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Jay wrote this today:

Yes, slap. That was the sound of the Raptors being brought back to reality. That’s the sound when the opposition is ready to play and you’re not. That’s the sound of Hump playing defense (sorry Hump, you’ve been surprisingly good lately, but I’ve gotta take my cuts where I can get’em).

If you thought it couldn’t get uglier than last night, well, the Raptors met your challenge. They shot a miserable 38.7 from the field. I mean, that’s a stat where you have to double check the box score to make sure you’re looking at the right stat. They also shot 28.6% from 3, but at least tonight they managed to keep it to 14 attempts.

Well, let’s at least start with a highlight. Juan Dixon, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 24 points. That’s a good night’s work. A RF reader posed the question of if Juan Dixon’s playing time is upsetting the chemistry on the Raps. Interesting question, but I don’t think so. Juan has been a welcome addition and if he hadn’t been playing so well, these results could have been even uglier. When something is there, he takes it, if it isn’t, he checks his options.

What killed me about tonight (and really, kills me most nights) is the Raptor D. Yikes. I don’t know if I’ve seen that many open looks since the All-Star Game. The Raptors weren’t even able to defend pick and rolls where the pick wasn’t even established. Guys were running around confused, looking like they were just learning the game. These defensive lapses don’t get noticed very often when the Raptors are winning, but they have been there. It’s just that much more noticeable when you are losing and then somebody walks down the lane and throws down on you.

Which brings me to one of my points that I love to bring up, but haven’t in a while. Now that PJ Tucker is back, why can he not get more minutes instead of Joey Graham? Okay, Joey had a decent night tonight, but PJ put up more points and 2 less rebounds than Joey in about half of the minutes. Given, PJ was playing more against second string guys, but anybody who doubts that when PJ hits the floor, the opposition is going to be hitting the floor is out to lunch. PJ knows he is slightly undersized to play forward, but with the way the guy bangs and fights for rebounds, I’d throw him in there. He even had a few good looking offensive moves tonight, take away his one travel. PJ makes things happen. So in games like tonight, where you see that the Raptors are not rebounding and are getting pushed around, that’s PJ time. There was one point where Varejao was going for a rebound and PJ simply outhustled AND outmuscled the guy. That’s the kind of thing the Raptors need. PJ isn’t afraid to go in there banging for rebounds because that’s his bread and butter. He was all over LeBron any time he got the ball and although the timing was definitely an issue, no way was Cleveland’s coaching staff going to let LeBron get outmuscled in a game like this. They got him the hell off the court. Anyway, I will await my next opportunity to express how underused this guy is.

Can somebody please let me know when Kris Humphries decided he was going to start understanding his role? All of a sudden, the guy is in there knocking people around, picking up some rebounds and taking shots when they are there. He isn’t putting the ball on the ground, just taking a look, seeing what is there and if they are backing off him too much, he goes up. Nice work.

If I see Varejao beat Bosh for a rebound one more time, I’m going to lose it.

Okay, next up is Washington, who have Jamison back. Great.

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Jay wrote this today:

Just because the whole 3-point scenario was so embarrassing (it was like watching yourself on a date where you keep saying the wrong thing, but instead of shutting up, you just keep talking), I have to make another point. Where was Sam Mitchell?

I know, all of a sudden everybody is a Sam fan and people are even mentioning his name in Coach of the Year conversations (?), but episodes like tonight are precisely why he shouldn’t win. When you see your team falling apart by shooting 3 after 3, why don’t you call a timeout, slap your team around and draw something up that gets the ball back inside? Sam said in an interview yesterday that he only calls about 45% of the Raptors plays and that the rest is just them playing ball. Fine. If you think your team is that intelligent, then that’s how you see it. But if you’re going to limit yourself to 45%, then you had better use that 45% in the appropriate places. The Raptors needed a good 10% during that period in the 4th where they were falling apart before our eyes.

If you’ve seen Gregg Popovich lose it on the bench, it’s a beautiful thing. He gets into it and he does precisely in situations like tonight’s. If he saw something like that going on, it would be shut down immediately.

Just to add insult to injury, after missing a 3, how on Earth do you get beaten back down the court on transition? If nobody bothered to stay in to rebound, then there is no excuse for not being back in a proper defensive position. There’s nothing worse than being lazy when you’re in a game. If you take a 3 or have decided (for whatever reason) that you’re not getting the rebound, then you should be heading straight back to your defensive zone.

Just an all-round ugly night.

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Jay wrote this today:

There are a lot of different things I could focus on from tonight’s loss to the Bucks (the Raptors inability to box out, one Buck beating four Raptors on a rebound, Bosh disappearing…), but I will start with the obvious one that actually cost the Raptors the game. Three-point shooting.

This was actually a close game going into the fourth quarter, until the Raptors inexplicably fell in love with their 3-point shooting. The Raptors are generally a strong 3-point shooting team, with a variety of guys who can drop 3 on you, so when it’s working, it’s lights out. When it isn’t working, it leads to problems all over the court. Let’s not pretend the Raptors were shooting well from any point on the floor, after all, they ended up shooting 36.8% from the field and I don’t care if you’re playing Humberview High, that’s not going to cut it (how TJ even managed to get 9 assists, I will never know). The Raptors shot 32.3% from 3-point range, but take away those last two from Jorge and you’re looking at more like a 26% clip. Not good.

The worst part about the 3-point debacle was that you could see it happening as the Bucks just sat back in a zone and let the Raptors keep shooting. I mean, if a team is doing something and it isn’t working, but they keep running it, wouldn’t you let them keep doing it? Check back in your mind and think if you saw any Buck player try to step up on a perimeter shot to force a drive. Nope. Even on a few plays where TJ penetrated and dished, there were additional passes that resulted in another 3 attempt.

So Bosh was getting upset the ball wasn’t making it’s way into him, but even when he did get the ball, he was settling for jumpers and fadeaway jumpers at that. If you’re going to be a leader, step up and DEMAND the ball. Take it hard to the rack. When you have TJ and Jose as the only two guys willing to get knocked around, that’s not promising.

Once again, free throw shooting was important. Hey, it’s important every game. It is unacceptable to shoot 68.2% from the line. If you are a professional at any level, you shouldn’t be shooting below 80% from the line. The distance from the line to the rim is the same everywhere. You’ve been doing it since you were a kid. No excuse for 68.2%. Free-throws win games.

18 turnovers. I’ll just repeat myself for the fun of it: Hold on to your luggage.

Well, if they don’t want to be embarrassed tomorrow against the Cavs, they had better throw this game out. When you have a player like Bosh and especially when your shots aren’t dropping, feed the horse. It’s like that episode of the Fresh Prince where every play was, “Pass it to Will.” Then you just have to hope a fadeaway jumper doesn’t rear it’s ugly head.

In the end, you can’t fall in love with 3’s and fadeaways, you just set yourself up for a giant clog in your offense.

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Lang wrote this today:

As we approach the final stretch of the NBA season, let’s put aside all the latest power rankings, the sheepish apologies from basketball pundits, and our own enthusiasm that has essentially lay dormant since we knocked on the door of the Eastern Conference finals in 2001.

If the Toronto Raptors are to suit up for some playoff action this year, every uniform can take steps to improve their game in the post-season. Without further ado, let’s dive right in.

Chris Bosh - It’s hard to find fault when your franchise player is coming off an All Star showing and is playing the best basketball of his career, but Bosh still has a ways to go before total domination on the court. Chris still has a tendency to settle for mid-range jumpers. Albeit his jumper is a high percentage shot, it’d be compelling to see him use his quick first step to drive to the hoop looking for a dunk and a foul. What often works out of favour with Chris is his infrequency of catching a pass and engaging immediately into a play. Bosh has a tendency to hold the ball and read the defense, oftentimes when the side has already been cleared for him. By the time Bosh has made his mind to move to the basket, the double team has arrived to cut him off. Bosh also needs to work on protecting the ball, as he gets stripped far too often for an explosive big man.

Anthony Parker - AP may very well be the most efficient player on the team who executes plays methodically and takes smart shots. Anthony has the talent and potential to take over the game, but remains comfortable playing in the shadows of other players. If Parker could inject some aggressiveness into his game instead of relying on his 3-pointers, he could definitely be a force slashing to the basket.

TJ Ford - With his quickness, nifty passes, and improved jump shot, Raptors fans have forgotten about The Big Smooth. But TJ isn’t playing well enough to avoid the largely ridiculous Ford/Calderon debate. Ford needs to learn how to separate his one blazing speed into 3 gears so that he can switch speeds on defenders on the fly. TJ also has the tendency to leave the offense confused when he mans the point, oftentimes leading to an ill-advised shot because of time issues. There is no doubt TJ should be starting games; however, until he can control his own talent in the crunch, he may be giving up the final minutes to his partner in crime.

Jose Calderon - Jose has won a legion of new fans this year with his unselfish personality, his crisp passes, and his ability to stay in control. Everyone knows he leads the league in assists-to-turnovers, and it’s difficult punching holes in his game. Despite his great passing ability, it may be prudent for him to continue working on his passing game. His 3 point shot is falling a great deal, even though Jose isn’t known to be a great shooter. It may catch up to him sooner than later. Defenders are also beginning to recognize his patented cut to the bucket for the easy layup. Once the defense hones in on your money moves, it becomes increasingly difficult to play your game. Slumps come easy and may linger around longer than you want.

Jorge Garbajosa - An excellent all-around defender and hustler. You can count on Jorge to save a ball out of bounds at least once a game, all the while looking like a Spanish poor man’s version of Charles Oakley. If the Raptors win the NBA finals and he hasn’t cracked a smile yet, I’m dumping my girlfriend. At any rate, Garbo was supposed to be a player addition with a sweet shot, but it’s been quite the contrary this season. Jorge needs to put in more gym time with Dave Hopla to become a legitimate perimeter threat, especially at the end of a game. Garbo also needs to remember where his feet are. There have been too many instances where he’s hit a 3 pointer with his foot on the line.

Andrea Bargnani - Amid all the rave reviews and Italian press interviews lies the start of something special. Basketball enthusiasts everywhere are being forced to admit that this kid has some serious game. Il Mago could really be the total package with a low post game. Just fundamental, back-to-the-basket pivots, hooks, and dunks. But aside from his weak rebounding skills and box out moves, Bargnani has to also work on ball control. At this point in his career, there should be no reason why he is catching the ball outside the arc and then attempting to lay down some dribbling. His horrible first step is prone to a travel call, and with his 7 foot frame, there is high dribble zone where the ball can easily be stolen from a smaller, quicker defender.

Rasho Nesterovic - This season’s highest paid Raptor (yep, look it up) has a simple game. Lumber around your opponent and keep your big mitts above his head when he shoots. To Rasho’s credit, it works. Rasho knows he isn’t a scorer, only a presence. His game can’t really improve more than it already has, simply because it’s physically impossible for him to either jump higher than 3 inches or run faster than spilled milk soaking into a carpet. Rasho just needs to continue to be a dominant force against the rest of the league’s big men and hold down fort.

Morris Peterson - As the longest serving player in Toronto, Mo Pete has seen it all. As a terrific defender in the clutch, and serious threat on the perimeter, Mo Pete has gotten over the inconsistency that plagued the early years of his career. Remember when he couldn’t score a lick on the road a few years ago? Peterson attempts far too many risky drives to the basket and circus shots. They’re great when the team is up and one goes in. On the other hand, it’s a rhythm killer when you’re fighting to stay in a game. Mo has also had a tendency to not beat his man lately, opting to clear the way for another team mate to initiate the offense. Peterson is another player with the ability to run up some serious points - he just needs to demand the ball more.

Joey Graham - Watching Joey on the sidelines is like looking at a picture of those Easter Island statues on the bench (google that). Whether Golden Graham or Gone Again Graham shows up for the game, it’s this severe schizophrenic aspect of his game that is holding him back. Joey has proven on many a night that he has the ability, the desire, and the sheer force to make the highlight reels. However, until he decides whether he wants to be a player or a spectator, Joey will be relegated to the bench to advertise Gatorade until further notice. Thus is born his new nickname, Gatorade Graham.

Juan Dixon - Norma Wick is thrilled because she loves the opportunity to say, “And Dixon has gone one for Juan so far this game…” And by all accounts, Juan is thrilled to be in Toronto. A versatile guard, Juan’s game isn’t good enough to earn him consistent playing time on this team. Dixon really needs to carve out a niche for himself, and it will most likely start by playing some suffocating offense, something this team still needs to work on. Dixon doesn’t have the body to rebound or address any other blaring issue for the Raptors, and barring a serious injury to one of the starters, he will just have to get used to the fact that he’ll be Pape’s new best friend.

Kris Humphries - You can’t help but love this guy when you think back to who’s seat he’s filling. With a blue-collar hustle that Toronto is known to love, Kris is a fairly decent rebounder and cherry picker around the rim. Hump just needs to continue to be the ‘energy’ guy that Sam can count on when the team falls asleep. Energy and hustle equates to guaranteed minutes under Sam’s watch.

Darrick Martin - For a player who spends a considerable amount of time on the bench, D-Mart is surprisingly efficient and crisp coming off the bench once every spring thawing. Darrick will be a key asset to the younger players come playoff time, as they will look to him for veteran leadership and advice. Darrick garners a tremendous amount of respect on the team, and putting this respect to good use will definitely benefit the younger and newer players. Don’t forget, D-Mart… don’t supersize those combos!

PJ Tucker - Built like a rock with a nasty side to boot. Tucker could be the key to the Raptors aggressive deficiency, but until he finds his way out of the woods, he won’t be seeing much playing time at all. Work hard in practice and be ready to closeline Kobe next time he tries to show up the franchise.

Pape Sow - Everyone loves this guy. Billed as a high energy player with raw talent, it’s also difficult to see Pape do any sowing on the court with the way the Raptors are playing. Pape could benefit from just learning the game and harnessing that raw talent in practice. He’s a natural rebounder that can absolutely one day find a regular role crashing the boards.

Uros Slokar - Until he gets some playing time, continue to give great interviews. This guy may be a sleeper favourite player in the near future for Raptors fans.

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