Tip-In, Toronto Raptors' Post-Game Report: The First Step

by RaptorsHQ - Franchise on Oct 29, 2009 9:06 AM EDT Comment 34 comments

Although most probably guessed this would be an easy 0 and 1 start for the Raps, Toronto powered through Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in a 101 to 91 victory. Franchise gives his thoughts...

Don't ask me why, but I felt the need to start this recap with the following clip:

Weird Al Yankovic-Eat It (via WeirdAlTV)

Is it a message from the collective Raptorsnation to the rest of the league?

Probably.

How about a message from me to me, considering I picked the Cavaliers to dominate last night's match-up?

Most definitely.

Last night playing with a mix of controlled swagger and confidence, not seen by myself from a Raptors ballclub in over a season, Toronto took down the mighty Cavs early, and never really looked back.

On top of this, it's hardly like there was only one thing that Toronto did right. The reality is, the team gave the Cavs fits it many an area and offensively, looked a lot like the juggernaut many predicted. To use an old boxing expression, at times Cleveland looked like they had been hit so many times with the right jab that they were begging for a left!

-Toronto shot 45 per cent from the field while at the same time, limited the Cavs to 35.

-Toronto hit on nearly a third of their 3-point attempts (a huge improvement over pre-season.)

-Toronto got to the line an impressive 37 times, hitting on 28 of these attempts.

-And finally, Toronto turned the ball over only 13 times, looking much more like a well-oiled offensive machine then they did in pre-season.

Top these offensive stats off with the fact that the Dinos held their own on the glass, and did a nice job on the defensive end, and it's pretty hard to find much to complain about.

My one cautionary tale in fact might be for Cleveland fans.

This is two nights in a row that this club looked incredibly underwhelming, in particular when Lebron wasn't in the game, and sitting close to the Cavs' bench last night, I had to wonder if this club was even a top 3 seed in the East. There just isn't much besides King James on the roster, especially from an offensive standpoint, and I'm pretty confident the offensive issues the team experienced last year against Orlando in the playoffs will rear their ugly heads over and over. Mike Brown is a great defensive coach, but I felt he got out-schemed by Triano, who did an impecable job of doling out minutes and moving players in and out depending on the situation. To that end, he played 10 players, but gave two, Amir Johnson and Rasho Nesterovic, only short bursts based on game situations.

Sure, much like pre-season, it's only one game (after all, I probably wrote a similar recap to last year's opening night win over Golden State), however as mentioned, there was a lot to like from a Raptors' fan's perspective, a lot more than you saw most of last season.

And considering the tough schedule that remains, I think us fans will take this W and run with it...

...at least until tomorrow night in Memphis...

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The void is filled

Nothing like the smell of basketball…………..

Not much to criticize on our performance last night. We played the cards we wer dealt and beat a Cavaliers club that seems a little lost.
From Bargnani to Wright, Triano used all to their strengths. Good job, Jay. Lost track of some of the line-ups assembled.

Firts quarter ran the offense through Bargnani with Bosh crashing the boards and the results spoke for themselves. Bosh scored 21 and worked hard for each one. Bargnani is a more natural scorer, if Bosh embraces his role I see good things in the future for my beloved Raps.

by Tinmann on Oct 29, 2009 9:19 AM EDT reply actions

!!!!!

I’m officially on Cloud 9. Great game.

Some thoughts:
- Wright taking 3 charges! Haven’t seen that in a while.
-Bosh was a beast on the glass
-Triano situational subbing was great. (Amir on Var, and Rasho on Shaq)
-Belli looked nice. That drive and dunk was sick!
-Jose looked good….but he has got to get his shot to start falling
-Hedo looks great. Just helps the offense moving and was much, MUCH better on D than I thought he would be.

And finally, I wonder what all the naysayers from “A Golden State of Mind” were thinking about Bargnani after last night. As I did read last night that a lot of them were watching to see how Belli looked.

Bring on the Grizz.

by Sharpy on Oct 29, 2009 9:25 AM EDT reply actions

Wright = New Mo Pete

A few times last night I caught myself having to double check if that was Wright out there or Mo Pete! The headband, the aggressiveness on D, the charges, the number twenty fo…er…one…great to see. This team really needed someone of that ilk on the perimeter.

DeRozan I thought played some solid D as well, especially getting out in the passing lanes.

by RaptorsHQ - Franchise on Oct 29, 2009 10:43 AM EDT up reply actions

lol. I was thinking EXACTLY the same thing.

And DeMar looks like Jamario but way more composed and smarter.

Kinnon "Vicious D" Yee
Author - RaptorsHQ.com Twitter @RapHQVicious

by Raptors HQ - Vicious D on Oct 29, 2009 10:58 AM EDT up reply actions

DeMar is already better than Jamario, he was still doing the same ol’ dumb things he did in Toronto.

Great game boys, everyone looked really good, and Belli and Wright were excellent. I think people are getting to wrapped up on stats and not lookin at the players. Even Jack had a ‘poor’ stat night, but he was awesome down the stretch! Did you guys see that underhand / side pass to Bosh under the bucket? Nash-esque, I must say!

Here’s hopin to a .500 November and setting up for a good remainder of the season (brutal road schedule…what gives?

by Smoothfan on Oct 29, 2009 11:08 AM EDT up reply actions

I meant physically, Demar looks a little like Jamario, especially in the face/head

Kinnon "Vicious D" Yee
Author - RaptorsHQ.com Twitter @RapHQVicious

by Raptors HQ - Vicious D on Oct 29, 2009 11:34 AM EDT up reply actions

Ah yeah a little eh?

by Smoothfan on Oct 29, 2009 1:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Cool article

From a Cleveland paper:

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2009/10/no_rhythm_no_wins_cleveland_ca.html

Absolutely true when they mentioned the Bosh-Bargnani combo.

by Sharpy on Oct 29, 2009 9:34 AM EDT reply actions

Great post Sharpy – they nailed it. I was leery of the Shaq acquisition and they touched on a few reasons why; the biggest being that he’s just too slow now. And why Mike Brown kept him and Big Z in there together was beyond me – the Raps were blowing by them every time!

by RaptorsHQ - Franchise on Oct 29, 2009 10:46 AM EDT up reply actions

That Shaq-Ilgauskas combo is one of the dumbest things I’ve seen. If CLE loses a few more in a row, they’ll need to expedite that Ilgauskas-for-Stephen Jackson trade.

by RaptorsHQ - Defensive Stance on Oct 29, 2009 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions

Shaq-Ilgauskas is kinda like the O’Neal/Bosh/Bargs thing last year. No wait.. its more like O’Neal and O’Neal but you get the idea.

by Ustation on Oct 29, 2009 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions

Hilarious comments

The comments on that article are hilarious. Judging by the fans’ reactions you’d think Cleveland won all of 20 games last year, instead of 66.

by benjibopper on Oct 29, 2009 12:16 PM EDT up reply actions

Great for the Raptors, Yikes for the Cavs

My one cautionary tale in fact might be for Cleveland fans.
This is two nights in a row that this club looked incredibly underwhelming,

Underrated factor here? Shaquille O’Neal: his plus/minus was -25 over the course of the night. The Raps aren’t the only team in the league with an athletic frontcourt either.

Morgan breaks through in 2009!

by grantmp on Oct 29, 2009 9:36 AM EDT reply actions

I’m not sure what Mike Brown was thinking trotting out the twin towers of Big Z and Shaq. It’s hard to think of a less mobile 4/5 combo in the league.

by CalexanderJ on Oct 29, 2009 1:24 PM EDT up reply actions

Jay Triano vs. Mike Brown

Mike Brown’s coaching leaves a bit to be desired. I thought CLE would win the game with that small lineup, and then he went away from it. I guess you have to consider the ego of a guy like Shaq, but still — the goal is to win games (and keep LeBron happy).

I’d love to see Triano emerge as a Coach of the Year candidate, if he can get this Raptors squad to outperform expectations.

by RaptorsHQ - Defensive Stance on Oct 29, 2009 9:37 AM EDT reply actions

Yep, loved Triano’s rotations last night. Loved them.

I was at the game and was upset every time Shaq was put on the bench. It was like we were playing 6-on-4 when he was out there.

by Lu Galasso on Oct 29, 2009 10:15 AM EDT reply actions

espn..wtf?!?!

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=291028028

Okay… somebody go watch this video recap, and tell me why the heck do you show some LeBron 3’s and assists, before you even show one bargnani dunk… if I didn’t know better, I would’ve thought it was the CAVS who were dominating in the first half…geez…

by gdon18 on Oct 29, 2009 10:28 AM EDT reply actions

lol. NBA TV was just as bad talking about LeBron’s triple double instead of his porous defense against Bargnani. Then they kept talking about how the Cavs have chemistry issues because it’s early and how they gave the game away to the Raptors. I think they also think that this is merely a jump shooting team because that’s all they asked Hedo about afterwards… So that’s all fine.

The less people know, the better. This team will be our little secret treasure.

Kinnon "Vicious D" Yee
Author - RaptorsHQ.com Twitter @RapHQVicious

by Raptors HQ - Vicious D on Oct 29, 2009 10:33 AM EDT up reply actions

Did you expect ESPN to actually report on the Raptors? That’s like TSN reporting on non-Toronto-based teams.

by Frag on Oct 29, 2009 11:56 AM EDT up reply actions

Forget that.. it’s like TSN reporting on anything but the Maple Leaves / Hockey.

by Ustation on Oct 29, 2009 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions

The thing you really have to like about last night is that there is still so much room for improvement… We all saw how Bosh settled for jumpers at times, Calderon wasn’t exactly in regular shooting form and some people missed some easy dunks and passes over the course of the game… Oh, and we’re missing a pretty key player in Reggie Evans.

And the Raptors still beat Cleveland by 10 points.

I know we’re going to hit a rough patch eventually, but at the end of the day, this is a great way to start off the season and there’s just so much more ceiling to this team still. It’s going to be a fun year if the Raptors can continue to get some defensive stops and run out on breaks.

Kinnon "Vicious D" Yee
Author - RaptorsHQ.com Twitter @RapHQVicious

by Raptors HQ - Vicious D on Oct 29, 2009 10:30 AM EDT reply actions

Agreed here Vicious, lots of room for improvement. Hedo in partiular seemed a bit out of place a bit ,did some nice things, but wasn’t totally up to form, hopefully he’ll mesh into the system soon!

by Smoothfan on Oct 29, 2009 11:10 AM EDT up reply actions

It was sweet!

And with Calderon and Turkoglu having sub-par games (despite his game-winning basket, LOL).
Johnson did not impress me at all. As soon as Evans is healthy, get rid of Amir.
If Colangelo can get something for either Johnson or Banks, he wins genius of all time!
I had them down for 8-10 after 18 games, assuming last night as a loss. 9-9 with that schedule would be an acceptable start.

by PConn on Oct 29, 2009 11:46 AM EDT reply actions

Man, I want to say, watching the game again last night and Cleveland is a team full of floppers. They really were trying to sell calls everywhere… That’s probably why Bargs got called quite a bit. Just hopefully, the refs start recognizing his athletic ability more because he really doesn’t foul people much.

Kinnon "Vicious D" Yee
Author - RaptorsHQ.com Twitter @RapHQVicious

by Raptors HQ - Vicious D on Oct 29, 2009 12:16 PM EDT reply actions

Ahhhh opening day.. I really miss being at the season opener, but gave up my season tix long ago.

Love the love in here at RapsHQ. Wonder if Bargsbust is still lurking anywhere.

by Ustation on Oct 29, 2009 12:38 PM EDT reply actions

Carmen Santiago?

Indeed……….where is Bargsbust?

by Sharpy on Oct 29, 2009 2:32 PM EDT up reply actions

Great win by the Raps. W00t W00t!!!! There’s nothing like a big Raptors win to leave you pumped up for the rest of the night. Bosh played a great game… for a complementary player. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the 16 boards and the free throws, but whats up with taking 10 foot fadeaways over Shaq? There was a time when Bosh would have squared Shaq up and blown by him over and over, you know kinda like Bargnani was doing to Big Z, by my count Bosh only did that once. Secondly when a team is chipping away at a lead, do you get the feeling that if you give Bosh the ball, he’ll get an easy bucket? Nope. He might hit a jumper, but then again he might not. He’s a great piece to have, but he’s going to have to show more if he wants to be a max player.

by CalexanderJ on Oct 29, 2009 1:22 PM EDT reply actions

Well, Bosh racked up a lot of free throws down the stretch. He admitted as much that he needed to do more from the inside and that he was going back to bad habits for a while… So we’ll see. For now, Bargs is the guy that you want to give the ball to most nights… It’s been that way since last season. I think ideally, you want Bargs as your top scorer and Bosh as top Free Throw Attempts.

Kinnon "Vicious D" Yee
Author - RaptorsHQ.com Twitter @RapHQVicious

by Raptors HQ - Vicious D on Oct 29, 2009 1:38 PM EDT up reply actions

Where is Bargsbust hanging out ?

With Khandor !!!!

by d279 on Oct 29, 2009 1:35 PM EDT reply actions

Keeping my feet on the ground

On offence, with the scoring talent BC has assembled, Bosh should be a complimentary player. The first quarter offence is the direction this team has to take. We need someone to crash the boards, why not Bosh.

by Tinmann on Oct 29, 2009 3:57 PM EDT reply actions

To be a superstar

That is what you do. You do all the things that your team needs you to do. Lead the defense by playing good defense and calling out teammates for missing assignments, crash the boards if your team’s rebounding is weak, and score when needed at crunch time. Bosh has all the tools, he just needs to want it, and now that he has enough help, he can do those things as he doesn’t need to save himself for all the scoring like last year. And even scoring at crunch time there are now 3 players who will be able to be that guy, Hedo, Calderon, and Bosh and even Bargs given the situation. Somebody grab a paleontologist, I think the Raptors are back…

by Eric9321 on Oct 29, 2009 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions

Shaq is a joke

remember what he said about making bosh quit the nba or something like that…

haha what happened to that?

and lebron is still a stats-whore

by Sick M on Oct 29, 2009 5:14 PM EDT reply actions

Robert Archibald wishes Bargsbust would just man up.

Good to see some of the good old boys are still at HQ.

I think this is going to be one of those seasons. Great piece Franchise.

I’m loving Bosh defering on offence to Bargs. Bosh might be the best complimentary piece which is a good thing if he is willing to play that way here. Bargs’ talents are wasted without the ball in his hands, without the ball all he’ll give you is less than 5 rebounds. Bosh can play that role and still get you 20 and 10. If Triano has Bosh playing this role to help the team, he is a genius.

Walker McKenna

by Robert Archibald on Oct 29, 2009 5:54 PM EDT reply actions