Hey All,
This is going to be an opinionated sports blog, focusing on professional sports. Specifically, I'm going to start by writing about the Toronto Raptors on a regular basis, as well as periodic posts about the NFL and MLB. Look for my weekly NFL picks against the spread. I win!
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Aaron Rodgers
Rodgers needs to lead his team to a victory at Lambeau today if the Pack are going to have a shot at the playoffs.
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The Raptors ended their two game winning streak on Wednesday night, losing 92-88 to the Utah Jazz at home.
I don't know who the Raptors were today, but they weren't who I thought they were that's for sure.
The problems began early for Toronto, as they continuously settled for casual outside jumpers for almost four full quarters.
In a tough home game against one of the West's best teams, Raptors all-star Chris Bosh looked hesitant to attack the basket until the final few minutes of the game. Bosh clanged brick after brick off of the backboard instead of getting to the free throw line like he had been doing in Toronto's past couple of wins.
T.J. Ford, Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon were also dreadful in the loss. Bargnani looked totally lost in all facets of the game. He couldn't buy a bucket on offence, looking hesitant even when he took good shots and was completely lost on the defensive end of the floor.
Ford and Calderon struggled as well at playing the point for the Raptors, combining for six turnovers in what was surely their worst performance of the year so far. Ford didn't help the Raptors shooting problems by taking stupid shots on a handful of possessions and made a poor decision on the Raptors last offensive possession, killing any chances Toronto had at tying the game.
On the play, Ford passed the ball back and forth with Kris Humphries before finally forcing an off-balance three point attempt with Jazz centre Mehmet Okur's hand in his face. Ford has to understand that he's not playing five-on-one basketball no matter how good he is at hitting big shots down the stretch.
The entire game was despicable to watch for any basketball fan. It showcased two of the NBA's best teams playing like high schoolers. Both teams couldn't hit a shot for most of the game before finally deciding to execute their offences in the final half of the fourth quarter.
Once they got serious, neither team could stop each other, as the Raptors made a serious run, but fell short because of fantastic execution by Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, who outplayed Ford and Bosh when it counted.
The poor effort was inexcusable on the Raptors part. There was no excuse for their refusal to attack the rim for most of the game. If you were a hardcore Raptors fan watching this game, it was definitely the most frustrating performance of the season. After the loss, I just sat on the couch shaking my head in complete silence completely discouraged after hoping the Raptors would make a late comeback and take a win that they should have had easily if they had played a decent game.
Although it makes me sick when I read about taking positives out of losses, especially with a team that has top-level talent and should be winning, there were a few things for Raptors fans to be optimistic about in the loss.
Anthony Parker continued playing great basketball for Toronto and continues to hit almost every three pointer he attempts from the corner.
Another positive for the Raptors was Jamario Moon. Wow! I can't stress enough how impressed I am with this 27-year-old rookie. I'm starting to think he may be the third best rookie after Durant and Horford. What an amazing find by Bryan Colangelo.
I know we haven't seen much of him, but Moon can seemingly do it all. There is no one in the league that has more athleticism than Moon. He is a good one-on-one defender and his shot blocking presence in the paint consistently changes opposing players' shots. Moon has already successfully defended Luol Deng and Andrei Kirilenko, two very good players who do not allow their shots to be altered easily.
The Raptors defence seems to be on a different level with Bosh and Moon in the game at the same time, either changing shots or swatting them away with their long arms.
The rookie also looks polished on offence. So far he has done a great job finishing around the rim and seems to be able to hit open shots. I feel stupid saying it, but the way he plays reminds me of T-Mac and I would love to see the Raptors run some iso plays for him.
If Moon can continue to get more confident and more comfortable in the NBA, I don't know if there's anyone that will be able to defend him. Hopefully, I'm not getting ahead of myself!
It was also good to see Juan Dixon on the bench where he belongs. With all of the great shooters on the Raptors, there's no reason for them to put the erratic, turnover-prone Dixon on the court. Dixon is often times taken advantage of by taller, opposing shooting guards and should not be playing on a regular basis considering the Raptors have Parker, Moon, Delfino and Kapono on the roster.
With the way the Raptors played, it was amazing they were good enough to stay in the game against one of the NBA's best teams for four quarters and that in itself shows how talented this team really is. If the Raptors had played even close to good, they would have run away with the win and this bodes well for the near future.
Unfortunately though, the Raptors are still 4-4 after eight games. They should consider this a major disappointment. They must play harder and attack the rim on a more consistent basis from now until the end of the season if they hope to be taken seriously as championship contenders.
On another note, I believe the Raptors are sorely missing the edge that MoPete brought to this team last year. Peterson was a leader on and off the floor and played hard on a consistent basis. Despite his inconsistent shooting, Peterson brought an energy with him every night that doesn't seem to be present this season. The Raptors need to have a swagger when they come out of the locker room and let's hope they can find some attitude from somewhere soon.
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