Tip-In, Toronto Raptors Post-Game: Welcome Back to Pre-season

That Primoz is such a clown. The Dixon trade was Colangalo's worst move as Raptors GM

The best site for Raptor analysis, but you guys are "debbie downers" today. Can we get a "raa raa" post from you folks some time before the playoffs begin? You know, just to get the fans a little excited about the post season.
If we're talking predictions, I believe everybody will step it up and the Raps will take it in 7 games. Orlando lack of experience in the playoffs will be key.

Okay here's a little Rah-Rah b4 the playoffs.

Keys to the game? Points in the Key. Good news that Rasho and CB4 are runnning on all cylinders!

However, how the Raps do will still depend on their ability to hit outside. Which if you've really noticed, is what's made them a different second half of the season team vs first half. Live by the 3 die by the three.

And dang, for all those people who are down on the Raps, still near impossible to get tix for the playoffs.

Just looking at various orlando blogs.. they are quite clearly somewhat concerned with facing the raps and felt that phili would have been a cakewalk. The general talk is that they feel Bosh will light up howard and this will maybe be the difference (they also all state how our PG's kill Orlando's)... However, I feel it will be players such as delfino and parker that will make the huge difference. Orlando will be focusing so much on the PG's and Bosh that if players like parker, delfino, or kapono can be on rhythm with the outside shots it will completly confuse orlando and thier initial defensive strategy. Ultimatley, this will turn into bosh having massive games when we get home because they will have made adjustments for the other players mentioned.

I truly have a good feeling about this match up and can see us winning in 6!

OneandDone,

I agree that today’s post was a little on the "downer" side, considering the Raps did WIN last nights game. But I watched the entire drudge-match that was last night’s game and this team is broken. I hate to say this, and it goes against my moral fibre, my basketball soul… but there is a part of me (just a small part) that would not be that upset if the Raptors lost their series against Orlando. Now just hold on, allow me to explain…

I know some of you will say "you’re not a true fan, blah, blah, blah". But I say this because I am a true fan, and I realize that this team has serious flaws, all the way down to the philosophy which guided its construction. My fear is that if we beat Orlando and move to the second round we may forget that this team, for at least the last third of the season has been a complete (COMPLETE!) disappointment. I just hope we don’t forget that this team needs REAL changes in the off-season and even a re-think of the "Euro-finesse focussed, defensively deficient" philosophy.

Franchise, you are completely right: the last good team game was with Orlando. However one important caveat: TJ didn't play in that game. Calderon and Bosh had a fantastic game that destroyed Orlando's defence.
I beliebe we do have a fighting chance against Orlando and I'm looking forward to this series.
Can someone help me with one question: if we fired Mitchell and another team picks him up in the off-season who would pay his salary?
Go Raps! A lot of our guys are proven winners at different levels so they may have another gear that we weren't aware...

Perhaps that few days of rest between the season and the playoffs will allow the team to clear their minds.

This team has shown they can be really good when they want to be. However they have also shown they can be really bad.

Which raptors team will show up against the Magic?

Other questions:

If Moon is ineffective against Hedo how will Mitchell guard him? Who will he use?

Will Andrea's struggled continue into the playoffs or will there be a few games where he becomes a factor?

Will Jose/Ford be able to dominate Nelson?

Is Sam Mitchell going to foolishly play 11 guys in a game so no rhythm can be established?

Agree with the starters for match-up with Chicago. Bosh, Rasho, Calderon and Parker should see minimal minutes, if any.
I like the close matchup for round 1 - Agree with most of points made by BargBust in last post except Orlando defence. They are better defensively than our Raps, the records do not lie.
I still like our chances and am curious to see the experts predictions - Raptors in 6(slightly biased).

http://magicmadness.net/index.php?showtopic=5639&st=30

Check out the two pictures about Dwight/Bosh and the one of Mitchell.....classic

I'm sure there will be lots of Magic Raptors predictions and breakdowns, heres my call.

Raps in 7 over Orlando.
- Bosh will have 2 monster 40+ pt games.
- Dwight Howard will average 20 and 13 for the series.
- Hedo will dominate and win one game and Rashard will dominate and win one game.
- Game 7 won't be close, 12+ pt win for the Raps, and at the end of the series the difference will be our PG's dominating.

And Then Toronto will lose in 5 to Detroit. They will win one game when AP, Delfino, and Jose are on Fire

The X-Factor for the playoffs will be Andrea. If he ever wakes up from his season long nap, then The Raps take the Magic in 5 or 6 and take Detroit to 6 but still lose.

Overall:
Suns over Celtics in 7. Amare - Playoff MVP

Guys, I don't mean to be a pessimist but I just can't seem to envision the Raps winning over the Magic with their recent play. This team doesn't have the mentality to turn it on like the Pistons do. That switch hasn't been implanted in their heads yet.
Their lack of effort and focus to win games is their Achilles heel but I'm hoping... actually I'm praying to the Basketball gods that things will change once the playoffs come around but I have my doubts.

Also, not sure if any of you noticed at all but at the end of the game these guys ran pretty quickly into the locker room. Being the last home game of the season they should of showed a little bit more of fan appreciation. A few players had to be pushed back on the court to wave to their paying fans. Completely unacceptable!

"showed about as much confidence as a 42 year-old virgin heading to a brothel"

Come clean Franchise...did you steal this or is it original?

Great article, Franchise - I couldn't help feeling the same way watching the game. Again, there was a brief moment in the first quarter where the crowd started booing (ever so slightly). So Orlando it is - despite the doom and gloom of the latter part of the season, I do think the Raptors can compete and perhaps even eek out this series. Of course, we said the same thing last year too but the truth is that we do match up well with Orlando. My question is how does SMitch prepare his troops, which TJ shows up (Le Sulk or Le Smile), does Bargnani hit a shot or even repeat the unlikely feat of 3 blocks! Etc, etc, etc... Alas, let's hope that we see the Raps in the second round...

Today’s game analysis was a downer but it reflects my feelings for this team.
Tuned into the game at end of 2nd quarter to find Raps trailing Miami. Sorry, there something wrong here and no playoff result, short of a miracle run, should sway Colangelo from making obvious personnel changes.
For the time being, I will work on getting hyped for the playoffs. Help me out guys.

I don't know what to say at this point. The same Raps team that I watched all year has 'earned' the sixth seed in the East and can potentially win their first round match up in the playoffs. It's a crazy, crazy world. Go Raps. Rah rah.

there's definitely a strong sense of apathy coming out of not just the team's play but also sam's reactions on the sidelines and the interviews... kind of makes me miss the days when he was comparing the team to the washington generals... i mean, how else can a fire be lit under the raps' asses?

orlando may be the ideal playoff opponent because of their supposed lack of playoff experience, but that experience more or less matches that of the raps, does it not? the main difference is that we have rasho and kapono, who both have rings... that said, rasho can only do so much for the team, and the team still hasn't figured out how to use kapono properly (if delfino and moon get their opportunities to jack up 3s, there is no reason why kapono shouldn't be getting less shots than those guys)... also, the team's sentiment expressing the their preference for orlando as their opponent in the first round is scary... obviously orlando is presumed to be the "easiest" possible team to face in the post-season, but as we've seen in the last 7 weeks, and as jack armstrong pointed out on a couple occasions last night, the team is prone to playing down to their opponent's level... so i can't help but expect the raps to "play down" to what they will perceive is orlando's level...

correction... i meant that there is no reason why kapono SHOULD be getting less shots than carlos and jamario...

Sorry folks, article wasn't supposed to be a "downer," more of a "nothing's changed over the past while and this game just reiterated that fact." Don't worry though, Howland is already hard at work on some Orlando-Toronto breakdowns and we'll be hyping things up as soon as this debacle of a season is over.

As you pointed out Ted C, the worry is that this team indeed does play down to their opponent's level which in theory renders any advantage they have over the Magic, null and void.

Oh...and Brutal Snax - yeah, that was an original. Had it worded at first as "a pre-prom male headed to an escort service" in fact, but liked the sound of the other better ha ha!

As Raptor fans, of course we will hope that they beat Orlando but the way they are playing its hard to believe that will happen unless things change dramatically and in very short order.

If the Raptors were playing well, they could dominate Orlando but based on their recent play I'm not sure they can beat any team in the East.

Anyways, regardless of what happens in the playoffs, I'm sure that Colangelo will make some major changes in the offseason. A playoff win against Orlando should not affect our view of the major issues that exist with this team.

cud anyone see a rasho/ cb4/ bargs/ moon/ ford lineup working against orlando

I was reluctant to add to the endless PG discussion, but that is an interesting comment from Ira Winderman's blog (best Hear blog out there):

"While T.J. Ford could shake free in the offseason, with Toronto to do all it takes to retain Jose Calderon, Ford no longer stands as a coveted commodity. He was outplayed Monday by Chris Quinn, who towered over him."

Not that I value his opinion on Ford that much (remember last year he ranked AP as the last starting SG in the league), but it's interesting that he gives Ford-to-Miami a thought as a plausible scenario like we said a few weeks ago here at the HQ.

did anybody notice ford try to over compensate with his speed after he'd been burned a few times (too many) by quinn? and did anybody notice how quinn knew it was coming and stopped on a dime sending ford flying past him a few times?

ford will not be a raptor next year. fo-shizzle.

also, the post today perfectly reflects my mood about the raps and their season and specifically, last nights game.

I almost crapped my pants at the end of the half, seeing the raps losing to a bunch of scrubs. what's worse: the starters losing to a bunch of scrubs.

I think we're all hoping for a miracle, where the raps are suddenly going to wake up come playoff time and start playing out of their minds. seriously, I don't think any of us are actually prepared for them to lose, even though we keep talking about how crap they are now. which is only going to make it that much more painful if they do lose in the first round.

I almost feel like I'm not even going to be able to enjoy the raps moving out of the first round...there's just a bad taste in my mouth about how it's all gone down this season. could just be me...

Sergi - Ira was way off with that AP comparison but interesting about Ford. There's a few ways to look at things. If Miami does make good on their 25 per cent shot at the top pick and takes Beasley, Ford would make a lot of sense. But if they go with Rose, obviously it's a moot point.

Also, I really felt that despite Quinn's terrible shooting, he DID outplay Ford last night. As Mr. Grange pointed out today, it's not that Quinn is the better player, it's just that Ford has been so-so in his effort lately.

Just like the rest of this club in fact.

And how about Bargs starting at the 3 fizzle? Interesting point. We all remember too well how Mitchell took too long to switch up the starting line-up last year. We'll see if it happens again this year. Right now I'd pin Bargs to the bench until he can hit an outside shot but who knows, maybe this team steps it up in the playoffs.

Save Jack!

Doug Smith has a link to Raptors TV in his blog today.

Anyway we could convince TSN, the Score, CBC, etc to ditch Leo and hire Jack for their broadcasts?

Franchise you and Holand are starting to get on my nerves with your critique of the Raptors...Yes it was Miami the same Miami that the number 4 seeded Cleveland Cav with Lebron James had to come from behind in the 4th quarter to beat. Yes the same Miami that held the Cavs to 57 points at the end of the 3rd quarter..so Franchise give me a break, those guys have nothing to play for, so once they start getting some baskets you have to pick up your game to beat them and that's exactly what the Raps did. Cav's beat them by 8..Raps beat them by 16 so get over putting down the way the Raps are playing, they won the game...This is where we are supposed to be united going into the playoffs, take your analyst hat off for a second a try to be a Raptor fans, it really upset me when every one is looking back at a few games. Raps will finish with 42 or 41 wins this season, and with all that they have been through that is only 5 or 6 games off the pace of last year, so c'mon let start getting behind the team and not on the team...where are the Raptors in you guys or are you just looking for something to write...man..be a fan, a Raptor fan....Raps4Life baby...

Perhaps negative comments annoy some people.

However did you ever stop to think that fans to often live in a fairy tale world and don't see the real picture.....couldn't that also annoy some ppl?

So what if some ppl are overcritical and some ppl aren't critical enough.

Thats the point of forums and blogs...to give your opinion. If it gets on your nerves you don't have to read it.

The raps are what they are....they're a decent team in the east and an average team in the league. However recently they've been playing poorley. The heat game was a win they needed and should have got and they did. However it is important to note that despite the win the raps are still struggling. Previously they blew the Heat out by around 30 on the road while the Heat had Wade and Marion in the lineup. That was the real raps team.....that is the team that will have to show up against the Magic.

Ok I'm not going to rundown all the positives of the season because I'm sure the HQ boys have that covered, but I will say the raps are sitting pretty compared to last year where they played themselves into an unfavourable match-up (I'll always curse that miracle shot by mo pete) and got run out of the gym by NJ.

Who knows what would have happened had the raps faced washington in the first round last year.

"Thats the point of forums and blogs...to give your opinion. If it gets on your nerves you don't have to read it." wtf shame on you, if I don't read it how would i be ablt to comment fairly. Its just that the past few post have been all negative and I don't know about you, but if you expect something to happen 9 out of 10 times it will and if you put a doubt in the fans mind that the Raps don't have a chance in the playoffs with the way they are playing then they probably won't. But if you are pumped, and loud and crazy to quote CB4, the Raps will knock out the Magics in 5, that's all I am saying, we all have one thing in common here and we love the Raptors, some like myself a little more passionate than others, but no ill feeling intended. I am just a Raptor fan that does not look at the negative I leave that to BC.....Raps4Life.

Thanks for the link WTF:
(http://magicmadness.net/index.php?showtopic=5639&st=30)

Most of the posters on that page indicated nervousness about the Raps.

I recommend giving it a read and those pics are priceless.

I don't mind the "constructive negativity" as I like to call it.

If you want rah-rah read the Swirsk's blog.

But I'm gonna be excited for this series, mind you, and can see them escaping the series if the stars align themselves.

DayOner, thank you, perfectly put, if you want to be force fed the company line and like brainless spin, go read Swirsky's blog. It's a magical world over there where Bargnani is the second coming of the messiah, Colangelo’s poo don’t stink and the "boys in the truck" are doing a "heck of a job".

Dealing with reality is only negative if you think of it that way. As the character "Marlo Stanfield" said in the 3rd season of "The Wire" we got "some of them good problems". Like youth, inexperience and redundancy of talent at some positions (PG/SF). Which is better than BAD problems like aged players with retched contracts (Ummm… Knicks). So it’s OK to admit the Raptors have flaws… as long as they are recognized and dealt with.

Wow do some people need to take the playoff-drunk goggles off once we get knocked out. This team has enormous, gaping deficiencies. I will cheer for them to pull this one out against Orlando like the rest of you, but as others have suggested, no matter what happens, let's not forget the last 25-30 games of this season. And with that said, the problem in that span has been the inability to generate consistent intensity, so where is that supposed to spontaneously come from against the Magic? Being excited about the playoffs is one thing (I am too) but being content with being a middle-of-the-pack team is another. We are 6th in the Least here, whether the season was what we were to expect or a disappointment is irrelevant, the Raps still need to do a tonne of improving over the off-season. Anyways, enjoy the playoffs everybody.

We were actually doing pretty good up until the injuries to Bash and TJ. Never got our groove back. I think what us optimists are hoping is that things start to click again come the second season. Orlando is no formidable foe. We are capable of beating them - its not unfathomable.

How much moves in the off season is another debate. I think a lot of it rests with the faith the have in Bargs. I for one think he'll turn out allrite. Moving TJ will be tough and I am not giving up on him yet. Why get rid of Rasho, he brings what we are lacking. Plus, his expiring deal will be more appealing as next years trade deadline approaches.

Franchise,I hear you,tough to stay positive.
However I am trying to look at the post season as a "new season".
With the coaching staff discovering a seven foot Slovac on the bench,I feel good about the Magic series.
If our team shows up...remember the Jersey blow out way back when...we have a chance in a seven game series.

Lot of great points

I'll throw one more out there which gives a reason for optimisim.

Both the raps and Magic have gone 5-5 in their last 10. Nearly is playing particularly great basketball. Neither team is the Spurs, Celtics, Pistons.....so they cannot expect to just "turn it on" when the playoffs start. They just don't have the star power and experience to do that.

So although the raps have been struggling big time its not like Detroit has been running over ppl.

I'll try and find some more magic msg boards and stuff as they might be able to provide some insight.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_magic/

http://orlandomagiczone.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/8891029871/m/8261006894

Read Page 2 specifically one dude has a really good analysis in which he stages the significance of Hedo

A few raptors fans myself included have posted

Note: Franchise and Howland if you guys would not like me posting links to other sites, just let me know and it won't happen again

No worries, WTF - we're actually trying to link up with a few Orlando Magic blogs right now for the series. Should make for some good trash talk and analysis!

Why are there so many "male enhancement" pills but still no miracle pill to enlarge breasts?
Seriously. The breast enhancement pills and creams have never worked for women. What happened? Now there's hundreds of pills for male enhancement, and Viagra is even covered by insurance! Classified as a "medical dysfuntion." Isn't it just typical? If this were a man's problem, breast augmentations would become medically covered under every health insurance plan. Double standards are alive and well. Thoughts anyone?

I had a baby a year ago but my hair los ahs just recently started.
I've been to the doctor but nothing showed up on my tests.
Does nayone have any idea why this is happening to me?

Stress induces hair loss.. but other factors must be considered..
Try to check your shampoo, hair conditioner and other hair chemicals you put on your hair..
Always remember that products which provides good outcomes to others doesn't mean they will produce the same outcome to you..also check your diet, maybe you are having allopecia..avoid foods rich in MSG..

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Stress induces hair loss.. but other factors must be considered..
Try to check your shampoo, hair conditioner and other hair chemicals you put on your hair..
Always remember that products which provides good outcomes to others doesn't mean they will produce the same outcome to you..also check your diet, maybe you are having allopecia..avoid foods rich in MSG..