The “kick me, beat me, tease me, let me down” edition:
Alabi: two things remind me of Alabi: a jigsaw puzzle that is missing pieces and the frustration of standing behind a construction guy ordering coffee for the whole job site at Timmy’s when all you want is a large double double.
Barbosa: no doubt reaching out to Peja’s (achem) “doctor” hoping to extend his time on the sideline during this farce of a season.
Bargnani: lately he appears and disappears more than herpes. One game he plays like he has no passion, the next he spends half the game looking like it’s preseason and then nights like this he exudes about as much emotion on the floor as a plastic surgeon doing a nose job on a dog. Yes Andrea pulled it together in the second half, and for about 30seconds to start the game he looked like he wanted to show Bosh he had been replaced. In between? Squat.
Bayless: he seemed to like attacking Howard and then chatting him up a bit. It was cute. Almost like “Say Anything”. Not much of a line, but he was a little spark for the Raptors tonight and helped turn the tide a bit.
Calderon: double double that came courtesy of a second half that saw him directing traffic like he was on the tarmac at Pearson. Factor in the poor bastard had to cover LeBron from time to time and he must be in icewater until midnight.
Davis: odd that he seemed to be the reverse of his teammates. He had a good first half and, in the second half, he seemed to turtle like Rob Ford walking toward a Weight Watchers clinic.
DeRozan: another fine night where he wanted to step up and show people he can hang with the big boys. Not many nights that I think I could say I was more impressed with DeMar’s game than LeBron James’, but this was one of them. Spectacular offensively.
Dorsey: unable to go. Kind of like RapsFan in a public restroom.
Evans: February soon come.
Gaines: Jay had to ride Jose the way he was playing and with Bayless providing some spark, Sundiata got squeezed out like lettuce at a biker bar.
Johnson: he gave off a vibe early that he would be all over this game, but he seemed to fade away. He didn’t cost us much and he kept his fouls in check, but he lacked the quiet passion he had been showing the past 5-10 games.
Kleiza: the owl is hibernating.
Weems: went to check out some local ball in Toronto today. Probably felt horrible that 3/4 of the talent there could take him off the dribble.
Wright: one of the few games where he genuinely looked lost and frustrated. Maybe he got whiplash from watching all those Mike Miller shots go flying over his head and into the bucket.
Driving The Bus: DeMar DeRozan
Under The Bus: Julian Wright
Game Theme:
