Toronto at Orlando 7:30pm ET

Finally I can get back to writing about the boys in red. Finally I feel I am very close to simply focusing on writing content and not trying to figure out what gremlin is pulling cables in the back of my WordPress setup. I don’t even think I can blame the Raptors perimeter “D” on the problems I have been having the last week. Posts are kind of working, images are uploading and my sanity is slowly coming back. Time for a Raptors win to cure all. Oh man I better get some booze for the game.

Tonight will once again test the manhood of the Raptors. Are they embarrassed by the Game 1 mess? Are they going to come out with some intensity and passion? I want to say yes but I also want to wake up every day and find my dog getting his own breakfast. You can’t teach old dogs new tricks and even though most of the Raptors are not what you would call old, they certainly are set in their ways. To make this problem bigger is the confusing coaching by SMitch. Who is playing, who is starting?

It was certainly a gamble to start Bargnani but I did not think it would work as soon as Il Muggo was introduced. You go with Moon all year and then decide to shake it up in Game 1? If Bargnani was hotter than the news of that Harry Potter chick flashing the world then I would say do it. But Bargs has been useless most of the year and at least Moon gets rebounds and plays with some energy (sometimes). Will this throw Jamario’s confidence in the can or will he be the mature rookie he is and just let it slide? I have no idea who will be starting tonight? Hell maybe Sam will go circa 2007 and start Joey Graham?

Maybe the players should stay the hell away from Walt Disney World?

I am trying to take the positive approach to tonight by saying they can’t play worse but to be honest now that I think about it, they can. They could give up over 40 points in every quarter if they show up with the same F game as Sunday.

It is pretty simple what they need to do. Box out and close out on three point shooters. If the Magic stick shots with guys in their face, bravo, that is NBA talent but I think I could hit some of the looks that Bogans and Evans get.

Bosh has to stop talking a good game and play better. They keep showing clips of him saying he has learned from last season’s playoffs but I am not buying it yet. He is being passive and helping teams out by not going to the hoop. He is good enough to be almost unstoppable but he keeps allowing defenses to rotate and get to him. Rashard Lewis should not be able to stop Bosh by himself.

It was great to finally see Krapono step up and want to score and take shots. I think the Raps should of rode that one all day long. That is why BC brought him to town. I was talking to JPR as we watched the game on Sunday and we were commenting on how every other team in the NBA seems to know how to get wide open shots in the corner. If Kapono played elsewhere he would stick five bombs a game.

Ford looked like Damon Jones without the attitude. Useless as all hell. You could see him getting into one of those macho matchups with Nelson and that just won’t work if your name is not Bird, Wilkens, Jordan etc…

Calderon’s shot has kind of left him and the only other Rap playing well was AP.

Why not use Primoz or Hump on D-12 for a bit, let them just be rough and try to tire out those large and supplemented shoulders of Howard.

Finally I want better coaching out of Sam. Stan Van we all know is the better coach in the series and it was telling on Sunday.I think every post or article out there has questioned why Sam left CB4 on the bench when they got to 5 points down. That was their moment, they had to go for it. I don’t see any urgency in the Raps, I don’t think they get it is a series now and they don’t have 50 more games to fix things.

If the Raps can hustle more, close out on threes and be in the game after the opening quarter I think they have a shot tonight. But I am picking the Magic to win 108-97. Above all I would just like a game that I can enjoy and not start flipping the channels before we even get to hear Sam’s coaches edge.

Wow a whole post without Swirsky bashing. Must of been the 52 inch TV I watched the game on. Back to reality tonight. By the way Katie did comment that Chuck looks like even more of dork in HD.

Other news in the blog world

Edwin finally got his playoff picks up. Hey he has a kid now so give him a break. His previews are very well worth the read however.

Khandor de-constructs Chris Bosh and is there anything left after the tear down?

The Arsenalist is being very positive towards tonight’s game and I commend him. He may go postal after the series but that is another story.

Popularity: 1% [?]

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!