Tip-In: A Franchise First

I've been cheering for Montreal all season. I absolutely hate hockey now and it wasn't always like that. I used to love it but the way they cover it in this country is ridiculous. If Sportscentre is an hour, you shouldn't spend 45 minutes of that hour talking about hockey and 15 minutes cramming everything else in. What really put it over the top tho was the year there was no hockey being played, yet they were talking about hockey everyday. Give me a break. So yes, go Canadiens! Make these Leafs fan shut the hell up for 6 months

YES!!!!!!!! Great the see finally. I was one of the season ticket holders for all the years in Skydome.

Nice to win last night, but some awful decision maker again by TJ ford and Sam. It really wansn't until Calderon came in durning the 3rd quater that things calm down on offense. Boys passed well, played scappy D. But then mitchell started subbing in Mo., Dixon, etc.

I hope TJ watches Jose run the team, because he does it so well. Getting everyone involved.

BC rules. We are only going to get better.

Wouldn't Jermaine O'Neil look good at center for us?

Franchise, great post as usual.

I know I should let it go, it’s water under the bridge, but it just cost us soooooo much. If we had pulled out a good offensive play in the last 26 seconds of the Miami game, Miami would need to make up 4 games on us and we would have practically clinched 3rd by now. Anyway, the focus now needs to be on closing out Chicago on our home court and hope for a miracle from Charlotte to buy us some breathing room.

All home games are winnable. We have to fight hard in MIN and hope the Pistons clinch 1st before we go visit them. Maybe I’m dreaming, but I’m still hoping we win this thing out.

Media watch: Nothing about the Raps in this mornings Globe, but rest assured that the Leafs have a little blurb about them. Front page of the sports section has a full page dedicated to the beloved Leafs. Apparently there was no room to squeeze in a little box mentioning the FIRST EVER RAPTORS DIVISION TITLE. I am with you (secretly) cheering for Montreal tonight, but I still think that it won’t matter. Penguins, Buffalo or any other hockey team will be all over the news before the Raptors will. Someone at the Globe is a little scared of the Raptors.

Nice to see some props for the Raps on ESPN this morning. I don’t think I’ve seen the Raptors logo on their NBA front page all season.

PS Another lost tip-off last night. Someone should keep stats on lost tip-offs.

good point about TJ watching replays of Calderon- TJ is a young point guard still, who missed a year. He should use all available resources to grow into point guard we expect of him. But, lets not forget -TJ has never missed the playoffs in his brief career. Note that the Bucks missed the playoffs the year he missed. His continued growth is a big part of this teams future. He has the heart needed.

Too happy about playoffs + division title. 1st quarter wasn't our best last night, but began righting the ship late second and the when TJ's lip was cut, that unit had managed to gain the lead. Jose and the second unit went off, totally dominating their counterparts and that was the game.

Sam is getting really creative with the lineups and it seems to be working (especially with Orlando).

I'm rooting for Les Habitants and not even secretly. Has nothing to do with the coverage and everything to do with growing up in Montreal and watching the team bring home the Stanley Cup twice (7 in my lifetime) and I'm not that old.

The Leafs are the spoiled rich kid of the NHL that everyone talks about ad nauseum. I can't stand them.

Sundays game tsn....

Thought I'd leave the TJ talk alone for this post but yes, he's been too Raferish as of late and one of the reasons I had Jose as a game MVP. I thought Jose did a much better job getting the motion going late in the third quarter, coincidentally when TJ was on the bench. Even normally Mr. Bias Chuck Swirsky was saying that Ford was pounding the ball too much and not getting the offense moving from side to side. I think TJ is incredibly important to this team's success so here's to hoping he watches some game tape and realizes he needs to do a better job running the show.

Aren't the differences in style between TJ and Jose part of the plan? I sort of assumed that the reason Mitchell keeps calling TJ's name to hammer away with his speed at the middle is that it not only works sometimes but it also conditions the defense to respond poorly to Jose's superior passing game.

I can think of several games where TJ essentially takes over early because he finds he can drive at will on his defenders opening Bosh up for lots of easy feeds, and put backs. But I can also think of others where TJ's offense, because of inconsistency or because of defensive system, isn't working as well as Jose's game,and the raptors blow it open in the third.

In boxing terms, TJ is a steady diet of jackhammer jabs. Fast, dangerous, and if you don't do anything about it, they'll kill you. But they are also a little predictable. Whereas Calderone is like a wicked left hook from nowhere that keeps the defender worried and always guessing.

And bcause a fighter that has both punches is much more dangerous than a fighter that just has one, Mitchell keeps throwing them out there depending on how the defense responds. Some nights I want to kill him for not pulling TJ sooner, but just as often I'm impressed with how his game plans have worked out.

Any chance Bargnani is back sooner than expected?

Lovin' the boxing analogy bedhead. Also tj detractors should note that generally he plays against the other teams starters and calderon plays the benchers. That has to make a big difference if there's some drop off when tj comes in.

we're so lucky to have two fantastic pg's. lakers, cavs would love to have either as a starter.

What an effortless beating of the sixers, zero, yes zero fast break points and second chance points, outrebounded. Can remember maybe one charge taken. Hopefully hasn't softened us up for chicago and hopefully these killer tough games coming up will have ushattoro hanzo sharp come playoffs

Whats up,
First congrats to both of you for delivering the best subjective post on the net (trust me I go through all of them on the daily)...I have followed my team through thick and thin... this my friends is true fans dream come true (almost), regardless quick question, could, should Anthony Parker be considered MIP???? Its been on my mind for awhile now and just curious to get your thoughts on that one...
Peace from Berlin
ps. why does the fan590 (online) only block certain games, 1 in 3 are blocked..
And I am from Montreal but could not care less about hockey, except for tonight....

Rob, NBA rules prohibit the fan from broadcasting any games. They sometimes forget.

If you want to watch the games live, get a slingbox and hook it up somewhere in Toronto (You'll need a friend for this). I've done it and now I can watch my Raptors anywhere in the world I have internet access. No, I don't get commissions for this, just really impressed that I found a solution to sitting in a hotel room in Montreal cursing that they don't have the Score!

"Jays, neither of which who’ve been that much more successful than the Raptors."

Franchise, finally something I can't agree on. Two world championships, something like 4 or 5 division championships, a winning record for most seasons, numerous players regularly all-stars and winning individual awards...The Jays have done pretty well for themselves. I see good things for the Raps for the next few years, and they may challenge the Jays in terms of success yet, but one year does not equal the Jays' accomplishments. Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Damn straight I was rooting for the Habs tonight. I'm not sure who I hate more, the Leafs or their addled fans. Why did MLSE hire Colangelo? Because they had to; otherwise, the Raptors were toast. Why doesn't MLSE do the equivalent for the Leafs? Because Leaf fans will still fill the ACC regardless of whether MLSE throws Leaf Jerseys on a bunch of monkeys. When your only front line forward is 36 years old and you have ZERO minor league prospects, everyone knows that it's time to rebuild. Everyone, that is, except Leafs fans, for whom Kyle Wellwood is the second coming.

OK, I've vented and feel much better. Besides, the Islanders can still knock the Leafs out of the playoffs.

Back to basketball - nice to see Graham have his second solid game in a row. One thing I like about him is that he always plays hard, even if he's not filling up the stat sheet. They're going to need his defensive abilities if they're going to do anything in the playoffs.

How can you haters appreciate the team's success without giving props to its starting PG? TJ has taken over and won games for us many times this year. When Bosh was out? TJ took over. All those fast starts over the past few weeks when we effectively put the game away early? A result of TJ dominating. He usually does it via playmaking but sometimes by scoring when the opposition doesn't repsect his shot/plays him to pass. TJ is to only guy besides Bosh who can create his own shot off the dribble b/c the opponent fears his both his quicks and his pass. A mindblowing game every night out? No, but of course he's really only in his 2nd full year of playing pro. Much love to Jose's play this year, but TJ is the man.

Not to mention that if we didn't have Mike James last year and JC had to start, he would've been shipped out of town with the rest the ex-raps before season started. So don't sing his praises like he's John Freakin Stockton.

Knew the Jays comment would get some feedback. I was thinking more along the lines of success in the past 10 years as yes, the Blue Jays were a dominant team in the late 80's and early 90's and if not for the bottomless pockets of the Yankees and Red Sox, might be contenders again over the next few seasons.

Can't wait for tomorrow's game, we'll be previewing it in the AM.

PS - Go Islanders go.

I wonder if sports teams go through natural cycles of winning and losing. You stay dominant for a time (say 10 years) and then you go cold for a time. A few teams defy this in a good way (Yankees), and not (Leafs, Cubs).

The Jays have admittedly been in a rebuilding stage for 5 years, and some commentators have said that the next 2 or 3 years will need to be dominant, or it just ain't gonna happen. JC will get turfed, and the re-seeding will start again. That is what I was hoping for with this year's Leafs: they tank, Ferguson is kicked out, and the Leafs re-seed. Instead they stagger on in perpetual mediocrity, teasing with just enough effort to maybe barely make the playoffs.

Does this idea have any credibility - it takes 4 or 5 years to build a team, team is established for 3 or 4 years, 2 or 3 years of declining performance, and then back to re-seeding the stock?

I guess that makes BC's work all the more astonishing. He demo'd the team, complete overhaul, and turnaround in one year??

Rob, re Fan broadcasts. I listen from Florida and I find if I have the Fan on before the game starts, then it keeps going and is NOT blacked out. If I try and click in after the game starts I am out of luck. Have done this many, many times, so seems to be the secret.

Gerry, the idea of "cycles" in sports is not without merit. However, it is not an immutable law. Some teams just never seem to get better, usually due to inept management and/or bad ownership. Think the Arizona Cardinals, Kansas City Royals or the Chicago Blackhawks. Some teams seem to be competitive forever, which is sometimes an indicator of financial superiority (Yankees) and/or superb management (New Jersey Devils, Detroit Red Wings, Oakland Athletics).

Basketball seems to lend itself best to the cycle theory simply because it is the sport with the smallest rosters and the sport where one player can make the most difference. Even the Spurs had to stink it up in order to grab Tim Duncan. The Bulls are a good example; they were mediocre before MJ, gradually built up into one of the great teams of all time, slipped back when MJ retired, Pippen flew the coop etc. and now they're a young and up and coming team.

I think that's one reason why the Leafs are doomed to perpetual mediocrity. They don't seem to understand that it's OK to stink up the joint for a couple of years if you're ultimately building a contender. Fans can live with that. I don't know how long fans can forgive eternal stinkage, although I guess Leaf fans seem willing to put up with it.

Hven't watched a hockey game in years but follow it in the paper. Not a Leaf fan(born and bred in Mtrl - can relate to previous poster who stated that in his life Habs have won seven cups - my life 9) but this year at least the Leafs have a bit of youth - something to hopefully build on. Lets give JFK and Maurice a chance.
I think the cap in basketball has a lot to do with the chance for teams to compete unless poorly managed(hello Babcock).
Big game today against a team thats been playing great ball - lets take advantage of homecourt. Said this before, this Bulls team was planned five years ago.Lottery picks year after year(although give them credit for wise drafting)is the proven method to building a winner - look at the Penguins in hockey. Unless of course you have a magic wand like BC. What he has done this year is amazing.

Forgot to add about the BlueJays - trying to compete against the payroll of the Yankees and RedSox, in the ame division, is a huge disadvantage. Both of these two teams have lowered fan interest across the league. I am normally and fan of talent but share the hate for those two teams.

Is anyone else thinking that the Islanders game won't end by 6pm and that TSN will not switch to the Raps game until the full analysis of the hockey game raps up at about 6:30???

I know, I know, we won, and beat the Bulls BAD. Feels good.

One thing I wish: get Jose more time. He didn't take stupid shots, even though his shot was not falling (ofer 4), but had 8 assists in 16 minutes, and while he was on the Raps padded their lead to 20 points.

TJ comes back on, first thing he does is looks for his own shot, even though he ended up 1 for 8, and fewer assists than Jose.

Finally TJ goes off in garbage time, but Darrick Martin comes on! Why not put Jose back out there?? Within ten seconds Martin gives it up.

The Raps played well, Joey was awesome, but Sam, please, show Jose some court-time! He hasn't earned yet?

Hey all you Hockey fans this is a basketball website not hockey we nooo talk hoc key got it!!!

For the love of god... Gerry we just beat arguable the second best team in the east...handily. Surely our starting p-oint guard did something right.

How sweet is this? Chicago gets OWNED by the Raps while the Leafs get booted outta the playoffs by the Islanders.

Great hustle play throughout the game, sounded like the Raps were the Spurs in terms of rebounding. Toronto - Chicago first round doesn't sound so bad after this last game.

Joey's been playing well lately. Anyone think that he might be finally finding his rhythm and becoming that consistent player we've been looking for all year? Any thoughts as to how the playoff rotation is going to look? Is there honestly more than two guys on this roster right now you can say you would tense up at if they were on the court for the Raps during the playoffs?

What was up with that Mo Pete ejection too? I was listening via the Chicago webcast, they made it sound like Mo blocked Hinrich's face with his fist?

Things are lookin up for us guys. I really didn't think we'd be able to beat Chicago and after that close Cavs/Pistons game, I'm thinking there's nobody in the East we can't beat. We'll have to see how they fare against Detroit, but everyone from 2 down would be a great first round series for the Raps.

Now I just gotta go get some cable before the playoffs start...

TSN showed the top east teams since Jan 1 - only got a quick glance but we were at the top.
Isles winning in s/o is icing baby.

Miami lost in ot and Raptors are sniffing at 2nd with another game against the Bulls. Dare We dream? Mo Pete's ejection was crap!

You know, I am getting kind of tired of some people calling out others by name, attempting to censor opinions that do not fit their particular view.

"you're not coach ...[so you are not entitled to an opinion]"
"we don't need that shit"
"for the love of god"
"be a man" and "immature"

Look, let's have conversations. As I have said before, I like to dissect games and see how improvements can be made. If you guys don't like it, change the topic, offer a different opinion, but stop with the personal putdowns, quit saying how people should talk and what they should talk about.

There was no swearing, sarcasm or name-calling in my comments here. Could you PLEASE be diplomatic in your comments, and I will try to do as well?

Frachise, it is your site, and I am happy to follow your rules. Am I offbase / inappropriate here with my comments just now?

Fantastic win for the boys. They really play at a different level at home. Two more road games, MIN and DET.

I have to admit that I was cringing at times when TJ had the ball. Those two no look passes to the front row were brutal. Seemed like Joey and TJ were not on the same page on offence. Perhaps because Graham has not been playing on the starters team in practice, need to change that.

However, TJ played great defence in this game which was huge in the 3rd quarter. Gerry, your point about TJ coming back on the floor and taking shots I believe was explained by Jim Todd at half time. He said that they were looking for more production from their PG spot. I think half the things that TJ gets blamed for he is actually just following directions from the bench boss.

Love both TJ and Calderon for what they bring and I think Sam is doing a great job of subbing them into games.

We won the opening tip! That’s fantastic. Would have been better if the tip was actually on TV, who wouldn’t rather watch commercials instead of the game?

Erezona, yeah, it was interesting to hear the comments from Chicago's broadcast team about TJ jacking up a quick shot after the offense had been flowing so well.

Gerry, who was namecalling? All I see is a post from Tinman clearly venting his frustrations at your constant complaints about TJ.

The thing about Ford is yeah, he hasn't got a lot of shots to drop lately, and hasn't seemed as clutch, but I think a lot of people are discounting the three main reasons that Ford is the starting point guard:
- He is in the top three in the league in raw speed. The guy can blow past his man without the need for a screen. This is something Jose seems unable to do for the most part, even against backups. This leads me to:
- TJ also plays the majority of the time against the opposing team's starting point guard. Considering Toronto is perhaps the deepest team in the league at PG, it means Jose is largely in against backups. While he didn't play at all poorly when TJ was out, Jose isn't the scorer TJ is, and TJ is as good or better a passer than Calderon. He just needs to learn to make better decisions.
- The third thing is the coaching staff. Like Erezona just said, I've heard a lot of times during games (usually at the half) that the coaching staff tries to push for points at the PG, and so TJ ends up jacking up questionable shots. Today's game was a great example of that. The offense is running great for almost the first third of the first quarter, and all of a sudden we get to see Ford toss up two ridiculous quick shots instead of working the ball around.

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But in other, although it rarely or in no way you use, this in sight.
Therefore you will focus attention on http://www.iknowall.com.
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