On Wednesday, the Toronto Raptors began their sixteenth season by losing to the New York Knicks at home. New York amassed a significant lead and Toronto’s second unit chipped away until the team was able to claim a single point lead in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, Amare Stoudamire was able to gain excellent position in the paint and score repeatedly turning the tide in favour of the Knicks. Many fans have taken the opportunity to cast aspersion upon the squad though they can react with indignation all they want and the Raptors will carry on without them. It’s certainly more …
Wizards Throw One Away, Raptors Win!
Congratulations to the Raptors and their Association playoff berth. After Andrea Bargnani’s appendicitis, Jorge Garbajosa’s broken leg, and an underwhelming performance versus Kevin Durant’s next team, the Boston Celtics, Toronto regrouped and won the next two games, clinching a playoff berth. Many players shouldered the load and the team executed well under the pressure caused by the recent adversity. Michael Ruffin, on the other hand, did not execute well under pressure. On Friday, Washington was leading by three points with seconds remaining. After Ruffin intercepted a sixty-foot pass by Anthony Parker, he simply needed to dribble out the clock and …
Rob Babcock Retrospective
Rob Babcock got canned today. Was it the right thing to do? I don’t know. Although still negative, my feelings for the embattled general manager have mellowed. Obviously, recent games have highlighted that the Raptors lack the wing scorer to share load with Chris Bosh and be complemented by Mike James. But I’m reluctant to re-start the rebuilding process again. All things considered, the team was improving. Best Four Moves: I listed an additional good thing because it’s important to focus on the positive. Acquiring Mike James: This was a tremendous trade. Guys like James, Damon Jones, and Tony Parker …
Chris Bosh and Improvement
I updated the Post Moves of the Month for January and February 2006. February’s move was posted early because I saw Chris Bosh do it down the stretch vs. Portland and was fairly impressed. He came high ball side, drove the lane, and finished with his left hand. Bosh is continually in the process of improving himself and has become one of the top forwards in the league. Bosh’s game isn’t perfect; he sets mediocre screens and needs to add range to his jump shot. In crunch time in the Trail Blazers game, he committed two faux-pas: neglecting to box …