Game Recap: Raptors 83 - Spurs 73
40% vs 32%. If there’s no more accurate summation for the “rust” that both teams felt, that static should be the most prevalent. In what turned out to be a battle of the team that kept turning the ball over and had a ton of injuries vs. the team that kept trying to make it from the outside, the Raptors should be thankful to come out with a win. That’s not to say that the game wasn’t amusing or exciting as Gregg Popovich getting ejected and then the subsequent interview after the game was plenty amusement, but you’re not going to goad teams into making 7 more turnovers than they usually make. Certainly, the Raptors won’t play seriously injured teams for the rest of the year, and scoring 83 points won’t cut it most nights.
Nevertheless, there are some positives to take from this game. For one thing, Bargnani seems to be slowly picking up the fact that he should drive all the way to the hoop instead of taking a short dribble into a long range jumper. Making all four of his free throws, he also showed that should he get around the basket, he can make fouls happen while scoring efficiently from the line. This just might be the turning point for Bargnani (he showed flashes of this in the Phoenix loss as well) and if he can keep it up for a few games, we might see another scoring presence besides Bosh to rely on in crunch time.
We should also thank our lucky stars that we signed Kapono and got Humphries into the game. As our two most efficient scorers on the floor for the night, they probably made the biggest difference in making sure that we weren’t completely stifled by the Spurs’ own defense. With Kapono being his usual deadly self from the outside and Humphries taking it to the Spurs in the middle, the Raptors managed to get away with a makeshift inside-outside presence.
Nevertheless, the Raptors have to do better than this if they really hope to string together a long streak of wins. The Spurs without Ginobili or Brent Barry are not exactly a hugely threatening team, and taking such huge players out of your lineup is bound to make offensive adjustments that much more difficult. The Raptors do need to be given credit for really sticking to it though, and not allowing a banged up team to stay in the game (a la the Clippers game), but for me, I expect that kind of effort out of this team. These are supposed to be the defending Atlantic Division champions, and they better start playing like it. The Raptors were so effective last year because they made sure that bad teams got beaten, and good teams were challenged. With the easier January schedule coming up, closing off the rest of this West Coast swing at .500 (they’re at 2-3 right) would be a real feather in their cap, and would position them for a similar run as the one we saw last year.
Next Game: Toronto @ Houston
Comments
By Anthony RapFAN on December 29th, 2007 at 5:56 pm
Both Ginobili and Barry would of been the ingredients for a rapage loss for our Dinos, and Spurs could of beaten us none-of-the-less. Liked our defense and Bargs actually tried to defend against the centers, WOWEE! Mr. Longoria with 7 TOs? I think he had sex with his wife before the game, making him lose his mojo. HAHA. If not the size a Portland winning run, RAPS need to get back to where we used to be, and “TRY” to stay close to Boston.
By Dread The Red on December 30th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
That was a huge win… but I think there was a bit of a hangover as we shouldn’t have lost to Houston last night. Argh!
Bargs has to be one of the most frusterating aspects of this season. I understand he’s battling through knee issues (which have affected his confidence on offense and defense) but I can’t help but wonder if Bill Simmons was right when he floated the idea of a bargs for pau deal.
By Anthony RapFAN on December 30th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
TEMPTING TEMPTING TEMPTING…for PAU GASOL, but only a Raptor Fan’s Wet Dream it that trade can be pulled off. I am losing patience and if I see anymore retarded losses by our team, I wouldn’t mind missing the playoffs and making Colangelo get “angry” and then he gets “creative”.
By Kinnon Yee on December 30th, 2007 at 7:16 pm
Hahaha. I believe that we’re a trade away, but I don’t see Bargnani getting the move. Gasol, I don’t believe is a real answer for this team, and certainly not at the price that might be required. Bargnani, to me, is going through a rough year, and it was going to be expected. He’s learning a whole new way to play afterall, so you can’t blame him for his difficulties.
If, and it’s a big if, we can find a way to get Corey Maggette, he may just be the guy that we need.