The “Alvin’s records aren’t made to be broken, bitches” edition:
Bargnani: yet another absolutely dreadful shooting night. I’m not sure if they opened the roof at Rogers Centre and stuck Andrea on top of the CN Tower and gave him 10 attempts to get it in the dome that he could hit one. He did find himself at the line a few times and he converted there, but on a night where every point was important, he let his team down.
Calderon: hey, what’s another 45 minutes amongst friends, huh? If anybody had the right to look like they needed to be carried out on a stretcher tonight, it was Jose. Hell, if they had rushed on to the court with an oxygen mask at some point I wouldn’t have been surprised…but instead he put forth an effort that made it look like he had 2 days off and had just come back from a trip to Espana. Solid effort, some fantastic theatrics, and a great job quarterbacking a shorthanded team.
Davis: that stretch in the fourth made me happy, but also angry. To think he can hit that jumper and make it look so smooth and then get a nice slam in an open lane that shows off his hops…..frustrating we can’t see him go to that more frequently.
Forbes: no denying he had a night that made people sit up and take notice. A career high in rebounds (13) to offset an average shooting night. His 2 missed free throws, which happened at the end of OT, will loom large and cause him to wonder why the man upstairs let him down. It was obvious he was carrying it with him into the final possession, but that will go away with playing time. Great job in starting for DeMar.
Gray: I really have a desire to rip this guy but he always seems to shut me up in the second half. Does he possess a pretty game? Absolutely not. Hell, if his game was put up against Khloe Kardashian, I’d pick Khloe….but his big lumbering presence on offense and how he has consistently made himself available for getting a board under either basket makes him a valuable asset.
A. Johnson: workmanlike. When he plays like this, you wish he could wear a yellow construction helmet out on the court because you are afraid he’s going to sustain head trauma diving for loose balls, going up for boards amongst flailing arms, and, heck, it would act as a form of identification so that Leo would stop messing up which Johnson is which.
J. Johnson: if you are in a fantasy pool and James Johnson is available when the Raptors play the Bulls, you should pick him up. 20 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks. Now, like Forbes, his play down the stretch on the offensive end was a bit questionable. That Andrea-like reverse layup? Probably not a good idea. Still, 47 minutes of hard nosed basketball against his former team that kept us in this game to the final buzzer….x2.
Kleiza: he entered the game with butter on his hands and I have a feeling he’ll be entering the shower picking up soap. No idea what is going on with Linas but I have seen better work habits from Paris Hilton. There’s even video to prove it.
Driving the bus: James Johnson
Under the bus: Linas Kleiza
Theme of the Game:
