Home Opener- Raptors Rewind

Bargnani Big As Raps Hang On For O.T Win

The Warriors after a loss to the New Orleans Hornets come trick or treating at the Air Canada Centre in search of their first win of the season. Raptors meanwhile have returned from a successful outing in Philadelphia. It is a basketball fans best treat they can find in a home opener.  We are all hoping at the end this game will have been a treat to watch. One thing the Raptors did not do well was the start. So despite all the energy and excitement that there will be no doubt in the A.C.C. The Raptors need to be focused on the task at hand and that is to beat the Warriors.

Get your running shoes ready for this one as we get ready to have a track meet. Raptors did it up big for home opener and we had a bit of hype before the the tip.  O.K…. I am now officially excited for this one. Raptors won the tip but Bosh misfired and as advertised the Warriors quick got to the other end and scored. Jamario Moon would answer, on the other end and a stop, and a J.O bucket and we are off and running.  Corey Maggette would hit a jumper from the foul line and it was all even at 6.  Anthony Parker scored on a drive to the hoop.

This game was off to a fast paced start. Chris Bosh would get his first basket of the evening on a drive to the basket and the score was 10-8.  Chris Bosh was blocked by Biedrins but next time up floor was back at it drawing a foul. He would go 1-2 and score was 11-10. Golden State started a bit of a run of 4-0 and Sam Mitchell would call a time out as his team now trailed 14-11.

Raptors came out of the time out and went right to CB4 for the score. They came back on defense with the zone. First time it worked and the second time Stephen Jackson would hit a 3-ball. But Jamario Moon who missed earlier made a 3-ball this time to answer Jackson. It would be Bosh again with yet another drive and score and the Raps were back in front 18-17. The Raptors defense was better and A.P would hit a 3-ball and the Raptors had reversed the score since the time-out. A.P made it back to back 3-balls. Raptors were looking to take control. But with the running style of the Warriors that would not be easy. The Warrior would get back to down 4 and than Andrea Bargnani who checked in would score from the paint. Next time up floor Bargnani would misfire but Bosh would clean up the mess and score. The buzzer would sound with the Raptors on top 28-22 after one at the ACC.

Raptors shot 54.4% in that first quarter a good start for sure. Golden State would open the scoring the quarter from the free throw line. A turnover by the Raps and like that it was a two point lead. Joey Graham now in the game would score on his first effort of the night. Andrea Bargnani would than score in the post. After that J.O would bring the house down with a block. Andrea Bargnani would convert again all from the inside. Raptors had the crowd energized and they would push back after the Warriors quick start to the quarter. Andrea Bargnani was being dominate in the paint. I am in shock as Bargnani had a throw down. He would again drive and draw a foul.  He made both free throws and Bargnani already had 10 points. He had been held scoreless in Philly. Raptors had their largest lead of the night at 40-31.

Jason Kapono would get the Raptors cranked back up with another 3 pointer for the World’s Greatest Shooter. Jermaine O’Neal would follow on the next time up the floor with a bucket for him. Warriors were down 12 points and in search of answers. They would get a much needed basket and a foul. Former Laker now Warrior Ronny Turiaf had a basket and Warriors had a 5-0 run.  Stephen Jackson would post up Jose Calderon and take him to the bucket and score. The Raptors lead was down to just 47-42. Sam Mitchell had seen enough and it was time to re-group with a time out for T.O. Ronny Turiaf was being a big x-factor as he got a block on Bosh and Warriors would turn that into point the once 12 point lead was now just 2 at 47-45. Stephen Jackson would hit a 3-ball and the Warriors on the strength of a 15-2 run were in the lead.  Jamario Moon would finally get Raptors back in the scoring column with 2 free throws. But Golden State responded quickly to take back the one point advantage they had just earned.  Jose Calderon went to the line and he went 2-2 and Raptors were leading at the half 51-50 but could not have felt happy about it.

It was Andris and Andrea leading their respective teams. Bedrins had 12 in the first half and Bargnani 10 for the Raptors. Raptors were getting beat on the boards 23-14 which against a team like the Warriors was not acceptable. The entire 3rd quarter had a pace and a style that was suited to the Warriors. The teams would be trading baskets and the lead would never get beyond 3 points for ether side.  But there were a few themes for the Raptors. Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon were playing well. Parker had a unreal effort that would have made former Raptor and King of the trick shots Mo-P a proud man. The other theme would be frustration and that was capitalized when J.O would get his first technical foul as a Raptor.  The calls were not to the Raptors satisfaction and the pace was more what Warriors liked. But despite all of that the Raptors on an A.P Jumper closed out the quarter with a 75-73 lead. Raptors would hope they would not regreat giving that 12 point advantage. Parker had 17 points on the night and was making up for the fact that Bosh and O’Neal were not as dominant as they had been in Philadelphia.

This was going to be a close game it seemed as the Warriors just refused to go away. Andrea Bargnani who had been quiet after his first half explosion had a basket to start the quarter. But the Warriors were hanging around and actually took the lead on two Corey Maggette free throws. Maggette to this point had been having a quiet night. The Raptors offense did not look good and Roko Ukic looked a bit more like the rookie he is on this night. Jose Calderon would need to get this team going better when he would be called to close this one out. Calderon was back in and the Raptors were trailing 78-77. Corey Maggette was starting to show signs late. He would get a bucket and one and the lead was 81-77 Warriors. Chris Bosh would hit a jumper and he had 19 on the night. Golden State would make a couple turnovers and Raptors had a chance to tie which they would instead turn it over. Warriors would score in transition. But Bosh would respond with another basket. At the mid-point of the 4th quarter it was 86-83 Warriors.  The Raptors continued to be frustrated with the referees but the Warriors were still just playing and they extended the lead to 5 points the largest lead anyone had in awhile at 88-83.

The Raptors needed to rally but seemed to be struggling. Ronny Turiaf had another block on Jose Calderon. Raptors would keep the ball as it went out of bounds and Andrea Bargnani would score. But Warriors had a quick answer on the other end to keep the 5 point advantage. Andrea Bargnani doing what he were use to drained a big three. But Steven Jackson matched that with a 3-ball of his own. Calderon would score to cut it back to 3 points. Warriors had a turnover and Bosh would get to the line on the other end. Just 2:39 left to play and a time out before Bosh would head to the stripe. Bosh would only make 1-2 and the lead was at 2 for the Warriors. They would get 3 chances to extend that lead but would not. Jason Kapono would miss a reverse lay-up that could have tied it. Warriors would end up giving Raps another chance with an offensive foul. Bosh would make his way to the line and Ronnie Turiaf who had 5 blocks had fouled out of the game. Bosh was having a rare bad night at the line as he split another pair at the line. Warriors up one with under a minute to play. Corey Maggette who had been hot driving to the hoop settled for a jumper and missed. Raptors got the rebound and called time out. They would look to try to take the lead back. the Warriors were giving the Raptors chances to pull this game out of the fire. A Bosh drive and dunk and Raptors had their first lead since it what 77-76 early in this quarter. The score 94-93 Warriors would get a shot rejected by J.O but it would go to a wide open Al Harrington who hit a 3 pointer off the O’Neal block.  Raps would have the ball with 22.1 left on the clock and down now 2 points. The ball would go to Bosh and he would draw a foul and head to the line for to key free throws. He was only 3-6 from the line on the night.  First one is…Good, Second is…Good. We are tied at 96 with 14.5 seconds left and the Warriors would have a chance to win the game. Corey Maggette would drive and slip and turn the ball over. They would check the clock to see how much time the Raptors would have. The Raptors would have .7 seconds to try to win this in regulation time. Anthony Parker would have a look at a 3 point shot but it would not fall. We were going to Overtime so you may be late for your Halloween Party.

Golden State would win the tip but turnover the ball. Calderon would make them pay driving for the lay-up. An A.P steal but the Raptors could not extend the lead. Warriors would try to tie it up but miss and Bosh had the rebound he would than get the bucket on the other end. Warrior would misfire again and looked out of gas. Andrea Bargnani who had been having a great night was able to extend the lead to 102-96. Al Harrington missed badly on a 3 point attempt and the Warrior remained scoreless for overtime. A Bosh miss and Warriors had another chance to score but instead another turnover. Warriors could not buy a basket and after several misses it would end with a Bargnani block and Raptors had the ball and could basically close this one out with about a minute to play in O.T. Calderon was heading to the line and Stephen Jackson had fouled out of the game. Calderon made both and Raptors had 8-0 scoreline in overtime. the Warriors would finally score. But to little to late and Chris Bosh was back at the line. Bosh had 31 points on the night as he picked it up in the 4th and overtime. Al Harrington hit a 3 point shot to cut the lead to 5 but it would not stop the party at the ACC. Jose Calderon was fouled and converted on both free throws. Warriors would score again but that 8-0 run to start overtime made the chance of a comeback highly remote. A.P was next contestant on can you make you free throws and he would. Another Bargnani block would seal this game. A Harrington 3-ball at the end would not matter. Raptors win 112-108 and escape with a win.

You can find a lot of negatives that allowed the Raptors to be pushed into this spot. But give them credit as they did at the end of the day find a way to win and that is what the good teams do. The Raptors may suffer for this tomorrow versus the Bucks. But on this night they were winners and that will make the flight to Milwaukee a lot more pleasant for them. So the Raptors gave it’s fans a treat with a win and a great game to boot with a lot of excitement. Bosh had 31 and Parker had 23. For all the rest of your stat goodies check the boxscore and I am off to work on my podcast it will be up soon.

Raps vs Warriors- Boxscore

Dino Blogger’s Post Game Podcast

Halloween Treat For You- Matt Devlin Joins Us

I am happy to give everyone here at the Dino Nation Blog a Halloween surprise. I had a chance to chat with Matt Devlin. He has been a guest with us on several occasions and he manged to multi-task and talk with us as he was getting ready for Halloween yesterday afternoon. In the starting 5 Matt Devlin gets his Halloween Treats while he talks some basketball with us. We talk O’Neal and Bosh as well his thoughts from broadcasting his first Raptor regular season game. We catch up with Matt as he is Halloween shopping.

Starting 5- With Matt Devlin

So that was a lot of fun. I also got a kick out of the reference to “Good” Joey in last night’s game. Joey was good in that game even I said he was. But it was also proof that Matt is learning the Raptor fan language.  But it comes to mind that Matt Devlin has a fresh perspective on Joey Graham. He has not been here to have experienced the frustration of the whole “Good” Joey and “Bad” Joey saga. Maybe he can have an answer to how we see the “Good” Joey remain and leave “Bad” Joey behind. Matt’s thoughts on how we can make “Good” Joey stay and what it will take.

Matt Devlin- Consistency, and how do you get consistency? That is an unknown. Joey Graham is a player that if he could bottle up the “Good” Joey and be consistent, he becomes the player everyone expects him to be. How do you answer that? Who knows. Some guys get it and the get it early and they ride it out. Some guys they struggle to get it and it finally happens for them. You just hope for Joey that things are going to come together for him. Because the Raptors ultimately need him to be a consistent player and a consistent force. Because that is a important position in this league.

I understand the frustration of fans because there are players like this throughout the league. When I was in Memphis Stromile Swift was a player was a player like that. From an athletic standpoint was just so over the top. You just looked at him and said if he could only put it altogether. Boy we would really have something.

Despite what some might think I do hope Joey can come through. I just have been let down to many times by Joey. I am going to be the last one to believe or among the last. But I do hope he can prove me wrong. As for Swift he was a lottery pick for the Grizzles back when they were Canada’s Grizzles and he like Big Country and a host of other picks did not work out well for them. Joey Graham did play a lot of zone in his days as an OSU Cowboy. The Raptors last night did a lot of zone defense vs the Sixers. So was this a sign of things to come or was it a case of match-ups versus the Sixers. Matt Devlin gives us his take:

Matt Devlin- I think it has to do with the match-up. I thought it worked really well against Philadelphia, a team that struggles beyond the 3-point line. Dead last in the NBA a season ago. I thought it was brilliant on their part to mix that in. They mixed it in at the right time. They trusted in it even though they got out rebounded in it. But at the end of the day it paid off.

The fear of fans about the lack of depth at point guard got a major test last night. Jose Calderon went down at a key point of the game down the stretch. It turned out he had whacked his funny bone and it forced Roko Ukic back into the game for some unexpected minutes in crunch time. I asked Matt for his thoughts on that and an overall opinion on how Roko did.  Here is what he thought.

Matt Devlin- He really did well. I thought he was steady as you could be. I thought he really did exactly what you hoped he would do. I really liked what I saw from him. Forget about the 2-7, he didn’t turn the basketball over.

A guy Matt Devlin does knows really well is Jason Kapono. He has been called ” The World’s Greatest Shooter” on air by Matt. But I did not realize the man that coined the phrase was actually Anthony Parker. Matt Devlin was quick to give the credit to A.P. Is Kapono that. I am not sure if he is or if he isn’t. But it is clear that with back to back 3-point shooting titles to his credit and career percentages that are among the best all time. He is a very good shooter. The Addition of Jermaine O’Neal to this Raptor roster has had many point to Kapono’s time in Miami. He was asked about it last night and he does see the same type of things for himself as he had back in those days. I asked Matt to give his take on what this will mean for Jason Kapono with the Raptors this year. Will it be like that time in Miami?

Matt Devlin- That is because (The Comparison) with that presence on the inside, with teams having to look to the inside defensively. All it does is give Jason a split second. That is ultimately all he needs. Cause he is that deadly of a shooter. That reference back to Miami is obviously based on the fact he had Shaq O’Neal on the inside.

When we headed into the season when people were asked who will be that 4th guy beyond Bosh, Calderon and O’Neal,  Kapono and Andrea Bargnani were the most common answers. Kapono was scoring and making shots but not so for Andrea. But still he did get some boards and was hanging around the paint. In fact, despite the lack of points on the board. Matt Devlin found things to be positive about in relation to Andrea Bargnani. He tells us about what he liked about Andrea and his efforts:

Matt Devlin- You know I think he played a really solid game last night. Forget about the 0-4 from the floor he had 5 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. He was a presence on the inside. If you combine Bargnani, Bosh and O’Neal and their rebounds, in comparison to the team rebounds they had 24 of 33. So the three of them did what they needed to do. I do think he has made great progress.

I was not as impressed as Matt to be honest. But I am happy to give credit to the fact that Andrea did stay engaged in the game. I had said to Matt that last year if Andrea did not score there was no way he would have got 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. I will also say that he is staying in the fight and trying to play more in the paint. It is going to be a process and the signs he is at least willing to keep at it in the paint have been clear. Some will look at the 0 points and just be frustrated by that.  But I do see that Andrea also can contribute in other ways. I think he sees that as well, more than he has in the past.

I asked Matt about his thoughts on the Sixers. He thinks they are a good team and they will be fine. He gave credit to the Raptors gameplan for why the Raptors were better on the night. The fact by playing the zone and sticking to it caused the Sixers to think they could make shots. But when all is said and done the Raptors stayed in the zone and the Sixers struggled to shot. In fact Matt pointed to that as the big need for the Sixers is a guy who can step up and being a long range shooter for them. But to keep with the Raptors and what they are doing. Matt gave a lot of praise to the Raptors gameplan. That is set by Sam Mitchell and we have heard Mitchell get hammered by many folks for his lack of X’s and O’s skill. But not just Matt Devlin but Jermaine O’Neal was impressed by Mitchell. O’Neal gave credit to his coach and the staff for the “Genius” of how they had several plays running out of the same sets. He thought it confused the Sixers and was a key to victory. So given all of that I asked for Matt’s thoughts on Sam Mitchell as a coach from a tactical point of view.

Matt Devlin- Last night when you look at the game plan, it was carried through and they executed. From a coaching standpoint, you gotta have your game plan in place, you have to be able to make adjustments and then your players have to ultimately execute.  The game plan was there and the adjustments that were necessary were made and the players executed. So from my stand point, Sam did a fantastic job. It is always the case it doesn’t matter what town or what city, people are always going to look at the coach and that is just the name of the game. People even come out and get after a Phil Jackson or a Pat Riley. That unfortunately is just all part of it. Sam recognizes that.

I often have said in this blog that Sam Mitchell for whatever you care to say is good at motivating his team to play hard. He commands his teams attention and is able to get guys that make millions of dollars as athletes to give effort. That is a skill to that is far to often over looked. Matt Devlin agreed with me about that. We both to agree that Sam is also very entertaining. In fact if the day came that Sam was ever not the coach of the Toronto Raptors, Matt Devlin had a suggestion for a career move for Sam.

Matt Devlin- Listen, Sam could sit next to Charles Barkley on Thursday Night’s on TNT.

The games on TNT on Thursday nights are part of the package that has been scheduled for TSN 2. That is a important issue with Raptor fans. I have expressed my rage and displeasure. Matt Devlin is going to be on the network as well as TSN. But he has made an effort to keep fans in the loop on the issue in his blog. I asked him for his thoughts on the issue from the fans perspective. He had this to say on the TSN2 matter.

Matt Devlin- I am a rogers customer as well. I would love for it to work out. I hope that it works out soon. Tonight (Interview was Yesterday Afternoon) TNT double header and it is on TSN 2, I want to watch it. That is what I have been doing for a long time. I just hope that everybody can come together and work on it, for the fans sake, fans of the NBA. I hope it all gets worked out.

On the main network of TSN this Saturday we will get to see Matt, along with the one thing TSN did get right, the recently hired Jack Armstrong. He may be new to TSN but Jack has been part of basketball with the Raptors for over a decade. He is also not new to Matt Devlin and I asked if Matt was excited to get back on the air again with “The Coach” Jack Armstrong.

Matt Devlin- I am also excited to have Jack. Jack and I have known each other for years and worked together before. He is a great man. I can’t wait to do it, because he is a guy that is just a great person and everyone knows that. Jack, Leo and Sherm, all three of them, they are all outstanding with what they do. There is not another team in the NBA with the depth that the Raptors have in the annalist chair.

I joked with Matt that people may have questions about the Raptors depth on the court but in the broadcast booth they have major depth. He got a laugh from that. But he may not be an annalist, he is the play by play man, I will take him to be my annalist here. The Toronto Raptors take on the Golden State Warriors tonight. So I asked him for his thoughts on the Raptors versus Warriors match-up which he will be calling tonight on The Score. A different challenge for the Raptors in the Warriors?

Matt Devlin- You know what from a standpoint of the principles they used last night. Transition defense is going to be extremely important against Golden State. That is number one because Golden State they do want to get out and go. All five of there guys want to get it on the floor and go. So you are going to have to get back. If you don’t get back they are going to burn you. I watched them last night when I got home against New Orleans. They took New Orleans down to the end. So from my standpoint that is going to be the most important thing. That along with don’t turn it over because if you do they are going to be successful in the transition game.

How bout some key match-ups to look at?

Matt Devlin- Jose Calderon he has a good match-up there that he can take advantage of. When you look inside to the guys on the inside. Do what you did against Philadelphia. That is the truth. If you can do that all season long your really going to be in a great position. But here is the thing about Golden State in Comparison to Philadelphia inside. They might be smaller but they are also athletic and that is thing you have to remember with them.

I am always thankful for some expert help. Matt makes very valid points and I would add that Corey Maggette has a history of being a guy that has given the Raptors fits in his time with the Clippers. It should not change with a change of uniform. Moon and Graham or whoever is guarding Maggette will have to do a good job. I look forward tonight’s game.

I want to wish all of you a Happy Halloween. Please whatever your plans for the evening are be careful and keep your eyes looking for those kids looking for the goodies that Matt was getting for his home. Also if you are going out for a more adult night out. Please be safe and don’t drink and drive. It is important everyday of the year. But on a night when kids are out on streets looking for candies it is even more of a message that needs to be taken seriously. So have fun but be safe and have a HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM YOUR FRIENDLY DINO BLOGGER.

Impressive Start For The Raptors

I got to say that I was impressed by what I saw last night. Well not the start of the game. It was like the Raptors had missed the memo that the game was starting at 6pm. But all of what happened after that rocky start was good. We saw some things we have not seen in a long time for the Toronto Raptors. Jermaine O’Neal only had 1 blocked shot but was challenging a lot of others. Chris Bosh looked like the player he always has been. That was the best season opening performance of his NBA Career. The Raptors have a true dynamic duo that is going to be a force to deal with for teams. When you consider that Philly has one of the better big man duos in Sam Dalembert and Elton Brand. It makes you think that other teams in the east with less skilled duos have to be afraid of what they can do to stop this.

This also adds to the value of guys shooting it like Parker, Calderon and Kapono. The looks that Jason Kapono was getting were very good. Paul Jones in the post game scrum asked Jason if he had been getting looks like he did back in his days in Miami with Shaq. Kapono said it was like that and if that is true we should see a big year Jason Kapono.

Don’t get me wrong it was not perfect yet. There were some breakdowns and bad perimeter defense. Rebounding needs to be better too. But it was a good first effort. Even Andrea Bargnani, who scored 0 points did at least get on the glass and get 5 rebounds which for him is news. Another person that sometimes catches my wrath is Joey Graham. But I have nothing but love for Joey today. That is what I want to see from Joey Graham. Go out there and bang and hustle and grind. I will forgive the mistakes if I am seeing that kind of effort. So that is 1 good Joey night with 81 to go.

We also saw the Raptors playing a lot more zone defense than we ever had in the past. It is something the Raptors may continue with to cover up some defensive players that are not exactly up to speed. It will not work for all teams but the way the Sixers were shooting last night it made sense and it worked. Oh and for all you Sam Mitchell Lovers and Haters…J.O has something for you.  You may not think Sam Mitchell is a good play caller or knows his X’s and O’s. But J.O said that it was the genius of Sam Mitchell and his plays on offense that allowed Bosh and himself to score out of certain sets. He talked about the variations in those sets that were able to confuse the Sixers. So for the next person that wants to run Sam Mitchell into the ground, go tell J.O what you think. I dare you.

Basically it was a very good start to a long journey for the Toronto Raptors. People had doubt heading into this game. I won’t lie about it even I had my questions. They may not have answered them all but they did enough to restore my confidence. It is only one game out of 82 in season. But as I said yesterday prior to this game it was a bit more important than your average opening game based on the team they facing. It was important to get a leg up on the Sixers. If the Raptors can do it again in a few weeks they will already have at worst a season series split with the Sixers. That could be very important when all is said and done.

So Raptor fans after a pre-season that caused them to have doubts can feel better after the performance they saw last night. It was something that Raptor fans needed to feel good about this team and their chances for success in this upcoming season.

The Raptors now look to start the season on a positive note at home taking on the Golden State Warriors who offer a much different challenge than that of the Sixers. But the Warriors are a team that has lost Baron Davis and Monte Ellis to injury and have a lot of question marks. But they did add Corey Maggette and are a team that plays a high up tempo style that could be something that will be a challenge for the Raptors. It will be interesting to see how they handle it. What will be equally interesting is how the Warriors try to deal with the Bosh and O’Neal combo.

Around The League

Last Night’s Scoreboard

Among the highlights around the rest of the league. The Knicks actually won the debut game for Mike D’Antoni over the Miami Heat. The Hawks also suprised the Magic and Nets were able to beat the Wizards. T.J Ford and the Pacers lost to the Pistons who the Raptors will be facing early next week.  Out west it was the Suns getting the win over the Spurs. The Warriors who will be trick or treating here in Toronto lost to New Orleans.  Lakers are 2-0 after taking care of the other L.A team the Clippers making it look very easy.

Some Things Of Note For Dino Nation Blog:

Some things are being done behind the scenes and it may call for making some technical changes as we move forward. They are all part of what is coming up very soon for Dino Nation Blog on November 19th. That will be a big day so if you don’t read the blog everyday make a note to check it out on that day. Not just to get ready for the Heat and Raptors but to hear the exciting news about the Dino Nation blog. But until that date we will be making some changes and it will include a transition from wordpress to another blog platform provider. So if you are having trouble getting the blog be sure to check here for info on what has gone on. But if you use www.dinonationblog.com it will bring you to the new site home. This is not going to happen tomorrow or anything but it will happen before November 19th as part of the news that will be announced on that day. So I thank you for your patience in this time of transition. The Dino Nation Blog is not going anywhere don’t worry about that. We are just making chances to make things better for the Blog and hopefully you it readers. If you have the site linked to wordpress or have an a feed you use it may require changing that to keep up to date on things. I am sorry to cause anyone any inconvenience in this transition but it will be for the better in the long run.

Raptor Hit Philly For Game 1- Raptor Rewind

We have been waiting for this for a long time. The Raptors will get an early start the season. It is going to be interesting indeed all year long. The one question that has been answered is that Jamario Moon will be back as the starting role for now. But how will Bosh and O’Neal perform together? Is Andrea Bargnani going to bounce back this year? Can the Raptors manage with only one experienced Point Guard? Will the defense be improved? Can this bench be any good at all? Well the time has come to start to find out some answers to all these questions. It is a brand new season and if you are any kind of a fan you have to be excited. So let’s see what happens when the Raptors take on their Atlantic Division rivals the Sixers. I was asked to Live Blog this puppy so what the heck. I am going to let you see the Raptor Rewind as it is being done.

So from the toss up state of Pennsylvania, we are ready to do just that. It will be Matt Devlin’s regular season debut in the booth. He has been good to the blog so I wish him well. Not a good start as Thaddeus Young hit a 3 pointer to start for Philly. Bosh misfired on his first attempt of the year. Elton Brand meanwhile would score in the paint and it was 5-0 for Philly. Bosh would split a pair of free throws and Raptors were on the board. But Elton Brand would follow up with another basket and an early 7-1 lead.

Raptors had started the season 0-6 from the field that is not good. Raptors still had not made a basket 5 minutes in. That would be broken by Jose Claderon with a 3-ball. But Iggy had an answer with 2 point of his own and the score was 11-4 Sixers half way through the first. The Raptors were looking lost on offense and a time out was called as they trailed 13-6.

Jose Calderon had 5 of the Raptors 6 points but that is not exactly the game plan. Sixers were killing Raptors on the glass as well with an 11-2 advantage on the glass. Jamario Moon hits a 3 point shot not exactly his strength but at this point will take it. Bosh hooked up J.O on a high low feed and despite all of the bad things the Raptors trailed by just 4 points at 15-11. Andrea Bargnani enters the game for his first action of the year and he was the first off the bench. Leo Rautins “favourite” player Sam Dalembert had a pair of free throws. But from there J.O had another basket and A.P hit a three point shot and the Raptors were down just 1 point. The Raptors had a chance to take the lead which they would not connect and the Sixers ran off 4 straight points to get the lead back to 5 points.

Chris Bosh would get a steal and than hit his first shot of the year cutting the lead to just 3 points. But after another nice defensive effort the Raptors gave up an offensive rebound. The Raptors would cause a shot clock violation and allow them not to pay the price this time. Jamario Moon had a chance to cut the lead to just one from the line with a couple of free throws but he would not hit them and the Raptors trailed after one 21-18.

The Raptors were in this game despite being beat down on the glass and getting off to a terrible shooting start. Raptors were out rebounded 22-5. Both team’s were shooting horrible at under 35% for both.  Joey Graham and Roko Ukic and Kapono were all in the game.  Bosh would get a score and Lou Williams hit a 3 on the other end and Sixers lead 24-20. Joey Graham with a spining scoring effort. But he would get beat on the other end. Jason Kapono would reply and it was Philly up a basket 26-24.  Joey Graham showing some hustle got a basket on pure hustle and we were all tied at 26. Roko Ukic would get his first NBA basket on a long outlet pass from Bosh on a rebound and the Raptors were in the lead 28-26.

Raptors were showing some hustle and it lead to a Bosh dunk. Joey Graham was having an impact of the bench. I know, I am giving Joey some love you are shocked, but it was true this had been a good Joey night so far. Sixers would tie the game up at 30 only to see Jason Kapono answer their 3-ball with one of his own. Keep in mind this was all being done with Roko Ukic on the floor running the show. He did not show any signs of nerves in his first NBA game.

Joey Graham checked out for Anthony Parker but like I said good effort from Joey. Raptors were holding on to the lead as Chris bosh was heating up and Raptors had a 37-33 lead. Sam Dalembert would convert on a basket and foul and the lead was just one point. An A.P three pointer on a mis-match with Dalembert on him and the Raptors had it going. Chris Bosh would score on the next trip up the floor Raptors were leading by 8 points after the less than impressive start. The score on “The Score” was Raptors 44 and Sixers 36.

O’Neal and Calderon had checked back in for Toronto. Jermaine O’Neal got Matt Devlin excited with a left handed throw down and a foul. He would hit the foul shot and Raptors had their largest lead of the night at 47-38. The game was going back and forth and Raptors were not being able to play this way with Philly. The Sixers would cut the lead down to 4. But Chris Bosh would answer with a jam of his own. Andrea Iguodala had a chance to narrow the lead from the line but he would miss both. Making the score at the half 51-45 for the Raptors.

Chris Bosh after a slow start had 15 points and 7 rebounds at the half to lead the Raptors and all scorers in this game. Jermaine O’Neal had 9 points and 4 rebounds for his efforts. Sam Dalembert had 12 rebounds and 7 points for the Sixers. Even Leo has to be impressed with that. So with that knowledge it is almost time for the second half.

Bosh would start the second half with a miss on a jumper. Elton Brand scored on his first effort of the half his total up to 10 on the night. Raptors had misfired on thier first 3 trips up the floor. Sixers meantime got a basket from Dalembert and had lead down to 2 points. But Parker would hook up O’Neal and than a stel for A.P would lead to a Bosh basket and the lead was back to 6 points at 55-49.

One thing that was clear the Raptors defense was much better than it had been at the end of the pre-season. While on offense they had been very careful with just 2 turnovers. They now had a 8 point advantage on a Jamario Moon basket. Sixers would get very unique three point play with a goaltending call and a foul it would make the score 57-52 with 7:30 to play. Raptors had gone cold and the Sixers had a 7-0 run going and cut the lead to just one. Chris Bosh would draw a foul and but an end to that run. Raptors lead 59-56 now. Jermaine O’Neal returned for a less than effective Andrea Bargnani. J.O would get right to work with a basket and than on defensive end caused a jump ball.

J.O was continued to bring it on defense cause Andrea Iguodala to alter a shot and miss. The next time around Iggy would draw a foul on J.O and the Raptors had a 62-58 lead. A. Parker out of a time out would hit a 3 point shot from 18 parkerville court in the corner.  Raptors would cause a 24 second violation thanks to a CB4 block. Bosh would head down on the other end and draw a foul on Sam Dalemebert. He would hit both foul shots and the lead was back the largest of the night at 9 with the score 67-58. J.O would get the Raptors to a double digit lead with a jumper and a now 11 point lead.  The Raptors slow start was a distant memory. Now Calderon hits a shot and Raptors lead 71-58. Sixers would score only to see Jose hit a three pointer  the next time up the floor and Raptor lead was 74-60.  A mistake by Roko Ukic gave the Sixers a chance to cut the lead down to single digits at the end of the quarter with 3 shots from the line. The would make them all and the score was 74-65 after 3 quarters of play.

36 points, 17 rebounds and a block each was a nice three quarters of work from Bosh and O’Neal. Raptors also had 21 points off Sixers turnovers as well. Jason Kapono hits the first shot of the quarter for the Raptors. But the Sixers would answer with a 3 point shot and the lead was down to 6 points. Jose Calderon was back in for likely the rest of this one.  J.O would have a basket taken away on a travel. Jose Calderon would hit a 3 point shot and the lead was back to 9 points for the men in black. The Raptors were wearing the new third jerseys on this night, sorry I forgot to mention that earlier.

7:50 left to go and the Raptors still had the 9 point lead on the scoreboard with a time out on the floor. Jose Calderon was a bit banged up and Roko Ukic had checked in. Jose seemed to bang his elbow or hand on an offensive foul prior to the time out. He seemed to have taken a hit on his funny bone but it was not funny for the Raptors at all. But Chris Bosh would drive to the basket Jose or no Jose. He would get fouled and make both and Raptors had an 11 point advantage. J.O would foul Brand and there was a time out with 5:51 left to go. We will see if Jose returns after the time out.

But it should be said Roko was not making any mistakes in what is a big time situation to be put in for your first NBA game. Calderon was not back it was still Ukic as the Raptors lead was at 10 after Brand split a pair at the line. Jason Kapono was stroking it and he hit a 3 point shot on the offensive end. Jose was back as Andrea Miller was at the line shooting two. He would only make one and Jose would have an 11 point lead to defend with the score 86-75. Chris Bosh went right at Sam Dalemebert who had 5 fouls and he would score. Sixers would cling to life and started a mini 4-0 run the score was 88-79. Lou Williams would score and draw a foul causing Sam Mitchell to call time.

Lou Williams made the shot and the lead was 88-82 with 2:27 to go. CB4 gets a clutch basket to push the lead to 8. Sixers would send the ball out of bounds on their offensive trip and Jason Kapono would make them pay with a 3 point shot. The lead was right back to 11 in the blink of an eye with 1:41 left to play.  Sixers would misfire again out of a the time out. Less than a minute to go and the Raptors had a 9 point lead after Andrea Miller would finally come through for the Sixers.  J.O was at the line with 44 seconds and he would hit both and this game is about done as the Raptors had this one wraped up. Someone some where was talking about Salami and Cheese. Sixers missed on a couple of attempts and Raptors just took a shot clock Violation as they had no need to score anymore. The Raptors new look had a win in the first game that mattered.

Bosh had 27 points and 11 rebounds on the night that is a strong effort for the franchise player. 44 points 19 rebounds for Toronto’s Dynamic Duo. Bryan Colangelo was in Philly and had to be very pleased with what he saw. The final score was Raptors winning 95-84 over the rival Sixers. Your boxscore  with eveyone’s numbers.

Sixers and Raps- Boxscore

My Podcast is on the way. I think I will have a lot of good things to say. It will be here very soon. Raptors are 1-0 and that is a good thing.

Dino Blogger’s Post Game Podcast

So It Begins, Ready or Not Raptors Season Set To Start

This is why you write all these blogs in the summer time. This is why you do all those interviews, this is why you bust your butt everyday. So get out there and type those keys like you mean it!!! Yes like the old Kurtis Blow song says: ” There playing basketball OOOH we love that basketball”. I have to agree that is what the Dino Nation Blog is all about a love of basketball, Raptors and Canada. It is also about all of you and your passion for the Toronto Raptors and basketball.

A Big Game On Night One?

I have to say, that to make the claim that the first game of the season is a huge game normally would not make a lot of sense.  But call me in April and tell me if this game means a lot to you. It is expected that the Sixers and Raptors are going to battle all season for position in both the East and Atlantic. The first tie breaker is always the season series between the two teams. So for the loser of tonight’s opener that will mean they need to win 2 of the remaining 3 games just to get a split. So this is a bigger game for the Raptors than it will be in the home opener versus a non conference team like Golden State.

J.O vs Brand

Both Elton Brand and Jermaine O’Neal have a lot to prove to new fans in towns that do not exactly have a lot of patience. So a good start against the other guy is likely required. Brand looked fairly good in the Sixers pre-season visit to the ACC. While Jermaine was a scratch for the second half of Raptors last pre-season game. But he is all set to go for the opener in Philly. Brand and O’Neal are expected to be the key part to making two teams that were around the .500 level last year to 50 win type teams. Who will get off to that first right step in that direction with a win.

Chris Bosh Is Big Time

I have been reading on how people have Chris Bosh going everywhere in 2010. Some point to the fact he could gain more attention in a major U.S Market. But honestly Chris Bosh gets his fair share of media attention. I offer you proof from last night. NBA T.V’s Kick off show had an interview with Bosh from Philadelphia. The truth is that Bosh will not leave Toronto based on wanting to get more attention. If he is to leave at all, it will be to win and have a better chance to win. But I am not convinced he leaves at all and I am not that worried about 2010 when it is 2008 today. Bryan Colangelo has positioned this franchise to be able to make an offer for Bosh that will be able to match what others may want to try to pay him.

Who is Healthy For Toronto?

Well not Will Solomon, as he is still sidelined and Roko Ukic is expected to play behind Jose Calderon. Jamario Moon was back at practice. But Jason Kapono was not. Kapono is expected to be able to go tonight though despite a bang he took to his knee. Ditto for Moon who had some achilles issues. Nathan Jawai still remains in dry dock as he waits for his heart test results and figure out what is wrong if anything. Hassan Adams has had issues through out the pre-season as well. But at this point J.O, Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon are going to play. Each time the Raptors can say that they will have a chance to win this season. Any time they can not say that for any of the 3 players it will be awful tough.

After All The Hype The Starting Small Forward Is…..

Jamario Moon. This is according to Doug Smith in the Star. But till we see it do we really know? I mean Sam Mitchell has surprised us all before. But if Doug is right that is sad news for all the Joey Graham fans. But I have to tell you that the idea of Joey Graham as a starter on this team scared the hell out of me. I am not saying that if I am wrong and Joey shows that he indeed has finally got it, he can not than be the starter. But I really don’t think a summer league and half a pre-season is enough for me to say Joey has earned a spot in the starting line-up. Truth is if Jamraio Moon had not had such an awful pre-season this would not have even been a conversation heading into opening night.

Fall Back To See The Game

Just a reminder that because of the World Series this game is getting an early start of 6 PM. You can watch in on THE SCORE and Listen on the Fan 590 at that time. It is one less hour that we have to wait to see the start of the season. I think it is a great thing the Sixers are doing for their fans to allow them to see the Phillies try to win a World Series but still support the Sixers.  I as always will have you Raptor Rewind later tonight roughly an hour after the game is done. Podcast, Boxscore and my own personal re-cap of the game. It is what I do here at Dino Nation Blog. Raptors Rewind gives you my personal take on the game

Last Night In NBA

Oden Debut is A Bust.

Greg Oden coming off an injury that sidelined him for an entire season plays his first game and gets injured. I had said that I would have taken Kevin Durant instead of Oden and I still am waiting for any evidence that I was wrong. Meanwhile the game itself saw the NBA Champion favourites the L.A Lakers put the boots to the Blazers. Kobe Bryant 23 points and 11 rebounds making his first pitch of 82 to defend his M.V.P Trophy. Impressive stuff from the Lakers and Kobe.

Lakers 96 Blazers 76

Get Out The Salami and Cheese…Bulls WIn, Bulls Win

So I did not listen to this on the net or anything. I have no idea what Chuck Swirsky thought of this one. What Swirsky saw was a balanced scoring effort from the Bulls with 6 players scoring in double digits. Michael Redd was good for the Bucks with 30 points. Great for people who have him in fantasy but in reality his Bucks got hammered. First pick in the draft Derrick Rose had 11 points and 9 assists in his debut.

Bulls 108 Bucks 95

Rings, A Win, Things Are All Good In Boston

An emotional Paul Pierce rallied his Boston mates after trailing by 7 at halftime to King James and the Cavs. Pierce had 27 points to lead the Celtics.  King James meanwhile had a mortal 22. What about the new point guard for the Cavs. Mo Williams not exactly busting loose in the opener with 12 points and only 2 assists. It was great to see the Celtics perform after getting their rings. Gary Payton on NBATV recalled when his Heat got blown out by like 40 to the Bulls a few years ago.

Boston 90 Cavs 85

Raptors Endorse Bargnani With Extension

So the Toronto Raptors have made an endorsement of Andrea Bargnani. They yesterday announced that Andrea Bargnani will have another year in Toronto. They used the option they held on his contract for another season. They had until October 31st to exersise the option but they decided to get it out of the way before that start of the season. Sure it is a way to say they have faith in Andrea. But that does not prevent them from trading him at some point. I am not saying that they will but just that all this means is he has an extra contract year, he still could be part of a deal and that contract would just go with him. I guess the point is in some small way this is a sign that the Raptors feel Andrea is on the right path. However that being said I can not recall a situation in which a number one pick did not have an option picked up by a team. Even Kwame Brown I think had his option picked up. So this is hardly the breaking news as it was referred to on the network I heard it on. So good luck to Andrea and here is hoping he builds on some of things he has been doing in the pre-season.

TSN 2  Screw U

I found out yesterday that it is not just rogers cable that is not getting TSN 2. Nope, Source Cable here in Hamilton is not yet hooked in to TSN 2. This should be an exciting day for all basketball fans. The start of the NBA Season. But guess what? That’s right the games are being broadcast on TSN 2. I am totally sick of this nonsense. If you are trying to get basketball fans to watch your network TSN you are doing a hell of a good job in trying to piss us off. I mean this is insulting to us. If this had anything to do with an NHL game and I mean ANY NHL game, this issue would have been solved long ago. It is bad enough that fans have to pay more for everything but than take the games away from us. That is a heck of a marketing department you have over there. Fix this now and I don’t want to hear the tired excuses of it is Rogers fault or your fault. These two sides Rogers and CTV are suppose to be partners to cover the Olympics together and 2010 and 2012. Yet they can’t get along to make this problem get fixed. I bet if it is a gold medal hockey game being broadcast they would have this solved in 5 minutes. I am an angry basketball fan and I know you don’t care about me but have enough respect for me to pretend you care.

One More Sleep Till Raptors

ON THE SCORE the Raptors play the Sixers. Time of that is up in the air. The baseball game never finished last night so I have no idea if that means we start at 6pm or 7pm. The Raptors have been preparing with less than 10 bodies at time. I see that all of this has all of you concerned. I share that concern but I still have faith that this team will be O.K. It is important to remember that the team you see today is not likely to be the one we see on April 15th in Chicago. That is not to say changes are coming tomorrow but the can and will come if needed. Bryan Colangelo has shown he is not afraid to make changes when he thinks there is need to do so. Sports is about having a bit of faith. You need to trust in the players the coaches and management. I had zero faith in Rob Babcock but when it comes to Bryan Colangelo I have a lot of faith in him.

Do You Believe Or Not?

I have noticed that a lot of folks have had their expectation fall through out this pre-season. Bob McCown on Prime Time Sports shared a lot of the views I saw in the fan base. Prior to the pre-season was something he rarely is and that is optimistic. 50 wins he was saying for the Raptors.  But now Bob is concerned like you and has slightly down graded to 30 wins and by the end of his talk with Doug Smith he said 8 wins. If you do not watch McCown he is very sarcastic in his prediction on things. During the Babcock era he once set the over under total for wins for the Raptors at 2 wins.

Meanwhile on that same network(Fan 590) Eric Smith in his blog “The Rap” he was trying to tell you all that the sky is not falling.  I think I am more with Eric than I am with Bob. However I do think there is some things to be worried about. The key that no one really knows is how hard were all of these guys playing the the pre-season. Most of the people in the media are saying lets see 10 or 15 games in regular season before we make any opinions of where this team is at.

Fans do not have to worry about being wrong or right on things so when they see something they don’t like they say it. I guess folks in the media want to have a better idea on things before just reacting. Bloggers I guess are somewhere in the middle of all that.

Can Anyone Beat The Lakers?

By a wide margin you folks think the L.A Lakers will be the NBA Champions. In fact everywhere around the league, with maybe the exception of Boston, people seem to feel that way. Eric Smith is a guy that loves his Raptors but he loves his purple and gold as well. So I had to ask him for his thoughts on the Lakers this year and if he thought anyone could stop them this season. Here is what Eric had to say.

Eric Smith- I think there are teams that can beat the Lakers. But I think they are the best team in the west. Good news as far as Kobe Bryant that his knee issue maybe isn’t as bad as people thought it would be. So if he doesn’t miss any significant amount of time or any at all, that is clearly huge news for L.A. Just look at the way how Phil Jackson has been doing things through the pre-season. If he stands to form and continues to bring Lamar Odom off of the bench that is a hell of a 6th man for the Lakers to have. A guy like Trevor Ariza being healthy this year. I think Trevor is an unhearlded defensive player. Who I would argue is potentially a top five defensive player in the game when he is healthy. You add him to the mix now. A healthy Andrew Bynum. People forget that this team went to the finals without Andrew Bynum. Had he been in there would he have made a difference? Nobody knows that. But to add Andrew Bynum and Trevor Ariza and have Odom coming off the bench now. That is a pretty potent line-up overall. Some people may dog Derek Fisher and say he is not a top tier point guard.  But he is a heck of a leader for this team and he makes big shots. I think definately from top to bottom this is the best team in the Western Conference

That is Eric’s thoughts on the Lakers who are in action on this opening night in L.A hosting the Portland Trailblazers who will be excited to debut Greg Oden finally. The time for the talking about what might happen is almost done. The time for doing begins tonight so set those fantasy rosters.

NBA 2K9

I have been spending my free time lately trying to play this game. The key is on trying. If you play online and our looking for me and want to lay a beat down on your friendly Dino Blogger. I am Dinoblogger11. I had set up a league and played my first game last night and unfortunately the Raptors under my control were 4 point losers to the Wizards. I don’t know if you guys are into the online gaming or not but if you folks show some interest maybe we can have a league for gamers to go at it and play. If there is enough feedback I will set up a league exclusive to the blog readers.

Mailbag

If you have been following the blog for awhile I have made several attempts to have some form of a weekly mail bag. But I need the questions and comments of all of you to make it a regular feature of the blog. So I am going to leave it in your hands to decide. If you want a mailbag feature with your questions and comments I am happy to do it. I promise I will never complain how many e-mails I get and do my best to answer them all. I think if you read the comments section I am pretty good at responding to all of you. So you the People Of the Dino Nation Blog will decide if you want a Dino Mail Blog or Not.

So that is enough for today. Get excited as the Raptor Season Starts TOMORROW.

UPDATE 2:10

FAN 590 Eric Smith is reporting the Raptors and Sixers Tip Time WILL BE MOVED to 6pm. So tune in to THE SCORE @ 6pm For Raptors and Sixers. For those with Raps TV I would guess Raptors Game Day is now a 5pm Start time.

Just In Time For The Season- Dino Blogger Makes Picks

A Super Season Is Almost Here

Alright much like when I was in school I have put this off till the last possible minute. But it is time to make some choices for the upcoming season. Let’s Start with who will win the awards for Individuals. I will tell you who I think will win all the awards in the NBA. Let’s start with an easy one. Well at least I think it will be an easy one.

ROY- Rookie of the Year

Dino Blogger says your winner will be: Greg Oden

When we talk about all these awards, part of it is performance and part of it is the politics of how they are selected. Greg Oden would have been locked in a tough battle last year to win the award with Kevin Durant. This season he is just better than any of the guys drafted this past June. Also he is going to be on an improving and rising Portland squad. It doesn’t hurt that the media already thinks Oden is the second coming. So sorry to all you guys drafted in June, Greg Oden is going to steal your glory.

6th Man

Dino Blogger says your winner will be: Rodney Stuckey

Yeah I am going out and taking a major risk. I mean why not play safe and take say Lamar Odom, who will be coming off the bench for the Lakers. That would be a safe pick. But I just see more of a role for Stuckey in Detroit and the guys on that team are not getting any younger. He is no doubt a fantasy sleeper but in reality he is a sleeper to win this award and I think he can.

Most Improved Player

Dino Blogger says your winner will be: Thaddeus Young

I admit I am not really sure exactly what makes you the MIP. But to me, it is the guy that takes the biggest jump from last year to this year. Thaddeus Young on a team on the rise in the Sixers fits the bill for me. His team will be better and he will be much better. Did you see him versus the Raptors this pre-season? He made a pretty strong case as to why he just might be one of the rising stars in this league. He could also be in the mix for 6th man award as well.

Defensive Player Of The Year

Dino Blogger says your winner will be: Tyson Chandler

I really wanted to pick Ron Artest. But come on he could go crazy at the drop of a hat. I see a big season for my former favourite team. Tyson Chandler gets to focus on defensive end in New Orleans and I think he has as good a shot as anyone to win this award. He may not be the first person that comes to mind when you think of this award but if the Hornets can have a good year his play on the defensive end will be a big part of it. Adding another good defender in James Posey will not hurt.

Coach of the Year

Dino Blogger says your winner will be: Stan Van Gundy

He got the screwed out of his Job and a Championship in Miami. Pat Riley thanks a lot. He wasn’t even suppose to have the job he has now. But he showed last year to the fans of the Orlando Magic that he was the best man for the Job. When you have Superman playing for you it sure makes you look like a even better coach as well. I think that he will ride the cape of Superman all the way to Coach of the Year. But part of why Dwight Howard and everyone in Orlando is getting better is Stan Van Gundy. This may not make up for what Pat Riley did to him but it sure is a step in the right direction.

M.V.P

The Dino Blogger says your winner will be: Dwight Howard

Lots of folks will be in the mix for this award. Even Raptors own Chris Bosh has declared his desire to win this award. Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Kevin Garnett and a number of others can all make strong cases for being the leagues best player. I just think that when you look at the award and who is the of most value to their team it builds a strong case for Dwight Howard. He also may be a tad bit motivated at the fact that Chris Bosh was widely considered better than him on team U.S.A. That will only serve as motivation to Howard to step it up to a new level. The rest of the NBA should all fear Superman. I know that one day this pick will be correct. Dwight Howard will win an M.V.P in his career.  I just think it might be this year.

So that is the awards for the individuals. But this is a game about the teams right?  So let’s take a look at Who I think is making the playoffs. We will start in the West. I am not going to do records as I have no desire to work out the math to see if it is possible for team to reach win totals. I will just give you 1 through 8 in order.

1. L.A Lakers

2.New Orleans

3 San Antonio

4. Portland

5. Utah

6. Houston

7. Phoenix

8. Denver

Left on outside looking in: Dallas, Golden State

I will venture to say the one thing that jumps out about this, is the fact I have Portland winning the Division and having home court advantage. Some may say this is crazy but I just think the Blazers are a team full of talent. Greg Oden should only add to what was a team on the rise. As for my teams on the outside of Playoffs. Mark Cuban made a mistake bringing in Jason Kidd and it was a wrong move. The effects of that continue this season. Golden State has serious issues at point guard and by the time they get fixed it will be far to late in the Western Conference.

So on to the Playoffs:

Round 1

Lakers over Denver

Hornets over Suns

Spurs over Rockets ( The Curse For T-Mac Continues)

Utah over Portland

Conference Semi-Finals

Lakers over Jazz

Hornets over Spurs

Conference Finals

Lakers over Hornets

Now what you came here for the Eastern Conference:

1. Boston

2. Orlando

3. Detroit

4. Toronto

5.Cleveland

6. Philadelphia

7.  Atlanta

8. Miami

On Outside Looking In: Wizards, Knicks

This was much harder than the West to figure out. EA Sports picked the Heat to go to the NBA Finals. I am not that crazy but I could see D-Wade having a bounce back season and getting the Heat in the Playoffs again. I have the Raptors with home court advantage against Cleveland. I am really concerned about this pick but it is what I was thinking before the season and a bad pre-season is not going to change my mind. I also feel Bryan Colangelo is not done. There is another move out there that Colangelo will find that makes this team better.

Now the other thing you are wondering Playoffs:

Round 1

Celtics over Heat

Magic over Hawks

Sixers over Pistons

Raptors over Cavs

Conference Semi Finals

Celtics over Raptors

Magic over Sixers

Conference Finals

Magic UPSET Celtics

Yeah that is right if Mickey Mouse can be a registered voter in the United States, why can’t Dwight Howard follow the path of Shaq and lead them back to the NBA Finals. If this happens the Magic would be making a huge leap as a franchise. But I think the time has come for the Magic in year 3 as a playoff team with this group I think they know enough to win and are young enough to not think they can’t win. Besides all of that everyone and their brother is saying Celtics and Lakers again but even back in the glory days of Bird vs Magic (Johnson) the odd time a Houston Rockets or Detroit Pistons would pull an upset and mess up the Laker vs Celtic rivalry. So I see the Magic as those spoilers this year.

The Finals:

Lakers over Magic

The Lakers have just to much for even Superman to stop. I mean you have to think Andrew Bynum added to the mix makes the Lakers that much scary. So Kobe will get his ring without Shaq and all will be right with the world. That is at least how I see it in theory. But to quote Chris Berman from football….That is why they play the games. That starts tomorrow.  I know I had promised to share some thoughts from Eric Smith on the Lakers from our recent Interview. Well Lakers are playing tomorrow so I will save that for then. Those are my picks what do you think? I will give you polls for NBA Champion and M.V.P. if you want to add thoughts on any thing else your thoughts on anything else feel free to leave a comment.

Polls

And You M.V.P Is Who?

So with that I am now on the record for the 2008/09 season. Will any of my picks be right? I have no idea. I do my best to use what I know to come up with picks that make sense. I don’t claim to be a basketball expert but I do work very hard and pay attention to what is going on just like you. So take these picks for what they are worth. You can feel free to make cases for you own picks in the comments. I like to hear what you think hopefully as much as you like to hear what I think. So tomorrow it all begins a brand new season that will over a lot of excitement for all fans of the NBA.

Raptors May Get Early Start To Season.

The Toronto Raptors Season may start 1 hour ahead of schedule. The blame falls on the World Series Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays. If this series goes 6 games the Raptors and Sixers tip at  6. Um..6Sixers6…Yikes. Maybe that is just superstitious but what is very real is the Raptors only had 9 healthy bodies at practice. That lead me to thinking. Sam Mitchell…Player/Coach?

O.K maybe not but Sam did say he had five good minutes left in him. But I think the lack of numbers is getting to be a growing concern. Meanwhile Fans are in a rage over TSN2 and Rogers not having a deal and Raptor Fans with Rogers cable being left in the dark for 25 Raptor Games. In a time when there should be a lot excitement heading into a new season, there seems to be a lot of worried and angry people.

In regards to this TSN 2 mess. I got couple things for you:

Raptors HQ has a look at how this mess happened in the first place.

Also If after reading and you are mad as hell. Do what everyone does in today’s world. Join a Facebook group:

TSN 2 took away 25 Raptors Games From Me

If we are going to mention Facebook Groups you can join our group as well, for the inside info on the Dino Nation Blog:

Dino Nation Blog Group On Face Book

So as I sit here on a Sunday it has come to my attention that I have not made any picks for the season here on my own blog. How did this happen?  I wrote one for T.O Sports who I am told will be hitting the street in Magazine Form soon. I actually did get a chance to write something for them. Some of it is the same stuff I have said here but if you would like to check it out here is a link to it.

James Borbath on Raptors @ T.O Sports

If you want to read some of my past work, there is a link to my articles over on the right on the main page. I also said over on Raptors HQ that Raps would win 49 games. Well I will get picks for my own blog prior to the season I promise. That would mean Tomorrow or Tuesday.

I also have some help too. Eric Smith is the best Raptor connection to the L.A Lakers we have. I was a Hornet fan before the Raptors and Eric’s second choice in the NBA is the L.A Lakers.  So what are Eric’s thoughts on his Lakers and if anyone can knock them off in the West. We will find out.

Also Raptors T.V has been taking a lot of shots from fans. But I will give them some love. They have had weekend editions of Raptors Today as we get ready for the opening of the season. That is something for the people that can not get enough Raptors even on a football Sunday.

I also am working hard at getting some guests to come join us at the start of the season. They are all busy guys but I will do my best to get some of the folks that cover our Raptors to come by and visit us as the Season rolls along. They have all been great and a big part of what makes the Dino Nation Blog what it is and what it will be. There is lots of things to be excited about this Raptors Season and here at the Dino Nation Blog. So I hope for both the Dino Nation Blog and the Toronto Raptors it is a successful season. I know I am working hard and I am sure the Raptors are as well to make that happen.

So see you Monday and hope you are having a great weekend and are excited to get the season going.

J.O Is Big Hit On Fantasy Stock Market

One of the four fantasy games I have set up for you to take part in is the NBA Stock Exchange. Well Raptors Fans can be excited to learn a lot of fans will be pulling for J.O based on the opening of that market. J.O and his 17 dollar stock value gained and as of right now the stock is sold out. It had a big rise in value as a result. The price for J.O now sits at 24.02 that is a 7.02 rise. So people beyond Raptor fans seem to have faith that J.O will bounce back. If you were concerned about J.O missing the second half vs the Nuggets in the last game of the pre-season. The reason had nothing to do with the leg that had work done in the off-season it was a tight hamstring on the other leg that was the cause of J.O taking a pass on the second half.

What is a concern is that Hassan Adams left practice on Friday. If he is not ok the Raptors could start the season with just 11 healthy bodies. Adams was said to have banged into someone and has banged up his shoulder. The depth or lack of it is going to be an ongoing story through this entire season. Nathan Jawai is still sidelined undergoing more tests on a heart issue and the time table for his return is truly up in the air. Even when he does return (if all checks out for him) he is an NBA rookie and has a big learning curve.

So I think it is time to squeeze in a poll:

Slam sat down with CB4 talking about his new line of shoes mostly. So after reading this maybe you can answer that age old question that Spike Lee and Michael Jordan made famous ” Is it the shoes”? Well this is CB4 and he is talking shoes:

Bosh Talking Sneakers

That is about it for today. I am going to be taking part in our fantasy league keeper draft this afternoon at 4pm. I actually got the first pick. I have been living the good life this year. I have had two first picks in drafts and one 2nd pick. So next year I expect to be picking near the bottom in all my fantasy drafts. I will enjoy the good luck while it lasts.

5 Days To A Whole New Season

I think the great thing about sports in general is you always get a fresh start every year. Eric Smith said yesterday he feels like it was just weeks ago the season ended. But to me that Orlando series seems a long time ago. It was a bit of a painful summer for me in a lot of ways. I mean you may not like T.J Ford but I did. Next to Bosh he was likely my favourite player as a fan. So to sit and wait for him to be dealt away was not exactly a fun experience for me. I admit I was stunned at just how much the little Texas point guard would draw in return for him and a few of his Raptor team mates. Jermaine O’Neal was also a guy I was not a fan of when I first heard about this trade I was not sure about it at all. However I left the door open and said basically it was up to Jermaine O’Neal to change my mind. Well as far as all the off-court stuff he has been very impressive to me. I may even like J.O a bit. I really have not had to many strong feelings about what to expect from this season. I look around me and see most everyone seems very optomisitic that is good.

If I am being honest about things I am being asked to put faith in a lot of guys that I have concerns about to some level. Some a lot more than I do others. I am also being asked to put faith in some guys I barely know at all. John McCain in the U.S Election is asking who is the real Barack Obama. I was asking who the heck is Will Solomon and who is the real Roko Ukic. That being said last season I was asking who is this Jamario Moon guy. That worked out pretty well last year. I do know who Joey Graham is and maybe that is why I am truly scared when even folks I respect like Eric are suggesting that he can be the starting small forward. I have 3 years of watching Joey and none of that suggests to me I should be anything but worried about the prospect of him playing a major role on this team.

Someone asked me last night if I was excited about the season. I said that I was excited but it is a nervous type of excitement. I have had the good fortunate to work on the Radio and in broadcasting and that for some can be a scary experience. To talk to a large amount of people in such a public way. But I never am nervous about doing that. I will pick up the phone and call in on the radio whenever the mood strikes me. It really is something I enjoy to do expressing my opinions. Imagine that someone who writes a blog enjoys that….very shocking isn’t it? O.K not so much. I think the things that I do fear in life in general are things like change and the unknown.  I like to think of myself as someone that has a lot of common sense and I like to have control of things. The change and unknown do not exactly play to those skill sets. So I guess the best way to sum up my feelings as we approach this season is nervous excitement?

I can’t help but think that we still haven’t seen this whole plan of Bryan Colangelo’s play out. Not that I expect anything to happen right away based on how close the Raptors are to the tax threshold of the cap. But I don’t see this Raptor roster as complete and I think the pre-season pointed out those flaws. It is very clear that the Raptors need someone anyone to commit to be a driving and slashing force on this team. I had thought that was going to be Jamario Moon. But Jamario has not had the pre-season he did last year that won him a spot on this roster at the exspense of Luke Jackson. The Joey Graham fan club will tell me that guy is going to be Joey. I would agree that ” Good ” Joey can be that guy. But I have no faith in him lasting. I wrote on a forum about Joey Graham this:

Fool me once shame on me, Fool me twice shame on you, Fool me 3 years going on 4 =Joey Graham.

Not exactly a math equation but it is the reality of things. I guess a lot of folks may think I am against Joey Graham. Truth is I am not for or against him. However I am an emotional guy and to have my emotions toyed with is painful. That is why I don’t want to buy into the Joey Graham Experience. However I am happy if Joey can prove his own history wrong and come through because it will mean good things for the Raptors.

There are people that I have complete faith in through. One of those is Chris Bosh and I have no doubt that he will have a great season. He is really starting to come into his own as a superstar in this league. He is talking big throwing out the MVP idea. I love it. Vince Carter seem to be stunned to here a crown chat that for Chris Bosh. But what a group of fans think has to be taken with a grain of salt. Vince believes in that because if he didn’t than he might have to think he sucked. Nah that would never happen as Vince’s ego would never allow it. However this time around it is not the Bosh fans saying this it is the guy himself. It is a great sign for anyone that is a fan of him or the Raptors. Chris Bosh has gained a ton of confidence from his summer trip to China that produced a gold medal. In this tough times I put my faith in CB4. He is truly the face of this franchise and will go down ahead of V.C as the greatest Raptor ever to this point.

The other person I have faith in a lot of Raptor Fans don’t. Sam Mitchell is my guy I have got his back because I like the way he approaches things. Will he ever be a Zen Master like Phil Jackson in L.A. I would highly doubt it. But the core values of what Sam Mitchell is about are ones that I personally agree with. I think at the end of the day his players respect him and sorry to break it to some media folks and some fans that is all that matters. Sam has managed to be the longest serving coach in Raptor history. He may never rise to the level of play calling guru for some but here is what he does do and always has done. He demands and challeges his players and he has the respect of his players. It is not easy to be able to do that in this modern world of sports. Sam Mitchell is at his core a guy that has a lot of old school values that I respect and admire. Give them hell Sam I always will be a Sam Mitchell supporter if for no other reason than he has entertained me more than any Raptors coach in the history of this franchise.

Having said all of that I have to say that I still can laugh at both Sam and the reactions to Sam. I woke up yesterday and was getting set to do my interview. I checked my e-mail and saw something from someone I did not know. I thought it might be a reader or something so I checked it out. What I found was some pure comedy gold. Sam Mitchell was the co-star of this very funny You Tube video:

Sometimes you need a good luagh to break up all that stress that a new season brings. Speaking of new there is a brand new blog site out there. It is not a Nation but a Republic. The Raptors Republic is a brand new site that is made up of a bunch of bloggers that have come together to form their own team of bloggers. I am not going to start a Raptor Blogging incident. There is room in this world for a Dino Nation and a Raptors Republic. I am always for anything that gives fans more info and fun. I think these guys are hopeful of doing both.

The second part of that Raptor Blogger Round Table is up. I actually am talking about Sam in that too. I guess today is Sam Mitchell Day at the Dino Nation Blog.  But here is a link to the second part of the Blogger Round Table Preview @ Raptors HQ:

Blogger Round Table – Guest Appearance By Dino Blogger

IT’S COMING SOON….

You are going to be seeing some changes with the Dino Nation Blog. They are all part of something that is getting set to happen. I hope you will be happy about it. I think it is going to take the Dino Nation Blog to the next level. So for now that is about all I can say. But trust me when all of this is all done I will have a lot to say. But basically if not for all of you that have read the Dino Nation Blog and supported it these things would not be happening so even though you don’t know what it is yet. I thank you in advance for your past and future support of the Dino Nation Blog.