# Sonics @ Raptors, Mar. 11th



## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

*Game #63, 11 March 2007
Seattle Supersonics [25-37] @ Toronto Raptors [33-29]
1:00 PM EST, Rogers SportsNet, Fan590.com
Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON*

<img border="2" height="35" width="522" src="http://images.tsn.ca/images/e/headers/nba-supersonics-775x50.gif">

<img border="1" src="http://pics.forecaster.ca/nba-player/0449.gif"> <img border="1" src="http://pics.forecaster.ca/nba-player/0006.gif"> <img border="1" src="http://pics.forecaster.ca/nba-player/0207.gif"> <img border="1" src="http://pics.forecaster.ca/nba-player/0647.gif"> <img border="1" src="http://pics.forecaster.ca/nba-player/0906.gif">
<img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/speedythief/headtohead.jpg"> <img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/speedythief/headtohead.jpg"> <img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/speedythief/headtohead.jpg"> <img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/speedythief/headtohead.jpg"> <img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/speedythief/headtohead.jpg">
<img border="1" src="http://pics.forecaster.ca/nba-player/0945.gif"> <img border="1" src="http://pics.forecaster.ca/nba-player/0297.gif"> <img border="1" src="http://pics.forecaster.ca/nba-player/1719.gif"> <img border="1" src="http://pics.forecaster.ca/nba-player/0924.gif"> <img border="1" src="http://pics.forecaster.ca/nba-player/0268.gif">

<img border="2" height="35" width="522" src="http://images.tsn.ca/images/e/headers/nba-raptors-775x50.gif">

*
The Toronto Raptors head into Sunday's matinée affair with momentum and a big
supply of good news. For starters, the Raptors snapped a three-game losing 
skid on Wednesday, defeating the declawed Memphis Grizzlies on their home turf.
The Raps then got a rare three-day vacation including a day-off on Thursday. 
Andrea Bargnani settled family business in Italy and has rejoined the team, and
also ready to play again is perimeter defender and three-point shooter (no, not
Morris Peterson) Anthony Parker, who the Raptors have gone 2-3 without. Add
to that a five-game-and-growing lead on the Atlantic Division for the dinos. Lastly,
the Raps will get to take advantage of a 1:00 PM EST start against a West coast
Seattle Sonics squad, a tip-time that has been advantageous for the team this 
season. Chris Bosh broke a five-game slump against the Grizzlies, scoring 19 
points and adding nine rebounds and three blocks in the win. He'll be matched
against another impact player on Sunday in the very athletic Chris Wilcox, who
has averaged about a dozen points this season alongside Rashard Lewis, the free
agent to be who has put up around 22 points each contest this year. With their
game against the Raptors the Sonics are finishing-off a four-game Atlantic
Division road trip that has seen them win against the 3rd-place New York Knicks
but lose to the 4th-place Philadelphia 76ers and 5th-place Boston Celtics. The 
Sonics are 7-24 on the road this year and are led by smooth three-point shooting 
veteran guard Ray Allen who, at 26.5 points per game, has been putting up career 
numbers in scoring on the season. In his last four games Allen has scored 28.5
points and taken nearly 11 three-pointers in each game. Catch Chuck & Jack at 1.*​</td></tr>​


----------



## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

According to one website, Jose Calderon is "a poor-man's Earl Watson". Might want to re-think that analysis.

Also, I am projecting that Mo Pete will start. Second unit be damned (they should have AP, anyways), starting Juan Dixon against Ray Allen makes my brain hurt. Especially with a 6-10, 6-11, 6-10 Sonics frontcourt.


----------



## madman (Oct 20, 2003)

Ray Ray and Lewis have been on fire as of late, need to shut them down early


----------



## Brown_Balla (Jul 2, 2006)

isnt A.P. coming back this game?


----------



## seifer0406 (Jun 8, 2003)

no Luke Ridnour?


----------



## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

seifer0406 said:


> no Luke Ridnour?





> Status Alert: Ridnour (herniated cervical disk) won't be available until Tuesday's game at Detroit, the Seattle Times reports. (Mar 8)


ESPN


----------



## Mr_B (Mar 6, 2004)

Danny Fortson suspended for missing a team meeting


----------



## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Mr_B said:


> Danny Fortson suspended for missing a team meeting


Rashard Lewis unhappy with the Sonics after their latest loss, publicly slams the team.


----------



## Mr_B (Mar 6, 2004)

speedythief said:


> Rashard Lewis unhappy with the Sonics after their latest loss, publicly slams the team.


I think its obvious that hes going to opt out at the end of the season as for the game I expect it to be close


----------



## ABargnani (Dec 16, 2006)

Brown_Balla said:


> isnt A.P. coming back this game?


yep, didn't you read speedythiefs game preview?


----------



## Mr_B (Mar 6, 2004)

Raps are back in that funk again


----------



## jibe (Nov 11, 2006)

why cant raptors cant finish close to the basket they musta missed at least 10 points on close shots ?


----------



## Mr_B (Mar 6, 2004)

this game close to being over


----------



## crimedog (Jun 3, 2003)

Mr_B said:


> this game close to being over


not quite, but they sure aren't impressing. 

a loss today could be a big momentum killer. 

hopefully bargs can spark us to start 4th.


----------



## shapeshifter (Jun 13, 2005)

I'm really not liking tj so much anymore. I don't see any consistency or cohesiveness when he runs the point. Maybe its time to start Jose again?

On a side note... i really can't wait to have a new coach. Sams a great guy but i'm sick of seeing the same offensive plays for the last 3 years.


----------



## streetballa (Dec 5, 2006)

atlent45 said:


> I'm really not liking tj so much anymore. I don't see any consistency or cohesiveness when he runs the point. Maybe its time to start Jose again?
> 
> On a side note... i really can't wait to have a new coach. Sams a great guy but i'm sick of seeing the same offensive plays for the last 3 years.


I also dont like TJ. He takes way too many pull up jumpers and misses them all or he holds on to the ball for too long and we don't make the basket.


----------



## streetballa (Dec 5, 2006)

We can still win, we are down 5 with 6 minutes left.


----------



## Phenom Z28 (Nov 22, 2004)

Wow @ Bosh

Sweet behind the back dribble and lay up then gets back on defense to block a fast break lay-up...insane.


----------



## RC06 (Jan 30, 2007)

Wow, did you see that? Chris Bosh with a behind-the-back layup! Oh my BOSH!


----------



## RC06 (Jan 30, 2007)

BAM! Juan Dixon for threeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

100-99 Raps...

Timeout Seattle...


----------



## streetballa (Dec 5, 2006)

We lead by 1 !!!!!!!!


----------



## RC06 (Jan 30, 2007)

Damn, Lewis with the put-back after a Ray Allen miss...

Timeout Toronto...

104-102 Sonics w/ 20 ticks left in the game...


----------



## Mr_B (Mar 6, 2004)

once again its a rebound that does us in


----------



## RC06 (Jan 30, 2007)

YES! Bargnani for threeeeee and the foul! Il Mago!


----------



## Mr_B (Mar 6, 2004)

Bargnani!!!!!!!


----------



## streetballa (Dec 5, 2006)

Bargnani hits a 3 plus a foul with 10 seconds left!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Zoltan (May 24, 2006)

HOLY dam bargnani for Rookie of the year hands down


----------



## Zoltan (May 24, 2006)

Rofl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
**** U Ray **** U! What A Game!


----------



## RC06 (Jan 30, 2007)

Damn it, Ray Allen hits a big time jumper for the tie, we're going to OT!

What a game, yet again, rebounds are hurting us...


----------



## Mr_B (Mar 6, 2004)

lol where was the rebound? Ray Allen been killer all game


----------



## streetballa (Dec 5, 2006)

****!!!!! we had the game right there but we couldnt get the damn rebound and Ray sends the game into OT. ****ing Raptors can't even get a ****ing defensive rebound goddamit!!!!!!


----------



## crimedog (Jun 3, 2003)

the raptors are playing SLOPPY...if they can pull this out in OT, they will be stealing 

REBOUND!!!


----------



## streetballa (Dec 5, 2006)

I am so pissed of right now, stupid *** raptors can't get a rebound.


----------



## AllEyezonTX (Nov 16, 2006)

I can't believe Ray got his own miss & ties it up...extra 5!


----------



## TRON (Feb 29, 2004)

these offensive boards are killing me


----------



## AllEyezonTX (Nov 16, 2006)

nice strip TJ


----------



## Knick Killer (Jul 16, 2006)

dont let Ford over dribble....


----------



## TRON (Feb 29, 2004)

Sam continues with the small lineup even though we're getting killed on the boards and Ray and Rashard are simply shooting over Juan and TJ


----------



## Knick Killer (Jul 16, 2006)

Parker misses...HOW THE HELL DID BARGNANI NOT GET THAT REBOUND! Seattle takes it back andd Wilcox dunks


----------



## Knick Killer (Jul 16, 2006)

Raps gotta score here...114-113 Raptors 50 secs left raps ball.


----------



## Knick Killer (Jul 16, 2006)

Ford Scores! 116-113 raps 48 seconds left!


----------



## Knick Killer (Jul 16, 2006)

Ray Allen misses 3...FORD REBOUND AND FOUL! No Salami & Cheese Chuck?


----------



## RC06 (Jan 30, 2007)

Finally! Ray Allen misses the three, Ford comes up with the rebound and gets fouled, he'll shoot two.


----------



## Mr_B (Mar 6, 2004)

What Seattle doing? terrible terrible coaching


----------



## crimedog (Jun 3, 2003)

well...tj won it for us in OT. i somewhat agree with some of the comments about him, but he definitely has the ability to win a game on his own. and he's been spectacular today.


----------



## AllEyezonTX (Nov 16, 2006)

Earl Watson couldn't miss in NY last week...lol


----------



## RC06 (Jan 30, 2007)

Raptors win! Raptors win! Raptors win!

120-119 Raptors!

Wow, what a thriller at the ACC!


----------



## Mr_B (Mar 6, 2004)

So wheres the Ford bashers today?


----------



## madman (Oct 20, 2003)

WOW no ****ing way we were supposed to win that, a defensive game 35-5 2nd chance points is disgusting


----------



## streetballa (Dec 5, 2006)

We win!


----------



## Knick Killer (Jul 16, 2006)

the Raptors had to win this game. It wasnt pretty but it was a HUGE win.


----------



## shapeshifter (Jun 13, 2005)

Mr_B said:


> So wheres the Ford bashers today?



you can rely on tjs jump shot falling to win a game, i would prefer not to.


----------



## Mr_B (Mar 6, 2004)

atlent45 said:


> you can rely on tjs jump shot falling to win a game, i would prefer not to.


I agree but I just feel Tj gets way more hate on here than he deserves yea he does stupid things at times and turns the ball over alot but the guy only 23 that kind of stuff Tj will take care of as he gets older I rather have him than Mike James who does similar things on the court but you know he won't correct it at this stage of his career also Mike a negative person unlike Tj


----------



## TJ Ford (Dec 16, 2006)

Well, TJ made the right decisions down the stretch today. That's good for a change. But then, the Sonics Defence is almost non-existent, so I don't know how much credit I should give him.
I thought he did well defensively as well in overtime.
How do we get outrebounded again by such a margin??? We are last in the league in rebounding? That's terrible. If that happens in the playoffs, we are going nowhere.


----------



## JS03 (Jan 5, 2005)

madman said:


> WOW no ****ing way we were supposed to win that, a defensive game 35-5 2nd chance points is disgusting


Yeah
Rebounding is a huge problem for this team.
Glad we got the win.


----------



## shapeshifter (Jun 13, 2005)

Mr_B said:


> I agree but I just feel Tj gets way more hate on here than he deserves yea he does stupid things at times and turns the ball over alot but the guy only 23 that kind of stuff Tj will take care of as he gets older I rather have him than Mike James who does similar things on the court but you know he won't correct it at this stage of his career also Mike a negative person unlike Tj



Yeah your right. I tend to forget that he is only 23 and has a lot of upside. It just looks really jerky right now when he is out there and it is frustrating. But huge props for his OT effort, especially that rebound over Lewis.


The games against NY are going to be huge, heres hoping the raptors will take rebounding to heart.


----------



## TJ Ford (Dec 16, 2006)

They should make rebounding and defence the priority.


----------



## SkywalkerAC (Sep 20, 2002)

TJ FORD TAKING OVER IN THE CLUTCH BABY!!!

Raps win a Sunday thriller at the ACC! You gotta love it.


----------



## ballocks (May 15, 2003)

TJ Ford said:


> But then, the Sonics Defence is almost non-existent, so I don't know how much credit I should give him.


imo, the "overtime tj" we saw today is not important. he was hot and it happened to be the right time for it. 

the "third quarter tj", imo, was *major* and i suspect he won't be crowned for/credited with that by many fans or writers or critics or anyone else. he may not have won us the game in the third q, but i firmly believe he managed to keep the ship afloat while the rest of his teammates were on the verge of falling off the deck.

there was one stretch that i remember well and it could have (who knows) had an effect on the outcome of the game (i may have put some of the scores and sequences out of order but i doubt it):

59-55 sonics. you could sense the momentum shift in seattle's favour. tj got the ball in the open floor and managed to put the sonics' defense on its heels, ultimately finishing the play himself at the basket over ray allen (tj can jump, man). that play itself was enormous, imo, and brought the score to 59-57. if nothing else, it put a dent in the seemingly imminent run that seattle was trying to create.

a strong defensive sequence followed immediately and on the next offensive set, tj directed a fantastic two-man game with chris, finishing the play with a jumpshot in the middle of the floor. 59-59.

at this point, you could feel the pulse changing and ray allen stepped up (as he did all afternoon) to sustain his team's momentum. he missed a corner three, though, and the ball bounced high into the air and behind the backboard. not one of our designated rebounders expressed the urgency to get the ball (which bothers me big-time, but was not surprising), but tj took it upon himself to fly out of the backcourt and corral the rock behind the glass. that was a 'leadership rebound', i thought, and brought major relief to me. tj claimed the _leadership_ of the team at that important moment, when chris seemed rather disinterested himself (just being honest), and that's a really underrated trait imo. tj was not afraid to grab the torch from the all-star after the all-star showed he didn't _want_ the torch. there's something to be said for that.

on the same play, tj fired up the floor, running by everyone (but in control throughout), forcing his teammates to run with him and establish position in the offensive court (with the sonics again on their heels), then finding garbajosa wide open for an excellent look at the basket from mid-range. 61-59 raps. 

now, the score after the first 9 minutes of the third q was ~ tied, i think, but that doesn't change much for me: it was the very real possibility (imo) that it could've been far worse had tj not emerged at that precise time to steady the ship. the other players on the floor with him were hardly inspiring me- chris, parker, nesterovic and garbajosa being the four- and tj's play still brought value from them. again, i'm firmly of the belief that the game might've spiraled out of control without tj's leadership at that point- and it sort of did after calderon replaced him with two minutes left in the q- and he deserves a ton of credit for that. it'll be forgotten forever and people may only remember his effective run down the stretch this afternoon, but it shouldn't be.

tj was fantastic, imo, well before his numbers began to reflect the same idea. he showed 'playoff leadership', imo, and that relaxes me somewhat considering i'd previously thought that this team was missing _just that_. it would help to see it more often- but it would help even more to not _have to_ see it, and have our complementary cast not put our team in the position where the need is felt to have him step up for them.

peace


----------



## Sanjan (Mar 12, 2003)

we had some great shooting in the 4th there well minus people not named bosh and ford but still great win


----------



## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

I missed this game completely, running errands and whatnot. Sheesh, looks like I missed a dandy. Have to catch the game-in-an-hour at some point.


----------



## AllEyezonTX (Nov 16, 2006)

I can't believe Rap fans would "dislike" anything about Tj, when the best pg you've ever had was Damon "mighty mouse" stoudimire...Great win today, Tj showed some leadership out there today!


----------



## Ryethe (Nov 15, 2003)

It's strange but we don't seem to move or space as well when TJ is on the floor. TJ frustrates me not because of what he does, but more because of what we do when he's on the floor.

The ACC was really rockin' today though when TJ went on that run, he was amazing. As was Bosh. That bucket and then block was one of the best plays I've seen all year.


----------



## jibe (Nov 11, 2006)

everybody remembers what TJ did in the second half an OT but nobody wants to talk about what happened in the first half when the Raps just couldnt click with TJ mostly running the point

TJ was dribble penetrating an the other Raptors just watched him an waited until he got into trouble. also he is not a good passer into the post an that will ice Bosh.

if the Raps had lost the game everybody would remember how TJ screwed up the team with too much dribbling


----------



## Timbaland (Nov 18, 2005)

TJ almost lost us the game but came up big in the OT. I can see what Smitch and BC see in him in that he can be the distributor that Calderon is, but also can take over the game in which Calderon wouldn't be able to. 

Anyhow, I was lucky enough to go to this game, and it had to be the game of the year so far for me, it had everything. The ACC was going off with Bosh's spectacular plays and no one even heard a whistle when Bargs hit the shot because it was so loud. The Toronto fans are really getting into it.


----------



## Crossword (Jun 7, 2002)

atlent45 said:


> you can rely on tjs jump shot falling to win a game, i would prefer not to.


Why not? Because he's done it on numerous occasions? Can't argue with that logic...


----------



## lucky777s (Nov 13, 2003)

Dave Hopla for MVP. Raps shooting has improved a great deal since he came on board.

I thought TJ played quite well for most of the game. Pretty much under control. I prefer him taking the foul line jump shots uncontested than going all the way for wild layup attempts or his fadeaway baseline shot. But he looks for his own shot too much at times. He was hot in the third so you live with it. And that play in the final seconds of the fourth was typical TJ. Attack the hoop and force up a wild contested shot with zero chance of going in and hope for a rebound. Is that really our best option? And then the rebound to RayAllen goes right past his head because he didn't stay at the foul line to secure a long rebound and box out. Big mistakes down the stretch that will cost us eventually if he doesn't correct them.

TJ is showing some improvement this year. Mainly in controlling the speed of his game and hsi improved jump shot. But you can't just assume that because he is young he is going to magically correct all of his flaws. Every PG in the league was young at one point including Marbury and Francis and Kenny Anderson types.

Our PG play is more than good enough for us to win with but late game decision making is going to be key in the playoffs.

Seattle was going to be tough today because they had a players only meeting after the last game and were going to bring the effort today. They can score and that always means danger for a Toronto team that doesn't defend well. Ray Allen is just great to watch. He is so professional and well conditioned. You never see him even breathing hard.

And how about how cool and focussed Andrea was after hitting the big 3 as he went to the line. The kid is a killer.


----------



## lucky777s (Nov 13, 2003)

By the way, anyone notice that blonde guy handing drinks to the Raptor players during a timeout. Guy was scary. He was giving Bargnani a look like he was in love with him or something. Very weird.


----------



## Victor Page (Nov 1, 2006)

TJ's wild dash must be a designed play - they've tried several times before (most recently at the end of the home loss to Cleveland, and before that, at the end of the victory against the Bulls in Chicago).

TJ beats his man off the dribble, and tries to draw contact in going to the rim. Failing that, the idea seems to be to draw a help defender over, which allows Bosh an easy put back. It worked against Chicago but failed miserably against Cleveland (TJ threw the ball behind his head, it went high off the backboard and Bosh had no chance to get it).

It's a risky play because when it doesn't work, it looks terrible (looks like S-Mitch is an idiot, and TJ is taking on 5 guys by himself). When it works, it looks like random fortune. 

Most coaches would draw up plays for an outside shot - where the blame for failure would like with the shooter (i.e. set screens for AP and let him take a fadeaway 18 footer). 

At the very least, I think S-Mitch and TJ deserve credit for trying something outside the box.


----------



## Benis007 (May 23, 2005)

Yet another dribble drive to end a close game for TJ. its almost as if we are banking on him missing and getting the offensive board. Glad to see he redeemed himself in OT, but this game should have been won in regulation. I could see Sam being pissed we didn't close it out. Bosh needs to stay alert on the defensive board and box out, he gave up a gem, again, late in the game.


----------



## More (Sep 3, 2006)

Awful rebounding by the Raptors! Does this team ever box out? I didn't like how the last play was run by TJ in the regulation. Anyways great effort by the team, the Raptors should realize that even though they don't play great they should pull the W.


----------



## Turkish Delight (Mar 17, 2004)

lucky777s said:


> By the way, anyone notice that blonde guy handing drinks to the Raptor players during a timeout. Guy was scary. He was giving Bargnani a look like he was in love with him or something. Very weird.


He was reacting to Bargnani's 4 point play.


----------



## Benis007 (May 23, 2005)

More said:


> *I didn't like how the last play was run by TJ in the regulation*.


same play was run at the end of the Bulls and Cavs game.

i hate it. put Jose in to close out games, please.


----------



## Victor Page (Nov 1, 2006)

I don't think Jose has the ability to create his own shot - therefore, TJ should be in at the end of games with the score tied or the Raptors behind.

I know, I know, TJ's not a great finisher and not a great shooter. But you can always count on him to get an open look for himself or at least get into the paint and create chaos. This is what you need for "buzzer beater" type plays.

Jose creates better shots overall but if you had only 5 seconds to get a good look, you have to go with TJ.


----------

