Barely.
6 first quarter turnovers. 28 first half points in the paint…AGAINST. Sixers grabbed 17 offensive rebounds. Bosh, on the other hand, grabbed ONE total rebound. Every player on the Sixers roster outrebounded Bosh except Gordan Giricek. Bottom line: we eeked out a win against what would be a lottery team in any other division.
So much for striking down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger. The game was actually much closer than the final score indicated. Redact the second quarter and we won by two points (tied the first and fourth, won the second by a bucket). Without AP going off like that, we would have lost this game. His shooting opened up the court for Bosh to get in the paint. Even with 17 extra possessions, the stinkeriffic Sixers (aka the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NBA) still couldn’t take us down. Maybe if they didn’t continuously settle for Sammy D 16-footers and Thaddeus “Who?” Young spin drives, they’d have had a chance.
We’re still playing soft. Our guys keep hitting the floor. Theirs? Free reign in the paint. And before you get all up in my grill*, I’m not harping on the negatives, just trying to illustrate that winning isn’t everything. Gather up all the wins against lower tier teams you want, they don’t fix the larger issues that amplify in the post-season. Wait, that’s still our goal, right?? Playoff success? Just making sure.
*Just learned this yesterday. Am I cool yet?
And to add to the mediocre play, the game was devoid of any outstandingness, unless you call Igoudala missing a double-clutch dunk or Jamario missing an alley oop (which led to a 5-on-4 going the other way, and a basket) entertaining. Really, it was a boring game. I had to drink a couple Purple Monsters* just to keep it interesting.
*If I hired a blind Mongolian to dump everything in my medicine cabinet into a blender, they STILL couldn’t concoct something more vile. Just goes to show you might be able to take the white girl out of the trash, but…
GAME NOTES:
- Someone needs to teach Kapono how to trim a beard.
- Joey G is awful. His time has passed. They better deal him. If need be, I’ll go down to his lakefront condo and pack his bags myself.
- I liked them last year, but Chuck and Leo are really beginning to bug me.
[a whistle blows]
Leo: Joey Graham, doing a fantastic job on the defensive end working hard to draw the charge.
Chuck: Correction, Leo. The call has been changed to a blocking foul on Joey. That’s his second.
[long pause. Tumbleweeds pass.]
Leo: Oh.
- Shruz made the point, and I agree: There’s no need to mix Team Canada into Raptors broadcasts. It’s lame, needy, and reeks of desperation.
- Mo Cheeks looks like a wife swapper. That turtleneck and plastic grin belongs at a key party.
- Maybe if Chris Bosh followed his shot on occassion, he’d get more than one stinkin’ rebound.
