Wow, LOADS to discuss on this blog entry...on this edition, the Raptors past two games will be looked at. I'll try to make it short and sweet for all of you so that you don't have to get bored reading a long post. Here goes...
Now, on with the Raptors. In my previous post, which set you up for the Raptors game against the Knicks, I stated that Jose Calderon and Chris Bosh were back from injury, which was only 1/2 true. Calderon came back completely healthy and played well for the team, but Chris Bosh missed his seventh straight game, this time with a stomach virus which required the team to take him to hospital for fluids. Before this he had suffered a sprained ankle, which contributed to the team losing 4 games in a row. After this four-game slide, the media and fans were beginning to question the heart and the ability of the team to hold down 5th seed in the Eastern Conference. After an ugly 102-96 win over the New York Knicks on Friday night and an even uglier 114-101 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday afternoon, the questions still abound and remain legitimate. Still, their win Friday provides the team's fans with some hope: namely in the development of the young, talented, and athletic Sonny Weems, who finished with a career-high 20 points on 9 of 16 shooting and an equally impressive 9 rebounds in roughly 28 minutes of work. Other notable performances for the Raptors were: Jose Calderon (16 points, 6 assists), Hedo Turkoglu (12 points, 9 rebounds), Amir Johnson (14 points, 8 rebounds), Jarret Jack (14 points), and Demar Derozan (10 points). Notable performances for the Knicks were: star forward David Lee (23 points, 18 rebounds), Danilo Gallinari (13 points), Tracy McGrady (13 points, 6 rebounds; also had 6 turnovers though), and Al Harrington (10 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists). This game was tight and wild, featuring 16 lead changes and 9 ties, and had Sonny scoring half of his 20 points in the final quarter, when the Raptors needed some key baskets late to hold off pesky New York. To sum it up, Toronto was able to grind out the victory. Here's the link to the recap and some video highlights: http://www.nba.com/raptors/features/features_2010_03_05.html
Finally, for Sunday's loss to Philly...this game was terrible for the Raptors. The team was forced to play catch-up all game long, and Philly's ability to make 9 of 12 shot from 3-point range for a clip of 75% sure didn't help. (Simply unbelievable!) Add Thaddeus Young's monster 32-point, 5-rebound, four-steal and two-assist performance and the Raptors allowing the Sixers to score 30 fast break points...and you have the makings of "a bad loss" as The Score analyst Leo Rautins concluded. Oh, the game wasn't a complete flop for Toronto, as they did cut the lead to 94-87 with a Jose Calderon 3-point basket with 6:26 to go in the 4th quarter. (That ended a 13-6 run that brought the Raps back into the game, but Philly only missed 2 of their last 11 shots afterwards to put it all away). Anyways, here's the recap link: http://www.nba.com/raptors/features/features_2010_03_07.html
So, that's a rap on this here post. Join me Thursday as I provide you with the recap for the Raptors game out at the Staples Center in L.A. against Kobe Bryant the Los Angeles Lakers, and whatever else I happen to come across in the sports world. Until then, be cool!
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