A Must Win

Before I get into the details of this write up, let me start out by admitting something: I was wrong about this team. Every prediction I made back in July has been completely wrong, and every negative that I thought wouldn't be a problem has been. The Raptors have been a huge disappointment this year (at least in my eyes), and I'm very sad to be a fan. It's like a big budget movie with an ending that goes nowhere--sure the hype was there, but at the end of day, you left the movie saying "Eh". Contrary to my belief a few months ago, I think it'll be a miracle if Chris Bosh stays in Toronto. Based on his post game interviews lately, he seems miserable to be wearing the Raptors uniform, and wants to on a winning team. I've got to give credit to Bryan Colangelo for attempting to revive this team, but he, once again, came up short. But on that note...

The Raptors are in a position I thought would never be possible--on the cusp of missing the playoffs. Their 35-34 record is bad enough for the 8th seed and is just 2.5 games better than Chicago, who is on the outside looking in. But as bad as the Raptors have been, they're only 1 game out of the 6th seed--which is currently vacated by the Miami Heat.

The Raptors face the Jazz tonight, which is a game I consider a "must win". For one, the game is at the ACC, and just like my basketball coach tells me, "no one can beat you on your home floor". The Raptors are 7-4 at home against West Coast teams, and have an overall record of 23-11.

Secondly, the Raptors must bump up in the standings. An 8 seed, even a 7 seed, will mean a 5 game series at best. With the 6 seed, the Raptors at least have a shot of beating either the Hawks or Celtics in a 7 game series (but I'm begging it's the Celtics). And most importantly, the Heat travel to Chicago tomorrow night, which I'm guessing will be a Heat win. The Raptors can't afford to fall 2 games behind. I haven't said this all year, but it now needs to be said: The Raptors NEED this win.

Given how tight the 6-8 seeds are, every game is significant. The Raptors must take advantage of these last 13 games, and move up in the standings.

For once in a very long time, I want a reason to smile over this team. I'm so sick of losing.

Following March 14's loss against the Warriors, Chris Bosh called out his teammates, saying:

"Time is ticking and it's counting down, and if we keep playing the way we are right now, we're going to be on the outside looking in. Guys need to step it up, period."

You heard the man. Let's go Raptors.

I've Been Exposed As a Raptors Fan

About 8 months ago I was the happiest man in the world. The Toronto Raptors were making so many moves, and it appeared they would finally be an upper echelon team in the Eastern Conference. When the Raptors signed Hedo Turkoglu, I was smiling from ear to ear. I'll never forget it. Considering all the moves, I, along with the experts, believed the Raptors would be a 5 seed, maybe a 4 seed in the Eastern Conference come playoff time. I made a bold prediction of a 51-31 record, and possibly an Eastern Conference Finals reach. Yes, maybe these were biased predictions, but nonetheless...I had very high expectations for the Raptors in 2009-2010.

On February 19th, the Raptors defeated the Wizards 109-104, and improved their record to 31-24. Although that's just a so-so record, it appeared the Raptors were turning the corner and would only get better. But since then it's been....well, not what I thought. The Raptors are losers of 8 of 9, now have a 32-32 record, are the 8 seed in the East, and are just 1.5 games away from being out of the playoffs. Could it be? Could the Toronto Raptors really not make the playoffs?  We're not talking about a 4 or 5 seed like I predicted, we're talking about not making the playoffs?? Damn. I was way off. Now granted, the Raptors are only 2.5 games out of the 5 seed, but nonetheless. Having a record of 35-32 and a 5 seed isn't because of talent, it's just because the rest of the conference is so bad.

Last night's loss to the Warriors put me over the edge. Considering how bad the Warriors are (18-47), and how much the Raptors are playing for, it was very upsetting to see how flat the Raptors came out in the second half. Chris Bosh wasn't shy to vent his frustrating following the loss:

Although those are harsh words, Bosh is spot-on right. The coaches can preach all they want, but that means nothing come game time. Chris Bosh can dominate all he wants, but the Raptors won't be successful if he doesn't get the back-up support. It's because of this, along with his obvious frustrations, that I'd be surprised if Bosh re-signs. Bosh is an all-star, and he deserves a lot more than an average, first round playoff exit (if the Raptors even make the playoffs) team. Now, I could be wrong (because as you can see, I've been wrong before), but this team needs to start winning if they have any shot of keeping their superstar.

Is Bryan Colangelo overrated as a GM? While I applauded his off-season moves, they haven't made the team better. Yes, the Raptors have a deep bench. Yes, trading for Amir Johnson was a brilliant move. But his biggest acquisition, Hedo Turkoglu, has been a huge disappointment. Turkoglu is making roughly $10M this year, and he's playing like a pile of garbage. I knew Turkoglu was overpaid, but I didn't think it'd be this bad. Given Colangelo's failures over the past three seasons, could his job possibly be on the hot seat? I personally don't believe so, but just the thought of it shows how badly the Raptors and Colangelo have failed this year. 

You know what sucks about all this? I, as a die-hard fan can't do anything about it. I can throw my couch pillows at the television and curse my brains out, but that's about it. I can't join the team or scream at the personnel--I can only sit back, and witness losses to teams like the Warriors (18-47), Kings (22-44), and Sixers (23-42). It's very embarrassing to be a Raptors fan.

The Raptors west coast trip ends tonight against the Blazers, and I'm guessing their record will slide to 32-33. When's this nightmare going to end?

Raptors take on the Lakers tonight

How ironic--the last time I blogged was when the Raptors stunned the Lakers at the ACC. Going into the night, I thought the Raptors had no shot of winning, but somehow found a way to prove me wrong. I couldn't stop smiling. I couldn't believe the Raptors won.

Now, 44 days later I feel the complete opposite. Sure, the Raptors went on a hot streak and were 7 games above .500 at one point, but now they're on a cold streak at the worst possible time. The Raptors have lost 5 of 6, hold a very average record of 32-29, and have slid to the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference. Chris Bosh has been injured during this span, but nonetheless--since the All-Star break, the Raptors have lost momentum when I thought it'd be opposite. The Raptors have let their opponent score over 100 points in each of the 5 losses, and 4 of them have been in front of the ACC crowd. Home is a place you never want to lose--but 4 straight times? Come on.

What I'm saying is, this isn't just another slump--this team has drastically fallen back down to Earth, and it doesn't look like they'll be rising up anytime soon.

I know it's been said and said, but I'll say it (well, write it...) one more time: If the Raptors have any shot of keeping their All-Star (if you don't know who I'm referring to, please stop reading this), they need to start winning now. I truly believe Bosh will stay, but only if the team is successful. I don't want another first round exit, and I'm guessing CB doesn't either. If the Raptors lose 4 of 5 games without Bosh, isn't that a sure tell sign that this team needs him?

And guess what? The Raptors are in LA tonight to face the Lakers. So just like I said 44 days ago, I'll be shocked if the Raptors win tonight.

Raptors edge Lakers

It's been a while since my last blog post. Why? Because the Raptors have been extremely streaky, and have been hovering over that .500 mark for the last few weeks--one win, won loss, two wins, one loss, etc. With the way things have been going, and with my crazy schedule, it's hard to keep the blogging a constant.

But I felt very inclined to do a write-up following last night's win. Last night's win wasn't just any ordinary win--it was a win against the Los Angeles freakin' Lakers. That's right. The 33-10 (now 11) Lakers. The team that has Kobe Bryant, who dropped 81 points on us roughly 4 years ago. You know...the Lakers.

I'll admit it--going into last night's game, I thought the Raptors would get completely blown out. In fact, I tweeted "hope for the best, but expect the worst". I honestly thought the game would be out of reach within the first 24 minutes. But as the game progressed, there was no blowout. In fact, it was a close game the entire 48 minutes. To start out the 2nd half, the Lakers went on a quick 7-0 run and saw their halftime lead of 2 increase to 9. Sure enough, I thought the Lakers would be clear sailing from there, and gradually increase their lead. But sure enough, the Raptors battled back.

Although the Lakers held a small lead, both teams kept exchanging baskets. It wasn't until a the 7:33 mark in the 4th quarter when the Raptors took the lead.

You know the rest--Turkoglu got fouled with 1.2 seconds left, made both free throws to go up by 1, then Kobe misses the game winner. Raptors win. Unbelievable. Un-freakin-believable.

Chris Bosh had just another day at the office--18 points, 13 rebounds. But it was the role players who were the most impressive--Jarrett Jack had 18 points, and Andrea Bargnani dropped 22, hitting some BIG shots down the stretch.

But in my opinion, the player of the game goes to Marco Belinelli. In 23 minutes, Belinelli had 15 points and shot 3 of 3 from downtown. Did I mention how important a bench is? Thanks Colangelo.

A crowd of 20,111 was at the ACC last night, in what was a playoff atmosphere type game. God, I wish I was there.

If this doesn't give the Raptors confidence, I don't know what will. The Lakers are the defending champs and have the best record in the NBA. The Raptors are now 23-22, and are about to hit the easiest part of their schedule. This is a perfect time for the Raptors to do some damage in the East

Before yesterday's game, Chris Bosh said "I haven't been this encouraged in a while". I can only imagine how he feels now.

Previewing the next 3 games

The Toronto Raptors are winners of 5 straight, and now hold a poor-but-I'll-take-it record of 16-17. Granted, the schedule has been on the lighter side, but 5 straight wins is 5 straight wins. The Raptors now hold the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference (what a terrible conference).

The 2010 year is now upon us, and that means a clean slate for the Toronto Raptors. The disappointing 2009 season is a thing of the past, and its time to start fresh. As far as I'm concerned, every team in the NBA has a record of 0-0. So who do the Raptors "open the season" against? The Boston Celtics. Then the San Antonio Spurs. Then the Orlando Magic. Yikes.

Now, your first thought is probably "loss, loss, loss" right?

NEGATIVE:

The combined record of the three teams is 65-27. The Raptors have already played the Spurs and Celtics once and the Magic three times, and have lost all five games by an average margin of 11.2 points. The one time the Raptors played the Spurs, the Spurs put up 131 points without Tim Duncan and Tony Parker.

The Magic and Celtics games will be played on the road (the two best teams). The Raptors are 5-12 away from the ACC.

Hedo Turkoglu is doubtful for tomorrow's game against Boston. Jose Calderon didn't even make the trip.

The Spurs have won 4 straight.

And most importantly--the Raptors are 16-17. The Celtics, Magic and Spurs are 23-8, 23-8, and 19-11 respectively.

Based on this, the Raptors have absolutely no shot, right? Well, I did some more digging, and found some information that may actually change your mind.

POSITIVE:

The Celtics were winless on their 3 game road trip, losing to the Clippers (at the buzzer), Warriors, and Suns. Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett AND Paul Pierce won't play tomorrow night. That means Chris Bosh will go up against Rasheed Wallace, Brian Scalabrine and Shelden Williams. I sense domination.

The Spurs will be without Matt Bonner and Michael Finely until mid-January. When the two teams met in early November, Bonner and Finely had 18 points and 7 points respectively.

During the 5 game win streak, the Raptors defense has been allowing 89.8 points.

And did I mention the Raptors have won 5 straight?

Look--I'm not saying these next three games are guaranteed wins, but with the recent play, as well as injuries on the counterpart, there's reason to believe the Raptors can win at least two of three games. I can definitely see the Raptors beating Boston. I truly believe the Raptors can turn the season around, and start playing like expected. But if I've learned anything about this team, it's that they can rip my heart out right after giving me hope.

Hopefully, the year 2010 will the Toronto Raptors better days. It all starts tomorrow night against Boston.

Raptors at the Christmas break...

Whoa. What happened to the S&C? This site has been inactive for the past 20 days, and recent news hasn't been updated. But my school and basketball schedule has been very hectic (thanks coach), so it's hard keep up with the news in Raptorland.

So what's happened in the last 20 days? A winning streak, then a losing streak, and now we're back on the winning side. Typical right?

The Raptors defeated the Richard Hamilton-less, Tayshaun Prince-less, Ben Gordon-less Pistons on Wednesday 94-64. I don't care how injuried the team is; allowing 64 points by a terrible defensive team is impressive. The Raptors are now 14-17 and winners of 3 straight going into the Christmas break.

The Pistons scored 27 points in the 2nd half of Wednesday's loss, and shot a Raptor-defense best 28% from the floor. The Raptors have held their last 3 opponents to an average of 83.6 points....Good morning defense. About time you woke up.

Jarrett Jack has filled in nicely for the injured Jose Calderon. In the last 3 wins, Jack's been averaging 15 points and 7.6 assists in just 29 minutes (thanks again for addressing the back-up point guard position, Bryan Colangelo. Can you imagine if Roko Ukic was still our back-up?).

Maybe the schedule is a little easier, but nonetheless. Here's a team that was a poor 11-17 just 8 days ago, and now seem to be turning the corner. Hopefully, this hiatus in the schedule won't affect the Raptors winning ways. They've been off since Wednesday, and don't play again until Sunday against the Pistons.

All I wanted for Christmas was a winning team. Maybe that'll come true. Maybe.

The Week in the S&C: Episode 1

Due to my lack of blogs, I've decided to set up a podcast. Every Saturday, I'll be coming to you via audio to recap the week that was in Raptorland.

Behind another dominant performance by Chris Bosh, the Raptors won for the first time in 6 tries last night. Hedo Turkoglu hit a game winner in overtime and the Raptors won 109-107. The Raptors are now 8-13, and will be looking to stay on the winning side of things as they face the 7-10 Bulls tonight.

The Week in the S&C: Episode 1

Kevin Hooker's Podcast