Raptors Break Through in Charlotte

After two 4th-quarter collapses (Friday vs Denver at home, Sunday vs Miami on the road), Toronto finally managed to hold off the hungry, growling Charlotte Bobcats for a 103-101 victory. The win was absolutely crucial for a struggling Raptors team that had won only six times since the All-Star break, but the team will take ANYTHING at this point that will help the cause even if it means shuffling the starting lineup. It happened again with Demar DeRozan and Hedo Turkoglu coming off the bench and Sonny Weems and Antoine Wright taking their places. This move seemed to pay off vs the Bobcats, with DeRozan picking up 15 points on 7-8 shooting and playing aggressively, consistently looking to drive to the basket for the easy hoops. Wright, meanwhile, scored 15 points himself. However, if you happen to be misled into thinking that this game was ever simple for Toronto, think again. 3 players were hit with technical fouls (2 from the Raptors: Sonny Weems and Andrea Bargnani), with Gerald Wallace collecting 1 for Charlotte. The 1st quarter DID NOT flow well, and was consistently bogged down by foul calls from the referees. This was especially true for the Bobcats, who even had owner Michael Jordan jumped from his seat to yell about a foul call that he deemed unfair. Things heated up though later on, with Jarret Jack collecting all 12 of his points in the final frame. He scored 5 straight points during the start of the quarter and added 7 more clutch free throws for Toronto and generally helped to keep them afloat in the game. During that 4th, the Raps would open things up with a 7-0 run to take a 79-78 lead. There were 9 lead changes afterwards(17 in total for the game), but Hedo Turkoglu came through off the bench and swished a dagger 3-pointer that would put Toronto up 95-93. After that, the team nearly coughed up the game, but fortunately Charlotte could not capitalize on 3-point shot attempts from Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace. Then Sonny Weems was fouled, but could not convert on either of his critical free throws. In games past, this usually has meant "game over" for the Raptors, but not on Monday! They defended well against the Bobcats afterwards and forced Bobcats' starting point guard Raymond Felton to commit a costly turnover, thus sealing the win for the team. Also too in that final quarter, Andrea Bargnani threw a gorgeous pass to star Chris Bosh for a mighty dunk plus the foul. CB4, by the way, played a steady game finishing with 22 points and 11 rebounds while Bargnani finished with 16 points and 9 rebounds. The Raptors also took care of the basketball, only committing 11 turnovers which is their lowest total since winning at home March 17 vs Atlanta and six players scored for Toronto. All in all, this game showed glimpses of the mental toughness necessary to succeed in the NBA, especially if you are fighting for a playoff berth. Here is the recap for the game: Raptors vs Bobcats  

Now, on to other things...the next game for the Raptors is TONIGHT vs the Los Angeles Clippers at 7 PM on TSN2. The Raptors are hosting the Clippers for this game (it will take place at the ACC). Meanwhile, the London Knights next game is TOMORROW night vs their rivals the Kitchener Rangers. Start time is at 7 PM, with London hosting the Rangers at the JLC. It should be a gritty and good series between the two, with some extra nastiness thrown in. The Raptors should be able to play well vs the Clippers, but you never can tell. Anyways, have a good one!