So what’s it take not to be “that guy” who shows up to his Sunday spinning class at 9:30 only to forget about daylight savings time and have to sit there for an hour in spandex and clip-booties like a schmuck because he forgot to perform the simple task of setting his clocks back?
Simple. Don’t take fucking spinning classes, you pansy.
Me? As far as I’m concerned, the extra hour is used at the bar before today’s game. The Raptors have a tough match-up and will need to leverage any and all advantages. So if I’m going to harass Eddie House into shooting a bad percentage (which he’s very capable of doing on his own), I’m going to need all the pre-game pints I can find. Maybe a tequila shot or two…
But on to today’s game against the Celtics. You might not have heard they traded for some big names in the off-season – it didn’t really make the headlines and the league didn’t promote it much. But they’ve got three All-Stars, two decent role players, two children, and a bunch of nobodies. It’s easy to put a media-friendly spin on that squad, but through another lens they aren’t all that and a box of tall, rich chocolates.
Remember that pre-season game in Italy? The one with the cutesy jerseys, our first look at both squads? Throw it out the window. It will have no bearing on this afternoon’s game – these are two different teams, finer-tuned with the benefit of weeks worth of practices and a half dozen more games under their belts.
As far as I’m concerned, there are three absolutes for this afternoon’s game:
1) KG is gonna get his.
2) They don’t have the tools to cover both Bosh and Bargnani.
2) Save the cheerleader, save the world.
I’ll deal with the cheerleaders. Let the Raptors do the rest.
On the second point, it’s my suspicion that with his first two games going so well, and a bit of buzz buzzing around the NBA hornet’s nest about Bargnani, that KG might match up against The Big Armani for part of today’s game. If this is the case, Keep your eye on Bosh (more on him later).
Don’t forget about… Eddie House. I’m not. Kid can shoot the lights out. But the real ‘sleeper’ in this game is Rajon Rondo. He’s going to surprised our PG’s with his speed and defensive prowess. It’s the toughest defender they’ve faced so far, and they’ve gone up against two pretty excellent point guards in Jason Kidd and Andre Miller.
Stud of the Game: I’m going with Chris Bosh here. Bargnani will have another solid game but CB4 is due for a breakout game… and there’s no contest better worth getting up for than KG on the team predicted to win your Conference and your Division.
Dud of the Game: Everyone on Boston not named KG, Pierce, Rondo, or Allen. These guys will make up 85% of the Boston point total today.
The Raptors have looked excellent so far this season, but we’ve yet to see how they react to playing from behind. I have a feeling that we’ll get a glimpse of that today. If they can keep their Concentration. Intensity. Discipline. and fuel off the the home court advantage, I think this one is ours. It’s a matter of pride, fuckers. Let take this one home.
(Regardless of the outcome, it should be a good one.)
Final Score: Toronto by 4.
Side note: My friend Ernie cinformed me that the Houston Rockets have the same intro song, Kanye’s “Stronger” as the Raptors do. What the hell? I know Kanyeeze’s new track is ‘all the rage’ but is there nothing to say for some originality? How can you ‘get up’ for a track when you know other teams in other arenas are using it as well? That it’s not ‘yours’? I can tell you one thing, say what you want about Vertigo but I bet we were the only squad to pump it last year. I wonder how many other teams besides Houston and Toronto are using this track? Is there a way to find out? Maybe Doug Smith can help us out…stay tuned.
