Aren’t the Toronto Maple Leafs such a nice team and how they gift wrapped a victory for the Dallas Stars? And how the Leafs jerk around their fan base by giving the gift to the Stars at the Air Canada Centre in front 19 000 plus fans, and also how the Leafs get their fans’ hopes up, but then play a dud of a game the next night?
The goal challenged Stars got quite the gift from the Leafs, as Toronto played horribly and gave up eight goals, or handed them to Dallas on a silver platter. The Toronto players were in such a gift giving mood, that they decided to let the Dallas players skate around and score easy goals.
Even Vesa Toskala was in a cheery mood, especially in the second period when he let out huge rebounds for the Dallas players to improve their stats.
In exchange for those eight goals, the Dallas players decided to give something back, but not a whole lot, in the form of two goals. The Stars were smart enough to realize that they were playing a hockey game, not in some sort of charity event, even though they were given charity.
This game was ugly right off the bat, as the Leafs surrendered four first period goals.
The first goal pretty much set the tempo of the game, and the Dallas players decided they were going to drive the net, and the Leafs weren’t allowed to defend. That is exactly what happened on the first goal, as the Stars were able to rush the net, and scored off the rebound.
Toronto’s invisible defense was magnified on the play, as Jeremy Williams stood around on the play and allowed goal scorer and hometown player James Neal go to the net.
That goal was the first of three on the night for James Neal, who recorded his first career hat-trick.
On the second Dallas goal, it was Tomas Kaberle who was at fault for the goal. He didn’t clear the puck around the boards properly, only to have it stopped, and let Steve Ott go to the net. Where he accepted a beautiful pass from Mike Ribeiro, and had an easy goal.
It was 2-0 in a matter of time, and the Leafs really had nothing going for them. They showed no speed, no hustle, no determination, no energy, and were just out played badly. Toronto couldn’t even get a decent first pass out of the zone, and if they did, a Dallas player would be waiting in the neutral zone.
Then the game got ugly and quick, and Toronto got burned big time on the third Dallas goal. This one hurt because Fabian Brunnstrom scored the goal, and made it look easy, on a relatively difficult play. Brunnstrom was a player that Toronto actively pursued in the off-season, but lost out.
Steve Ott made a great drop pass to Brunnstrom, and Ott was able to suck in two defencemen towards him, which sprung Brunnstrom free. The play Brunnstrom made was fantastic, as he cut down the wing towards the net, and kicked away Jeff Finger’s stick, got by Toskala’s weak poke check effort, and slid the puck home.
Then to pretty much win the game in the first period, the Stars added a power play goal on a one-timer from the point by Brad Richards. That was shot was perfectly placed, as it was nice and low to the ice through traffic.
From then on, the Stars played a 1-4 system, and Toronto couldn’t do too much to maneuver around it, because they were mentally and physically out of the game. The Leafs players weren’t moving their feet, and it didn’t help either with Toskala letting out huge rebounds.
The Stars added three more goals to their lead to make it 7-0, before Jason Blake scored one for the Leafs.
Toskala was also pulled from the game in favor of Curtis Joseph, who did a good job in relief and allowed only one goal.
Everyone in the building knew the Leafs players wanted the game to end, and just stood around in the defensive zone, and Dallas scored three easy goals.
The first came off a bad rebound let out by Toskala on a bad angle shot, and the next goal was scored on a really sad defensive effort on which the Leafs reaction time was real slow. Oh yeah, that goal was also scored off a rebound. The third goal was just complete domination by the Stars, and Toskala looked real lost in net, and did even try to stop the puck or make it look as if he gave it an effort.
At that point, the Leafs were out shot 27-9, and 37-22 on the game. According to the official scorers of the game, it read the Leafs had only one shot on goal at about the twelve minute mark of the first period.
The third period was just some boring hockey, Dallas had the game all locked up, and the Leafs fans were beyond restless. The two teams did exchange goals in the third, and there was a scrap between Andre Deveaux and Krystopher Barch, which was their second of the game. On the second Toronto goal, Andre Deveaux picked up his first career NHL point with an assist.
With the loss, Toronto had a slim score sheet and Nik Antropov’s four game point scoring streak was snapped. On the other hand, Dallas’ was full and sixteen different players picked up at least a point, which included Marty Turco, and had seven multiple point scorers.
The opinions and thoughts expressed in this or any other article written by 12nadnuk are of his thinking and what he thinks is correct or close to it in the sporting world. If there are any problems by anyone, 12nadnuk is open for rebuttal and what not, and honest criticism. There is also a comments section, so feel free to post what is on your mind about the article. Thank you for reading.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
POGGE SHINES IN NHL DEBUT
Well then, this had to be one of the top items on Brian Burke’s list, which was to see the 22 year old blue chip prospect Justin Pogge get into an NHL game. With a groin injury to starter Vesa Toskala, Pogge was called up and got his chance to show what he is capable of doing in net.
He got to start in Atlanta versus the defensive lacking Thrashers, and put up a great start, to what could be a promising career. Pogge earned his first career NHL win with a 6-2 win, which was high lighted by two spectacular and game saving saves.
His first ever NHL save was a real test, as it was off a one-timer and made a real good stop, with good rebound control.
Both those big saves came at crucial points during the game, where the Leafs were up 2-0 in the second period, and 3-1 in the third period. The first save came on an Atlanta power play, and he made the save with his left leg on a low cross ice pass with about 10 minutes to go in the second period. The second save was probably the best of them all, and literally stopped the shot with his stretched out toe, on what should’ve been a sure goal in the third.
If that save had not been made, the Thrashers would’ve cut the score down to 3-2 with twelve minutes to play in the game.
The Leafs built up on that save and scored a goal on the power play to make the score 4-1. The Thrashers did come back with a second goal, but the Leafs answered and restored their three goal lead, and potted an empty netter to seal the game for a 6-2 victory.
This game was controlled by the Leafs from the get go, and outplayed the Thrashers and exposed them on their week defensive game. This game was reminiscent of the one that was played this past Saturday when the Leafs beat up on the Penguins for a 7-3 win.
A second before the game turned one minute old, the Leafs scored on a broken play as the Thrashers did a horrible job on trying to clear the zone. But, Matt Stajan made a nice play on the line to keep the play on side and fed the puck to Nik Antropov who took a shot towards goal. Alex Ponikarovsky was the goal scorer, as he got one through the legs of Atlanta goalie Kari Lehtonen for his eleventh goal of the year off the rebound.
On the play, Nik Antropov picked up his first of three assists on the night, and extended his point scoring streak to four games. In that span, he has three goals and six assists.
The line of Stajan, Antropov and Ponikarovsky was on fire and the best line for the Leafs in the game. That line scored nine points, with each player picking up three points each, and Stajan had two goals.
One of the other Marlboro call-ups, Jeremy Williams, has shown he can pretty much score at will, and snapped home his fifth goal of the year, in just six games and improved his shooting percent to 33, making good on 5 of 15 shots so far. Williams also picked up an assist on the fourth Toronto goal.
Williams was playing on another line that has been clicking of late, with Jason Blake and Dominic Moore, which was the second best line for the Leafs. And that line had five points.
At that point Toronto had scored two goals on just seven shots, and out shot the Thrashers 18-6 in the period.
The Thrashers offensively had zero chances and no real threats. If they ever did gain the zone, the Leafs defense played the Thrashers tightly, and got the puck out of the zone quickly.
That kind of play helped out Justin Pogge, and the best part of it all, was the Leafs played smartly and consistently through the game.
In the second period, the Leafs continued their strong play and did not let up as the Leafs scored one of their best goals all year on a great passing play. Who else, but the Stajan, Antropov, and Ponikarovsky line scored that goal as things have just been going good for them as of late. And Stajan was the recipient who received the final pass and had an easy tap in goal.
On that goal, the Thrashers were caught on a bad line change with some tired players on the ice, and Ilya Kovalchuk was in position to make the play a 3-on-3 rush, but was just skating around and let his man go to the net untouched.
That put the Leafs up 3-0, and the goal came right after the Thrashers had their first real good scoring chance of the game which came at the 9.50 mark of the second period. Atlanta also had a power play opportunity, but wasted that chance. And you knew this wasn’t their night when Ilya Kovalchuk fanned on a one timer from the point. That rarely ever happens.
Late in the second, Colby Armstrong raced down the wing and shot a nice high shot short side, which would’ve been a difficult save to make for Pogge.
That late goal by the Thrashers helped them out to start the third period and showed some life, and had the momentum. But the Leafs killed all the energy Atlanta had built up, and made the score 4-1 on a power play.
The Leafs needed just six seconds to execute, as Pavel Kubina shot the puck from the point, and Dominic Moore scored on the rebound.
The Thrashers did get something going after that on solo penalty killing rush by Kovalchuk that hit the post. If he had scored that would’ve been his 500th career point. Later on Todd White did score with about 5.30 left, but again, the Leafs answered back.
Niklas Hagman scored his second goal in as many games since his return from the injured reserve. That play was created off as stupid no look back hand pass through the neutral zone made by the veteran Mathieu Schneider.
John Mitchell intercepted that pass, and made a slick pass across to Hagman for a 5-2 score.
Atlanta did have their moments in the third, but the Leafs thoroughly dominated the Thrashers in a complete team effort.
As for Justin Pogge, he was excellent in the game, was solid with good rebound control and did not show any signs of being nervous, and stopped 19 of 21 shots. The Leafs out shot the Thrashers 38-21, and went 1/5 on the power play.
As for the three game road trip, the Leafs went 2-1 with some impressive victories, outscored the opposition 18-13, and now find themselves three points out of a playoff spot. In their last ten games the Leafs have gone 6-4, and outscored the opposition 36-32.
In the next five games, the Leafs face three teams that are currently out of a playoff spot, and of the two teams that do have a playoff spot, they face the Buffalo Sabres, a team that is three points ahead of the Leafs. Don’t get your hopes up with the streak the Leafs are on. The Leafs have shown that they are consistent in being inconsistent, with the stretches of wins they have put together, which are shortly followed by a series of losses.
Up next is a home date with the Dallas Stars, who currently have some issues to deal with, and Niklas Hagman will most certainly be up for that game.
The opinions and thoughts expressed in this or any other article written by 12nadnuk are of his thinking and what he thinks is correct or close to it in the sporting world. If there are any problems by anyone, 12nadnuk is open for rebuttal and what not, and honest criticism. There is also a comments section, so feel free to post what is on your mind about the article. Thank you for reading.
He got to start in Atlanta versus the defensive lacking Thrashers, and put up a great start, to what could be a promising career. Pogge earned his first career NHL win with a 6-2 win, which was high lighted by two spectacular and game saving saves.
His first ever NHL save was a real test, as it was off a one-timer and made a real good stop, with good rebound control.
Both those big saves came at crucial points during the game, where the Leafs were up 2-0 in the second period, and 3-1 in the third period. The first save came on an Atlanta power play, and he made the save with his left leg on a low cross ice pass with about 10 minutes to go in the second period. The second save was probably the best of them all, and literally stopped the shot with his stretched out toe, on what should’ve been a sure goal in the third.
If that save had not been made, the Thrashers would’ve cut the score down to 3-2 with twelve minutes to play in the game.
The Leafs built up on that save and scored a goal on the power play to make the score 4-1. The Thrashers did come back with a second goal, but the Leafs answered and restored their three goal lead, and potted an empty netter to seal the game for a 6-2 victory.
This game was controlled by the Leafs from the get go, and outplayed the Thrashers and exposed them on their week defensive game. This game was reminiscent of the one that was played this past Saturday when the Leafs beat up on the Penguins for a 7-3 win.
A second before the game turned one minute old, the Leafs scored on a broken play as the Thrashers did a horrible job on trying to clear the zone. But, Matt Stajan made a nice play on the line to keep the play on side and fed the puck to Nik Antropov who took a shot towards goal. Alex Ponikarovsky was the goal scorer, as he got one through the legs of Atlanta goalie Kari Lehtonen for his eleventh goal of the year off the rebound.
On the play, Nik Antropov picked up his first of three assists on the night, and extended his point scoring streak to four games. In that span, he has three goals and six assists.
The line of Stajan, Antropov and Ponikarovsky was on fire and the best line for the Leafs in the game. That line scored nine points, with each player picking up three points each, and Stajan had two goals.
One of the other Marlboro call-ups, Jeremy Williams, has shown he can pretty much score at will, and snapped home his fifth goal of the year, in just six games and improved his shooting percent to 33, making good on 5 of 15 shots so far. Williams also picked up an assist on the fourth Toronto goal.
Williams was playing on another line that has been clicking of late, with Jason Blake and Dominic Moore, which was the second best line for the Leafs. And that line had five points.
At that point Toronto had scored two goals on just seven shots, and out shot the Thrashers 18-6 in the period.
The Thrashers offensively had zero chances and no real threats. If they ever did gain the zone, the Leafs defense played the Thrashers tightly, and got the puck out of the zone quickly.
That kind of play helped out Justin Pogge, and the best part of it all, was the Leafs played smartly and consistently through the game.
In the second period, the Leafs continued their strong play and did not let up as the Leafs scored one of their best goals all year on a great passing play. Who else, but the Stajan, Antropov, and Ponikarovsky line scored that goal as things have just been going good for them as of late. And Stajan was the recipient who received the final pass and had an easy tap in goal.
On that goal, the Thrashers were caught on a bad line change with some tired players on the ice, and Ilya Kovalchuk was in position to make the play a 3-on-3 rush, but was just skating around and let his man go to the net untouched.
That put the Leafs up 3-0, and the goal came right after the Thrashers had their first real good scoring chance of the game which came at the 9.50 mark of the second period. Atlanta also had a power play opportunity, but wasted that chance. And you knew this wasn’t their night when Ilya Kovalchuk fanned on a one timer from the point. That rarely ever happens.
Late in the second, Colby Armstrong raced down the wing and shot a nice high shot short side, which would’ve been a difficult save to make for Pogge.
That late goal by the Thrashers helped them out to start the third period and showed some life, and had the momentum. But the Leafs killed all the energy Atlanta had built up, and made the score 4-1 on a power play.
The Leafs needed just six seconds to execute, as Pavel Kubina shot the puck from the point, and Dominic Moore scored on the rebound.
The Thrashers did get something going after that on solo penalty killing rush by Kovalchuk that hit the post. If he had scored that would’ve been his 500th career point. Later on Todd White did score with about 5.30 left, but again, the Leafs answered back.
Niklas Hagman scored his second goal in as many games since his return from the injured reserve. That play was created off as stupid no look back hand pass through the neutral zone made by the veteran Mathieu Schneider.
John Mitchell intercepted that pass, and made a slick pass across to Hagman for a 5-2 score.
Atlanta did have their moments in the third, but the Leafs thoroughly dominated the Thrashers in a complete team effort.
As for Justin Pogge, he was excellent in the game, was solid with good rebound control and did not show any signs of being nervous, and stopped 19 of 21 shots. The Leafs out shot the Thrashers 38-21, and went 1/5 on the power play.
As for the three game road trip, the Leafs went 2-1 with some impressive victories, outscored the opposition 18-13, and now find themselves three points out of a playoff spot. In their last ten games the Leafs have gone 6-4, and outscored the opposition 36-32.
In the next five games, the Leafs face three teams that are currently out of a playoff spot, and of the two teams that do have a playoff spot, they face the Buffalo Sabres, a team that is three points ahead of the Leafs. Don’t get your hopes up with the streak the Leafs are on. The Leafs have shown that they are consistent in being inconsistent, with the stretches of wins they have put together, which are shortly followed by a series of losses.
Up next is a home date with the Dallas Stars, who currently have some issues to deal with, and Niklas Hagman will most certainly be up for that game.
The opinions and thoughts expressed in this or any other article written by 12nadnuk are of his thinking and what he thinks is correct or close to it in the sporting world. If there are any problems by anyone, 12nadnuk is open for rebuttal and what not, and honest criticism. There is also a comments section, so feel free to post what is on your mind about the article. Thank you for reading.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
FINALLY, A WINNING STREAK
The Toronto Maple Leafs finally have a winning streak, which is at three games now after their shootout win over the Martin Brodeur-less New Jersey Devils 3-2 at the Air Canada Centre.
The game was quite a bore, as both teams played a defensive minded game, and the offensive chances for either side were kept to a minimum. You would come to expect something like this anytime any team plays the Devils.
The first period started off slow, mainly for the Leafs and for the seventh time this season gave up the opening goal on the first shot allowed. New Jersey’s Michael Rupp scored 1.49 into the game off a rebound chance that came from a 2-on-1 rush.
The AHL call-up Jamie Sifers, who just played his third game of his career was caught pinching, and the Devils went the other way on a 2-on-1. The initial shot was stopped, but Jeff Finger made a horrible clearing attempt right to Rupp.
The rest of the period looked as if it was in slow motion for the Leafs, as they were just slow skating and slow on rotations. The New Jersey players hounded the Toronto skaters and pressured them smartly to create turnovers. The Leafs with the puck weren’t very good either, and barely had good scoring opportunities.
For the one good scoring chance the Leafs had, Lee Stempniak missed a one-timer off a cross ice pass, and shot the puck low, which was stopped. When Stempniak should’ve shot high as the top half of the net was open. Since the trade, Stempniak has only scored once as a Leaf, which was back on November 29th.
The Leafs were outshot 9-5 in the first period, and Andre Deveaux got into a scrap with Jay Leach, trying to spark the Leafs, but it didn’t work.
In the second period, it looked as if the two teams swapped mindsets, and the Leafs played better, while the Devils were the slower team and were caught flat footed plenty of times.
Off a faceoff win, the puck was cycled down low and Nik Kulemin kept the play alive behind the net. From the point Tomas Kaberle wristed the puck towards goal, and Nik Antropov scored on the rebound to tie the game. From there the Leafs got a spark and played a smart game, which led to their second goal.
Jeremy Williams was the goal scorer who snapped one by Scott Clemmensen as he came off the half boards. The goal was created off of good fore checking and the Leafs just played some simple hockey by going for the puck with a strong pursuit. In his first three games of the year, Jeremy Williams has scored a goal in each game, has four points now, and has a shooting accuracy of 42% on 3/7 shooting. With the changes that are sure to come in the upcoming future, Jeremy Williams looks to be a lock in the Leaf lineup for next season.
On both Toronto goals, Tomas Kaberle got an assist.
With twenty seconds left to go in the second period, New Jersey sniper Zach Parise scored his 17th goal of the season on the power play, and has 8 goals in the 18 games Martin Brodeur has missed. The goal was a bit of a weird one as it deflected off his visor and into the net. Jeff Finger committed the penalty when he tripped up Zach Parise in the Toronto zone.
The third period was evenly matched, but the Leafs did have more opportunities to score. In the end, one time ex-Leaf/Marlboro Scott Clemmensen was pretty much the difference, and has been the difference for the Devils since Brodeur went down with an elbow injury. He played a solid game, and stopped 25 out of 27 shots.
In fact, both teams ended up with 27 shots on goal, and Vesa Toskala also came up big for the Leafs. When that early goal was conceded, it looked as if it was going to be another long night in net, but Toskala made key saves in the game.
Late in the third, the Devils had another 2-on-1 rush, but John Madden shot wide of the net. Then Zach Parise came down the wing and let go a hard slapper that was stopped and juggled by Toskala. The biggest save he made came real late in the third when Travis Zajak got away from the defence and out-skated the speedy Mikhail Grabovski for a breakaway. Vesa Toskala came up big with a toe save right when time expired to send the game to overtime.
In overtime, the Devils had the best chance to score when Patrick Elias received a nice pass from Zach Parise, but Elias missed a tap in, on which he completely fanned on.
In the shootout, the first two shooters from either side were stopped on their shots. On the third Toronto shot, Jeremy Williams was the shooter and scored high on Clemmensen. While Patrick Elias just got one by Vesa Toskala. The winning shot was just a beauty, as Jason Blake came down with speed, stopped his pace, and did a 360 to score into an open net. Brian Rolston had to score to extend the shootout, but shot wide.
This was also the first home ice shootout win in Vesa Toskala’s career. The Leafs are 2-4 in shootouts this season, with both wins coming against New Jersey.
The opinions and thoughts expressed in this or any other article written by 12nadnuk are of his thinking and what he thinks is correct or close to it in the sporting world. If there are any problems by anyone, 12nadnuk is open for rebuttal and what not, and honest criticism. There is also a comments section, so feel free to post what is on your mind about the article. Thank you for reading.
The game was quite a bore, as both teams played a defensive minded game, and the offensive chances for either side were kept to a minimum. You would come to expect something like this anytime any team plays the Devils.
The first period started off slow, mainly for the Leafs and for the seventh time this season gave up the opening goal on the first shot allowed. New Jersey’s Michael Rupp scored 1.49 into the game off a rebound chance that came from a 2-on-1 rush.
The AHL call-up Jamie Sifers, who just played his third game of his career was caught pinching, and the Devils went the other way on a 2-on-1. The initial shot was stopped, but Jeff Finger made a horrible clearing attempt right to Rupp.
The rest of the period looked as if it was in slow motion for the Leafs, as they were just slow skating and slow on rotations. The New Jersey players hounded the Toronto skaters and pressured them smartly to create turnovers. The Leafs with the puck weren’t very good either, and barely had good scoring opportunities.
For the one good scoring chance the Leafs had, Lee Stempniak missed a one-timer off a cross ice pass, and shot the puck low, which was stopped. When Stempniak should’ve shot high as the top half of the net was open. Since the trade, Stempniak has only scored once as a Leaf, which was back on November 29th.
The Leafs were outshot 9-5 in the first period, and Andre Deveaux got into a scrap with Jay Leach, trying to spark the Leafs, but it didn’t work.
In the second period, it looked as if the two teams swapped mindsets, and the Leafs played better, while the Devils were the slower team and were caught flat footed plenty of times.
Off a faceoff win, the puck was cycled down low and Nik Kulemin kept the play alive behind the net. From the point Tomas Kaberle wristed the puck towards goal, and Nik Antropov scored on the rebound to tie the game. From there the Leafs got a spark and played a smart game, which led to their second goal.
Jeremy Williams was the goal scorer who snapped one by Scott Clemmensen as he came off the half boards. The goal was created off of good fore checking and the Leafs just played some simple hockey by going for the puck with a strong pursuit. In his first three games of the year, Jeremy Williams has scored a goal in each game, has four points now, and has a shooting accuracy of 42% on 3/7 shooting. With the changes that are sure to come in the upcoming future, Jeremy Williams looks to be a lock in the Leaf lineup for next season.
On both Toronto goals, Tomas Kaberle got an assist.
With twenty seconds left to go in the second period, New Jersey sniper Zach Parise scored his 17th goal of the season on the power play, and has 8 goals in the 18 games Martin Brodeur has missed. The goal was a bit of a weird one as it deflected off his visor and into the net. Jeff Finger committed the penalty when he tripped up Zach Parise in the Toronto zone.
The third period was evenly matched, but the Leafs did have more opportunities to score. In the end, one time ex-Leaf/Marlboro Scott Clemmensen was pretty much the difference, and has been the difference for the Devils since Brodeur went down with an elbow injury. He played a solid game, and stopped 25 out of 27 shots.
In fact, both teams ended up with 27 shots on goal, and Vesa Toskala also came up big for the Leafs. When that early goal was conceded, it looked as if it was going to be another long night in net, but Toskala made key saves in the game.
Late in the third, the Devils had another 2-on-1 rush, but John Madden shot wide of the net. Then Zach Parise came down the wing and let go a hard slapper that was stopped and juggled by Toskala. The biggest save he made came real late in the third when Travis Zajak got away from the defence and out-skated the speedy Mikhail Grabovski for a breakaway. Vesa Toskala came up big with a toe save right when time expired to send the game to overtime.
In overtime, the Devils had the best chance to score when Patrick Elias received a nice pass from Zach Parise, but Elias missed a tap in, on which he completely fanned on.
In the shootout, the first two shooters from either side were stopped on their shots. On the third Toronto shot, Jeremy Williams was the shooter and scored high on Clemmensen. While Patrick Elias just got one by Vesa Toskala. The winning shot was just a beauty, as Jason Blake came down with speed, stopped his pace, and did a 360 to score into an open net. Brian Rolston had to score to extend the shootout, but shot wide.
This was also the first home ice shootout win in Vesa Toskala’s career. The Leafs are 2-4 in shootouts this season, with both wins coming against New Jersey.
The opinions and thoughts expressed in this or any other article written by 12nadnuk are of his thinking and what he thinks is correct or close to it in the sporting world. If there are any problems by anyone, 12nadnuk is open for rebuttal and what not, and honest criticism. There is also a comments section, so feel free to post what is on your mind about the article. Thank you for reading.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
GUARD PLAY COMES UP BIG; CALDERON OUT-DUELS FORD
It was the night of the point guard’s, and their play, Jose Calderon versus TJ Ford. On this night, Jose Calderon got the best of ex-Raptor TJ Ford, with a better stat line and play, and the Raptors won the game 101-88 over the Indiana Pacers.
Before the game, most of the hype was surrounded around TJ Ford and Rasho Nesterovic, who were traded for Jermaine O’Neal. All three of these players had much to prove, to their ex-team and current team. Like gentlemen, both Calderon, O’Neal and Ford downplayed the situation of the match-up, but deep down this just wasn’t any game. And all three players knew what the deal was and wanted to play big games.
Both teams started the game off slow shooting at extremely low percentages and taking jumpers instead of driving the ball.
The starting point guards of either side really didn’t get into a steady flow offensively or defensively. Calderon got the better of Ford and his four points, four assist night. While Calderon finished the game with 11 points and 14 assists, with five rebounds. He also re-wrote the Raptors record books, by breaking Chauncey Billups’ old record of 51 consecutive free throws made. Calderon went 4/4 from the line, and has hit 55 straight free throws.
The guard play from the Raptors over matched the Pacers and their disorganized play, and led the Raptors to a big win.
The Raptors did manage to win the first quarter 20-18, and picked up the pace in the second quarter with some strong play on both ends of the floor. Instead of the jumpers both teams fell in love with, the Raptors decided to drive the ball, and it paid off nicely, en route to a 51-45 lead at half time.
Jason Kapono who replaced Anthony Parker in the starting lineup due to an ankle injury had a monster first half with 15 points and 6 rebounds, and finished with 25 and 8.
With the missed game, Anthony Parker had his consecutive games started streak snapped at 103.
Chris Bosh, who has struggled lately, showed signs of his earlier play this season, and ended the night with 21 points and 7 rebounds. His minutes, since Jay Triano took over as head coach, have been cut down from the usual forty minutes he was playing, and Bosh only played 34 minutes. The minutes needed to be cut back, because his slow play of late was due to fatigue and heavy minutes early on.
The play of Jamario Moon was just something else, and something that no one had seen this year. He was doing everything, played with energy, shot the ball at a high percentage and played some solid defense altering plenty of Indiana shots. If he could only play this way every game, the Raptors wouldn’t be in the mess that they are in now. Offensively, he was in a groove and scored a season-high 17 points, which was highlighted by a put back slam off a Jermaine O’Neal missed shot.
Moon replaced Andrea Bargnani in the starting lineup, and Bargnani didn’t do much in the way of proving that he deserves to be a starter with zero points and four rebounds in 22 minutes. His inconsistent play continues.
The ex-all-star Pacer, Jermaine O’Neal really didn’t show up his old team, but did have a relatively solid game with 10 points and 9 rebounds. His minutes were reduced in the first half due to two quick first quarter fouls in the games first two minutes.
On the night, six Raptor players ended up in double figures, which included the starting lineup and Joey Graham off the bench with 12 points.
As for Joey Graham, he put up another solid effort, and has played consistently for the last ten games. This is huge for the Raptors, as they have a strong player to come off the bench and provide good secondary scoring, with athleticism.
The Pacers had stretches where it looked as if they were going to make the game close again, but the Raptors pretty much took control of the game in the third quarter. Toronto won every quarter as well, which is always a great team stat.
Indiana scorers were very quiet, even though they had three players that ended up scoring 20 or more points. Danny Granger the main threat of the Pacers offense put himself in a hole when he kept tossing up bricks in the first quarter and throughout the game. He only scored two points in the first quarter, but ended up with 22 points, but the bulk of those points came in the latter stages of the game, when the game was essentially won by the Raptors. Granger taking stupid shots, and not getting to the basket really hurt the Pacers’ chances of winning or keeping it close.
Lost in the Pacers loss was the game played by Troy Murphy who had 20 points and 20 rebounds. That is a stat line that usually go to the likes of Dwight Howard, and that help a team win games. The Pacers never seemed to get into a comfortably pace or settle down, and made a lot of bad decisions on offense. And defensively, their short lineup was exploited by the Raptor big men, and Toronto shot 50% from the field.
The defense of the Raptors showed up in the game, and consistently, and held the Pacers to 34% shooting. The Raptors’ biggest lead was at 18, but were outscored 34-28 in the paint, and out-rebounded 52-47.
Strong runs by the Raptors in the second and fourth quarters put the team up big, with 11-0 and 9-0 runs. Raptors head coach Jay Triano won his first career game with the new title, and was the first head coaching win by a Canadian born and trained coach. The Raptors snapped a five game losing skid, to somewhat improve their record to 9-12 and their home record to an even 5-5.
The opinions and thoughts expressed in this or any other article written by 12nadnuk are of his thinking and what he thinks is correct or close to it in the sporting world. If there are any problems by anyone, 12nadnuk is open for rebuttal and what not, and honest criticism. There is also a comments section, so feel free to post what is on your mind about the article. Thank you for reading.
Before the game, most of the hype was surrounded around TJ Ford and Rasho Nesterovic, who were traded for Jermaine O’Neal. All three of these players had much to prove, to their ex-team and current team. Like gentlemen, both Calderon, O’Neal and Ford downplayed the situation of the match-up, but deep down this just wasn’t any game. And all three players knew what the deal was and wanted to play big games.
Both teams started the game off slow shooting at extremely low percentages and taking jumpers instead of driving the ball.
The starting point guards of either side really didn’t get into a steady flow offensively or defensively. Calderon got the better of Ford and his four points, four assist night. While Calderon finished the game with 11 points and 14 assists, with five rebounds. He also re-wrote the Raptors record books, by breaking Chauncey Billups’ old record of 51 consecutive free throws made. Calderon went 4/4 from the line, and has hit 55 straight free throws.
The guard play from the Raptors over matched the Pacers and their disorganized play, and led the Raptors to a big win.
The Raptors did manage to win the first quarter 20-18, and picked up the pace in the second quarter with some strong play on both ends of the floor. Instead of the jumpers both teams fell in love with, the Raptors decided to drive the ball, and it paid off nicely, en route to a 51-45 lead at half time.
Jason Kapono who replaced Anthony Parker in the starting lineup due to an ankle injury had a monster first half with 15 points and 6 rebounds, and finished with 25 and 8.
With the missed game, Anthony Parker had his consecutive games started streak snapped at 103.
Chris Bosh, who has struggled lately, showed signs of his earlier play this season, and ended the night with 21 points and 7 rebounds. His minutes, since Jay Triano took over as head coach, have been cut down from the usual forty minutes he was playing, and Bosh only played 34 minutes. The minutes needed to be cut back, because his slow play of late was due to fatigue and heavy minutes early on.
The play of Jamario Moon was just something else, and something that no one had seen this year. He was doing everything, played with energy, shot the ball at a high percentage and played some solid defense altering plenty of Indiana shots. If he could only play this way every game, the Raptors wouldn’t be in the mess that they are in now. Offensively, he was in a groove and scored a season-high 17 points, which was highlighted by a put back slam off a Jermaine O’Neal missed shot.
Moon replaced Andrea Bargnani in the starting lineup, and Bargnani didn’t do much in the way of proving that he deserves to be a starter with zero points and four rebounds in 22 minutes. His inconsistent play continues.
The ex-all-star Pacer, Jermaine O’Neal really didn’t show up his old team, but did have a relatively solid game with 10 points and 9 rebounds. His minutes were reduced in the first half due to two quick first quarter fouls in the games first two minutes.
On the night, six Raptor players ended up in double figures, which included the starting lineup and Joey Graham off the bench with 12 points.
As for Joey Graham, he put up another solid effort, and has played consistently for the last ten games. This is huge for the Raptors, as they have a strong player to come off the bench and provide good secondary scoring, with athleticism.
The Pacers had stretches where it looked as if they were going to make the game close again, but the Raptors pretty much took control of the game in the third quarter. Toronto won every quarter as well, which is always a great team stat.
Indiana scorers were very quiet, even though they had three players that ended up scoring 20 or more points. Danny Granger the main threat of the Pacers offense put himself in a hole when he kept tossing up bricks in the first quarter and throughout the game. He only scored two points in the first quarter, but ended up with 22 points, but the bulk of those points came in the latter stages of the game, when the game was essentially won by the Raptors. Granger taking stupid shots, and not getting to the basket really hurt the Pacers’ chances of winning or keeping it close.
Lost in the Pacers loss was the game played by Troy Murphy who had 20 points and 20 rebounds. That is a stat line that usually go to the likes of Dwight Howard, and that help a team win games. The Pacers never seemed to get into a comfortably pace or settle down, and made a lot of bad decisions on offense. And defensively, their short lineup was exploited by the Raptor big men, and Toronto shot 50% from the field.
The defense of the Raptors showed up in the game, and consistently, and held the Pacers to 34% shooting. The Raptors’ biggest lead was at 18, but were outscored 34-28 in the paint, and out-rebounded 52-47.
Strong runs by the Raptors in the second and fourth quarters put the team up big, with 11-0 and 9-0 runs. Raptors head coach Jay Triano won his first career game with the new title, and was the first head coaching win by a Canadian born and trained coach. The Raptors snapped a five game losing skid, to somewhat improve their record to 9-12 and their home record to an even 5-5.
The opinions and thoughts expressed in this or any other article written by 12nadnuk are of his thinking and what he thinks is correct or close to it in the sporting world. If there are any problems by anyone, 12nadnuk is open for rebuttal and what not, and honest criticism. There is also a comments section, so feel free to post what is on your mind about the article. Thank you for reading.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
RAPTORS REPORT
SAM MITCHELL FIRED, (DETAILS CONTINUED BELOW. WHILE WRITING THIS ARTICLE THE NEWS WAS BROKEN)
Any time a team from the East crosses over to the West, they have trouble adjusting to the time zone, and the team. And the same deal applies for a Western team coming to the East.
Especially now, and the way the West has performed the past couple of years, it’s no walk in the park. The Toronto Raptors are a prime example of a team from the East that struggles mightily when facing a Western opponent.
Currently, the Raptors have completed two thirds of a three game Western road trip, which saw them play in Los Angeles versus the Lakers, and the Denver Nuggets. Up next, will be a national US telecast on ESPN versus the Utah Jazz.
In the first two games of the trip, the Raptors lost badly to the Lakers and Nuggets. The final scores in each of those games were 112-99, and 132-93.
*SIDE NOTE: The latest loss against Denver probably did it for Sam Mitchell, and other tight games lost earlier in the year. Two games that sting were the two losses versus the Boston Celtics in Boston, when the Raptors had double digit leads numerous times. The game versus New Jersey in Toronto against the Nets was game where Toronto held an 18 point lead and lost in overtime.
The positive, the Raptors scored an average of 95 points. The negative, they gave up an average of 120 points. That right there is a 25 point loss, on average. History will show you that the Raptors have struggled to play in the West, just look at last season.
Versus Western conference opponents, the Raptors went 10-19, and 7-7 at home. The major low of the season was a five game western road trip, where the Raptors went 0/5.
Already this season, the Raptors versus Western opponent are 1-2, and just barely squeaked out a win versus the Golden State Warriors in Toronto, in overtime.
Overall, the start to this season has been a huge disappointment. After a 3-0 start to the season, things looked good in Raptorland, and the acquisition of Jermaine O’Neal was paying dividends. Since the 3-0 start, the Raptors have gone 5-9, including an uneasy 4-4 start to the home schedule at the Air Canada Centre.
Last year after 17 game into the season, the Raptors had a record of 9-8, which really isn’t all that different from this year’s mark of 8-9.
The records may not be so different, but the performances of the players are.
Chris Bosh this season continues to grow as a player, and is putting up numbers and playing like an MVP. Without Bosh on the Raptors roster, which is scary to think about, the team could easily be 3-14. Currently, he is averaging 27 points a game, which is good enough to be in the top three of scoring. Bosh is in some elite company, sandwiched in between LeBron James and Dwayne Wade.
Andrea Bargnani has drastically improved his game, most notably on the defensive end.
The Jermaine O’Neal project started off good, and was on the verge of being great. But, knee and ankle injuries have slowed the centre’s progress.
Jose Calderon as a starter was something all Raptors fans had been waiting for. So far it looks good, but the extra minutes on Jose’s body have also slowed him down at times this season.
Anthony Parkers scoring touch has dwindled, but defensively he remains strong.
Jamario Moon has been a bust so far this season, in what was thought to be a diamond in the ruff type of find. After playing solid defence in his rookie year, which earned him 75 starts, Moon has been lazy at best this season. And for a player, who is in his contract year, sure isn’t playing as if he wants a new contract, and would rather adventure through the minor leagues, again.
Jason Kapono looks as if he scores and plays whenever he feels like it, because he is getting paid six million a year and sitting on his contract. Defensively, the guy is a pylon, all he needs is a nice orange tan, and he should know where to go, since he is from California.
As for the rest of the team, the Raptors have three D-Leaguers, including two back up point guards. Kris Humphries is always solid when playing. Joey Graham has put together a nice string of games, but still isn’t very reliable.
With that, it looks like only two players on the Raptors roster have improved their game, while three players have dropped off.
That most certainly is not the way to go, especially with the upcoming schedule the Raptors have. Between now (December 3) and until the turn of the New Year (December 31), the Raptors will have played 15 games in 29 games. Or, if you want to start from Friday December 5, when the Raptors face the Jazz, you can make that 15 games in 27 days.
Of those 15 games, the Raptors will face 11 Western opponents and will only play 6 home games. So that’s 9 road games, and 7 of those games will be in the West, including a 6 game Western road trip. For the 6 games to be played at home, the Raptors will host 4 Western teams.
That is quite the hectic schedule and the good thing is the 2008 calendar half of the season was the toughest, and will be over with. Once the 2008 potion of the season is over, the Raptors will have played 32 games, and 18 road games. For 2009, that leaves a nice ratio of 27 home games to 23 road games. The Raptors will also have a five game home stand during crunch time late in March.
As for the upcoming 15 games, and if history repeats itself, here is how things could look for the Raptors. This projection is solely based on first and second time meetings from last season.
1. @ Utah Jazz (Raptors lost first meeting 92-88)
2. vs. Portland Trail Blazers (lost first meeting 101-96)
3. @ Cleveland Cavaliers (lost first meeting 111-108
4. vs. Indiana Pacers (won first meeting 110-101)
5. @ New Jersey Nets (won second meeting 109-91)
6. vs. New Orleans Hornets (won first meeting 97-92)
7. vs. New Jersey Nets (lost third meeting 99-90)
8. vs. Dallas Mavericks (lost first meeting 105-99)
9. @ Oklahoma City Thunder (lost first meeting 123-115)
10. @ San Antonio Spurs (won first meeting 83-73)
11. @ Los Angeles Clippers (won first meeting 80-77)
12. @ Sacramento Kings (won first meeting 116-91)
13. @ Portland Trail Blazers (won second meeting 116-109)
14. @ Golden State Warriors (lost second meeting 117-106)
15. vs. Denver Nuggets (lost second meeting 109-100)
With those results right there, the Raptors are projected to go 7-8, which will bring their overall record to 15-17. After 32 games into last season, those Raptors stood at a mark of 17-15. So the projection looks like a fair assessment.
Here is another scenario that can play out and will see the Raptors in deep trouble.
Against Utah, that’s a tough match-up and Jerry Sloan runs a disciplined team, 0-1.
The Raptors will then head home to face a tough Portland team that features Brandon Roy and Greg Oden. The Raptors will have to re-adjust to the Eastern time zone, and so will Portland, but still Toronto had trouble putting away the Blazers last season at home in a double overtime win, 0-2.
Then after a day off, the Raptors will head to Cleveland and face LeBron James and the Cavs that have a strong 14-3 record, 0-3.
The Raptors will then head back home to face old teammates TJ Ford and Rasho Nesterovic. The Raptors will want to show that they are better off without them, and Jermaine O’Neal would like to show up his old team as well, 1-3.
Then the Raptors are back on the road again for a rematch against Vince Carter and the Nets in New Jersey. The Raptors will have revenge on their minds after Vince Carter stole a win from the Raptors in Toronto, 2-3.
Finally, the Raptors will get a three game home stand and face New Orleans, New Jersey, and Dallas. The Hornets and Chris Paul are a tough task, 2-4. After that loss at home versus the Nets, the Raptors will get their full revenge and take of two of three from New Jersey in five weeks, 3-4. Toronto always seems to play well against the Mavericks, whether it is on the road or at home, 4-4.
Then the six game road trip kicks in. No doubt, the Raptors are better than Oklahoma City, 5-4. San Antonio is just too good and at home, 5-5. The Raptors had a tough time versus the Clippers last season, 5-6. The Raptors split the two meetings last season with the Sacramento Kings, but lost in Sacramento, 5-7. Toronto will face Portland again, and will put up a fight. The Blazers have too much power, 5-8. Golden State gave Toronto fits last season, and this season as well, 5-9.
The Raptors will then return home on New Years Eve to face the Denver Nuggets and with Chauncey Billups in the lineup the Nuggets have been rolling, 5-10.
There’s the outcome of the second scenario, 5-10, which makes their overall record 13-19.
The Raptors no doubt will be in tough, but they can change their fortunes. It’s all about the attitude the team brings into each game. Most importantly, the Raptors have got to stop looking at the other name on the teams’ jersey, and the players. The Raptors just need to think about themselves and how they will play. At this point, the Raptors team is heading into each game expecting the worst. That’s the worst possible mindset.
These two projections could have a different outcome, due to the firing of Sam Mitchell. This decision just had to happen, because it looked like the Raptors gave up on Mitchell, and pretty much lost the team. This season, the body language of Sam Mitchell suggested he was fed up with the team, and just wanted better players. The style of coaching Mitchell had implemented was for veterans, and the Raptors just aren’t there yet. If Sam Mitchell was a good coach, he would’ve adjusted by now and coached to the style of players he has and not the players he doesn’t. Sam Mitchell no doubt had the player talent this year to be one of the top teams in the East. Considering the team Sam Mitchell had in 2007 season, this year’s team was virtually better, because the players had grown together.
After the Raptors came off a 47 win season in 2007, Sam Mitchell won the Coach of the Year Award, and in the summer was given a 4 year contract worth 16 million dollars (US). This was the second year of the contract. Sam Mitchell was hired by Rob Babcock as a rookie head coach back in 2004.
In his first season the Raptors went 33-49, and under his guidance the Raptors finished above .500 once. The team won the Atlantic Division in 2007 with a 47-35 record, and the Raptors have made the playoffs twice. In the two playoff appearances, the Raptors never advanced to the second round, and went 3-8 combined. Overall, Sam Mitchell’s coaching record stands at 151-184, in 335 games.
Now it’s up to the players to change their games and just play better, because they have been bailed out by the firing. We’ll find out in the upcoming stretch games as to what kind of players the Raptors have. Let’s face it; Chris Bosh was the only player who had game going into each match. The players know that they let Sam down too, and if they don’t improve their games, Bryan Collangelo will have no choice but to make some moves in the off-season.
General Manager Bryan Collangelo was expected to do something and finally did. A trade of any sort was out of the question due to cap issues and a slim market. So far, in his three years with Toronto, he has a built a team good enough to contest for a .500 record and the playoffs. Collangelo still has an opportunity to do something here, but time is ticking, and after this season is over, he will have two years left on his contract.
For now, assistant coach Jay Triano will takeover on an interim basis, but as Bryan Collangelo said in his conference call, this could be for the whole year. What an opportunity this is for Jay Triano to make his mark after being an assistant coach for 7 years with the Raptors. Triano will be the first ever Canadian born and trained in the history of the NBA. He also did make his coaching debut last year for one game when Sam Mitchell had to attend to personal matters back home. The style of coaching that Jay Triano will most likely go with will be a free flow style, letting the players play. At this point it wouldn’t hurt because the Raptors team needs something new and fresh, and this could be the shot in the arm the team needs to get going. In his conference call, Jay Triano stated he is going to make gradual changes, nothing sudden. As for Jay Triano’s coaching debut, it will come under a heavy Canadian and American microscope. The game will be broadcasted nationally across Canada on TSN, and nationally in America on ESPN. The Raptors will also being facing the tough Utah Jazz, who are hard to beat at home. The pressure will be on from the get go for Triano.
With this coaching change, what affect will this have on all-star Chris Bosh? If this doesn’t get him thinking about his future in Toronto, then what will? If the Raptors want to keep their franchise player for long number of years, they should hear what he has to say about all this and potentially a new head coach for next season.
Speaking as a Raptors fan, the numbers and projections look scary, and the change that was needed was finally made, and will hopefully turn this team around whoever the new coach may be. As for the record, I will still go into every game expecting a victory and keeping the faith.
LET’S GO RAPTORS!
The opinions and thoughts expressed in this or any other article written by 12nadnuk are of his thinking and what he thinks is correct or close to it in the sporting world. If there are any problems by anyone, 12nadnuk is open for rebuttal and what not, and honest criticism. There is also a comments section, so feel free to post what is on your mind about the article. Thank you for reading.
Any time a team from the East crosses over to the West, they have trouble adjusting to the time zone, and the team. And the same deal applies for a Western team coming to the East.
Especially now, and the way the West has performed the past couple of years, it’s no walk in the park. The Toronto Raptors are a prime example of a team from the East that struggles mightily when facing a Western opponent.
Currently, the Raptors have completed two thirds of a three game Western road trip, which saw them play in Los Angeles versus the Lakers, and the Denver Nuggets. Up next, will be a national US telecast on ESPN versus the Utah Jazz.
In the first two games of the trip, the Raptors lost badly to the Lakers and Nuggets. The final scores in each of those games were 112-99, and 132-93.
*SIDE NOTE: The latest loss against Denver probably did it for Sam Mitchell, and other tight games lost earlier in the year. Two games that sting were the two losses versus the Boston Celtics in Boston, when the Raptors had double digit leads numerous times. The game versus New Jersey in Toronto against the Nets was game where Toronto held an 18 point lead and lost in overtime.
The positive, the Raptors scored an average of 95 points. The negative, they gave up an average of 120 points. That right there is a 25 point loss, on average. History will show you that the Raptors have struggled to play in the West, just look at last season.
Versus Western conference opponents, the Raptors went 10-19, and 7-7 at home. The major low of the season was a five game western road trip, where the Raptors went 0/5.
Already this season, the Raptors versus Western opponent are 1-2, and just barely squeaked out a win versus the Golden State Warriors in Toronto, in overtime.
Overall, the start to this season has been a huge disappointment. After a 3-0 start to the season, things looked good in Raptorland, and the acquisition of Jermaine O’Neal was paying dividends. Since the 3-0 start, the Raptors have gone 5-9, including an uneasy 4-4 start to the home schedule at the Air Canada Centre.
Last year after 17 game into the season, the Raptors had a record of 9-8, which really isn’t all that different from this year’s mark of 8-9.
The records may not be so different, but the performances of the players are.
Chris Bosh this season continues to grow as a player, and is putting up numbers and playing like an MVP. Without Bosh on the Raptors roster, which is scary to think about, the team could easily be 3-14. Currently, he is averaging 27 points a game, which is good enough to be in the top three of scoring. Bosh is in some elite company, sandwiched in between LeBron James and Dwayne Wade.
Andrea Bargnani has drastically improved his game, most notably on the defensive end.
The Jermaine O’Neal project started off good, and was on the verge of being great. But, knee and ankle injuries have slowed the centre’s progress.
Jose Calderon as a starter was something all Raptors fans had been waiting for. So far it looks good, but the extra minutes on Jose’s body have also slowed him down at times this season.
Anthony Parkers scoring touch has dwindled, but defensively he remains strong.
Jamario Moon has been a bust so far this season, in what was thought to be a diamond in the ruff type of find. After playing solid defence in his rookie year, which earned him 75 starts, Moon has been lazy at best this season. And for a player, who is in his contract year, sure isn’t playing as if he wants a new contract, and would rather adventure through the minor leagues, again.
Jason Kapono looks as if he scores and plays whenever he feels like it, because he is getting paid six million a year and sitting on his contract. Defensively, the guy is a pylon, all he needs is a nice orange tan, and he should know where to go, since he is from California.
As for the rest of the team, the Raptors have three D-Leaguers, including two back up point guards. Kris Humphries is always solid when playing. Joey Graham has put together a nice string of games, but still isn’t very reliable.
With that, it looks like only two players on the Raptors roster have improved their game, while three players have dropped off.
That most certainly is not the way to go, especially with the upcoming schedule the Raptors have. Between now (December 3) and until the turn of the New Year (December 31), the Raptors will have played 15 games in 29 games. Or, if you want to start from Friday December 5, when the Raptors face the Jazz, you can make that 15 games in 27 days.
Of those 15 games, the Raptors will face 11 Western opponents and will only play 6 home games. So that’s 9 road games, and 7 of those games will be in the West, including a 6 game Western road trip. For the 6 games to be played at home, the Raptors will host 4 Western teams.
That is quite the hectic schedule and the good thing is the 2008 calendar half of the season was the toughest, and will be over with. Once the 2008 potion of the season is over, the Raptors will have played 32 games, and 18 road games. For 2009, that leaves a nice ratio of 27 home games to 23 road games. The Raptors will also have a five game home stand during crunch time late in March.
As for the upcoming 15 games, and if history repeats itself, here is how things could look for the Raptors. This projection is solely based on first and second time meetings from last season.
1. @ Utah Jazz (Raptors lost first meeting 92-88)
2. vs. Portland Trail Blazers (lost first meeting 101-96)
3. @ Cleveland Cavaliers (lost first meeting 111-108
4. vs. Indiana Pacers (won first meeting 110-101)
5. @ New Jersey Nets (won second meeting 109-91)
6. vs. New Orleans Hornets (won first meeting 97-92)
7. vs. New Jersey Nets (lost third meeting 99-90)
8. vs. Dallas Mavericks (lost first meeting 105-99)
9. @ Oklahoma City Thunder (lost first meeting 123-115)
10. @ San Antonio Spurs (won first meeting 83-73)
11. @ Los Angeles Clippers (won first meeting 80-77)
12. @ Sacramento Kings (won first meeting 116-91)
13. @ Portland Trail Blazers (won second meeting 116-109)
14. @ Golden State Warriors (lost second meeting 117-106)
15. vs. Denver Nuggets (lost second meeting 109-100)
With those results right there, the Raptors are projected to go 7-8, which will bring their overall record to 15-17. After 32 games into last season, those Raptors stood at a mark of 17-15. So the projection looks like a fair assessment.
Here is another scenario that can play out and will see the Raptors in deep trouble.
Against Utah, that’s a tough match-up and Jerry Sloan runs a disciplined team, 0-1.
The Raptors will then head home to face a tough Portland team that features Brandon Roy and Greg Oden. The Raptors will have to re-adjust to the Eastern time zone, and so will Portland, but still Toronto had trouble putting away the Blazers last season at home in a double overtime win, 0-2.
Then after a day off, the Raptors will head to Cleveland and face LeBron James and the Cavs that have a strong 14-3 record, 0-3.
The Raptors will then head back home to face old teammates TJ Ford and Rasho Nesterovic. The Raptors will want to show that they are better off without them, and Jermaine O’Neal would like to show up his old team as well, 1-3.
Then the Raptors are back on the road again for a rematch against Vince Carter and the Nets in New Jersey. The Raptors will have revenge on their minds after Vince Carter stole a win from the Raptors in Toronto, 2-3.
Finally, the Raptors will get a three game home stand and face New Orleans, New Jersey, and Dallas. The Hornets and Chris Paul are a tough task, 2-4. After that loss at home versus the Nets, the Raptors will get their full revenge and take of two of three from New Jersey in five weeks, 3-4. Toronto always seems to play well against the Mavericks, whether it is on the road or at home, 4-4.
Then the six game road trip kicks in. No doubt, the Raptors are better than Oklahoma City, 5-4. San Antonio is just too good and at home, 5-5. The Raptors had a tough time versus the Clippers last season, 5-6. The Raptors split the two meetings last season with the Sacramento Kings, but lost in Sacramento, 5-7. Toronto will face Portland again, and will put up a fight. The Blazers have too much power, 5-8. Golden State gave Toronto fits last season, and this season as well, 5-9.
The Raptors will then return home on New Years Eve to face the Denver Nuggets and with Chauncey Billups in the lineup the Nuggets have been rolling, 5-10.
There’s the outcome of the second scenario, 5-10, which makes their overall record 13-19.
The Raptors no doubt will be in tough, but they can change their fortunes. It’s all about the attitude the team brings into each game. Most importantly, the Raptors have got to stop looking at the other name on the teams’ jersey, and the players. The Raptors just need to think about themselves and how they will play. At this point, the Raptors team is heading into each game expecting the worst. That’s the worst possible mindset.
These two projections could have a different outcome, due to the firing of Sam Mitchell. This decision just had to happen, because it looked like the Raptors gave up on Mitchell, and pretty much lost the team. This season, the body language of Sam Mitchell suggested he was fed up with the team, and just wanted better players. The style of coaching Mitchell had implemented was for veterans, and the Raptors just aren’t there yet. If Sam Mitchell was a good coach, he would’ve adjusted by now and coached to the style of players he has and not the players he doesn’t. Sam Mitchell no doubt had the player talent this year to be one of the top teams in the East. Considering the team Sam Mitchell had in 2007 season, this year’s team was virtually better, because the players had grown together.
After the Raptors came off a 47 win season in 2007, Sam Mitchell won the Coach of the Year Award, and in the summer was given a 4 year contract worth 16 million dollars (US). This was the second year of the contract. Sam Mitchell was hired by Rob Babcock as a rookie head coach back in 2004.
In his first season the Raptors went 33-49, and under his guidance the Raptors finished above .500 once. The team won the Atlantic Division in 2007 with a 47-35 record, and the Raptors have made the playoffs twice. In the two playoff appearances, the Raptors never advanced to the second round, and went 3-8 combined. Overall, Sam Mitchell’s coaching record stands at 151-184, in 335 games.
Now it’s up to the players to change their games and just play better, because they have been bailed out by the firing. We’ll find out in the upcoming stretch games as to what kind of players the Raptors have. Let’s face it; Chris Bosh was the only player who had game going into each match. The players know that they let Sam down too, and if they don’t improve their games, Bryan Collangelo will have no choice but to make some moves in the off-season.
General Manager Bryan Collangelo was expected to do something and finally did. A trade of any sort was out of the question due to cap issues and a slim market. So far, in his three years with Toronto, he has a built a team good enough to contest for a .500 record and the playoffs. Collangelo still has an opportunity to do something here, but time is ticking, and after this season is over, he will have two years left on his contract.
For now, assistant coach Jay Triano will takeover on an interim basis, but as Bryan Collangelo said in his conference call, this could be for the whole year. What an opportunity this is for Jay Triano to make his mark after being an assistant coach for 7 years with the Raptors. Triano will be the first ever Canadian born and trained in the history of the NBA. He also did make his coaching debut last year for one game when Sam Mitchell had to attend to personal matters back home. The style of coaching that Jay Triano will most likely go with will be a free flow style, letting the players play. At this point it wouldn’t hurt because the Raptors team needs something new and fresh, and this could be the shot in the arm the team needs to get going. In his conference call, Jay Triano stated he is going to make gradual changes, nothing sudden. As for Jay Triano’s coaching debut, it will come under a heavy Canadian and American microscope. The game will be broadcasted nationally across Canada on TSN, and nationally in America on ESPN. The Raptors will also being facing the tough Utah Jazz, who are hard to beat at home. The pressure will be on from the get go for Triano.
With this coaching change, what affect will this have on all-star Chris Bosh? If this doesn’t get him thinking about his future in Toronto, then what will? If the Raptors want to keep their franchise player for long number of years, they should hear what he has to say about all this and potentially a new head coach for next season.
Speaking as a Raptors fan, the numbers and projections look scary, and the change that was needed was finally made, and will hopefully turn this team around whoever the new coach may be. As for the record, I will still go into every game expecting a victory and keeping the faith.
LET’S GO RAPTORS!
The opinions and thoughts expressed in this or any other article written by 12nadnuk are of his thinking and what he thinks is correct or close to it in the sporting world. If there are any problems by anyone, 12nadnuk is open for rebuttal and what not, and honest criticism. There is also a comments section, so feel free to post what is on your mind about the article. Thank you for reading.
Monday, December 1, 2008
HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA
First off, I would just like to say that HNIC has scored, and in big ways, for broadcasting their Saturday night double-headers in Punjabi.
As a Canadian born Indian this is really a treat.
When I first heard of HNIC Punjabi, I expected the worst. After hearing the first broadcast, the two commentators Parminder Singh and Hunarayan Singh did a fantastic job of calling the game. They were on queue with the play and provided so much detail that a first time Indian viewer of an NHL game could understand exactly what was happening and follow the game.
The elderly Indian market is untapped, and HNIC is winning more and more viewers.
It looks like hockey has added a new voice.
As for the HNIC broadcasts, I believe they haven’t been that good this season, so far.
One of the main things that need to be fixed is the starting. The new theme song isn’t good, and the video is horrible. I think HNIC should’ve used Nikelback’s rendition of the Hockey Tonight theme song, which is really energetic, has a good beat, great video, and gets the viewer’s pumped.
When the video starts off, they show the NHL’s two historic teams, the Leafs and the Canadiens. After that, it begins to suck, because the whole video is choppy, blurry and blocky and you could hardly see any of the players’ faces properly. The Gretzky versus Crosby face-off during the video is so lame. And at the end of the video, Niklas Lidstrom’s face is so damn blurry.
One thing I don’t get is why is there a helicopter in the background which flies into an arena? How the hell does a helicopter relate to hockey?
The pre-game show Hockey Tonight, used to be good, now it’s just plain and boring. Why the hell did they change the name from Saturday Night to Scotiabank Hockey Tonight? The CBC is already loaded, how much more money do they need from naming rights and sponsorship deals?
The in game broadcasts are still good, as they provide good commentating, nice picture and sound. The CBC has the best in game coverage in Canada.
Coach’s Corner with Don Cherry is the same thing over and over. Can Cherry talk about something other than North American players over Euros, and his package of weekly fights? I feel sorry for MacLean who has to hear the same shit week in and week out.
The Satellite Hotstove is still good and provides great insights into the game, and the latest news from the league. It’s always fun too see Al Strachan and Mike Milbury get into it with each other.
One guy who needs some serious help is PJ Stock. It is really sad to see this guy struggle to speak and stutter on air when updating the viewers about the other games. At the same, you cannot help but laugh at the guy. I don’t know how Ron and the others keep it inside.
Overall, HNIC has lost something and don’t provide the complete broadcast like they used too. They have some strong points, but the other points are just a complete bore.
The opinions and thoughts expressed in this or any other article written by 12nadnuk are of his thinking and what he thinks is correct or close to it in the sporting world. If there are any problems by anyone, 12nadnuk is open for rebuttal and what not, and honest criticism. There is also a comments section, so feel free to post what is on your mind about the article. Thank you for reading.
As a Canadian born Indian this is really a treat.
When I first heard of HNIC Punjabi, I expected the worst. After hearing the first broadcast, the two commentators Parminder Singh and Hunarayan Singh did a fantastic job of calling the game. They were on queue with the play and provided so much detail that a first time Indian viewer of an NHL game could understand exactly what was happening and follow the game.
The elderly Indian market is untapped, and HNIC is winning more and more viewers.
It looks like hockey has added a new voice.
As for the HNIC broadcasts, I believe they haven’t been that good this season, so far.
One of the main things that need to be fixed is the starting. The new theme song isn’t good, and the video is horrible. I think HNIC should’ve used Nikelback’s rendition of the Hockey Tonight theme song, which is really energetic, has a good beat, great video, and gets the viewer’s pumped.
When the video starts off, they show the NHL’s two historic teams, the Leafs and the Canadiens. After that, it begins to suck, because the whole video is choppy, blurry and blocky and you could hardly see any of the players’ faces properly. The Gretzky versus Crosby face-off during the video is so lame. And at the end of the video, Niklas Lidstrom’s face is so damn blurry.
One thing I don’t get is why is there a helicopter in the background which flies into an arena? How the hell does a helicopter relate to hockey?
The pre-game show Hockey Tonight, used to be good, now it’s just plain and boring. Why the hell did they change the name from Saturday Night to Scotiabank Hockey Tonight? The CBC is already loaded, how much more money do they need from naming rights and sponsorship deals?
The in game broadcasts are still good, as they provide good commentating, nice picture and sound. The CBC has the best in game coverage in Canada.
Coach’s Corner with Don Cherry is the same thing over and over. Can Cherry talk about something other than North American players over Euros, and his package of weekly fights? I feel sorry for MacLean who has to hear the same shit week in and week out.
The Satellite Hotstove is still good and provides great insights into the game, and the latest news from the league. It’s always fun too see Al Strachan and Mike Milbury get into it with each other.
One guy who needs some serious help is PJ Stock. It is really sad to see this guy struggle to speak and stutter on air when updating the viewers about the other games. At the same, you cannot help but laugh at the guy. I don’t know how Ron and the others keep it inside.
Overall, HNIC has lost something and don’t provide the complete broadcast like they used too. They have some strong points, but the other points are just a complete bore.
The opinions and thoughts expressed in this or any other article written by 12nadnuk are of his thinking and what he thinks is correct or close to it in the sporting world. If there are any problems by anyone, 12nadnuk is open for rebuttal and what not, and honest criticism. There is also a comments section, so feel free to post what is on your mind about the article. Thank you for reading.
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