Tip-In: Triple-Doubled; Josh Smith and the Hawks Sink the Raptors 96 - 78

I actually thought Triano needed to bench Bargnani at one point. Its not a case of haterade, i just felt he was pressing too much and needed a few minutes to calm down and get his head back in the game.

Hibbert had 24 points and 12 rebounds

I felt like I was reading copy from Sportscentre. Great job Sasha!!!

Really solid article, good job sasha!

Is it because the Raps could not score or that they did not defend to a winning level? There is a cliche in basketball that says “defense wins championships”. I believe that is only half of it. The real truth is that the team who scores the most and defends the best, wins championships.
The superstars of the game, Kobe, Wade, Lebron etc are known for their ability to put the ball through the hoop regardless of the defense and in fact when you watch these guys at their best, they simply defy belief. You will say "how did he make that shot? with 3 defenders on him. The answer in certain circumstances (usually at the end of close games) is that offense trumps defense.

Thanks for the feedback guys, I appreciate it. Hopefully I get the opportunity to contribute more to RaptorsHQ.

On top of the poor execution on offense, the other issue that I believe was a game changer was the reffing in the 2nd quarter.

When Horford went out with 3 fouls in the 2nd quarter the refs made some brutal calls in an attempt (i’m guessing) to even things out. The 2 offensive calls on Andrea were complete horse s***, as well the 2 clean blocks by Kleiza that were called shooting fouls seemed to take the wind out of the teams sails.

In the future they will have to learn how to fight through the BS calls and keep being aggressive.

If Spoelstra is fired and Riley doesn’t want to come down and coach, what would be the most viable option as a replacement?

Maybe a different question – has Butch Carter not returned to the coaching ranks because he has turned down opportunities or simply not been offered any new opportunities?

Nicely balanced article. Thanks Sasha.
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As for the Atlanta game, I had more hope against Boston – even if KG & the gang were in revenge mode. Which speaking of the Celtics, next time we meet them, I hope Bargs keeps up the dance routine with Garnett – cheek to cheek. The Bully routine of KG is tiresome. I especially enjoyed the Charge on Shaq – he looked a little wobbily taking his first step, after getting up.
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Watched the Erie game (via NBA.com – http://futurecast.nba.com/nbadl/console.jsp), to see how Ali-Baba & Davis are doing. Granted this was D-League, but that Erie team definitely has talent (for now). Davis looked good, and I would suspect he’ll be the right little tonic for the Raptors. But it’s Alabi who I think is a project worth exploring. Probably because most seem him as a long shot. He definitely needs to add a little bulk – not too much. Quite the reach, and with “proper training”, could be an ideal partner for Bargs – with AB playing 4. With Davis, the opposite could work well – Ed at the 4, and Andrea at the 5.
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Yes it is certainly a team game, however it has become a game of specialities. Winning teams have “defensive stoppers” and they have “go to scorers” And this is why I take issue with those who condem players for not being one or the other. The fact is that not all players have the gift of scoring or on the other hand, the gift of speed and anticapation required to be a stopper.
That is why the game has broken down to roles. On the Lakers for example, Artest is the stopper. He is not expected to fill Kobe’s role. It would not be fair to criticize Kobe for not being as defensive as Artest because although Kobe plays reasonable defense, his role is primarily offense and leadership.

That says that if a scorer expends too much effort on defense, his offense which is his primary talent will suffer, have someone less talented offensively spend the energy chasing the opponents scorer. Enter the Bowen’ or Artests.

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Kobe is not a good example. He’s one of the most – if not the most – All-around talents in the League (and in NBA history). Dwight Howard might be a better example – his FT shooting changes the complexion of a game in the last 2 minutes – as Raptor fans are very much aware of.

Kobe’s only real weaknesses, happen in his personal life.
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*new guy.
well this is awkward

Is there room here for a bit of shameless self promotion? (basically i am asking whether or not if I put the URL to my blog in the comments section will be frowned upon/ruin my chances/have any detrimental effect)

nice job sasha, agree with you about bayless. Calderon lets his man blow by him too much and if we’re going to be losing games this year lets at least develop our young pg.

This article by Sasha is clearly the most well thought-out and precise analysis of the Raptors’ woes out of the 5 interns. Great job!

Good article, the best of the five in my opinion.
Agreed, Reggie Evans isn’t just a rebounding machine but he brings intangibles that make the team play better

http://fanboyanonymous.blogspot.com is my blog. Any feedback you guys have would be great, positive or negative. But lets try to keep the negative feedback in my email inbox and not on this board….:D

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Pat Burns was one of the most successful NHL coaches. He was also a cop for 17 years.

Wayne Gretzky was one of the most successful NHL players. He was also a lousy coach.
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