Chicago @ Toronto

[alcstarheel]

Chicago @ Toronto
Time: 6:00 PM ET
TV: --

[Built Ford Tough]

Some notes, inverviews, etc... from shootaround earlier today:

 

- Jay Triano said Marco Belinelli will play tonight and also said he’s leaning towards keeping Amir Johnson in the starting lineup in place of Chris Bosh.

 

- Loved hearing Jarrett Jack compare this situation they are in to the Mighty Ducks. It was good to see him look excited for the challenge rather than nervous about the task at hand. Also thought he summed up tonight’s game pretty well. If you don’t get hyped for this, you’re in the wrong profession.

 

(This is the kind of stuff why Jack has quickly become one of my favourite Raptors this season).

 

Jose Calderon comments:

 

- Mood in the locker room?: “It’s a game we have been waiting for, we lost a couple of games before, so this is the game. We’re playing against the Bulls, the team that is fighting with us, same situation we’ve both got three games left. We have to win.”

 

- Key to tonight?: “I think if we play like we’ve played the last couple of games against Cleveland, Boston and Atlanta, we lost one quarter, but tonight we have to play for 48. If we play the four quarters, we’re playing much better basketball. Even with the guys down, everybody is giving a step forward to be out there and do their jobs. We’re playing pretty good. We’ve got to just play. Even today, even if we play bad, we just need to win. It doesn’t matter what kind of basketball we show out there. The win is the theme for tonight.”

 

Jarrett Jack comments:

 

- Pumped for tonight’s game?: “Yeah. It’s kinda like some fairlytale, storybook stuff. One game, decided at the end. It’s not the be all end all, but to be tied with a team for the last spot in the playoffs, it seems like the Mighty Ducks or something.”

 

- Strange that you guys have lost three in a row but Chicago is matching you lost for loss, that Nets game was a surprise: “Tell me about it. We haven’t played as great as of late, with Chris going down, Toine going down. That hasn’t really helped our situation, but if you look at the three game stretch of the last three, I think we’ve had the toughest three game stretch out of anybody, playing those teams in a row. But, we’ve got it right here. 48 minutes of hard basketball can determine a lot for us depending on whether we get into postseaon play or not. If you’re not fired up for this, I don’t know why you play.”

 

Jay Triano comments:

 

- Can you put everything else in the rear view mirror, seize the moment: “We’ve tried to do that all year. We’ve tried to focus on the game in front of us. Obviously, it comes down to this one being very important and it’s been marked for a long time as a game that’s very important. We had a good practice today, good shootaround today and hopefully we’re prepared.”

 

- Think there are any nerves in the locker room?: “I hope not. If it is, then it’s experience for them. When you play, up to this point 79 games, I think they’re familiar with each other and they’re in a position where, this is why you practice, this is why you have training camp. Play as hard as you can, we know mistakes are going to be made just like in every other game of the year. No one plays perfect, but it’s the continuation of following through on plays, extra effort plays, those sort of things.”

 

More here:

 

http://blogs.thescore.com/nba/2010/04/11/shootaround-bulls-raps/

[BasX]

I do have a feeling the Raptors win tonight.

[Poe]

Yikes..

[Check my Stats]

I have a feeling the crowd is going to be very loud tonight. We are putting the playoffs on a platter for the Bulls but they just won't take it lol. As much as I have decided I want us to keep our pick it is just too hard to root against the playoffs lol.

[Poe]

It's much better to contend IMO. Hopefully for the Raptors, they win tonight, grab that eighth seed, and put up their best fight against Cleveland (maybe somehow even win a game or two), and prove to Bosh that this is where he belongs.

[Cleveland's Finest]

It's much better to contend IMO. Hopefully for the Raptors, they win tonight, grab that eighth seed, and put up their best fight against Cleveland (maybe somehow even win a game or two), and prove to Bosh that this is where he belongs.

 

He belongs somewhere else. People put him up there with D Wade and LeBron in this free agency talk, yet what has he done in the playoffs compared to those two. If he's really that good he just needs a change of scenery.

 

I'm excited for this game. Since the Bulls lost to the Nets and the Raptors lost to the Warriors when they had Bosh, it'll be cool to see which team wants it most, if either even want the eight seed at this point.

[Real Deal]

I like Weems and all of my Raptors fans, but I can't root against Hinrich and the Bulls. I gotta see them in the playoffs.

[Built Ford Tough]

He belongs somewhere else. People put him up there with D Wade and LeBron in this free agency talk, yet what has he done in the playoffs compared to those two. If he's really that good he just needs a change of scenery.

 

I'm excited for this game. Since the Bulls lost to the Nets and the Raptors lost to the Warriors when they had Bosh, it'll be cool to see which team wants it most, if either even want the eight seed at this point.

 

Nobody puts him up there with Wade and LeBron in free agency talk. He is talked about so much becasue people figure that he is the most likely to leave while LeBron and Wade are considered basically locks to stay with their respective teams. I guarntee that nobody actually thinks that Bosh is on the same level as Wade or James, that is just ridiculous to say.

 

Hell, Bosh gets called the one of the most overrated players in the league by multiple analysts and fans more than he gets praised for being a 24/11big man.

 

And please don't use that stupid logic of "what has he done in the playoffs compared to Wade and LeBron".

 

First off all, Bosh is a definite top 15 player in the NBA, with a valid case to being on the bottom end of the top 10. LeBron and Wade are undisputed top 3 players in the league. There is a bit of a difference between Bron and Wade when compared to Bosh.

 

Secondly, Bosh hasn't been blessed to play with a supporting cast half as good as either Wade or LeBron have/have had in their careers. Bosh's best second option has been TJ Ford/Andrea Bargnani. The best team Bosh ever played on had a lineup of:

 

TJ Ford/Jose Calderon

Anthony Parker/Morris Peterson

Jorge Garbajosa/Joey Graham

Chris Bosh/Kris Humphries

Rasho Nesterovic/Andrea Bargnani

 

and you are saying that Bosh is basically overrated because he hasn't led this team to an NBA Championship like Dwyane Wade has when he was playing with the likes of Shquille O'Neal, Udonis Haslem, James Posey, Alonzo Mourning, Jason Williams, Gary Payton and Antoine Walker or LeBron James leading his elite defensive and shooting teams to the best record in the East and Conference Finals?

 

The times that Wade and James have had comparable supporting casts to what Bosh has had during his time with the Raptors they have managed to get knocked out in the first round (Wade last year) or missed the playoffs all together (James first few seasons in his career).

 

Now I'm not saying that Bosh is on the same level as Wade or James, just like nobody else says, but give me a break with this horrible argument of yours. Bosh has been surrounded with below average at best teams his entire time in Toronto and he has still managed to lead them to the playoffs twice. That isn't great for a first tier superstar like a Wade or a James, but it's not like Bosh is a first tier superstar.

 

 

As for the game, the Raptors are going to be putting Sonny Weems on Derrick Rose and Jose Calderon on Kirk Hinrich according to Matt Devlin's Twitter page. Good move by Triano and the rest of the coaching staff as we all know that Rose would absolutely abuse Calderon. Wright did a pretty good job of using his length to annoy Rose in the previous meetings (or at least the first one, although Rose was banged up then) and Sonny is longer and more athletic than Wright is. Weems just needs to keep Rose on the perimeter and use his quickness/length to contest jumpers. Make him beat you by shooting jumpers, not by getting to the rim.

[Cleveland's Finest]

LeBron took a team of Eric Snow, Sasha Pavlovic, Z, and Gooden as the starters to the finals. That backcourt of Parker, Ford, and Calderon, especially since in their prime, killed anything we had. Just saying.

[Built Ford Tough]

LeBron took a team of Eric Snow, Sasha Pavlovic, Z, and Gooden as the starters to the finals. That backcourt of Parker, Ford, and Calderon, especially since in their prime, killed anything we had. Just saying.

 

And LeBron James is probably the best player in the NBA and was an undisputed top 2 player in that year.

 

The Cavs also had the 4th best defensive rating in the league that season. Just saying

 

Plus Z, Gooden and Varejao being significantly better than the Raptors front court cancels out the backcourt advantage that the Raptors had, which I am sure you realize considering you left that out of your post.

 

What are you even trying to accomplish though? What exactly is the point in proving that LeBron James > Chris Bosh?

 

The fact of the matter is that you tried to discredit Bosh by saying that he hasn't led his team deep in the playoffs when the best supporting cast he has ever had is comparable to the worst supporting cast that Wade or James have ever had. I fail to see why that is a knock against Bosh especially since nobody is saying, well other than you apperantly, that Bosh is on the same level as James or Wade.

 

So again, what are you trying to accomplish in this thread other than proving the superiority of LeBron James over Chris Bosh?

Edited April 11, 2010 by Built Ford Tough

[Check my Stats]

I [expletive]ing love Sonny Weems now, I can't believe how far he has come from the start of the season, I hated him so much,

 

Like I expect the crowd seems hot.

[Cleveland's Finest]

I'm just saying the media always says LeBron, Wade, and Bosh. Not just LeBron and Wade.

 

And I wasn't saying LeBron is better. I'm talkign about the Raptors. I just believe with the good guards they had, Bosh, and Bargnani, they should've been able to have more success in the playoffs. I haven't seen Bosh be a leader the way other guys like Dwight have become. That's all.

Edited April 11, 2010 by Cleveland's Finest

[Check my Stats]

They group Bosh with them because they will forever be related through not only 2010 but also team USA and also 2003, it has nothing to do with their abilities since i think it is a well known fact (except to you apparently) that everyone knows LBJ-Kobe-Wade run the league.

 

Anyways, Hedo is playing pretty motivated it seems, for once

[Built Ford Tough]

I'm just saying the media always says LeBron, Wade, and Bosh. Not just LeBron and Wade.

 

And I wasn't saying LeBron is better. I'm talkign about the Raptors. I just believe with the good guards they had, Bosh, and Bargnani, they should've been able to have more success in the playoffs. I haven't seen Bosh be a leader the way other guys like Dwight have become. That's all.

 

Do you honestly think that if the media hasn't convinced theirselves that Bosh has already packed his bags that they would mention him as much in regards to free agency? It isn't a coincidence that they stopped almost all of the Bosh free agent talk when the Raptors were 3 games up on the Bulls for the 5th seed in the East and had one of the best records in the league over a 2 month time framce, and then started it right back up again when the Raptors fell to .500.

 

Then there is the obvious 2003 draft and Team USA connection between them (along with Melo).

 

If everybody wasn't convinced that Bosh has already made up his mind to leave Toronto, he would be getting as much talk as Amare Stoudemire has been getting.

 

The Raptors were playing a better team than them in th eplayoffs that year anyways. New Jersey may have had a worse record, but that was because of injuries. Kidd was a better point guard than Calderon or Ford (who was playing injured after game 1 or 2), Carter was a better shooting guard than Parker, Jefferson was a better small forward than Garbajosa and Mikki Moore played better than Bargnani or Rasho at center. The only position the Raptors had the advantage at was power forward, and the Nets knew this by sending 3 defenders his way whenever he touched the ball.

 

They didn't have the better guards during the playoffs though, and that was the difference in the series (Kidd, Carter and Jefferson dominating).

 

And again, you are comparing a fringe top 10 player in the league to Dwight Howard, a widely conisdered top 5 player in the league. You are comparing Bosh to players who are conisdered bonafide franchise guys while Bosh is considered by almost everybody to be best suited as a 1B or second option. And again, Dwight Howard has played with substantially better teams than Bosh has.

 

Whatever though, this is a pointless discussion.

Edited April 11, 2010 by Built Ford Tough

[Built Ford Tough]

The Raptors should just leave Jack on the floor all game long. He is clearly the better player than Calderon is with Bosh in the lineup, and without Bosh in the lineup, Jack is abuot 10X more effective with his ability to create his own shot and get to the rim.

 

And what kind of garbage was that? Miller leaves his feet with the ball and comes down with it, then Amir gets in position to draw the charge, but gets called for a block because of his reputation. Now Amir is stuck on the bench with 3 fouls and the Raptors are down by 7 when it should've been a 4 point gmae with the Raptors having the ball.

 

10 point game after a Hinrich 3 because Bargnani doesn't know how to rebound which can be directly attributed to Amir having to sit after that blown call.

 

Raptors need to stop this run and get it together or else this game is going to get out of hand.

 

12 point defecit now. Raptors are getting severely outplayed.

Edited April 11, 2010 by Built Ford Tough

[Real Deal]

Not liking that call against Amir, but he can't put himself in position for it. He's had trouble picking up some bad fouls lately anyway. He's gotta work on that.

[Check my Stats]

Jack and Hedo seem to be playing well, I am not watching particularly close but Jack and Hedo seem to be the ones who are playing.

[Built Ford Tough]

Absolutely dirty move by Jack.

 

And then he goes and starts talking smack to Kirk Hinirch by the Bulls bench and gets thrown out by the Bulls assistaint coach lol.

 

I love this guy.

 

Brandon, in Amir's defense, he never should've been put in that position if the refs called the clear as day Up and Down on Miller (which the ref went to Triano and said he missed the call during the TV timeout, which resulted in Triano throwing his clipboard). He was in position and everything, and I guarntee if he didn't have a reputation as somebody who fouls a lot (a lot of BS calls go his way too) that would've been called a charge.

 

Hedo is doing a nice job on the glass as well. 8 boards by him already.

Edited April 11, 2010 by Built Ford Tough

[Check my Stats]

Hedo has 8 boards and 8 assists I think Devlin said, where has this Hedo been all season? Still no defense from the Raptors.

 

Money Weems gets blocked again lol.

 

Jack is playing awesome.

Edited April 11, 2010 by travesy3

[Real Deal]

Jack, Hedo and Weems are playing pretty good. Hedo is creeping in on that trip-dub already.

 

Toronto has to contain Noah, though. They probably won't be able to stop Rose from hitting those jumpers, but Noah is too involved in the offense right now.

[Built Ford Tough]

So Calderon is playing like he did back in his rookie season. He can't hit a jumper to save his life, is commiting stupid turnovers and is useless on defense. As much as I dislike Wright at times, I really wish he was in the game today simply because it would put Calderon on the bench (I hope).

 

Absolutely terrible foul by Turkoglu there and what makes it even worse is that Deng got basically an open layup off of a Raptors make.

 

Raptors need to up the defensive pressure and intensity if they plan on doing anything today though. They are making it far too eay for the Bulls on offense.

[reno]

Great half by noah,up by 10 lets go bulls!!!!!!!!!!

[bigdog17k]

Raptors need to play some more pressure defense. Bulls shouldn't be getting half these open looks.

[Built Ford Tough]

I'm not liking the Raptors chances this half to be honest. Their only hope was to be able to keep it around 4-5 points all game long and hope to make a late push to take control of the game.

 

Instead, they are down by 13 at the start of the 2nd half and don't have the ability to come back from this.

 

Also, how funny is it that Joakim Noah is going to drop a triple double on the Raptors? You know your defense is awful when Noah is picking you apart with his passing.

 

Turkoglu is now shooting 1-8. The rebounding and assists ar enice, but he really needs to start hitting these open shots and contributing socring the ball.

 

Bargnani needs to get aggressive and look to get inside whenever possible as well. The Raptors can't afford for him to settle.

Edited April 11, 2010 by Built Ford Tough