Tip-In: Toronto Raptors Post-Game: As It Should Be...

by RaptorsHQ - Archives on Feb 5, 2008 12:00 AM EST

Jose Calderon wasn't the only Raptor happy to see TJ back...

There are two important topics to discuss for this post-game recap.

The first is the game itself.

The second is the return of TJ Ford.

When it comes to the game I won’t be doing the traditional recap style. Why? Because the third quarter hadn’t even ended and it pained me to watch the fourth quarter simply to get some stats that prove the fact that Toronto absolutely handed it to the Heat.

If there were a few words to describe last night’s game they would probably be "complete domination from beginning to end" and this is exactly what should have happened. When I discussed the three keys to the game they
included the following:

1. Perimeter Defence

2. Feed CB4

3. Break the Zone

Well, the Raps played solid D and made it tough for Dwyane Wade to get to the rim. CB4 was an absolute terror on the offensive end and last, and perhaps most importantly, the Raps did one
hell of a job breaking the Heat zone. The best part was that the Raps didn’t simply break the zone with great outside shooting, but guys
like Parker, Calderon and even Bargs were willing to take it to the cup. For all those coaches out there, grab this tape and show your team exactly how a zone defense can be exposed.

Watching the Toronto really did show what this team is capable of and I couldn't help but think that this is starting to look like the club Bryan Colangelo had envisioned this past off-season. Who cares about rebounding when you're shooting almost 80 per cent from the field at one point in the first quarter?

The drive and dish worked to perfection, everyone played within the offence, and at the end of the day the Raps did exactly what they
should do against an inferior opponent, get on them from the get go and choke the life out of them early. I mean by the time the fourth quarter rolled around, things got so out of hand that I felt like I was watching the Superbowl again when the production crew started showing some of the commercials from Sunday’s monumental upset!

Even thinking about the fact that the re-run commercials were better than the second half of basketball says a lot.

Of course, as exciting as it was to watch the Raps dominate it is equally as sad to watch this Heat team. Wade is simply a shell of his former self right now and I would pit a number of NCAA teams against these guys and bet heavily in favour of the college kids. The reality is the Heat should shut down Wade with Shaq until they are both completely healthy and look towards the lottery.

Post-game Dwyane gave some rather discouraging comments about his team "giving up," and from Miami's body language, it really seemed that way. As for Wade, for a player who relies so heavily on his athleticism, for it not to be there means he simply can't have the sort of impact on a game this team needs. Of course many would accuse the Heat of writing off the season on purpose in order to obtain a high (or the chance at a high) draft pick. The problem with that rationale however, as the Celtics learned last year, is that the top picks don't always land in your hands, regardless of your recrd.

From this to last night's affair in two years??

If the Heat do manage to keep the pick the feeling around Miami is that the perfect player would be Michael Beasley. We asked Ira Winderman who covers the Miami Heat for Miami Sun-Sentinel who he would most like to see in a Heat uniform next year (Beasley or Rose) and his response was:

Beasley or Rose? Beasley, because he's simply the better player . Such is the luxury of a team that is lacking at both forward and point
guard. Now, if the issue was between a shooting guard and point guard, then it would be Rose, who this team likes a lot. The greater issue is
getting one of the first two picks, since there is a decided dropoff beyond that. This is not a draft that's going to give you a Bosh at No. 4 or a Wade at No. 5. With Wade's ballhandling, they can get by with a spot-up shooter at the one, as they did with Damon Jones or even Rafer Alston. But they have to find offense and rebounding, both of which Beasley can provide, and provide immediately. I'm not sure a first-year point guard, such as Rose, can have as much instant impact.

We'd have to agree here at the HQ and seriously, there is no upside to watching Wade struggle and risk further injury.

Now that discussion was on the big picture. Perhaps what was even more important for this team was the little things...like the return of the Little Engine.

After much waiting, rehab, and training TJ Ford
came back to the hardwood. A sight for sore eyes to say the least. Ford checked in late in the first half (expect a huge ovation at this
Friday’s home game) and again saw the court in the second half. The highlight was clearly his late fourth quarter dunk off of some sick ball movement. Yes, read that twice; his fourth quarter dunk.

What was interesting watching TJ is that he seemed to be playing a more cerebral game. Ford was more under control and while it may have been nerves or rust, it seemed to be the result of his work under John Lucas, who provided some interesting insight in his second quarter interview with Chuck and Jack. The three discussed TJ's work during the past few weeks (Ford looked noticeably bigger and more muscular) and there were even some hints that Lucas, who talked at length about his fondness for this Raptor team, may stick around the club for a while.

While I was left scratching my head at Lucas' comment about Ford being one of the top five point-guards, I do think both Andrea Bargnani and Jamario Moon should spend some time with him this summer. Andrea kept up his excellent offensive play looking extremely aggressive all night and Moon had a decent all-around game. However both could stand for some of Lucas' mental and physical preperation as I get the feeling that neither realize just how good they can be.

This is especially true of Moon, who at around the six minute mark of the third quarter, gave a perfect example of this. Left with space to manoeuver, Jamario took his man off the dribble and easily got to the rim however his awkward finish meant bricking the lay-up. It was as if Moon was saying "wow, I can't believe I got to the rim!" and therefore couldn't concentrate on finishing. Moon has the hops and length to be a devastating finisher and this is something he'll definitely have to work on if he wants to remain a starter at the 3 in this league and perhaps coach Lucas can help.

In any event, with Ford back, it's possible the Raptors have made it through the storm for this season. We have been forced to watch guys like Dixon and Martin try to man the back-up PG spot and now with TJ in tow, and looking better than expected this early, this team can only perform at a higher level.

It was a nice gesture to see Jose give TJ a hug when he first entered the game and I think that gesture really made a statement about how much the entire club and its fans misses Ford. It's hard not to get excited now about this team's prospects for the rest of the season...especially considering that 10 of their next 12 games are against sub .500 opponents.

HOWLAND

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Comments

Although I didn't have tv access to Miami game the best news was no doubt, the return of TJ. The win was well, expected. No big Whoop.

by OldSchool on Feb 5, 2008 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Wow..I was so excited all night at the fact that TJ was on the bench, then to see him enter the game and the way he looked, cudo's to Mr. Lucas for getting TJ into top shape...He remind me of Steve Austin the 6 million dollarman...bigger, stronger, faster..I'm all smiles, God Bless the Raptors and keep everyone one out of injury's way. I saw TJ go up for that dunk and the way I see it that was to show his team-mates that he is back and fearless which is an excellent thing. Humphries said in practice TJ was throwing some bullitt passes, so everyone has to be ready when TJ is on the court or you will get hit in the head with the ball...I think the Raps are going to go on a major run and possible catch Detroit for the second spot in the East...just a thought...Raps4Life babh

by raps4life on Feb 5, 2008 12:00 AM EST reply actions

The Little Engine is back!! Good to see him back in uniform dishing and dunking. TJ will definitely improve the game of Kap-One… he spoon feeds him the ball… look for his point totals to rise. I think John Lucas will definitely be an asset to this team… he needs to put guys like Bargs and Moon through his rigorous regimens to toughen them up. Read that fellow Torontonian Jamaal Magloire maybe on the block… anyone think that BC will make a move for him? He’s a big body/rebounder... but he definitely lacks conditioning and may not be able to keep up with our offense. Looking at the upcoming schedule, the RAPS can look to make a serious push record wise before the all-star break… 2 games behind Orlando at present. Miami is dreadful… luckily this years draft is stacked… they’ll need it.

by rapz4Life on Feb 5, 2008 12:00 AM EST reply actions

rapz4life, PLEASE no more Magloire talk. He is not the "All-Star" player he was a couple years back. He gets scrub minutes on terrible Blazers and Nets teams? No thanks.

No real comment on last night's game; this is Raptor basketball at it's finest. But man, Riley made a deal with the Shaqdevil to get the championship; thank goodness for Miami fans that the refs helped screw the Mavericks and Cuban with all the Wade Rules calls, or else it all would have been for naught.

Can't wait to go to Friday's game and cheer TJ's return.

JJ-D

P.S. Hey Franchise, Turk got a triple-double last night. Just FYI. ;-)

by jjdynomite on Feb 5, 2008 12:00 AM EST reply actions

JJ - Love it...saw the boxscore last night and thought "oh man, I'm gonna hear about good ol' Hedo tomorrow ha ha."

Yep, he's having a great year and perhaps a few more games like this will change my "he's not an All-Star" tune.

Getting back to the Heat, something else I was thinking about last night: besides getting hurt in the long run (if you can even call 2 years a long run), this team has done a terrible job with its personnel. They gave up on Kapono and Posey essentially, took on Ricky Davis and Mark Blount for some strange reason (two players who are the antithesis of Pat Riley) and check their drafts since Wade:

-2004: Dorrel Wright (passing on guys like Tony Allen, Beno Udrih, Kevin Martin and Jameer Nelson)

-2005: Wayne Simien (David Lee was the next pick and Ronny Turiaf, Monta Ellis, Amir Johnson, Louis Williams and Travis Diener all went in the second round.)

-2006: No picks because of prior trades made.

-2007: Daequan Cook - jury still out on this selection.

And Minnesota is owed a Miami first round pick (lottery protected in 2008, top 10 in 2009, top 6 in 2010, beyond: unprotected. )and a second-round one this year because of the Ricky Davis trade!

Sure hindsight is 20/20 and I actually liked the Dorell Wright pick at the time. But some of the other decisions certainly were head-scratchers. Pat Riley has done a real Isiah Thomas number on this club.

by Franchise on Feb 5, 2008 12:00 AM EST reply actions

"the Raps did exactly what they
should do against an inferior opponent"

Well said. All too often, the Raps seem to play down to inferior competition. Although it sounds funny, I think they deserve credit for playing at a high level and burying the Heat last night.

Two other thoughts:

How about that steal and breakaway by Ford? That looked like an exact copy of the Ford/ Horford play that put Ford out earlier this year. This time, he stayed down and let the chasing defender fly over his head. It led to an easy layup, instead of an injury. He must have been nervous, wondering what was coming up behind him.

Also - I don't have Raps TV and watched the Miami feed of the game. At one one the commentators were talking about the Hump/ Hoffa trade. They basically said that no team won in that transaction, or something to that effect. I'd say they were a bit unprepared for this game. Either that, or they were shell shocked.

by dsl on Feb 5, 2008 12:00 AM EST reply actions

DSL - Nothing too surprising there, still boggles the mind as to how some of the US media knows so little about the Raptors. Had to shake my head during a game last week upon hearing one of the Wizards commentators discuss how much the Raps miss TJ Ford...and this was after Calderon had lit the Wiz up.

Speaking of US media that's off base:

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=Gasol-080205&univLogin02=stateChanged

I usually enjoy Chad Ford, especially some of his draft work, but this column is pure filler. He's taken 10 teams that he explains "would have had a shot at Gasol" and gives reasons why. Of the 10, there are about two that make sense considering Memphis GM Chris Wallace's public rationale as to why he made the deal. Some of Ford's options involve teams giving up five or six players for Pau! How can that even make sense considering the Grizz had 12 guys already on their roster? For a team that's trying desperately to save money, do they really want to be buying players out??

And for the Raptors' proposal, BC would really have to be convinced that Pau was going to be a better prospect than Bargs to gut his team of key depth like Moon and Delfino.

by Franchise on Feb 5, 2008 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Franchise, I just saw Chad Fords article too. I really doubt BC would give up on Andrea like that. And Pau is not considered tough or that strong of a rebounder. I think he gets 8 or 9 boards a game but with his size you would expect him to be a steady 10 on the boards. To give up two young (old in Moon's case) prosepcts would be difficult. Andrea is starting to come around.

Great to see TJ back.

Is it just me or is anyone else getting really excited now about the Raps. If BC can get us a "tough", rebounding wing I think we are ready to turn the corner. PS, why won't Smitch site Moon and start Delfino. TJ can provide some offence off the bench now.

Calderon, Parker, Delfino, Bosh, bargs starting with TJ, Kap, Moon, Hump, Rasho coming off the bench looks pretty good to me.

by Rahulan on Feb 5, 2008 12:00 AM EST reply actions

The best part of TJ's return? The second unit will be a lot stronger. Kapono's numbers should rise with TJ driving and dishing. The depth of the bench was supposed to a key to the Raps strength and without a point guard (be it Calderon or Ford) it suffered mightily. I look forward to seeing the Raps bench outscore the opposition's bench once again. It puts great pressure on the opposition's first unit to try to make up for the deficiet.

by Clawed on Feb 5, 2008 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Was it me last night or did I literally see 4 Miami players standing closer to half on offense while one player (Wade or Davis) would try to attack all 5 raptors and eventually get smothered? This Miami team stinks. Sure you can argue that Shaq and Haslem arent in blah blah blah, but they werent winning with those guys either. Wade didn't even look like he wanted to be there last night from tip off. If hes not willing to try at all than Riley should have benched his butt after the first 5 min and given some of the young guns a chance to play. Its funny ya know, I havent seen mr. bargsbust or whatever his name post since Bargnani has been on fire for the last week or so. Every player goes through a slump at one point another, hence the monicker sophmore slump. As it stands, the Raptors will most likely catch Orlando in the standings just cause they finally have 2 healthy point guards and now an actively deep bench. Orlando could have some depth if they decided to use JJ who can shoot the lights out on any given night. Hey Franchise just a thought for ya, do you possibly think JJ could end up in a Raptors jersey at some point? Perhaps before the trade deadline? I know his agent asked Orlando to deal him to a team that would play him and well we both know Sammy uses his bench almost all the time. If JJ were to come, who could the Raptors give in return? Perhaps Juan Dixon and a draft pick or 2?

by thor on Feb 5, 2008 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Hey sorry for changing the topic, but how about a little draft talk? My thoughts on the upcoming draft....How good could Thabeet or Hibbert be coming off the bench for cheap? Do we need to move up to get either one of those two? What does everyone else think about who or what we should draft?

by Mike Rapfan on Feb 5, 2008 12:00 AM EST reply actions

One thing I want to say on the topic of the Heat... it seems like fans are pouring it on Dwyane Wade. I just don't think that makes sense with all that we've learned about the game.

More than any other sport, basketball fans seem to believe that one star player alone can carry his team to respectability. I would have thought the KG scenario that has played out this year would have finally disproved this. People criticized him incessantly in the past, saying he's not a winner.

The truth is a single player, no matter how fantastic, cant make a 20win team into a 40win team. Take the best player in the world and surround him with below average players at every other position and that team will challenge for last place.

The Heat have a group of below-average players with Wade, Haslem and a Shaq who's held down by injury. Substituting Kobe, Lebron, Caron Butler or any other superstar wing player you want to name for Wade would not transform them into a .500 team. It just doesn't work that way.

by Costa on Feb 5, 2008 12:00 AM EST reply actions

All us fans re glad the Raps won last night, as they were supposed to. I am also looking forward to this team playing a few winnable games and building their confidence up a bit because they really need to.

For too long we have worked ourselves up over a win, just to be let down after a loss. The usual party line is that when we lose, we lose to better teams, but our time will be in a few years.

I don't want to let these guys off the hook though. Last year, there was a special chemistry with this team. I really believed that this team had a chance to do something special last year, and I believed they improved in the off season. If that was the case, then shouldn't we as 'fans' be expecting more?!

Now we are entering a kind stretch in the schedule. We have our PG tandem back, so that should boost the second unit. Our front court is coming together now too, as the killer B's are putting up some sick numbers. Moon has just been named rook of the month. All these signs point to us really turning it on NOW.

The loss to Kobe stung, the Wiz loss really hurt. Those games are the ones we have to start winning. So sure, lets sit back and enjoy this easy stretch. However, what I am really looking forward to is when we can really start to compete with the elite teams - and I am looking forward to that this year!

PS - I STILL wouldn't mind having Magloire on the end of the bench. 3.5 rebs in 10 mins, still a tough guy and a hometown guy too. With Bargs playing well, there aren't many back up minutes left and Mags might bring what we need even more so than Rasho. Then we might be able to include Rasho as bait for an upgrade at SF (Moon is great, but would be better off the bench).

by Robert Archibald on Feb 5, 2008 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Talking about an upgrade at SF, I know we all HATE what Artest could do to a locker room, but he is EXACTLY the type of player we need at SF. The fact that he will opt out of his contract at the end of the year is a bonus. He gets to be happy joining a playoff team, then go away! That way his cancer might not be a factor. I just read how Denver was offering Kleiza and I know we could do better than that without touching our foundation.

by Robert Archibald on Feb 5, 2008 12:00 AM EST reply actions

I've been down on Bosh as a marquee, foundation-type player in the past, but I've just been impressed by his progress. Even in pictures, he just seems stronger, bulkier, and a wiser player.

by observer on Feb 5, 2008 12:00 AM EST reply actions

I saw Kobe and Alonzo making out in the parking lot....well Kobe was the aggressor.

by DayOner on Feb 5, 2008 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Two stupidest first names in the history of names....oh honey, let's call him "Alonzo".....HAHA....

Total burn on them while I make 12 bucks an hour.

by DayOner on Feb 5, 2008 12:00 AM EST reply actions

just watched the nets-lakers game where pau gasol made his debut....if bynum comes back healthy...dont be surprised if this team wins the championship. Kobe only has like 6 points and there still up by 10 or more..and u can just tell by his demeanor on the court, he knows there gonna win and hes excited about having an oppurtunity to play with a guy like Gasol, and speaking of Gasol, he had a pretty big debut with like 24 points and about 12 rebs...and by the end of the game it had looked like the team had gotten into a rythmn with gasol in the mix already, especially kobe.

The thing with the Gasol trade, is that I think it opens up so much more for the other guys on the team, and not necesarily kobe, cause ur still gonna guard kobe cause hes the best player in the game, then u gotta worry about gasol...so that leaves everyone else to score easy buckets....a perfect example of that tonight was derek fisher...almost got a career high.

I hate the lakers, and have never been a fan of kobe, but im saying it now, if bynum comes back and plays the way he was playin before he got injured, this team is gonna win big

by bigd on Feb 5, 2008 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Draft article coming on Thursday and we'll be talking prospects increasingly as we near the Big Dance.

Raps getting Redick? I threw out this trade idea a while back:

http://www.hooplife.ca/raptorshq/viewHQArticle.php?id=313

But with TJ now back, doesn't make sense. Orlando is saying he's not going anywhere and I don't think he'll be much help unless the Raps move one of their 3-point gunners.

We'll be talking Lakers a bit tomorrow afternoon...

by Franchise on Feb 5, 2008 12:00 AM EST reply actions