SB Nation - Toronto Raptors

Dwight Howard Named NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week

erivera7 — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:23:48 -0000

The Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, Dec. 14, through Sunday, Dec. 20. It marks the second time this season and the ninth time in his career that Howard has earned the league's top weekly honor.

Howard recorded four double-doubles on the week, averaging 17.0 points and league highs of 17.8 rebounds and 4.5 blocks, as the Magic went 3-1. On Dec. 14, Howard tallied 21 points, 23 rebounds and four blocked shots, as Orlando defeated Indiana 106-98 at Amway Arena. He recorded a season-high eight blocks Dec. 16 in a 118-99 home win over Toronto.

Here is a recap of the week for Howard:

Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic

Dec. 14 vs. Indiana: Posted 21 points, 23 rebounds and four blocks in a 106-98 win over the Pacers.

Dec. 16 vs. Toronto: Scored 18 points to go along with 14 rebounds and eight blocks in a 119-99 win over the Raptors.

Dec. 17 @ Miami: Tallied 17 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks in a 104-86 loss to the Heat.

Dec. 19 vs. Portland: Recorded 12 points, 20 rebounds, four blocks and two steals in a 92-83 win over the Trail Blazers.

Hornets Can't Build on Denver Momentum, Dropped by Raptors

atthehive — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:37:53 -0000

More photos » by Chris Young - AP

2 days ago: New Orleans Hornets' Devin Brown, left, tries to find a way past Toronto Raptors' defensive duo of Chris Bosh, right, and DeMar DeRozan during first-half NBA basketball game action in Toronto on Sunday, Dec. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Chris Young)

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Somebody should look up Toronto's record in Sunday morning games. It's one of the cooler traditions in the NBA (TOR getting Sunday morning games) that not too many fans know of. And our guys didn't seem to be up to the task.

A quick cap today, 'cause I'm currently in a transfer terminal outside of the country. Jump!

Chris Bosh killed us again, with 25 and 11. If it weren't for his 6 turnovers, it would easily have been among the best, most efficient lines the Hornets have allowed in the 2009 calendar year. Bosh was aggressive on offense, getting to the line a game high 6 times. Hedo Turkoglu, by contrast, shot pretty poorly from the floor. However, he still managed to be an integral part of the offense, dishing a team high 7 assists. Nobody else really stood out that much from Toronto, though Amir Johnson's 12 rebounds in 21 bench minutes killed us.

Nevertheless, the Hornets did out-rebound Toronto, getting just two fewer rebounds, despite missing 12 more shots. Additionally, the Hornets posted a better turnover rate and played the free throw battle to a standstill. Good old floor percentages were what killed us. 3 for 13 from Paul and 4 for 15 from Peja were more than enough to do us in.

And.. I'm boarding. Might have some more thoughts up later. Maybe.

Tip-In: Toronto Raptors Post Game Report - Mo Questions

Raptors HQ - Vicious D — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:30:13 -0000

More photos » by Chris Young - AP

Chris Bosh seems quite happy with the way things are going. His team, however, still hasn't turned the corner in Vicious D's eyes.

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The Raptors sweep the Hornets for their second win in a row against yet another sub .500 team. Vicious D wonders what this team will do when they face a real challenger who doesn't shoot themselves in the foot.

Let's be honest for a moment.

There were a lot of things that had to break the Raptors' way for them to beat the New Orleans Hornets 98-92 yesterday.

With the Raptors last game against the Nets, I believed that they had not improved or implemented many different tactics to pull out a win against the worst team in the league. Instead, they were just playing the worst team in the league and the Raptors just were not as bad as the worst.

Against the Hornets?

Well, there was going to be a bigger challenge for the Raptors than the Nets, but the Raptors have recently played the Hornets fairly well year after year. Of course, Jose Calderon has always been a big part of that success and with Calderon sidelined indefinitely with his hip injury, Jarrett Jack came in and provided some offense despite fighting off an illness. More efficient than Paul, Jack was controlled with his offense and deferred appropriately to the others on the floor. He also challenged Paul to defend him by going to the basket throughout the game.

Then Marcus Banks came in and didn't miss a beat.

Now one might say that Marcus Banks has the widest shoulders of any player at his height which makes it that much more difficult for opposing guards to blow by him. In fact, he might actually have the widest frame of any Raptor this side of Joey Graham. With yet another quality performance under his belt, Banks seems to be rounding into form more and more. He is starting to resemble the backup that Phoenix saw many years ago who deserved a $4 million dollar contract. While Banks still does throw up the questionable shot once in a while, he does also try to use his body to his full advantage.

And thus, the arguments to trade Jose Calderon have begun.

Nevertheless, I'm not one to throw our starting point guard under the bus yet. Besides being one of the better "in control" players on this squad, he still is a high percentage shooter and is definitely one of the lowest turnover point guards in the league. More importantly, finding takers for a $9-10 million dollar contract over 3 1/2 years will not be an easy task and I don't believe his stock could be any lower than it is right now. However, Banks is definitely helping his own stock around the league as at least a serviceable second option for most teams and is definitely an important piece of Toronto's puzzle right now.

Of course, Amir Johnson was once again a major spark plug coming off the bench, and Andrea Bargnani has a couple key blocks down the stretch which almost made up for his fairly poor shooting. Chris Bosh also dropped down another 20 and 10 and DeMar DeRozan gave the Raptors a little bit of boost from his athleticism.

Besides that, there's little to be cheery about in this game.

The Hornets were pretty horrendous from all over the floor, shooting a horrid 39% from the floor and disgusting 14% from beyond the arc. Peja Stojakovic had an absolutely horrid shooting day going 1-7 from three and 4-15 overall after dropping a ton of shots on the Nuggets the other night. Many of the shots were open shots that the Hornets simply missed and the Raptors did very little to clean up the glass against Emeka Okafor and David West. One might point to the fact that the Raptors had three players in double figures for rebounding, but I would point to the horrid shooting of the Hornets as a large reason for those rebounds. Don't get me wrong. Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani, and Amir Johnson especially, were not just standing around waiting for the ball. However, Okafor managed to get seven offensive rebounds for the game and probably would have lots more had Bargnani not been taken out due to foul trouble.

What was most disappointing for me was just watching the Raptors on the offensive side.

With the Hornets going "small" for the majority of the game, the Raptors insisted on keeping most of their shots on the outside and didn't attack the basket enough. Even when players like Chris Bosh got into the paint, they still ended up taking a fadeaway or an off-balanced hook in the paint rather than going up strong and racking up the fouls on the Hornets' big men. With Matt Devlin and Leo Rautins both pointing out that the Raptors needed to go inside and even reporting that Jay Triano was pleading for them to keep attacking the basket, the Raptors themselves seem content to keep taking outside shots.

And once again, I'm left shaking my head.

There is no question that the Raptors need to be beating this teams that they're facing right now. With Boston and San Antonio around to ring in the new year, they have to take advantage of every sub-.500 team match up they can. However, good teams will use this momentum to build and work on their faults. Like a sharpening stone, these sub-.500 teams are a good opportunity to practice the things you've worked on in practice and to establish good habits so that when you face the tougher opponents in the league, you have a good foundation to work on.

Right now? I'm seeing a lot of the same problems, just against lesser teams that can't take advantage of the Raptors' shortcomings. I've been asked repeatedly about improvements to this team and its chemistry, but to be honest, there's very little in the way of good news. About the only thing that's good is that the Raptors staff has been allowed to explore the depth of their bench, something that us fans have begged for since pre-season when we saw how both Sonny Weems and Amir Johnson played the floor. However, the main problems with the starting core remain the same. There is still too much of a tendency to do what comes easy in basketball rather than doing what will win them the close, tough games.

The wins are welcome, and the feelings around the team are good for now. but the sense of foreboding that I feel about the days ahead just can't be whisked away with these kinds of wins.

Somehow, this team has got to start taking care of their shortcomings or they're going to hit a wall very quick and very hard.

Raptors Rapid Recap: Toronto 98 – New Orleans 92

Raptors HQ - Vicious D — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:16:11 -0000

- The Raptors pulled out a victory with some good defense, some key blocks from Andrea Bargnani and three players with double-digit rebounding numbers. The Raptors out rebounded the Hornets 52-50 despite giving the Hornets an 18-12 edge in offensive rebounding.

- Once again, it was Toronto's "energy unit" led by Amir Johnson which really kept this game from getting out of hand. The Raptors still took too many outside shots against a team that doesn't really have a good inside presence. We'll discuss it further in the recap.

- CP3 was hampered by a re-injury of his ankle which probably slowed down New Orleans's offense for the game. However, Chris Paul did return to give his team a fighting chance. The Raptors just wouldn't let him completely take over, thanks to some great work by *gasp* Marcus Banks!

- Peja Stojakovic shot a horrible 4-15 and the Hornets were only 3-21, missing several wide-open 3s. Not sure if you can say that it was the Raptors' defense rather than the Hornets' ineptitude, but it was a major contributing factor to the Hornets' loss this afternoon

-And finally, Morris Peterson came home to a standing ovation. Classy move Toronto. He's a guy that you would love sitting next to Alvin Williams as an assistant one day.

3 In The Key - Toronto Raptors Game Day Preview vs. New Orleans

Raptors HQ - Vicious D — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:30:13 -0000

More photos » by Bill Haber - AP

Chris Paul almost got a well deserved triple double. Heck, he almost finished with a 30 and 20 night against the Nuggets. Will CP3 get that elusive triple double against the Raptors today?

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In a rematch where Chris Paul will play the team that injured him, the Raptors will face one of the league's most dynamic point guards. Of course, Mo Pete will be the talk of the town as Vicious D takes a look at the Hornets.

This is all Morris Peterson's fault.

Well, not really, but let's look at how Mo Pete left.

Back in the wonderous 2006-2007 season, the Raptors decided to start benching Mo Pete after years of loyal service. The Raptors had a new guy in Jorge Garbajosa who was a tough Spaniard who wasn't going to take guff from anyone. He was going to be our defensive stopper who just played hard in every game and who could defend bigger people while using his crafty mind to take out the smaller small forwards in the league. Mo Pete was benched and his minutes severely reduced. When Garbajosa went down with his Raptors Career-ending injury, the team picked Joey Graham to start over Mo Pete.

Thus ended Mo Pete's career in Toronto.

Getting snubbed once for a veteran player like Garbajosa was nothing to be ashamed about, but getting snubbed for the likes of Joey Graham was probably the straw that broke the camel's back. Since then, we have been without any real stoppers at the small forward position in Toronto. And yes, that includes the recently end-of-bencher Antoine Wright.

But good news:

Mo Pete is back in Toronto.

With the Hornets.

Doing not much of anything.

As part of their 15 years anniversary, the Raptors will be celebrating Mo Pete's service to the Raptors and the Raptors' community. Without a doubt, Peterson was a man who just got to become Mr. Raptor by being a subtle part of some very good teams. He was the Ironman of the Raptors and gave us some very important years with some good defense, some better shooting, and some miraculous plays.

He'll be a Raptor whom I'll definitely stand up and applaud from my condo.

Up next though, the Raptors still have a game to play and against the New Orleans Hornets, they will have it out a lot tougher than the Nets. That's why today's game will be a much better measuring stick for this Raptors team:

1) Protect Your "Glass Jaw"
The Raptors are simply bad when they have to do anything tough, but more than that, it seems as though whenever teams start trading baskets with the Raptors, they will fold. In boxing, a glass jaw boxer is a guy with a weak chin who will go down for the count whenever their opposition tags them on the chin. With these Raptors, their "chin" seems to be their paint and the Raptors get hit there way too often. It all eventually changes the game to their opposition's favour. It happened in the Nets game, albeit only in the second half after they built a sizable lead, and it's happened in just about every game where they've been blown out. We're going to keep mentioning it until the Raptors change their ways, but the fact is, this team's best defensive unit is probably Jarrett Jack, Marco Belinelli, Sonny Weems, Chris Bosh, and Amir Johnson.

That's four bench players with Chris Bosh. With Chris Paul almost dropping a triple double the last game against the Nuggets, the Raptors have to keep protecting their paint otherwise this game will get ugly real quick.

2) Stick and Jab
The Raptors on the other hand, have to keep going inside against the Hornets. New Orleans just doesn't have a very strong front court despite having one of the most overrated centers in the league in Emeka Okafor. Chris Paul as well, has a propensity to being exposed by opposing point guards, so the Raptors should keep slashing and slashing in the paint like there's no tomorrow. Attacking them with two points here and there will keep New Orleans on their toes until you find yourself for open threes. Which leads us to...

3) Power Punches
The Raptors have not been shooting the 3-pointer very well lately. However, a lot of that has to do with who is taking those threes. DeMar DeRozan, Antoine Wright, and the recently cold Italian Duo are all people that should be careful about shooting too many threes. But if the Raptors start by hitting the Hornets with lots of jabs, they'll expose them for open looks on the perimeter. The Raptors are a team that needs those open looks and they'll have to stick them as it's a major part of what makes the Raptors a dangerous offensive team. It's how the Raptors pulled out a win in New Orleans earlier this year after all. However it's all got to start from the inside out. The best boxers establish themselves with their jab and then unleashes hooks and uppercuts when need be. The Raptors will need to do the same.

Tip-In: Toronto Raptors Post Game Report - Easy Breezy

Raptors HQ - Vicious D — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 13:30:14 -0000

More photos » by Nathan Denette - AP

When Bargnani is out-hustling you for plays, you know that something is wrong with your team

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In what might have been the easiest Raptors win of the year, the New Jersey Nets showed why they set the NBA record for worst start to a season. Vicious D, however, takes a pessimistic look at an easy win

You know, a recap like this should be easy.

It would go something like "Raptors beat a lousy team 118-95. It wasn't even close. Notch one for the good guys."

It's easy to look at this game and say "Ok, this team is now going to play five teams that they should clobber because this Raptors team can at least beat bad teams."

It's easy to go look at the Raptors record after this next stretch and say "Oh, they're only a couple games below .500"

It's easy to say that this team can play defense to win games because they can hold teams under 90 points and that they're doing better because they're doing it more often.

All of that is easy because the Raptors beat the Nets so badly in the first half that they didn't even need to try in the second half.

But all of that is the problem with this Raptors team. This team often takes the easy way out and looks at itself with rose-coloured glasses when things go well. This team is the one that features players who forget to go into the paint when they did it so well in the first quarter. This team will take the easy way out because being behind by 10 points means that it's really hard for the team to come back. It requires determination, and when this team requires determination, they seem to just implode and say "Ok, let's let our opponents keep scoring so we can get out of here ASAP."

I'm refusing to take the easy way out in this recap.

Fact of the matter is, the Raptors came out of this with a win because New Jersey is a pretty bad team that played a pretty bad game. Should the Raptors hang their laurels on this game? I'm sure that they aren't, but there are some disturbing signs from even this game.

For instance, discounting the first half for a moment, in the second half, the Nets outscored the Raptors 63-48. In those quarters, the Raptors did play a lot of bench players. Nevertheless, the effort in these quarters was largely lacking. In the third quarter, it was particularly disturbing to see the Raptors starters jack up shots from the field. When they went cold, the starters seemed to forget about what got them the lead in the first place. They stopped going to the paint and stopped deferring to DeMar DeRozan; the one player on the starters who was absolutely committed to continue going to the basket.

Then, the Nets started to take the Raptors to task in the paint. Devin Harris and Brook Lopez kept scoring on the inside and the same lackadaisical Raptors defense was there for everyone to see. Most of the Nets baskets came from blow-bys, interior passing, and just an unwillingness to protect the paint. How many times did we see the Nets finish off in a run? How many other times did we see the Nets cut through Jack, Turkoglu, and Bosh all in one play to the rim? Heck, how did Brook Lopez not pick up any more fouls for the entire second half after getting three limiting fouls in the first?

Meanwhile, Matt Devlin and Jack Armstrong were busy talking about how the Raptors had played good defense by holding the Nets to just 33 points at the half.

But let's not just stay negative.

There are positives coming from today's game, and those largely have to do with that "hustle group" that we've seen on the floor. I'm talking of course about the close knit group of Amir Johnson, Marco Belinelli, Sonny Weems, and DeMar DeRozan. All of these players gave some kind of hustle on the floor that kept extending the lead throughout the game. It's these players that seem to have developed a chemistry that even the starters haven't been able to find. It's not surprising either that they're the hardest working bunch, night in, night out. And even Belinelli, who had a pretty horrendous shooting night still kept his hands active and managed to grab two steals and multiple deflections.

Oh, and the Toronto crowd loves them too because if there's one thing Torontonians love, it's a hard worker.

A long time ago, I was told a simple truth about life. The truth was that the right decision and the right thing to do is often the hard path, while the easy path is often the one most treaded and the one that never produces growth. For 29 games now, this Raptors team has shown a propensity to take the easy path far too often. When faced with the need to dig deep, to attack and keep a game close, or to get that one stop, this team just doesn't seem to have it. The only wins this team seems to be interested in are blowouts and that's not the mark of any championship competitor. Problem is, we may very well have four blowouts in the next four games.

In the next few games, the Raptors should display some ability to put away some teams and pad the stats of some of their players. These games will allow the Raptors to showcase some pieces and hopefully entice other general managers. The fact is, the Raptors will have a window of opportunity to showcase players and make changes before things get desperate.

I just wonder if anyone in this organization has the fortitude to take the hard path.

3 In The Key - Toronto Raptors Game Day Preview vs. New Jersey

RaptorsHQ - Howland — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:56:21 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

This is what I call protecting the paint. All Raptors please take note. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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Heading into tonight's match-up vs. the Nets there isn't much to say as the Raptors face their first absolute must win of the season.

A victory had better be in the works.

There's really very little to say prior to tonight's game.

This is a must win for the Raps. Note however, they don't have to win this game to stay in the hunt for the bottom playoff positions. Rather, they have to win this game because if they don't this team is going to lose a lot of fan support and people will start calling for major changes.

There are definite grumblings within the fan base about the condition of this team and countless suggestions of what must be done.

Just looking through the comments from the recap of the game against Orlando there are countless suggestions of what needs to be done to fix this team. Some suggest firing Triano and replacing him with Micah Nori while others suggest tanking the season for a shot at John Wall.

Things have gotten so dire we've seen the triumphant return of long time community member Bargsbust.

There are grey clouds gathering over the ACC right now and if the Raps lose tonight all may go dark.

Unlike in season's past where the New Jersey match-ups were highly anticipated, now that Vince Carter is in Orlando there is little "buzz" when these teams meet. Rightfully so.

New Jersey started the season with the longest losing streak in NBA history and they are really starting from scratch now having completely moved on from the Carter/Jefferson/Kidd combo. In New Jersey they have done something that many have suggested BC do....blow it up and start again.

There are some nice young pieces on this Nets squad in the likes of Devin Harris, Brook Lopez, Franchise favorite CDR and my favorite prospect last season Terrence Williams, but it will take time before they amount to much. The Raptors have way more talent and experience than this Nets team.

That being said don't think the Nets are going to roll over. If you were playing for the Nets wouldn't you feel good about your chances tonight facing a team against the ropes and who can't stop anyone on the defensive end? The Nets will be up for this game.

Now usually I would discuss three keys to tonight's game but as the season has worn on it has become apparent that the Raps have a difficult time trying to do one thing right let lone three. So the key to tonight's game is just to win at all costs.

Although it looks to be an easy match-up tonight the Raptors are in a tough position. In tonight's game there is no upside to be had. A win is expected. A loss would be unacceptable.

Tune in here at game time for the Game Day Thread, it should be a live one.

Tip-In: Toronto Raptors Post Game Report - What Now?

RaptorsHQ - Howland — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:36:48 -0000

More photos » by John Raoux - AP

The Magic had no problem getting to the rim. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

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The Raptors were in the Magic Kingdon last night but there was nothing magical in how they played.

Another blow-out loss for the Raps leaves Howland grasping at straws.

Oh my.

It's getting pretty tough to watch at this point.

In fact talking about the lack of effort, the bad defense and the constant mental errors is getting tiring. There is actually very little to talk about after the 118-99 loss to the Orlando that everyone has not read and talked about before.

Last night was no different than many other nights this season. You have heard this story before:

The Raps allowed their opponent to score over 100 points.
The effort just wasn't good enough and when the team fell behind they showed no fight.
The Raps were dominated in almost every facet of the game and allowed their opponent to shoot well over 50% from the field.
The result was another lopsided Raptors loss.

After last night I am left wondering whether anything is actually changing. Sure there has been a lot of talk but there has been nothing to back up the spoken word.

We are now close to 30 games into the season and I can honestly say I have seen no improvement since the first pre-season game at the John Labatt Centre in London Ontario.

That was more than two and a half months ago.

The question that has to be asked is when, if ever, will things change?

My guess is that things are not going to change with the status quo and I don't think we are far from the point where BC has to acknowledge this. How many more blow-out losses are required before something has to give?

RIght now the Raps have to be turning into the laughing stock of the league. There are few teams who can make Anthony Johnson look like he's 25 again and right now the opponents starters know that they will likely spend the fourth quarter chilling on the bench with a comfortable lead.

The problem is I just don't see many options for BC. He can't fire Triano as there is no chance that MLSE will pay THREE coaches at one time, the market for Turkoglu is going to be limited give his age, contract and production (who knew?!), and trading arguably the best young PF in the league would be a tough pill to swallow.

I don't envy the position the Legomaster has put himself in. He has collected some pretty poor pieces that just don't add up to much. Soon the spotlight is going to shine squarely on Colangelo and he will have to answer for the bind he has put this franchise in.

It's not that this team doesn't have talent. There is talent on this team. The biggest issue is that they are not working as a unit and they are not playing for each other. That is bad, but it gets worse. There is nothing to point to that would suggest the team is about to "turn the corner".

Just how bad were things last night? Well as pointed out in the Game Day Thread Marcin Gortat had 7 rebounds which would have be a team high for the Raptors last night and he only played 10 minutes. That's pathetic and a damning statement for Mr. Bargnani and Mr. Bosh.

The most disappointing performance last night however, was that of Mr. Turkoglu. On a night when he was matched up against his old mates in Orlando you would have thought he would come out with some serious energy. Not so. Once again Turk was underwhelming. What was telling was that the Orlando fans seemed to greet him with a laissez-faire attitude. He has been easily replaced and forgotten.

To be honest, right now might be the lowest I have ever felt about this team. Rather than being a pleasure to come home and watch a game it is starting to feel like a chore. It's just not that fun to see these guys get trampled and do nothing to stop it. It's disheatening. At least when we went through the dark ages (after Vince was traded) guys showed some fight.

The only positive for the Raps right now is that they face the New Jersey Nets on Friday. Not only is that the most winnable game in the league right now but I get to see Terrence Williams.

I have to ask though, what happens if they lose that game?

Orlando Magic 118, Toronto Raptors 99

Ben Q Rock — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 08:09:03 -0000

More photos » by John Raoux - AP

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The Orlando Magic used a team-wide hot shooting performance against the Toronto Raptors' perpetually porous defense to cruise to a 118-99 win Wednesday night. Rashard Lewis led all scorers with 21 points--including 5 three-pointers--while Matt Barnes scored 20 points on 10 shots off the bench. Dwight Howard approached a triple-double with 18 points, 14 boards, and 8 blocked shots before checking out as the game got out of hand. Orlando held Toronto's Chris Bosh to 20 points, while former Magic player Hedo Turkoglu chipped in 14 (on 2-of-9 shooting) and Jarrett Jack added 13.

Team	Pace	Efficiency	eFG%	FT Rate	OReb%	TO Rate
Raptors	94	105.4	46.6%	18.0	22.7	10.7
Magic	87	134.9	66.7%	24.0	27.6	16.0
Green denotes a stat better than the team's season average; red denotes a stat worse than the team's season average.

The game transpired more or less like you might have figured it would based on these teams' reputations going in. The Raptors hung with the Magic early on, but the Magic created just enough separation with an 8-0 run late in the first quarter--fueled by a tough Vince Carter layup and back-to-back treys from Jason Williams--to take a 27-19 lead, and Toronto never really challenged after that. It wasn't always a question of effort, but rather ability; Orlando got whatever it wanted, the Raptors couldn't keep pace with the Magic's blistering shooting, and so it continued for the next 36 minutes. After a while, the Raptors appeared to just say, "screw it," and they mailed in the rest of the game. The way things went for the Magic, you can hardly blame them.

Okay, well, you can, to an extent, but I think you see my point. Things came entirely too easily for Orlando. The misses came on well-executed plays, open, and in rhythm, at least until garbage time, when Marcin Gortat started launching just any old thing he wanted. And by "old thing," I mean "15-footer early in the shot clock."

Howard missed 1 shot all game, and it was an off-balance tip-in attempt. Barnes shot 7-of-10, and one of those misses came on an inexplicably blown dunk with nobody around. Several of J.J. Redick's shots rattled around and out... and on it goes. Nary a blemish for Orlando offensively, at least not when the game really mattered. Turnovers were a bit of an issue, with Anthony Johnson--who scored a lively 13 points off the bench--twice losing the ball off his knee on his way to the hoop. and with the odd push-off against Howard or Redick. Overall, though, what is your chief complaint if you're the Magic? Maybe it's that Mickael Pietrus struggled in his 17 minutes, shooting 1-of-5 with 2 turnovers as he tried to battle through illness. Maybe it's that the Raptors came up with 6 steals, despite being the league's worst turnover-forcing unit. Maybe it's that Bosh scored 20 in 30 minutes, on 7-of-11 shooting. Still, his touches were few and far between, as the Magic dared Jack (13 points on 15 shots) and Andrea Bargnani (12 points on 12 shots) to beat them. A sound strategy, which they executed.

That sentence more or less summarizes the Magic's night. They had a game plan on both ends, they put it in motion, and they prevailed with ease. Really, I'm more impressed with the Magic's defense of the Raptors than I am with their offensive assault against them. A team as gifted as Orlando should light up the scoreboard against a sieve like Toronto. But the Raptors had the league's 4th-most efficient offense coming in, and Orlando shut it down. Howard's rejections helped, sure--and some of them could have been fouls or goaltends, if we're honest, but not nearly enough to swing momentum in Toronto's favor--but rarely did the Magic get burned on that end. So Antoine Wright peels himself off the end of the bench and scores 7 straight points late in the 4th: who cares? Two contested looks in the lane and a three-pointer for a career 29.3% long-distance shooter. You're happy giving those looks up.

Finally, how about Brandon Bass tonight? Coach Stan Van Gundy dusted off Orlando's sparingly used free-agent signee, who played both power forward and center, and he responded. 5 points, 1 rebound, 3 blocks (?!), and the usual energy and aggression in just over 9 minutes for Bass, who's probably a rotation player on just about every other NBA team. I see no reason or him to take minutes from three-point ace Ryan Anderson on a regular basis, but it's always good to know that your 11th man can come in immediately and make an impact.

Sorry if I seem more peppy than usual, but again, there's very little wrong with the way the Magic played tonight. A solid win against a worthy offensive foe, and a chance to rest up on the first night of a back-to-back set. Orlando jets to Miami to play the Heat--themselves fresh off a win against Toronto--tomorrow night.

Raptors Rapid Recap - Orlando 118 - Toronto 99

RaptorsHQ - Franchise — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 03:20:20 -0000

-Another Raptors' game, another blowout loss. I talked about this in this morning's post but that makes 11 on the season in terms of losses of 13 or more points. Again, by comparison, the 2005-06 Raptors' club that started 1 and 17 lost by 13 or more points only 13 times all season that year.

-Any positives to be gleamed? Precious few. Toronto allowed the Magic to shoot almost 70 PER CENT through most of this one and one could argue were never really in it.

-Chris Bosh led Toronto with 20 points and 6 rebounds but again just didn't have that extra bounce in his step. (Cue the "he's not giving the effort any more because this team is so bad" stories and rumours.) The rest of the team was fairly invisible aside from Hedo Turkoglu's early forays to the foul line (he was nine of nine on the night) and the occasional bench highlight. The bench in fact managed to get this one within 5 in the first half but after the starters returned, it was all downhill.

-For Orlando, they busted this one open early with a barrage of 3 pointers and they finished 14 of 30 on the night. This decimated the Raps' meager defensive efforts and soon the lanes opened up for the likes of Matt Barnes (20 points) and Anthony "Grampa" Johnson (13.)

-Up next for TO on what's slowly becoming the most disapointing season in team history? - The New Jersey Nets. And while this one looks like an easy W on paper (Nets are 2 and 24 on the season), with the way Toronto's played of late, fans know this could be a battle in reality.

PS - Tune in to the Fan590 right now to hear RaptorsHQ's Ray Bala (Canball report) talk ball with Zack Cooper and other guests!