It’s hard to care about the Bulls game tonight with the playoffs ready to go on Sunday in Orlando. We got the matchup we were literally begging for and its time to see what we can do with it. The pundits who think that the Raptors have a great chance of advancing are all assuming that the Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh matchup will play to a wash, I’m not sure if that’s going to be the case. Needless to say, a stellar series from Chris Bosh is priority #1 for the Raptors because it also means Howard needs to work on the defensive end. The general feeling is that Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglo can be contained by the Moon/Delfino/Parker triumvirate but given our defensive record this season, that’s not even close to a guarantee. There’s also the Stan van Gundy and Sam Mitchell matchup that we have to worry about. What I’m trying to hammer home is that we’re the underdog in this series and need to play like one.
Look at me prancing around like a school girl talking about the playoffs, we got a meaningless game tonight. Chicago’s got all the incentive in the world to lose this one, Charlotte’s playing Philly who’ll be resting players and a Charlotte win and a Bulls loss would mean they’d be tied record-wise and the Bulls have an even shot at ping pong balls. Or the Bulls could try to end the season on a high and come out firing, who really cares? I sure don’t. The only thing to look forward to here is the bench getting some good run: Joey G, Primoz, Humphries, Kapono and Baston all need to play 20-25 minutes to get their legs under them before the playoffs start. There’ll be a lot of key possessions in the playoffs where Graham’s defensive skills, Humphries’ hustle, Kapono’s shooting and Baston’s er..um..uhh…length?….might come in handy so its good to warm these guys up.
The containment of Dwight Howard is one of the top priorities for the Raptors and Rasho Nesterovic smells a double team coming to help him out. I’d let Rasho handle Howard one-on-one until it becomes absolutely clear that he needs help, he’s a very good man-defender and uses his wide frame very well. Howard obviously has the quickness and strength over Rasho but the Raptor can counter with crafty footwork and positioning that can throw Howard off his offensive game.
Raptors TV numbers are higher than last year but still somewhat disappointing. The TV execs think that for the numbers to be higher, the Raptors need to go on a playoff run – that’s apparently one of the main reasons networks bother with the Raptors.
CNN/SI has us finishing behind the 76ers and Hawks in the final power rankings – seems about right, no? On a side note, if any 76er fan thinks their team got cheated out of the 6th spot by the refs against Cleveland, consider that the Raptors got robbed in Atlanta, so it evens out. Good luck against Detroit. The Eastern Conference series to keep an eye on his the Cleveland/Washington one – Washington feels they would’ve won this series last year hadn’t it been for major injuries and Deshawn Stevenson calling Lebron James overrated is just adding fuel to the fire. The other one that I want to watch is Boston v Atlanta or in other words, Rondo v Bibby, the Hawks won’t make it easy for the Celtics.
Finally, lets end with some Q & A from Doug Smith’s disappointing blog (Yeah, I’m a Grange guy myself):
Doug, just watched AB throw up 3 bricks from behind the arc against Detroit and wondered how long he’s been shooting so horribly. I looked it up and he’s been under 30 per cent since the All-Star break. Ouch. He doesn’t rebound, doesn’t defend, and now he can’t shoot. At what point do the Raptors coaches tell him to screw throwing up 3 pointers and exclusively start from the block? (Not that he does that effectively either) Or do you think he should just keep shooting? – Nathan J, Toronto
Let me take this one Doug, thanks. Nathan, there’s only so much the coaches can do. I’m sure Sam tells Bargnani to stop being so one-dimensional in his offensive game but the guy sincerely lacks the skills and footwork to actually do anything but shoot. I know its harsh but thats where his game is right now. The poor bastard actually does try to drive but with sporadic success. His post-up game is too weak and asking him to start developing one with the playoffs one game away doesn’t make sense. The best thing he can do for us right now is start hitting his outside shots, so yeah, I do think he should just keep shooting because its too late in the season to actually make a turnaround. If by some miracle and God’s blessing he figures out how to drive to the rim and finish, I’ll take it but don’t bet on it. Maybe once John Lucas has gone all Mickey Goldmill on him in the summer, we can start seeing the things that you’re hoping for.
Till after the game, meanwhile here’s Stewie Griffin’s reaction to the 2 Girls 1 Cup video.
