The “playing up to your competition” edition:
Alabi: never let it be said that he has any hope of being an NBA player of impact.
Barbosa: gone until they can sew the rest of his armour together.
Bargnani: midseason funk in human form. Can’t disagree with PJ when he said at the half that if they had Andrea in the game, we would have had a great first half. The fact he brought as much help in the second half as a bag full of holes in a flood speaks to why we never really stood a chance.
Bayless: he goes through spurts that can only be described as vintage Jose. When he attacks the hoop, good things happen and when he really pushes the ball, his teammates reward him by getting open.
Calderon: a good night against a great team. His favourite dance partner was faking passion all night, so it’s tough to dance with someone else when you go up against top of the class professionals. I still think a major weakness is his lack of ability to spread the love.
Davis: he went into the land of a giant and didn’t back down at all. Impressive night on the boards accompanied by the great attitude and fire that he has shown since coming back from injury.
DeRozan: remember back to algebra class and feeling entirely lost and adrift, then at one point something just clicked? Everything fell into place and it was like a window opening. This is a great way of describing DeMar of late. 28 tonight and a fantastic job of getting to the line like Bosh used to. Better yet, he’s converting. No doubt this teams MIP this season.
Dorsey: Davis has basically shown up to Dorsey’s front door, taken his girl and posted pics of her on “ijustclaimedyourwoman.com”. No way does Dorsey see the floor if Ed keeps up this pace.
Evans: word is he is getting in daily workouts. He soon come.
Gaines: Jack Jr provided a good 1-2 punch early with Bayless, but Jay went away from it. While not blown away, you have to admit that Gaines has shown some quick gains. (get it?)
Johnson: close to a double double but a quiet one. If Liston had a stat for that, I’m sure Amir would be at the top of the league. Factor in the wage he is getting paid for it and he’d be in another hemisphere.
Kleiza: out again and, strangely enough, his stat line is pretty similar to when he plays.
Stojakovic: the next time there is a demonstration downtown protesting rat bastards, they will carry placards showing the mug of Mr. Stojakovic.
Weems: right, so here’s the thing: that guy who was stuck on a mountain and cut his arm off to save himself? Well, you could star in the NBA version of that story because you are hanging on by a thread.
Wright: he is the king of the little things. While he was far from a game changer, he made (and stopped) plays in th first half that gave us a glimmer of hope. Can’t ask for much more against the best team in the league.
Driving The Bus: DeMar DeRozan
Under The Bus: Andrea Bargnani
