The excitement was in the air. Every report I heard from the official team website indicated that change for the better was coming and that the players just wanted to play ball. They supposedly had good chemistry and for the first time since their expansion years (1996-1998) they are without a legitimate All-Star to carry them through. In between these periods they had the luxuries of Vince Carter (now with the Orlando Magic) and Chris Bosh (now with the Miami Heat; more on him later). So you can imagine my surprise while watching the game to find out that the team had LOST to the New York Knicks in the season opener, 98-93. New York, one of the worst teams in the league, defeats the Raptors. Toronto had managed to slice an 8-point Knicks lead to 96-93 with just over a minute left in the contest. However, Linus Kleiza and newcomer Leandro Barbosa (from the Phoenix Suns) missed back-to-back 3-point shots and Raymond Felton (formerly of the Charlotte Bobcats) nailed two free throws to finish everything off for the Knicks win. Believe it or not, but new Knicks star Amare Stoudamire turned out to be the hero of the day. Early in the 4th quarter, Toronto was threatening to take the lead and the game for good. Toronto eventually did take the lead at one point in the quarter, up 77-76 after being down as many as 16 points in the 2nd frame, but New York kept their cool and finished off the Raps. Amare blocked an Andrea Bargnani layup, split a pair of free throws, and knocked down 3 straight shots to build the Knicks lead back up to 8. This lead ultimately to the victory for New York. One promising bright spot for Toronto was starting centre Andrea Bargnani who scored 18 of his team-high 22 points in the 1st half of the game. However, he shot only 1-8 in the 2nd half and was almost invisible in that time. Still, the energy he provided off the start has to be good for Toronto. Now, if he can just be consistent... Now, for some numbers:
- attendance for the game: 18,722
- 3-pointers Bargnani needs to pass Doug Christie for 3rd-all-time Raptor total makes: 1
- rebounds for starting power forward Reggie Evans: 16 (ties a season-opener Raptor record)
- points in the paint: New York Knicks 52, Toronto Raptors 40
- overall shooting % for the Raps: 38.3
Here is the recap for the game which I got my information from: Raptors season opener: New York 98, Toronto 93
That about wraps it up. Remember, their next game is Friday at the Air Canada Centre vs the Cleveland Cavaliers. The game starts at 7 PM. I'll catch you then, and God bless!
P.S.: All right, back to Chris Bosh (said I'd get back to him later). Former Raptor Chris Bosh, "their attention-seeking former star told reporters in Boston his decision to bolt for the Miami Heat was 'all about being on TV, at the end of the day.''' Link for Unbelievably Selfish Chris Bosh Comment *shakes head* I knew there was something fishy going on with CB4 during the offseason and it makes my rebuttal of his comments (which I posted in a previous entry) to be at least somewhat correct. Now maybe Chris was just joking around, but even that is troubling if it's true. You do not joke around after being traded and ESPECIALLY NOT after a season-opening loss in Boston against the Celtics. This is not the heart of a champion; this is the heart of someone who simply wants an easy winning season and some easy goodies along the way. What a goofball. *laughs* One more thing to post about before I sign off...during Miami's glorious loss to Boston in their season-opener, the Boston crowd chanted "Overrated" during the game due to the surprisingly lifeless-looking Heat squad that was built for a championship dynasty. It was great, just absolutely priceless. Miami has earned their first victory however, with a win against the Philadelphia 76ers to improve to 1-1. See if the Raptors can get there against the Cavs on Friday. Later!
Here's the link for the Boston-Miami opener: Celtics Top Heat in Season Opener
Anyways, I'll post later. Have a good day.
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