Daily Raptor Dish

**INSIDER** · 12-20-2010, 09:26 AM

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The Raptors had nothing to be embarrassed about on Sunday at the ACC, despite falling 120-110 to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Without leading scorer Andrea Bargnani, the Raptors surprisingly stayed with the two-time defending NBA champions all game.

The young Raptors kept things close by flooring the gas pedal as often as possible. The veteran-laden Lakers are no fans of the running game and simply could not keep up when Toronto pushed the tempo.

But speed cannot trump size in basketball and no team is bigger and badder than the Lakers.

With size advantages all over the court — especially inside with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum who combined for 35 points — the Lakers bludgeoned the Raps, outrebounding them 46-35 with a 56-44 edge in the paint as well.

“(Bynum’s) size made a difference,” legendary Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.

“Bargnani is out and they just didn’t have the size to contest with us.”

The Lakers bench also went off, outscoring Toronto’s reserves 57-27.

Still, Raptors head coach Jay Triano was proud of his undermanned squad.

“It’s not effort or anything else, I thought our guys played really hard and I think for the most part they played really well,” Triano said. “I think we could have beat a lot of teams today, but not these guys.”

Superstar Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 20 points in just 28 minutes, Gasol added 19.

Bryant also had praise for the Raptors.

“They always play us really well,” Bryant said.

Raptors sunk by Lakers

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TORONTO -- - Too big, too strong, too savvy, too good.

The Raptors had nothing to be embarrassed about on Sunday at the ACC, despite falling 120-110 to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Minus Andrea Bargnani, the Raptors surprisingly hung around with the two-time defending NBA champions all game.

The young Raptors kept things close by flooring the gas pedal as often as possible. The veteran-laden Lakers are no fans of the running game and simply could not keep up when Toronto pushed the tempo.

But speed cannot trump size in basketball and no team is bigger and badder than the Lakers.

With size advantages all over the court - especially inside with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum who combined for 35 points - the Lakers bludgeoned the Raps, outrebounding them 46-35 with a 56-44 edge in the paint as well.

The Lakers bench also went off, outscoring Toronto’s reserves 57-27.

Superstar Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 20 points in just 28 minutes, Gasol added 19 and L.A.’s bench outscored Toronto’s 57-27.

The Raptors surprised Hollywood’s finest by going up 34-28 after an inspired first quarter, but allowed L.A. to go on 12-3 and 11-3 runs to start the next two quarters.

Raps show fight in loss to Lakers

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Dylan Thomas would have been proud of the Toronto Raptors on Sunday afternoon, though the Welsh poet died 42 years before the Raptors were born and probably didn’t give hoops a lot of, uh, sober reflection.

Still, in acknowledgement of Thomas’ most famous poem, the Raptors did not go gentle into that good night as they faced a stacked Los Angeles Lakers squad with an arm tied behind their back.

Andrea Bargnani was out again with a sore knee, as was Sonny Weems with back spasms. Amir Johnson played, and played well, but left the game a couple of times to get his sore lower back stretched out.

Still, the Raptors fought back time and again against the explosive Lakers, promoting L.A. coach Phil Jackson to dish some love Jay Triano’s way.

“Jay had a lot of things going,” said Jackson, following the Lakers’ 120-110 victory. “We’d get going and he’d throw a zone out there to slow us down. They did some things to create a conflict for us.

“We established control four times in the game,” Jackson continued, “and they were trying to come back even at the end of the game by hitting a couple of threes. They kept fighting in there.”

The Raptors fell behind by eight at the half (57-49) and then by 16 early in the third, but fought back to within five four minutes later.

Kobe Bryant leads Lakers to 120-110 victory over Raptors

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Amir Johnson hobbled from one private enclave in the Raptors locker room and back again and it was as painful to watch as it must have been to do.

He was shuffling along like someone three times his age, his back bad, his body sore, the effects of playing 35 minutes of physical NBA basketball having obviously taken their toll on a guy already banged up.

When he returned to the back room, he would have seen Jose Calderon up on the trainers’ table, his foot sore, his ankle a bit achy, getting treatment for what ails him.

And while both would have been miserable that the Raptors had just dropped a 120-110 decision to the Los Angeles Lakers at the Air Canada Centre on Sunday, the fact they both played — and played well — was the silver lining on an otherwise dreary day.

“He and Jose, it’s questionable if they should have even played,” said coach Jay Triano. “I mean, his (Johnson’s) back is in spasms and Jose’s foot is bad but I thought they were two of our better players. They found a way to have very good games and they played a lot of minutes, both of them.”

Raptors Blog by Doug Smith

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THREE POINTERS

A lesson learned

Remember the other day when I talked about Jay being miffed by lack of hustle and effort at the end of a quarter. (It’s right here at the top of this one in case you missed it).

Well, they seemed to have got the message.

End of first quarter Sunday, Andrew Bynum scores with 3.1 seconds left and instead of lollygagging the Raptors get the ball in quickly, Bayless goes end-to-end and even though he missed the shot, it had to make the coach feel good.

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Welcome to the bigs, kid

Injuries and foul trouble and already thin front court forces Jay to go deep into the bench and there’s Solomon Alabi on the court in the first half of a close game against a great team.

And he’s got to guard Andrew Bynum (who is HUGE) and Pau Gasol (who is GREAT) and the kid didn’t do too badly. I guess the best thing you can say is he didn’t hurt them at all but I know he’s only going to be used in the case of dire emergencies and, please, don’t think that off six minutes of one game he remains anything but the fifth big man on the roster.

Kobe keys Lakers past Raptors

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Alone on his team’s half of the basketball court, Kobe Bryant calmly executed his pre-game warm-up on Sunday. He launched the basketball skyward, oblivious of the security guard watching his back. Or the five giddy fans aiming cell phone cameras at him. Or the 17-year-old ball boy who diligently passed him the ball, eyes lowered so as not to weird out the one-time NBA most valuable player. “They don’t like it when you look at them,” Michael Sawka said.

Raptors fall under Kobe's spell

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TORONTO — Kobe Bryant got all the bounces Sunday afternoon.

He made one shot that bounced off the top of the backboard twice. He made a reverse layup using a ton of spin. He did not think his luck would extend to his sports fandom, though.

Told his Philadelphia Eagles came back to beat the New York Giants, the suddenly profane Los Angeles Lakers swingman shot back, “Don’t be f------ with me.”

The Eagles had not come back at the time, but they eventually did for a 37-31 win. Bryant’s Lakers needed no such heroics to manage a 120-110 win over the Toronto Raptors. Bryant had a low-maintenance 20 points, going into overdrive only when he had to.

There is just a different sound in the air of any NBA arena when Bryant is in the house. The 82-game season can feel like a slog on occasion, but any appearance by Bryant will break you out of those doldrums. Almost every time he touches the ball, cheers and boos build to a dead heat. A Bryant crossover dribble can elicit three times the noise that the same move from, oh, DeMar DeRozan might draw.

Reserves help Lakers preserve a 120-110 victory at Toronto

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Reporting from Toronto —
It was a pivotal moment, a moment when Lakers Coach Phil Jackson yanked three of his starters because he was displeased with how they'd let a 16-point lead slip, a moment for the reserves to step in and step up.

And they delivered in a big way, working as an effective unit, scoring almost half of the team's points in pushing the Lakers to a 120-110 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday at Air Canada Centre.

It was the Lakers' fifth consecutive victory, and it allowed them to finish their trip with a 5-1 record. The only downside was reserve center Andrew Bynum's saying his surgically repaired right knee was "sore" and that he felt pain in it after a fourth-quarter offensive rebound. Bynum, who led a dominant bench group with 16 points and seven rebounds, reported "no swelling" in the knee.

Sunshine Girl - 20.12.10

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SUNshine Girl Lauren, 25, is a 5-foot-3 Capricorn who has a hankering to travel to Japan. She enjoys listening to everything from electronic pop to rock and says her most memorable meeting was when she was introduced to a tattoo artist and getting inked for the first time. Other than that, she enjoys the finer things in life, especially if accompanied with a glass of bourbon. That goes without saying, Lauren. (Jack Boland photo)

RF Girl of the Day -

RF Man Candy of the Day - tiger

TORaptor4Ever · 12-20-2010, 09:48 AM

LOL @ the Man Candy!

Barracuda · 12-20-2010, 09:55 AM

One of my bosses looks like Tiger. It weirds me out.

js12 · 12-20-2010, 09:58 AM

"Just do her"

fresh n' spicy · 12-20-2010, 10:17 AM

sunshine girl wearing wwwaaaayyyy to much makeup... can they ever get it right? :facepalm:

Barracuda · 12-20-2010, 10:20 AM

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Originally Posted by fresh n' spicy

sunshine girl wearing wwwaaaayyyy to much makeup... can they ever get it right? :facepalm:

The RFG is absolutely wearing way more than the SSG, but the lights, photoshopping, etc make it look natural.

It's all tricks, fresh! Tricks!

Renihan_00 · 12-20-2010, 10:43 AM

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Originally Posted by Barracuda

The RFG is absolutely wearing way more than the SSG, but the lights, photoshopping, etc make it look natural.

It's all tricks, fresh! Tricks!

BLASPHEMY!!!!

How dare you talk about my nameless future wife that way!

Barracuda · 12-20-2010, 10:49 AM

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Originally Posted by Renihan_00

BLASPHEMY!!!!

How dare you talk about my nameless future wife that way!

Don't worry, Reni.

We'll keep her photoshopped, plastic, made up, and in perfect picture light for the tenure of your marriage. You'll be just fine

Better give her a name, though!

Renihan_00 · 12-20-2010, 10:55 AM

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Originally Posted by Barracuda

Don't worry, Reni.

We'll keep her photoshopped, plastic, made up, and in perfect picture light for the tenure of your marriage. You'll be just fine

Better give her a name, though!

But if I give her a name she'll know if I yell out the wrong one! haha

Barracuda · 12-20-2010, 10:58 AM

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Originally Posted by Renihan_00

But if I give her a name she'll know if I yell out the wrong one! haha

Always thinkin' ahead. Alright, she's Nameless Wife o' Reni.

hontoni · 12-20-2010, 11:11 AM

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Originally Posted by Renihan_00

But if I give her a name she'll know if I yell out the wrong one! haha

LOL

Renihan_00 · 12-20-2010, 11:13 AM

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Originally Posted by Barracuda

Always thinkin' ahead. Alright, she's Nameless Wife o' Reni.

Hot.

As for the "man candy":

About 3 years ago I was in a hotel in montreal for work. I get in the elevator and there is one other dude in there. I was like "Damn that guy looks like the ugly version of Tiger Woods!"

So I get off and I tell my buddy about the ugly look-a-like. Turns out it was Tiger, Bell Canadian Open was on and most of the guys were in our hotel.

Tiger must have a good make-up team too haha

kaydy · 12-20-2010, 12:25 PM

urrg...SSG gal is obsessed with her breasts. Should check out her other pics on Toronto Sun. The one that Insider chosed actually flatters her...:facepalm:

Nameless RF gal is nice

Superjudge · 12-20-2010, 01:09 PM

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Originally Posted by Renihan_00

Hot.

As for the "man candy":

About 3 years ago I was in a hotel in montreal for work. I get in the elevator and there is one other dude in there. I was like "Damn that guy looks like the ugly version of Tiger Woods!"

So I get off and I tell my buddy about the ugly look-a-like. Turns out it was Tiger, Bell Canadian Open was on and most of the guys were in our hotel.

Tiger must have a good make-up team too haha

I've met Tiger. He looks no different in person than he does on tv or in magazines.

Maybe he had a massive hangover?

Aar_Canada · 12-20-2010, 01:11 PM

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Originally Posted by Superjudge

I've met Tiger. He looks no different in person than he does on tv or in magazines.

Maybe he had a massive hangover?

Or massive boner. We know how he rolls.

Barracuda · 12-20-2010, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aar_Canada

Or massive boner. We know how he rolls.

Shazam!

**Belsius** · 12-20-2010, 01:16 PM

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

Renihan_00 · 12-20-2010, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Superjudge

I've met Tiger. He looks no different in person than he does on tv or in magazines.

Maybe he had a massive hangover?

My buddy actually suggested the same thing as apparently he had won the night before and this was like 9 AM.

Dark Knight · 12-20-2010, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Renihan_00

Hot.

As for the "man candy":

About 3 years ago I was in a hotel in montreal for work. I get in the elevator and there is one other dude in there. I was like "Damn that guy looks like the ugly version of Tiger Woods!"

So I get off and I tell my buddy about the ugly look-a-like. Turns out it was Tiger, Bell Canadian Open was on and most of the guys were in our hotel.

Tiger must have a good make-up team too haha

You're stories are insane.

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12-20-2010, 09:48 AM	#2 (permalink)
TORaptor4Ever "Fake All-Star" Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 16,349 Representing:	LOL @ the Man Candy!

12-20-2010, 09:55 AM	#3 (permalink)
Barracuda the fighter of the Nightman Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Cherry Bomb Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Toronto Posts: 7,962 Representing:	One of my bosses looks like Tiger. It weirds me out.

12-20-2010, 09:58 AM	#4 (permalink)
js12 #NorthernUprising Next year... Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: T.O. Posts: 5,471 Representing:	"Just do her"

12-20-2010, 10:17 AM	#5 (permalink)
fresh n' spicy is pounding the rock! Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: mississauga Posts: 998 Representing:	sunshine girl wearing wwwaaaayyyy to much makeup... can they ever get it right? :facepalm:

12-20-2010, 12:25 PM	#13 (permalink)
kaydy sad there there is no good Toronto teams to root for Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 81 Representing:	urrg...SSG gal is obsessed with her breasts. Should check out her other pics on Toronto Sun. The one that Insider chosed actually flatters her...:facepalm: Nameless RF gal is nice