Tip-In: Nasty Nash

by RaptorsHQ - Archives on Jan 4, 2007 12:00 AM EST

I’ve re-written this opening line about five times now.

First I was going to write about Phoenix’ scary offense and what a job Bryan Colangelo and co. did during these past few seasons in terms of finding talent for the Suns.

Then I was going to discuss how good Chris Bosh looked on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court.

But wait, in comes Darrick Martin, especially in the second half, playing like he was back at UCLA draining three’s and so I was about to open with that.

And then in the game’s final minutes, Steve Nash steals the show making big plays down the stretch including a ridiculous three-pointer with a minute and 19 seconds left making him the obvious choice for the lead sentence.

But good golly Miss Molly didn’t the crew that does the Raptors' basketball games steal the whole show.

For those of you who didn’t see it, with seconds left in the game, a graphic was displayed showing that the Raptors had one 20 second timeout remaining in the game. So after Anthony Parker’s heroic three, and Shawn Marion going one for two from the line, Toronto was down only two with a good three seconds left. I figured Sam Mitchell would either call a timeout, or Toronto would race to get the ball across half, than call one to draw up a play.

Instead, viewers were treated to a Chris Childs circa the 2001 playoffs impersonation, as Darrick Martin drove the ball across half and heaved a shot that came closer to the shot clock than the rim.

Game over.

Phoenix therefore walked off the court with
a 100-98 win over Toronto and I was left staring at the screen in bewilderment.

Why didn’t Sam use the timeout? I could understand not wanting Phoenix to setup defensively but Toronto didn’t need a three! How about drawing up a set "catch and shoot" play for Bosh down low? Or what about a draw for a quick jumper from Bargnani?

ANYTHING but a Darrick Martin heave!

And finally, the icing on the cake.

After pointing out that Toronto had one 20 second time-out left after the "timeouts remaining" graphic was displayed, Chuck Swirsky didn’t even mention the bizarre end to the game after the Martin heave.

Yep, not even his usual "Leo, explain why the Raptors didn’t use a timeout there."

Instead, we were rushed off to hear from Steve Nash.

Who cares?

I mean, I think Nash is terrific, a great ambassador of the game of basketball, an inspiration, heck, I still think he’ll be remembered as one of the top five point-guards of all time when he hangs up the kicks.

But enough already!

Chuck spent more time praising Steve Nash throughout the game then he did even discussing the entire Raptors team! And yes I’m exaggerating a bit here but the point is that as a Raptors fan, I’d much rather know what the hell just happened at the end of such a close game then hear from a player from the winning team who had nothing to do with the game’s final possession...even if he is Canadian.

I mean, we didn’t even get to see a replay!

It wasn’t until 12:14 this evening (or this morning technically) almost three hours after the game’s conclusion, that I finally figured out what happened. Apparently, the Raps telecast crew made a mistake and in fact, Toronto did not have any timeouts remaining.

And that made me even more mad.

Yes, the TV crew bungled the stat, but why must I watch RaptorsTV for three hours after the game and have Jack Armstrong make a point of pondering the timeout situation in order to get this information?? I mean, the revelation that Toronto did not have a timeout changes everything. Now, instead of wondering why Martin did his best Carlton Banks impression in the "pass it to Will" episode, I’m thinking, "well, at least he got if off in that short period of time." Talk about a swing in emotion.

But enough ranting, let’s get down to this game.

First of all, you can’t say enough about Chris Bosh. CB4 had 26 points and 14 rebounds in his first game back after missing 12 and looked like he’d been playing all along. Besides his key rebounds, blocks and of course, scoring, the thing I wanted to touch on the most is this guy’s commitment. I’ve been following basketball for quite a while and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player play that well after such a long layoff and this really goes to show just how hard he worked to make sure that his game didn’t get rusty while his knee healed.

And while Bosh was phenomenal, my MVP for Toronto last night was Anthony Parker. In the boxscore he had 16 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals but the real story was his defence. Parker made Raja Bell, Steve Nash and Leandro Barbosa work for every shot they had and was instrumental on two occasions for Phoenix getting called for 24 second shot-clock violations, a phenomenal feat considering that Phoenix likes to play with about a 10 second shot-clock. He also grabbed a number of huge offensive rebounds (three of his rebounds were on the offensive end) and just seemed to be everywhere on the court. With Mo Pete, Joey Graham and Fred Jones struggling, Parker has really become the "glue guy" for this club.

AP did get some help though as the Raptors were more aggressive on both ends of the court than I’ve seen in some time and they did as good a job as possible of controlling the game’s pace so as not to play right into the Suns game-plan. The Raptors out-rebounded the Suns and this helped keep Phoenix’s run-and-gun style to a minimum. Toronto also forced Steven Nash to the corners as much as possible forcing the ball out of his hands and limiting his effectiveness.

And of course Darrick Martin draining four of six three point shots always helps.

However I think Sam Mitchell should have played Calderon in the game’s final minutes. The offence almost ground to a standstill as he pounded the ball into the hardwood, waiting for Bosh to get open. The Suns knew CB4 was going to get the ball so they were basically triple-teaming him. Calderon looked like he lost some confidence after getting blocked by Amare on a few occasions but I still would have preferred to have Jose out there to get some more motion in the offence. Maybe Toronto could have scored on a few more of those final possessions and we wouldn’t have needed to have had Darrick Martin give her the old "heave-ho."

While the Raps have now lost three straight, the last two losses were nothing if not inspiring. A huge comeback against Memphis and in taking Phoenix to the limit, Toronto should be able to find a number of positives to take away from both situations heading into tomorrow night’s game versus the Hawks...

...a game which thankfully won't feature Steve Nash.

FRANCHISE

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Comments

Can we start a petition to fire Chuck Swirsky please. I've watched every Raptor game this season and he is driving me up the wall...last night's game took the cake though. When Steve Nash hit his last jump shot with about 30 sec to go, Chuck went crazy saying something to the effect "Oh baby what a play!"...Who's side are you on Chuck? I mean so what if Nash is Canadian, the Raps lost and Chuck seems to be fine and dandy with that, if Nash was the one to do it.

by GregV on Jan 4, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Great Article as usual. Love this site by the way. It was a great game to watch except the 19-2 run in the second quarter - what the hell was that about.

Great to see Bosh back. But the offense moved the ball alot better when he was out (big reason was not playing last night - TJ and Garbo).

I would love to see Jose get his confidence back like the first part of the season. And what the hell is MoPete doing out there. He is looking more and more like Matt Bonner (standing out on the three point line, throwing up awful shots, and not playing any D.). Does he not work with Alex English at all? Does he not watch game tape of himself?

The team is so close to getting to the next level.

How good did AP play last night. He was awesome on D. Man does he move his feet to get in position well. Bargnani had another good game last night. I would of loved to see him get more touches down the end of the game. He had mismatches on him all night.

Go Raptors.

by Jason on Jan 4, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

I agree, the nash love-in was a bit over the top. I mean the guy is good, (and by good I mean you just knew those ridiculous shots at the end were going to go in even if he had shot them backwards and blindfolded,) but enough with the in game commentary about the phoenix team of one and the post game 'you're the bestest ever in the whole wide world' stuff.
I mean he's on another team, one that whoops us pretty dang consistently. maybe we could give him a little bit of a harder time when he comes around here. I'm not saying we need to take away his pre-game hot cocoa with the tiny marshmallows, but a more competitive and hostile, (freindly, of course,) enviroment might not be such a bad thing either.

besides, he's from BC. aren't we supposed to hate those west coast hippies?

by papa on Jan 4, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

I was at the game last night (courtside), and it clearly said 0 timeouts for the Raps, I guess the tv crew screwed it up.

Martin played Amazing last night, the game wouldn't have been even close if it wasn't for him. Calderone got blocked like 3x, made BAD passes and couldn't hit a basic jump shot, while Martin drained 3 after 3. There was no way Calderone earned his way to the final minutes of the game.

However, Martin should have PASSED it up. This was an occassion of someone who doesn't play often, put under HUGE pressure, and couldn't make the right play. If Ford was in there, he could have sprinted up the court, but Martin isn't as fast.

He was guarded well, (double teamed), and took off a hasty shot. It's too bad, we really had a chance to tie/win it, but great game over all! Believe me, all of us at the ACC were like, wth was that!!!! haha, oh well.

GO RAPS GO!

by Smooth on Jan 4, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

yeah, actually, I forgot to mention that too: jose's play the last few games has been sub par. and last night it looked like every time he went to the net, somebody would step up and stuff him emphatically.
that can't be good for your confidence.
I just hope his speed isn't being affected by that heel problem he had last year.

by papa on Jan 4, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Well he has this one play he runs, penetrating deep under the basket and kicking it out to the open man, which works well...BUT, he didn't attempt it at all, he just tried to do things himself, looking very inexperienced...Not impressed with his play at all yesterday.

I doubt its the heel thing, Ford will be back soon enough, and Calderone will stay as our back up. Martin was great given that this must be the 3rd/4th game he played ALL SEASON.

by Smooth on Jan 4, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

While it hurts seeing the Raps lose - losing to Nash and the Suns is like taking two steps back and then another step forwards. This Raps team is playing with a fresh mindset - that of winning and it will take time. Remember, 'in Colangelo, we trust' as the pieces to make this team even better will eventually present itself from the fray. So far, I like what I see from the last 2 games. We're playing with conviction, albeit with little intelligence, but it starts with heart, the rest will fall into place.

by Sniper on Jan 4, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Hey don't blame swirs, it's those guys in the "truck" that blew it. In fact the raps producer should be shot. I hate how we'll be watching a closeup on someone or a stupid fact box when there's a game going on in the background!!! aaargghh! Good game though, game them a run for their money.

by axl on Jan 4, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

I'm glad the city of Toronto is so positive because, to me, this team is still pretty pathetic at 13-19 and are not really going anywhere. Yes there have been injuries, but the team was BETTER when the only player who matters was hurt. (6-6 without, 7-13 with)

Jones is officially a bust. Graham has not progressed at all and Peterson seems like a different player/person somehow this season--although his inconsistency is as consistent as always.

To get to .500 we'd have to go 28-22 from this point forward, something that seems absurd right now.

Also, would a good (or even average) team only win close games? The Raps have only won 2 (TWO!!!) games by more than ten points this year, meaning that our starters have to play huge minutes every game just to grind out a win here or there. The only game I can think of that the Raps really jumped on an opponent and stayed on top was against Milwaukee . . . and that was the third day of the season!

I'm back to rooting for a tank and a top 8 pick in what should be a great draft. Trade Peterson and release Graham and go with the rest.

Do you think we could get a late first-rounder for Mo???

(I know this seems like an angry rant and, well, it is . . . I just don't understand the enthusiasm for such mediocrity--I guess the team has been so awful in the past that 32-50 sounds like a good record.)

by Aaron on Jan 4, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

I was annoyed at the timeout situation as well. The only reason I knew that the Raps had no timeouts left was because they zoomed in on D'antoni saying it to Nash while Marion was at the line. Regardless, poor job by Swirsky and Rautins not to mention it.

They also didn't seem to notice that when Bosh fouled Nash on the 3, Nash's foot was actually on the line (as the replay clearly showed).

Finally, speaking of replays, I'm real tired of the Raps broadcasts, whether it is TSN, SportNet or the Score, missing live action because they want to show a slow motion replay of something. LIVE ACTION IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN REPLAYS!

As for the game, that Nash 3 after the Raps took the lead was a killer. Hats off to him. Not too many out there that could've made that shot at that moment in the game.

I probably would've given Martin a blow at the 6 minute mark, as it was clear that he was running on fumes. That way, you can eat 2 or 3 minutes with Calderon, then bring Martin back. The reason Calderon wasn't in the game was because they weren't respecting his shot at all when he was in there, and it was killing the offense. That's the one advantage that Martin has on both TJ and Jose....he can make perimeter shots.

For all the Swirsky bashing that we do on this site, Chuck isn't one tenth as bad as those guys doing the Bulls games. Did anyone see that the other night? I started actively rooting against them because of their announcers. Never good.

by Jeff on Jan 4, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

aaron - Good point about win margin. We really haven't seen this team get 'hot' on the shooting end since preseason (so we know they're capable), but this mediocrity is a huge improvement over the almost complete suckiness of last season. And don't be ridiculous, tanking the season is not an option. A totally demoralized crew with a good draft pick?? What's the point of that? I'd rather see slow, steady improvement.

by axl on Jan 4, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Good game by the Raptors. Lots of heart but some poor decision making down the stretch. That will improve with experience. CB4, AP, D Martin and Bargnani played extremely well.

This team is going in the right direction. Everybody needs to remember that they haven't even played one full season together and Ford and Garbo were out.

Swirsk made a mistake with the number of TO but everybody has those days. Does he go overboard with the hype? Yes, but at least he has some emotion.

Jeff is right. Have you ever listened to about 90% of the other announcers? Old and tired with blatant bias. All facts and figures with no pizazz at all.

PS I like Sam M, but as a head coach he needs to get better at managaing the rotation and X's and O's. PJ Tucker with 3 mins?

by Todd on Jan 4, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

First.. Raps exceeded expectations last night.

However, how do you leave yourself with under 8 sec. without a T/O left?

I know SMitch said he felt he needed to use them to keep it close. But I loved the play where D'Antoni let Nash run up the floor without calling a t/o with about 25 secs left and he nailed the three. It almost looked like the raps were expecting the time out and got caught off guard.

Anyways.. it was a fun game.

by Ustation on Jan 4, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

I was at the game last night so no idea what they talked about on TV. Two things emerged from being there (and watching the Memphis game):

a) Derek Martin is a decent player until the last two minutes of a game. Then he seems to try and do too much and makes me want to punch a wall.

b) Sam Mitchell CANNOT design plays to save his (obscured by ridiculously long suit jackets) ass. If there are no time outs and you're down four with 13 seconds (or so) left then you know you need to design two plays because you know (again) that you're going to have to move the ball the full length of the floor without much time on the clock. What do we get out of that timeout? Anthony Parker hitting a miracle three out of a totally busted play, and Derek Martin running the length of the floor looking like his first option was just to throw the ball out of bounds and save everyone the trouble. It was terrible. If having one guy running the length of the floor is actually something you've discussed, doesn't that guy have to be Mo 'Pete or Fred Jones?

When are we going to get a coach who doesn't struggle to even design a play just to get the ball in bounds? It drives me nuts to waste all that effort the team showed last night.

by Never Nervous Pervis on Jan 4, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

good commentary. Tough game to lose but when you shoot 12/17 free-throws that'll come back to haunt you. MoPete apears to have lost his edge: Raptors really need Joey G. to step up and fill that void. I can see the team going with Ford, Parker and three bigs once Garbo returns as their standard set, with more of Bargs and CB4 together.
Why is 28-22 out of the question from here on out?
Look for MoPete to be swapped prior to the trade deadline.

by graham on Jan 4, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

I'm sure that last play wasn't meant for derek to run downt the court and create his own shot; he just couldn't find an open man to let it go to quick enough, and got stuck running with it and chucking it.
he did play a good game though, so it's hard to fault him too much. he certainly played better than jose, which is tough for me to say because I like jose. he just looked tentative and unsure of himself; hopefully he'll shake it off and come back with a strong game against hot-lanta.

by papa on Jan 4, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Axl--I love your use of the phrase "complete suckiness." I would have to agree with you here entirely.

In terms of "tanking," clearly I wouldn't suggest the Raps intentionally lose or anything like thay, just that being the 8th worst team this year (instead of the 12th or 14th) could make a big difference in the wingman we get for next year.

Between Julian Wright, Bill Walker, and Marcus Williams (ARZ) there are some amazing SF/SG coming out next year who could step in and be that high-flyer on the break that we so desperately need.

Also, have you noticed the Raps might be the least athletic team in the league? Take away Bosh and Ford's speed, and what do you have left? Sure Freddie/Joey can jump, but they're only 6'2-4", so they're not getting very high up there. Plus Nesterovic, Peterson, Garbajosa, Calderon, Martin, Parker, Ford, Tucker, and Slokar can barely dunk. Now, I'm no fool, I recognize jumping isn't everything, but when 9 of your 14 active players are playing below the rim, you're in big trouble in this league.

by Aaron on Jan 4, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

I'm pretty sure the Raps didn't have a designed full court play with 3 seconds left. Though I don't understand why there isn't a standard "Duke Blue Devil - Christian Latner play" for being down one/two. Get the three bigs down court to the foul line (for last night, Bargs, Bosh and Rasho), Mo at the top of the key and do a hail mary down the middle (a la football post pattern or curl).

Hey Aaron - at the beginning of the season, would you have bet on the raps to be 10 games over .500? If so how much? I don't want to begin a sentence by saying "kids these days", but kids these days have no patience for a build. How many teams in a lifetime go from below .500 to a championship? Half the fun is watching something grow. That's why those Jay championships were so satisfying, it took almost 12 years of being a contender to win. There's only one winner, and if you can't watch a team make small improvements each year, you'll need to try a different hobby. Ask a leaf, cubs, devil rays, padre,bruins, blackhawk, saints, lions, nuggets, hornets, grizzley, sonics, clips,(should I go on) fan how they feel? And if you're willing to wager some dolla dolla bills on some game, please let me know.

by ustation on Jan 4, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

The Raps have plenty of athleticism. Joey G, who is 6'7, not 6'2-6'4, is a freak, as is Fred Jones (who plays like he's 6'6 with his lanky ass arms). The problem is we don't really have a legit starting wing. We either have steady guys (mopete, parker) or energy guys (joey g and jones). We need a guy with altheticism who can also consistantly score and play D, you know, a legit starter.

i have confidence in BC.

by sl64 on Jan 4, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

aaron - after the continual letdown of the vince carter years, I'm not sold on the all-importance of athleticism. it sure helps, but without teamwork, it's wasted.

by axl on Jan 4, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

To all the people talking about how crappy the announcers (esp. the swirsk) are:

would you rather have some 'homer hacks' like Chicago or Boston has? I mean, some of the play by play guys in the NBA are total homers to the point of being equivalent to listening to yourself doing your own commentary on your couch at home.

I'll take Leo, Jack and the Swirsk over most broadcast teams in the NBA.

BTW, what's with all the comments all of a sudden? all Raptorblog refugees or what?

by Andrew on Jan 4, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Good read Franchise. I'm in agreement with those who are enjoying the growing pains of this team.

Bandwagonners fill the seats when the team is hot, but the payoff for following the team when they're taking their first babysteps is worth it.

As for the Swirsk, warts and all, more often than not, he makes me smile during the game. Compared to other announcers I've heard he's the class of the field.

See y'all next game.

by Armistice on Jan 4, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

The interesting thing about this Raptor team for me is that while the record is weak, it's the first time in years that I feel like the club has a real direction. Ustation you touched on the "building of a championship team" and the Jays' titles and I agree, it takes time to get there and I'd rather see this team continue to build and let Colangelo work his magic. Look at what he did in Phoenix!

-Nash was great in Dallas but everyone said "oh, he's gonna break down."

-Amare had "issues" coming out of high school so many teams passed on him.

-Diaw was viewed as a bust

-Raja Bell was looked a decent defensive player and an 8th man

-Even Shawn Marion. Besides college experience, there wasn't much difference between the Matrix and say Darius Miles in terms of their athletic abilities and overall games before entering the league.

Another solid draft and some tweaking and hopefully BC can do the same sort of thing here in Toronto.

by datpif on Jan 4, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Great comments folks as usual. This really is going to be an interesting season beyond the win/loss record. This weekend we'll be looking at the first trimester and giving out our trimester grades.

As for Chuck and co, I agree that they do inject some life into the proceedings (yes Jeff, the Bulls announcers were ridiculous - I felt like yelling "can you mumble a little louder??") but it's just so out of control now. And the Centre Court HQ stuff is even worse. It's impossible to watch Paul Johnson and cronies do serious analysis at this point without 100 inside jokes, digs at the other crew members and sponsor shout-outs. (Anyone hear them going on about Wendy's being open late last night? Shudder.)

PS - Pervis, totally agree about Martin trying to do too much. You can see it coming when he plays well in stretches...because then he tries things like turnaround jumpers (which he got blocked on last night by Amare.)

Guess I wasn't the only one punching walls last night...

by Franchise on Jan 4, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions