The “near perfection” edition:
Alabi: if you are a travel agent, please click here if you are hoping to land Alabi’s business for the next, oh, 2 months or so.
Andersen: bad sushi or he just read a few articles over on Bleacher Report, either way he didn’t make it to the arena.
Banks: last seen at the Magic Kingdom hanging with Mickey, checking out the sweet new Snow Princess.
Barbosa: still not able to perform. Kind of like Colangelo by himself on a draft night.
Bargnani: I have come to realize that Andrea is like me at Muzik. I walk in, looking sharp, working the ladies in the room into a lather by my skills, then as the night wears on, I start to tire and when the moment of truth comes, I couldn’t get a shot off to save my life, instead I just roll over. After the catastrophe the other night, he started tonight el fuego and had 21 points in the first half, missing only one FGA in the 2nd quarter. Then the fourth quarter happened. Nothing fell and his combination of porous defence and poorest offence allowed the Magic back in.
Calderon: the man down the stretch, in tandem with Jack. His steal on the in-bounds saved the game for us, the elbow he took from Dwight was worthy of a purple heart, and the fact that Nelson didn’t make him turn into a pile of ash for once is nothing short of miraculous.
Davis: must have felt strange wearing the warm-ups. Unfortunately the first time he wears them for real will feature a hawk on them, not the red and white.
DeRozan: a career night in points that was brought on by being aggressive yet patient. He picked his spots, got to the line, and clinched the deal in the end. Great stuff.
Dorsey: Lil’ Dwight played with lil’ effort and lil’ production. Bringing him aboard was a lil’ mistake.
Evans: when I saw what seemed to be him ripping into his own teammates from the other end of the floor, from the BENCH, in the early stages of this game, I knew he’d be a monster. He may not have had the huge numbers he’s had in a few games, but this is probably in his top 2 performances as a Raptor. He was like the stungun needle in Dwight’s neck most of the night. He played Evans possibly the best I’ve ever seen a Raptor play him and, dare I say, he outworked the potential MVP. Stunning.
Jack: efficient and smart. What else do you need from your starting PG? Old record, but head in the game = something positive. The play to get Weems the ball in the fourth was a stroke of genius and he ran it like he should: like a pro.
Johnson: another guy that was hitting everything in the middle stretch of his game. May just be me, but he seemed to tire a little bit, or check out. He reverted back to easy fouls, but they were good fouls as long as they were on Howard. One of his better games this season, but that’s like saying a strawberry without mould is a better strawberry.
Kleiza: where do I get me a pair of ‘dem red-horseshoes-on-the-back-pockets jeans he’s wearing? Snazzy.
Weems: Chiclets Jr. was money indeed. Huge shot for his NBA resume on a night he got the starting nod. Loved how he was shown intently listening to the defensive play call immediately afterward, not partyplanning with the rest of his cowboys. Solid night that featured a few quick bursts from him, something he needs to bring to the table more.
Wright: the guy is like Demi Moore. Just looking at him, you want to like the guy. Then you go see most of his movies/plays and your face looks like you just downed a pint of Buckley’s. Then comes the topless scene in amongst 120 other horrible minutes and you fall in love. Julian showed a little nip tonight. He was a less cocky and better skilled Jamario Moon and he stepped up in a game where every little bit contributed to a big win.
Driving The Bus: DeMar DeRozan
Under The Bus: Joey Dorsey
Game Theme :
