If you’re an NBA fan following the right people on twitter, you’ll get your fill of interesting and noteworthy statistics to examine from time to time, and Tuesday morning was no different, as Tom Haberstroh pointed us in the direction of a defensive rebounding off of blocked shots table, via Evan Zamir. The fact that a few Raptors made the list makes it worthy of a share here.
Heading into this final meeting of the season, Cleveland leads the season series 2-1. The last time they met in Toronto, Kyrie Irving sunk the Raptors with a three-point dagger just before the buzzer. More recently, the Raptors fell to an Irving-less Cavs squad led by Dion Waiters and Luke Walton. Read the rest of this entry »
I hate that I love you, Kobe.
The Raptors blew yet another double-digit fourth quarter lead, Kobe Bryant killed the Raptors for the umpteenth time in his career, Dwane Casey mismanaged his rotation and Rudy Gay threw up brick after brick after brick, as Toronto fell to the Lakers in overtime. The Raptors still haven’t beaten the Lakers on the road since 2001, they fall to 2-14 all-time against the Lakers at Staples Center and they have yet to win a season series with the Lakers…like, ever.
Here are some thoughts on a game that exemplified the Raptors’ 2012-13 season in one completely predictable fourth quarter meltdown…
With Oliver posting his case for keeping Bryan Colangelo yesterday, it’s time that I dig into the case against extending Colangelo.
I probably maintained faith in the man they call B.C. longer than most, and in truth, am always one shrewd Colangelo move away from being back on the B.C. bandwagon, as it seems most others are as well. There’s something about him that makes you at least want to believe. As a teenager myself when Colangelo arrived in Toronto, he restored respectability and relevance to my beloved Raptors. When the team won 47 games and its first division title in his first full season at the helm, it seemed the heights of our future successes were as tall as his trademark collars.
But alas, while Colangelo seemed to have a Midas touch for that first year on the job, nearly every major transaction Bryan has signed off on since then has backfired, and while deep down there is probably a Colangelo fan waiting to reemerge in many of us, the decision of whether or not to extend or fire a sports executive comes down to business. And from a business perspective, we’re talking about a team that looks destined to miss the playoffs for a fifth straight season for the first time in franchise history. And that’s really saying something considering how futile this franchise’s history has been.
Of course, losing faith in Colangelo runs much deeper than simply missing the playoffs again…
Andrea Bargnani and Rudy Gay posted 26 points apiece but the Raptors lost their 5th straight game, 125-118 to the Warriors.
Here are some thoughts on the game:
