Blake Murphy
This is getting to be ri-goddam-diculous. I certainly have no right to be hoping for victories from a 13-35 team, and in general I don’t, but to get as unlucky covering games as I have is a bit much. Yes, the Raptors fell to 13-36 after a 104-93 loss to Indiana, but just as importantly…
987 games ago, Vince Carter hit a three. It was February 26, 1999. The opponent was Minnesota. It was at 7:43 of the first quarter. At the time, I was only 12 and not really watching basketball, but I can safely assume everyone thought it was a run-of-the-mill three point field goal.
With the Heat lacking two of the three Heatles, we were treated to a reminder of what Pre-Decision LeBron looked like. It was a thoroughly dominating and exciting performance to watch; a true reminder of what the best player in the world looks like when he turns it up to that gear that so few…
While the boxscore line won’t tell as much, it was Derrick Rose who sank the Raptors tonight. He imposed his will early and often, pulling the Bulls ahead even early on when the Raptors were still putting up a valiant effort.
Tonight, as on most nights, the Raptors were equal parts exciting and excruciating, fascinating and frustrating. They looked at times like the team we’ve been hoping they’re turning into, but a scoring drought or defensive lapse was always waiting just around the corner to kill any momentum.
It is now to the point that I think I should resign as a writer for Raptors Republic. Three games covered, three early deficits, three displays of lethargic play, and three losses. I’ll keep trucking and hoping that the Raptors turn things around when under my writing microscope, while in the meantime, I refuse to…
I’ve never been a firm believer in starter versus reserve controversies. When TJ Ford and Jose Calderon battled for point guard supremacy here in Toronto, I wrote about it because I felt obligated, not because I truly cared. I understand that, to players and some fans, starting is of the utmost importance; you are first…
I had a bunch of awful John Wall puns and play-on-words ready. Alas, they will have to wait, and your frustration will remain directed only at the Raptors instead of split between the Dinos and yours truly.
After watching the Raptors get outplayed by a tired Golden State Warriors team on the back end of a road back-to-back, I’m left only with a truth I knew to be so before this game, and even before this season, started. The Raptors are not a very good basketball team right now, and they are…
I have absolutely no interest in writing about the Raptors right now. If I did, I would write a Choose Your Own Adventure style column, or a Mad Libs column, similar to the following: "__(curse word) __ (curse word) ___(curse word) Jay Triano ___ (curse word) defense ________ (curse word) polar bears ________ (curse word)…
After my last Chris Bosh piece, I spent the weekend discussing with some friends whether or not he would re-up with the Raptors after this season. While I remain hopeful he’ll be the franchise’s cornerstone for the length of another max contract, the possibility exists that Bosh will leave. What my discussions about his future…
It is easy to get overexcited, as Raptor fans, about Chris Bosh’s performance through the first 12 games. There are reasons to be guarded, to be pessimistic, or to deem his success suspect thus far. At the same time, it’s easy, as Raptor fans, to let his success thus far underwhelm you, to take the…