Game Notes: Suns @ Raptors, Dec. 5, 2007

Quick thoughts the day after seeing Steve Nash play NBA ball in person for the first time as the Suns whupped the Raptors 136-123:

• Nash honestly doesn’t give two shits whether he scores or assists or not, so long as the offence is clicking. Nash clocked 18 dimes in 33 minutes, and easily could have had five more had teammates hit open shots. He also could have rested for the entire fourth quarter, but for a hint of a Raptor comeback.
• Speaking of open shots, it’s been a damn long time since I’ve seen so many players so wide open from downtown. I had to use shorthand while keeping game notes at the ACC because the pace of this one was so frenetic, and there are chunks of notes that read “Hill – WO – 4 3, LB – WO – 4 3, LB – WO 4 3, NO D!” That translates, in proper English to three wide-open three pointers on consecutive Suns possessions, as well as a little note to remind me — as though Sam Mitchell wasn’t going to remind everyone after the game — that the Raptors’ defence was atrocious.
• Speaking of Leandro Barbosa and his 35-point evening, it’s fair to say that he’s as quick, if not quicker, than TJ Ford, who is widely considered one of the NBA’s fastest players. In fact, starting in the third quarter Mitchell began playing Ford and Jose Calderon together for long stretches (something he only did last year in the very last few minutes, to ensure the Raps had two ball-handlers for an inbounds pass), simply so that TJ could try to use his quicks to keep up with LB. The problem with this is that TJ, much like his teammates, wasn’t so into the defence on this night.
• The Pizza Slice Promo has got to go. There was a period of three minutes or so in the early stages of the fourth quarter (my notes have it beginning with about 11:00 – 8:30 remaining, when the Raptors were down about 20 points and were making a mini-run. The crowd was simply going crazy, booing every call that went against the home team (and loudly), screaming their lungs out for every Raps bucket and generally creating some genuine pandemonium in the ACC. The Raps cut it to 13 before an LB layup and a Raptor turnover essentially swung the momentum back to Phoenix, but the crowd was still into it … then I looked at the scoreboard. Those three minutes of wild enthusiasm? Yep, they coincided with the Raps going from being down 106-87 to trailing 117-101. In other words, the game was pretty much done before they started cheering. It wasn’t a plucky and inspiring comeback they wanted, it was a cheese and pepperoni slice. Ridiculous.
• It was interesting to see Jamario Moon matched up against a much more polished version of himself in Phoenix’s Shawn Marion. Matrix has the same uber-athletic hops and wild athleticism that has Toronto fans falling in love with Jamario, and he also knows when to employ it and when to play within himself. It was a tough matchup for the rook, as he couldn’t just leap over everyone to tip those rebounds out to his teammates. Marion was also hell for him on the defensive end when he wasn’t on the bench with foul trouble, as Moon is used to cheating on his man a bit to come over for those crowd-pleasing blocks. Matrix got a few open looks out of it, but missed a bunch of them. Still, eight points, 10 boards and two blocks ain’t bad for Moony.
• At least the fourth-quarter mini-run brought Canada’s favourite son back out for a curtain call. When the Raps cut it to 13, and were pushing the tempo, Mike D’Antoni had to put Nash back into the game, allowing the crowd a chance to voice their displeasure about his no-more-national-team-basketball decision. Just kidding. They cheered him at the intro, they cheered when he subbed in or out, and if they could have been in the locker room after the game, they would have cheered when he came out of the showers. More power to him, I guess. I’ve made my feelings on that issue known.
• Shawn Marion is very soft-spoken in the locker room. Amare Stoudemire is not. Amare is also a freak of nature when viewed up close and in person. Also, he has so many tattoos I was not sure where to look first. It’s quite a sight.
• The good news is that, after surveying the locker rooms of various basketball teams, I have finally found a player who comes close to matching my chiseled physique. The bad news is that it’s Eric Piatkowski.
• As a final note, unless I have time to add some more later, Joey Graham was awful in this one. He started both at tip-off and after halftime. He did very little with his minutes and, after fouling Amare for a three-point play, getting fouled himself at the other end, fumbling away a loose ball recovery and then taking an unnecessary, hurried shot … he found himself yanked after just two minutes of the second half. Bad Joey. Very Bad. Get well soon, Andrea and Chris. We can’t beat the good teams without at least one of you.

Game Diary: Cavs @ Raps, Nov. 30/07

It’s Raptors vs. Cavs … and you know what that means: Drew Gooden vs. Andrea Bargnani, y’all! Epic battles ahead!

Chris Bosh is on the inactive list with a strained groin (I had a strained groin put me on the inactive list one time … ifyaknowhaI’msayin) and LeBron James is active, but not dressed (which gives me a disturbing mental picture of a naked LeBron dancing around the dressing room like an over-sugared six-year-old). I had to hype the game somehow, so Gooden-Bargnani it is.

Q1

11:42: Devin Brown,starting in place of LeBron, travels on the Cavs first possession. Solid.

10:50 Bargnani misses a three, but makes up for it by playing close D on Drew Gooden at the other end. I watched the Celtics-Cavs game on Tuesday night, and Gooden was draining open 18-footers by the bushel, so Bargnani needs to use his length to bother him on those shots, just like he did right here.

7:30 Toronto’s new favourite superhero, Jamario Moon, swats the hell out of a weak layup attempt by Sasha Pavlovic. The rejection starts a fast break finished with an Anthony Parker layup. 11-6, Raps. If you think Raptors fans are a little premature in hailing Moon as the greatest thing since some dude who used to wear No. 15, pause for a second and imagine him as a rookie for the Maple Leafs. Now you begin to see the true meaning of hyperbole. If he announces that he can skate, I’m leaving town now.

6:30 Drew Gooden putback slam rocks the rim and brings the Cavs within one: 11-10.

6:13 Bargnani drives baseline, right past a flat-footed Drew Gooden, and throws down a nice jam. His first step is so quick for a seven-footer that there’s not a lot Gooden can do when Bargnani knows where he’s going and doesn’t hesitate. Between Bargs and Jamario, the crowd is getting into what would otherwise be a pretty lacklustre first quarter. 13-10, Raps.

4:30 It’s worth noting that the Raptors are finding ways to get field goals when the jump shots aren’t falling, as Parker gets Pavlovic to bite on a pump fake and takes it in for a layup. This bodes poorly for Cleveland should the Raptors shots start falling later. (That’s called foreshadowing, yo!)

2:35 Gooden hits his third straight almost-open jumper, making it 22-21 Cavs. Bargnani wasn’t as close up to him as he was at the start of the quarter. You can’t give him space on the elbow. He’ll hit those all day without a hand in his face. I think he hit seven of them in a row against the Cavs.

2:20 After a timeout, TJ Ford makes his return after missing three games, coming off the bench to replace Jose Calderon and immediately finding a cutting Jason Kapono for a quick dime.

1:37 Bargnani makes a 12-foot, turnaround, fadeaway jumper on the baseline look so effortless that a countless number of gawky white guys will be trying that move in pickup games all weekend. Ninety-five percent of those shots will miss. 25-23 Raps.

:30 L’il rusty, TJ? Ford careens into the paint and either gets it stolen or gets his shot blocked. They call it a shot block, but it doesn’t matter – you knew it was a turnover of some kind the second he spun so wildly into a group of about five guys.

Cavs lead 28-27 at the end of one.

Q2

11:17 Do we really NEED a nickname for Jamario Moon? Swirsky was tossing around ‘Super Jamario’ and other fans want Moonman and the like, but since the crowd just chants ‘Mooooooon’ every time he blocks a shot or sinks a bucket (he just swished an 11-footer), why give him a gimmicky nickname? It’s fun enough to chant ‘Moooon’! And it’s his actual name! Leave it at that.

10:45 Brown steps out of bounds for his second turnover of the game. You don’t really notice how much the Cavs truly miss LeBron until the ball winds up in the hands of his replacement.

10:00 Kapono gets his weak-ass layup swatted away by Zydrunas Ilgauaskas. Almost as nasty as Moon’s first-quarter block. 29-28 Raps.

7:47 Carlos Delfino hits a three. I’m not going to bother with foreshadowing. It’s the first of many. 38-32 Raps.

6:59 Bargnani’s back, and he nails a 22-footer. Then grabs a rebound at the other end. Then Moon hits a three and the crowd goes nuts for him. I know why they love him, too: he’s older — just like them — and he’s more than paid his dues, he came from nothing to win a roster spot, he can jump really high and he has a really cool name. What’s not to like? Don’t worry though, Raptor fans will boo him once he slows down a bit and has a bad game in a Raptor loss. The Leaf fans among them will, anyway. Old habits die hard. And bitterness lingers forever.

6:44 Ira Newble fouls Jamario Moon by getting directly under him as he goes up for a rebound. How long has it been since the Raptors had a guy that could jump so high defenders have to back under him or else he’ll just grab the ball above their heads? The Cavs remember last weekend and they KNOW this kid has serious hops.

4:42. Delfino hits a three. Just keeping you updated. 46-36 Raps.

3:02 Bargnani spends almost a full minute missing shots, getting rebounds, missing foul shots, getting the rebounds at the other end off a Cavs miss, catching a pass and missing another jump shot. That’s not to say he’s having a bad night. He’s playing well, he just really, really, REALLY likes to shoot the basketball. 46-38 Raps.

1:41 Delfino hits a three. That’s fourteen points in the second quarter for Carlos coming off the bench. 51-41 Raps.

Halftime, with a Damon Jones three right before the buzzer, just to ensure we don’t get fat and happy during the intermission. Game’s not over yet. 54-49 Raps.

Q3

11:30 The offence is running straight through Bargnani to start the third as he gets touches on the Raps first three possessions. A missed shot, a three-in-the-key turnover off the ball and a long jumper. 56-51 Raps.

9:09 Moon blocks another shot, this time by Devin Brown, and Bargnani hits a three at the other end as the Raps start to open it up. When they get their shooting down, even without Bosh, it’s really tough for opposing teams to keep up. 61-51.

7:37 Parker misses a layup, Rasho gets the offensive board and is fouled, hitting two FT. 63-51 Raps.

6:07 Gooden hits a nice layup, Brown rolls in an ugly layup for the Cavs to cut it to 63-57. Sam wants a timeout.

5:50 right after the TO, they run a play for Moon, who almost throws down a huge baseline dunk, but gets fouled instead. See? They know you have to put a hand on him because if he dunks, this crowd will go bonkers. 65-57.

5:00 Jose Calderon — who hasn’t been mentioned yet simply because he’s just taking what the defence gives him and racking up assists without turnover — is given a path to the basket, which he takes, making a layup as he’s fouled by Drew Gooden. 70-57.

4:48 Boobie’s in the house. Gibson hits a three to cut it to 10 again, 70-60.

4:12 A bad pass by Moon results in a turnover and the call on a reaching foul by Calderon has Sam Mitchell royally pissed at the refs. Mitchell is out on the court, waving his arms like he’s trying to fly, but no T. Boobie hits another 3, however. 70-63.

3:52 Bargs eschews the jump shot and takes it right at Gooden, resulting in two made free throws. 72-63.

3:00 Moon gets up and down at least three times in the span of two seconds to tip a rebound out to Kapono. The two Cavs (Drew and Z) under the basket each got up and down once. Moon has some good shoes or something!

2:20 Moon then jumps over teammate Carlos Delfino to grab a rebound. Because he knows that he’s on my fantasy team and he wants to rack up the stats — that’s why.

1:40 A Moon dunk that would have brought the house down is negated because he travelled. Take it easy, rook. 74-64 Raps.

0:11 Delfino hits two free throws to put the Raps up 12, and Eric Snow hits one of two at the other end to make it an 11-point game after three quarters. 76-65 Raps.

Q4

We interrupt the Game Notes to bring you the Carlos Delfino show:

Delfino for three! Delfino rebound! Delfino tips a TJ Ford miss into the bucket!

10:18 A TJ Ford steal and layup makes it 83-65 and the Raps are on a 7-0 run.

10:02 More Carlos! A board on a missed three and a long jumper at the other end gives him a career high 24 points on the night, on 9-14 shooting. For a couple of second-round picks? I am STILL blown away by the difference between Bryan Colangelo transactions and Rob Babcock moves. (They even get a different parlance: Colangelo makes transactions, Babcock makes moves.) Raps up 20: 85-65.

8:52 Two quick Pavlovic jumpers, a two and a three, cut the lead to 15.

7:38 Bargnani misses a three, Damon Jones (the best shooter in the world, y’all!) makes one. It’s 85-73. Sam is pissed and wants to yell at his guys. Calderon and Parker return to the floor for TJ and Kapono.

7:00 Damon Jones banks in a layup to cut it to 10 … again.

It’s the BKBL INTL Turning Point: With the Cavs threatening, the Raptors remember that Bargnani guy who can shoot a little bit. Bargs hits a jumper, misses a jumper, hits another long two, grabs an offensive rebound and plays some good defence on Drew Goden (using his length to keep a hand in his face while preparing for the drive) forcing a miss. With 4:30 to go, it’s 89-77 Raps. Game Over.

3:18 Raptors try to work the clock, and do, until it runs out and they take a 24-second violation.

2:00 A Boobie Gibson three makes it a nine-point game with two minutes left.

1:39 The Raps work the clock to perfection again, but forget to shoot at the end of it. Another 24-second violation. Gooden is hassled by Bargnani under the basket and turns it over, sealing the victory. The crowd knows it’s done and breaks into a large ovation, even though — gasp! — the Raps won’t get to the 100-point, free-pizza mark.

Final score (after Cleveland extends the game, drawing mad boos from the ACC faithful): 91-82 Raps. Raps improve to 9-7, Cavs fall to 9-8.

Bargnani (26) and Delfino (24) both had career highs. Bargnani also kept Drew Gooden in check for some critical possesions.

Sam says

On Bargnani: “I though he played really good defence on Drew Gooden … (On offense) He’s trying to do things that we’re asking him to do. He’s got a lot of things running through his head right now … Andrea played well for us. He played well defensively. He scored 26 points for us, which we needed. We just have to keep him on this track and keep making him better and better.

“The thing I liked about what he did on the block was, when they doubled him, he made the right pass. He got the ball out and we were able to get the ball to the right guy … He doesn’t have to score when he’s doubled. He just has to make the right pass.”

On letting the Cavs back in after going up 20: “We just didn’t manage the game. We got up 20 with eight minutes to go and we came down and took two quick shots, one of them was a three, and then another quick shot, and then we had two turnovers, so there were four possessions where we didn’t get a good shot and they hit two threes and scored, so… We can’t do that. When you’ve got a 20-point lead at home with eight minutes to go, you’ve got to control the basketball game.”

Mini-Battles

Bargnani played tight defence on Drew Gooden for most of the game, earning praise from his coach. What was he trying to do going into what he knew would be a matchup with Drew Gooden?

“I knew that Rasho would (be guarding Zydrunas) so I knew Gooden is a better matchup for me … He’s a very good player. He always tries to post you up and he’s very strong under the basket and you have to contest his shot The main thing is to try to keep on top of him and keep him out of the paint and I tried to do that.”

Next-up: The Wizards in Washington Saturday night. It’s a road game so no Game Diary. But I’m sure we’ll be watching if anything important happens…