3 In the Key – Toronto Raptors Game Day Preview vs. Oklahoma City

no more hot potato with the ball, no more hesitation, no more 10 minute team brain locks, come on raps!!

This game doesn't mean anything if we win but it will be brutal if we loose. On the technical side of things, I think the offense runs better if it goes through Oneal on the block rather than Bosh. Oneal seems moe decisive and passes out quicker. With Bosh in the post, it means a 70 to 80 percent chance he's going to shoot so the rest of the team just head back down the floor. Another interesting thing about Bosh in the post, is that Oneal is usually on the weak side of the paint and makes no effort to cut for a pass. It's as thogh he's resigned to the idea the the shot going up. Sorry that these are criticisms of Bosh cause I reallize he is a god to most Rap fans but it's also a criticism of the coaching that has let it happen.

Woah - how long do you think Feschuk has been waiting to write this?

http://www.thestar.com/Sports/article/556205

This actually cracks me up - he's like the Grinch around this time of year...

Do you guys think it would be possible to steal Channing Frye from the Blazers? I just read that he was taken out of the rotation. We already know that the kid has talent but he was dealt an unlucky hand in having had to play in NYC and now Portland behind their glut of big men. Channing can rebound, hes long and hes not afraid to get dirty. I doubt we would have to give up much to get him.

boo Feschuk! :)

Not to rehash old wounds, but Doug Smith has an semi interesting take on our passioned discussion yesterday.

"Anyway, I’d say from my experience, Toronto fans are certainly among the most harsh in the NBA. Not the worst but certainly in the top 10. They grow disgusted far more easily than some cities.

A case in point: When Bargnani missed the first of his two free throws on Wednesday and the booing really got going, Toronto trailed by two points with 4 1-2 minutes left in the third quarter. In most cities, you wouldn’t hear a peep.

Perhaps it’s because Toronto fans have been so disappointed so regularly in the past – high expectations, low delivery – but there’s something there that turns them more quickly in most cities.

I remember one year being in Utah, I think it was, and the Raptors were on a run, the Jazz were reeling and the fans started cheering every Utah possession. I turned to whoever I was sitting with and mentioned that in Toronto, the Raptors would be getting killed, maybe not booed but you’d certainly here disgruntlement.

The flip side? I’d say Philly’s the toughest. We were there this year for the very first game of the season, a season of some promise for the Sixers if you recall, and there were a smattering of boos and catcalls when Elton Brand missed a free throw and the Sixers were going poorly. That was over the top."

love the raps but yeah, most of us fans have no patience. I think part of it is because there is not legacy here. Even in a place like utah, they've experienced succes in the past so i think it makes the tough times less rough. Raps fans have no experience of the real highs so as a result theres range - its all amazing (where we overvalue players) or terrible.

Ive been reading this site for years now and joey graham is a perfect example - theres no hes ok, in the past it was move the bum, hes uselss and now hes one of our mvps...

Everything Doug Smith says should be taken with a grain of salt:

1. He has never paid to see a Raptor game.

2. Being a reporter journalist -- as opposed to an editorialist like Feschuk -- he needs to stay neutral (or at least, convey neutrality) in order to ensure continued access to management, coaches and players.

3. Given the above lack of financial and emotional investment, he has no fricking clue how TRUE fans should behave, nor does he have a right to "rate" fans of different cities based their criticism (or lack thereof), without putting them in context with their cities' total sporting achievements (or lack thereof).

As fromlongrange astutely points out, the continued success of the Utah franchise (regardless of not having won the finals) has inured their fans from feeling too bad when things go south. Utah also has only 1 professional sports team, hence the Jazz' coming-up-short isn't as magnified when accompanied by 2-3 other loser sports teams. It works the other way too; when the Raptors stunk it up in the mid-90s, Toronto sports fans had the recent high of the Jays to minimize those horrible basketball seasons.

Whereas in Philadelphia, a city of consistent loser sports teams until this past season, their fans have every right to be "more" frustrated than other cities. As does Cleveland, which is why they are undertandably more concerned for LeBron leaving than, say, Miami are for Wade. At least one could say for the Clevelands and Philadelphias that most of their major league franchises have actually made the Finals the past 15 years (and Philly won it all last year).

Which means, my friends, that Toronto is THE biggest loser city over the last 15 years -- or, at best, tied with Seattle -- having not even positioned a team for their respective finals. And at least those two cities aren't getting buried under 3 feet of snow right now.

So yeah, Doug, I think we Raptors fans (and Toronto sports fans in general) are justified for being more "disgruntled" than other towns. Why should we continue to be patient when the past 45 cumulative seasons of our major league sports teams has been mediocrity or worse, save for 1 season with Wince and 2 seasons with Dougie's heroics? So expect complaints, because this is the REALITY, not the PERCEIVED reality.

FROMLONGRANGE: Nice writing about the emotional nature of a lot of Toronto fans.

Consider our history in the NHL:
1.Our propaganda machininations that strike fear into potential free agents;
2. Our inferiority/superiority complexes;
3. An almost childlike need to sh*t allover, and treat 24 year old young adults like heroes and villains;
4. And remember that mascot for the Leafs - You know him - Carlton the 'BI-POLAR' Bear! Jeesus can't we have the Raptor develop some sort of mental illness, or some sort of congential claw defect to go with our woes? Is it too much to ask to have him show up in crutches, wear and eye patch, some bandages and a leg cast?

I for one enjoy these kind of troubled times. They show you a teams fault lines - and how to learn from them. Not saying it doesn't hurt.

jjd - looks like its just you and me today..such hate in you young jjd.

1. How do you know Doug Smith has NEVER paid for a game? That's a big assumption. He wasn't always the beat writer for the star on hoops.

2. Well I'd think him being Neutral would offer a better perspective on things.

3. Being a "journalist" I think it's part of his job to "rate" things. I'm not sure anything he said was biased one way or another, nor was he being overtly critical. But I would also say, he probably has a ton of financial and emotional investment in the team, it's his job!! He has to ditch his family at times to go watch them. His life revolves around it. It's not like he does much else. I'd say that's pretty well invested aside from MLSE (including the players).

4. Is Toronto a THE biggest loserville on this planet? Hmm maybe, but we don't have an NFL franchise, plus cities our size tend to have multiple teams to cheer for. The reason NFL franchises are important, the success of teams tend to fluctuate much quicker year to year there. So you can bounce from horrible to great fairly quickly (vs other sports). It doesn't gaurantee you success, but much more so than bball. Even the Oakland Raiders were in the finals not that long ago, and anything run by Al Davis is a mess, well at least since the 70s.

{cue the sappy music}

Look I know how it feels to be a disenfranchised fan. I was born a Leaf fan for crying out loud -- I had to grow up in the late 70s and 80s with them, and the only mild success I've seen was the early 90s. I also loved the Jays so much, I ended working for the organization for a little bit (in a non-sports position).

But since the lock-out of both sports, I've barely paid attention to them. If it weren't for all the sports pools I'm in, I may not even be the regular fan that I am.

However is there a point of feeling disgruntled or even angry (not that I'm accusing anyone of it)? I think others have stated it before, does that anger actually contribute to anything? This is all supposed to be fun. Let's all work towards peace on earth and improve ourselves and be the best we can all be.

{end music} {cue the end credits}

NOTE: The other city I was referring to as the biggest loser besides Seattle (that was not getting snowed in) was/is Vancouver. Though they are down to 1 major league team, just as Seattle is now down to 2. Should we, living in the richest city in Canada and the 5th largest city in Toronto, be "happy" that no major league team has abandoned the city yet?

Speaking of low expectations, JENGE, please point out "the superiority complex" that Toronto sports fans have. Is optimistically predicting a Top 4 position in the Eastern Conference a "superiority complex"?!? We're talking, at most, the 8th-10th best team in the league. Talk about low expectations.

"Inferiority complex" I'll give you, but again, this is based on REALITY, not PERCEIVED reality.

P.S. One more comment for ustation because I do not want to monopolize this board.

From his blog: "Doug Smith has been covering the Toronto Raptors since their inception in 1995." Ergo, he has NEVER paid to attend a Raptor game, and can likely take one individual (like his son) to a game for free. I come from an editorial background (and thankfully I am out of it given this economy), so I know how those perks work.

But you are right, there is ultimately no point feeling angry. Except if one sees sports as an entertainment outlet, and find that there is no truly entertainment in seeing your chosen teams consistently underperform or get mismanaged. Just as we feel cheated out of our $10 and 2 hours of our lives if we go to a movie that sucks (and expectations were higher), magnify that cost by up to 20x to attend a live sporting event that produces similar results and feelings.

But in summary, it's not all bad financially, at least I can watch these unbearable TSN2 games (that I don't attend live) for the cost of an Internet connection. J U S T I N . T V -- dig it.

VD- the trust issue is a critical point indeed but the one element of trust that I think is the most crucial, is the trust level between the players on the court. This, to me, is one of our biggest issues right now. If we miss a couple of shots, the ball suddenly stops moving on offense and shots start going up early in the clock as players try to do everything themselves or prove that they can contribute (resulting in forced low % shots). In the past we could just dump it into Bosh when the O stagnates but since he is struggling the issue has snowballed.

I think some of these upcoming games will do wonders for this team. They seem tense on offense and getting a little more space against "softer" teams will hopefully let them relax a little and get the flow and collective trust back were it needs to be.

JJD:

I consider inferiority/superiority behaviour part of the same complex that every person has. Sort of two different heads of the same creature at its roots. I'm not calling us in the geographic region a bunch of fascists just yet! I personally would rather just enjoy the voyage, rather than the whole victory/defeat thing that leads into it.

I just see it as cherries/turds on the cake of the bigger picture in the end.

Plus; y'all have every right to be pissed off, angry, disgusted, spiteful etc etc.

Hey, having your team being beaten and worn down to the bone - especially in the winter months can really be piss off that unleashes all sorts of stuff. I'm just glad this website provides a warm fire for the faithful.

I think the fragile ego of a Raptor or Blue Jay fan stems from an inferioty complex we have developed from living in the shadow of the U.S. Being the only non-U.S. team and the fifth largest populous in N.A., we hate the lack of attention and respect our teams receive from the U.S. media, and frankly, the league themselves. We want our team or players to excel at a high enough level to garner the attention we crave and prove we are a legitimate market for that sport. When we anticipate that our teams will be very successful and then it fails, it hurts that much more. I think it's one of the reasons there was so much love and now so much venom for VC15. He gave us something that we wanted so badly and then abruptly took it all away (same goes for the post World Series Blue Jays…and for CB4 recent play). JJ's point about Philly and Cleveland is also a great example of the same issue but it’s magnified by the fact it’s their own country that never seems to give them any respect.

Leaf fans, on the flipside, are arrogant because we are the biggest market in hockey and the media cater to us because of that (regardless of the success of our team). It's one of the reasons so many Rap fan hate the Leafs so much. The team gets the attention, even if they are utter crap, because they are the NYC of the NHL.

If winning is the ONLY way to be entertained by sports, I'd recommend everyone save their $$$.

And lets be honest, as fans we'd never get enough. If this team was competitive, we'd be pissed that they weren't in the finals. If they made the finals and lost, we'd be pissed they're losers (ergo Bills fans). IF they won, they couldn't win multiple championships.

The Jays were winners from mid eighties on-wards. How many fans wanted Cito fired in the early 90s?

How happy were Jays fans after the lock-out?

It's always going to be what have you done for me lately.

Much of the fun is in the chase. As much as I hate the fantasy trade talks, or the ragging, or potential draft pick selections, that's part of the entertainment. Yes you spend the $$ on the memorabilia and the game, but think of all the free fun you get talking about it, and thinking about it and blogging about it? If it was just an in game experience, there wouldn't be a reason for blogs.

RapToronto - I agree with that assessment as well. I think at this point, everyone is searching for answers. It's funny that Triano is still in a kinda honeymoon stage right now with us fans, so we've shifted a lot of blame to guys like Colangelo and Bosh. But honestly, I had a feeling that this team wouldn't be that good. It just felt like the gaps that they had could be exposed by too many teams. But we'll see. There are times when I listen to others and think "yeah, maybe it is just a tough schedule" or "yeah, they haven't had much practice time". For some odd reason, I'm a little bit more at ease with waiting to see what Triano can do. The stats that scare me is when I see the Raptors shoot 50% and barely scrape by with 100 pts in a game. So my hope is just that it's going to take time for this team to put together entire games of movement and running rather than spurts. It takes a while for the players to figure out that when they're in trouble they have to push the ball and go to the basket rather than attempt to "be the man" to stop the bleeding. Just thinking back to two years ago, it took quite a while for us to get that look and identity together, so I think patience is the key.

Oh, and for all the inferiority complex and whatever, my own thoughts on the booing are that it's because basketball is fundamentally a game about offense. So when the team struggles to score, our fans grow restless. When we see a lack of toughness, then our fans really start to get on our team. For me personally, I can understand the sentiments, but it's probably because I've readjusted some of my thoughts on this team waiting to see what move BC makes to correct this situation that I've taken a step back. I'm more interested right now to see how the Raptors will get adjusted to this new philosophy and how they handle this road trip. I can excuse bad games, but how the Raptors handle themselves in those loses and how they forge an identity from those loses are much more important to me right now. And well, tonight is a good opportunity to get this team in sync.

Okay we get it, Toronto is a loser city when it comes to sports. Can't exactly rely on history to argue otherwise. Its all about the present. You want to talk about a city of losers? Try Ottawa (yeah I live here but still...) they get a football team and it folds after a few years. They have the Sens who are the biggest joke in the NHL and the only team that wins anything here is Carleton. Toronto has it bad but not nearly as bad as Ottawa. Anything on the Channing Frye idea? No? Nothing?

Vicious D - your comments on the Raptors moving, blocking out & setting screens is spot on. I can't stand it when I see them all standing still while Bosh or O'Neal go one on one down low. I'd love to see O'Neal come out and set a pick for Bosh and then actually roll to the basket for a return pass or vice versa. The Raptor's version of a pick and roll is a pick and float out for a 20 footer. And I think I'd cry tears of happiness if I saw a couple of Raptors charging the boards at the same time.

One thing this season has taught me is that I'm more of a basketball enthusiast (playing and observing) than a home team fanatic. I root for the Raptors and absolutely hate when they lose (more so when they lose with apathy) but at the end of the day I love watching basketball for the intricacies of the game itself and for how a team is built for long term success, so I don’t seem to get as steamed about the Raptors struggles as some (which I think runs parallels to Ustations thoughts above).

...of course it’s just so much more enjoyable when your team plays really solid basketball and builds a consistent winner; which we Raptor fans have not really been able to experience just yet.

Thor - Sorry. I didn't comment on that. I think Frye would be a good addition if we didn't already have Humphries. The need for us to find a tougher "3" is vitally more important to our rebounding than I think most of us give credit for. I put up examples such as Mo Pete and Garbo, as well as Battier because it's at the SF position that we lose out on rebounds most nights. Yes, Bosh, O'Neal, Bargs, and Hump should be more aggressive, but it's hard when your wings are getting out matched for those long loose balls. Toss in the fact that our bigs often don't have anyone to tap the ball out to, and that's why I'm not sure Frye would be worth it.

whats the website where we can watch the game again?

Yeah Hump can do those things but he doesn't. When he gets the ball he gets too excited and tries to take jump shots lol. Hes a little to trigger happy. Hump would be the one to trade for Frye.

How much worst can AB play?

36 at the half for the raps?? am I seeing things? and this, against a team that's won 2 games. count'em folks, t.w.o.

ouch.

there better be a raps explosion unlike anything ever seen before in the history of mankind.

for reals.

for TJ Ford fans He did not start tonight!!!

Big D try this

http://atdhe.net/

Thanks Davl.

people, do yourselves a favor and start cheering for OKC! if they win it'll be massive! and if they lose, no big deal.

the raps winning means nothing. they should have done it with their eyes closed. them losing though sends raptors nation into a massive tailspin.

cheer for OKC. and be happy!

I'm loving this!

It doesn't hurt anymore!

A trade, unless its a huge one, won't help this team much. The problem is deeper than just lack of talent. I would try to make a couple of moves if I were BC though, Tyrus Thomas and Reggie Evans would help us tonight. This performance is a bit dissappointing though.

It's so refreshing to watch two evenly matched teams battle it out!

Those OKC fans are awesome! We should make them our sister city....

All you Boo Bosh haters this guy is out there giving it his all and moon then take a fade away three pointer = a air ball.

Bosh for the first time start yelling in is face...lol

So please don't blame the guy when they lose.

In the Third he was working hard and for four position it wad Claderon jump shot, Parker fading away jump shot, Jose again quick jump shot, Moon 3pt shot all bricks and I all I could see on Bosh face is oh my God...

Plain and simple the guy need talent around him to win.

Sorry for the bad grammar but I so angry right now

OKC look like they enjoy playing together. If you look at their body language it shows a team that is cohesive, one that sucks but at least they look like they enjoy each other. Can't say the same for the Raps tonight.

not even kidding, I literally switched teams tonight and I had a blast!

OKC wins!!! I'm going to be in a good mood for a change. seriously.

Trade coming....

Better sooner or later.....Pathetic

Let see the headlines for tomorrow from the Toronto Media:

Hmmm...Tough Schedule = won't work

Bosh Stinks = won't work

Tean with better Talent = Won't work

Fired the Coach = Did that!!!

No Hump No Rebound = Hump is back

Help me out here guys...

Pathetic

Same old story... can't grab a rebound to save a life, can't run a basic offensive play in crunch time, and the other team's bench outplays our's.

Somebody grab me a hard hat, because Colangelo is going to blow this team up.

Wait I got it the Famous Sam line:

WE DID NOT MAKE SHOTS!!!

WILL THAT WORK

when!!when!!! im going insane here. when is BC planning to do a freakin trade. our team sucks. wecant lose like this especially to OKC. my heart hurts, i cried a little after the game. wow...

Is this groundhog day?

Ding Ding Ding...

Jay right on the money Coach...

Say with me Guys "WE DID NOT MAKE SHOTS"

So Pathetic...

The good thing is Vicious D and the rest of the crew always find positive out of the worst situation.

I will be the first one up tomorrow reading about it...

Oh yea AB kinda came out of a funk against the worst team in the NBA. Who taught that would happen???????

I Think BC's credibility is on the line here eg. Roy Hibbert went 8/10 with 8 boards tonight and he looked pretty decent. On the other hand at 21mil JO is up and down with his performances and on and off the court with his injuries.

"ding...ding...ding"
"BC credibility's at stake"
both sound familiar lol
we read too much raptors info

VD, I don't think Triano is getting a free pass for nothing. Trying to take over a team mid-season is almost a can't win proposition. Without a full training camp to get everyone on the same page, he's forced to make it sink or swim for the players. Either you adapt to the system or you get buried in the rotation. Not to mention that during the transition phase when player's are unlearning old habits, the team's digging itself a hole that might be too deep for this year's edition of the team to get out of. That being said, I prefer anything to the steady as she goes, grab a 7/8 playoff seed and get knocked out in the first round. As long as they are trying something new, I'll bite the bullet in the hopes that the transition to the new style this year, means that we'll hit the ground running next year.

Thor I'd take a pass on Channing Frye. The guy never played his height in Arizona, and we have more then enough of that trait here. Plus, I recall draft day rumblings in 05 that he didn't want the Raptors to draft him.

Papa, JENGE: Can you really turn your allegiance off and on that easily? I usually reserve that kind of treatment for the post-lockout Blue Jays. And please not OKC, between the way they left Sonics to the way they've decided to play rookie stiffs over vets, the digust me almost as much as the 07-08 heat aka the NBDL taxi squad.

Yardly - I'm inclined to agree. Just that I think it's interesting that most of us have been staying off the criticism wagon as far as Triano is concerned. I don't for a second think that he deserves all that much criticism. But you have to wonder, how long that will last.

Hey, I'm part of the faithful!

I'm here because I think the Raps are worth it.

However, my musings are simply representations of (hopefully) getting through the grieving, denial and anger stages of the season so far. Here's hoping that we all can get through the next rounds of punishment.

I know this team is going to come together eventually.

Sayonarra 2008! Here's hoping this road trip is rock bottom. Only way is up after that.

Hire Ettore Messina and let's get Triano back to working Bosh out, and bring in a coach who's pedigree with big men is second to none. We have 3 talented big men. This game should be easy for these guys.

Interesting! I've heard rumors Ettore Messina and his family are staying with Maurizio Gherardini in Toronto for the Holidays. Because they love the city so much...hmmm!!

ouch, raps confidence at an all-time low

Let me offer this: that 47 win season really hurt the development of this team. The record exceeded the talent, the expectations were raised and personnel decisions may have been impacted. The pieces that were added last off-season (Kapono, Delfino) were indicative of a truly competitive core looking to make only small adjustments to reach the next level of playoff competitiveness. It didn't work, so this off-season resulted in a significant player move, which as a by-product didn't give the number 1 pick as much of an opportunity to get the touches he needs to develop a consistent confidence to perform to his supposed capabilities (by the way, the team has too many power forwards). We've been moving backward because we thought we were closer than we were. At least our situation won't be as bad as Philadelphia's in a few years given their cap commitments. That's the only solace i take from this, we're not locked in in a way that makes a quick turnaround next season impossible. If the Raptors had simply played to form in 06/07 and finished out of the playoffs and sub-500 how would things have changed and how would we be viewing their progress this year. More likely they would have kept more draft picks or bought into more draft opportunities with cash for pick swaps. I'm not sure they would have committed resources to Kapono, Humphries or Graham, or been satisfied with the likes of Jamario Moon. Suddenly the situation is being adjusted for reality and I trust BC will make the appropriate decisions from hereon in. This team has taken on a similar vibe as the Milwaukee Bucks of recent years. Not good.

Interloper - I cannot disagree more. Last year's core was not anywhere near as talented because they didn't have a good concept of working hard. You replace Peterson and Garbo with Moon, and Delfino, and you're talking huge problems. Kapono, being a mostly non-factor last year, we'll ignore. Now Moon, I've harped on him since day one about his borderline laziness and definite sloppiness on the floor. He's a guy that doesn't know how to box out, doesn't care to read scouting reports, and relies on his athleticism to get by. I could never understand why he endeared himself to fans after only really putting in a few games of good work at the beginning of the season. For some reason, most people got excited by his athleticism, but I always saw it as merely a flash in the pan.

Delfino, while I had some hopes would find a way to turn things around, got suckered into a jump shooter's role. I asked a Piston Blogger last year about him, and she said that Delfino, while a good guy, who had the potential to rebound and take it to the basket on just about every play, would often settle for his jumper. And that's what happened. Now, I know he defended well for a lot of last year and we probably miss him a ton this year, but not at the price he was asking for. What really disappointed me about Delfino were the plays that he completely took off on the defensive end. There was one game in particular when the Raptors were getting beaten badly, and coming back in transition, Delfino was within arms length of Allen Iverson and he didn't even bother putting up even one hand to try and make the shot difficult for AI. That kind of stuff was just unacceptable, and would never be found or accepted on our 2006-2007 team.

So no, I don't believe the 2007 team ruined us. But the Raptors made a couple of difficult and in hindsight, wrong decisions, as well as got bit by some bad luck and have never recovered.