Raptors get their 5th straight win beating a team they're supposed to

First of all, I wanna start by putting my two-cents in on what the league has done to Demar Derozan. Demar deserves to be on the rookie team and there is no doubt in my mind about that. This exclusion has been a slap to his face and the Raptors franchise as a whole. He has been dissed and I think Demar should take this as a personal slight and use this as a springboard to elevate his game and make every rookie he sees on that list pay. Secondly, watching the Snickers sponsored broadcasts I refuse to "get some nuts", as Matt Devlin keeps pushing. I don't want nuts, and having Devlin promote them certainly doesn't make them any more enticing. 

The Toronto Raptors continue to take advantage of their recent favourable schedule as they beat the Indiana Pacers at home and extend their winning streak to 5. This matches their season high win streak and builds upon the work they have accomplished in the past week. Winning with a strong performance by nearly everyone and getting a big boost off the bench. The Raptors played the way they should, going up by double digits and competing the entire game with the exception of a 3rd quarter lull. No come-from-behind drama this time. They face Indiana again in their next game for the second half of a home-and-home series.

Amir Johnson and Sonny Weems were the story in the first half giving the Raps some much appreciated bonus offense. Amir's game continues to blossom as he seems to be in the right place at the right time, grabbing offensive rebounds, and hitting his hooks, and put-backs. Now if only he can learn how to be more consistent on the free throw line. I don't think any fan watching expects any of his free throws to go in, but it'd be nice if he hits just a bit more then he usually does. Sonny provided a series of nice open jumpers as teams continue to overlook his shooting ability and leave him open for the j. His jumper looks very smooth and he's shooting with confidence. He also played some noticeably tight defense particularly on Indiana star Danny Granger. I hope other teams continue to underestimate his jumper as Demar continues to nurse those ankles.

Other things of note:

• Chris Bosh was an absolute beast tonight, imposing his will on the outcome of this game and making the Pacer's bigs look like pylons. He scored when he wanted and was an absolute animal on the boards. It's nice to see that his game has not tailed off this season like it did last. Knock on wood. It's refreshing to see him wanting some self improvement in the offseason and if adding a bit of muscle to his frame has helped this much, perhaps it's time for him to hit the weights some more and hulk up.

• Reggie Evans was doing his best Miami Vice impression with his sweet ass light coloured jacket. He's quite the fashion guru. If he were in the land of giant ogres he'd be a fashion model and a ladies' man.

• Andrea seems to have regained his touch scoring 17 points tonight while taking advantage of several open jumpers in the lane and utilizing his mid range game. He seems cool, calm and confident out there scoring with ease. On the defensive end he played well for the most part with exception to his play on Roy Hibbert who seems to be giving everyone problems lately. Coach Triano kept him on the bench for most of the fourth as the team seemed to have the game well in-hand and provided the coach a good chance to rest up his banged up big-man. Bargnani finally seems very loose out there while showing some continued emotions, and being very verbal on defense. I have to wonder if manager Bryan Colangelo finally shelled out some cash for him to go down to the local gentleman's club or massage parlour.

• Jose and Jack worked well together and exposed the slow, weak defense of the Pacer's guards. They combined for 28 points and 14 assists. Together they would make an all-star point guard but being two players they provide the Raptors with consistent play-making and sweet shooting throughout the length of a game which can NOT be underestimated.

• Hedo Turkoglu followed up his untypical performance in New York by turning the ball over once, fouling someone and running into Mike Dunleavy's elbow. All in one minute of work.  Hoorah!! He's truly garbage, human garbage.

I am beginning to wonder if Toronto can ever find a point guard duo who can co-exist with one another. There are rumblings that Jose feels like he's been wronged by keeping him off the starting line-up, despite the team doing very well and the point guard tandem performing very well as it is. As everyone remembers, Jose and T.J. Ford ran into the same problem, when T.J. proceeded to whine and complain like a baby after he lost his starting role. Jack has been solid as the starter and team chemistry has seen it's highest levels under this arrangement. Sometimes I wish people would just shut up and play their best game regardless of the situation. During the post game interview, Jose expressed his intention of helping the team regardless of if he comes off the bench or starts. Here's hoping he actually means what he says. Jack and Calderon are both locked into lucrative long term deals and there is no reason for them to be unhappy, especially since they are winning.


Is it just me or does Indiana coach Jim O'Brien look more and more like Harry, the Sasquatch from Harry and the Hendersons? I think it could be his forehead and hair. Maybe that's how he motivates his team, if they don't perform he threatens to go all Samsquanch on their asses.

Also on a bright note, Raptors' nemesis Boston have lost 6 of their last 8 and dropped a game against L.A. today by a single point in their home arena. I normally don't cheer for L.A., but this loss by the B's makes me feel all warm and toasty inside, especially when it's capped off by a Raptors win.

Burkie drops a bomb on Leaf Nation

Mad scientist Brian Burke retooled the Toronto Maple Leafs with a pair of trades that brings defenseman Dion Phaneuf and former Stanley Cup winning goalie Jean Sebastian Giguere to the T-Dot.

Trade 1

To Toronto: Dion Phaneuf, Keith Aulie, Fredrik Sjostrom

To Calgary: Niklas Hagman, Matt Stajan, Jamal Mayers, and  Ian White.

Seems like they Leafs have given up quite a bit with this trade, shedding themselves of Toronto mainstays Stajan and White who are usually very solid and Hagman who is arguably their best trade worth asset outside Kaberle. Jamal Mayers gets his wish... as does most Leaf fans and he is outta here!

In return they get former star defenseman Dion Phaneuf whose stock has been dropping since his phenomenal first few seasons in the league. He's a struggling player who the Leafs hope will regain his form with some new scenery. He does have a big shot so hopefully they can get him going on the powerplay. Aulie played for the Canadian junior team and is known as a big shutdown type of defenseman. Sjostrom is a left winger and used to be a first round pick, 11th overall in 2001. That was 9 years ago so I assume he doesn't exactly have a lot of upside.

Trade 2

To Toronto: J.S. Giguere

To Anaheim: Vesa Toskala, Jason Blake, a draft pick of some sort

Not much to talk about here. Giguere can probably still be a solid goalie but in my opinion he's past his prime. Here's hoping the reuniting of him and his old goalie coach can spark something. He could also be a good mentor to The Monster. Going the other way is Blake who is one of the Leafs better producers and oft ridiculed Vesa Toskala who ends up being another failed Tor experiment.

My biggest question is, who the heck are they going to put on the ice Tuesday against the Devils? They got back 2 useful contributors and and lost 6 full time players. 5 if you don't count Mayers. Initial reaction to this sees the Leafs getting fleeced but salary implications have to be considered. They shed some hefty contracts which gives the Leafs GM and President some space to move. This was in no way a cap team despite the accounting telling you otherwise. They were at the cap and had a lot of useless pieces on the ice. At least now they can say they have Dion, and Kessel. I wonder if this will allow Christian Hanson and Victor Stalberg to be brought up. Hopefully it quickens the decision to bring up Kadri cause I, like everyone else wants to see this kid play.

Raptors are Rolling!! ... and "BALL"

Toronto Raptors, I dub thee the NEW KINGS of NEW YORK. Yes, after beating the Knicks twice in New York, in the world's dimmest arena. The Raps have won 4 in a row now beating some top teams and some not so good ones. They've won 4 games in a row while being down double digits which has tied some type of record. They have 14 wins in their last 20 games and one are one of the hottest teams in the league. Truly, these Raptors are Cadillacs of men. Well most of them are.

The Raptors also beat the Cavs in the season opener so I guess you could call them the KING OF KINGS. But the Cavs have since beaten the Raptors so I guess they lost that title.

...ball.

Turk woke up today and kept his eyes opened during a game!!

The Raptors dropped their pants tonight. By that I mean they beat the Knickerbockers. Beat their Knickerbockers off. Ok I promise to stop those since only I find it funny. Nothing better than betting New York in Manhattan and shutting up those fans. I don't even know why they bother coming out. Their team stinks and they've stunk for as long as I've been a bball fan. They've had one good season I could think of and they didn't win a championship. I don't know why this team isn't mentioned in the same breathe of other worst teams in history. I know they have had success in the ancient past but I am talking about modern era. They're just as bad as the Clippers but this season the Clips are better than the Knicks!

Gotta love this win especially after that stupid jersey pull and look Harrington had on his face when he made it 100-97 for the Knicks. He looked like a jackass and I am glad he got his ass blocked by Bargs in the dying minutes and got the charge call from Jack. Things of note, or obvious crap that probably everyone noticed:

• Turk played his best game as a Raptor and after months of bashing, I think he deserves some props. He played with some fire and intensity that we haven't seen from him with a Raptors jersey on. Maybe the fatigue of last season plus the euro tourney finally wore off in Manhattan. His jumper was on after the first quarter and he showed some great play making and drives to the basket. Those dunks aren't gonna win any slam dunk contests but they were evidence that he could get off the ground a little. I hope he keeps this up but I hope this isn't a symptom of Bargs being on the bench most of the night. I am worried that having him and Bargs who have similar inside-outside games, are getting in each other's way somehow. Both like that midrange game as well as operating on the left side of the floor.
  

• Turk also had a weird post game interview with Jack that left Jack speechless. Jack asked him what he thought was the difference tonight that allowed him to elevate his game. Turk responded by saying, "BALL". He sounded like a sasquatch like he usually does so maybe that scared Jack. No, it wasn't just having that ball Turk, you idiot. It was the fact that you actually did something smart with it when you got it and didn't just jack up ill-advised shots early in a possession, or throw lazy passes that end up as a basket for the other team.
  

• Bargs played like crap. Bargs was receiving praise from everyone before the game. I mean just hours before this game, and then he proceeded to lay a stink bomb. On paper it would seem this way and he certainly didn't play a good game. However, reports indicate that he has been bothered by the same back injury that kept him out of the Bucks game last week, the ankle that is apparently tweaked, and the foot that is also injured somehow. All of these things would effect a person's jump shot and mobility. Bargs still managed to help the team win by blocking Harrington's wrinkled scalp back to the stone ages and playing some fantastic defense on Harrington on the last inbound play which I thought was an offensive foul on Harrington when he blatantly shoved Bargs right in front of the ref.

• This is also a significant win cause it was the back end of a back to back which the Raptors are notorious for being awful in. I thought, "here we go again" after the first quarter but the Raptors showed the heart and fight that has been in their nature the past month and roughed it out.

People have said that this team will not be a good playoff team and they are right. However, this team seems to be showing signs of the grit and determination needed in the post season. If they make wins of this nature habit, then they are hopefully developing the characteristics of being a post season contender. Here's hoping.

Studs: Turk, Cb4, Amir, Jose, Double J

Duds: Bargs, Smellineli, Rasho

Raps beat the Heat in Toronto

The Toronto Raptors prevailed 111-103 over the Miami Heat and took over sole position of 5th place in the east tonight after stumbling out of the gates early. The Raps were without the services of rookie SG Demar Derozan who was replaced in the starting line up by his non-fraternal twin, Sonny Weems. Weems filled in admirably, keeping the team in the game in the first quarter despite the rest of his team turning the ball over 7 times in the first quarter and giving up and atrocious 34 points in that quarter. Weems gave us 10 points, which is a very good impression of his twin. Several things to take in that were of note:

• Jarret Jack who played well throughout the game and was unfairly kept on the bench in the final minutes again in favor of Jose who turned the ball over on a few key possessions and clanked up some bricks on some partially-selfish-looking jumpers. Luckily he managed to redeem himself a bit later on. I just don't understand why you would keep Jack on the bench.
  

• Jermaine O'Neal looked good. He seems to be a bit trimmer and more mobile. His knees looked good and I am glad for him. Even though things didn't work out in Toronto, I always thought he gave maximum effort for the team which is admirable. He just didn't fit well with a stagnant Smitch offense, and battled predictable injuries throughout the season. Good to see him healthy.
  

• Dwyane Wade,(yes i know... that IS how you spell it. Were his parents drunk when they filled out his forms at birth? Kind of like Brett Fav-re) hammered the Raps with 35 points but got shut down a bit in the fourth when the Raps decided it was a good idea to finally double team him.
  

• Turkoglu played like crap again but was able to get fouled on 2 key positions and was able to make all 4 free throws. Maybe we should call that cut to the basket, where he doesn't look like he'd ever get close to actually scoring a bucket but manages to somehow draw 3 defenders in to foul him, the real "Turkish Delight". Seems to be the only thing he can do. I wonder how long it's going to take for other teams to scout that and just let him drive into the cheerleaders with his head down like that. Our $53 million free throw man.

• The Killer B's were on a rampage tonight. I just wanna point out that I thought of that nickname before the Raps even drafted him but didn't think he deserved it till last season when he started to play at a pro level and not like he was from the D-League.

AB7 scored 27 points, 3 Rebs, 1 big emphatic block on Rafer. Let's talk about that block for a second. He was coming over from behind the play and caught Rafer while he was slashing towards the rim. This block is of signifance. Why? Because it was the type of block that Bargnani didn't have a chance in hell of making a year ago. He seems to have a heightened awareness on defense, an awareness that was simply not there before. So his defense was on but his offense was on full display tonight. Bargnani looked like an all-pro NBA player for the first time that I can remember. At least to this level and I am not talking about how much he scored but the manner in which he went about scoring. His jump shot was locked in, he hit open jumpers that pros are supposed to hit, he drove with his head up and scored in traffic, he shot the ball outside, then went inside and used a variety of hooks, baby hooks, turn around jumpers, a very smooth looking fade, and a rarely seen drop-step spin where he laid the ball off the backboard and in. Whatever the assistant coaches are teaching him during practice is working. His man on man defense on the other end was good like usual and he managed to look good while cutting some wings off the driving lanes when the Raps' guards got blown-by. That being said, former Raptor Jermaine looked possessed and was tough to stop, particularly in the third quarter. Bargs only grabbed 3 rebounds even though the last one was a key defensive stop in the last moments of the game. What rebounds could he have grabbed? His teammates, particularly the Big Boshman, were taking care of that.

Bosh was fairly effective throughout the game, scoring 24 pts, and grabbing 18 rebs. 18REBOUNDS!! What an animal on the boards tonight. Despite suffering early on from the butterfingers disease that he's seems to have contracted in the past month, he was his usual self on most possessions in the offensive end. Hitting some nice hooks down low, finding his teammates under the basket like on that nice looking feed to Amir down low, and using that jab-step-fade to the side shot he often does on the right baseline. He loves that shot and big guys find it hard to keep up with him when he does it. He even hit a jumper with O'Neal's hand right in his face for a key basket in the fourth.

This game was pretty fun to watch. Especially seeing the looks on Jermaine and Rafer's faces on that one shot on tv where they looked soooooo dejected, LOL!!! I thought Eric Spolstra's head was going to explode on a few occasions. I am glad to see they finally made an Asian a headcoach. Although I wasn't sure he was asian at first. It's always fun to watch when Bargs goes off for a poop-load of points and Bosh is rolling at the high level that he usually does.

Finally, some props have to be given to the bench. Amir was highly energetic and effective under the glass this game and changed some shots on the defensive end. He also scored some nice baskets down low for some And-1's. Any points from Amir are always a welcome bonus. Marco was also effective and kept the number of circus shots to a minimal. He made some key slashes and drives to the basket and stared down Wade after an obvious foul was not called on him by the bone-headed officials. He also had a nice cut where he side-stepped the defender and laid it in, and side-stepped another time and fed it to Amir who was right under the bucket. Antoine Wright got into early foul trouble but did a good enough job on defense in the second half and hit some jumpers along including a nail-in-coffin three pointer from a nice swing pass courtesy of Jose. Jose didn't play his greatest game but managed to hit a nice pass to Antoine and a reversed off the glass lay-in. I thought he was erratic. Trying too much and forcing the play a few times. Also, has anyone seen what's happened to his free throw skills? Cause it's been M.I.A. this season.

One last note: Doug Christie was the Raptors guest for their 15 year celebration tonight. It was nice to see #13 tonight. Especially since I didn't see his master, errrr.... I mean his wife. Doug Christie is one of my all-time favourite Raptors. I really wish they had retained him back then. He was such a complete player and a solid defender. It's a shame his game blossomed a bit later in his career than most players and a shame that he left Toronto. He found his niche in the league with the Raptors and the Raptors were the team that gave him his chance. He was just a pine warmer before he got to Toronto. He's often forgotten when people talk about the most memorable, and best Raptors of the past but in my opinion he is one of the best. Other past players like McGrady and Camby found their successes after they left but Doug was good while he was here. So cheers to Doug and I hope he has a good retirement getting his wife drinks from the fridge and giving her pedicures. Poor bastard.

Penguins

So the Penguins have been playing a little bit better of late. Previously, the Pens were in a slump, Malkin didn't score a goal in 11 games and the powerplay looked as powerful as a limp noodle. I was in attendance at the Air Canada Centre for their game against the Leafs. It was weird being a fan of both teams but I was definitely cheering for the Penguins. It's hard to cheer for a the Leafs sometimes and having a second team is nothing to be a shamed of if the other team has been so monumentally bad in recent years. It's depressing sometimes LOL.

So as i sat their with my Penguins Jersey on in a sea of Leafs Jerseys I couldn't help be feel bad. Maybe I should have worn my Alex Mogilny Leafs jersey. Then the game started and the Leafs played themselves out of it and it became apparent that I'd worn the right jersey for the occasion. My buddy got me tickets and we really had a good time. I am sure it wasn't as fun for him though but it's not everyday that a couple of blue collar boys like us get to take in a Leafs game so it was really nice.

The Penguins have beaten the Fliers and the Rangers in their last two games and they have played surprisingly well. Their powerplay is working fairly well and they are getting unexpected help from some of their support players. This team is also playing surprisingly well despite not having any real offensive threats on their wings. I suggest moving Tyler Kennedy on Malkin's right wing or Crosby's. Other than that, the Penguins need to somehow magically come up with some high scoring wingers and another decent offensive defenseman.

Crosby's been firing on all cylinders and is third in league scoring but Malkin needs to really pick it up as he's played well but not producing at the level he's used to. He needs to start exerting his will and putting the puck on net, or on the sticks of teammates while in good scoring position. Fleury is back as well and seems to be playing as well as he ever has. Let's hope that he keeps up his intensity as well.

Kobe Bryant and his phoney LA fans can KMA

The Raptors knock off the top team in the league and knock them into second place behind the Cavs. I am as proud as fan can be!!! The boys stuck in there the whole game and turn it on in the fourth. All the phoney baloney Lakers fans who I am sure are also probably Raptors fans until their girlfriend Kobe is town, had to go home and cry... boo frickin' hoo. The Lake Show is good don't get me wrong but it really rubs me the wrong way when a team lacks sportsmanship, respect, and are just plain cocky. L.A. fits the bill, as does Boston, and recently the Cavaliers have become like this. So yes, this win is very very satisfying. Turk hit 2 very very high pressure free throws. The same type of free throws that the cry baby Gasol missed on two very recent occasions. So Kudos to him and I hope this helps him develop some confidence and bring his shot back and decent, passable effort.

This game really hinged on the efforts of Bargnani, Jack and a somewhat subdued Bosh. But who could blame him, he's going up against two 7 foot towers who happened to be skilled and athlethic and very capable. Bargnani came alive in the fourth however he was defensively sound throughout most of the game. His one on one defense on Bynum, and Gasol were stellar. He made it hard on them to shoot over his outstretched hands and rarely gave up and inch when they tried to push him around.

Jack was a sparkplug the entire game. Driving the ball in every chance he got and really pushed the envelop and challenged his teammates to match his focus and intensity. He scored 18 points, 4 assist and zero turnovers. He defended well from what I could tell. However it's hard to defend against this team as everyone knows. He looked like a rottweiler on a porkchop and when he looks like this on certain nights, the team has a very good chance against anyone.

Now the Raps have to risk another big let up after a big win against the Miami Heat on Wednesday. The Heat is a few points ahead of the Raps and beating would not only put them in very very good playoff position but also sends a conference rival a very strong message. This game is very winnable even with the madman that is Wade on the opposition. I say this because of the way Bargs, Double J, and CB4 have been turning it up a notch lately. Here's hoping they don't skunk out one like they do on so many previous occasions. It's like a Toronto sports tradition. Get up and beat down a big opponent, then lay down arms for the lackeys that roll in the game after.

Good win, sweet revenge

The Raptors pull off a comeback win at home last night and exact a measure of revenge against the Bucks who bested them on two previous occasions this season. Now there's a number of things I want to talk about regarding this game and just the Raptors experience as a fan in general.

The Raptors pulled off this win without their Italian big man. Andrea has been off here and there since he's been with this team but in general, since the Raptors picked him #1 in 2006, the team is almost always with their 3 point shooting giant. What's more surprising is this article that I read which was posted on Raptors Republic. http://www.82games.com/0910/0910TOR5.HTM

I don't know why this should be shocking to me but seeing the PER per position makes you realize how important the big lug has become. He plays by far the majority of the minutes at his position and his position is far and away the most productive and effective on the team. Let's face it, this season Ab7 has been a catalyst for this team on the offensive end, and on many nights on defense as well. Especially recently, aside from that stinker in Milwaukee which he still managed to score 10 and grab a few boards.

Whenever he's on the floor, he scores or someone else scores as a direct or indirect effect of him being on the floor. The other team's center who is the last line of defense and who does most of the rebounding has to be pulled away from under the basket in order to cover his long range and mid range game. As we all know, this is called creating space on the floor. Bosh benefits from this since he doesn't have to go around the PF and the C to get to the rack. This is also something Bosh produces, although not to the extent that Ab7 does since Bosh is generally lacking the 3pt capacity that Ab7 does and so he doesn't create as much space as Ab7. This also allows the point guards and wings to slash through the lane from the create space and use Ab7 and his defender as screens. While the other team's guards are chasing the wings and guards with or without the ball, the Raptor's players are using them as obstacles for the defenders to have to go around. Simple basic stuff but very effective.

SOOOOOO without Bargs in the line up lastnight someone needed to step up big. If nobody steps up you s end up with a result like in the previous game. Bosh gets 44 points and a whack load of boards and everyone else is panting and pissing themselves as the other team tears them a new one. Jack steps up last night. Showing ferocity that I have never seen in him in a Raptor uniform. Woulda liked a few more dimes from him but with the way he was scoring, who cares. When's the last time another Raptor besides CB4 and AB7 score more than 25 points in a game? That's a good question! In the last couple of seasons obviously nobody besides Bosh has averaged 20 or more points in season. So obviously secondary scoring is necessary. I've always believed that you need at least two 20 point scorers, and I mean on a regular basis, for a team to be successful. Successful meaning a team that is always a legitimate contender year after year. Either that or one who scores 20 or more, and 2 or 3 that score at least 15 points a game. No matter how much D you play you always have to score to win. Bargnani is the only other player on this team that provides that.

We need someone to step up. Someone to become that play or else we need to trade for someone who can. Bryan Colangelo thought they had that person with Hedo and he is clearly an epic failure. Jack, Calderon, and Derozan are capable on any given night to give you that. Whether they do it or not is another question.

I also want to make a quick comment about the officiating I've seen at a few games. Tony Brothers is a scum bag. I have been to a few games at the ACC and seen him at a few and also seen him on tv. He constantly makes questionable and outright bogus calls on the Raptors. He basically gave the Cavs the game this week and on many occasions was the culprit for calling Bargs and other Raptors for phantom fouls. I know what you must be thinking, a fan not agreeing with a ref. Nothing new. Boohoo. However from the evidence that I have seen from this particular man, he needs to be investigated. I don't know if he is gambling or just has a personal grudge with some teams or players but officiating needs to be clear, unbiased and right down the middle between 2 teams. He has not demonstrated this whatsoever.

I also want to mention that I have gone to many many games the past few years and absolutely love watching the games from the upper bowl. I am usually in the Sprite Zone. I don't know what they call it now but I don't care. To me it'll always be the Sprite Zone. The fans up there are the real fans and sitting at any of their games in this section for even 10 mins or less and it becomes quite evident. The fans there are loud, funny and knowledgeable. It really gets you into the spirit and into the fun. One of the things that bothers me though is when the fans freak out for the 100 point free Pizza Pizza. Listen, this pizza that they give you is not the usual pizza you'd buy from Pizza Pizza. It's a slice they have made special for you. Set aside for you Raptor fans. This slice is of very low quality, cardboard-like, and very flavorless. It's almost like dog food. And to hear people beg and plea for the Raptors to get 100 is pretty sad. It's like they're subliminally trained to bark when they hear a bell. Pavlov's doggies. Same thing goes with those jackasses that wave prizes around to try to get you to get up and make noise. I call them fake fans that the team has planted around the arena. They just give the prize away to the closest cute kid regardless of if they are even paying attention or making the most noise. That's fine and dandy and I am all for kids having a good time but it just makes me sad to see these die hard fans hooting and hollaring like trained animals.

If you want some good pizza I suggest Burky's doghouse. Get one of their Pizza Pizza Dogs. Absolutely delicious. It's a bit pricey at $6.50 but you don't have to do any begging I promise. They give you a tastey hot dog, not as good as street meat but still pretty good. Then they cover the dog with pepperoni and pizza sauce and cheese. It tastes awesome!! The place is a bit hard to find thought. If you go around the first floor of the ACC, you come across the escalators beside where they do the broadcast for Raptors TV. Where Jack, Leo, Sherm and Adnan work their magic, it's behind all that. It doesn't quite face the walkway and that's what makes it hard to find.
You can also get beer there so it's a one-stop shop at halftime.

Toronto Maple Leafs

So I thought I would touch upon the Maple Leafs situation since they still are one of my favourite teams no matter how bad they've been. I am really unsure where to start here as this team has been analyzed to death by the local media. I guess I'll begin with a general overview of what I think about the operation and the state of their talent pool.

As everyone knows the team is owned by Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, which is run by the Ontario teacher's Pension Plan. Also, as everyone knows this is part of the problem as it's believed that a sports teamed owned by an organization only has profits in their agenda and not owning a winning team. Everyone knows this, everyone believes this and in my personal opinion it's the truth.

That's not to say the organization wants a losing team. That's not to say they've purposely put out bad teams year after year which is absurd. Therein lies the problem of this team. They just keep shooting themselves in the foot every year and mistakes are compounded with worse mistakes and what you end up with is one of the worse teams in the league.

It's frustrating as a Leafs fan. It really is. But it's a sports team, I'm a sports fan and that's part of the fun. It's supporting a team even though they reek. This team isn't hopeless. They've got some assets in Phil Kessel, Nazem Kadri, Tomas Kaberle and... well to be honest, that's about it. The team is still handcuffed by no-trade clauses and Kaberle is one of them. Good thing, bad thing? Probably good since the Leafs would probably trade him away for a bag of magic beans.

To make things more depressing, Burkey traded away the first round picks for the Leafs for the next two years in order to attain Kessel. Didn't think it was a good deal when they made the trade. Still don't. Just wait till Boston makes those picks... that's really turning the knife after they've stuck in into leaf fan's guts. Kessel is a good player despite a history of being a jackass in the locker room. He's done the Leaf's a lot of good since he's returned. Problem is, people seem to think that he's a franchise type player like Crosby or Ovechkin. If you think this, check your temperature cause you're sick, delusional or both. Two first round picks get you the chance of getting a Crosby or Ovechkin type player. It may not. You might end up with nothing but having the chance to is very important especially for a franchise in the dumps.

I don't need to show you examples of this but lets just do it for fun since the Leaf's brass have pissed away their picks and justified it by saying they can do better with Kessel then with 2 first round picks(2 first rounders from a crappy team mind you, meaning probably top 5).

1. Sidney Crosby: Team Captain, Stanley Cup Champion, Scoring Champion, NHL MVP

1. Alex Ovechkin: Team Captain, team has been elevated to top team status, Scoring Champ, NHL MVP

1. Patrick Kane: High powered scorer, big part of group that brought the Hawks back to respectability. Calder Trophy winner

1. Marc Andre Fleury Stanley Cup Champion

2. Eric Staal: Team Captain, Stanley Cup Champion, All star game MVP

2. Evegeni Malkin: Stanley Cup Champion, Scoring Champion, Playoff MVP

Even having a chance at this type of player makes a huge difference. Just from the hope it brings to the fans. It changes their mindset and gives them hope for the future.

They do have a bit of hope though and despite all these hurdles I see the Leafs being a good team in the next three years.

Reason for optimism:

Kessel
Kardri
Hanson
Bozak
Stalberg
Blacker
DiDimenico

Raps lose again to the *ucks

So the Raptors lose again in Milwaukee to the team that quite simply outplayed everyone except Christopher Wesson Bosh who was a one-man wrecking crew. Everyone else looked like they were out of gas. Especially Bargs. He looked liked he was ready for bedtime.

So being an optimist I want to look forward and ask the question, how do we fix this team? Or more appropriately, how do we improve this team because I feel like this team has a lot of potential still and just needs tweaking.

Suggestions:

1. Trade Hedo

2. Trade Hedo

3. Waive Hedo

I have heard a few suggestions but the best one I have heard was from a poster on Raptors Republic who suggests:

To Toronto: Dick Jefferson

To Orlando: Hedo

To San Antoine: Vincenzo Carter and Antoine Wright, (since his contract is up soon)

Only thing wrong with this deal is the assumption that a team would want Carter with the way he is playing. It's actually worse than Hedo from what I have seen which is hard to imagine.

Also out there:

Hedo for Corey Magette. I think it's a good one but I haven't seen Corey much lately so I couldn't tell you what kind of shape he's in.

Hedo for Rudy Fernandez and something else to make up for the salary. Great trade if Rudy can get healthy soon.

Hedo for Devon Harris and/or any of NJ's decent players: YES YES YES!!! I don't think NJ is that dumb but they have proven otherwise in the past.

Hedo for some of NY's decent players: Since NY stinks and would be dumb enough to sign the likes of Steve Francis and Stephon Marbury I would say they are stupid enough to take Hedo. Hedo would actually be a way better player in comparisons to those two. I would prefer Galinari but i don't think theres anyway they'd part with him. I'd also take David Lee, who i was praying the Raps would get in the offseason instead of Hedo. He woulda cost a fraction of the money too. Harrington would also be acceptable.

Hedo for a sack of garbage: Since Hedo is human garbage, trading him for garbage would actually benefit the Raps since garbage couldn't be put on the court and cost you games. The game would stop and the garbage would be removed before play could resume. You couldn't do that without the coach pulling him. This would eliminate one step and would help the team.

Raps downed in Cleveland

So the Raps got put down by the Cavs lastnight. Looking at the score and just the score would lead you to believe that it's just a good team taking down one that wasn't as good . However if you did manage to watch the game it was a game where, like tv announcers said was one where the Raptors had many many opportunities to win it and basically pissed the game away.

How did they do this? Well they went cold in the fourth quarter. I knew they couldn't keep it up for 4 quarters and a betting man would've correctly bet on the Cavs being able to keep up the level of competition that both teams kept up with for 3 quarters. The turning point for me came when we had back to back possessions where the Raps got to the line and missed 4 free throws in a row. In a game that close it's the kiss of death. Not to mention they went stagnant for a few stretches where they hoisted up a few jumpers out of sequence, not as a part of a play, not a part of a screen and roll and clanked them off front rim. Add to that the play of the Anti-superman, the Stuporman Hedont Turkoglu. I don't wanna talk about this guy again cause I am just repeating myself but you know what i mean.

Bosh goes cold in the second half. He was the man in the second quarter, then against shaq he played like the Rupaul of bigmen. I don't know why Jack gets benched now in the 4th. He's a much better defender than Jose. It's more evident obviously when Jose doesn't score and hindsight is 20/20 but I don't understand why you would bench your starter.

New Baby!!

I just wanna take this chance to and congratulate my good friends Erin and BJ on welcoming their new little bundle of joy baby Emma. It really makes me happy to see them add an adorable little girl to their family. I can't wait to meet her and spoil her.

Sweet Revenge

So the Raptors finally beat the Mavs and I don't just mean the first half of the game and then blow a huge lead and eventually lose. You see, that's what they did against the mavs twice last season. Earlier this season, they just flat out got their asses kicked. Tonight they did the opposite and beat the Mavs in convincing fashion and satisfied their fan's blood thirst for revenge. Too long have the Mavs embarassed Toronto, too long has Dirk Nowitzki strutted his stuff on the court at the expense of the Raps. Now only if they could do it against the Craptics then the world would be right.

Everyone seemed to play well tonight. Not only from an offense standpoint but on defense as well. Well duh, you can't win without having to play hard defense you must be thinking. But that's the thing that was their Achilles heel all this time and somehow they have suddenly managed to look like they're a good defensive team. They all seem to be playing very hard, getting into opponent's space and forcing them to pass or put up a bad shot. This has been the biggest change lately in their successes. A key part of this is Andrea Bargnani's improved defense. Since he is not leaving his man wide open anymore during switches, hedges and help defense, he's not allowing the opponent the chance to swing the ball around to the open man or just drive right into the lane. This in turn allows the Raptors to not look like total jackasses. But their defense wasn't entirely AB7's fault earlier this season. Every Raptor fan out their knew they had a problem with the other team's guards and wings just blowing by their defender and helping themselves to an endless buffet of jam, slams, layups and whatever they their hearts desired. They seemed to have developed this ingenious trick where they slide over and deny a slashing opponent a clear path. Groundbreaking strategy, I know. Nonetheless, these tweaks to the defense seemed to have stabilized them and allowed them to build confidence which as well all know is super duper important to success.

So to sing the praises of my favourite player even though I like to be fair and point out his shortcomings, Bargnani has been the difference to the team with their recent success. No matter how much defense you play you still have to score to win and the extra points we're getting from our new Madman AB7 is the difference. He's not only scoring, he's doing it efficiently, playing defense, rebounding, and showing some real fire and emotion. This seems to pump up his teammates and becomes contagious. Well to everyone except Hidayet Turkoglu. Yes that's his real name. Hidayet, (Rhymes with idiot) seems to be in a real slump. Bargnani on the other hand is on fire and here's hoping he stays this way and doesn't relapse back into the shadow of the player he's become.

When the Raptors signed him to a 5 year $50million deal I knew it was a great deal even though everyone else cried foul. Even without his recent improvements, at the time Bargnani was still one of the best centers in the league. I mean look at some of the other bums that play center in the NBA that make more money. Samuel Dalembert makes about $12 million a year. He is not half the player Bargnani is. Bargnani may not be as good a defender but Bargnani's ceiling for improvement is unlimited in comparison. Brad Miller is making over $12 million, Andrew Bogut is making 10, Tyson Chandler making about 12, Eric Dampier, 10, and he's making $13 million next season. Now... can you tell me how much you'd pay Bargnani in comparison? Not only that, he's very very happy with the deal telling me he's not a greedy bastard. I mean giving a person $10 million a year to play 82, two and a half hour games, a few practices a week, then get the summer off? Who wouldn't be content? Other NBA players, that's who! Bargnani is a quality player and Colangelo is a friggin genius. Darko is making $7.5 million and he's an absolute useless 7 foot tall pile of garbage. $2.5 million more and it upgrades you to Bargnani? Sounds like a pretty good deal to me. Let's face it, besides a few exceptional players, most centers are just tall guys that wave their arms around. Very few of them can shoot jumpers, even fewer of them can drive the ball, handle the ball, and the ones that can shoot threes? Well you can count them all on one hand. Bargnani, Troy Murphy(might be considered a PF), Brad Miller, Mehmet Ohkur, Rasheed Wallace(also might me considered a PF). Now that Bargnani has added shot blocking and rebound on a more consistent basis we now have one of the premier centers in the game. Dwight Howard might be a zillion times better but the man is naturally a PF and so is the boringest player in the NBA, Tim Duncan.

Now if only they can parlay Turkoglu into a decent wing we'd be a legit contender. No offense to Demar but since he's a rookie and for no other reason, i think we need another wing in order to go deep into the playoffs. Nobody wins a championship without a solid slashing, scoring, wing who possibly could be able to post their opponent up. Who does that sound like? Kobe and Lebron are extreme versions of this but someone a bit less skilled(and cheaper) would do the trick too. Kind of the way Carter used to be before he turned into a giant buffoon. Or at least until we realized he was one.

Trading Calderon was an option too when he was injured, but since he's come back he's played his way back into the lineup, back into respectability and back into my heart. LOL. But in all seriousness he's run the second unit so well and has executed the offense so well that he's untradeable in my books. He's showing that he's back to form. The type of form he had so long ago, most of us forgot how it used to look like. He's driving the ball and using that sweet lay-in. He's making great crisp passes to teammates that put them in good position, he's confusing the opponent's defense with quick swing passes, and he's hitting his shot off screens like he used to instead of clanking them really badly. Making shots instead of missing them? Great insight I know. There's no longer a huge drop off in PG play and offensive direction once the starting PG sits down for a rest. Other teams are finding that their secondary PGs are no match for us. Unlike Slowmo Ukic, who was garbage, human garbage. He's also finding Bargs more. Bargnani doesn't seem to get the ball enough in key moments of the game before. Bargnani would score 12 points in a first quarter, then the team stops giving him the ball. It's happened on many many occasions. Know how people always wonder why he does well in first and third quarters and disappears? Well it's cause he's not getting any passes!!! The only passes he gets is to move the ball in position for a play to feed Bosh or someone else. So when he does get the ball he forces up an ill advised 3 cause it's the only chance he gets to score.

So kudos to Bargnani and Calderon. Boo to Hedont Turkoglu.

Raptors beat the Knickerbockers

Okay so obviously I am please to be wrong about my previous prediction that the Raps would drop this one but they almost did. However, they hung in there and managed to pull off a decent beating on the Pairs of Pants from New York. Many things to take note of from this game where the Raptors played like it was their last game on earth in the first half. Burying everything they got their hands on, running the break very well, attacking the rim methodically and playing defense so tight, the Knicks barely had room to move. Then they played some gutless, uninspired baskeball in the third. Turned the ball over like it was out of fashion, and laid more cinder than a mason. Luckily they got a surprise scoring punch from Jose and Double D.

Bargnani was playing out of his mind. I don't know why but he and Jose both seemed to have their shots locked down and zeroed in. It's like when you go bowling and you hit several strikes in a row. For some reason something just clicks and your shot is on. Bargnani went 5 for 6 from downtown, including some shots that were so far from the 3 line that I thought he was insane when he first let the ball go. But every time it would swish in. His dunk through traffic was one of the most impressive plays of his career. The offensive end was great but his defense... i just can't explain what I saw. It was the best defense I've ever seen him play. It was like some other defensive legend had possessed his body and was playing great positional defense, help defense, getting his hand in everyone's face and grabbing every rebound near him and ripping them down with force. I wonder what kind of pasta he ate. Yes Galinari scored a few more points but the battle of the I-talians goes to AB7, no question. Watching him jump up and down and yelling like he was the top gorilla of the banana pile was kind of cool but also a bit scarey since we never usually see him like this. Hooting and hollar after plays, slapping his teammates and acting like he isn't Frankenstein.

One particular development was AB7 taking the ball in the post several times and either getting a nice hook, a jumper in or kicking it out after drawing a double team. They need to run this play more in the future. It just flat out works and creates space on the floor for an open shot when the defense tries to recover from collapsing on him. It would probably work for CB4 too if he knew how to pass out of the post. It only didn't work once when the refs called him for a travel but I thought Harrington fouled him as he turned baseline. He was running roughshod on them all night and David Lee seemed pissed at times which makes me happy. AB7 gets an A for his performance.

Jose was also playing well. Running circles around their defense and spotted up for a lot of shots which he iced every time. I didn't feel this level of confidence in his shot since two seasons ago when he stole the starting spot from TJ. He also made some nice passes, setting up his teammates with several easy scores. This included that sweet little lob to Double D for that slick looking left handed alley-oop. He drove the ball right into the defense and helped buoy the Raptors' lead in the 3rd and 4th. Jack played well in the first but seemed a bit out of sorts the rest of the game. I think it was mainly due to some of his passes leading to the bricks Hedo put up and leading to Bosh getting shut down in the post several times. Jose is making a case to be the starter but he's going to have to put up a few more stat lines like this to convince the coaching staff. Maybe the trade winds will die down a bit. Jose gets a B and Jack gets a C.

Bosh played well in some stretches and seemed to battle Lee but this was subdued by Lee and some double teams. Bosh's problem is that he is a ball hog. I love the guy but 99% of the time he gets the ball, he keeps it regardless of the situation. This results in one of two things. He either drives it in for a hook, or a nice move under the basket where he scores more often than not, or it results in him turning the ball over. He needs to learn how to kick the ball out to the open player on the perimeter. I am starting to suspect this is part of the reason why Kapono never had much success here since Bosh can't pass out of a double team. It's frustrating to watch him lose the ball off his foot, off his butter fingers or just having it stolen or stripped outright by the help defense. He was subdued by this but on this night it didn't matter much and he knew it. His teammates were bringing home the bacon this time and he didn't need to be the force he usually is. I'd rate his performance a B-. I mean the guy still scored 18 and 9. Can't argue with that.

Hedo is the guy I credit most with the Raptors losing their big lead. He provided nothing early on and threw up brick after brick. Bricking shots in key possessions that fueled the Knicks run. Not to mention his turnovers which weren't too many but seemed to be at the worst times which helped the Knicks build momentum. Particularly his idiotic turnover and clear path foul which nearly made me tear my hair out. He made some key shots down the stretch but it probably only partially made up for the points he gave up on their other end in the third. Jay even bench his ass in favor of Sonny. He has this mentality of shooting weird, out of rhythm shots, that are not in the process and not produced from a set play. The shots that he took that were advised were way off and often clanked off front rim. Then he tried to make fancy passes that result in turnovers. On defense he was like a ghost. He stood there, waved his hand sparingly, and looked like he rarely expended any energy at all trying to distract the opponent. Basically, he just stood there and his presence was only barely known by visual means. Turk gets an D-. Would be an F if he didn't hit a few shots late.

Derozan was the other player that, like Bargnani was possessed by some sort of Basketball demon. He was cutting and slashing his way through the Knicks D. Slithering through and getting fouled or getting a lay-in, dunk, or getting fouled. He did his damage at the free throw line. It's quite obvious to see in the boxscore. He kept the team in the game and had a huge part in this W.

So what do we gather from this game? I mean in order to improve the team. Bosh needs to learn how to kick the ball out, Derozan needs to drive the ball to the basket every chance he gets, and Turkoglu needs to be shipped out of here. I suggest trying to snatch one of the decent players from the Nets, or seeing what the Magic might give you since he had most of his success there and now the Magic look like they wish they had paid him max money instead of letting him go and signing a coked out Vince Carter.

In the end, this was an excellent game to watch as a Raptors fan. Especially the first half. It's always satisfying to see one of my teams beat a New York team. It really makes me happy to see the Knicks on a losing end of a Raptors beat down. Now on to Dallas where I hope they don't get squashed and can carry some of the momentum over. Here's hoping they don't melt down again in the third.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Wow, I can't believe the Penguins won that one lastnight. Penguins beat the Oilers 3-2 in a game where neither Crosby nor Malkin scored or got a point. That secondary unit, particularly Staal deserves some major props.

Their powerplay is pretty weak still and I don't know why they don't try to mix it up a bit more to try to get more out of it. I would put Malkin in as either the LW or the person in the crease distracting the goalie. It's obviously not working with him on the point. Have Gonchar on the point still and perhaps Letang on the other D. I don't know how it would work but it would be nice to work Staal into the first PP unit as well cause of his strong skating and puck handling. Particularly behind the net and in the boards.

In Toronto sports news, the Leafs won lastnight against the Fliers. Good to see some amount of skill on this team and some of the young guys contributing. Lots of points from Bozak and Kessel. Also, Schenn chipped in as well with a rare goal. Surprising win against a decent Fliers team. I prefer to called them the Fliers as I am not very fond of this team being a Pens/Leafs fan.

Tonight the Raptors take on the New York Pants. Looks like a good matchup of weak teams. Both of which of star Italians players. I predict lots of pasta flying everywhere and the occasional I-talian hugs. I hope that Bosh can once again show that he's not the Rupaul of bigmen in the big apple. However, with the season he's been having I don't think he has anything to prove. He's been a beast on the boards but if he can only kick this butterfingers thing where he can't catch a pass and keeps turning the ball over 4 or 5 times a game.

Predictions? I think the Raps will lose being the optimist I am. The Raptors have that habit of dropping games to lesser teams and this is the perfect opportunity for that to happen again. Add the fact that their on the road and that is ususally kryptonite to Barganani and you got the makings of a big fat L. I hope I am wrong

Inaugural Spat

So this is the initial entry in my blog where I am gonna blab about crap that nobody cares about. Well mostly I will blab about the Toronto Raptors and the NBA. I might also make mention other Toronto sports and happenings.

So since it is the topic of the day, lets talk about the latest Raptor loss to the Pacers. Yes it was a dreadful game and who do I blame? Let's see, first I would blame Hedo Jurkoglu for throwing up air balls, bricks, and handing the Pacers some juicy turnovers. What pisses me off about him is that he commits these stupid turnovers, then goes and fouls the guy. It's something a kid would do on a playground. You take a ball away from me, so what am I gonna do? I'll shove you for no reason.

I really don't understand why he hasn't gelled with this team. This team is based on a certain level of talent in terms of shooting and passing ability. Play making. As Hedo is known for all of these characteristics, it just blows my mind how he hasn't been able to fit in. My opinion is that he's just lackadaisical, not focused, and not putting forth effort. Just from my personal observation... his head doesn't seem to be in the games. In the paper he complains about the team not being like the Magic and not having the ball enough. I respond to those comments by thinking, are you not a professional player? Can you not figure out how to make your game work with this system? It doesn't seem like a difficult system. You run around some screens that Bosh or Bargnani are setting and you shoot the ball. Or heck, post someone up. You're 6'10'' and I have seen you have success in the post.

So what's the solution? I am not quite sure to be honest. I guess what we're doing is sitting it out and hoping he falls in line. For $52 million I guess what else can we do? It's frustrating but at the same time I guess we can give him the benefit of the doubt. I don't know about these knee-jerk reaction trades that some people are suggesting to me. I mean if we did that we would have traded away Bargnani for next to nothing and I don't think there's too many Raptor fans out there that would agree to that anymore.

I guess the only thing we can do is sit, watch and hope that Hedo gets better. I don't care if he is giving us a lot of assists. I don't think Colangelo signed him knowing he was gonna average 13 points a game. Barely outscoring Jack and Calderon.