Well, I'll be the first to admit, in all the hubbub of the Dallas Cowboys winning the NFC East on Saturday, I totally ignored a major accomplishment happening north of the border. Toronto's All-Star, Chris Bosh, set a new franchise all-time scoring record as Toronto won a hard foght battle 91-86. In doing this, he eclipsed the now hated Vince Carter's former record of 9,420 points, and at this point, the chase for 10,000 points is on.
But, rather than this be a total celebration, this is more like a beginning of the end type of feeling for the Raptors, with Chris Bosh eligible for free agency at the end of the season. And let's face it, the goal of this Raptors franchise for this season is to somehow, someway, convince Bosh to stay in Toronto.
Overall, it was another decent week for the Raptors, as they managed two out of three tight games, with the lone loss comign at the hands of a solid but depleted Boston Celtics team. I was disappointed with the effort in Boston, Toronto simply did not get up for a divisional game they had a shot at winning, with Boston missing Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo. Boston essentially led the whole game after the first quarter and controlled the floor with Ray Allen and Rasheed Wallace.
The effort against the Bobcats, especially defensively, could be considered rather questionable as well, but after trailing at the half, the Raptors had a solid, shutdown second half. Similarly, on Sunday, Toronto jumped out on the Spurs from the get-go and held off a late San Antonio rally to surprise th Spurs.
However, right now, the franchise needs to keep Bosh aroudn past this season. What does that entail? Winning games helps, as would a playoff berth and maybe a surprise playoff win. Even though these goals would be unlikely, and if they happened, flukes, Toronto needs them. They need to convince Bosh, and themselves, that they are a team on the verge of something special. Are they ready for primetime? Not wihtout quite a few changes, but the fact that they're good enough to stay in the East race MIGHT be enough tto convince Bosh to stay. As Bosh goes, so goes this team.
Thumbs Up This Week
1. Chris Bosh- Dominating 20+ points games this week, including 35 against Charlotte. As stated above, as Bosh goes, so goes this team.
2. Antoine Wright- Filled in for a flu-ridden Hedo Turkoglu on Sunday and played solid defense while also grabbing 6 rebounds and 7 points. This is the type of depth the Raptors need.
3. DeMar DeRozan- I know, I'm usually down on this kid from USC, but he is improving in shot selection and dropping his turnover numbers recently. This is the type of improvement Toronto needs to see from their 1st round pick.
Thumbs Down This Week
1. San Antonio Spurs- I understand the rigors of East Coast trips, but the fact that Toronto manhandled the 3rd best team in the West has me wondering....
2. Marco Belinelli- Rough week for the Italian, he shot 33% or less in all three games, including going 0 for 5 in 25 minutes against the Spurs, while DeRozan showed improvement. Not good news for Marco.
3. Hedo Turkoglu- OK, maybe I'm just being a little rough, but a poor performance at Boston on Saturday. Then again, he missed Sunday's game with the flu, so I'll let Hedo slide....for now.
On the Medical Bench
Hedo Turkoglu- Missed Sunday's game against the Spurs with flu-like symptoms, he should be back Wednesday, but is offcially day-to-day.
Jose Calderon- Jay Triano said after Sunday's game that Calderon is expected back at the point Wednesday against Orlando. This is a much needed return and critical addition to this Raptor team, welcome back Jose!
Reggie Evans- Still out with the sprained foot. Still no word on when he will return. Lovely.
My Raptors Picks This Week
Well, thanks to an awesome upset of the Spurs, I was a perfect 3-0 last week, which pleases me in a weird way. Toronto has a busy four game week this week, three of the games coming on the road. They travel to Orlando for one, final meeting with the Magic. Bad news Dinos, even with Calderon back, you're gonna get smoked. Big loss tomorrow. Then our first meeting with the 76ers awaits Friday in Philly. Easy win for the Raptors (and a chance to watch a game on REAL TV and not the computer). Then, back-to-back set Sunday and Monday with the Celtics again and then at Indiana. Loss and win are the prediction there, a split week for the Raptors.
Last Week 3-0
Season 11-6
Wed. at Orlando LOSS
Fri. at Philadelphia WIN
Sun. vs Boston LOSS
Mon. at Indiana WIN
Around the NBA
Atlantic- I hate the Celtics, I'll admit it, they annoy me more than any other team right now, even more than the Nets. In any case, they put up a strong effort against Toronto despite a rough 0-3 West Coast trip. This is a team that will get better when Garnett, Pierce and Rondo return, I promise.
Central- It seems like I update the Vinny Del Negro saga in Chicago weekly, but looking at their record since Christmas, would you believe they're 4-1?? The only winning team they beat was Orlando, but still, this is a playoff team in the weak East and they want to implode the whole deal?? Makes no sense to me.
Southeast- Ok, so everyone has heard about the whole gun saga in the Wizards locker room that went down last week. Newest updates have Gilbert Arenas saying that the guns were in there as a prank. Last I checked, athletes didn't play pranks with weapons, Agent Zero. Just saying.
Southwest- Well, even though he's out for the season, Yao Ming is still performing hsi duties back at home. Him and his wife are expecting their first child this summer. Congrats to the Yao family, it's always good to see newborn Chinese children.
Northwest- Hey, NBA teams, listen up. The Utah Jazz are in a complete cap mess and need your help. Reports are circutlating that Utah needs to shed salary and are willing to deal anyone on the team outside of Deron Williams. Hey Boozer, Kirilenko, Korver, and company, start packing your bags, your heading off to some contender somewhere in the next month.
Pacific- Recurring injuries suck. Pau Gasol feels the pain here, as he has strained the same hamstring that caused him to miss the beginning of this season. For now, he is day-to-day for the Lakers.
What to Watch This Week
Wednesday- Toronto at Orlando 7:00 FS Florida
Thursday- Charlotte at New York 7:30 NBA TV
Friday- Cleveland at Denver 10:30 ESPN
Saturday- Atlanta at Orlando 7:00 FS South
Sunday- Boston at Toronto 1:00 CSN New England
Monday- Atlanta at Boston 7:30 NBA TV
Tuesday- LA Lakers at San Antonio 8:30 KCAL Channel 9
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