3 in the Key – Toronto Raptors Playoff Preview vs. Magic (Game 3)

by RaptorsHQ - Archives on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT in 3 in the Key

Franchise is ready to see TJ on a new team next year...but for now just wants the Raptors to start winning...

"It's the playoffs, you don't want to struggle but the reality is, I am struggling…I've just got to find a way to get through it."

That was a quote from our good friend TJ Ford post-practice yesterday; a completely honest self-evaluation from a player who hasn’t always been able to critique himself accordingly.

And while it’s good to hear that TJ acknowledges his on-court struggles, I just don’t care anymore.

I tried to look at both sides of the fence with Ford in many a past article, but his play this series has put the final nail in the proverbial coffin for me concerning his time with the Raptors…and here’s why.

In the past, I chastised Ford for his MeJ-esque play at times and his demeanour on the court. However I also understood that as a supremely competitive player, and one who played with a slight chip on his shoulder his whole career (inevitable for a player his size), Ford was going to try and do too much at times. The good and bad usually balanced out in the past and often I saw more good than bad in his play. Yes he settled for a fade-away jumper early in the shot clock…but there he was on the next play, getting into the passing lane, stealing the ball, racing down court and drawing a key foul. As a great free-throw shooter, he was the one player besides Chris Bosh who Raptors’ fans could count on to put points on the board with the clock stopped. It was this uber-competitive nature that made him go right back at a player who had beaten him on a previous possession, and that fiery nature keyed many a victory in the absence of Chris Bosh both last season, and earlier in this one.

However that fire has gone out.

So far this series, time and time again I’ve witnessed a much less-talented player in Jameer Nelson, get around Ford at will while TJ seems to simply be content to be on the floor. Nelson is a bulldog no doubt, and another player who’s had to play with a chip his whole career due to his size, but there’s no way he should be dominating Ford the way he has been. Nelson is scoring at will over Ford, and on the other side of things, TJ has been completely held in check offensively by Jameer.

It’s just not what I expected.

I expected to see Ford darting in and out of traffic creating chaos for Nelson. And if Ford got beat defensively, I expected on the next possession to see TJ’s competitiveness kick in so that he would be all over Nelson like Jack Armstrong on a pint of Guiness.

But that hasn’t been the case. I could always have some level of understanding if Ford's on-court errors were the result of his desire to win games...but when that drive has been replaced with complacency, I can no longer attempt to explain his play.

Ford just looks to have lost that desire to compete and that has to be a huge concern for both Sam Mitchell and Bryan Colangelo going forward.

It’s way too early to talk off-season transactions of course (although Howland did suggest an interesting Ford to the Blazers idea when I spoke to him last night) but we can talk line-up changes and right now, Jose needs to be the starting point guard for this team.

Mitchell has admitted there will be some line-up changes tonight but he’s kept his cards close to his chest once again. It’s assumed that he’ll trot out Anthony Parker, Jason Kapono, Andrea Bargnani and Chris Bosh and probably TJ Ford. Ford of course hardly deserves the starting nod, but Mitchell knows that if he brings Ford off the bench, a role that Ford’s made clear doesn’t suit him, it could spell even more trouble for the Raps. To that point Mitchell stated yesterday after practice:

"Jose has proven he can come off the bench and give us something," Mitchell said. "If we do that [sit Ford] and Jose struggles, where do I go?"

It’s clear though that Toronto simply can not afford another horrendous first quarter, especially at home, and if Nelson starts getting into the paint early, I expect we’ll see Ford get the quick hook.

What really frustrates me is that if we had Ford playing at the top of his game, this would probably be a much different series. His ability to get to the line and draw fouls is something this team really misses and it could have been a huge advantage in a tight fourth quarter in game two.

Chris Bosh admitted that he took the jump shot on the last play because he didn’t get the call on the previous play but you have to wonder had Ford been throwing himself around in the paint, and had Anthony Parker been more aggressive, perhaps that would have caused the referees to loosen their whistles up. After all, time and time again we’ve seen in the league how a team’s style of play can dictate the way the game is called. In a recent chat Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay stated that he hated playing against Utah because "they force the refs to make calls." This is something Toronto needs to do a lot more of.

And was I a fan of the last play? Yes and no. Who knows what Mitchell drew up but you do have to get your best player involved on the last shot, even as a decoy of sorts. I would have preferred for Bosh to take it to the rim but as one of our readers noted, it’s extremely tough for a power forward to create his own shot in that situation. There have been plenty of times where I’ve seen someone like Tim Duncan or KG resorting to a jumper under a similar set of circumstances. The difference is, as another reader noted, with CB4 being Toronto’s best rebounder, perhaps running a play for the white-hot Jason Kapono or Jose Calderon earlier in the clock with Bosh crashing the boards might have worked better.

Enough crying over spilt milk though, let’s turn to tonight, a must-win game for the Raptors.

If Toronto wins tonight, I think all of a sudden we have a new lease on life and the series. The confidence that was lacking suddenly goes up a few notches, Orlando is forced to play again in the mad-house ACC on Saturday without any momentum, and perhaps the Raptors will have figured the Magic out.

However if Toronto loses this one, I’d say she’s over.

So let’s take a look at three keys to tonight’s game:

1) Get off to a better start. This is the most obvious key to the game. If Toronto had even kept things within about 8 to 10 points in games one and two, we might be looking at a completely different series right now. Sam Mitchell knows this, and that’s precisely why he’s been switching his starting line-up to try and find SOME combination that starts the game with some aggression. Regardless of who gets the call, they need to feed of the rabid Raps’ fans tonight and bring the intensity from the tip. Chris Bosh can’t do it alone either, this needs to be a complete effort from the starting five, and then that must be followed up by the bench group.

A big deficit for Toronto early on will negate a huge chunk of the home-court advantage, not to mention the momentum from their surge late in Game 2.

2) Stop dribble penetration. Another fairly obvious one and something the team seemed to do a better job of in the second half of game two. Everyone has been all over Dwight Howard’s performances and while the numbers have been impressive, for those who have watched the series they know that Howard hasn’t been the main issue for Toronto. A lot of his damage has been off of blown rotations, easy put-backs etc. I remember one Tim Duncanesque post move from him so far in this series. However with Toronto increasingly looking to go small, they need to keep Howard, Turkoglu and Lewis off the glass. I worry about starting small for this reason but hopefully Toronto will be able to mix and match players using their depth to take advantage of the Magic over the course of the game. While Moon has been an offensive dud, he did grab some key rebounds in traffic in the last game and I’m hoping Mitchell inserts him strategically to help out in that department. Now undersized, the Raps will need to contain players like Turkoglu and Lewis on both the perimeter and in the post.

Forget Dwight Howard, it's the Magic's size on the wings and perimeter skills that worries Franchise...

3) Focus. The final key tonight I think will be focus. Which team can keep their composure in an increasingly physical setting and limit mental mistakes? Even though Toronto played much better on Tuesday night, they still had way too many mental errors at key moments. A few examples included Jason Kapono not paying attention and getting a pass from Ford off the head, Carlos Delfino carrying the ball on a post-up attempt, and even Bosh not calling time-out while falling out of bounds late in the game. For a team that has hardly played up to its potential, the margin of error tonight is incredibly small. I’m not saying we need a perfect game, but Toronto does need to execute much better than they have the past few months.

I actually think Toronto takes tonight’s game in a close-fought battle. I expect the team to come out fired up and match Orlando’s intensity with the home-crowd cheering them on.

And perhaps TJ decides to show some fight against Nelson for the first time this series as well. Then maybe the endless slew of media slights against Ford will calm down. It’s clear that unlike Nelson, Ford isn’t using them as motivational tools in this series so having to read the latest anti-Ford editorial (especially from those who used be staunch defenders of the Ford-way) is getting a slight bit tiresome.

Right now the Raptors have enough issues to deal with besides the constant swirl of TJ talk.

Right now, the Raptors need to get back in this series, TJ or not.

FRANCHISE

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Comments

Great points Franchise. I wonder what Vince's I mean TJ Ford's value is on the trade market. Everyone is aware of his injury history and everyone is aware of his recent struggles. However I think moving him for even nothing would be a case of addition by subtraction.

However Jason Kopono has me thinking twice about trading him.

That being said lets say we do bring in an allstar caliber wing player like AK or RJ or Magette what happens to the rest of our wings. WE have that superstar followed by Delfino, Parker, Moon, Kopono. Is there enough time at those 2 spots for 5 guys? If not who will be the odd man out?

I think this season has been a nice wake up call for everyone. The previous season with the influx of new players and management we were living in a fairy tale world....this season really brought us back down to earth. As good as the Magic are they are not a championship contender. Thus far what we have achieved with Colo is going from a bad team to an ok team.

If we lose this series or even if we win the focus should be on making the jump from ok to good (Hello Andrea!). Then we can worry about trying to become a contender.

Although Bob McCowen does not know too much about basketball he is a very intelligent person and I agree with what he said. Right now the Raps have two things which are sure fire and they can move forward with which are the PG and PF spot (Calderon and Ford). We still need to address the sg, sf and center spot (Is that going to be andre?). We might also have to address the coaching situation. This is both a curse and a blessing. We have a tremendous amount of work to do which is bad. However we know what we have to do to improve. Compare that to a team like Dallas which is solid at every position and seems to be stuck....it would be exponentially more difficult to fix those teams than it would be to fix the raptors.

by wtf on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

ahh the benefits of proof reading before you hit submit. In the McCowen part I meant Jose and Bosh certainly NOT Jose and Ford

by wtf on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

That's ok WTF - I just did some editing of my own and refreshed...

Solid point though. We've got the 1 and 4 positions in pretty good shape...now BC needs to decide this summer how he wants to fill in the rest of the puzzle.

by Franchise on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Any idea which network we can watch the games at? TSN/Score/Sportsnet/CBC? I doubt it's just Raptors TV since it's a playoffgame

by Aaron on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Aaron - the game is on The Score...

by rup45 on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

I think Sat will be on the Score too. Hockey is bumping 'em off TSN

by Jdbar on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Thank you!!

by Aaron on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

it's pretty crazy to hear the open discussions now coming out of the media in regards to tj's time left (or lack there of) here in toronto.

starting jose is more than likely a very upper management like move, in that benching him now would flatten any slim trading value he has left.

the guy needs to play and he needs to play hard, not only for the team, but for a starters job...even if it's not with this team.

and as for the 3 spot, even though kapono has been ridiculous as of late, I would still imagine sam starting defino for his defense and intensity.

it also keeps kapono on the bench with calderon, which is obviously a really strong second unit.

I'll be there tonight - and let me tell you I'm ready to put all the analysis and trash talk aside tonight and just get ridiculous with my raps playin' ball!!!

go raps go.

by papa on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

damn, seems I've caught whatever it is you guys had...

I meant tj in my second paragraph!

by papa on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

I'm so tired of all this TJ talk. He's pissed me off for a few months now, and now I just want him to go away. Please get rid of him in the off season.

Could this finally be the game Bargs shows up and becomes a difference maker? We saw glimpses of confidence in the 2nd half of last game. If he can put up something like 17 pts and 8 reb's in tonight's game, the Raps will win handily.

Sam's job is riding on tonight's game. If they lose tonight, the series will be done and I'd be surprised if he's back next year.

by SonicSuper on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Soooooo pumped for tonight's game. I think the Rappys can win tonight too and get some momentum going.

Sick of the Ford talk too, hopefully he gets a one-way ticket to Minnesota or some other remotish location this summer. Too bad, he and Jose could have been the ultimate tag team...like Demolition baby!

by fromlongrange on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

I've been as anti-TJ this year as just about anyone I know. Thing is, I'm not ready to see him moved. All year, my biggest concern was that no one within/ around the organization was seeing his faults. When he went MeJ and didn't get pulled, I assumed that it was because this behaviour was what the team wanted. Now that I see both the organization and the media are pointing out the problems in his game, I realize that he can be saved here. If he can see his own faults and begin to work on them, I think he can become a great success story next year. I hope that's the case.

I think tonight needs to be a total shoot out, because the Raps just don't seem to be playing D. If it turns out to be that type of game, then Kapono could be just the starter we need. At this point, Moon is a total offensive liability.

by dsl on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

well folks I can say this and you heard it hear first..it will be a different TJ on the court tonight..He will be the big X-Factor...I am not worried about the Magics the Raps will win the tonight and the next 3 games taking the series 4-2. We took their best shot now see if they can take ours. I am glad all you armchair GM is not BC. TJ is not going anywhere in the off season, he will be Raptor so you'all better get use to it and start showing TJ some love. The only BC will trade him is if he ask to be traded....Patients people, TJ has potential, don't give up on him so quickly, no wonder the leafs haven't won here in 41 years because the GM's have been listening to you crazy fans. BC is not Canadian so I don't think he will be listen to you media GMs. He traded for TJ for a reason. And look at the bright side we have Jose...so lets just cheer on the team and wait and see in the off season all this negative publicity is not good for any player....Go Raptors...Raps4Life

by Raps4Life on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

common check again U sure yr not Marcia? lol

by Davl on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

I dont think anyone wants TJ to necessarly go...but BC is on record as saying he would match any offer for Jose...that beeing said how can we keep both TJ and Jose at 8 million each and still manage to pick up that slashing power forward we all know we need...I dont think its a matter of giving up on someone....but if TJ is going to talk the talk !!!!perform,ACC is your center stage tonight...prove it that you are all star material

by d279 on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

"Davl says:
April 24th, 2008
common check again U sure yr not Marcia? lol"

Haha I was thinking the same thing, I know you clarified yeterday but, are you sure you're not Marcia? =P

Then again, you showed Jose some love at the end of your post...so nope. And your grammar aint as bad..lol So nope..don't think he is Marcia =P

I would have Kapono come off the bench just to have more firepower in the second unit with Jose at the head.

by Aaron on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

d279..that is 16mil a year at the PG position c'mon that is nothing...do think when Chris Paul contract comes up for renewal he will be making less than that...How does the Celtics keep KG, Pierce and Allan..Suns Nash, Shaq and Amare..money is not an issue in the NBA if BC wants to keep Jose and TJ cash is not the problem....Raps4Life and Dav1 i am not Marcia would love to meet her though..lol considering we are the only ones that ever side with TJ.....Raps4Life

by Raps4Life on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Raps4life-the owners of the raps ain't going to go over the salary cap, but I agree 16 mil for an effective Forderone would be worth it.

I think there is a better chance of TJ breaking out tonight than Bargs, though I will take either happening.

Franchise, really curious about that Portland trade - MeJ for white Gorilla and either Spanish chocolate or Jack? I thought you were going to tell us for sure before the post ended!

Before we worry too hard about any trades, I think we have to bring in a new coach and see if he can get more out of this group. We are better than the results Smitch has come up with.

Down 2-0 is really tough to get out of. I don't believe we turned any corners yet at all, until we win a game!

Cliche time: We need to play one game at a time, Leave it all on the court and play playoff basketball because defence wins games!

by Robert Archibald on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

I want to see TJ go. Desperately.

by SonicSuper on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

HERE IS SOME COMMENTS FROM A VERY SMART RAPTOR FAN THAT EMAIL CHUCK SWIRSKY...PLEASE READ AND LETS ALL BE RAPTORS FANS........
Hi Chuck,

After reading the daily media and internet blog attacks on the entire Raptors organization (Colangelo screwed up, Mitchell can’t coach, Bosh isn’t strong enough, TJ is "ME"-J, Bargnani is a bust, Moon is a bonehead, at nauseam), I must say I am totally dismayed that Toronto basketball fans have suddenly turned into whiny second-guessers and finger-pointers. Now everybody thinks they’re a better GM, coach, or player just because every decision is easier to re-do in hindsight.

Instead of being encouraged by two straight playoff appearances by a young – I repeat, young – and relatively inexperienced Raptors team after many years of regular season failure, the sharks are now in the water and smelling blood. It is true that the Raptors have many deficiencies that still need to be addressed for them to be consistently successful, but come on – the way they are being pummeled by fans and media alike, you’d think they’re the Knicks.

I try to see the Raptors from a glass half-full perspective, a true work in progress with a good young core assembled by a GM who has given himself the financial flexibility to continue tweaking and improving the roster in the future.

I wouldn’t consider this season a failure if the Raptors fail to advance, because really, what are the chances of them winning the NBA championship now anyway? Even if they had signed somebody to a $120 million dollar contract. What do you think are the Magic’s chances of winning same championship this year? (Well, they might, but not likely.) At last count, only 8 NBA teams have won championships in the last THIRTY years. Some great teams (Utah, Phoenix, Dallas) are loaded with more all-stars than the Raptors ever had and have never won either. So where is it written that a team has to advance one playoff round every year otherwise it should be broken up?

The "couch" critics are calling out Sam Mitchell for drawing up that final play for Bosh, as if Kapono or Calderon would have surely won the game for us if they had taken the shot. There’s no way to know really, and if CB4 had passed up that open shot for a Kapono 3-pointer and that one missed, would they call out Chris for not taking the shot himself? The thing was, it was an option play, and Chris made the decision to take the shot that was presented to him. Last thing you want in this case is for your franchise player to second-guess himself in a pressure situation.

Okay, the Raptors had consecutive miserable first quarter starts. But even if they had led in the first quarter both games, how would that have guaranteed their chances of winning? The Phoenix Suns led San Antonio early in both their games and still lost twice. That’s why the games are played for 48 minutes. The ebbs and flows of the game in each quarter determine how a team plays. Maybe if the Raptors had kept the games close in the first quarter, the Magic would have kept their focus and not relaxed. Who knows? And blaming Bargnani for that poor first quarter start? Or Mitchell for starting Bargnani? Turnovers by Ford, Bosh, and Parker allowed those Magic run-outs that buried the Raps in the first place. Those had nothing to do with Andrea.

And how is Bargnani now a bust in his second year who needs to be traded? Sure he’s not playing great and needs to develop multiple aspects of his game, but how can we know if he will ever be good if we don’t give him a chance? I think it would be a bigger disappointment if he were traded and THEN blossomed with some other team. Just look at players like Tyson Chandler – after the Bulls gave up on him. Or David West, whose averages in his first two years were less than Andrea’s, now an all-star in his FIFTH year. Or Chauncey Billups – he was once a Raptor wasn’t he? Didn’t we know that he would someday be an all-star in Detroit? Where would we be if we had given up on Jose Calderon after his FIRST year?

How is Sam Mitchell suddenly a bad coach and needs to be fired? Because of his regular season record this year? Doc Rivers had a worse record last year. Was he a bad coach who suddenly became a great one? Byron Scott and Jerry Sloan have endured losing seasons for the Hornets and Jazz respectively. Now they’re under consideration for COY. Does their coaching ability change from one year to the next? Did Pat Riley go from genius to moron in two years? I think Sam Mitchell has done his best to play the hand he was dealt – I realize that the results are disappointing to some, but some of the issues they have had to deal with this year aren’t really his fault. If only 4 of your players are playing well, you still have to play a fifth guy. Like you say, the coach can get a player an open shot, but the player still has to hit it.

So, after that long drawn-out rant, I’m all for being patient, Chuck. I watched the game last night and instead of cussing out the Raptors for falling behind in the first quarter, I applauded them for fighting back, playing hard, being competitive, and giving themselves a chance to win the game. Yes they lost the game, and I realize they will have a difficult time winning this series. But I’ve seen enough good things to be hopeful about their success in the future.
Go Raps!
Steve
From Richmond Hill

Chuck, you have to help me understand what happened in the final seconds of game 2. After Howard gets the controversial "no foul" call just moments earlier, wouldn't having Bosh drive to the hoop in the final seconds the smartest thing to do? either he would have had an easy basket or the refs would have been very inclined to call a foul seeing as they screwed up just moments before. that was the game winning tactic and they blew it. I don't get it??? why settle for a jumper?
VINCE CHIERA

by Raps4Life on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Why was the starting lineup etched in stone for the regular season, but changes EVERY game in the playoffs? It seems like we are clutching at straws. We may not start a single playoff game with the same lineup that brought us to the playoffs. Sure they weren't paying too hot lately, but making adjustments before the game sends a message that we are giving up before the fight.

by Robert Archibald on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Hey BC!
You can't miss this opp for a HOF coach in the off season!

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3365485

by jason nana on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Wow, looks like our reg season starting lineup is pretty good after all. Great game! We needed that! Now we need to keep it going!

by Robert Archibald on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Forderon!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by axl on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Raps 4 life, I can't believe your brain was able to write this paragraph. This is below par understanding from a Toronto Raptors fan. Of course Bargnani is a bust. In a must win game situation, he went 4-11 with zero rebounds. Your center got ZERO rebounds, that's pathetic. Yeah yeah, he played half decent defense on Howard, but tonight it wouldn't matter how many points DH12 scored, the Raps would still have won.

Please don't tell me that David West had a worse year than Barngnni. He did not. Bargnani plays more minutes, grabs less rebounds, and shoots at a lower percentage all for which a center is supposed to be good at. In fact if you think about it 10 pts, 4rbs, 39% shooting is what you would expect a D-league player to be putting up on at the NBA level.

Bargnani has no skill set whatsoever! Please tell me what his skills is, shooting, passing, rebounding, scoring? No and no! He has no skill. The man is a 7ft bean pole in the basketball court.

how many chances do you want to give Bargnani, he only started the majority of games at center for the Raptors.

Bargnani has no talent!!! Please understand. JC first year was still good. Although in limited minutes he still had a high assist to turnover ratio.

Raptors4Life, please undertand that Bargnani has no skill set. And if he does, what advantage skill sit does he have other than fouling once every 7 minutes and getting no rebounds in the most important game of the season so far to date!!!!

by BargsBust on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Thank you BargsBust for that glorious negativity after the biggest W of the season.

What a great game. A couple thoughts:

You'd think a tv station called "the score" would have figured out how to show the score by now?

Moon was great. Kapono is simply on fire. Sam may have finally figured out the delicate balance between TJ and Calderon.

I love Bosh. Just the way he was flexing for the crowd after the game.

Highlight of the game for me was after Kapono hit a 3, the camera pans to the stands and you see a red-shirted dude euphorically rubbing his fat friend's belly for good luck.

by SonicSuper on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

was at the game...and let me tell you: the magic missed quite a few wide open shots.

awesome time though!!! couldn't have been better!

but seriously, these teams are very similar in that they live and die by their 'shats'.

and bargsbust, you're bordering on ridiculous now. your case has been stated. it's over. nobody wants to hear you strip another poster down with your nonsense anymore.

leave it alone.

time will tell what happens with bargnani.

by papa on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

What a game! Great to be there, great atmosphere... Excellent contributions from the entire roster. Moon played out of this world in the first quarter, TJ stole the show in the second, and after a bit of a lull in the third, Jose brought it home. Awesome!

I have a question for the many thoughtful and well-spoken Raptor fans who read and post here. Would it be disrespectful to Calderon if, in an effort to show TJ some love when he's playing well (like in tonight's 2nd quarter), the fans did the "Jose Jose Jose Jose" chant but instead with "Tee-Jay, Tee-Jay Tee-Jay Tee-Jaaaaaaay, Tee-Jaaaaaay, Tee-Jaaaaaaay"...

I wanted to try to start one in section 309/310, but wasn't sure how it would go over. I like to think of it as a showing of support for TJ ("the fans love Calderon, but we like you too!") and not a means of denigrating or stealing the thunder from Jose... Thoughts?

Onward and upward to game 4!!!

by MattK on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Howland and I were both at the game with slightly different perspectives. I got last minute hookups to section 309, row 1...however Howland was almost behind the Orlando bench and will have some stories tomorrow.

Sick game in any event and the fans were just unreal. The Howwwwwwwwwward chants were icing on the cake, not to mention the "superman sucks."

Kudos to Sam Mitchell for his use of various players tonight, knowing just when to shuffle guys in and out. Still a few too many jump shots for my liking but we'll break things down tomorrow.

by Franchise on Apr 24, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Bargsbust...Can you not enjoy the moment,let it go.
I understand the beauty of the site is that, Hey we all have an opinion,but you are starting to sound like Marcia,let it go.
I'm not on the T.J. bandwagon,but it was nice to see the 2 headed monster at work last night.
Great win boys !!!!,looking forward to Sat.

by d279 on Apr 25, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

What a game!!!!!

I was supposed to be there last night, but had to give away my tickets because I had a church service to attend last night. So I recorded the game and watched it live at 11:00 pm. It was hard not tuning into the radio on the way home last night.

First: Bargsbust, I have really enjoyed reading your posts lately. You obviously have a lot to say, but you become very one-dimensional at times making it very hard to stomach your posts. You've stated your case...the jury is out...the decision will come. It seems as if Raps4Life had ESP in his earlier post because his prediction for last night's game certainly came to pass!

I too have been very half-glass-full in my postings this playoff series, and I'm sticking with this gut feeling I have. This team has been playing very good defense (minus the two first quarters in games one and two). Who would have thunk it. Our one glaring weakness all year is soon becoming our strength. It's amazing what perfect execution and a little belief can do for a team.

Second (or third): TJ deserves the love he was getting yesterday. It was great to see Jose cheering him on like he was. If TJ would accept a co-pilots role, I am totally in favour of committing 16 mill. for this two-headed giant.

Third (or fourth): Sam Mitchell is actually coaching, and Kapono is actually being utilized the way BC imagined. Will wonders never cease!!!

The Raps will not lose a game at home this series, not with the way our rabid fans are cheering them on. The Magic seemed very flustered last night. The difference will be how they play going back to Orlando...just my thoughts!

by Assistant GM on Apr 25, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions