Game 50: Raps vs. Cavs - Post-”game”
Yeah, I had to put the “game” part of “post-game” in quotations, because really, that’s exactly what this was, just a game. This wasn’t a matchup and certainly wasn’t any sort of competition, this was essentially a game where one team felt like playing and the other team ran around in circles showing an appalling lack on conviction and determination. You can guess which team was which.
You may have noticed that there wasn’t a pre-game edition for this game and my simple excuse was that when I was ready to write it, it was late, I was tired and I figured, “What’s the point?” The scary thing is, I’m just a guy who spends a good chunk of his time writing about and following the Raptors. I just look over stats, do some admin work on the message board here and occasionally post a comment or two. I’m not a player, I don’t have to go out and face the embarrassment each game.
Now think if you’re Chris Bosh (yes, the same Bosh who somehow had his dunk attempt blocked by LeBron tonight) and you’re coming into this game facing questions from the media about whether or not you told your GM that you wouldn’t be returning to the team in 2010. You put it out there that the conversation never happened and then go back to practice knowing that your team is going to have its ass handed to it on the road in a completely unwinnable game. Yeah, maybe you would have taken the easy road out and said, “Hell yes that conversation happened. Would you want to be back here?” Imagine going out on the court having to watch your “teammate” (and I use that term in the loosest sense possible) Jamario Moon throw up an airball on one end in the first quarter, jog back down the court on transition and then COMPLETELY GET OUT OF THE WAY OF A LAYUP like Michael Jordan was coming down the court to posterize him. That’s the kind of thing Bosh is sitting there looking at right now. Yeah, that’s what I would want to be a part of.
While it is completely inexcusable that the Raptors came out and got waxed in the first quarter, giving up an unimaginable (or maybe not) 37 points in the first quarter, hey, let’s look at the bright side: they finally won a 3rd quarter! Block off Bay Street, let’s have a parade! The Raptors held the Cavs to only 15 points in that quarter and outscored them by 11. They actually looked like a team on a mission coming out of the half. Do you believe in miracles?
Raptor fans can say what they want about JO and his wonky knees, but I don’t know if there is a guy I like to watch more on the court than O’Neal simply for the fact that I know every time he steps on the court, he is going to play with some aggression, with some sort of purpose. Joey Graham is starting to turn into one of those guys too. If they could somehow get that same sort of enthusiasm into the rest of the team, it would be one of the great moments in history, but at this point, it just doesn’t look like that is going to happen. Jack Armstrong made some good points tonight talking about when you look at the two rosters, the Cavs and the Raptors, how much difference is there? He’s right. Yes, they have LeBron. Okay, but outside of that, there aren’t any real superstars. They have some other good quality players, but what works for them is that they have a bunch of guys who are buying into a system and who play their roles within that system. The Raptors don’t have a complete team buying into anything.
Linkity Links « Searching For ‘93 on February 6th, 2009
[...] And this week’s game… You may have noticed that there wasn’t a pre-game edition for this game and my simple excuse was that when I was ready to write it, it was late, I was tired and I figured, “What’s the point?” The scary thing is, I’m just a guy who spends a good chunk of his time writing about and following the Raptors. I just look over stats, do some admin work on the message board here and occasionally post a comment or two. I’m not a player, I don’t have to go out and face the embarrassment each game. [...]