from beginning to end
The Raptors lead the Celtics from tip off to final buzzer and the Raps took everything from the Bullies from Boston and gave it right back to the bullies as Kleiza did not get distracted by Rondo's head games and after Garnett pushed DeRozan and DeRozan did not back down from Garnett. Garnett is a guy that has taken advantage of the Raptors and tries push and shove the Raptors and have even gone out and gave hard fouls and nobody has ever gotten into his face and the last game they played the Bullies from Boston beat down the Raps 100-64 in Boston and they had won 17 of 19 against the Raps going into tonight's game.
The Raps lead after one quarter 26-14 and was one of the most dominated start the Raptors has had this season especially as Pietrus hit a three with less of a second for the Bullies and DeRozan with his father in the crowd had 9 of his 13 first half points and Calderon had 8 points in the quarter and had 17 points as a back court in the quarter and 23 at the half. In the second quarter the Raptors lead @ half by 7 points as Barbosa had 7 points in the second quarter and Casey said at halftime they needed to continue to go into the paint and not carelessly throw the ball away as they had 7 first half turnovers and only had 4 turnovers in the second half and they scored their first 12 points from in the paint (4 baskets) and the free throw line (4 of 4). Both Johnsons had 6 points in the quarter and the Raptors lead by 12 after three quarters after being up as much as 16 in the quarter and they had 36 points in the paint and had a plus 10 on the boards. James Johnson had 2 blocks and a rebound in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter and the Raptors were 1 of 11 from beyond the arc and then Kleiza was 3 of 6 from there in the quarter that helped the Raptors beat the Bullies 86-74.
The Raptors had 19 3-balls which is better than the 24 they put up on Wednesday against the Bucks and 26 against the Wizards on Monday and had 20 free throws which was better than the past few games but they could be shooting less threes and free throws. They got 21 points from DeRozan and 7 of 7 from the line and 17 point and 14 assists from Jose Calderon while Arron Grey had 11 boards in 18 minutes and 12 points and 12 boards from Amir Johnson. James Johnson had a full rounded game with 7 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks to go with 14 points while Kevin Garnett lead the bullies with 17 points and 8 boards as the Bullies played the Lake show last night and Sunday hosting Bulls.
In the end I wish this kind effort was a trend instead of a fad
Tom Mehegan
The Raps lead after one quarter 26-14 and was one of the most dominated start the Raptors has had this season especially as Pietrus hit a three with less of a second for the Bullies and DeRozan with his father in the crowd had 9 of his 13 first half points and Calderon had 8 points in the quarter and had 17 points as a back court in the quarter and 23 at the half. In the second quarter the Raptors lead @ half by 7 points as Barbosa had 7 points in the second quarter and Casey said at halftime they needed to continue to go into the paint and not carelessly throw the ball away as they had 7 first half turnovers and only had 4 turnovers in the second half and they scored their first 12 points from in the paint (4 baskets) and the free throw line (4 of 4). Both Johnsons had 6 points in the quarter and the Raptors lead by 12 after three quarters after being up as much as 16 in the quarter and they had 36 points in the paint and had a plus 10 on the boards. James Johnson had 2 blocks and a rebound in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter and the Raptors were 1 of 11 from beyond the arc and then Kleiza was 3 of 6 from there in the quarter that helped the Raptors beat the Bullies 86-74.
The Raptors had 19 3-balls which is better than the 24 they put up on Wednesday against the Bucks and 26 against the Wizards on Monday and had 20 free throws which was better than the past few games but they could be shooting less threes and free throws. They got 21 points from DeRozan and 7 of 7 from the line and 17 point and 14 assists from Jose Calderon while Arron Grey had 11 boards in 18 minutes and 12 points and 12 boards from Amir Johnson. James Johnson had a full rounded game with 7 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks to go with 14 points while Kevin Garnett lead the bullies with 17 points and 8 boards as the Bullies played the Lake show last night and Sunday hosting Bulls.
In the end I wish this kind effort was a trend instead of a fad
Tom Mehegan
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
The Toronto Raptors had a number of chances to beat the Bucks
The Bucks had 19 turnovers which was 5 more turnovers in the game than the Raptors especially in the first half the Raptors had a get great opportunities to take the lead as they only had 5 turnovers which was half of the Bucks 10 turnovers but the Bucks also shot over 56% in the half and had 58 points and were up 7 @ half. Mike Dunleavy had 16 of the 30 second quarter while DeRozan had 8 of the Raptors 29 first quarter points and ended up with 13 points @ half and Stephen Jackson scored 7 of the 9 Bucks points in a 9-2 run to end the half.
In the second half the Bucks got open threes just like the first half and ended the game 12 of 25 from beyond the arc with former Raptor Carlos Delfino was 6 of 8 from beyond the arc as he had nobody on him and ended up with 25 points and had 9 boards. Drew Gooden had 20 points and 14 boards while Dunleavy had 18 points and 7 boards and Stephen Jackson had 17 points in the game.
The Raptors just like Monday's game against the Wizards shot a lot of threes as they shot 24 and made 9 of them and shot a lot of long jumpers and had only 17 free throws compared to the 24 threes while the Bucks shot 37 free throws and made 27 of them. The Bucks also got down more boards than the Raptors (47-41) and key ones in the fourth quarter as the Bucks up 6 missed a three from Brandon Jennings who ended up following his miss and got the board to give him a tip in and then just could not get rebounds so they were not able to get stops and it lead to the Bucks 105-99 victory.
DeRozan did lead the Raps with 25 points but he took 6 threes and hit 4 of them but only went to the line 3 times and Kleiza was 6 of 7 from the line and had 12 points and 8 boards and Calderon had 15 assists but was 4 of 12 from the floor while Jerryd Bayless left the game in the third quarter and did not return and it might case him to play too many minutes which is not positive. James Johnson had 15 points (7 of 11 from the floor) and 7 boards while Ed Davis was good on the boards with 7 boards and from the line with 4 of 4 but ended up 1 of 6 from the floor in 24 minutes. Amir still not completely focus with the game as he was only 3 of 5 from the floor and had 6 boards while Barbosa still not 100% as he had 11 points and only 2 free throws and he needs to get to the line more.
The Raps are 3 and 7 @ home and now have 6 more games @ home before a single game on the road and need to control their own floor
Tom Mehegan
In the second half the Bucks got open threes just like the first half and ended the game 12 of 25 from beyond the arc with former Raptor Carlos Delfino was 6 of 8 from beyond the arc as he had nobody on him and ended up with 25 points and had 9 boards. Drew Gooden had 20 points and 14 boards while Dunleavy had 18 points and 7 boards and Stephen Jackson had 17 points in the game.
The Raptors just like Monday's game against the Wizards shot a lot of threes as they shot 24 and made 9 of them and shot a lot of long jumpers and had only 17 free throws compared to the 24 threes while the Bucks shot 37 free throws and made 27 of them. The Bucks also got down more boards than the Raptors (47-41) and key ones in the fourth quarter as the Bucks up 6 missed a three from Brandon Jennings who ended up following his miss and got the board to give him a tip in and then just could not get rebounds so they were not able to get stops and it lead to the Bucks 105-99 victory.
DeRozan did lead the Raps with 25 points but he took 6 threes and hit 4 of them but only went to the line 3 times and Kleiza was 6 of 7 from the line and had 12 points and 8 boards and Calderon had 15 assists but was 4 of 12 from the floor while Jerryd Bayless left the game in the third quarter and did not return and it might case him to play too many minutes which is not positive. James Johnson had 15 points (7 of 11 from the floor) and 7 boards while Ed Davis was good on the boards with 7 boards and from the line with 4 of 4 but ended up 1 of 6 from the floor in 24 minutes. Amir still not completely focus with the game as he was only 3 of 5 from the floor and had 6 boards while Barbosa still not 100% as he had 11 points and only 2 free throws and he needs to get to the line more.
The Raps are 3 and 7 @ home and now have 6 more games @ home before a single game on the road and need to control their own floor
Tom Mehegan
Monday, February 6, 2012
Kleiza and Bayless lead the Raps into overtime against the Wiz
The Raps played bowling-shoe ugly basketball for 33 minutes as with 3:02 left in the third quarter the Wizards went up 18 points @ 79-61 and then Dwayne Casey finally got he was screaming for which was tough D and turning the D into points at the other end of the court as the Raptors went on a 11-3 run in the last 3 minutes of the quarter to cut the lead to 10. Which was lead by 3 of the Raptors 13 threes in game by Kleiza (20 points after three quarters), Anthony Carter, and James Johnson. Then with just less than 6 minutes left in the game the Raptors were still down 10 points @ 94-84 and then the Raptors went on a 21-11 run to end regulation and were lead by Jerryd Bayless as he hit 3 of his 6 threes in the last 5:06 of regulation and had 11 points in this time and Kleiza had 6 points in the last 6 minutes.
The Raptors did not have anything left in overtime as they were 0 for 9 in overtime because the only producers on offense were Bayless (6 of 10 from three) and Kleiza (11 of 16 from the floor) who ended up with 30 points each but it all came down to Trevor Booker second free throw and the Wizards up 110-108 with 6.7 seconds left and he missed it and Jamaal Magloire had his hands on the ball and it slipped through his fingers. The Raptors had a finally chance to send the game into double overtime and Jose Calderon who was 1 of 5 in the game but missed a buzzer beater three that ended up being an air ball and the Wizards won 111-108 and has gotten 2 of their 5 victories against the Raps. The Wizards got 31 points from John Wall (18 in the second half), 29 points from Nick Young (17 in the first half), and 19 from Trevor Booker and the Wizards put up 57 points in the first half.
The Raptors went to the line 34 times lead by Derozan (7 of his 15 points from the line) and Kleiza (4 of 8 from the line) with 8 attempts along with Bayless with 6 and he was perfect from the line.
This maybe another lesson for Raps as they took the Wizards lightly and it cost them a victory
Tom Mehegan
The Raptors did not have anything left in overtime as they were 0 for 9 in overtime because the only producers on offense were Bayless (6 of 10 from three) and Kleiza (11 of 16 from the floor) who ended up with 30 points each but it all came down to Trevor Booker second free throw and the Wizards up 110-108 with 6.7 seconds left and he missed it and Jamaal Magloire had his hands on the ball and it slipped through his fingers. The Raptors had a finally chance to send the game into double overtime and Jose Calderon who was 1 of 5 in the game but missed a buzzer beater three that ended up being an air ball and the Wizards won 111-108 and has gotten 2 of their 5 victories against the Raps. The Wizards got 31 points from John Wall (18 in the second half), 29 points from Nick Young (17 in the first half), and 19 from Trevor Booker and the Wizards put up 57 points in the first half.
The Raptors went to the line 34 times lead by Derozan (7 of his 15 points from the line) and Kleiza (4 of 8 from the line) with 8 attempts along with Bayless with 6 and he was perfect from the line.
This maybe another lesson for Raps as they took the Wizards lightly and it cost them a victory
Tom Mehegan
Sunday, February 5, 2012
the Raps third quarter buried them but DeRozan shined
DeMar DeRozan has 16 points in the first half (11 in the first quarter) and is 6 of 9 from the floor and 4 of 5 from the line along with 2 assists and 2 boards and he is going to the hole and slamming down on the not so tight Heat D. In the third DeRozan had the first 7 points for the Raps and the Heat D seriously tightened up in the third quarter as it took the Raps got 3 points between the 10:09 and 1:49 mark and only made 4 buckets from the floor in the quarter and had 14 points in the quarter and 8 of them after the 10:09 mark of the quarter which costed the Raps the game as they had 8 of 16 turnovers in the third quarter. The Raps went into the fourth quarter down 75-62 after a 22-14 third quarter and they made a charge in the fourth quarter after the Heat went up 85-70 @ the 6:33 the Raps went on 12-0 run to close the gap to 3 with 3:23 thanks to 5 points from Jerryd Bayless and a three from Kleiza but the Raps ended up losing 95-89.
DeRozan had 25 points in the game with 11 in the first quarter and Kleiza had 12 points and Jerryd Bayless had 9 in the fourth quarter and both ended with 17 in the game and Ed Davis had 8 points and 8 boards. Then Guys like Calderon was just not himself after 17 assist game Friday had only 2 assists compared to 5 turnovers while Amir who had 5 boards in the first half had only 1 in the second half and 1 of 3 from the floor while Barbosa was not feeling it today as he was 1 of 8 from the floor and if he was able to come in in the third quarter and heat up he would of given the Raps a better chance to win the game.
D Wade had 25 points with 12 trips to the line and made 9 while LBJ had 30 points with 9 boards and also had 12 trips to the line and made 10 of them and they had 55 of the Heats 95 points today. Chris had 12 points and had 8 boards and Udonis Haslem had 9 boards and Mario Chalmers was 3 of 5 from beyond the arc but in the end Erik Spoelstra was not impressed by the Heats fourth quarter as the Raps outscored 27-20 in the final quarter.
The Raps if they come ready to play against the Wiz tomorrow then they would match their road victories from last season of 6 in 18 games
Tom Mehegan
DeRozan had 25 points in the game with 11 in the first quarter and Kleiza had 12 points and Jerryd Bayless had 9 in the fourth quarter and both ended with 17 in the game and Ed Davis had 8 points and 8 boards. Then Guys like Calderon was just not himself after 17 assist game Friday had only 2 assists compared to 5 turnovers while Amir who had 5 boards in the first half had only 1 in the second half and 1 of 3 from the floor while Barbosa was not feeling it today as he was 1 of 8 from the floor and if he was able to come in in the third quarter and heat up he would of given the Raps a better chance to win the game.
D Wade had 25 points with 12 trips to the line and made 9 while LBJ had 30 points with 9 boards and also had 12 trips to the line and made 10 of them and they had 55 of the Heats 95 points today. Chris had 12 points and had 8 boards and Udonis Haslem had 9 boards and Mario Chalmers was 3 of 5 from beyond the arc but in the end Erik Spoelstra was not impressed by the Heats fourth quarter as the Raps outscored 27-20 in the final quarter.
The Raps if they come ready to play against the Wiz tomorrow then they would match their road victories from last season of 6 in 18 games
Tom Mehegan
Friday, February 3, 2012
The Toronto Raptors took their frustration out on the Wizards
The Raptors who are in the middle of 5 games in a week ended up having to practice Thursday which was the first two non-game days this week and came into tonight's against the Washington Wizards and had in their mind that they would do what it took to have Saturday off in south beach before have to play against the Miami Heat on Super Sunday where they will miss most of the Big Game because they will be in the air heading to Washington for Monday match up with the Wizards.
So in the Thursday practice the Raps were reminded to ball to the hoop where the worst case scenario is that U go to the line and shoot two free throws so in the first half the Raps had 38 points in the paint and 17 free throw attempts and they made 10 of them and took a 55-45 halftime lead by a 8-0 run in a span of 71 seconds. Amir Johnson took it to heart and it was his first double digits in points and/or rebound since Martin Luther King Day in Atlanta because he was perfect from floor (5 of 5) and from the line (2 of 2) in the first half and had 12 points and 5 boards @ halftime while Barbosa had 11 points, James Johnson had 10 points, and Jose Calderon had 7 assists @ half.
In the third quarter The Wizards came out and went after DeRozan and started 7 of 8 from the floor and the Raps started 1 of 9 and it was a 14-5 run during a span of 4:48 and it was 60-59 and then Casey took a timeout and probably asked them if they wanted to practice tomorrow so the Raptors came back out and outscored the Wiz 20-10 to end the quarter and started the fourth quarter on a 8-2 run over the first 3:41 to take a 17 point lead @ 88-71. The Raps got the lead up to 21 points as Kleiza ordered pizza for the fans as they went up 102-81 with a three and the game ended 106-89 and the Raps got a season high 61 boards which was a plus 24 on the boards while they had 68 points in the paint and 19 of 28 from the line.
Jose Calderon was the only Raptor over 30 minutes with just over 35 minutes and was close a triple-double 8 points, 8 boards, and 17 assists. Amir Johnson left his personal issues in the locker room with 18 points and 13 boards while Barbosa had 19 points, 2 boards, and 3 steals and James Johnson had 13 points. DeRozan had 11 points and 7 boards and did to the hoop a little while Jamaal Magloire had 6 boards in only 6 and a half minutes.
For the Wiz Nick Young had 21 points and 4 boards, John Wall had 15 points along with 5 boards and 4 assists, and Trevor Booker had 13 points along with 7 boards.
It was a very good bounce back game but it is the Wiz and the return in DC on Monday will be more interesting but first Bosh and the Heat on Super Sunday
Tom Mehegan
So in the Thursday practice the Raps were reminded to ball to the hoop where the worst case scenario is that U go to the line and shoot two free throws so in the first half the Raps had 38 points in the paint and 17 free throw attempts and they made 10 of them and took a 55-45 halftime lead by a 8-0 run in a span of 71 seconds. Amir Johnson took it to heart and it was his first double digits in points and/or rebound since Martin Luther King Day in Atlanta because he was perfect from floor (5 of 5) and from the line (2 of 2) in the first half and had 12 points and 5 boards @ halftime while Barbosa had 11 points, James Johnson had 10 points, and Jose Calderon had 7 assists @ half.
In the third quarter The Wizards came out and went after DeRozan and started 7 of 8 from the floor and the Raps started 1 of 9 and it was a 14-5 run during a span of 4:48 and it was 60-59 and then Casey took a timeout and probably asked them if they wanted to practice tomorrow so the Raptors came back out and outscored the Wiz 20-10 to end the quarter and started the fourth quarter on a 8-2 run over the first 3:41 to take a 17 point lead @ 88-71. The Raps got the lead up to 21 points as Kleiza ordered pizza for the fans as they went up 102-81 with a three and the game ended 106-89 and the Raps got a season high 61 boards which was a plus 24 on the boards while they had 68 points in the paint and 19 of 28 from the line.
Jose Calderon was the only Raptor over 30 minutes with just over 35 minutes and was close a triple-double 8 points, 8 boards, and 17 assists. Amir Johnson left his personal issues in the locker room with 18 points and 13 boards while Barbosa had 19 points, 2 boards, and 3 steals and James Johnson had 13 points. DeRozan had 11 points and 7 boards and did to the hoop a little while Jamaal Magloire had 6 boards in only 6 and a half minutes.
For the Wiz Nick Young had 21 points and 4 boards, John Wall had 15 points along with 5 boards and 4 assists, and Trevor Booker had 13 points along with 7 boards.
It was a very good bounce back game but it is the Wiz and the return in DC on Monday will be more interesting but first Bosh and the Heat on Super Sunday
Tom Mehegan
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Brain Colangelo was in the crowd for the nightmare in Boston and has choices to make
The Raptors game @ the TD Garden in Boston was a complete nightmare for Bryan Colangelo as the Celtics beat the Raptors 100-64 and they were shooting 62.2% from the floor in the first half and ended the game shooting 52% from the floor. The Raptors did have a shot @ the 8:31 mark of the first quarter and Amir Johnson missed a free throw and then the Celtics went on a 16-1 run and by the end of the first quarter the Celtics were up 29-16 and the Raptors did not have any fight in them and Dwayne Casey was unable to find a group of five to lean on as Ed Davis was 12 boards and 10 points was the only Rap to play over 27 minutes and played 38 and a half minutes. Arron Gray played well to start the game with 4 points and 4 boards in the first quarter and ended with 8 points and 9 boards and Jerryd Bayless scored 14 points to lead the Raps.
Colangelo has given Dwayne Casey very little to work with because DeMar is the most skilled scorer behind Bargnani and is not been very productive this season averaging 14.4 points and 3.6 boards with 5 games of over 20 points and 9 games of 11 or less points. Most of the rest of team are likely not playing very many minutes with the upper class teams in the NBA like James Johnson who still in unable to hit a mid level jumper and Amir Johnson still has not put together enough big rebound games as he has a stretch of 6 of 8 of double digit boards and has not had a double digit board game in the other 15 games and three double digits in points three times this season. Jerryd Bayless still has not been a very good passers and just like Barbosa if they do not have a good shooting day then the team has very bad shooting game as Barbosa puts up a lot of shots and he does not get to the line. While Kleiza, Gary Forbes, and Rasual Butler are simply bench players and Anthony Carter and Solomon Alabi do not find the floor and tonight both played 4 and a half minutes which tells us that Casey throw his hands in the air and given up the game.
Brain Colangelo has not put together good teams and the only time the Raps made the playoffs his first season as GM of the team and the team has gotten worse and worse over the next few seasons and now has brought in a defensive coach Casey who does not have defensive players to get the job done. Colangelo is finished his contract at the end of the season and if he is unable to improve the team @ the trade dead line than he maybe finished but Casey needs to stay with or without Colangelo.
Casey is one of the best Raptors coach
Tom Mehegan
Colangelo has given Dwayne Casey very little to work with because DeMar is the most skilled scorer behind Bargnani and is not been very productive this season averaging 14.4 points and 3.6 boards with 5 games of over 20 points and 9 games of 11 or less points. Most of the rest of team are likely not playing very many minutes with the upper class teams in the NBA like James Johnson who still in unable to hit a mid level jumper and Amir Johnson still has not put together enough big rebound games as he has a stretch of 6 of 8 of double digit boards and has not had a double digit board game in the other 15 games and three double digits in points three times this season. Jerryd Bayless still has not been a very good passers and just like Barbosa if they do not have a good shooting day then the team has very bad shooting game as Barbosa puts up a lot of shots and he does not get to the line. While Kleiza, Gary Forbes, and Rasual Butler are simply bench players and Anthony Carter and Solomon Alabi do not find the floor and tonight both played 4 and a half minutes which tells us that Casey throw his hands in the air and given up the game.
Brain Colangelo has not put together good teams and the only time the Raps made the playoffs his first season as GM of the team and the team has gotten worse and worse over the next few seasons and now has brought in a defensive coach Casey who does not have defensive players to get the job done. Colangelo is finished his contract at the end of the season and if he is unable to improve the team @ the trade dead line than he maybe finished but Casey needs to stay with or without Colangelo.
Casey is one of the best Raptors coach
Tom Mehegan
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