Game-Day Preview - Raptors vs. Lakers

by RaptorsHQ - Archives on Feb 9, 2007 12:00 AM EST in Media Watch

Any minute now, a sound clip of Michael Buffer is going to pop-up and you’ll hear "let’s get ready to rumbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbble!!!"

Because that’s how I feel going into this weekend.

The Raps start things off tonight with a match against the Lakers at the ACC. Interestingly Toronto then plays the Detroit Pistons tomorrow night, who last night did a number on the same Lake Show.

And as most fans know, after these two matches, Toronto then finds itself up against both the Bulls and the Nets, two more key games in terms of deciding there end-of-season fate.

But let’s start with the Lakers.

This is a very interesting team to say the least. Kobe is being mentioned as an MVP candidate, the team has surpassed most experts’ views on the club heading into this season (many thought that with a revamped New Orleans and healthy Utah, Los Angeles would find themselves like Main Source – "Looking at the Front Door" of the playoffs.) And Kobe Bryant is playing the most team-first basketball of his career while simultaneously being mentioned along with the names Nash and Nowitzki as an MVP candidate.

Kobe has always played well against Toronto (no one needs to allude to the last time he visited the ACC) and my guess is that Anthony Parker and Mo Pete will draw the defensive assignments on him. Kobe will probably still get his, but it’s not Bryant that really worries me in tonight’s match.

It’s Phil Jackson.

For a long time I thought that Jackson was overrated as a coach. I figured he was more of a great "meeting of the minds" guru, someone who could placate egos between stars and get everyone on the same page. He did that for years with the Bulls resulting in enormous success, and again he did that in the Shaq-Kobe years with the Lakers. However it’s these past two seasons that have really shown me just how good a coach Mr. Jackson is.

I mean look at his roster!

Smush Parker? Brian Cook? Maurice Evans? Sasha Vujacic? Aaron McKie?

There’s no way on paper you’d think this club would be any better than Seattle, especially since Lamar Odom has been hurt for a good chunk of the season and they’ve relied heavily on rookies Andrew Bynum and Jordan Farmar.

But this has been the genius of Jackson. He’s gotten the players on this team to recognize their roles and niches and Kobe has decided to maximize each of their individual abilities by playing distributor more and more.

Now, Smush Parker becomes a ball-hawk able to gamble on D.

Brian Cook comes off the bench as a three-point specialist, open thanks to Kobe’s forays to the basket.

Maurice Evans gives the team athleticism off the bench and in summary, the Jackson has simply created a real team in LA...no, there’s not a Shaquille O’Neal (although Bynum is developing quite nicely) but this is a club that has confidence enjoys playing together from positions 1 through 15...

...much like the Raptors.

That’s why while most of the media is focusing in on the Bosh/Kobe match-up tonight, I’m most interested in seeing which team’s supporting cast comes out on top, and what adjustments Phil Jackson makes. Not only will this game be a great test for the Raptors, but I think it’ll also be a solid challenge for their coaching staff.

One of our readers made an excellent comment yesterday in terms of something that Toronto has recently been doing in their wins – building energy. I too have noticed that lately, when the Raptors fall behind a bit in the game, a few consecutive buckets gets them going and the whole team then starts to make a run seemingly building on the vigor associated with each successful play. Sometimes it’s a defensive stop such as taking a charge, and conversely at times it’s a key 3-pointer or put-back. But in each case you can see the team’s body language react in a positive manner and Toronto has then charged ahead to eventually win.

It’s this energy that I’m looking forward to seeing tonight. The Lakers did not look sharp last night against the Pistons and Detroit executed perfectly on the offensive end and Los Angeles had no real answer. Kobe struggled going only five of 13 from the field for 18 points and he had an ugly eight turnovers. Many of these were simply sloppy ball-handling on his behalf and I expect him to bring his "A game" tonight. However after a tough loss to Detroit last night, the travel to Toronto, and the Raptors recent confidence, the Lakers may be "ripe for the picking" so to speak and once again I’ll be looking for the Raps to jump on the Lake Show early and run them ragged.

That’s why as a final point, I think Jose Calderon and TJ Ford will play a huge part in tonight’s game. Yes Jordan Farmar has been a nice surprise at the 1 for LA...however neither he nor Smush are any match for Toronto’s tandem of Ford and Calderon with the way both have been playing recently. If Ford and Calderon start turning those corners, hitting their open J’s and getting into the paint, it’s going to be a long night for the Lakers. This is a completely winnable game and the Ford/Calderon tag-team should be a huge advantage in the Raptors favour.

Which is why it’s interesting that reading Chad Ford’s chat re-cap yesterday on ESPN.com, he mentions Toronto along with Orlando as being two teams with a "surplus" of point guards who might be open to making trades prior to the upcoming deadline.

Surplus?

From the Dictionary:

Surplus: an amount, quantity, etc., greater than needed.

Um...correct me if I’m wrong but since when have we had more point guards than we need? Is he advocating we play one or the other for 40 minutes a game and play Darrick Martin for the rest?

Chad Ford goes further to say that Colangelo may need to play TJ more minutes to validate his acquisition however there are those who feel that Calderon is the better player.

Woah! Don’t you just love statements like this from someone who's probably not watched an entire Raps game all year?

Look, I'm an avid reader of Chad's draft coverage, but stuff like this makes me shake my head. I think it’s a bit early to say who’s the better player, however I’m admittedly liking TJ coming off the bench for this club. He gives another gear to the speed of the offence and has a bit more of a knack for scoring than Jose. But in any event, dealing one makes little sense to me right now as together, the two-headed monster at the point has been dynamite for this team and I'm expecting them to blow up tonight against Kobe and his Lakers.

FRANCHISE

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Comments

We do have a surplus of STARTING point guards. I don't care what anyone says, this platoon situation at the 1 is going to develop into a problem, either next year or sooner, and if dealing one of them means that it will improve this team, then I'm all for it

by Blaxx on Feb 9, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Franchise, I could not agree more about the American media types that act like they know it all about our team when they do not have their facts straight.

The Chad Ford prediction about our so called "surplus" of point guards is just one more in a long littany of comments made about the Raptors without any basis of fact.

The same thing happened on NBA TV by Peter Vecsey after the Raptors beat the Wizards January 31st. He was stating like fact that Bargani who went a quiet 4/12 with 14 points was not a key part of the team and his production has been down lately. He was stating that the Raptors are winning without his help and they are bringing him along slowly. What Vecsey did not know was that Bargani had missed a game January 24th against New Orleans due to the flu and was still in recovery mode. His production before and after the flu shows how important he is to the Raptors as the first guy off the bench in most rotations.

I just wish they would do some more fact checking before they shoot their mouths off like that.

by Brian Gerstein on Feb 9, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Blaxx, while I agree that both Ford and Calderone have shown us this year that they are both Starting point guards, why do you think it will develop into a problem if it has not happened already?

The fact that Ford went to Mitchell and told him to start Calderon as he (Ford) was not close to 100% yet speaks volumes for how winning is what it is about for this team, not egos.

Ford already has his long term contract locked up, and even if he continues to come off the bench, which I personally prefer, I do not see him creating controversy over it. If Ford changes his tune then I agree, Colangelo will have to do something about it.

At the same time, when Ford is back to being 100% healthy he will IMO be inserted back in the starters role. I say that because his contract does dictate it, but at the same time his performance does back it up.

We are in a win win situation with both of them and given their physical statures, injuries will happen so we need to keep both of them here.

The real question will be what Calderon is looking for in a new contract. My gut feel is that Calderon will stay here due to his close friendship with Garbajosa and the International feel of Toronto.

by Brian Gerstein on Feb 9, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Yeah, I read that on Ford's chat too. Scares me because if we deal anyone, it should be TJ. He has the higher salary and Jose seems to run the team more efficiently. That said, Jose's growth has only been in the past few weeks since TJ got hurt, and TJ is a much better defender than Jose....so it's far to early to annoint either as the go-forward guy.

Now, on to the Lakers. Detroit killed L.A. last night with their zone. Hopefully, Sam and staff were watching and we will see a healthy dose of the zone tonight. Also, Bosh/Garbo will have to do a good job of keeping Odom off the offensive boards. If we can control the defensive boards, we should win this game handly. If not, LA's gonna hang around, and with a pissed off Kobe, that's never a good thing.

by Jeff on Feb 9, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

I agree guys, Blaxx, I see why your point, the the fact we have two "starting" point guards may develop into a problem.
But it only seems to be a problem for the media, or an influence from them, and i'm not talking US media, but even our own Toronto media who constantly attack Smitch over who is starting. (Is anyone else bothered by the constant unintelligent questions the media ask Sam and the others, I guess that's why we are here on this blog) It won't be a problem if Jose, TJ, Sam and BC don't have a problem. This team is simply better off with both point guards. Personally I don't care which one starts, as long as when one gets tired giving 100% on the floor, not conserving anything like most other starting point guards, and then the other is subbed in and gives 100%, it's a great situation for us.

by Esteban on Feb 9, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

I think its great how Jose and TJ are handeling the situation right now. But its naive to think that Jose is going to remain loyal to the Raptors because of Toronto's international feel and his friendship with Garbajosa.

In professional sports, money talks. If the Raptors can't match an opposing offer, Calderon will walk and I won't blame him.

BUT, its way too early to think about these things. Let's just enjoy the ride while it lasts and trust Colangelo to make the right moves along the way. The way he's turned around 5 years of losing in only 1 offseason is absolutely remarkable.

by FunkaRaptor on Feb 9, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

How many teams can say that they have two point guards that can start a game? Enjoy the platoon situation at PG as long as it lasts.

It could develop into a problem especially during a losing streak when fingers get pointed but only if someone puts themselves before the team.

Of course money talks and if Jose gets a much better offer from another team after next season I would expect him to sign with them. Nothing personal just business.

BUT don't underestimate the non monetary factors in a players decision making. Someone might offer him a starting position but that wouldn't compensate for sh*tty teammates, a sh*tty city, and especially sh*tty management.

Jose has said that he's happy in Toronto and he makes good money. Unless someone offered him much more $$$ than TO and a starting position why would he move? So he can try being on a team with Artest? HAHA

by Todd on Feb 9, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

It's funny how short everyone's memory is. Calderon is playing very well, yes. But remember our last west coast road trip? The one where, with Bosh out, TJ Ford played just out of his mind and willed the raptors to victory? TJ is more creative, can score in more ways, can find more passes, and has much better hands on defense. Plus, surprisingly, he's a better rebounder.

Now don't get me wrong. I love what Calderon is bringing to this team. But seriously, when you look at Calderon, do you seem him try new things? Do you see any creativity? I feel that Jose is doing as much as he can do. He is effective and does those things well, but I just can't see where any improvements could come into his game.

You look at TJ - he turns it over too much, he tries ridiculously hard passes, he gets out of control. But still, even given all that, he puts up better numbers than Jose when they play equal minutes. There are clear areas where TJ can improve his game and become more effective.

Give it a year a two and I say that there'll be no comparison between the two - TJ will be clearly better. So trade TJ? That's just crazy. Crazy.

by raptorman on Feb 9, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

So true about the local media...STOP ASKING ABOUT THE 2 POINT GUARDS! I sware they make things an issue half the time when there is none...

by datpif on Feb 9, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Colangelo is not trading TJ, end of discussion. He's also not going to trade anyone on the team (including MoPete or calderon) unless there is a really fantastic offer, that fits in with his long term plans. And if he does, I don't think anyone of us wouldn't get over it. He's not actively shopping Calderon, why would he the team is winning; but if someone makes a strong offer, he should and probably will take it.

by LAs Only Raptor Fan on Feb 9, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

dy-no-mite! I just want to go to sleep right now and wake up later at 7pm in my 320 seats with a beer in my hand...can't wait.

another great post. you're bang on about mr. jackson, and though I would have to agree that this is a winnable game, the number 81 still freaks me out, whether it's a reasonable fear or not.

I expect bosh to teach kareem's student a thing or two about a thing or two himself.

by papa on Feb 9, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

It's so funny how something positive in the NBA can turn negative so quickly eh? You get a steal of a draft pick and immediately the media goes "uh, now we're gonna lose him or overpay." I've got mega faith in BC considering the moves he made to keep Phoenix on top so I'm making it a vow not to discuss the point guard situation until there's an actual REASON too. However I'm not naiive and as Blaxx pointed out, this is probably something that Colangelo and co. will have to keep an eye on. But right now, based on the relationships Bosh has with both, hard to see either going anywhere until we see what this team can do.

My real concern is Darrick Martin...if we lose him next year is Roko ready ha ha?

PS - Papa and anyone else hitting the ACC tonight - let us know tomorrow what the atmosphere is like, especially if this is a close one. I've gotta DJ and will have to do the old game in an hour so Howland's on recap duty tomorrow.

by Franchise on Feb 9, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Whoa, Whoa Whoa!!! Trade who? Ok boys, I have to agree that it seems the only problem we have at the 1 is the Toronto and other Sports media, and not the two guys who are playing the positions. Sure listen to the uninformed guys from the States who are smokin CRACK when they try and rationalize and theorize about what a "problem" the Raps have at point. GET OFF US!
I don't think I am the only one who has noticed the banter and smiles from both players when they are speaking to each other during time outs, breaks in play, etc... I believe that we have some great continuity that everyone should EMBRACE and let BC worry about the stuff he needs to worry about. He'll get our ducks in a row, don't fret boys, lets all put those thoughts aside, grab some popcorn, a soda or pint and flop down in front of the bigscreen tonight and cheer our boys to another win. Kobe, MVP is possible, but it's how we guard the others that will make the difference.

I'm out!

Fresh1

by Fresh 1 on Feb 9, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

it would do us good to remember that tj and jose have had some good games, no doubt, but they need to continue this play over the long season to really consider any of this talk worth while.
besides, when people talk about calderon running a 1/2 dozen teams out there, they're usually referring to the bottom half. I think he's more suited to coming off the bench for a contender. and if you listen to 99% of his interviews, it sounds like he would prefer that too. but what do I know - money can talk pretty loudly.

we're also well to remember that phoenix has their 2 time MVP backed up by a guy who will most likely win the 6th man this year.

by papa on Feb 9, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Did anyone else notice that only 2 teams got higher grades mid-season than the Raptors. Pheonix and Dallas!!!

Diss ESPN all you want - but they are taking notice. Raps are the only team in the east with an A. Personally I would give the Lakers, Jazz and Rockets better grades than the Raps - but it's nice to see ESPN showing some love.

Oh - and the Calderon issue is not an issue. Where did that come from? TJ is still recovering from an injury. He's the starting guy. We just happen to have a great backup. Neither of them is being traded off this team anytime this season.

by utes on Feb 9, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply actions