Game 37: Raps vs. Grizzlies - Post-game
Even though the Raptors won this game by 21 points, it certainly wasn’t easy and they certainly didn’t look sharp for extended periods of the game. If Bargs didn’t hit those back-to-back 3’s in the third quarter, I don’t know if the Raptors would have been able to withstand another mental breakdown of blowing a double digit lead to a bad team.
The Raptors were sloppy for a good portion of the night, turning the ball over 13 times (still less than the Grizzlies’ 14), with most of those coming early in the game. Once they were able to get better control of what they were doing on the offensive end, things seemed a little more under control, but some poor decisions and players leaving their feet often left Raptor players on the wrong end of the ball.
While these are the teams that the Raptors should be beating, we should also recognize that the Raptors are still a little short on the bench. The Raptors are playing it smart with Jose’s hamstring and overall, they are getting steady play from the PGs. The Raptors should not have to even worry about resting guys like Jose when they are playing teams like the Grizzlies. Not that the Raptors are a top flight team, but they are good enough that they should be able to beat the Grizzlies without their starting PG.
I am starting to wonder if there is more to the story with JO than we are being led to believe. I am finding it difficult to believe that he has been out this long with a swollen knee, especially when we have not heard of any significant structural damage. If JO was on the move, the Raptors would be showcasing him, not keeping him on the injured list. If he was seriously injured, we also would have heard more by now. Is there something else going on with JO? I am sure all of the conspiracy theorists will be salivating at the idea, but something here really just doesn’t seem like it makes sense.
So now with the Raptors having some momentum and the Celtics looking like the wheels have fallen off (with another loss at Cleveland tonight), the next two games should be pretty interesting. I wonder if Jose tries to force himself back into one of those two games…I guess we will have to wait and see.
2 Comments
Jay on January 10th, 2009
Yeah, good thought, but then if you were a team ready to trade for him, wouldn’t you be worried that he’s being kept out of the lineup because there’s such a risk of him getting injured?
The whole thing seems strange to me.
LX on January 10th, 2009
I really have to wonder if at the very least the team is keeping JO away from the court to keep him from not being able to pass a physical that a trade would require. Which would mean that there is some interest out there, and it’s just a matter of whether it goes anywhere or not.