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The Toronto Raptors had the day off yesterday, and most took advantage to squeeze in a family day in various parts of the United States for U.S. Thanksgiving Day.
Given Wednesday's hard-fought win over the Memphis Grizzlies, the turkey should taste a little better.
Playing on the second night of back-to-back games and reeling after blowing a 24-point lead in Dallas on Tuesday, with four key players out with injuries and with a day off coming, the potential was there for the Raptors to lie down against the Grizzlies. Factor in foul trouble for Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani starting 0-for-8 in field-goal shooting, and a loss almost seemed inevitable.
Which is why a win against a 3-7 team was so welcome.
Related Information
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Toronto Raptors
- Andrea Bargnani
- Chris Bosh
- Luol Deng
- LeBron James
- Jamario Moon
- Jamario Moon
"This was as good a win as any, when you consider the circumstances," Raptors head coach Sam Mitchell said. "With guys out, I'm proud of our team. We didn't escape, we earned it."
Twelve games into the NBA season, the Raptors can only hope they're poised to earn their way into the upper reaches of the Eastern Conference, though there's no way of knowing which direction the team is headed yet. Except for their no-show in Milwaukee this month, all the Raptors' losses have had the veneer of respectability.
Their first three losses at the Air Canada Centre were to Boston, Orlando and Utah, all of which are flying high this season. And no one was confusing potent Golden State with a pushover.
Losing to Dallas in Dallas? Hardly a shock.
But the Raptors' wins don't do much to clear the picture: Philadelphia twice, an uninterested Nets club, Indiana, the reeling Bulls and the still-finding-their-way Grizzlies. Hardly anyone's version of murderers' row.
They all count, however. And when the Raptors gather in Cleveland today to practise for tomorrow's game against the Cavaliers, it needs to be with a focus on improvement rather than idling.
If the Raptors intend to build some momentum, they need to take care of a struggling Cleveland team, then come home on Sunday and do the same thing with the Bulls. It's a perfect opportunity to step on some Eastern Conference rivals when they're down, a habit for winning teams.
There are two promising indicators that it might happen.
Suddenly, Bosh has returned to form. Through the first 10 games of the season, he was a watered-down version of his all-star self, and the Raptors' attack reflected it. When Bosh is on the floor, the ball has to go through him. But when your primary option is hitting more iron than mesh, and making more turnovers than dunks, too many possessions are wasted, particularly against good teams.
But Bosh's average line in his past two starts — 26.5 points and 16.5 rebounds on 55.6-per-cent shooting — suggests he's found his legs. When fit and healthy, he's capable of playing at that kind of level for weeks. If that's the space he's in, he can carry the Raptors over the hump, around the corner or wherever it is they need to go.
The second factor is Jamario Moon, who in a few weeks has transformed himself from a training-camp curiosity to the Raptors' 15th man to a spot starter to an essential cog. He is averaging 35 minutes a game over his past three starts on the basis of his ability to play the passing lanes, grab defensive rebounds and match up with the endless train of big, gifted wings on opposing rosters.
He'll get a chance to make a further impression when he faces off against the Cavaliers' LeBron James tomorrow and the Bulls' Luol Deng on Sunday.
"Does he make mistakes? Yeah," Mitchell said. "But the mistakes he makes are help-side defence and things of that nature, that all young players make. But the things he does, whoever we put him on doesn't have a big night against us, and we put him on the best perimeter player every night.
"I never imagined having to play an undrafted, never-been-to-training-camp rookie 30 minutes a night," Mitchell added. "And people might question if I've lost my mind, but when does your name dictate how much you play?"
Bosh's return to form and the emergence of Moon as the bouncy, athletic wing the Raptors have long been missing should give the team a chance to begin making some progress after a one step up, one step back start.
For that, they can give thanks.
