I was at this game and it’s the best place to check out the offensive sets and assign the blame correctly when things go wrong. So what I say carries merit. It’s also hard to criticize Chris Bosh because he puts up the numbers like tonight, but if I had to pick some people who might’ve cost us the game, on the list would be Chris Bosh (29 pts and 11 rebs). Seriously, hear me out. There’s more to the 102-94 final that might not meet the eye at first glance.
In reality, here’s what cost us the game: Late in the game with the Raptors down by two and on a semi-break, Mo Pete had the chance to cut the lead to two and put the pressure entirely on Utah. He received the ball on the left baseline and went for the in-your-face dunk and ended up blowing the lay-in. Utah scored on the ensuing possession to make this a four point swing and the game was essentially out of reach.
More generally speaking, Chris Bosh’s finishing around the rim has been a concern. Tonight things went relatively well so even the contorted lay-ins were falling at times. But why he bails out defenses by taking 15-ft turnaround jumpers bemuses me. Throughout the second half I thought Bosh wasn’t assertive enough on offense and allowed Okur and Boozer off the hook defensively. Mehmet Okur (27 pts and 3 rebs) was more valuable to his team than Chris Bosh because everything for him came out of the structured Utah offense, unlike Bosh who takes away from the team in getting his offensive production. Even though statistically he had a very good game, offensively he hurts the Raptors at times because he makes the offense completely stagnant and that’s exactly what happened at the start of the third when the Raptors were simply unable to score. It’s the black-hole effect. He’s not a great passer of the ball so once the ball goes in the post to him, or even when he’s facing the rim, you pretty much know a shot will be taken. I think Bosh and Kevin Garnett are in the same league: both are great second options on a great team. It might sound harsh but the lack of fluidity in Bosh’s game will always keep him from being a great player. Despite his improvement in recent years, I still think his ceiling is somewhere near the same as Jermaine O’Neal.
Let’s give the Bosh-bashing a rest. Yes, he could’ve done more tonight but he did do enough for his teammates to supply the missing pieces to get a win tonight. TJ Ford appears to have contracted the Mike James syndrome and is taking ill-advised shots on offense and really hurting the team. He single-handedly helped build Utah’s lead in the second quarter. Good to see Mitchell recognize this and put Jose Calderon who’s a great BACKUP point guard; in the fourth quarter Calderon was asked to hit some long range jumpers which he failed miserably at but you can’t really blame him – that’s not his game. He had a great game, 16 points and 5 assists. Jorge Garbajosa continues to struggle going scoreless and contributing next to nothing in 23 minutes. Maybe he’s hit the rookie wall or maybe he’s just too damn tired. Note to Jorge: Pump fakes are nice but only when they’re necessary.
Let’s get to Bargnani. I am sick of this guy trying to hit threes and not using his massive 7-ft frame. The one time tonight he actually posted up, he got two FT’s out of it. I’m not sure whether to blame him or Mitchell for his incorrect usage. On the same note, the ACC announcer is getting really annoying trying to mix in the Spanish and Italian when pronounching Jose Calderon, Jorge Garbajosa and Andrea Bargnani’s names. Give it a break brother, it’s annoying.
Give Utah credit, they were operating on peak offensive efficiency and there was nothing Sam Mitchell and the Raptors could do to stop them. I thought when Carlos Boozer picked up his fifth foul, the Raptors could have made a better effort at making him pick up his sixth. His points killed the Raptors as they always came just when we were about to get over the hump. Utah’s one of my favorite teams in the NBA and it’s great to see Jerry Sloan still produce quality basketball after all these years.
YouTube highlights courtesy of Chasin from RealGM:
Game in a Flash
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxiROXrFdE0]
Chris Bosh
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ul8OZw7F7E]
Jose Calderon
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fETZwtTBUE4]
Morris Peterson
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VflTeY7TBAE]
Andrea Bargnani
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHPhzKxL9no]
You can check out more highlights including post-game interviews in the RealGM thread.
