Skip navigation

 Login or Register | Member Centre

Raptors in a hole

MICHAEL GRANGE

From Wednesday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 9:26 PM EST 23/04/08

Mitchell promises changes to lineup as series heads to Toronto ...Read the full article

This conversation is closed

  1. Roger S from Canada writes: Fire Sam Mitchell and bench TJ Ford.
  2. Roger S from Canada writes: Sam used same faulty lineup and Raptors down 18pts again in Q1? Didn't everybody told him wrong? How often you can see a team can come back from such deficit in playoffs? And TJ Ford, USELESS as usual, was a main reason Raptors down big early. Please remember, this situation is very simliar to last year's playoffs.
  3. Roger S from Canada writes: TJ Ford looked worse then NBDL players. Shot the ball when should pass; passed the ball when should shoot. He doesn't know how to lay up, he could not play D on 99% of NBA players. He is Me J Ford. Every minute this guy on the floor is a major negative to Raptors.
  4. Midtown Bob from Toronto, Canada writes: The game was very exciting and unfortunately our boys were a point short. A couple shoddy calls like Turks not being given the early shower really bugged me. Bosh played a great game; it seemed like every 5 minutes he was being helped off the floor by one of his mates.

    Can't wait for game 3.
  5. Roger S from Canada writes: Last play, why let exhausted Bosh shoot 18 footer? Didn't him just mess up in last play? PickNRoll and let kapono or Jose shoot ball !!!
  6. andy c from Canada writes: the raps can beat this team at home. the problem is that they have to win one in Orlando to advance; exciting game and looks like the raptors a getting stronger as the game progresses but runs out of gas just before the finish line which has everything to do with diging out holes in the first quarter; it took the playoffs for me to realize why BC picked up kapono as a free agent; BC's comments on bargs shows there is little chance he'll get traded in the off season; you figure with kapono getting alot of his points from Ford passes he'd keep his eye on the ball...
  7. Frank Montemarano from Toronto, writes: You can hang this loss on Bosh and Smitch...Bosh commits 3 critical errors throws away the offensive rebound near end of the game, gets stuffed by Howard when he should've kicked it out, and takes a low percentage jumper from 16 feet out...this is our franchise player???? He stunk it up last year in the playoffs and can't close the deal this year...And what about Smitch, was that last play even a designed play???? BC, you better start earning your money soon--the Emperor is starting to look naked.
  8. jesperated jbl from Toronto, Canada writes: As usual, Sam has been outcoached again! T.J. (his favorite player) ruined the rhythm of the team again! It's too late to go back to the old line-up now. The Magic will be prepared for it. Anybody can predict what Sam has planned for game 3. He doesn't have any!!!! hahahaha
  9. emoncada Toronto from Canada writes: again let's try to put some positive spin here... game 2 is better than game 1... we almost steal a game in orlando. we couldve won the game only if.... raps played more intensity esp in the 1st qtr, delfino made the 2 free throws, cb4 didnt throw the ball away under 2 min of play in the 4th and lastly only if the refs called the foul against howard when cb4 drove into the lane under 2 min of play in the 4th. overall the team played better compared from game 1... but we need more intensity and the boys should play a playoff basketball! i expect them to win the games 3 & 4 in the ACC.
    Graham i thought the last play of cb4 was OK and it was a clean shot unfortunately it did not go into the basket. this almost the same shot MJ took when they won the championship against utah in game 6 of the series. the big differrence MJ is a better shooter than cb4. i still maintain my position... raptors in game 6
  10. Jimmy K from Toronto, Canada writes: 1. Great play Sam Mitchell! Give the ball to Bosh at the 3-pointline and have him jack up a shot over Howard? Just fantastic. Idiot.

    2. If we play in Game 3 like we did in Quarters 2, 3, and 4 in Games 1 and 2, we'll be in good shape.
  11. Shades of Grey from Whitehorse, Canada writes: On several occasions Jamario had the ball around the three point line and the Orlando defence backed off and let him shoot. Of course he did and of course he missed (1-7). He has to pass the ball or drive to the basket. As for PG, start Calderon, who cranks it up for big games. If Ford has a problem with that, bench him and get rid of him in the off season.
  12. D M from Canada writes: On assignment in the U.S. and caught the game on NBA-TV. Their announcers were a breath of fresh air: insightful and fair.

    As for the game, Bosh, Calderon and Kapono were great while TJ stunk. Although CB4 missed the last shot, we can't blame him for the loss for a game lost in the 1st quarter.
  13. John Nicholson from Oshawa, writes: A very exciting game which Raptors could have won despite the following old problems of turnovers (7 in the 1st qtr fueling the Magic scoring) and giving up 16 offensive RBs, several (2 in the last min) at crirical times.
    Excellent games by Bosh, Kapono, Delfino and Calderon.
    Missing in action Ford (6pts), Moon (3pts), Parker (0pts).
    Colangelo must find a way to get Bosh a SF/SG who can get to the basket, score, and defend consistently.

    Mitchell must make changes to the starters, I would expect Kapono, and Calderon to start in an effort to kick start the offense.
  14. H Chu from Canada writes:

    TJ is a good sulker, like a little kid when things screw up, reminds me of Steve Francis without an upside.
  15. Jason J from Markham, Canada writes: SMitch will only realize when Ford cost his job, and we won't see him standing smiling with a Ford in TV commercial.
  16. Rich Chan from Vancouver, Canada writes: At least we know that the Raps can compete here. No we must win both games back in Toronto because we can't be down 3-0 and expect to come back. It's hard being a raps fan this year. Especially when you know exactly who the problem is but you can't do anything about it... ahem cough TJ cough..
  17. Jimmy K from Toronto, Canada writes: Stop blaming TJ for everything.

    Sam can't coach. Bosh isn't clutch.

    TJ had a bad game, but he also has great games. The only problem is his insistence to always be a starter even when the "backup" is playing better than him, but what dif does it make, in the off season one of the two are for sure going to be traded.
  18. Roger S from Canada writes: Raptors can compete and beat this Orlando team, they are far from perfect, that's true. But you have to realize that 1 pt loss is a LOSS, you can not necessarily assume Raptors would beat Orland at home based on what happened in Game 2. Remember, Sam Mitchell is always stupid, and TJ Ford hasn't taken all 4th shots yet.
  19. Roger S from Canada writes: Toronto medias now say Jose Calderon should start in stead of TJ Ford. Remember my words, that's even worse for Raptors. Use you imagination what will happen if you have TJ Ford play most of 4th Quarter? Is he going to try to beat orlando by himself?

    No, no, no, there will be a tragedy in Toronto. Good start becomes a bad loss. The key issue is TJ should not be allowed to play anymore.
  20. Yertu Damkule from Canada writes: owwwwch. why do 1-pt losses always seem to hurt more than blow-outs? i guess it's b/c you think back to all those missed opportunities - CD's FT, any number of uncontested DH put-back jams, a non-call here or there, silly TO's, etc. so, i'm more than willing to concede that smitch is due a fair share of the blame for this one - but getting out to that kind of start (again) must fall (at least somewhat) on the players. they were just plain sloppy, it doesn't really matter who's out there, if they can't complete a pass (& it wasn't just TJ), they'll be down big. but i guess harping on a coach & 1 player is easier than actually breaking down the game... so, they still can't defend the perimeter, eh? shocker. i like AP, i think he'd be great coming off the bench, he's a good leader, yada yada yada. but why is it that we consider him a 'fantastic' (thanks, chuck) defender? what i don't get is the continued poor attempts at doubling from perimeter guys. the magic are well aware of it, and are more than willing to dump it in, wait for it to come, then swing it around the perimeter until they find the open man. it's not like the 2nd defender actually has any chance to stop DH anyway, so just let him go 1-on-1...i'd rather he not dish it out, contest his shot, block him out, & send him to the line if need be...but the running around on desperate close-outs has to stop. and if we can blame smitch for the poor start/bad lineup, does he get any credit for making whatever adjustments he made that allowed them to get back in it? i guess that when the team does poorly, it's all coaching, & when they do well, it's all playing, right? and if we can agree that TJ played poorly to start, can we acknowledge that he played well, at least in stretches, later on (he didn't shoot well, but he was on the floor in the 2nd Q after jose picked up his 3rd foul, and they happened to put up 39 - i guess that was in spite of him).
  21. Yertu Damkule from Canada writes: so if that's the bad...the good? well, like someone else mentioned, we're finally seeing jkap's value. if it means less of moon's 'defense,' well, so be it. bosh: it's always easy to point the finger at the franchise player when he doesn't come through, but what he's been tasked with is monumental. DH has such a huge physical advantage over him, i get the impression that most of us have no comprehension of just how draining it is to spend all game battling a guy of that size for position, for looks, for rebounds, whatever. was i happy he settled for a jumper - not really, but DH hadn't shown he could defend it, and we know he can make 'em. does anyone think that, short of DH literally tearing bosh's head off, he (bosh) was going to get a call if he drove? maybe my eyes are biased, but it looked like he was fouled on his last drive (it looked like the ball was starting to come loose, so maybe that's why the contact wasn't called, but whatever) - so maybe he figured his best shot was to take a shot. he makes it, there's no story...there's no such thing as a bad make, right? couple things that bugged me - they seem to have difficulty recognizing the 'hot' guy, and have become overly dependent on feeding it into bosh & waiting/hoping that he makes something happen. and i'm not sure why having rasho out there is a bad matchup for the raps - he can at least put a big body on DH & make him work, maybe wear him down a bit. i'm still baffled by andrea...at times, he looks like he can be that 'instant offense' kind of guy, and then...gone. oh, and my biggest smitch pet-peeve: going w/ the starting 5 coming out of half, even if they've played like dog-shite together. like, WTF? how 'bout bringing back the guys who'd JUST PLAYED THE BEST 2nd QUARTER IN TEAM HISTORY to start the 3rd? since, y'know, the magic seemed to have difficulty with that group.
  22. albert strauss from Toronto,Ontario, Canada writes: Close counts only in horseshoes. Typical Raptor game - lots of excitement and "ifs" but no "W " Some more instruction needed in closing Sam.
  23. JOHN PALANDRA from Toronto, Canada writes: Im so sick of seeing the same stupid play being run at the end of the game when we are down by one. Every team in the league must know by now that Bosh is going to get the ball and has no intention of passing to an open teamate, but rather pull up and take a 18ft jump shot. Its so predictable and such a terrible shot to take.
  24. Joseph Daniel from Canada writes: Some reallly good comments today, even Rog, I have to agree with you, I think I would rather have Jose finnish the game rather than TJ right now. Too many turnovers, a couple of non calls against howard, one right at the begining of the game. Bosh faked and howard left his feet then bosh went up and howard came down on him, Bob delaney was right there with the NON call. Then later he tee's up Howard which I thought was cheep. The flagarant wasn't a 2 because turk got part of the ball. At the very end I agree with Rog , Bosh was gassed and to expect him to hit a long range jumper over howard at that point in the game is not your first option. Seems like they didn't have any options last night. Can the Raps make a series of it. Well we know they can play with orlando. We expect the Raps to shoot lights out one night so if that can happen on thursday then yeah they can prolong the series perhaps even win it if they catch some breaks here and there.
  25. Larry Boutilier from Sydney,N.S., Canada writes: ...
    Near the end of 1st, just could not stomach any more,
    so switched to hockey
    like watching the same game,
    refs decide wich fouls to CALL!!!
    back to Basketball game in last minute to see whats happening
    Raps with 1 pt lead in last minute!!!!
    another non call on Bosh. one of many on him.
    Sam draws up last shot
    wrong play! No raps close to basket for pass or rebound or draw defenders.
    Too bad , could have, should have won!
  26. Bobby S from Toronto, Canada writes: I'm not going to write anything negative about yesterday's game because it seems it's done to death on these boards. Instead I'll talk about the great near-comeback the Raptors almost made. The bench, especially Kaponno, Calderon and Delfino played very well. Bosh was just amazing, especially going up against a big body like Howard's, who knows how much punishment he had to endure. In the end it was a shot taken by the best player. Some days it goes in, some days it does not, that's the way it goes in the NBA. It's easy to criticize after everything is done, and being 1000 miles away from it, but I commend the team for keeping it close and showing a lot of spunk.
  27. Chris Yang from Toronto, Canada writes: I'll be honest here, I think that last play was the correct call. None of the shooters were open, Bosh was about 16 feet out, he cleared out space in front of him and had a good chance to win the game. To blame the entire outcome on a man who played the entire first half and made humongous plays down the stretch (not to mention 29 points and 10 rebounds), drawing charges and scrambling after balls for having the last possession is retarded in my opinion... I've rarely seem him fall to the floor so many times. He was visibly tired and he still pulled through, in the 2nd quarter he looked like a hero with the way he played.

    If you need something to blame, then blame our first quarter start again. TJ turned the ball over way too many times, and there was one point where Jameer Nelson made 9 points STRAIGHT. Smitch had to burn timeouts because Howard kept zeroing in on the ball and getting offensive putbacks. Raptors have shown time and again that they have what it takes to win this series, but how can they when nobody works on defense and are sloppy on execution? Coaching wasn't the best, but it doesn't help when Raptors turn it over after a timeout.

    The positives in all of this, Jason Kapono has come through big. If it wasn't for him, Bosh, TJ (once he came back into the game after being benched), and Calderon, we would never have gotten back into the game. Everyone else has to step it up, especially Bargnani and moon.
  28. Michael Enright from Toronto, Canada writes: Not happy with the result, especially that final play, but I think the team has confidence coming home. I expect that this will be tied up after game four.

    I was really impressed by Delfino last night. That guy has got that toughness you need in a series like this. You saw that when he challenged Howard's drive to basket (late in third I think) although he gives up 50lbs on him.
  29. Ryan Hickman from Canada writes: That couldn't have been the play that Sam drew up in the final seconds...there is no way that Bosh was supposed to take that shot!!
    I would have had Jose driving the lane and trying to draw a foul inside or finding a perimeter shooter for a kick out pass.

    I just don't understand how this team can come out so defensively soft in both games!! They'd have been going home up 2 in the series if they'd played .500 basketball in the first quarter. I have no explanation for it....absolutely none.
  30. Michael Peters from Toronto, Canada writes: Didn't Bosh have 20 points at the end of the first half? He finished with 29, so if I do the math here...wait a sec...ummmm...that means he scored 9 in the second half? Okay, thanks Chris. I mean, 29 points is a decent game, no doubt about it. But where'd he go down the stretch? Ask Big Shot Bob Robert Horry: sometimes it's not how much you score so much as when you score them.

    I cannot for the life of me remember when the Raps closed out a game in solid fashion.
  31. Smooth Fan from Canada writes: Good game for the raps minus Q1 and that last shot. Issues:

    a) TJ played terrible in the 1st, 2nd played well like TJ before he was injured and then went back to terrible TJ. BENCH HIM. Falling behind 20ish pts in the 1st is NOT how you win a ball game, SM make the right adjustments and do whats best for the team, not for one player's ego!

    b) Kapono's playing like this is his last week to live? Where was this energy all season long???? He's finally starting to earn his 6 Mill.

    c) Some will disagree, but Bosh shouldn't have taken that last shot. Yes he's our best player, but he was visibly tired. There was Calderone/Parker/Kapono on the floor and any one of them are better jump shooters than Bosh is. Again this one is on SM for not drawing up a good play to get their shooters open.

    Anyhow, let's hope we can make some changes and pull the next two out, just don't bet on it.
  32. Jigs Karma from T.O., Canada writes: Was at the game.

    a) The last play (and most important): Yes Bosh was free but Sam had to make plays for Jose or Kapono - these guys were on fire!

    b) Jamario has to know when his defenders back off, that means they want him to shoot and that's not why coach put him on the floor. Next time he takes that shot, he should be benched. Why not dribble around and give it to Jose or just take it to Howard's body?

    c) Jose and Kapono has to start. Delfino should be come off first if Andrea gets fouled early.

    d) If Andrea doesn't get those easy foul calls against him, he really is working his butt off on the defense. With no fouls, it would be good to see Andrea and Bosh put some effort to make Howard work defensively.

    e) The only positive thing about TJ was he did play good D on Nelson for a while (too bad the game's 48 mins long).

    f) Raptors should get more points off their fast breaks esp. when the Magic big men are in.

    Hopefully Raptors will take the 2 games at home. Both my Raptors and Sun are 2 down. Chelsea tied with Liverpool at 4th minute of extra time. It was one of the worst sports days!
  33. Toby Maloney from Canada writes: I liked the small ball unit they had on for the second quarter after Bargnani was on the bench with his three fouls and Nesterovich stayed off. I was annoyed with TJ for the first quarter turnovers, but I think he was great when he came back in, and I'm thinking the early turnover problem in the first quarter wasn't all his fault. Nesterovich and Bargnani are bascially static on offence, one settled in the post and the other at the perimeter, and neither much help with transition. With Bosh over covered, what does that leave for options? Back and forth with Anthony Parker until they try to force the pass into the post and get picked off?

    TJ should be out there in a motion offence, otherwise he'll just overdribble and make increasingly risky passes. He needs Kapono looking for a place to spot up or Delfino, Parker and Moon slashing, being a threat when Bosh is overcovered.
  34. Bobby S from Toronto, Canada writes: Michael Peters from Toronto, Canada writes: Didn't Bosh have 20 points at the end of the first half? He finished with 29, so if I do the math here...wait a sec...ummmm...that means he scored 9 in the second half? Okay, thanks Chris. I mean, 29 points is a decent game, no doubt about it. But where'd he go down the stretch? Ask Big Shot Bob Robert Horry: sometimes it's not how much you score so much as when you score them.

    Very unfair to criticize Bosh. He missed the last shot, it happens, however, if it's not for him there is no last shot chance. No one on this board can remotely know what it's like to play against Howard. The guy is a freak of nature :-)
  35. Arn N from Kitchener, Canada writes: Kapono......man, where have you been the entire season??? Keep it up!!

    You know, I think Bosh was solid last night. If he had sunk his last shot he would have been a hero -- but he missed so he's a bum!

    As for Ford, I think the Raps need to move him in the off-season. Calderon is definitly the future point gaurd for the raps. T.J. is not a play maker like Calderone. In fact, sometimes it seems as if Ford is the only Rap on the floor. It's painful to watch!

    The next coupld of games should be interesting -- I think momentum is turning in the Raps' favour, eventhough they lost last night.
  36. Joseph Daniel from Canada writes: What bugs me about that last shot is some of the Beat no nothings defending that shot. The grunt at the other paper said he would take bosh at 15 ft any day. Well if you look at it bosh was about 2 ft inside the arc that is not 15ft. ALso Bosh took a beating in that game, he played 45 mins. He had no legs left, and he was even fading away. That was a tough shot at the best of times. Under all those circumstances the odds against that shot went way up.
  37. Conrad Sola from United States writes:

    TJ said a few weeks ago,

    "... i'm one of the best PG in the league..."

    and,

    "...is not my style to be backup..."

    TJ, you are so bigmouth as Gilbert Arenas.
  38. Michael Peters from Toronto, Canada writes: Bobby S - I don't disagree with you in that it is "unfair" to blame Bosh, but who said that life was fair? The fact is: this is our franchise player and he didn't get the job done down the stretch. It's been said many times before, it's the difference between "good" and "great". "Good" does not win championships.
  39. John Nicholson from Oshawa, writes: Why did Raptors lose 103-104 to Magic?

    1. Jameer Nelson owns TJ Ford ( TJ 6 pts 4 turnovers) 2/17 for 2 gms.

    2. Tor Starting back-court 6 turnovers, 6 points for TJ & AP combined.

    3. Raptors gave up 16 off rebounds & made 15 turnovers.

    Every thing else is irellevant.

    Colangelo must find a SF/SG for next year who can take the pressure off of Bosh and get to the basket, score &defend.

    The last play was the best avail. Jose was to go to the basket if lane open (was not) or pass to Bosh, with the option to drive or shoot & he took the best option facing Howard (who backed up leaving room) and just missed a 15ft JS that he makes more often than not. There were no other options avail.
  40. Jason J from Markham, Canada writes: SMitch also has to stop Moon from taking so many jump shots.
  41. George Khan from Toronto, Canada writes: I think Raps' biggest issue and liability by far is Sam. He just let things go out of hand in Q1 in both games; he would start making changes when is way too late, unnecessarily forcing a terribly uphill battle to the guys. Just look how a coach should react by watching Van Gundy. Every time Kapono started firing uncontested 3-pointers, he immediately called the guys over to talk them right. So please, BC, fire that loser right now!
  42. Edwin Green from NS, Canada writes: bosh is a good player but he is not as strong as Howard and their is no one to step up and help him may be sam should use his bench more
  43. Joseph Daniel from Canada writes: John I agree with everything in your post but that shot was further out than 15 ft. and Bosh had nothing left in the tank. The percentages of that shot going in at that point in the game were low. The problem was that there were no other options. You had to live or die on Bosh's attempt. You are absolutely correct that in the offseason the Raps need a strong wing player. That has been the achiles heel. Lets hope the Raps shoot the lights out to start the game and win easily. Thus putting a little bit of preasure back onto The Magic's shoulders, and make a series of it.
  44. OSCAR GUILLEN from Etobicoke, Canada writes: Orlando is not superior than Raps, they are just better coached. There is nothing new, no strategies or new set plays this team is doing. So pretty much any team in the league can just watch one or two games the Raptors played and figure how to beat them. Mitchel said “you make adjustments once in the game”. This is the most stupid idea for a championship run I ever heard!...teams prepare for match ups anticipating new strategies and set plays.
    Bargani and TJ for shouldn’t be in the starting line up, Moon should be told his only job is to defend and GET A REBOUND!(s). Kapono is your only way out of a shoot out, he should start…get some plays for him!
    Delfino and Parker should come off the bench with Ford to put a good inside out attack.
    Rasho has to fight the beast (Howard). Give him a chance.
    We still have hope, lets paint the ACC read again, see if we hold them at home and make it a series.
  45. D D from Canada writes: Instead of stating whose fault it was or who should start the next game etc....just come to the realization that this team will fall short, does not have the right pieces (IE no legit second scoring option), plays "toro" defence and lets people rebound at will!!! Simple as that...forget Bargnani returning to Italy for the summer to play "soft" ball, he needs to hit the gym and rock some Cdn 'tang...develop the team into men...even Bosh ended up on his butt on every play down the floor.
  46. Yertu Damkule from Canada writes: oscar - have you been in a coma? ------------ 'Orlando is not superior than Raps, they are just better coached.' ------------------ i'm not going to argue much with that, since it's rather subjective - but how much does having the most dominant low-post player in the east going against on of the weakest post-defending team in the east reflect on a coach? does DH owe his freakish physique/athleticism to SVG? who, exactly, does smitch have at his disposal to defend DH? man, you're right, he should be able to come up with something. maybe he'll be able to convince the league to let them go 6-on-5 & use a permanent double on DH (which seems to be the only way to avoid getting their a$$es fanned out on the perimeter). ------------------------- 'There is nothing new, no strategies or new set plays this team is doing. So pretty much any team in the league can just watch one or two games the Raptors played and figure how to beat them.' -------------------- uh, they changed things up quite a bit before game 1 (not that the changes actually worked...), and ran a bunch of new sets/plays...remember CB calling attention to the new plays post game? -------------- 'Bargani and TJ for shouldn’t be in the starting line up, Moon should be told his only job is to defend and GET A REBOUND!(s). Kapono is your only way out of a shoot out, he should start…get some plays for him! Delfino and Parker should come off the bench with Ford to put a good inside out attack. Rasho has to fight the beast (Howard). Give him a chance.' ------------------ now that, agree 100%. easier said than done, especially when the evidence points to the small lineup working. if rasho's in the game, DH will defend him, leaving lewis on bosh, who can step out & defend the perimeter, taking away some offensive options for bosh. catch-22 - rasho provides better D & rebounding, but makes it easier for them to defend bosh.
  47. Rich Chan from Vancouver, Canada writes: Wow, 2 for 17 in two games for our second best player, and 4 turnovers in the last game. What's wrong with TJ? He really knows how to step up and provide that additional leadership that we so aptly need. What was supposedly one of our great strengths in this series has become half a weakness. People insulting Nelson and Nelson is stepping up. Absolutely diddly-squat from TJ. He definitely should start for Toronto and trade Calderon in the offseason so that we can lose more for the next season. Absolutely perfect, right Big C?
  48. Rich Chan from Vancouver, Canada writes: Words can't explain what a loser TJ is in the NBA. Okay detractors, notice I said the NBA. I didn't say highschool where he won almost every single game except for one, and I didn't say college. Okay, the NBA. He looks scared, he looks weak, he's too small, he's too selfish. Bargnani isn't much better, but at least he scored yesterday.
  49. J L from Canada writes: Well what can you say,Inconsistent play from quarter to quarter half to half,Too many players on this squad who make contributions on the offence but are unable to defend.A team that is capable of putting points on the board but game after game THEY GIVE UP MORE THAN THEY SCORE. IN PAINT, ON THE PERIMETER, THEY JUST CAN.T DEFEND CONSISTENTLY ENOUGH TO WIN.ON A REGULAR BASIS.Their franchise player ran out gas. he was worked over very effectively by the Orlando defence.and frankly for the first time this season Iam going to criticze coach Mitchell and some of his decision's,Why did he start Ford and Bargnani? and why did he continue to play them when it was obvious they weren't effective? AGAIN! and finally why did he not rest Mr Bosch when it was obvious he was tired?It showed he was physically beat, Perhaps the lack of depth on this squad? A second go to guy,which this team does appear to have,who will force the other team to take some of the pressure off your franchise player.and the Magic know it and will continue to use the body on Chris.Can they win a game in this series perhaps but don't mortgage the house on it.I frankly have no faith in this teams ability to consistently and effectively defend.Yes they'll put 100 point on the board but give up 101,
  50. Roger S from Canada writes: What's wrong with TJ? Nothing wrong. This little guy sucks from Day 1. The performance for past two games is what he was, and what he will be. You see, Big C disappeared himself today, however Yertu is still around. But both names were mentioned yesterday, you know why.
  51. Jake ---- from Canada writes: Bosh should have never been floating 19 feet out. The ball should have moved a lot quicker. I'm deeply disappointed in this teams performance over the last month. There is a few starters that I would dish in the offseason.

    Go raps Go
  52. Roger S from Canada writes: I repeat it and remind everybody here: the situation now is exactly the same as what happened in last year's playoffs: Slow start in first two games, TJ a negative performer, Sam Mitchell crying for lineup changes.

    And believe me, the same thing will continue after playoffs: Sam will say he did a unbelievable job; TJ will say he is one of the best PG and he should start for every game. Next year (2009), well, if Raptor happens to make playoffs at 8th seed, the same thing will hapen again.

    Fire Sam now and bench TJ Ford.
  53. Nolan Kerr from Winnipeg, Canada writes: Fire Sam in the middle of a playoff series and bench your starting PG, when you only have two PG on the team? hahahaha!!!
    Roger, you always make me laugh!
    Yes, we get it, you don't like TJ and Smitch...great! If you are going to post 30 times on every Raptor article, please post about something original for once. You are one of those posters that everyone skips over when they read the posts...unless they want a good laugh that is!
  54. MJ M from Canada writes: The thing that bothers me the most is when SM saw what happened in game 1 why would he start texactly the same lineup in game 2...I don't think any other good coach would do that.I guess he is still learning but instinct alone would tell you to change it immediately unless he is that stubborn.He is a master though with the media.
  55. Roger S from Canada writes: So, why would he start texactly the same lineup in game 2? The answer is that Sam didn't want to admit he was wrong, but this poor man had zero confidence in himself anyway, that's why he only played Rasho for a few mins. In essence, Sam and TJ Ford are in one package: they never put the team's success ahead of themself.
  56. Roger S from Canada writes: Headline from Toronto Sun: "Raps off-court defence better than on-court"
  57. MJ M from Canada writes: Thanks Roger. Now I understand it better.

Comments are closed

Thanks for your interest in commenting on this article, however we are no longer accepting submissions. If you would like, you may send a letter to the editor.

Report an abusive comment to our editorial staff

close

Alert us about this comment

Please let us know if this reader’s comment breaks the editor's rules and is obscene, abusive, threatening, unlawful, harassing, defamatory, profane or racially offensive by selecting the appropriate option to describe the problem.

Do not use this to complain about comments that don’t break the rules, for example those comments that you disagree with or contain spelling errors or multiple postings.

Back to top