Daily Raptor Dish

**Acie** · 12-14-2009, 08:41 AM

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The Houston Rockets arrived with the reputation as the hardest-working team in the NBA, but it was the Raptors who finished the game wearing the hard hats.
In a season in which the Raptors' effort has been questioned with alarming regularity, there was only praise for the workmanlike approach they took in yesterday's 101-88 win over the Rockets at the Air Canada Centre.
Even without Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady in the lineup this season, the Rockets have more than held their own against more talented opponents with their ability to outwork them.
But yesterday, it was the Raptors who looked energized for the full 48 minutes. Andrea Bargnani was bouncing around like he was on a pogo stick. Even with early foul trouble he wound up with 14 points and seven rebounds.
There was Hedo Turkoglu, finally looking like the aggressive playmaker and scorer he was in Orlando, finishing with a season-high 23 points to go with six boards and five assists.
That has been a long time coming and it comes after head coach Jay Triano introduced a few new sets to his offence that put the ball in Turkoglu's hands more often, allowing him to create for both himself and his teammates.
"It helped a lot," Turkoglu said. "It's just not the scoring for me. Everyone knows my game. I can come off the pick and roll and look for my shot or drive and kick and find the open guy which I did a few times today, too. As long as we do that, we can be successful."
Defensively, that extra bounce in their step resulted in nine blocks, as well as consistently contested shots that held the Rockets to just 37% shooting.

Sonny soaring

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Sonny Weems had no idea it was coming, but knew exactly what he had to do with the extra floor time when he received it yesterday.
"Take advantage," the first-year Raptors forward said. "Especially on the defensive end. I'm willing to do that. As long as they keep me on the floor, I will do that all day."

Raps Replay

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Pops Mensah-Bonsu, a fan favourite in his first go-round with the Raptors last season, had not seen enough action to warrant much of a reaction this year.
That changed yesterday when he came in against the Rockets, who released him earlier this season, after a crowd-pleasing dunk and two blocks.
Following the dunk, Mensah-Bonsu flashed a smile at the Houston bench but there was no message being sent there.
"I was just looking at T-Mac," Pops said of Tracy McGrady. "It was nothing malicious. No hard feelings on my part. I understand it is a business but I was definitely hurt. I thought I'd found a home there."

Raptors rebound with 101-88 win over Rockets

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Oh, if they could just bottle the effort and the energy; the intensity and the shot-making; the crowd's excitement and the passion of the players.
Wouldn't life be so much better for the Raptors?
Of course it would, but it wouldn't be reality and the reality is they just want to celebrate wins like Sunday's 101-88 triumph over the Houston Rockets rather than regret lesser performances earlier in the year.

Energetic Sonny Weems powers Raptors

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Surrounded by the media for the first time this season, basking in the aftermath of his most significant contribution as a Raptor, Sonny Weems tried to explain what he thought about his out-of-the-blue new role as sparkplug off the bench.
"It was a shocker to me," he said.
But it shouldn't have been. Weems would seem to have the kind of tonic for what chronically ails the Raptors – the ability to energize an all-too-often lacklustre squad with his athleticism and effort.
And in light of the results, a 101-88 Toronto victory over the highly regarded Houston Rockets, there's no reason to think Weems won't keep getting his moment in the spotlight.
"He's had two great games coming off the bench prior to this game and we just thought, move him up quicker into the rotation," said coach Jay Triano.
Bright move.
Weems gave the Raptors 11 points and four rebounds, but most importantly he gave them quickness and energy.
He spent time Sunday trying to harness waterbug-like Houston guards Kyle Lowry and Aaron Brooks and did an admirable job.

Raptors rebound against Rockets

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In the final minutes of Friday’s desultory loss to the Atlanta Hawks that saw the Toronto Raptors starters booed off the floor, Pops Mensah-Bonsu played his brains out.
He subbed in when the game was well over and grabbed two offensive rebounds, got fouled trying to dunk the ball with five seconds left, blocked a dunk, and generally squeezed about as much juice as there possibly was to be had from two minutes of garbage time.
In part because of that effort, Mensah-Bonsu was able to earn some rare early floor time in the Raptors’ convincing 101-88 win over the Houston Rockets at the Air Canada Centre yesterday. He was part of an energized second unit that seized control of the game in the second quarter and set the tone for what might have been the Raptors’ best game since the opening night of the season when they upset the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“I take any time I have on the court seriously,” said the high-flying journeyman who has yet to earn a long-term contract in the NBA. “It’s my time to show what I can do and I’m hoping that what I did in those two minutes kind of raised some eyebrows and made people think ‘let’s see what he can do with six, seven, eight or nine minutes,’ like I had today.”

Raptors push past Rockets with rare ease

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It would be hard to call the notes on the wipe board inside the Toronto Raptors locker room insightful.
Pre-game messages such as "effort and energy, constantly," "ball movement" and "shoot smart 3's and rebound" qualify as Coachspeak 101 in basketball.
And yet for a Raptors team that has so often looked disinterested for long stretches this season, Toronto's 101-88 demolition of the Houston Rockets showed what coach Jay Triano's team can do when at their best.
Coming off two straight lacklustre losses and facing a star-less Rockets team that built a 13-9 start largely on outworking their opposition, the Raptors outsmarted, out-hustled and outplayed Houston. The win improved their record to 11-15.
"It's an 82-game schedule," Triano said. "If you could bottle [that effort], you might win every game

Rockets find it difficult to overturn Toronto jinx

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The Raptors have done little to slow opposing teams this season, and in the previous three games, they had allowed an average of 114 points on 52.1 percent shooting.
Unable to defend much, the Raptors decided to take away something and loaded up in the lane, fronting Carl Landry and swarming to cut off penetration.
That left the Rockets plenty of open shots but few they could make.
When Pops Mensah-Bonsu, who has played sparingly since rejoining the Raptors, reintroduced himself to the Rockets with a spectacular block of a David Andersen dunk attempt, the Rockets had made eight of 30 shots and trailed by 18 a game after falling behind by 17 early in a win at Philadelphia.
“I don’t know the reason why,” Luis Scola (21 points, 15 rebounds) said of the Rockets’ slow starts on the trip. “I know we can’t afford to start this way. It sounds too repetitive, but we’re not that good. We can’t expect to come out and be down 20 and pick up whenever we want to and come back and win the game. We’re going to lose 95 percent of the games we start this way. If we want to win games, especially on the road, we can’t afford to approach the game this way.”
The Rockets made just one off 11 3s in the first half and missed plenty of open looks from inside the arc, too. They finished the day 3-of-24 from beyond the arc, their worst 3-point-shooting game (12.5 percent) of the season. Their 32-of-87 (32.8 percent) shooting overall was their second worst this season. They had 13 assists, three fewer than their previous season low.
“We got the shots we wanted,” said Aaron Brooks, who had 20 points but made just six of 20 shots. “We got layups. We got 3s.

Sunshine Girl - 14.12.09

**fancylad** · 12-14-2009, 09:08 AM

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In the final minutes of Friday’s desultory loss to the Atlanta Hawks that saw the Toronto Raptors starters booed off the floor, Pops Mensah-Bonsu played his brains out.
He subbed in when the game was well over and grabbed two offensive rebounds, got fouled trying to dunk the ball with five seconds left, blocked a dunk, and generally squeezed about as much juice as there possibly was to be had from two minutes of garbage time.

See i know Pops isn't the smartest dude on the court, but it's stuff like this that makes we want to keep him on the roster. At first i thought bringing him in was redundant, but in all honesty i would hate to see him given the boot. He deserves better.

DVS · 12-14-2009, 09:15 AM

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Originally Posted by fancylad

See i know Pops isn't the smartest dude on the court, but it's stuff like this that makes we want to keep him on the roster. At first i thought bringing him in was redundant, but in all honesty i would hate to see him given the boot. He deserves better.

I hear ya ....

but we need leaders to play like that. Guys like Bosh and Bargs godda learn some leadership techniques. Can't come from the guy who gives you 90% garbarge time.

BTW gimmie two beers and I'll be ok with the SSG. I've cut down on the alcohol so 2 beers will make me fly

Aar_Canada · 12-14-2009, 12:20 PM

You almost get the sense that her mom sent her down to the photographer's studio.

"You're goin'. We need money!"

"But mom, I don't wanna!"

"NOW!"

"But mom, I haven't done my hair OR makeup!"

"No time! Just slip on that dumb dress and get crackin'!"

**INSIDER** · 12-14-2009, 12:23 PM

"but mom"...
"now Lou-Anne! and smile for goodness sakes, wipe that frown of yer goddamn face... or i'll give you something to frown about"

**fancylad** · 12-14-2009, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aar_Canada

You almost get the sense that her mom sent her down to the photographer's studio.

"You're goin'. We need money!"

"But mom, I don't wanna!"

"NOW!"

"But mom, I haven't done my hair OR makeup!"

"No time! Just slip on that dumb dress and get crackin'!"

**Acie** · 12-14-2009, 01:35 PM

You guys should see the other pictures of her. That was the best one.

t-bag · 12-14-2009, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DVS

I hear ya ....

but we need leaders to play like that. Guys like Bosh and Bargs godda learn some leadership techniques. Can't come from the guy who gives you 90% garbarge time.

What are you talking about? Bosh has been an absolute beast. He's grabbed more boards than any other player in the NBA (309) and the second most offensive boards (96).

Last year I might have agreed that he needs to step up, but this year he's been a complete animal.

Barracuda · 12-14-2009, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aar_Canada

You almost get the sense that her mom sent her down to the photographer's studio.

"You're goin'. We need money!"

"But mom, I don't wanna!"

"NOW!"

"But mom, I haven't done my hair OR makeup!"

"No time! Just slip on that dumb dress and get crackin'!"

That's what SJ does.

I never see the money. Sigh...

DVS · 12-15-2009, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t-bag

What are you talking about? Bosh has been an absolute beast. He's grabbed more boards than any other player in the NBA (309) and the second most offensive boards (96).

Last year I might have agreed that he needs to step up, but this year he's been a complete animal.

I said Leadership techniques not overall play. On the floor yes Bosh has been posting some nice steady numbers but I don't think he is a guy players rally around is all i'm saying

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12-14-2009, 12:20 PM	#4 (permalink)
Aar_Canada is dead inside. Captain Ding Dong Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: St.Catharines Posts: 3,513 Representing:	You almost get the sense that her mom sent her down to the photographer's studio. "You're goin'. We need money!" "But mom, I don't wanna!" "NOW!" "But mom, I haven't done my hair OR makeup!" "No time! Just slip on that dumb dress and get crackin'!"

12-14-2009, 12:23 PM	#5 (permalink)
INSIDER is hating all "Lapdogs" its Bargnani Time bitch! Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: richmond hill Posts: 8,213 Representing:	"but mom"... "now Lou-Anne! and smile for goodness sakes, wipe that frown of yer goddamn face... or i'll give you something to frown about"

12-14-2009, 01:35 PM	#7 (permalink)
Acie is Don't play dumb with me. It's a game you can't win. Cram it up your cramhole! Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Living in a van down by the river Posts: 15,843 Representing:	You guys should see the other pictures of her. That was the best one.