Another Saturday afternoon, another tough loss for the Raptors. The Raps held a ten-point lead with five minutes to go, but couldn't hold it and dropped a 105-100 decision to the New Jersey Nets.
After deep discussions, the Raptors HQ Academy has determined its award winners for Saturday's matchup.
Best Actor: Toronto
Another day, another strong performance from Morris Peterson. He finished with 22 points on 9-12 shooting and provided solid defense on Vince Carter all afternoon. He scored both on jumpers and on aggressive drives to the bucket. Mo Pete also contributed five boards.
The frustrating part is that Mo Pete gets no plays run for him. I realize that this is nothing new, but don't you think a red-hot Mo Pete should have received a few more touches in the fourth quarter?
Best Actor: New Jersey
I couldn't resist awarding the Best Actor award to Vince Carter, if only for him hobbling off the court late in the game with an "injured" knee. Funny thing is that the knee looked just fine on the Nets' next possession.
Bonus points were awarded to VC for his headband and his tights. Seems that Carter never sets trends in the NBA. He is always quick to follow them. Back in the schoolyard, those kids were called posers.
Best Supporting Actor: Toronto
Charlie Villaunueva and Mike James received consideration for this award, but in the end it went to Chris Bosh. He wasn't as consistent as Mo Pete (only 2 points in the first half), but ended up with 23 points and 11 rebounds, including some tough, clutch hoops down the stretch.
Best Supporting Actor: New Jersey
This award went to Toronto's clutch time play. There were so many turnovers late in the game and in overtime that you'd have thought that the Meadowlands were a Betty Crocker factory. Most noticably, Mike James dribbling the ball out of bounds and Mo Pete's forced entry pass to CV Smooth on back-to-back possessions late in the fourth, while the Raps were up 2. And that's not even mentioning the four turnovers committed by the Dinos in overtime. Killer.
It is very frustrating to watch this team self-destruct, especially on back-to-back Saturday afternoons. The weekend afternoon games are tough enough as we're usually battling killer hangovers. But to lose these last two games (Dallas and the Nets) when we should have won both going away is disturbing.
Best Costume Design
The decision, presumably made by Mike James, to wear headbands to promote team unity. Maybe the Raps would have won yesterday's game had Bosh, Bonner, Calderon and Swirsky donned the headbands.
Best Director
Possibly the easiest decision of the awards committee. Jason Kidd wins this category going away. Sick fantasy night with a triple double, 14 points, 15 assists and 13 boards. Sure, he still can't shoot, but he is the premier floor general in the Eastern Conference and had his way with the Raps on Saturday.
Best Foreign Language Film
Another easy decision. Just check out any timeout conversation between Zoran Planinic, Bostjan Nachbar and Nenad Krstic.
Best Picture
Richard Jefferson's dunk over Matt Bonner. That will be someone's screensaver very soon.
Best Editing
While I am hesitant to award him any award after another crunch-time collapse, this award goes to Sam Mitchell for the curious decision to start Eric Williams.
CHAPMAN