Raps Hang By Bulls Again

Last night's game against the Bulls which the Raptors lost , 97-107 , started well . The shots were falling in the 1st quarter . Andrea Bargnani ( 16 pts., 5 reb.) hit his 1st three 3 pointers and Joey Graham ( 17 pts., 5 reb.) was having his way inside. For the Bulls , Luol Deng ( 25 pts., 7 reb.) was super hot . ' Luol cannot seem to miss ' said Sam Mitchell. Luol had an easy time against the Raptors' single coverage defense . Mitchell should have put a posse of guards to shut down the high scoring forward. I said posse not James Posey !
Then coach Scott Skiles' boys put the roadblock . Suddenly , TJ Ford cannot go past thru to do his layups. Kirk Heinrick ( 16 pts.,4 ass.) and Ben Gordon ( 22 pts., 6 ass.) were blocking TJ's way . Rookie Tyrus Thomas was on AB' s face and the big bad Bulls led by Ben Wallace ( 10 reb., 3 blk.) were lording the middle .The Raps were limited to just one attempt at the basket. You bet the Raps felt the Bulls tightening grip . ' I never have that much attention in my life ' said TJ of Chicago's suffocating defense . At least , the Raptors are still alive for today's game vs. Memphis. Unlike Saddam Husein. You see, the former Iraqi dictator was dead a few seconds after the hangman's noose tightened its grip on his neck !





Unidentified Man : I'm not Saddam .

I'm just 'wanna try if this fits my head !

Dancing With An NBA All Star

Very funny . That was how one characterized last night's Inside The NBA with Reggie (Miller ), Chuck , Kenny and Ernie . Particularly when the group kidded Reggie about his turning down a stint in the popular show 'Dancing With The Stars ' . ' Football star Emmit ( Smith ) made it hard for anyone to follow him ' said Reggie . Others sports star who've been in the show were boxer Evander Holyfield and footballer Jerry Rice . Let's hope that the show's Producers are able to lure a former NBA star to join the show .

Bouncing Ball 2.0

1. Did you see how Chris Paul was carried out by a teammate after spraining his ankle in the game against the Supersonics . Normally , an injured baller is helped by 2 teammates to walk to the locker room . Paul was carried like a baby or worse like a new bride by her husband about to enter their honeymoon suite !
2. Another blizzard is expected to hit Denver in a couple of days . If you recall , one just hit the city before Allan Iverson's arrival causing the NBA to postpone the Nuggets-Suns game scheduled that day . At the rate Denver is hit by blizzards lately , the Nuggets might as well be known as the Denver Blizzards !
3. The Raptors play by play Announcer was featured as the NBA Broadcaster Of The Week . That's after 5 years on the job. I'm not a fan of Chuck Swirsky's style of calling the Raptors games . It's 'too circusy' for me . LaftorTV captured The Chuck perfectly in its cartoon .

Ford Leads Raps To Victory

The Toronto Raptors led by TJ Ford surprised Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves to win , 100 - 97 and kept the lead in the Atlantic Division. Before a full house ACC , Toronto played like a well oiled machine shooting 52% from the floor. TJ Ford ( 28 pts., 7 ass.) tortured former Raptor, Mike James ( 20 pts., 5 ass. ) in a battle of Texas point guards . When TJ rested , Jose Calderon ( 13 pts., 4 ass.) took over without missing a beat while Anthony Parker ( 19 pts., 4 ass.) scored the much needed baskets. Calderon also scored 3 successive baskets in the 4th quarter . He was hyperactive even egging the crowd several times. Senor Jose was like a Mexican jumping bean . Not an illegal Mexican ' jumping the fence ' bean of course !

Kevin Garnett ( 24 pts.,9 reb.) made up for a so so 1st half by taking it close to the basket in the final half .KG was a handful to rookie Andrea Bargnani who tried very hard to keep up with the All Star. But in the end , it's TJ show all night long . ' It's like TJ is running in circles . When you think he is trying to make a pass , he'll pull up for a jumper or a fade away ' said rookie Randy Foye .Ford was hyped up unlike in the Seattle game before the holiday. TJ was energized to face the men in blue . I'm sure the blue pill has nothing to do with this extra energy !

TJ : It's supposed to last for 4 hours,
so I'm going out to partee !

The Return Of Mike James

Although the return of Mike James tonight at Air Canada Center is not expected to rile up the fans like T Mac's or VC's visits , it is sure to generate more than mild reactions either way . James was a polarizing personality in his 1 year as a Raptor . You either like Mike James or hate him , no in between . Some fans considered him as a ballhog , a trigger happy baller while others rated him as fearless. ' James was not afraid to take the big shots ' was how he was described by his fans . Besides , 'James is always a good interview ' said Norma Wick of Raptors TV .

Mike James : 2006-07 Statistics

Games Played : 24 games
30.2 mpg
12.8 ppg
1.80 rpg
4.3 apg
+11.71 eff.

Trigger happy Mike J.

Bouncing Ball 1.0

1. Gilbert Arenas still don't get no respect . At least from Kobe . Whereas , Mr. Bryant was all praises for Dwayne Wade ( and vice versa ) causing ABC TV to call the 2 as members of the ' mutual admiration' club , Agent Zero's 60 points outburst against the Lakers was poo poohed by Kobe . First , the NBA draft , then Team USA's snub and now this . You can call Arenas as the Rodney Dangerfield of the NBA !

2. Talking of Kobe , in the Lakers vs. Nets game last Friday , he was shown on TV blowing his nose on a towel while he was on the bench. He was clearly suffering from some respiratory problem . ' Man , don't nobody use that towel ' said Nets TV's Mark Jackson . Away with that TV camera !

3. During last week's Magic-Cavaliers game , a leak in the roof caused a wet spot in the playing area. The officials opted to continue with the game . A boy wiped the wet spot while the players were on the other side . ' In the old days in the Boston Garden , they just placed a bucket and left it there on the court. The players just dribbled around the bucket ' said the Magic announcer laughing . Wonder if the late Red A. has anything to do with this ?

Oden Watch

Greg Ogre err Oden was ' tamed ' by the Florida 'Gators in last Saturday's game . He was limited to 7 points and 6 rebounds and was completely outplayed by 6'10'' Hortford ( 11 points, 11 reb.) who was coming from an ankle injury . Florida coach Billy Donavan designed an effective defense against Oden that reduced the 7'0'' monster to a ' shrek type of an ogre player '. Greg looks tired during the game ' said Donovan .The 'Gators who went to Ontario for a series of games this summer were simply the more experienced cagers. I'm sure the game was a learning lesson for 18 year old Greg O. Greg is likeable and should rebound back a better baller .

Dead Tired Raptors Beaten By Sonics

Toronto looked tired and eager to get home last night in the game Seattle won , 97 - 110 . Still , the Raptors gave the Sonics a good fight with Fred Jones ( 19 pts ) and Jorge Garbajosa ( 18 pts.,7 reb.) backing TJ Ford. Coach Sam Mitchell tried the 2 guard combo of T.J.Ford ( 23 pts., 9 ass.) and Jose Calderon ( 4 pts.,10 ass. ) to match the Sonics' energy . Calderon hounded returning Ray Allen (28 pts.,6 reb.) bothering his shots as much as he can but the All Star was just too much . ' Now , we can go home .We need a day or 2 to recharge ' said Mitchell . Be sure to recharge your credit cards too after X'mas !
Seattle used big guy Chris Wilcox ( 10 pts., reb ) and Nick Collison ( 15 pts.,8 reb.) to pound the boards .Even Big bodied Danny Fortson ( 4 pts.,9 reb.) who started at center . The often suspended Sonics C/F was briefly a Raptor some years back. Fortson's style of play can be characterized as bordering to ' dirty ' . He once elbowed then rookie Chris Bosh so hard to the head , CB4 failed to suit up the following game. After he caused Raja Bell an injury that sidelined the Phoenix guard for sometime , Jerry Colangelo , then Sun's GM, threatened to ask the league to ban Fortson. ' He shows the physicallity of the game .That's why people love him ' said Allen of Fortson . Seattle people love him but the rest of the NBA love ...to kill him !



Danny : Ray , does that mean I have the chance to win the Sportmanship Award ?

Raptors Survive Another Cliffhanger .

TJ Ford did it again . No , the versatile point guard of the Toronto Raptors did not make the winning basket like he did last Wednesday. TJ drove to the basket to set up rookie Andrea Bargnani beautifully for a 20 footer to beat the Portland Trailblazers , 101 - 100. Ford ( 23 pts.,11 ass.) scored 9 points in OT after the last second follow up by Jorge Garbajosa ( 10 pts.,5 reb.) in the regulation was nullified . The win in turn nullified Portland rookie Brandon Roy's near triple double ( 16 pts.,10 reb., 8 ass.) . It's good that the zebras did not nullify TJ's game winning assist for driving too fast to the basket.

The Raptors played solid ball with 6 players in double figures .They are playing like a veteran group not expected from a team with 9 newcomers . ' Toronto is playing nowadays with plenty of confidence ' said one NBA observer . Even when the game was extended , they did not get rattled and in fact kind of welcomed it . ' It's just an extra 5 minutes for the fans ' said TJ . Oregon native Fred Jones (12 pts.,5 reb.) described their attitude in the O.T. as loosey gousy when a reporter asked him how the team felt playing a won game . Loosey goosey ? Hmmm . It will be recalled that the team , players and coaches , had a sumptous meal at Freddie's house in this trip. Maybe the meal made them loosey goosy . I guess , Freddie's Mom served them cooked goose !



Mother Goose : Kids , 'stay away from Freddie's house !

Give Sam Some Love This X'Mas

1. Coach Sam Mitchell showed something something ( in the words of Jack Armstrong ) the last few games . He guided the Raptors to some big wins even with a depleted line up . In last Wednesday's game versus the LA Clippers , Sam's familiriarity with TJ Ford ( and vice versa ) caused him to go to TJ for the last and winning shot . Sam was an Assistant coach at Milwaukee during TJ 's first 2 years in the league . Finally , the Raps have found a ' go to guy ' ?

2. This weekend , it's Greg Ogre , I mean , Oden Watching Time again. His team , Ohio State , will go up against Florida. That's a nice match up . Greg O . versus Joakim Noah . Force versus Finesse . Ali vs. Foreman . The possible no.1 and no.2 picks in next year's NBA draft .

It's the 2nd straight weekend that CBS is showing an Ohio State game . Looks like Greg's team is the flavor of the year !

3. Expect a monster game from Oregon native Fred Jones tonight . Jones played well against the Clippers scoring a team high 23 points . That shut up some of Jones' critics but another great game will surely mute them for a long time .Incidentally , John Salmons of the Sacramento Kings matched a career high 23 points on 10 out of 14 shooting in a loss to the Wizards last night . It will be recalled that Jones was acquired after Salmons backed out of his intention to join the Raptors.

Toronto Starring TJ Edge LA

The Raptors played a smart game last night in beating the favored LA Clippers , 98 - 96. Coach Sam Mitchell asked his boys to slow down the pace of the game and run only when needed. The beneficiaries of this strategy were fastbreak artist Fred Jones who topscored for 23 points and aging former LA Clip , Derrick Martin who added 12 points all in the 1st half. It was a brilliantly played game by the Raps . Who said Sam can't coach ? Sam even showed some emotions in the end with his fist pump while doing the piroutte . I'm sure director Penny Marshal, who as in attendance , noticed that. Sam can coach ... at least in Hollywood !

In the end , it was TJ Ford ( 14 pts.,9 ass.) who brought the Clippers its 5th consecutive loss . And a bitter one at that . ' That has got to be our most dissapointing loss of the year ' said Clippers coach , Mike Dunleavy . The Clippers have All Star Elton Brand (24 pts., 10 reb.) , big man Chris Kaman (10 pts., 9 reb.) and veteran Sam Casssell (17 pts., 3 reb. ) while the Raps are playing with a depleted line up . The Raptors held the lead almost all of the 2nd half only to lose it until TJ heroics came through for Toronto. ' I told coach to put the ball in my hands ' said TJ. It was really a memorable game for TJ . His 1st game winning shot as a Raptor . TJ can add this game against the Clippers to his clippings !





Sam : Let me go , let me go ...back to Area 51 !

Raptors Bow To Suns

Toronto was in the game only in the 1st quarter against the mighty Phoenix Suns and then faltered to lose , 98 - 115. Chris Bosh's absence this time was felt especially with PG Jose Calderon out. TJ Ford ( 19 pts., 9 ass ) tried his best to match the Suns' speedy game but Steve Nash ( 10 pts., 15 ass. ) and Company were just too much . Andrea Bargnani ( 18 pts., 8 reb. ) continues to improve his game . Jorge Garbajosa did not see action in the final half when he sustained an injury chasing after a loose ball. TJ hurt his back in the game . Coach Sam Mitchell said ' When it rains , it pours '. I'm not sure if Sam was referring to the spate of injuries... or the barrage of baskets for the Suns !
It was a display of running game that Bryan Colangelo wished his boys to acquire after a season or 2 . And power too as displayed by the Suns' mobile big guy , Amare Stoudamire ( 28 pts., 10 reb. ) . Amare had his way last night . ' He's like a man among boys ' said Phoenix halftime announcer . Amare was simply overpowering with his various dunks performed under the admiring eyes of the Raptors big men . ' Amare is a brute ' said coach Mitchell. ' Amare has the ' wow ' factor ' added ex Suns great Thunder Dan ( Majerle ) . No worry . The Raptors have the bow factor . It's a lot easier to perform !

Lady bowing : I like your shoes .

Man bowing : I love those legs !

Raptors KO Warriors

Third straight win without Chris Bosh . This was what Toronto was able to do Sunday afternoon in beating the Golden State Warriors , 120 - 115 . Six Raps scored in double figures led by Mo Pete ( 23 pts.,9 reb.) who played his best game so far this season . Rook Andrea Bargnani ( 18 pts., 10 reb. ) had another impressive with 6 blocks . But the battle between dimunitive point guards , TJ Ford ( 21 pts., 14 ass. ) and Monte Ellis ( 28 pts.,2 ass. ) , was a joy to watch .The 2 tiny PG went toe to toe each scoring baskets when needed . When the dust of the battle settled , TJ was the one left standing ...err.. tall .

As opposed to their 1st game with the Warriors when the Raps , particularly Bargnani , have diffulty rebounding , this one was easy picking for the much taller Raps . The Raps have an 18 rebound advantage . ' They beat us inside. Biedrins is just plain tired . We just don't have enough bodies ' said Warrior coach Don Nelson . Baron Davis ( 20 pts., 11 ass. ) seconded by saying ' We lost the game based on the fact that we did'nt rebound '. Golden State was beaten but towards the end , Rap guard Jose Calderon was the one down . Calderon was carried out of ACC in a stretcher . No way Jose , Jose was not KO'd by a punch from Carmelo Anthony !

Jose : 159 , 160 ...my , these push ups are hard ...161..

The Brawl In The Garden , Eh !

1. The latest melee in the NBA Saturday night involving the Knicks and the Nuggets raised concerns to sports lovers in the US but hardly a notice north of the border . At least , based on the reactions of 'hockey reporters' at the TV sports show , Sports Reporters , which is shown at TSN every Sunday morning. Hockey is so used to nightly bouts of real fighting that NBA fights look more like lots of posturings than fights . Oh yeah , Carmelo Anthony threw a punch (?) then ran away !
2. Anybody notice that Phoenix Suns' Boris Diaw looks like a younger version of Barack Obama , the rock star of the political world . Obama ,who loves basketball , said during his swearing in as a US Senator ' I feel like a 1st round draft choice in the NBA who finally get to set foot on the court after months of hoopla and hype '. Obama mania is for real . His commercial done for an NFL team ( Chicago Bears ) was a big hit especially to the young people .

3. Vince Carter is at it again . VC was launching nothing but howitzers in the Nets' game versus the Pistons last Saturday . In fact , in a prior game against the Raptors , he did the same . VC scored 12 points in both games which New Jersey lost . Nets TV man Merv Albert asked ' why not drive to the basket , Vince ? '

Raps Tear Nets

The amazing and Bosh-less Toronto Raptors made it 2 in a row winning their game against Atlantic division rival , the New Jersey Nets , 90 - 78. It was a gutsy win fashioned before a capacity crowd chanting ' Carter Sucks ' towards the end of the game . Rasho Nesterovic ( 12 pts., 3 blocks ) once again anchored the defense while Joey Graham ( 17 pts., 9 reb.) and TJ Ford ( 19 pts., 8 reb. 9 ass.) provided the much needed scoring . TJ Ford overshadowed Jason Kidd who had triple doubles in 3 of 4 games prior to this one. Instead , TJ was the one who almost had a triple double . ' We know how to win without Bosh ' said TJ . I thought TJ said , the Raptors know how to win without a boss . I'm sure Sam will not like that .

The Nets looked hapless with Vince Carter scoring just 12 points in 4 out of 18 shooting . Nets GM, Rod Thorn, who was in attendance at ACC was shown several times on TV shaking his head . ' I know that were not playing well right now . I just don't know why ' Thorn said before the game . It must be recalled that Thorn said he's going see what needs to be done with the team after 20 games . Uh oh . That means trouble for coach Lawrence Frank . Thorn looks torn whether to replace Frank or not . And that's frankly speaking !

Coach Frank : Vince , can you ask the Raptors
if they are in need of a coach to replace Sam !

Former NBA Player Leads China In The Asian Games .

1. Sportswriter Mitch Albom is one prolific writer . He came up again with another sure bestseller , For One More Day . This is the 3rd (?) non sports related book from Albom after Tuesdays With Morrie and Five People You Meet In Heaven . Asked by Rosie O' Donnel in the show ' The View ' if the book will likely be turned into another TV movie like Tuesdays , Albom said ' I think so ' . Caching !

2. Jason Kidd registered his 80th triple double in the Wednesday's game agains the Bucks . It's his 3rd triple double in 4 games . It's very likely that he will get his 81st triple double against the Raps tonight .Kidd said that the Big O 's averaging triple double in one season was ' crazy ' . Maybe it's not crazy anymore if he does it .

3. The Asian Games is currently going on in Doha , Qatar. Yi Jianlian , an NBA prospect , is playing for China . Of course , Yao Ming is not playing for China with the NBA season in progress . Former NBA player , Wang Zhizhi led China to the championship against the host country.

Raps Shoot Magic Down !

Unheralded Rasho Nestoric frustrated Magic's big man . Dwight Howard , by playing good defense all night helping the Raptors snapped a 4 game losing streak with a 94 - 87 victory. Rasho ( 7 pts.,10 reb. ) had 5 blocks last night mostly on Howard who scored 17 points with 4 of them on garbage time . So ineffective was Howard , coach Brian Hill forgot to field him and Carlos Arroyo ( 22 pts., 6 reb. ) soon in time to make their move in the 4th quarter. The Raps shot 47% from the field as opposed to 37% by the other team . It was a quality win for the Raps against a quality team . Quality team ? Not last night. It seems that Orlando was too concerned about their TNT televised game tonight .' It's exciting because we have the opportunity to get national exposure ' said Magic guard , Kenyon Dooling. Orlando needs to play better tonight . Or else , Orlando has no place to go but at Orlando's Hideaway !.
The other star of the night was rookie Andrea Bargnani who registered a career high 23 points on six 3 pointers. Bargnani shot over fellow 7 footer Darko Milicik's outstreched arm as if he ( Darko ) was a statue . Andrea was shooting the 3's from deep down the 3 pt. line . Several times in the 4th quarter when the Magic came close , they were pushed back by Andrea's 3 pointers. He was like the rifleman - set , aim , fire , BOOM , 3 points ! ' One day , they go in , one day , they don't ' said Andrea. Well , tonight , everything definitely clicked . Good defense/ hot offense and the other team playing bad basketball . That's the formula that beat the Magic team .Those are the magic bullets !





Chuck Connors : I think the Italian in Andrea

prefers that he be compared to a Mafia Hit Man !

Bollywood And Other Bollers.

1. Everyone wants to go to India . Actor George Clooney wants to do a film in Bollywood according to Variety. Walmart is set to spread it's big box concept there after inundating China with it . Of course , the marketing genius , NBA Commisioner David Stern , looked at India too .
I commented before that making baskeballers out of cricket playing Indians might make basketball the numero uno sports in the world considering that China and India are no. 1 and 2 most populous nations !

2. The new ball / old ball transition cannot be felt more than by the Boston Celtics . The Celtics play the Supersonics on December 31 , 2006 and on New Year's day , the Trailblazers.
Don't worry , Doc , there is no report that the change in the ball means the Celts are changing the coach too . Not yet !

3. Former Raptor Charlie Villanueva played his 3rd game last night since returning from an elbow operation .The Big Smooth scored 15 points and hauled down 6 rebounds as Milwaukee Bucks edged Seattle Supersonics , 93 - 92. Former Raptors coach , Lenny Wilkens , acts as the TV Analyst for the Sonics . By the way , did you see Charlie's souped up Cadillac as featured in NBA XL ? It's really cool .

4. Last Sunday's game by the Raps against the Trailblazers was televised in Spain . Too bad , the 3 ballers from Spain - Jorge Garbajosa , Jose Calderon and Portland's guard, Sergio Rodrigues played mediocre basketball . I think Bryan Colangelo should work to acquire the rights to another Spanish guard , Carlos Navarro . Navarro is better than Calderon or Rodrigues

.
5. An informal survey showed most Raptors fans are opposed to the team acquiring the Answer .AI and Canada don't fit , some say . I guess the fans think Iverson should have his tatoos in English and French !

Raps Drop Another One As They Watch Wade Put On A Show .

The game last night between Toronto and Miami was better than last Sunday's sucky game. However , the Raps lost , 99 - 77, for their 2nd loss in a back to back without the BoshMan . The Flash was there . Well , Anthony Parker ( 18 pts. ) thought the Flash was there . Dwyane Wade ( 37 pts.,5 ass.) was like a blur as he ran circles around Parker and other defenders . I watched the faces of the Raptors sitting on the bench as Wade spun his way to making a basket several times.They looked at each other unbelieving . ' Whatever medication he was on , give me some ' said Heat teammate Alonzo Mourning . The Sports Illustrated's Sportsman Of The Year was under treatment for an infected wisdom tooth . The Raptors are suffering too. They lost their basketball wisdom the past games !

Toronto continued to struggle from the free throw line ( 60%) and was again burdened by the lacklustre performances of its players most notably the usually reliable Jose Calderon ( 0 pts., 1 ass.) and their big man , Nestorevic ( 6 pts.,6 reb. ) .That accounts for the low free throw output in this game . No inside plays , no free throws . ' Five free throws in a game is tough ' said coach Sam Mitchell. At least the Raptors got something free.-They got to see the Dwyne Wade Show for free ... and from ringside seats too !

Coach Sam : Maybe I can work as a barker
in the DWade Show eh .

Raps 83 Blazers 93 , In One Ballgame That Sucks !

It's like watching one of the lousy Raptors' games the year before . The only difference was that the cast of characters wearing the T.O.'s uniforms were new. Ironically, one of the few holdovers from that pathetic team , Morris Peterson , was the lone bright spot, scoring 23 points and grabbing 5 rebounds . J. Jack and Martell Webster scored 22 each for the Trailblazers. Chris Bosh was sidelined due to a knee injury and Zach Randolph was suspended for 1 game for an obscene gesture to a fan who yelled ' You suck ' at him in last Friday's game.

The meeting between the 2 teams was anticipated by the Raptors fans due to the following reasons :

1. The Marcus Alridge vs. Andrea Bargnani match up . They combined for a mere 11 pts.! The rooks suck !
2. The return of Toronto native and soon to be free agent Jamal Magliore. Jamal had 6 points and 4 turnovers. He sucks !
3. Meeting of Spanish players, Garbajosa and Calderon of the Raps and Sergio Rodriguez from the Blazers . They c, ombined for a mere 12 pts. with Rodriguez registering a fat zero . The Castillian ballers suck , Mucho !

To think that this game was televised in 9 international countries including Spain ! Not good for the NBA. The overseas fans will think that the NBA sucks . What else sucks ? Ha , yes . Call for coach Mitchell's head is alive again. Raptors forums are inundated with postings of how Sam sucks .....or Sack Sam !





Zach Randolph : Zach , the fan yelled ' You Zack not you suck ' fool !

Raps Lose By 3 To Bulls And 3 Losers!

It was another close finish last night . This time at the hands of the Chicago Bulls , 90 - 93 . Toronto played a deliberate game abandoning the run and gun style and it almost work as they limit their opponents to below 100 points . It's the 1st time that the Bulls failed to reach the century mark in their 6 game winning streak. If not for the excellent play from Bulls Luol Deng ( 25 pts.,4 reb. ) and the soft defense from an obviously ailing Chris Bosh (13 pts., 12 reb.) plus the cold hands of former local high school star , Anthony Parker ( 7 pts., 4 reb.) , the outcome will have gone T.O.'s way . ' Parker was a Napperville player . His sister , Candace, is a star at University of Tennesse . His father played ball too . You played with him , right ' his colleague ask Red Kerr, the old time NBAer and now the Bulls' TV man . ' Yes , I played with Parker ... Nope . It's the wrong Parker ' said Kerr . Right , old man . You played with Dr. Naismith !
As usual , I watched the game via the opponents' TV feed . Early in the game, the Bulls TV team composed of Kerr , former Bull Stacy King and Tom Doer wasted no time disparaging the Raptors . ' They ( Raptors ) shoot the 3's as if they are good shooters ' said the 3 know it all . When Jorge Garbajosa ( 17 pts., 7 reb. ) began to find the range . ' He's gonna make a few of them .' one of them said . Until Garbo made another 3 point shot in the the 4th quarter closing the gap to 2 , they said ' So he can make those shots. He does'nt look like a basketball player ' . And you 3 don't look like the 3 Stooges !

Moe : We can bullshit better than those 3 Bulls shitters!

VC Taking It Easy.

New Jersey fans who saw Vince Carter played this season may think it's the same VC that came to the Nets 2 1/2 seasons ago. Enthusiastic and reborn in another team . But a careful examination of Carter's moves by ' trained ' eyes ( Translation : Toronto basketball fans ) , will tell you that they have seen this act before . In a far more blatant display . Yes , Carter is still currently averaging 27 ppg and 5.7 rpg but he seldom drives to the basket much less executes his crowd pleasing dunks. Carter can do a lot more to inspire the Nets. He's far from the rejunevated Carter with his rev up the motor after every dunk posing ( see top photo ). ' I consider Carter a superstar . I don't know why some people don't '. said ESPN'S Bill Walton of Vince in the 1st Nets-Suns game this season. Maybe that's why !

Coincidental to Carter's uninspired play is the Nets struggling . Or is Carter like this because the Nets are struggling ? Very early this season , VC was topping the NBA scoring chart . Lately , he's slowed down . In the game against the soft defending Celtics , VC was still in single digit in the 4th quarter until a barrage of points coming from post up plays . Not drives to the basket . In his last year with the Raptors , Vince contented himself with shooting from the outside . ' Dunks are overhype anyway. Besides , Chris Bosh can dunk . There are others ( in the Raptors line up ) who can dunk . ' said Carter then . Of course,VC will not dog it anymore . He has seen how his image has fallen after the Toronto experience . Let's just say , Vince will take it easy until he joins a new team !

Raps Bow To Cavs

I expected the Cavs to come out with a vengeance last night and to crush 1st time tormentors , the Raptors . Instead , the Raptors fought very hard before bowing , 95 - 91 . ' This is not last year's Toronto Raptors ' said the Cavs TV announcing team. The Raps were playing excellent ball until the last few minutes of the game . Anthony Parker ( 18 pts., 5 reb. ) and Chris Bosh ( 18 pts., 12 reb. ) battled King James ( 26 pts., 10 reb., 6 ass. ) basket after basket and even played good ( zone ) defense that the Cavs have difficulty solving .Every Rap played tough ' D ' bent on not giving easy layups . In fact , in one play , Joey Graham fouled a driving Alex Pavlovic so hard that the 2nd year Raptor fell hard on the floor . One can hear the ' thud ' real loud . The Cav TV team said ' I bet even his twin brother ( and former Cav and now with Portland ) Stephen felt that ' . Ouch !
The revelation of the game was rookie Daniel Gibson ( 18 pts., 5 reb. ) . Last time the 2 teams met , the guy can't buy a basket especially from the outside . He was erratic and trigger happy then . This time , Gibson is more in control not like fellow Texas Longhorn , TJ Ford who sometimes play like he is drunk. TJ was happy for Gibson and said ' I'm glad the Cavs gave him the opportunity to play . Not too many 2nd round pick gets this chance ' . Not only that , I don't know how Gibson was able to turn his game around to be name a member of the Cavs' starting 5 . Gibson must have gotten it from watching Mel Gibson's about face . Gibson got the revelation from the other Gibson who masterfully directed the film ' Apocalypto ' . D. Gibson got his apocalypto from a sober M. Gibson !





Mel : Gibson don't drink and drive ... to the basket ! OK ?

The Beauty About Losing Now.

The cries to ' oust ' coach Sam Mitchell have quited down considerably . No doubt because of the Raptors performance lately. Toronto won 4 of its last 5 games because of improved defensive and offensive basketball according to NY Post's Peter Vecsey . There is actually an advantage in keeping Sam here . If the Raps continue their ' passable ' play and go to the playoff , they won't likely go pass the 1st round . Good work , Sam and thank you . We need someone to make us go deep into the playoff . If the Raps stink , of course , Sam gets the blame and T.O. will be in the Greg Oden Mega Draft .Going by Brian Colangelo's luck , we might land the ' truly big man ' since Shaq . Forget Dwight Howard as he is only 6'10 . Forget Andrew Bynum that oversize teddy bear . Greg O. is a legit 7 footer and as menacing as can be . I watched his team., Ohio State demolished Valparaiso in Greg O. debut . Greg O. scored a double double in just 23 minutes of play . Greg O. with his beard and large hands , was like the Giant in Jack And The Beanstalk swatting everything on his way in pursuit of Jack . Only in this case , Greg O . was swatting basketballs ( he has 5 blocks ) . Greg O. is Greg Ogre is basketball uniform ! That's the beauty in losing now , you will have the chance to land ' One Bad Ugly Dude ' !

Greg O : How about if I smile like this ?

Am I cute now !

Raps Erase Knicks ( But Not Their Tatoos ! )

The surging Raptors made it 2 in a row beating the NY Knicks last night , 103 - 100. In a game featuring superlative plays from big men from both teams , the ' good boys ' prevailed . Chris Bosh ( 26 pts.,13 reb. ) scored in the early part of the game and TJ Ford ( 20 pts.,13 ass. ) finished the job . ' Chris Bosh is too quick for any Knick forward or center to guard . Or for anyone in the NBA for that matter ' said Al Michaels of MSG TV last night . NY man mountain , Eddy Curry ( 27 pts.,12 reb.) kept the Knicks fighting until the end but Bosh and TJ are just too fast for the Knicks . That's because the 2 and majority of the Raps don't sport tatoos which are obviously present in large letters and images in just about every Knick player . Those gigantic and numerous tatoos are real heavy to carry slowing down the Knicks !
It's really interesting watching the game from the other team's TV feed. You get the ' views ' from a different perspective rather than suffer from The Chuck's ' sickening homie ' attitude . For example , MSG's Kenny Smith and Walt ' Clyde ' Frazier referred to Jorge Garbajosa as a cross between Vlade Divac and Charles Oakley . When Garbo hauled the last rebound that sealed the ballgame for the Raps , Kenny said ' There's that Oakley in Garbajosa ' . Andrea Barganani , they think is like Bosh , ' only a weaker version '. I'd say to Clyde , their current Knicks team is a cross between a circus act and billboard advertising and that it is a loser's version of his '72 NBA championship team !

Clyde : 'Lil man Robinson is a smaller version

of 'Nique Wilkins -Human Highlight F..ucker !

Raps Grab 2nd Place In The Wide Open Atlantic

The back to back games against division opponents started with a bang with a win against the Celtics last night , 106 - 102 . The Raptors shot very well ( 55%) and played good defence especially in the closing seconds preventing the reeling hoopsters from Beantown from getting a good look for the tying basket . Several of the Raps' starting 5 played excellent ball with Chris Bosh ( 26 pts.,11 reb.) , Anthony Parker ( 17 pts., 1 reb.) , TJ ( 10 pts., 13 ass.) and of course the Spanish Conquistadore Jorge Garbajosa ( 16 pts., 6 reb. ). The latter was phenomenal last night - rebounding , scoring and guarding Boston's top man , Paul Pierce . Garbo was acknowledged by the Celtics TV man and Hall Of Famer Tommy Heinhson as a versatile guy and a good shooter . ' He's a European so he can shoot well from the outside ' said Heinhson of Garbo . It's just like saying , you're an NBA team TV guy , so you're a team sucker !
Toronto jumped to 2nd place in the Atlantic Division from 4th place with the win . On the other hand , Boston went from 1st place to 4th place ! The Atlantic Division is wide open . That is how tightly bunched the teams are in this Division . Not only that , coaches of both teams are tighly bunched too . Sam Mitchell and Doc Rivers are both on top of the list of coaches most likely to get bump 1st this season ! Doc and Sam are fighting for the 1st to be thrown into the wide open Atlantic ocean !

Atlantic Shark : I have'nt eaten a Doctor yet!