Ryan Degama, from Celtics Hub, James Herbert and AltRaps answered three of my burning questions:

Read an interesting trade scenario on ESPN (Insider required) with Garnett going to Denver for Afflalo, Miller and Mozgov; good trade personally. Why hasn’t Ainge began breaking up the big three, and getting picks/prospects for them while he can?

Ryan: There are a few reasons nothing has happened yet. Part of it is that teams are still evaluating what they need and part of it is that you nail the expected return: picks and prospects. That’s a serious bounty and Boston’s early performance has done little to strengthen Ainge’s negotiating position. Now that Paul Pierce has returned to all-star form, Ainge has more to work with, but there’s no guarantee he’ll get an offer he considers palatable. It’s possible Boston will ride out the season as is.

Alt: I’ve hated Ainge my whole life. Hated him as a Blue Jay and as soon as he became a Celtic, well, it was all over. So, in short, he hasn’t moved on anything because he can’t cross a street without calling someone for help. Much like when we traded Carter, Danny knows that what he gets in return for any of these guys will show what kind of a gunslinger he is. The fact he was willing to part with Rondo before any of these guys tells you something. He will make a move closer to the deadline, especially as the Sixers get further and further ahead of them. You’ll see a desperate perennial playoff team give up some good picks and current talent for one of the two. Pierce is untouchable.

James: Ainge has directly said that he would break this team up if he received a good enough offer. Who’s going after these guys, though? You’re only taking one of them if you’re a contender, and what contender has spare young players that would actually help the Celtics? Maybe some team would like to shed salary for Garnett’s $21 million expiring contract, but would Boston want a bunch of overpaid guys? Would Ainge want Joe Johnson? I doubt it.

Can the Celtics, as presently constructed, still win a championship?

Ryan: Their offense is on the wrong side of mediocre and their rebounding is bottom third in the league. Those two factors guarantee an early round exit come playoff time. Add the team’s collective age and inclination to injury and it’s all over unless you really want to delve deep into “everything goes right” scenarios. Those haven’t been hallmarks of the last few years in Boston.

Alt: If they were able to pull out series wins in 4-5 games, yes. They would get a breather between sets (presumably) and it gives their coaching staff time to get them working on the possible next opponent. Give that time to an Allen, a Garnett, a Rondo, then you have a shot. The real hitch is beating the West in the final. Good luck with that.

James: Can they? Yeah. In the same way that Portland or Denver can if a lot of things go their way. The Celtics are not contenders, barring a major injury elsewhere. They’ll be better come playoff time and we shouldn’t forget how bad they looked during some parts of 2009-2010 before making it to the Finals, but as constructed they are not in the same class as Miami, Chicago, and Oklahoma City.

Will it be a bar fight tonight?

Ryan: Feels like it could be a rough one after Kleiza smacked down Rondo last time. But I don’t think it will be a close one if the Celtics are interested in playing defense (sometimes they’re not) and moving the ball on offense, like they did against the Cavs last night.

Alt: Casey has these guys playing scrappy. You throw Scarborough out there to lay some shoulders and I envision some chippiness. If it’s a close game you know they will zero in on Jose’s touchiness and, especially without Andrea playing cold hand Luke, he could fall for it. That’s okay, though…we have Kleiza who has taken the role of the NBA’s version of a viper.

James: I just watched the Raptors get blown out by the Hawks at home and it wasn’t for a lack of effort. They’ll fight, but without Bargnani they’re going to struggle to put points up against this Boston defense. It all depends on if Toronto can contain Pierce, the Celtics’ primary creator in the absence of Rajon Rondo — if it’s a blowout, it’s not a bar fight.

Injuries

Toronto
Bargnani – Calf, out indefinitely

Boston
Rondo – Wrist, day-to-day
Dooling – Hip, day-to-day
O’Neal – Knee, day-to-day

Match-ups

Point Guard
I’m really liking the effort Bayless has been putting up since his return from injury; what helps most is he’s protecting the ball much better. Calderon’s been consistent. I realize he’s been starting at the 2 the last two games, but I just don’t see DeRozan covering Paul Pierce and James Johnson taking on Kevin Garnett. So with Rondo out (probably out), Bayless will be backing up Calderon and playing some shooting guard in relief of DeRozan while Colangelo sorts out a trade for Barbosa.
Edge: Raptors

Shooting Guard
I took a lot of heat when I said DeRozan’s game against the Nets wasn’t that great (especially getting to the foul line 16 times against a D-league level team). When you such dramatic swings from game-to-game, you don’t get love from this corner of the interwebs when you make a pretty against a weak-ass team. Head-to-head against Ray Allen, DeRozan’s been mediocre for a few seasons, I’m not saying Ray-Ray is going to drop 30, but he will do 15-20; mix that with DeRozan’s love affair with the jumper and Boston’s defensive resurgence (4th in defensive efficiency)…it’s going to be a long night for the prodigal son.
Edge: Celtics

Small Forward
Paul Pierce may be old, but his game was never dependant on his athleticism; it’s that slow-motion first step that’s killer. JJ and Kleiza have been playing nice, but if their combined production matches Pierce’s, I’ll be surprised.
Edge: Celtics

Power Forward
I’d like to see Amir or Magloire nail Garnett in the face with an elbow tonight, then have Calderon bark in his ear about it. This would be a win for me.
Edge: Celtics

Center
All my match-up assumptions were based on the Raptors not going small ball because of the bad mis-matches at the 2 and 3 if they do. Maybe they go that route, in which case half of what I’ll be watching the Chicago/Philly game (I’ll be watching that game anyways, Love D-Rose), but maybe they try and match-up a bit smarter, and not let Allen and Pierce take it easy on the bench in the 2nd half because they built up a 20 point 1st half lead.
Edge: Even, but who really cares

Keys to the Game

• Ball movement: the Celtics are a damn good defensive team, but they are old. The Raptors need to make them work on the defensive end of the court and really attack the paint; Garnett and O’Neal aren’t what they used to be. Don’t settle for jumpers!
• Tight defensive rotations: with Rondo out, the Celtics don’t have a guy who can consistently break down the defense and create for the rest of the team. Can’t give Allen and Pierce open looks from the perimeter (the Raptors have done a great job of allowing this this season) or they will kill us; I can’t stress this enough.
• Get into Garnett’s head: this wont win us the game, but I want to see someone mess the SOB a bit…hate him…

The Line

There’s no line at time of publishing, but I’ll go ahead and put a line in the sand: Celtics  by 13.

What I tell you about the Cavs game? Something didn’t seem right about the line, and although they gave it a go in the first quarter, the Raptors were able to storm back, win the 2nd quarter, then take the game. Wont be so easy tonight against Boston. Seems like we play the Celtics once a week or so doesn’t it? Fortunately this is the last match-up until next season.

The Celtics are coming off a huge win against the Spurs, where they went small ball and put the Spurs in their place. Small ball is actually an option that makes me nervous for tonight’s game since it nullifies Bargnani’s ability to put the ball on the floor and take his man off the dribble. Sure he will shoot over anyone from 18 feet out, but he doesn’t post-up enough when he has a defender on his hip enough  to punish the other team.

I checked in with Ryan DeGama from CelticsHub about the Celtics and the game tonight:

With so many injuries to start the season, and currently sitting 1st in the East, you guys must be feeling good heading into the second half of the season. Will anything less than a championship be a disaster this season?
Disaster’s a big word but if the Celtics drop another Finals to the Lakers, then it might be the right one. It would be disaster-level painful for most Celtics fans, who still aren’t really over the second half collapse in game seven of last year’s Finals.

The bottom line is this team was built to win championships and this might be the best team that Danny Ainge has put together for Doc Rivers, so expectations are sky-high. The fact the Kevin Garnett-Paul Pierce-Ray Allen core won one championship means they’ll be looked on favorably by history, however, a second would cement their legacies in Boston, where winning one title is only sorta, kinda impressive.

Who do you not want to play in the Eastern playoffs, and if you get there, the Finals?
Eastern Conference: Probably Miami. Also Chicago. And Orlando. The problem with this year is that to just get to The Finals, the C’s will have to go through at least two of those teams. Miami may be a year of frontcourt reinforcements away from being able to topple Boston, and Orlando may not have a true second star behind Howard, so, counter-intuitively perhaps, I’ll nominate Chicago. Rose is a matchup nightmare, and they’ve got an athletic frontline that can give Boston problems. If the Bulls can upgrade their 2-guard, they’re going to be a handful.

The Finals: The Celtics would probably be best served playing the Spurs but even though it’s a tougher matchup, I think everybody wants the Lakers (see also: revenge).

Rondo’s improved every year he’s played in the league, but to average 14 assists a game is very impressive. It seems to have come at the expense of his offense, but his improved shooting efficiency has made up for it some. What can you attribute to the big jump in playmaking for him this season?
To quibble, scoring numbers aside, I think his offense is actually a level beyond where it was last year. He has a newfound consistency of effort and result from game-to-game and he’s shooting a career high 44% from the mid-range.

His assist numbers are up for a number of reasons including: his natural peak-years evolution as playmaker, because Shaq has replaced Perkins in the starting lineup, and also because Allen and Pierce remain lethal shotmakers.

Perkins is a free agent after this year. What do you think he’s worth on the open market, and will be a Celtic come next season?
That first question may be above my pay grade, particularly with us all unsure of what the new CBA is going to look like, but as a blind guess, how about $8M per? Ainge has been reluctant to sign any player beyond 2012 except Pierce and Rondo but I think he’ll re-up Perkins to a multi-year deal after the season – lest he undercut the C’s chances for a 2012 run at the title.

Assuming there is a 2012.

(You can take that as a reference to either a potential lockout or the Mayan doomsday prophecy).

What’s going to be the plan heading into the game tonight against the Raptors?
Nothing you haven’t seen. Doesn’t it seem like these two teams are always playing each other in clusters? Over at CelticsHub, Hayes Davenport refers to it as Raptors Week.

As usual, the Celtics will test the Raptors willingness to play defense on multiple offensive options for 24-full-seconds and try to keep your athletes from crashing the offensive glass and getting to the rim.

Injuries

Toronto
Reggie Evans – Out
Peja Stojakovich – Out
Sonny Weems – Day to day
Jerryd Bayless – Day to day
Jose Calderon – Hurting but should play

Boston
Kendrick Perkins – Out
Kevin Garnett – Out
Delonte West – Out

Match-ups

Point Guard
Rondo’s back, and he’s playing like a champ again. Wednesday against the Spurs he dropped a magnificent 12pts 10rebs 22ast 6stl 1blk gem. Can he do it tonight against the Raptors? Yes. Will he? Probably. My preference is to take away his options and force him to hit some shots, but he’s been hitting those at a 53% rate…so yea…

Jose can regain some lost ground with another monster game, but Rondo is no Mo Williams or Ramon Sessions, and plays great defense. 20pts 17ast may not be possible, but something like 17pts 10ast will help fight the good fight.
Edge: Boston

Shooting Guard
I keep saying it and saying it, and nothing, but DeMar needs to study Ray Allen and follow his lead. Sure DeMar is super athletic, but so are most shooting guards in the league; degrees of athleticism isn’t really an advantage. Regardless, DeRozan’s been on a bit of a tear of late, with a bad game for him being 13pts 3rebs 2ast…I’ll take that. Tonight will be more of the same with Ray Allen inflicting a great deal of pain on the Raptors. Barbosa wont fair any better.
Edge: Boston

Small Forward
The Truth, nuff said. Would be nice to get Julian Wrights defense on him, but it wont help.
Edge: Boston

Power Forward
As much as I loathe Glen Davis, the guy is having a great season. Against the Raptors, he’s averaging 15pts 6rebs 4ast which makes my blood boil to no end (death by 1000 cuts). With Garnett out, there’s very depth at the 4, which is where the Raptors can make up some lost ground in the match-ups. Both Amir and Ed are playing very well lately, and will give Davis a run for his money on the glass.

What has me concerned is that Doc Rivers going small ball, which will see Marquis Daniels switch to the 4 and Davis to the 5. This could pose a lot of problems for the Raptors as Daniels plays about 15ft in, pulling Amir/Ed out of the paint making help defense and rebounding that much tougher. On the offensive glass, Daniels will do zero to counter Johnson/Davis though, so there is a silver lining with this strategy.

At the end of the day, any advantage the Raptors may have here will be far outweighed by the Celtics advantage at the wing. To close, here’s Glen Davis doing the dougie:

Edge: Toronto

Center
Shaq can’t cover  Bargnani for long stretches on defense, so we will see some interesting lineups thrown at the Raptors. Bargnani will have to deal with a combination of Shaq, Jermaine O’Neal and Glen Davis, each bringing a different challenge for him to deal with. If/when the Celtics go small ball, Bargnani will struggle with defending Davis on the perimeter and his bull-doggedness when he gets into the paint with his interesting post-play (always has these moves where I full expect him to flop to the ground and airball the layup, but it works). Unlike the power forward advantage the Raptors enjoy, if Bargnani puts up a 30+ point night, he might be able to keep things very interesting for much of the game.
Edge: Toronto

The Line

The gamblers have the Celtics as 9.5 point favourites with an over/under of 200.5. Unlike the Cavaliers game, the Raptors can’t spot the Celtics a 32-19 lead in the 1st quarter and expect to take the game. With the game in Boston, the Raptors will need to hit the ground running from the get-go and do all the little things to have a chance.

We’ve got Twitter, Facebook and Live Chat. If you’re in the city and want to catch the game with other Raptor fans, head over to Sports Center Cafe at Yonge/St. Clair for Raptor Fan Fridays.

One love

The ovation Peja received when he checked into the game on Wednesday was legendary, the crowd may have been sparse, but boy do we love us some Peja; and to his credit, he didn’t disappoint in very limited minutes. Wednesday against the Sixers, the Raptors rolled off their 4th win in a row, in pretty good fashion. They got out to an early lead, Philly started to chip into it, came close, then the Raptors closed out the game after a scare. Good, done deal.

The fact that we’re heading into Boston on a 4 game winning streak, one of them came against Boston, shouldn’t be discounted. Look, we all know that this team isn’t a very good one, but they hustle, are active, and are fun to watch, but the Raptors just don’t have the horses. That being said, the East is an interesting situationt: 5 games separates 5th and 15th, so going 4-6 in their last 10 games has the Raptors half a game out of the playoffs.

Yes yes, I know it’s far too early to talk about the playoffs, but you need to consider that only a week ago this team was in a race for last pace in the East/League. Took a 4-game winning streak to climb 6 spots in the standings. Don’t think that this has gone unnoticed in the upper ranks either. All the moves BryCo has made have been both tactical and strategic. There are made with the intention of making the playoffs that year, but also providing flexibility should they not work out, and the Raptors are once again in that position to either blow it up and get as many balls in as possible to get a top 3 pick, or add a couple guys who can push them to the playoffs, and possibly not as bright a future since we wouldn’t be getting a lottery pick.

I’m straddling both sides of the moment: I’m always for going to the playoffs, but it would be nice to get a nice young stud in the draft to mold into a major part of this teams future. I have the luxury of flip-flopping back and forth though, BC doesn’t.

We get the Celtics for the 2nd time in a week, and normally I’d be saying this game is going to be messy. It still might, but the things that won the game for us at home last week, haven’t changed: namely Rondo’s injury and Toronto’s athleticism. The Celtics did take the Raptors lightly, but they lots of trouble running with us and keeping up. Two things happened last game that really made my day: 1) Garnett sat on the bench with a lost look on his face. He’s owned Bosh over the years, but Bargnani abused last week 2) Watching Glenn Davis roll around on the floor clutching his face in pain after getting a shot to the head, loved it.

Injuries

Toronto
Ed Davis – Wearing his warmup suit at least
Leandro Barbosa – Achilles, should play

Boston
Rajon Rondo – Hamstring, Out
Delonte West – Wrist, Out
Jermaine O’Neal – Out
Kendrick Perkins – Out

Match-ups

Point Guard
This match-up couldn’t be any better for the Raptors: Rondo/West are replaced by Nate Robinson/Avery Bradley, Bradley of the DNP-CD variety. Robinson put in a pretty good performance last week, but most of it came in the 1st quarter. While his shooting was hot, he wasn’t moving the ball around, and the offense became dependant as a result of him going one-on-one and hitting the shot. I’ll take that any day of the week since his shooting went downhill after the 1st quarter, and the rest of the Celtics were left holding the bag. It took a game, but Calderon found his rhythm after the Jack trade, dropping 16pts 9ast Wednesday against the Sixers. Bayless came out like gangbusters in his first game with the Raps, but I don’t expect to see him go 3-for-3 from behind the arc, and finish the game with 13pts. Keeping Robinson out of the paint, and chucking shots from the perimeter is the move tonight, I’d go with that.
Edge: Toronto

Shooting Guard
Ray Allen should be who DeMar DeRozan looks too for a role-model in this league. The guy doesn’t yap, keeps in primo shape, and shoots like an angel (he also moves and plays defense like one as well). So go down to the AV room, and get as many DVD’s of Ray-Ray doing his thing over the years, get into the gym and shoot 500 jumpers a day, and stay in shape. DeMar’s contribution during this winning streak has been negligible at best; averaging 7.5pts 2.8rebs a game. It’s actually very troubling considering he’s being counted on for so much. Based on recent history, I don’t see DeRozan contributing his due share tonight, but he can play hard, and get back on the right track with a strong defensive performance highlighted with with attacking the basket off the bounce (no jumpers, just drives).
Edge: Boston

Small Forward
Paul Pierce has a knack for killing you in slow motion. It must be such a treat for Celtics fan to watch dudes play ball with their heads like they are playing Risk. Pierce is one of those guys who kills you in the right way at the right time; last time against the Raptors, he got to the line 13 times hitting 9. Weems and Kleiza mint have some success defending him off the dribble, but keeping him off the line will prove tough. Staying in front of him, not falling for head fakes and making him take are what’s necessary to attempt to stop him, and even en he can kill you. At the end of the game, if we keep Pierce out of the paint and off the free throw line, I’ll be a happy camper.
Edge: Boston

Power Forward
Reggie is seriously playing himself out of town; come February, some playoff team is going to come calling for his rebounding and expiring contract. While he’s here, his work on the glass is protecting Bargnani far more than many of us would want to believe. Last week, Reggie out rebounded both Shaq and the big fat baby (the highlight of the win over Boston for me was Davis getting chopped in the face and rolling around the ground in pain; hate that guy) quite handedly. What would have changed in a week, especially after Evans pulled down 22 against the Sixers two-nights ago? Nothing, that’s what. I like Reggie to dominate the boards and hopefully catch Davis in that fat nose of his with an errant elbow or something equally unfortunate.

Amir’s athleticism and rebounding will be crucial off the bench. He’s had some foul troubles the last few games (even fouled out against the Sixers), but has been uber productive otherwise. Davis does a lot for a fat bastard, and Reggie will have trouble guarding him. I like Amir on Davis much better as a match-up. Shaq I’m not too worried about either way; he’s going to have a couple possessions where he’s unguardable, then he’s going to stink.
Edge: Toronto

Center
it’s not that Bargnani is a better player than Bosh for handling Garnett as he did last week, it’s that he handled Garnett like a little girl last week on-route to win over an elite team that’s the important thing to take away from that game. Il Mago is the perfect player to shut Garnett up: he’s long, athletic, shoots the crap out of the ball and pulls KG away from the paint and glass where he is most needed by the Celtics.

That said, I’m worried about this match-up tonight since KG can just decide to stick to Bargs like sauce on pasta, and not let him get going at all. This would absolutely change Boston’s defensive rotations and rebounding assignments, but could also prove the right recipe to shutting down the Raptor offense by stopping the one guy who can carry this team on his back; when he feels like it of course.
Edge: Even

Keys to the Game

Rebounding
A key to the win against the Celtics was grabbing 10 offensive rebounds, resulting in 5 more possessions. Without Perkins/O’Neal and Garnett out on the perimeter defending Bargnani, the Raptors need to crash the boards and clean up some of the missed shots. The Raptors scored two-thirds of their points on the perimeter, and need a couple of those cheap put-backs to compensate for the offensive execution the Celtics are going to ram down their throats.

Stay Active
The Celtics really had a hard time with the Raptors athleticism all over the court. Without Rondo, they don’t a very key part of their team who can run the court, as well as play the half-court. Another problem with Rondo being out for the Celtics is that he was the first line of defense. Without him, and West, Nate Robinson is helpless against the Raptor offense. Toronto needs to attack every single possession, and just wear this team down, especially with no elite perimeter defender to stop the ball, and their defensive anchor getting schooled on the perimeter by Bargnani.

Dig a Little Deeper
You know what’s better than 4-wins in a row? 5-wins in a row. With the Hawks and Thunder both coming up in the next week, would be nice to have a little cushion, especially since we get the Wizards on Wednesday, and can extract some revenge after a brutally listless showing the last time they played.

The Line

The Celtics are 10 point favourites, which is absurd considering their injury situation and the fact that we already beat them…however…and I say this with conviction: this game can go terribly wrong for the Raptors quickly. If Garnett and Pierce are motivated tonight, it will get ugly. The Raptors don’t have an answer for the type of fire these guys can spit.

If I were Triano, I would look to Bargnani early to keep Garnett out of the paint, and hope the shots fall. A lot will rest on Calderon leading the break, and owning Nate off the dribble in the half-court, which he definitely can do. That said, I am not very optimistic about tonight’s game.

Photo Credit: Ron Turenne/NBAE via Getty Images

Arse has been up since 7am doing laps, push-ups and cursing at the mirror in preparation for the Celtics today. You hate, them, I hate them, everyone hates this team accept people who live in Massachusetts. I actually don’t hate them anymore, I just hate Garnett. Everyone else is a classy player who acts like a man; Garnett is a bully who’s drunk on his championship.

Lots of action the last couple days in Toronto huh? Unavailable for tonight’s game are Jack, Banks and Andersen; hopefully Stojakovic and Bayless available. 77% of you think this was a good trade for the Raptors, and I have to agree. In one swoop, the Raptors got younger, saved some money, and have a big asset that should come into play as the trade deadline gets closer. Gotta give Colangelo some credit, this could have been the best trade he’s made in a while since we will still have Reggies expiring in play as well.

Just a quick recap of some assets as the trade deadline approaches:

Peja Stojakovic – $14.75mil
Reggie Evans – $5mil
TPE – $14mil’ish

That’s a lot of toys to be playing with, and with a lot of broke teams, and teams looking to add a dead-eye(ish) shooters, it’s very possible something good/big can happen by February. The only thing not acceptable for me is buying out Peja’s contract right now. I guarantee you Riley is whispering sweet nothings in BryCo’s ear to try to make that happen.

We have a game to get too…Raptors host the Celtics today. I had a chance to speak with Brendan Jakcson from Celtics Hub, and he had some really good things to say about this team:

He’s the man on the one of the three best teams in the league; at what point does the list of best point guards begin with Rondo and not Paul, Williams, Westbrook or Rose?
Many people believe that Rajon Rondo will not fully ascend to the upper echelon of premir point guards until he develops a consistent jump shot. I disagree. Friday marked the first time this season Rondo failed to record double digit assists (finishing the game with 7) and he say out for much of the fourth quarter with a hamstring issue. Ranking the league’s best point guards is usually problematic on the outset because no one really agrees on the criteria. Should they be the best passer? Best basketball player? Best decision-maker? Should they be better offensively? Should they be better defensively? At this point, if Rondo is not ebing mentioned within that group of aforementioned points, than the person doing the talking has not been paying much attention.

Are the Celtics more worried about the Heat or the Magic?
First and foremost, the Celtics are most worried about themselves. If healthy and focused, the Celtics feel they can beat any team on any night. However, those are two huge “ifs”. So far this season, the Celtics have handily beaten the Heat twice. At this point the Celtics cannot really say they are worried about the Heat. As for the Magic, the Celtics have yet to play the new-look Magic (Quentin Richardson has replaced Matt Barnes and Stan Van Gundy is actually playing Brandon Bass) but even the Magic do not stroke fear in the hearts of the Celtics. Kendrick Perkins is probably the best at defending Dwight Howard one on one which gives the Cs so much more leeway on the defensive end. Less cheating/helping begets better close-outs on shooters. Despite handily beating the Magic in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics have yet to play them this year. The easy answer is the fear of the unknown.

The Celtics lost a couple key guys (Tony Allen for one), added another couple (West and Wafer) and added two O’Neal’s who might be limping into the playoffs. Were these moves enough to even get out of the East, much less beat the Lakers?
The Celtics came out of the East last year with a far less complete team. As for the Lakers, the Celtics lacked the necessary size and length in the middle to compete with Los Angeles on the glass. The additions of Shaquille O’Neal and Jermaine O’Neal will likely change that. The Celtics may still lose the battle of the boards but now they are more well-equipped to battle other players for rebounds.
Delonte West may end up being the most underrated move of any team this offseason. I do not blame teams for taking a pass on West but also totally understand why the Celtics did not. The Celtics’ bench lacked a necessary glue-guy last year as evident by how much burn Ray Allen got with the bench warmers. West changes that. He can play the one, two, or even the three if the Celtics go small.
Losing Tony Allen was a definite blow for the Celtics wing defense off the bench. Luckily for the Cs, Marquis Daniels appears to be hitting his stride (well, hitting it enough, anyway) to be a serviceable replacement for TA. Daniels is not a “lock-down” guy like Allen was for the Cs, but he’s still capable of spelling Pierce when necessary.

Speaking of Lakers, if the Celtics don’t win it all this season, how much sleep does Danny Ainge lose before breaking things up?
Danny Ainge actually did a brilliant thing last offseason by only singing players for two years. This way, whether or not the Celtics win this year they are poised to either go into battle with largely the same team intact or use the plethora of expiring contracts as trade bait. Win or lose, Ainge has options and with options a man can sleep easy.

What will the Raptors have to do to beat the Celtics tonight?
Catch them on an off night? No, but in all seriousness, the Celtics biggest weakness is athleticism. If Toronto can use their athletics wings (Sonny Weems, DeMarr DeRozan) to out run and jump the Cs, than it could be a long night for the men in green. Andrea Bargnani should also try to draw Kevin Garnett out of the paint for as long as possible to clear driving lanes for the Raptor’s more athletics players. If Garnett sags down to help, Bargnani can make him pay by hitting open jumper after open jumper.

Injuries

Toronto
Ed Davis – Out
Leandro Barbosa – Shoulder, Should Play
Linas Kleiza – Achilles, Should Play

Boston
Rajon Rondo – Hamstring, Game time decision
Kevin Garnett – Elbow to the head (LOL), Game time decision
Jermaine O’Neal – Knee, Out
Kendrick Perkins – Out

Match-ups

PG – Calderon vs Rondo
His first case as the undisputed leader of this team, and he gets Rondo; it’s almost funny actually. If you haven’t been paying attenion, Rondo is the best point guard in the league right now, averaging 11.2pts 14.3ast 4.8reb 2.5blk in about 40min. Jose isn’t. To make matters worse for Calderon, Rondo’s defense is probably better than his offense. On offense, Rondo likes the paint/elbows. Jose can expect to be attacked a lot off the dribble.

Rondo also gets a chance to welcome Jerryd to the Raptors, should be fun.
Edge: Rondo

SG – DeRozan vs Allen
DeMar has played very well the last week or so, and seems to have taken things up a notch in his game. This afternoon against Allen, he will have to leverage more than his athleticism to be effective. He’s going to have to take notes and do what Allen does. It will be fun to watch him chase Ray-Ray around, but he needs to return that favour in kind on offense.

Repeat after me: Don’t. Leave. Allen. On. The. Perimeter. For. Any. Reason. He will stick ‘em from the perimeter, and can finish at the rim. Good luck.
Edge: Allen

SF – Weems vs Pierce
I get that feeling that Weems athleticism wont be helping him as much as usual. Unlike Ray Allen who is able to run around, Pierce doesn’t, and for some reason, he seemingly doesn’t need too. To have any success, Weems will need to get out and make him run in transition. Run up the court, run around screens, run into the corner, fake rolling and pop out…just keep running. If Pierce is tired enough, he wont punish you on offense with that slow first step that has raped and pillaged defenses across the league.

Pierce likes to play in the paint, but his perimeter game needs to be respected. I feel like I should be putting more here, but I’m super tired.
Edge: Pierce

PF – Evans vs Garnett
I suspect there will be a switcharoo on defense were Shaq covers Evans and Garnett jumps out on Bargnani, but whatever. The only thing I’m hoping for today is when KG starts jawing at Calderon, Evans grabs him by the nuts and head butts him. That would make me very happy.

Edge: Garnett

C – Bargnani vs Shaq
The only match-up where the Raptors have an advantage, and I suspect that it will be mitigated with Doc switching Garnett to Bargnani for defensive purposes. Shaq has zero chance of keeping up with Andrea on the perimeter, we all know that. It’s not a secret weapon or anything. Garnett though…he can do it. Bargnani should be able to hang with Shaq defensively, but there will be moments where Shaq gets good position and puts it down. The one area where the Raptors have an advantage, and it’s an easy fix to get around it. Sucks is all…

Edge: Bargnani

Keys to the Game

Rebounding
The Celtics are the 2nd worse rebounding team in the league. Even though they a size advantage against almost every team, they can’t grab a rebound; which really baffles me. Regardless, the Raps need to get out in transition and get the Celtics running back on their heels, as well as keeping possessions going with an offensive rebound. The only way to do that is to have the ball, which means grabbing rebounds. Make sense?

Be Athletic?
I guess you are either or you aren’t. The Raptors are, the Celtics aren’t. The Raptors need to get the geriatrics running up and down the court pleading for the Bengay. The Raptors have to get them tripping over their knee braces and such to have a chance.

Hit your shots
This is more a plea than a strategy, but the Raptors have an advantage in this area, and they need to use it to enhance the other aspects of their game. If this boils down to a slow-paced halfcourt game, it’s over. But if speeds up and gets into an up-and-down match, the Raptors will give themselves a chance. That’s all we’re asking for, a chance.

The Line

The gamblers have the Celtics as 5.5 point favourites, which isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. The Raptors just lost one of their most important players in a trade, and with the roster shaken up a bit, it could provide the fire to get after it a bit more than they have been to start the season.

No Pierce/Garnett/Rondo, no problem…for the Celtics that is. What a waste of a Saturday night, and so much for that winning streak. I really thought the Raptors wouldn’t have much of a problem last night with the caveat that they come out focused and determined. I had a bad feeling about Tony Allen, not because he’s a Raptor killer (he isn’t), but because he is exactly the kind of hustle player who the Raptors always sleep on when they should have their foot on his throat. It’s actually textbook how this team reacts under these kinds of circumstances; they show up in body, not mind.

Call me crazy, but this loss may have hurt me more then the Atlanta blowout because of what it says about this franchise. It says that the 5-game winning streak we were on was the result of playing teams worse then us, and nothing else. It confirms that this team folds when challenged from the tip. This is a team that doesn’t have much strategy, can’t follow what little strategy it has, and is not constructed to win tight games that require you to dig in your heels and bleed. I know I’m getting dramatic, but this is how I feel – that AltRaps and the rest of his Girl Guide troop could give the Raptors a run for their money.

The Raptors front court must have been licking their chops heading into this one. With Garnett and Pierce out, Bosh and Bargnani had open season to attack the Celtics all game. Perkins is a tough sonabitch, but Wallace is an out of shape old man who’s best years were over with 3 years ago. What happened? Perkins got into early foul trouble that limited his aggressiveness in the 1st quarter, but the Raptors didn’t continue to attack him for some reason. In fact, they only had success when they drove the ball, but far too often in the first quarter, Bargnani would pop a jumper and bail out Perkins or Wallace from playing any real defense.

This was the point where I knew we weren’t going to win this one. When we didn’t continually attack Perkins/Wallace. After these two, the Celtics would have only had Shelden Williams, Big Baby and Scalabrine to carry the load up front. Triano’s strategy should have been “drive the fricken ball every single time straight down their throats until they get into foul trouble.” With those two out, Ray Allen wouldn’t have got so many good looks from all over the floor, and the game would have been over. Instead, we saw jumper after jumper.

Jack and Turkoglu did another great job of creating for everyone else. They moved the ball around, found the open guy (usually rolling off the high screen) and scored from enough points on the floor to keep their check honest. Banks even contributed in this department.

This loss came down to how points were being scored by each team:

Toronto:

Shots at the rim: 9-19
Shots <10 feet: 3-7
Shots between 10 to 15 feet: 5-10
Shots between 16 to 23 feet: 10-20
Three point shots: 8-15

Boston:

Shots at the rim: 17-22
Shots <10 feet: 7-13
Shots between 10 to 15 feet: 3-4
Shots between 16 to 23 feet: 3-15
Three point shots: 6-16

The Celtics hammered it inside, almost hitting more shots at the rim then the Raptors took. The closer you get to the rim, the better chance you have of hitting the shot, or drawing a foul (or both). The Raptors miserably failed in this regard. Yeah we shot well from the perimeter, but we have lost far more games because of our shooting then we have won.

This tells the tale really, the Raptors shot the ball well, but the Celtics did all the things necessary to win a game: they out-rebounded, protected the ball and got to the free throw line more effectively then the Raptors did.

Outside of Bosh/Bargnani/Jack/Turkoglu, no other Raptor did anything of note. AltRaps had a plethora of choices of who to throw under the bus. It was so bad that Triano actually started Pops in the 4th quarter. I’m not saying this was a good decision, because it wasn’t. In fact, Triano did a poor job when it came to match-ups and substitutions. At one point, both Pops and Banks were on the court at the same time in hopes that Jah would intervene and help us out. Didn’t happen…shocking I know.

I could have lived with all of this if only their bench didn’t outplay ours. You would figure that a shortish bench that lost three guys to the starting lineup because of injury wouldn’t be able to outshine a bench that was fully intact (Evans hasn’t played all year, so we aren’t missing anything).
Boston – 34pts 11rebs 9ast
Toronto – 21pts 6rebs 6ast

It’s games like this that I question the Raptors being a top 5 talented team in the East.

This brings me to Jack’s post-game interview. During this diatribe he talked about a piss poor effort and how they didn’t follow Triano’s game plan. How the hell do you not do what the coach tells you to do? I understand not getting the result from a play you want, but not doing what Triano says? How is this team so inconsistent from game-to-game? For the second time this year, Jack has called this team out, and alluded to Triano not being able to lead this bunch.

Huge opportunity to beat the Celtics was pissed away. Doesn’t matter that they were shorthanded, this could have helped the Raptors get over this mental hurdle they have with Boston. Way to sieze the moment and ruin our Saturday night, thanks guys.

On a scale of one to Chris Brown, how upset/mad/depressed/pissed-off/violent were you feeling after the Charlotte game? Terrible. Just terrible. There was one positive that came out of it though: timing. We got that game out of our system before we rolled into Boston. Imagine if we posted a performance like that against the C**tics? What would we be talking about…179-65? I may have jumped ship if I had to endure a game like that.

The C**tics are -10.5 favourites in this game (over/under of 204), which means we need to buckle down and expect a Bobcats level whooping. Never thought I would utter that – Bobcats level whooping, fml.

Blogger’s Take

We checked in with Zach Lowe of CelticsHub.com, and asked him a few questions about his team:

Q. You guys had two close ones against the Knicks and Philly.  What did those teams do to keep the game close?

The Knicks hung in because the Celtics missed a ton of open shots and Al Harrington hit some threes that ranged from mildly difficult to ridiculously difficult. It happens. That game didn’t worry me–the Knicks have played the Celtics fairly tough since KG arrived.

As for the Sixers, the Celtics appeared to take them lightly with Brand, Williams and Speights all out (and the C’s basically admitted to taking them lightly after the game). They also had a difficult time adjusting to the Sixers small line-up; slow rotations for the first three quarters allowed Philly (and your old pal Jason Kapono) to go off from three.

Bottom line: The C’s just aren’t attacking teams with the fury they showed last year. And I think that’s a good thing. They are experimenting with line-ups and strategy instead of going for the kill in November games.

Q. Are the Big 3 showing any signs of slowing down?

Two of them are. Pierce remains as solid as ever. He’s shooting 51 percent from the floor and playing lock down defense, particularly down the stretch of close games. His D against Andre Iguodala on Wednesday was a sight to behold.

As for Allen and KG, their stats are down across the board. Ray is shooting 29 percent from three and his PER has actually dipped below 15 for the first time since his rookie year. KG’s jumper has been off (41 percent so far) and his mobility is not what it was in 2008.

The shooting doesn’t worry me. Both guys will come around. They are vets. The team remains optimistic about KG working himself back into prime health. The jury’s out.

Q. Would you trade Kendrick Perkins for Andrea Bargnani?

No, but the “no” isn’t as emphatic as it would have been last year. In general, I think this Celtics nucleus functions best with a center who focuses mostly on protecting the rim and working his ass off on screen/roll defense. That obviously doesn’t describe Bargs. That said, as the C’s core players age, it would be nice to have someone take
more of the scoring load off of the Big Three. That was the idea with Sheed. Fifteen games in, Sheed’s shooting has been a disaster.

At this point, Bargs has convinced me he’s a legit offensive player. But the C’s defense would tumble if you replaced Perk with Bargs. So: No.

Q. Why is Garnett such a douche-bag?

No comment, though I’m on record (to the chagrin of some readers) as saying KG’s sideline antics during the ’09 playoffs were (at times) embarrassing. But he’s like Jordan in a way (and that is NOT a basketball ability comparison, so settle down, MJ’s the best, etc.): He’s a maniacal competitor, for better or worse. It serves his team well when he’s on the floor but may not serve him well in, you know, normal social situations.

The Raptors need to rebound from the Charlotte game, and I don’t mean they have to win, because they wont. What they have to do is give a full 48 minute effort. Rebounding and defensive rotations are going to be crucial, because the Raptors play the type of game where struggling opponents get good looks and can shoot themselves out of a funk.

The Match-ups

The Point: Calderon/Jack had problems with Felton/Augustin on Wednesday, but Rondo poses a problem for everyone in the league. If Rondo is blowing by, or hitting half-assed contested jumpers, he is going to be trash talking our guys into crying. Me-thinks Rondo posts a triple-double tonight. IF Calderon is shooting the ball well and protecting the ball, and IF Jack attacks the paint and kicks out to an open shooter (or finds a forward rolling to the rim), the Raptors won’t fare too badly in this match-up, otherwise, it’s going to be bad.
The Edge: Boston

The Wings: The Raptors forwards surrendered 63pts and 18rebs against the Bobcats forwards on Wednesday. Jesus and The Truth (and a couple other guys) vs Turkoglu/DeRozan/Wright/Belinelli…not going to be good. I suspect Ray Allen will be getting some premium looks at the rim and shoot his way out of his early funk. Pierce will be Pierce, he has been a God-send for me in one of my fantasy leagues so far. This is going to be bad as well.
The Edge: Boston

The Forwards: This might be our best match-up considering how Bosh has bulked up and isn’t as easily bullied in the paint. Garnett has owned us the last couple of seasons, but Bosh will give him a surprise tonight, I believe. Bargnani has had a couple lackluster games in a row, but Perkins represents someone who he can abuse on the perimeter. I look forward to watching Amir (#FreeAmir) battle in the paint tonight, he is the kind of guy we need battling Garnett/Perkins in the paint on both ends of the floor.
The Edge: Even

Simulation

Visser’s sims are 12-4 this year and this time the crystal ball is predicting a 115-107 Raptor loss:

The Raptors fought back from a 28-point halftime deficit but fell short, losing to the Celtics 115-107 in Boston. Chris Bosh did everything possible to make it respectable, finishing with a season-high 39 points and grabbing 16 boards.

Aside from Bosh, Toronto got 17 from Hedo Turkoglu and 11 off the bench from Jarrett Jack. The Raptors were out-rebounded 44-35, with Amir Johnson the only player other than Bosh to grab at least five boards.

Paul Pierce led Boston with 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting and Rajon Rondo had eight points, five boards and 12 assists. The Celtics had a big bench effort, with Eddie House (18), Marquis Daniels (12) and Sheldon Williams (11) all scoring in double digits.

I have to go with the SIM, the Raptors don’t match-up well, they aren’t playing with any sort of purpose, the game wont even be close. Hopefully we don’t wear ourselves out tonight and leave something in the tank for Sunday at home to the Suns. Happy Thanksgiving to the folks down south.

CHECK OUT RFF TONIGHT!

It’s interesting; this team is interesting. We have gone through a few pre-season games, 1 of which was an 8-point loss to a Timberwolves team sans Jefferson and Love; and this team doesn’t look like the finished product that would win 50 games and a make it to the second round of the playoffs. The Raptors are reasonably deep, but nothing of real note after the starters (lots of interchangeable pieces where one doesn’t shine brighter then the other). The 2 spot was always the question mark in the starting lineup, but you know what? Frank Zicarelli got it wrong, again – DeRozan’s role on the Raptors, is to start at the 2.

The roster has been set for the opener, with no surprises. There was no one fighting for a roster spot at training camp. Only those fighting for minutes. There is a a distinction. For what it’s worth, the starting lineup is not bad. Calderon is a solid point guard. He conducts the offense; hits jumpers; makes the safe right plays; protects the ball; and he’s butter from the charity stripe. Hedo is a match-up nightmare at the 3. Dude is tall, creative off the hop, gets to the rack, isn’t afraid to take clutch shots; and hits them once in a while. Bosh is elite. Bargnani spreads the floor. has a solid jumper; gets a couple blocks a game; and can take his man off the dribble.

The starters have scoring down. Between the four, you can expect about 65pts a night from them (based on what they did last season). You figure the bench will chip in 20-25 a night, which leaves the starting SG only really needing to come up with about 10pts a night to get us to free pizza.

Defensively, shooting guard is a tough position. You have chase the likes of Ray Allen, Joe Johnson, Monta Ellis, Ben Gordon, Richard Hamilton, etc, around the court on offense – and make them work defensively. No one has really stepped up to earn that spot: DeRozan has been raw; Wright has been hurt; Weems was playing great but he’s not really a starter; Belinelli is way to inconsistent. So the question then becomes, what is the starting lineup missing?

Defense

It is safe to say that Wright is the best defender of this lot. He came with that pedigree, and he struts around with some attitude (I like the trash talking), but he is not much of a threat to light it up on offense. We saw DeRozan chase folks around screens, block the lane and crash the boards. He may not be as good as Wright, but he has shown a willingness to get dirty in this department, which suits me just fine for a rook.

Slashing

DeRozan, Weems and Belinelli are pretty good at getting to the rim. All three have shown that they are fearless in this department. Weems has been a pleasant surprise this summer, but his contribution is marginally better (if at all) then DeRozan’s. Both DeRozan and Weems got to the rim, been knocked down numerous times, and keep at it. I’d say it is a toss up here.

Athleticism

This is the two man race between DeRozan and Weems. They are both are freakish in this regard: jump the hell out of the gym and are quick up-n-down the court. DeRozan is taller younger, bigger and taller then Weems, with a longer wing span.

I gotta like DeRozan here. He takes it to the rim, he has been working hard, wants to play defense, and Hopla will improve his shot over the course of the season. So what’s the problem? Ahh, you want to ‘hide rookies’. I see. Bury them on the bench and let them shine in due time. I hate this strategy. When you have promise in a young gun, you need to nurture it. I’m not suggestion you play him 30+ minutes a night, but he does a lot of good things to be an after thought on this team.

Sure, starting Wright here is the safe way to go. He doesn’t need the ball on offense, and plays good D (gave Carmelo hell in the playoffs last year). But as much as the Raptors need that sort of production, they need athleticism more. Getting out on the break, filling those lanes, attacking off the bounce, alley-oops…all these things, I haven’t seen Wright do. DeRozan fits this bill.

“What about scoring? Wont DeRozan feel pressure to score as a starter?” Ye he will, but what you aren’t considering is that the offensive load for the SG is MUCH less as a starter then a reserve, on this particular team. As part of the the starting unit, DeRozan’s only needs to give Jose/Hedo another passing option. He just needs to catch the ball on the go and put it down. He doesn’t have to worry about creating his own shot, because the defense will be far too tuned in on the rest of the lot, and take advantage of the holes left by Bargnani and Bosh pulling the bigs further away from the basket as they should be.

As a reserve, DeRozan will not be surrounded with as gifted offensive players as the starters, increasing his burden to do more. He now has to create his own scoring opportunities on top of doing everything else. To me, that isn’t hiding the kid. He now has to worry about carrying the 2nd unit. Talk about throwing him to the wolves.

So let him start. Wright can come off the bench IF Kid Dynamite can’t hold his own offensively. Weems can come in when the Raptors need a spark, and Belinelli can come in when all else fails. It might just take the whole year or more for DeRozan to get it right, but hiding him on the bench and sparing him the trial by fire at the hands of Wade and Kobe only keeps that pacifier in his mouth longer. To me, it’s a disservice. The kid can play, let him at it.

One more day!!!

A lot of times younger players don?t heed the advice of veteran teammates. Not Weems and DeRozan. They both realize they have plenty to learn about playing in the NBA, even if it comes from a player with only five years of experience.

Atlantic preview: Celtics possibly more dangerous than ’08 version – NBA – CBSSports.com Basketball

If all goes according to plan: Turkoglu gives coach Jay Triano a legitimate pest when it comes to attacking the defense and taking the pressure off Chris Bosh to create the bulk of the offensive opportunities. Jose Calderon is healthy enough to play 75-plus games, and Triano has multiple options at shooting guard: Wright (defense), Jack (scoring), Belinelli (long-range shooting), and DeRozan (youth, athleticism, upside). Andrea Bargnani rewards GM Bryan Colangelo and plays up to his five-year, $50 million extension.

Toronto Raptors? Marcus Bank Told to Stay Away – Brothersteve’s Green & Red Raptor Blog

Marcus Banks wasn’t at the ACC on Sunday and his permitted return date was unknown. Banks has been kept way for the most mundane of reasons, but a reason that is striking fear into coaches and GMs across the league, H1N1 or Swine Flu is here.

Raptors shift into high gear – thestar.com

The Raptors still have some conditioning issues to work through with Bosh, Hedo Turkoglu and Antoine Wright, all of whom have missed a significant portion of the pre-season.

Raps look to get tougher | Basketball | Sports | Toronto Sun

"I was talking to the guys about breaking an (opponent’s) rhythm," Wright explained. "A guy like Ray Allen can get going pretty quick and sometimes you have to knock him down one time. You don’t get roll-over fouls. You don’t get roll-over fouls. You don’t get to use them the next time so sometimes you have to break his rhythm, take a hard foul, regroup, talk, cuss a little bit, maybe change the coverage."

Wright pushes for consideration with Raptors – The Globe and Mail

The proper description of Antoine Wright is just one of the lingering questions Raptors head coach Jay Triano needs to get sorted out as his club enters the final week of the NBA preseason.

Orlando Sentinel: Bosh 4th best PF in the NBA

4. Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors: Bosh will be one of the league's most-coveted free agents next summer and since this is a contract year he should have one of his best seasons statistically.

Toronto Raptors: A Team For Whom Winning Is More Than Half the Battle | Bleacher Report

We've almost closed the book on the NBA preseason (Sonny Weems: A Man For All Preseasons is definitely making the bestseller lists); and the premature season hasn't treated the Raptors kindly thus far. They've compiled a 2-5 record and have had fans everywhere wondering what this means for the upcoming season. It could all just be preseason hyperbole, or it could be some ominous foreshadowing, at the moment it's improbable to tell (that improbable was for all you time travelers out there, I got your back Doc and Marty).

One thing that needs to change for the Raptors to win is the fashion in which they play the second halves of games.

Raptors? Wright talks trash at practice

?Jose, we love you,? Wright would yell after each of his successful shots, the cries more of a taunting variety than an admiring one. ?Jose, we love you. Jose, we love you.? ?Honestly, I talk trash everyday,? Wright said afterward. ?You either are going to beat me or get tired of hearing me talking. I think now, the level of practices just has been raised just with guys (having) to hear . . . me celebrating about all of the wins I got today. (Tuesday) they are going to be ready to play, hopefully.?

MiamiHerald.com: 2009-10 Toronto Raptors Preview

Chris Bosh is an All-Star and Andrea Bargnani is a skilled big man, but neither likes to mix it up down low. Meanwhile, point guard Jose Calderon is nice facilitator but gives up quite a bit at the other end.

Toronto needed toughness and it picked up a little by dealing Jason Kapono to Philadelphia for Reggie Evans but Evans' limited offensive skills make it hard to play him more than 10 minutes a night.

Despite their deficiencies, the Raptors big moves in the offseason were acquiring former Magic All-Star forward Hedo Turkoglu in a sign-and-trade deal and drafting USC forward DeMar DeRozan in the first round of the draft,

It may seem entirely counter-intuitive to imagine Jay Triano would be pleased with what’s transpired with the Raptors of late but coaches are an odd lot and sometimes they don’t really think like regular folk. So in the wake of a 101-82 pasting at the hands of the Boston Celtics at the Air Canada Centre Sunday afternoon, Triano was thinking of the good that can come of it.

Toronto Sun – Raps foiled by fatigue

All yesterday’s game really proved is that Hedo Turkoglu’s conditioning is a far cry from where he or the Raptors need it to be. Turkoglu, who sat out the first three weeks of training camp, played just under the first six minutes of yesterday’s game before calling for a sub.

Yahoo! Sports – Garnett and Allen lead Celtics past Raptors 101-82 in NBA pre-season

If we win ugly right now what are we going to get from it? They’re going to come in feeling all good tomorrow, I don’t want them feeling good. I want them coming in ready to practice.

Globe and Mail – Starting five look good, when together

The Raptors have eight more practice days split by just one more exhibition game before they open the season at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“We just have to keep pounding away over the next 10 days and I kind of like it. I have their attention,” said Raptors head coach Jay Triano. “If we win ugly right now, what do we get from that? Guys are going to come in feeling all good tomorrow. I don’t want them feeling good. I want them ready to practise.”

There is some room for encouragement. Yesterday, Triano got some positive feedback on what he might have to work with at the top end of his rotation.

Andrea Bargnani, Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon, DeMar DeRozan and Hedo Turkoglu, for example, played the Celtics’ starters even or just a little bit better as the Raptors were up five points for an afternoon when they had their top unit on the floor.

Hoopsworld – Bosh Not Sold On Big Markets

Toronto has one core player that’s not under contract next year, All-Star forward Chris Bosh. While Bosh is ready to play out the season, he’s standing firm to his stance on free agency – next summer is next summer and he’s not overly concerned with anything other than his new teammates and winning games.

Bosh is pleased with how aggressive his club was in adding new talent and getting the business done, but said he tried to stay out of it and let GM Bryan Colangelo do his job.

“I just trust people who do that stuff are going to do their job,” explained Bosh to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. “Bryan doesn’t want to lose, he’s very competitive himself, he’s going to make the right move.

Globe and Mail – Who will win first – Raptors or Leafs?

You want a look-ahead? On Oct. 28, the Toronto Raptors open the NBA regular-season at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers while the Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Dallas Stars. The Leafs have just two games before then (in Vancouver and Anaheim) so if they can continue losing and the Raptors can pull off an upset, there you’d go: Toronto’s NBA team has its first win before its NHL team. You don’t like the Raps’ chances against the Cavs? Neither do I, but not to worry: On Oct. 30 the Raps are in Memphis and the Leafs are in Buffalo. Lookahead? There’s your stinkin’ lookahead ..

National Post – New NBA officials the same as the old ones, apparently

Third quarter, we were on borrowed time,” Triano said. “This team, right now, due to the injuries and the late start of training camp, we’re just over a half-game ready.

TSN – GARNETT, ALLEN LEAD CELTICS PAST RAPTORS IN PRE-SEASON TILT

The Toronto Raptors still have one pre-season game and 10 days left left before opening the regular season on Oct. 28 — time coach Jay Triano says his team plans to maximize to the fullest.

Boston.com – Garnett, Allen help Celtics beat Raptors

I was like ‘This is a dress rehearsal but you’ve got to get it right,’ Allen said. “We want to get it right and we want be perfect in preseason games, regardless of who is on the floor and regardless of who we’re playing against. You don’t want to have to be trying to figure it out when the real stuff starts.

The Star – Raptors run out of gas against the Celtics

Still trying to coax as much as they can out of two key team members who are weeks behind their teammates in conditioning, the Raptors ran out of gas in a 101-82 loss to the Boston Celtics before 13,607 fans.

Sportsnet – Raps fall short vs. Celtics

I’m feeling much better every day,” said Turkoglu. “Today, I played a little bit more and I was feeling good after. We are getting close to the start of the season. We have 10 days and, hopefully, I will get myself in the best shape and ready to go.

Brothersteve’s Green & Red Raptor Blog – Raptors vs Celtics: Preseason Rematch, Positives For Both Teams

For the first time this preseason, Turkoglu looked comfortable on the floor. He played better defense and struggled less on the offensive end. There remains lots of room to get back to in mid-season form, but Hedo Turkoglu looked like he could be the most valuable Raptor on the floor this season.

Dino Nation Blog – My Day at the ACC

I will get into the game itself tomorrow but I thought is might be cool to share my experience in covering the game today. It has been a long time between visits to the Raptors locker room. I have mentioned in the blog before that I covered the Charity games Vince Carter use to do in the summer time. I will never forget my first time interviewing Vince. It was not a great start for me in working with NBA Players. I asked what seemed to me like a fair question. Vince had ended the season injured and this was the first time anyone had seen him out on the floor in a long time. So I asked him if he felt that he had anything to prove going out there on the floor even though it was just a charity game. Vince did not exactly take kindly to the question and basically said he had nothing to prove to anyone and basically that he was Vince Carter. I have to say I kind of felt bad, as back in the days of Vinsanity I was a huge fan. So, I quickly asked him a funny question about golf and how he compared to Tiger Woods on the golf course and got the heck out of dodge. Vince had played in some charity golf thing the day before so I figured that question would make him laugh and it did.

Boston Celtics

My Prediction: 0-4
Nov – Fri 27 @ Boston L
Jan – Sat 02 @ Boston L
Jan – Sun 10 vs Boston L
Apr – Wed 07 vs Boston L

Easily the cream of the crop of the Atlantic, and quite possibly the East (I still contend that if they were healthy last year, they would have won it all). The Raptors were 0-4 against them last season, and I expect the same this year. The Raps will struggle with Boston’s size up front, it’s not as though foul-prone Johnson is rounding out an elite Raptors front court. If they can counter that front court somehow (which they will have a very hard time with considering the Celtics just replaced Leon Powe with Rasheed Wallace), they still have to figure out what to do with Pierce and Allen. Excuse me if I don’t like our chances.

New Jersey Nets

My Prediction: 4-0
Dec – Fri 18 vs New Jersey W
Feb – Wed 03 vs New Jersey W
Feb – Fri 19 @ New Jersey W
Mar – Sat 20 @ New Jersey W

I have a feeling the Nets are going to be an interesting team. Thy don’t have a whole lot surrounding Harris, Lopez and Lee, but looking at this roster, they seem like a tough lot who is sure to be a well coached one. The Raptors were 2-2 against them last season, but in those two losses, VC had 39 and 27 points respectively. That first loss of the year was the gut wrenching one where VC sent the game into OT with a clutch trey then won it with that reverse alley-oop…we wont have to worry about him doing to that to us with the Nets, the Magic get that honour now. Anyways, they have no one that will give us any trouble, and we sure as hell can’t afford to lose even one game against them if we have post-season designs.

New York Knicks

My Prediction: 4-0
Jan – Fri 15 @ New York W
Jan – Thu 28 @ New York W
Mar – Fri 05 vs New York W
Apr – Wed 14 vs New York W

They will score in bunches and be exciting to watch, but wont be very much better then the 32 wins they got last season. The David Lee situation has not been resolved as of today (to my knowledge), which is a disaster as he has been one of their best/most consistent players over the last few years. Jordan Hill brings much needed size/toughness, but the only way the Knicks beat the Raptors this season is if they score loads and it comes down to a coaching battle. In any event, they can’t be slept on, they have the type of team that can get hot and run you off the court, but that will be few and far between. The Raptors went 2-2 against them last season, but have improved athletically and and bulked up. I have a feeling the Knicks will be worst team in the Atlantic.

Philadelphia 76ers

My Prediction: 3-1
Jan – Fri 08 @ Philadelphia W
Feb – Wed 10 vs Philadelphia W
Mar – Sun 07 vs Philadelphia W
Apr – Sat 03 @ Philadelphia L

They lost Andre Miller, signed a gangster and replaced Cheeks with Jordan. Forgive me if I don’t get too excited for them. I don’t follow the Sixers too closely, but for a team that went .500 last season, got the 6th seed in the playoffs, and took Orlando to 6 games, they sure as hell regressed (IMHO) this past summer. It’s not all bad for them. They went to the playoffs last year, have a slew of talented young wings that can get hot and give folks fits on the perimeter and a healthy Brand. Philly will be nipping at the Raptors heels, and be one of the middle-tier teams in the East fighting for the 5-8 playoff spots (the Hawks have 4 locked up, especially with the addition of Joe Smith up front). Each game against these guys will be a very important one, as the Raptors and Sixers will be neck-in-neck in that playoff hunt. They split the season series last season.

Boston aside, I have the Raptors going 11-1 against the Knicks, Nets and Sixers. Seems very ambitious, but if the Raptors want the 4th seed (which they wont get), they have beat these type of teams each and every time they play them. Even going 7-4 against them – and they steal one against the Celtics, drops them to 42 wins in my scenario, which will probably get them into the playoffs kicking/scratching/clawing and screaming, but with a 7th or 8th seeding.

Boston Celtics – 60+ wins
Toronto Raptors – 45 wins
Philadelphia 76ers – 40 or so wins
New York Knicks – 32 or so wins
New Jersey Nets – 30 or so wins
* please note, I had accidentally switched the Knicks and the Nets predictions, apologies.

That’s how I see the Atlantic shaping up this year.