They run incessantly, they hustle, they play hard, there is a bigger commitment to defense, the bench is deeper; that’s the good news…the bad news is that this team is full of 2nd tier role players and lack an all-star caliber player who can put all the pieces together and lead them to .500 and beyond. I’ll take it though because they have been playing a real infectious brand of ball that I can’t ever recall seeing played by a Raptor team. Let the rebuilding begin…

The Knicks got first; my second favourite team in the league (I was a sucker for the bruising Knicks teams of the 90s). The two teams just played in Montreal, where the Raptors handled the Knicks, weathering a furious comeback in the 4th that fell short. The Raptors defense shined, forcing the Knicks into 26 turnovers, and keeping them to 69 field goal attempts.

I checked in with Mike Kurlyo, of Knickerblogger fame to get his take on the Knicks, some of the players and Carmelo Anthony:

The Knicks had a really busy offseason; what are the teams expectations? What are your expectations?
The team expects to make the playoffs this year. New York has gone 6 seasons without a playoff game, and they’ve sacrificed the last two seasons for this year. For the Knicks, not making the playoffs would indicate failure. I guess my expectations are about the same.

Raymond Felton has given the Raptors problems over the last couple seasons, averaging 17pts, 5rebs 5ast over that span. I thought he was a good signing for this team, and he seems to have the tools to be a nice fit. How is he meshing with Stoudemire in D’antoni’s offense?
The relationship between Felton and Stoudemire has been slow to develop. However I think the notion that Stoudemire relies on his PG is overblown. Amar’e isnt a pick & roll leech that requires someone else in order to score. He’s a 5 time All Star who can work the post and shoot from outside. As for Felton, the big question is: Which player will the Knicks receive this year? Last year he had career highs in shooting percentage (including three point percentage), but the rest of his career he’s been sub-par. And this preseason, Raymond hasn’t looked comfortable in the offense. If October is any indication of what’s to come, Amar’e is going to excel offensively while Felton is going to struggle.

D’Antoni is very high on Mozgov, what can you tell us about him, and how does he matchup against Bargnani?
Mozgov has been surprisingly impressive in some areas, and head scratching raw in others. For his size, he’s quite agile and can run the floor. He has a nice touch from outside, and I don’t have a good sense of how strong he is around the hoop. He’s looked competent at times, but has blown a few gimmies in the paint. Additionally he’s a foul machine that’s still learning how to defend in the NBA, his rebounding is suspect, he turns the ball over too frequently, and he could take a course in setting picks. Specifically against Bargnani, he’d obviously be susceptible to the long ball, as he defends better in the paint. However Bargnani doesn’t defend well either, so Mozgov will probably have some easy opportunities of his own.

Anthony Randolph was a (the?) key piece in the David Lee trade; what is his upside? What would classify as a successful season from the kid?
Randolph is already a fantastic rebounder, defender, and shot blocker. On the other hand he’s clueless on offense, especially in regards to shot selection. As often with many young and improperly trained athletes, he doesn’t have good instincts with regards to what constitutes a good or bad attempt. If he improves his shooting efficiency to league average, he’d be an All Star, without a doubt. This year, a successful season from Randolph would be for him to play 24 to 30 minutes a game. That would mean he’s entrenched in the rotation and getting much needed experience. Oh and don’t sleep on Azubuike, who will likely be the SG starter once he’s healthy.

Andy Rautins has a lot of fans here in Toronto, what are your thoughts on him?
Not sure what to make of him. He’s a guy that obviously lives from downtown, which meshes with D’Antoni’s style of play. He’s made some nice passes, but he’s also looked overwhelmed at times. I’m not expecting much from him this year, as I think he still has a lot to adjust to the NBA game. On a side note, he was a nice guy to interview, and we had a laugh over my ancient iPod/recording device.

I can’t let you go without getting your take on Carmelo Anthony…go!
I’ve answered this question so many times, I can do it in limerick form.
There was an All Star in Denver,
To move to New York, he wished for.
‘Melo didn’t rebound,
Defend or astound,
And wasn’t worth Gallo, Randolph, and Chandler.

Injury Report

Toronto
Joey Dorsey: Serving a suspension
Leandro Barbosa: Wrist Injury – Will be in the lineup

New York
Anthony Randolph: Sprained Ankle – Status not known
Timofey Mozgov: Hip – Status not known
Wilson Chandler: Calf – Not playing

Match-ups

PG – Jack vs Felton
Felton pretty much had his way with Calderon and Jack last season, and in 26min on Friday, put up 12pts 4rebs 5ast. Jack did a solid job of keeping Felton out of the lane (1-2 in the paint), and will need to maintain that streak tonight.

On the offensive end, Jack needs to give us a bit more; 2-5 from the field in 24min isn’t enough scoring, even though he chipped in 3rebs 5ast 4stl. Jack brings that bull-dog mentality that Calderon doesn’t; he puts his head down and gets into the paint. If he can get into the paint, he can create some space for Bargnani and Kleiza on the perimeter.
Edge: Draw

SG – DeRozan vs Fields
I love what I see in DeRozan’s shot-chart, a concentration of shot attempts in the paint:

Doesn’t matter that he was 4-9 from the field and 3-5 from the line, what matters is he got into the paint at will, and put pressure on the defense. If this keeps up, he will give teams a lot of headaches, and make up for the 8-10 free throws a game Bosh used to give us. Last season, DeMar averaged 17.7pts against the Knicks, he likes going at this team.
Edge: DeRozan

SF – Kleiza vs Gallinari
We didn’t get to see Gallinari on Friday, but the kid elevated his game last season; especially against the Raptors where he averaged 19.8pts. Gallinari is going to score, but I’d like to see him take contested shots on the perimeter, Kleiza wont need to come over for the double on Amar’e (DeMar or Jack have that), which should keep him at home defensively. What I like about Kleiza is how diverse his shot selection is:

Inside-outside-weakside-strongside, he takes what the offense gives him, and makes something out of it. Danilo hasn’t been 100% during the pre-season, so I’m looking to Kleiza to take it to him from the tip.
Edge: Kleiza

PF – Evans vs Stoudemire
This is more a case of limiting the damage. While Evans started slow out the gate Friday, he got himself back into the game, and lifted the team with his energy and rebounding. If that’s all he does, he can be an asset for this team; but the moment he shoots the ball…lets just say that a missed shot by Evans out-weighs a grabbed rebound. Last games shot chart is a joke, Stoudemire did what he wanted:

I seriously don’t think we can expect any more than what we got last game. Amar’e is a polished offensive player who can get his shot whenever he wants, and the Raptors have no one to man-him-up and get him out of his comfort zone.
Edge: Stoudemire

C – Bargnani vs Mozgov
Riddle me this, which Bargnani are we going to get? The biggest question left unanswered from the pre-season is how will Bargnani do without Bosh creating space for him? As far as Mozgov goes, Bargnani had the best of him on Friday: limited Timofey to 4 points and 2 field goals. Defensively, the only thing we could have asked of him was a few more rebounds.

Offensively, 6-13 from the field isn’t bad, but he almost missed as many shots from the perimeter, as he took in the paint.
Edge: Bargnani

Prediction

Vegas has the Raptors as 2 point favourites with an over/under of 211. Like I said earlier, during the pre-season, we saw the Raptors beat the teams they should have, this is one of those games that is very gettable. I gotta go Raptors: home opener, the crowd will be nuts and they’ve already beaten them.

You can follow our updates on Facebook and Twitter. If you’ve got something to say, air it out during the live chat (which were killer during the pre-season).

Photo Credit: AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Paul Chiasson

Through the 90s, the Knicks were my favourite team, and if you liked a tough, bruising team oozing with heart, then they were the team for you. When the Raptors and Knicks were battling in the playoffs, I was never more torn; ultimately I cheered the Raptors, but had the Knicks got through….

While they don’t have great talent to surround LeBron and Bosh (for sake of argument), the team does provide the lure of being a God in New York if someone can deliver a championship. For the record, regardless of what they offer, I’m against any deal with the Knicks since they are a division rival. The last time we did that, we got BURNED in the playoffs; not looking for a repeat.

I spoke to Dan L. from The Knicks Fan Blog about the state of the Knicks, and got some interesting tidbits from him:

Sam Holako: There isn’t much to talk about the Knicks during the regular season since the last couple years has all been about making a run at two max free-agents this summer. Where do you realistically put the Knicks chances of landing LeBron this summer? A sign and trade with the Cavs will prove difficult (what kind of deal do you put together for the MVP?). Also talk about the LeBrostimistic graph you have on your site, I love that thing.

Dan L.: I think it’s impossible to say what the Knicks’ chances are to get LeBron without being part of the “inner circle”. But I think the Knicks have a couple of things working in their favor. One is obviously that the Cavs got spanked so hard by the Celtics. They clearly aren’t a championship caliber team and they’re also ham-strung by salary commitments with the likes of Jamison, Gibson, Varejao, and Mo Williams. They won’t be signing any meaningful free agents.

It is hard to see the Knicks and Cavs pulling off a sign and trade, but it could happen if LeBron told them he’s going to the Knicks anyway and unless they deal they won’t get anything in return. For example the Knicks can offer the Cavs a massive salary cap exception and future picks for LeBron. With that exception the Cavs could hypothetically trade for Elton Brand and the second pick (Evan Turner). Maybe they could even convince the Knicks to part with Wilson Chandler. Mo Williams, Turner, Chandler, Jamison, Brand. I could think of worse teams.

Ha. The LeBroptimism meter right now is at 0 because honestly, I just don’t have any kind of bearing of what LeBron is going to do. He and his team have done a masterful job of keeping everyone in the dark, and there are a lot of teams that have positioned themselves to get LeBron. I think the only realistic options for LeBron if he leaves are the Knicks and Bulls because I’d be shocked if he went somewhere that didn’t have a major media presence. I’d add the Nets to the mix but I think their young talent is vastly overstated. The Knicks’ young talent was better than 12 wins. Also LeBron won’t want to play in Newark, I don’t think.

If I was being completely honest with my own gut, I’d put that LeBroptimism meter somewhat higher than 0.

SH: That would be Step 1; Step 2 would be find a running mate for him. Chris Bosh recently put the Knicks on his wishlist. Make me an offer for him.

DL: he only offer really is David Lee. Not sure what Raptors fans think about Lee but you could do much worse. He’s a terrific rebounder (though he doesn’t get the tough ones) and due to his terrific work ethic he transformed himself into one of the best shooting bigs in the league. He’s also an elite finisher. He can get his shot off in the paint and make it with such frequency that it never ceases to amaze me. You’ll be losing out by trading Bosh but maybe not by as much as you’d think.

The downside for the Raptors is that their biggest weakness is also Lee’s, in that he couldn’t guard a lamp post. A lot of that has to do with the fact that he’s a PF and the Knicks had him at center all year. Still, I’d think that the Raptors want to address their D this summer, and Lee isn’t going to do that.

Financially, Lee is going to make less than Bosh because under the collective bargaining agreement, his max is about $13.5 million. The Raptors would therefore get a trade exception in the deal of about $4 million.

Another option the Raptors could consider is adding Calderon or Turk to the mix and taking back Eddy Curry. This would get the Raptors out from under the cap predicament they put themselves in by next year.

It’s all dependent on what Lee wants though. If he just wants money and the Raptors offer him his max I think he would agree to go to Toronto because he would get bigger raises in a sign and trade. If other factors are more important to him, like staying in the New York area, and the money is similar, I could see him signing with the Nets.

SH: Not sure how Raptor fans would feel about paying Lee $13.5; even though double-double machines are hard to come by, I was thinking a 5yr/$50mill deal. A front court of Bargnani and Lee would be the worse defensive unit in the league, potentially, but Lee is one of the better players we could hope for in a sign-and-trade.

Interesting you bring up a Calderon/Turkoglu swap for Curry. What is Curry’s status? Can he be looked too to play 20minutes a night? He’s still pretty young, and has great size/athleticism (well he did). I’m assuming with the financial problems he’s said to be having, that he will at least be motivated to play harder for the next contract.

DL: I’d think that Lee is going to get more than $10 million on the market this summer. But I guess that remains to be seen.

You’re right about the raptors defense. They’d have to slide Bargs over to the 3 and find a way to get a defensive 5.

That’s not Eddy Curry, even if healthy. The potential Curry deal would be solely a salary dump for the Raptors. Knicks fans have been waiting for the old Curry to come back for over 2 years. The fact is that he’s played only a handful of games in each of the last two seasons and just doesn’t seem interested in playing basketball.

You’re right that Curry SHOULD be motivated in a contract year. But I’d be shocked if he had the desire to. And even if he did, I’d be doubly shocked if he stayed healthy.

SH: I want to examine something you said about Calderon or Turkoglu for Curry. Even if the Knicks somehow manage to get LeBron and Bosh, they would still need to have people around them to you know, play basketball at an NBA level. In the worse case scenario that they don’t land anyone in the summer to line up beside those two, what will this team look like?

DL: Honestly I think that’s an issue that the national media has drummed up in their echo chamber because they are biased against New York (true New York perspective here, huh?).

The team WILL have players on it. Obviously Turkoglu or Calderon could be one of those other players. If not, the Knicks should try to move Curry for another team’s expensive mistake, like Ben Gordon, Rip Hamilton or Corey Maggette.

But let’s look at who is on the team right now. Danilo Gallinari played essentially his rookie year last year since he missed most of his first season with a back injury. He only finished second in the NBA in three pointers made. Folks in the national media have called him a “one-trick pony” but those of us who watch the Knicks every game know that he’s much more than that. Even the most negative tabloid beat writers like the New York Post’s Marc Berman jumped on the Gallinari bandwagon by the end of the year. He’s a terrific passer, and has a great basketball IQ, and most surprisingly, was probably the Knicks best defender last year other than Jarred Jeffries, both on the ball and in help.

Wilson Chandler is another player that most people who don’t follow the Knicks tend to ignore. It’s because he’s very quiet and unassuming. My opinion is that he doesn’t have star potential like Gallinari does, but there are observers who disagree. At the very least though he plays D, has a great mid-range game, and is a superb finisher.

Toney Douglas inexplicably failed to get off of Mike D’Antoni’s bench for most of the year but when D’Antoni finally let him play the Knicks what I like to say resembled a young Gary Payton. Douglas is very disruptive on the defensive end, is a very good shooter from distance, and LOVES the ball at the end of games. He’s very clutch.

These were 3 very young and/or inexperienced players but all of them have a world of potential. Importantly, they’re all very good fits with LeBron. Gallinari will can countless open jumpers off LeBron drives, and Wilson will get plenty of open looks slashing off of those same drives. Douglas will also knock down open shots and defend the perimeter, but more importantly, both he and Gallinari will take the pressure off LeBron at the end of games, which seems to be an issue for the King. It’s a good starting 5.

Aside from those 3 the Knicks have Bill Walker, who, after the trade deadline really came into his own for the Knicks. He has great range and shoots a high percentage. He’s also extremely athletic and can jump out of the gym. Finally, where Chandler doesn’t really read the defense, instead focusing on just making one on one moves to get open, Walker knows where to be on the court to space the floor and get open looks for himself both inside and out.

The Knicks also have 2 second round draft picks.

Finally, if the Knicks are able to land the big stars, look for some veteran players to sign on for cheap for a chance at the title. For example, PJ Brown signed with Boston for the minimum to win a ring. Same with Michael Finley.

I expect the Knicks to be able to round out their roster in a similar way.

SH: I’m actually pretty high on Chandler. I’ve seen quite a few Knicks games, and the kid is nice (Gallinari too). If LeBosh doesn’t pan out for the Knicks, would a Joe Johnson/Boozer/Stoudemire combination satisfy Knicks fans? The team obviously wouldn’t be a championship contender (the best they could hope for is the Hawks), but they would be in the high 40s in terms of wins and MAYBE a second round appearance.

DL: hose guys obviously represent the second tier of free agents. They’d improve the Knicks vastly but I wouldn’t be too thrilled about it. That’s particularly true because I assume those guys would be getting the max (or something close) and I don’t think they’re worth it.

It’s not the first choice and there are some fans who go by the mantra “LeBron or bust”. Not me though. I think Donnie Walsh had to take his best shot at building a dynasty. It might not work out that way but the idea was the right idea. Either way the Knicks will be much improved, even if they don’t get LeBron.

Since I have nothing better to do than think up scenarios, I’ve previously written that there are other options available besides just free agents. The Knicks could look at Tony Parker, for example. A trade of Chandler, Curry and Douglas for Parker, RJ and McDyess would make some sense if the Knicks also landed Amare. Parker, RJ (who plays better in an open system), Gallinari, McDyess, Amare, with enough flexibility to sign Melo in ’11.

Another example is a trade of Curry for Biedrins or Maggette and Anthony Randolph, while re-signing Lee and signing Joe Johnson. You’d have Tony Douglas, Johnson, Gallinari, Lee and Randolph/Biedrins. Not too shabby in my opinion, and a team that can grow better over the next few years. Not a title contender though, and you’d lose your ’11 flexibility, which I’d like to see the Knicks keep if they lose out on the big names.

From here on out, every game is a must win. Triano talked about not panicking recently, and I agree to a certain point. When your franchise player is out of the lineup, and you lose 4-in-a-row because the rest of the team isn’t that good, you just hope Bosh gets better quick and gets back fast enough to assure us of a playoff spot.  Now that he’s back, and we’re in the stretch run, these girls need to pull up their skirts and get down to business.

With the resurgent Milwaukee Bucks a half game behind us for 5th, things are tighter in the East than you might expect. The difference between the 5th spot (where the Raptors currently are) and the 9th spot (where the Bobcats are trying not to fall apart from) is only three games. Considering we just dropped 4 in a row, whatever cushion we had just evaporated and the certainty of a playoff spot we had a week ago has been reduced to a dog fight.

Over the last four games, the Raptors have just been terrible, they:

• have lost by an average margin of 16.2 points
• have given up an average of 115.5 ppg
• allowed their opponents to shoot 47.1% from the field
• turned the ball over 61 times, which has lead to 80 points

Oh…and no one has stepped up to fill in for Bosh. I mean, Jack has done a pretty good job of steadying the ship, but Turkoglu is playing just a bit better than usual, and Bargnani doesn’t seem to have what it takes to be #1; and you can’t really expect much from the rest.

What we have got a glimpse of the last 6 games is what life will be like if Bosh walks this summer (not a sign and trade). If the franchise ups-and-leaves, we will have almost enough cap space to replace him with anyone other than the likes of a Drew Gooden or someone along those lines. I get nauseous just thinking about it.

The Knicks are just all kinds of awful. They are  3-10 since February (including a 9 game losing streak) with 2 of their 3 wins coming against the Wizards. It’s a sadder sight than Arsenalist at a Justin Bieber concert hopping, clapping and swooning. However, they are coming off a hard fought win against the Pistons where D’Antoni used a tight 7-man rotation.

If the same lineup is used tonight against the Raptors, things will get interesting.

Starters
G, Tracy McGrady [6-8, 223]
OG, Bill Walker [6-6, 230]
SF, Danilo Gallinari [6-10, 225]
PF, Al Harrington [6-9, 250]
C, David Lee [6-9, 250]

Bench
PG, Sergio Rodriguez [6-3, 176]
OG/PG, Eddie House [6-1, 180]

I don’t know a whole lot about Bill Walker, but the rest of this lineup is very athletic and matches up very well with an injury plagued Raptors (Calderon and Turkoglu are listed as day-to-day). The only thing that worries me is McGrady at the point, who has been playing pretty good in the 7 games he’s been a Knick (four of which he has scored more than 15 points). Jack will have his hands full, as McGrady can shoot over him at will and post him up.

I like Banks/Weems off the bench against Rodriguez and House, but I suspect Wilson Chandler will get plenty of burn since he likes to light the Raptors up. Poor Eddie, guy got shafted large with this exile.

While I hope Turkoglu and Calderon are fine and will be ready for the playoffs, I like that Wright and Banks will be getting plenty of burn in their stead. Banks has don’e nothing but ball when given the opportunity, but Wright especially, given how it is expected for his minutes to increase heading into the playoffs.

I’m mostly hoping Al Harrington treats us to cocky moments like this in a Raptor win:

After getting the shaft during the Olympic semi-finals, Raptor Fan Fridays is back tonight at the Sport Centre Cafe.

We got screwed by the schedule this week. The Raptors have had 3 full days off since that loss to the Pacers, and I couldn’t think of a better game than against our Atlantic rivals. Full disclosure: I’ve been a Knicks fan since Ewing, McDaniels, Smith, Starks, and Oakley were running rampant. Epic games they would have against the Bulls. Sadly, the Knicks have been a massive disappointment to say the least, but the wheels are in motion, and they are back on the track to respectability.

The Raptors are 2-2 since Calderon has returned to the lineup, and some folks have gone so far as to say that they miss Banks and think he’s a better fit than Jose. While I concede that the Raptors had a great stretch without Jose, long term, this team needs him (or someone he would yield in a trade) in order to have a chance at making any noise. Forgive me if I don’t like our chances in the playoffs with Banks as our backup point guard.

2010 has seen the Knicks come out strong, going 4-2 with an impressive/gritty 112-108 OT win over the Hawks. Yeah, the team that has been eating our lunch all year. Frankly, it doesn’t surprise me as much as it probably should. The Knicks have been stacked with talent for years now, just not enough of the other good stuff to make them a team, but they are coming up. Don’t look now, but they are 2.5 games behind the Raptors in the standings.

I checked in with Curts Skeeter Jr. to get his take on the Knicks and this game, and he had some interesting things to say:

Q: How have your boys been playing of late?
A: The Knicks are on track to make a quality push for a major playoff run. Mike Dantoni has proved that he can coach defense as well as offense. This was evident in our last win where the Knicks needed a quality stop against the 76ers (a contested Rodney Carney three), and the Knicks got the stop and a 93-92 win. David Lee in my opinion should be an all-star.

Q: Tell us about Gallinari.
A: Gallinari is a Larry Bird clone as a shooter, but his overall game could use a lil more polish which will come with confidence.  His first year contributions were limited due to his back (only played 18 games), so technically this is his first lap around the league, and he may still hit the rookie wall at some point.

Q: Keys to beating the Raptors?
A: The Knicks need to speed up the pace, and get to free throw line.  David Lee has to make the Raptor defenders work in the paint and the wings have to make hard cuts to catch the defender off guard.

Q: Any other thoughts on this game?
A: I respectfully think that the Knicks have passed the Raptors talent wise, but have not gotten over the mental edge that Toronto has over us.  This is a big game and I think the Knicks top tier players have to impose their will. If Chandler and Gallinari have good games the win will put us over the top for the next few years.  Keys to winning is confidence and accepting and learning how to deal with success and not accepting mediocrity.

Clearly he hasn’t heard Jack Armstrong and his claims that the Raptors are a top 5 team, talent wise, in the East. I still laugh at that. Sorry, I do. The Raptors have some nice pieces, but there is a reason we’re 19-20. Talent alone in the NBA gets you nothing, just ask Darko Milicic.

So Curts brings up a few good points, namely Gallinari and Lee, both of whom scare the crap out of me. Chances are we’re going to see Bosh on Lee and Bargnani on Gallinari. If our recent history is any indicator, Gallinari is going to have a lot of open looks from beyond the arc. The guy averages 6.6 3pt attempts a game, converting 2.6 of them. The clean looks he is going to get when his check (Bargnani probably) is sent to double whomever, well, it wont be pretty. I just…I just don’t know…Danilo is going to have 32 tonight, I can feel it. Lee on the other hand has owned Bosh over the last few seasons. He gets in the paint, hits that hook, hits his jumpers, grabs every single freaking rebound…man I wish the Raptors had him. Bosh has been playing harder/better/faster/stronger than previous years, so Lee has his work cut out for him.

I also have the bad feeling that when Triano goes small-ball crap-ball with Jack/Calderon/Turkoglu, Chandler is going to have a field day with whoever ends up on him. Neither Jack or Calderon have shown they can cover a solid two-guard when paired with the other this season. Although the Knicks have some nice players, they have no one on this team who warrants a double team. The Raptors need to stay at home with Lee, Gallinari and Harrington, and limit the number of times Chandler or Robinson shake free from their defender. No layups, no excuses. If the Knicks are going to beat us tonight, they should have to do it from the perimeter.

D’Antoni has been playing about 8 deep, over the last few games with the starters playing heavy minutes. This could bode well for the Raptors who haven’t played since Monday. Belinelli/Weems/Wright should get some good burn while Triano figures out what he is doing out there. I like Belinelli and Weems in this kind of game. They will get good looks running back and forth. Wright, not so much, but if he can be a pest, and keep Chandler off center for a few minutes, then I might look past the few bad shots he will heave.

I was worried about this game during the podcast, but after the loss to the Pacers, I am beyond worried. With Dallas and Cleveland up next, the Raptors have to get this one. If the Raptors keep Lee and Jeffries off the glass, take away everything from inside 10 feet away, and slow the pace down, they should take this. That’s easier said then done, but the Knicks don’t have a real presence in the paint. The gamblers have the Knicks at 2.5 point favourites at home, at least we can be happy that the experts think it will be close. I’m betting against the line, but still think the Knicks take it 100-98, this one will come down to the last shot, win or lose.

Don’t forget to join us tonight for Raptor Fan Fridays at the Sports Centre Cafe on St. Clair, we had a great time last week. Some nice folks work there

Only the Denver game that “cost” Smitch his job was by a larger margin. At what point will the rhetoric and idiocy about the playoffs stop? Sure they are 5.5 games out of 8th spot, but what has happened this season that has certain idiots suggesting the playoffs? 21-36 seem like a record of a team that is playoff worthy? The answer is no. The team has has two 3-game win streaks so far, but has endured 5, 6 and 7 game losing streaks. How fortunate for us.

Friday saw the Raptors get sodomized by the Knicks. Wilson Chandler had a career game on us, 32 points. 32. I am sick of lower tier players running a train on the Raptors. For once, I wish that game was on TSN2, because I would have enjoyed watching 2 girls and a cup more.

Camel Toe anyone?

Sunday has the Knicks rolling into the ACC for the second of a home-and-home, and instead of breaking down the match-ups and the regular bit, I am just going to go through what the Raptors need to do to win:

1. Pray
2. Study some tape
3. Read the scouting reports
4. Run through screens, not under them
5. Don’t switch
6. Stay between Lee and backboards at all times
7. Play Joey on Chandler and have him throw his weight around
8. Play Marion more then 28 minutes
9. Keep Nate away from Bosh
10. Hope the NBA reinstates Tim Donaghy and he lays big on the Raptors

I would like to present to you Sierra, our feature Knicks cheerleader. Aside from giving us camel toe, she played a hostage in an upcoming Denzel movie, and is a believer in exploring every angle of a situation. If only BC would have done the same in the summer, we still would have had Maceo at the end of the bench keeping Hibbert company instead of Jawai  offending our basketball sensibilities.

I have the spread at Knicks 3.5. It should be a much more exciting game as the Raptors will be motivated, but the Raps don’t learn their lessons, and Nate will nail a trey at the buzzer to break our heart yet again.

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Free Ukic (keep Banks, OH’Bryant and Voshkul with the Gatorade)!

Anyone else lifting their eyebrows after the moves the Knicks made? Donnie Walsh divined Malik Rose, Tim Thomas, Jerome James, Anthony Roberson and some cash into Chris Wilcox and Larry Hughes. That’s what a great GM does, he turns useless pieces into better ones that can contribute now without impacting future cap flexibility. Don’t get me wrong, BC almost did the same thing with the Marion/Banks trade, but the trade happened 6 months too late, and required two first round picks (and a 2nd rounder) to get it done. I’ll stop, I feel some of you groaning…

So the Raptors head into Gotham, on the first leg of the annual home-and-home with the Knicks. This will also mark the first time this season that the Raptors face the 7-seconds-or-less-Knicks, should be a fun one. I am actually really excited about the Knicks. It’s no secret that they are my second favourite team after the Raptors, dating back to the early 90′s when Ewing/Smith/Oakley/McDaniels/Starks all showed us what grit, toughness and determination was…something we have been lacking in Toronto for about 6 years now…sorry, I’ll stop, the groans are getting louder.

Hands down the best hair of any KCD’s.

The Raptors head into this game 3-7 in their last 10, with a couple notable wins against the Spurs and the Nets (not really notable, but they are in the same division and between the Raptors and the 8th seed). Most recently, after the loooong All-Star break that saw Bosh  playing Waldo in Phoenix instead of resting up, the Raptors got thumped by Z and the Cavs in their own house. Can’t blame them really, Bosh was injured and the Cavs are elite.

The Knicks on the other hand are 4-6 in their last 10, with a couple notable wins against the Spurs, Hawks, Rockets and Suns. In fact, they have double the wins then the Raptors do against quality opponents this season (I count 7). Their last win came after the All-Star game, where their lone representative was tea bagging Howard on route to the dunk title, against the Spurs.

Momentarily turning our attention towards the lovely Sarahbeth, who hails from Long Island and is a second year Knicks City Dancer (KCD). She holds Nicole Richie (NSFW) in such high esteem that her favourite quote is:

You just have to go after what you want and if it doesn’t want you back, then so be it, it doesn’t deserve you anyway

…no word of a lie…oh, and if you get close to her, don’t touch her with your feet, it freaks her out, gotta love New Yorkers man. Down to business…

Injury Report

Raptors
Kris Humphries

Knicks
Eddy Curry

Matchups

Calderon vs Duhon
The Edge: Duhon - Is he injured? Is he healthy? Is he at least 91.6524%? With Marion patrolling the wing now, the rotations will be more effective, so when Duhon blows by JC, there will be help waiting, and there will help for the helper. I just don’t know how effective JC will be on the offensive end. Sure he will get a boost from his favourite recipient (Bosh), but 3asts to 3tos in a low tempo/half-court game? What is going to happen against these athletic Knicks? The guy wont be able to keep up, and the transition defense will be an issue, book it.

Parker vs Chandler
The Edge: Chandler – I don’t care what anyone says, I’m glad BC didn’t trade the guy. In a straight up scenario, we wouldn’t have gotten value for him. So what, trade him for the hell of it? Didn’t we learn our lesson with HO? I’d even go so far as to resign the guy to a 2yr/$5mil deal; can’t have enough classy veterans who can knock down shots in limited minutes. Anyways…Chandler is a nice player, who is younger, faster and more athletic then Parker. This matchup isn’t a run-away for Chandler, as I don’t have him edging AP out by much, but having to deal with Chandler, and Hughes off the bench, might be a bit too much for our weary war horse.

Marion vs Harrington
The Edge: Marion – They are both good players, Harrington is younger, but Marion is just as athletic and can hang with him. The only place I see Marion getting burned is when he rotates to help JC, and the ball gets swung to an open Harrington (because the rotation will be late to help) and Harrington will do something with it. That being said, with Bosh coming back, things will open up for Marion to operate around the basket unfettered as the focus will be Bosh and trying to stop the guy. I expect higher output from Shawn then the 10pts 6rebs 6asts he put up against the Cavs.

Bosh vs Lee
The Edge: Bosh - He’s expected to play, which usually means he has the advantage at 4. Lee is one of my favourites, and will be boxing Chris off the boards, and giving him that shot all night. I’m sure D’Antoni will take CB4 popping jumpers, no questions. 22pts 7rebs sound about right?

Bargnani vs Jeffries
The Edge: G.O.A.T. - It isn’t an accomplishment outplaying Jeffries. The guy isn’t a starting $6mil/year player in the league. He can thank Isiah for that one, and so can we. After a fairly poor showing against Ilguaskas, this is a perfect game/matchup for VL to rebound from. It’s not so much that Jeffries can’t keep up with our G.O.A.T., cause he can, it’s just that JJ is the kind of player that VL will have confidence against, and we all know that a confident VL is productive one.

Intagibles

The trades Walsh made make this team much deeper. Hughes or Wilcox wont be starting, but expect them to get significant burn, especially if Bargnani abuses Jeffries early. The lone saving grace is that Jamal Crawford is no longer a Knick, and wont be lighting us up, that dubious distinction no doubt falls to Robinson who will posterize somebody, my money is on Bargnani.

The Line

Couldn’t find odds from my regular sources, so I will go out on the line and give the home team 3.5, that seems about right.

Prediction

Seeing as this is a home-and-home, I like a split on the two games, but for tonight, I’m going Knicks by 7.

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