Toronto Raptors Ramblings

Down 32 with 3:00 to go in the third. There's not much to say. I skipped commenting on last game in the hopes that this would be the ecstatic 'we got it back baby' post. Ah....right. We got our ass handed to ourselves on a platter. There is nowhere to start. The Nets currently outscoring us 36-6 from 3 (with Kidd hitting them at will), Bosh unable to even catch the ball in the post let alone score, no assists, lots of turnovers, everyone charging into people...wow. So far the highlight of the game is Bruce Willis hammered doing a court side interview and dropping a "Yippee Kay Yay Muther Fucker!" after telling us that this new Die Hard (Die Hard 4) is better than even the first and then the announcer having to apologize. Fantastic. Hammered Bruce Willis is the highlight of the game.

What a debacle.

I'll be at the game Tuesday which is all I can think about right now to keep an even keel. 84 - 52. Maybe I'll watch some Lord of the Rings on TBS. What a sham.

Until tomorrow. I'll just keep moving on.
Maybe tomorrow. We'll want to settle down.

posted by WG @ 9:20 PM 0 comments

Settle Down Now

That last post was quite a rant. You'll have to pardon the interuption in our regularly scheduled writings. I've now calmed down substantially and can see some light at the end of this tunnel.

Light #1: Vince Carter Stinks
Check out this article by Bruce Arthur from the post. It's a peach. I especially like his description of Vince as "a limp-faking, wince-making, tanking vat of still-untapped talent". Before last game Kidd called out Carter, to Kidd's surprise (?) nobody was home. Calling him out again is probably futile, Vince shows up when he is god damn good and ready. And with any luck that will be too late. If he fails to show up for one of the next two we should be able to steal one in Jersey. Despite how badly we are playing New Jersey hasn't even sold out the game! Not exactly an intimidating arena. And having been part of the Frenzy that was the ACC, I imagine it took most everybody on that team some getting used to. I'm guessing none of those players have been on a louder stage.

posted by WG @ 10:55 AM 0 comments

My mind is in a frenzy

I'm not sure if it's the insanity of the ACC, the Vinsanity sucking or the Nutbar being left wide open all night but I'm losing it, and it's only game 2.

With 2 minutes to go Cappe turns to me and says "IT'S 80-80 IN A MUST WIN GAME RIGHT NOW!". This was certainly not the Raptors finest hour. It was MOST Definitely not the NBA Coach of the year's finest moment. But that's the kind of game you have to win.

Let's start with the Good. The player of the game was our last remaining glue man Anthony Parker. Sure sure, watch the highlight reels and you may tell me different, but AP (a.k.a. Michael Jordan) kept us in the game. Plain and simple. The runner up? Rasho. Yup. You can look at Rasho's stats all you want, but go back and count the keep alive tips. Count those two early baskets in the second half where he clearly looked at his teamates and thought "are you kidding me? This is all you are bringing?" He then did what he does (when he scores) and got aggressive. That fueled people, don't mistake it, that's what "they" mean when they talk about playoff experience.

Another nugget of gold was T.J. Ford down the stretch playing some sweet string music on absolutely CLUTCH free throws...well hats off, good work T.J. Bosh hit some shots down the stretch but we really needed them but he was not Bosh. He was awful for lots of the game (despite his numbers) because he couldn't assert himself or take advantage of momentum we (yes, we the fans) created. But I'll give him credit because he stepped up when it counted and i'm thinking we'll see a lot more of him real real soon.

Now...Sam Mitchell. Coach of the year. Which i'm fully in support of for taking 9 new guys and integrating them. One simple word. Nutbar. Bostjan Nachbar. The ONLY Net who was hitting the long ball. One of their best ALL YEAR. What do we do REPEATEDLY down the stretch? We leave Bosh covering him, and dare him to shoot the long ball. The Nets needed three's, we came out of timeouts and we STILL had Bosh sloughing on him. This happened THREE times down the stretch. I wanted an answer right then and there. Why aren't we telling Bosh to get up on him and give him the deuce? Please someone tell me your inane theory. Why is a guy who at the time is 4-5 being given WIDE OPEN three's? Why? We'll never know but we really need to ask the coaches. They made a big mistake and just got lucky. Then again, as Cappe was happy to point out they benched "Bad Joey" which is what you have to do when he comes out. 1:26 into the 3rd he got the yank, and that was that. Mo Pete didn't step up but he was solid on defence and we'll take it, especially when we gave him no love or PT down the stretch of the year. That's what Jack called "Playing with big onions".

All in all, it was a must game win and we won. But if that's what we've got, we are in serious trouble. If that's all we can do to resemble Raptors basketball we are screwed. It's simple. In the playoffs if you can't play your game you are in trouble. You have to do all those playoff things of course (rebound and play D). But we aren't playing our game we are only showing glimpses of it.
My head feels like Siler (of Heroes) has ripped my forehead open with his little finger nail. That's not how you should feel after a win. But I guess it happens.

I haven't talked about Nani, because there is little to say. He hasn't come back yet, he hasn't done much of anything and he doesn't feel good shooting.

VC SUCKS. VC SUCKS. VC SUCKS. VC SUCKS.
I take it back, player of the game was the crowd who stayed with it and Taunted the crap out of VC.

Quote of the night: I can't remember it word for word but Vince was Happy with his shots, and felt good because even though they weren't going in they were all long. I'm serious. That's what he said. Vince is happy that he's not tired yet. Amazing. Oh yeah....did I mention that Vince has totally choked? He was 8-24 and was just the brickman tonight (giving him a 30% FG so far). It was awesome. He got stripped, he got forced, he got scared, he couldn't get to the line. The crowd was all over him from tip and never let off the gas. God Bless you fans at the ACC. Even when you can't cheer...you can always Boo. At least, you can always Boo him.

The good news...After our two worst games i've seen in ages...we are still in it!!

Let's Go Raptors!

posted by WG @ 10:19 PM 0 comments

We will break you

Saturday was nuts. Tuesday will be nutser. Oh hey, Richard Jefferson, if you were hoping to get some extra boos....congratulations! That's some solid work. You're in the club you giant tud.

A little extra reminder below from our good friend Bill Simmons that it's not just about us Raptors fans. Let's do this one for the little guys out there. Let's bile up the Vince, T-Mac and Mourning 'love' and channel it into another Vince Carter dud of a game. Let's Break this guy once and for all and end this thing.

From the Sports Guys Chat

Kmart, California: Raptors-Nets: Do you think any other arena is going to get as loud and angry as the Air Canada Centre, when Prince Carter steps on the floor? The city (Toronto) is in a frenzy.

Bill Simmons: Never. In NBA history, it will have only been topped once: Game 6 of the '86 Finals, the game after Sampson attacked Jerry Sichting and the Garden crowd unleashed about as much hatred as 15,000 fans could unleash in the following game (by the way, he had deer in the headlights and finished something like 2 for 15). People of Toronto, I urge you -- don't let up. The guy screwed you over. Don't let him beat you in the playoffs. You can singlehandedly affect the outcome of this series -- you can break him, he's not a tough player. You are doing this for every fanbase who ever got screwed over by a star athlete who went somewhere else and decided to start giving a crap again. That's your mission, now come through for us.

posted by WG @ 10:19 PM 0 comments

RapFest 2007 - Boo them all

10:30 a.m. and our crew is in an up right position. Given last night this is definitely an early win. A coffee avec Baileys and/or Ceasar is our best answer to last nights adventures interfering with our morning. We've got Sven, CJ, Balfy and Hector (Johnny's cousin) on the scene and are busy finishing off last nights Arts and Crafts (see t-shirts above) and cheffing up a large dirty breakfast (beans mandatory for Balf).

12:00 and we're out the door.

We arrive at the ACC on this gorgeous day and the scalpers are on fire. Walking into the ACC they are handing out Red shirts (good concept, probably should have gone white though!). The highlight pre-game is the arena cam zooming in on people without the shirts and the crowd booing until they put them on. Yup, this crowd is ready.

From the "O" of Canada the place is wild. The crowd is going to do their part. And we did. Throughout the game the crowd mustered all kinds of energy both for Booing Vince but and for supporting the troops. Of course you already know it wasn't enough. Throughout most of the game New Jersey managed to keep us playing catchup, anytime we'd get tight, they'd separate.

Of course the home stretch was our chance and we blew it. It simply wasn't Raptors basketball. Our ball movement was brutal and our defense was suspect. Firstly the ball movement. Guys are playing D for 48 minutes which means they are living in those passing lanes. We simply couldn't figure out how to deal with this. So instead of our normal quick flow there was indecisive passing, guys catching the ball in places they don't want it etc.

Richard Jefferson rocked us, i.e. our defense. We had Joey on Vince for lots of the game and he actually did a good job "nobody wants Joey Graham covering them". Unfortunately it was RJ who was killing us regardless of who we had on him. Parker, Joey it didn't matter.

Joey was okay, but didn't do much. Nani was nervous and didn't do much. Calzone was great but couldn't hit his shot. This post is wildly disjointed because i'm still annoyed (and no Caesar's this morning). But let's be clear, we played Vince as well as we could. He shut himself down. He heard the crowd and he missed from everywhere. Some contested shots, but mostly open shots. We can't ask for more out of Vince than that. Kidd ruined us on the boards, nobody boxed him out anywhere we didn't know how to fight for loose balls. He was 2 points shy of a triple double and we need to do much better.

Defence wise we were running out too aggressively on guys who can't shoot and taking bad fouls on guys who can, jumping when we shouldn't. It was a classic 'eager beaver' mentality and showed our relative 'newness' to how to turn up the energy while still playing our game. It will be critical to learn how to harness that energy and put it into our game. If we do that, we'll beat this Jersey team. If not it's not long till golf season.

Go Raps!

posted by WG @ 11:02 AM 1 comments

Rockin with the Raptors: Part II

Raps vs Nets. Round 1. Take a breath, relax. In fact, let's save that update for later.

How about a little more from the Raptors Red Party to celebrate the end of the regular season! The scene has already been set let's meet some of your old and maybe new favourites.

Joey Graham (a.k.a. Meat) - note: as you know I have mixed emotions with the two Joey's, Good Joey and Joey. But in an effort to keep things positive I focussed on Good Joey.

Me: Great work D-ing up Luol Deng the other night, great to see you can cover a big man like that!
Joey: Nobody wants Joey Graham covering them.
Me: Oh yeah, you've got a rep? Playing with the elbows up?
Joey: Yeah (motioning his forearm into my head with quick precision strikes), nobody wants Joey covering them.


Anytime a player is refering to himself in the 3rd, you are doing well. Joey is confident, which is a positive and the fact he thinks he has a rep around the league for being tough...well that just makes me Giddy. I can just hear him talking to himself about himself in the pregame. I love it.

Joey talked about all kinds of things, not a shy guy to say the least. I tell him about my Garbo stank sweat Jersey bid, he tells me 'yeah, he sweats. Garbo is a working man'. Then I ask him if he thinks Garbo uses the Soul Glow, cause it looks like that hair is dripping wet the moment he gets off the bench. Joey gives me the bend over laugh. Joey Likey. I think Joey is an Eddie Murphy fan (then again, who isn't).

Joey lives just atop the Gaybourhood in Toronto (not in the hood, he's quick to point out). I tell him a story of living there once and having to walk my friends foo-foo cocker spaniel (?) around the hood in her absence and how girls approached me like wildfire, clearly assuming I was gay (hey...I was skinnier and more stylish then). Joey looks a bit scared and points out he'll avoid the hood. Kind of missed my point but good enough.

The highlight comes when Sandler (the big wig who shelled out for the VIP area) strolls over and pulls Joey's tie out of his pants. When you read the following keep in mind Sandler's tone of voice is never jovial or joking. It is dead serious.

Sandler: Joey. Never, ever tuck your tie into your pants.
Joey: (clearly a bit embarrased and having forgotten to pull it out once he unbuttoned his shirt) Oh ha ha, hey, hey... how did that happen?
Sandler: Never do it. And Joey, you've got a Maroon shirt and a Red Tie! Never. Ever, ever wear a Maroon shirt and a red tie.
Joey: ah....
Me: Hey It's Joey Graham! He can get away with wearing whatever he wants!
Sandler: (not even acknowledging me) Just a little Toronto etiquette for you Joey.

Wow. No wonder i'm getting the run of all the players. Sandler is an ass to these guys!




Is Joey sweating bulllets here or what? After the embarrasing Sandler opening Joey struggled to recover. Look at the pain on his face talking to Daddy Big Bucks.

Social: 8. While Joey was super social, a good guy, and the "Joey" talk was fantastic unintentional comedy, he couldn't recover from the Sandler attack. He'll need to work on that.
True Height: 9. His upper body width makes up for his potential 1 inch off.
Dude: 7. Joey's a dude, although he goes from his apartment to the underground parking lot to the ACC. So he's not really doing much whopping it up for a young guy. We need to get Joey out.

Uros Slokar
Me: So who do you want to play in the first round?
Uros: (can't repeat what he said)
Me: Oh yeah, how can we make that happen!!
Uros: (can't repeat what he said, but you'll have to trust me it was precious)

Wow, love the Uros! Colangelo get this guy some PR training STAT!












Uros is highly entertaining. He's aware of his PT or lack there of but he certainly makes up for it in good times. Happy go lucky and laid back no doubt.

There is no talk on his over under for PT in the playoffs, which we'll set right now at 2.5 minutes. Most of what we talked about falls into the PR training required category, but if you get a chance to chat up the Uros it is certainly recommended.

Social Rating: 9.5 (we need to get him PR training before the fines come)
True Height: 10
Dude to Chill: 10. Heavy entertainment factor. Everybody needs a Uros in their Posse.

Juan Dixon
Me: Juan Dixon, Can you believe that we got YOU for Fred Jones, the former slam Dunk Champion? Seriously, are you insulted?
Juan: Hey man, I'm just happy to be here.
Me: Seriously though, have you seen him play before, does it bother you? We're ecstatic by the way.
Juan: Hey, i'm just happy. I'm finally home.

At this point I've given up asking guys who they want to play. Nobody will give me an answer (well almost nobody) so it's a dead horse.

I tell Juan that I guess he's brought the party to town, he says no. I tell him I recently posted a link to Flickr photos of NBA players at parties and the only Raptor was him. Posing with a couple of birds. "What!?". Juan is curious and not super pleased to hear about this. But he's more curious. "Flicker?". No, i tell him it's Flickr...about 4 times. Right...without the "e".

Juan wants to check it out and get his name off of that thing. I hope he found the site and passed it around to the other boys. I haven't checked it since, but after watching Luke Jackson and the Hump working the room at the Red Party it won't be long until they land themselves on Flickr.

Social: ? Didn't hang out long enough to get a read
Height: I think the picture tells the tale here. Not 6'3
Dude: I'm giving him an 8 on gut instinct here.

Darrick Martin
Me: I've never seen someone get so excited about hitting some threes and getting on a streak
Darrick: Ha
Me: Seriously, I saw you skipping. I'm guessing you are better now than 5 years ago
Darrick: Smarter, but no way man

Darrick is a happy go lucky guy. He loves being a bench leader, he hopes to play for two more years and then coach. I think this guy is going to be one heck of a good assistant coach somewhere. He really works with the guys all the time. He's got a great demeanor and is certainly 'happy to be here'.

Two more years of playing however seems ambitious. Although if we can keep room for him on the end of the bench his odometer certainly isn't ticking. The guy is logging almost zero time this year, it's almost like he got a year smarter without taking any mileage off the ride. And when he plays i love his game, it's just simple and smart.

In a tragic moment I forget to thank him for saving our consecutive games with a three pointer record. Sure a dubious honour but he did it for the fans with .5 seconds left after dribbling out the clock. Hoover can't believe I forgot this. Neither can I. Tragic really, I would have loved his thoughts.

Social: 9
True Height: Yeah right. I'm 5'10 remember
Dude: Darrick is more like your super nice uncle. He's an ambassador and a gentlemen.

The Auction
Me: Can you believe my bid is still winning!
Marie: I've got $1000 on the board
Me: (Holy, crap my sister is nuts)
Marie: Bid more! Who's Emeka Okafor? Is he good? I think I'll bid on his basketball.
Me: (Please Garbo Jersey...come to me)

At the end of the auction, with time winding down someone goes $190 on the Garbo jersey! Mama. There's 45 seconds left and i'm approaching the table with a blank bid. I need that Jersey. I've been talking it up all night. How can I not get it? Bosh Jersey is in the 400's, Mo Pete's is high 300's....holy crap. I lay it down. Throw my bid over the table with 10 seconds to go and wait for the final bids.

And there it is. 1043....$220.
I spend $220 on a game worn (and signed) Garbo Jersey. Wow. I'm confident there's a rule about buying Jersey's over the age of 22, but I'll "put it in my office". Beautiful. The loop hole.

Auction was great. Party was great. Some last quick thoughts on Hump, Mo, Pape et al in the captions below. All in all the Red Party Rocked. Loved it. Can't wait to go next year and meet Garbo, Nani, Ford (who I couldn't find...he can't be 5'10, he's the same height as Martin!).

p.s. I asked Bosh how "Nani" was doing? "Who?" he said. "Nani. You know Andrea Bargnani". I think Bosh liked the nickname. Let's hope it spreads!

Other Party Images

Ronan talked to Mo Pete and told him he was the best Raptor ever















Hump could barely stop looking down my sisters shirt for the picture
















Colangelo blew through like the wind and got Sandler to smile! I'm guessing that's a big smile for him.















Pape Sow was Pape-o-rific. He was another happy go lucky type.


















Me and my new Favourite Raptor ....Uros



















Uros...not lying about his height


















Jose running for his life! This guy is nuts.

posted by WG @ 6:16 PM 1 comments

Match Up Time

"I'm sure the fans would love to see Vince for the first game" - Chris Bosh

One of two things is happening here. Either Bosh is mistaking our raw hatred and ACC Vince Boo Fest for something that it isn't, or Bosh is trying to prepare for the inevitable.

Clearly any logical Raptors fan wants to face the Wizards. Without Caron Butler and Agent Zero Washington is like 24 without Jack Bauer i.e. severely lacking in intimidation, skill, accuracy or low whispery voices. They have won only 2 of 10 and yesterday only scored 20+ points in 1 of 4 quarters. Top 3 scorers: DeShawn Stevenson, Jarvis Hayes and Etan Thomas. Need I say more.




Roger Mason Jr is just
one of the many fearful
Wiz awaiting their first
round opponent.


So what Bosh is really saying is "Damn, it would be sweet to play the Wiz, but I don't think they can hold that 1 game lead on Jersey. The still have to play Orlando and Indiana (i.e. basketball teams) so basically they are screwed and we'll be playing Jersey. So fans get ready!"

Having swept the season series Jersey just needs to tie the Wiz to take 6th. If the Wiz and Jersey totally crap out there is an outside chance we play Orlando. And of course if the Raps can get past Chicago this all changes as we'd be playing #7. Either way it's Jersey, Orlando or the Wiz and any Raps fan wants Wiz (1), Orlando (2), Jersey (3).

Why? Because we want to win. We have our eyes set on second and third rounds, not on a Vince vendetta. The Vince hatred is great for some regular season booing, bringing out the bibs and other good old fashioned Vince bashing....but Vince is really a joke now in our review mirror, and our goal is not to boo him (which we will of course...because it's fun) or beat just him. While it would be great to beat Vince en route to our best season ever it is only a 'nice to have' on the wish list.

Our goal is to beat whatever team stands in the way of the greatest Raptors team ever assembled. Even if we do play Jersey, can Vince, Kidd and Jefferson do what everyone is afraid of, namely step it up and be the '3 headed monster'? They haven't done it yet this season or really ever so don't get too worried Raps fans.

Then again would I prefer to play them in round 1?...of course not, don't be stupid.

One thing is certain, it's unchartered territory.... and Raptors nation is ready to rumble.

Game Notes: Oh yeah, our tight victory over New York sealed home court advantage for round 1! We had to win 1 of 3 remaining but I think Mitchell did the right thing playing Bosh heavy minutes (all 48) and doing anything possible for the win. You don't want to back into that home court advantage (through other team's losses). And now that we have it locked down we can rest our big guns and win or lose these last two games feel confident going into the playoffs. Now, if Mitchell keeps playing Bosh any more than 18 minutes a game I'll be annoyed. While all of this 'resting' guys down the stretch is reeking total anarchy on my fantasy finals match up it has to be done.
Fantasy Note: Why does Yahoo's league go until the last day? My team is chalk full of nuds who are getting 37 minutes a game all of a sudden. What a bad way to end the season.

posted by WG @ 9:15 AM 2 comments

Rockin' with the Raptors Part I

Wednesday night was the aforementioned Red Party. Sometimes these types of parties are total duds (think JYD's All Star parties back at the Palladium). I'll try to puke out as much as i can remember because this party was top flight.

The Setting
A large swankily decorated red room. The Raptor (in his Red Suit) and the "Axe" Dance Pack (in Red Gear). VIP areas cordoned off by velvet ropes. Food stations with delicious little mini bacon cheese burgers and duck confit poutine. Booze, booze and more booze. DJ booth, large auction and your hosts Chuck, Norma and the entire Raptors organization.

The Setup
It was clear when my sister Marie and I rolled in that a few drinks while perusing auction items were going to be required to loosen up the mingling vibes. After perusing a rather solid auction room I set my eyes on two items: A sweet tiny Sony camera and a game worn Jersey signed by none other than my main man Jorge Garbajosa.

The players at this point are scattered around the various VIP rooms and my bid of $120 is up on the board and owning both the camera and that Jersey. That glorious, glorious Jersey.

Marie notices one of Ronan's (her boyfriend) co-workers in the VIP room and decides to dial him up. Ronan is a character and ready to crash the party with a used ticket stub. Definitely the move of the game. Our deuce is now a three and Ronan quickly maneuvres us into the VIP room.

Raptor Time
Each Raptor was forced to mingle through the VIP rooms. Here are some of the highlights, facts and figures. I was planning on asking each guy about McGyver vs. The Littlest Hobo and yet somehow I totally forgot.
(For the record the Hobo would clearly be a better friend and great if you had 'time'. But as Balf points out if you are in a really tight spot the Hobo would have to go find someone to help you, then convince them to follow him back. You gotta stick with McGyver. )

Chris Bosh
Me: How about 30-15-5 for the playoffs?
Bosh: Ah...that could be tough
Me: The 5 is blocks
Bosh: Oh, okay then.


Who does he want to face? Bosh is a well trained PR man, he says it doesn't matter. I mention the obvious Wiz free fall and he steers clear of that land mine.

We talk Vids for a bit. Turns out he's a Madden man. When he plays 2K7 on his Xbox with his buddies he always choses the Raptors but they rock him. On the downside he doesn't seem to have any clue what Double Dribble is. Ah kids.

I point out my bid number on the Garbo Jersey and that it's going to be one stank Jersey if it's game worn. "Yeah. He sweats man". Check.

On Toronto recruiting Bosh says he tries to tell guys about the city but the reaction is usually "Toronto?". And when he gets people into town they are more like "Toronto!". Bosh clearly likes the city and the chill vibe. I point out he's gotta start trashing the Dud U.S. cities like the Waukee not just pumping up TO.

I also ask Bosh if he feels comfortable breaking every record of 'he who we won't name'. Bosh admits that's a lot of records but he'll be here for a while. I think everyone will enjoy watching those records fall. Maybe we need to get that in the right side bar of this blog.

Social Rating: 9
True Height Rating: 10
Dude you would want to chill with rating: 9 (Bosh was way cooler than I imagined. Definitely a fun kind of guy. The fact he's our leader, hardest worker and a dude. Raptors domination for years to come).

Jose Calzone
Me: You going to bring some world championship magic?
Calzone: Of course I am
Me: You ready for the pressure?
Calzone: What pressure? I feel no pressure.

Who does he want to face? It don't matter. He's just going to keep on winning. I like that attitude. I also told him that my girlfriend had a crush on him so i might have to photoshop him up a bit. He was a full proponent.

Later in the party Ronan runs up and turns me around and says "Jose you have to meet Warren". Oh we've met. I ask him about Garbo, he says he's doing well. I mention my bid on the Jersey and tell him if Garbo doesn't come back stronger than ever that Jersey is a dud! He's confident my bid is golden.

Note: I tell people i'm 5'10. Sure if i go to the Doctor i'm like Five ten and a half (or so). But I have so many actual 5'11 friends I can't try to really pull that off. Well Jose is listed at 6'3. Look at this picture. We're on the same floor here.....

Social Factor: 8.5 (the point 5 is for letting Ronan drag him around)
True Height: 7 (i'm going 6'2 at best)
Party: Didn't get a great read on this, but my gut says 8.5.

Anthony Parker
Me: My friend calls you the new MJ, you've got all his moves
Parker: Everyone has his moves
Me: No, you love the palm fake, the fade, the quick dunk etc. Your MJ.
Parker: (who is this guy) Ha.

Who does he want to face? Man these Raps are well trained. Anthony Parker just wants to keep playing.

Parker is the ultimate team guy. He says absolutely the right things, and you feel like he really means it. I ask him how it feels to be the best player not in the NBA who's now in the NBA and he laughs. He doesn't think like that. I ask him about stepping it up over the past week, he says everyone steps up on this team.

Then I inform his we are going to have to remove the placard from Mo Pete's office and replace it with his name. The baseline three is his money ball. On this one he's eager to tell me that nobody is replacing Mo Pete, but lots of people work well from that office. I'm quick to tell him he's the one we need in that office.

Social Rating: 9
True Height: 10
Party Factor: Depends on your party. A great Dinner guest (10), a good charity fund raiser, a family man. I don't feel like he's going to whoop it up with you (6), but I feel like he's in for a good time. So long as we are winning.

Is this blog going to get way too long if I could through each player? Absolutely. Let's break this up and bring you more in the next post. I've definitely saved the best for last.

Coming up in Part 2: Joey Graham gets a lesson in Fashion, Uros cracks me up (but not David Stern), Juan meets Flickr and more.....


Quick Update
Last Nights Game: Raptors vs. Pistons
It was a big win for the Raptors and we'll take them anyway we can get them. But let's be perfectly clear, Detroit managed to keep a 10 point lead pretty much all game until we made our run down the stretch. The Pistons starters were on the bench, note Lindsay Hunter attempting the game tying three. A win is a win, and we needed it. 3rd is pretty much locked, one more win is all we need. But if we face these Pistons were going to need Bosh on the line a LOT more and we're going to need to get everyone on the boards. Humpty had 18 boards and was wildly active. Let's hope that catches on.

posted by WG @ 7:04 PM 1 comments

The Red Party - Taking Requests

A little last minute, but I'm off to a party tonight that should be chock full of Raptors. Any questions you may have lay them on me. I'll be seeking conversations with our beloved Rapshow.

Anything goes.

posted by WG @ 10:04 AM 1 comments

Bulls Lashed, Raps Heading to #2?

I'm back from Habana and managed to find my way into an Easter dinner at the ACC with my sister last night. That's how you do Easter dinner with only one family member in town. Some free Sushi and Chicken at the ACC. Happy Easter everyone.

Quick Change
The ACC was sold out and the halftime show was "Quick Change". When Quick Change is on at the ACC (second time this season) I don't leave my seat. This is the best half time show you'll ever see. If they could get these guys every game they should. It's impossibly captivating. I can't describe it better than the name, a couple dances and the girl 'changes' outfits in front of your eyes, without you seeing it, at least 10+ times. And once halftime was over....

11 Points Down...no problem
The second half started out shaky, the Raps down 4 and immediately giving up 7 straight we were sitting down 11. And then it all turned. The Rapshow took over completely. From down 7 to up 15 it was pure domination from that point out. The crowd was getting more and more like a playoff crowd and with the Islanders winning in a shoot out on the screens in the ACC it was more obvious this was the only show left in town.

Anthony Parker, a.k.a. Michael Jordan might soon be taking the placard off Mo Pete's office and replacing it with his own. Nailing three after three from the baseline, Parker went off for a career high (27 points i believe). He had one of his Jordan-esque dunks and continues to show why he was called 'The best player not in the NBA".

Good Joey also showed up which meant mostly good decisions, 'feeling' his shot and a career high with 19 points. Joey showed his versatility by covering Nocioni, Deng and anyone else they threw him on. The fact our 6'7 swingman can D-up on a Luel Deng is awesome. The fact that he only shows up every 5th or so game is the problem. But last night it was all good.

Bosh was Bosh, sorry I never have much to say. He rebounds, makes smart passes and dominates when required. Juan Dixon, I can't stop talking about. Primarily because we got him for Fred Jones. Colangelo has started to reach the stage where we can argue about what his greatest moves have been...and he's only been here for 3/4 of a year. Is he not the Executive of the Year? How can he not be? A complete turnarond, Mark Stein has us ranked 5th for god's sake! Unbelievable.

Second Place
With the win the Raps not only are close to taking over the legitimate 3rd place and could even (gasp) make a run at second. The thing is, Washington is more than likely going to stay in 6th place, and everyone wants to play Washington right now. Everyone. Not that finishing second and beating Vince wouldn't be great, but the focus right now is to keep winning and land a great matchup.

posted by WG @ 4:59 PM 0 comments

No Habla Espanol

Well I speak un poco...but not really. I more mash together words.

Right now, I'm in Havana, Cuba. So not writing about the Rapshow these days or much less Cuba. Lots to write about when I get back, but I couldn't leave my 13 readers out there wondering what has happened.

I'm just energizing up for the run to the finals.

And tomorrow i'm off to see Habana vs. Habana in the baseball semi-finals, their equivalent to the World Series. Should be a great sporting event.

Be back for the Bulls game.

posted by WG @ 5:13 PM 0 comments