# Hornets @ Raptors, Jan. 24th



## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

*Game #43, 24 January 2007
Oklahoma City Hornets [16-24] @ Toronto Raptors [20-22]
7:00 PM EST, TSN, Fan590.com
Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON*

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

<img border="1" src="http://pics.forecaster.ca/nba-player/0784.gif"> <img border="1" src="http://pics.forecaster.ca/nba-player/0675.gif"> <img border="1" src="http://pics.forecaster.ca/nba-player/0229.gif"> <img border="1" src="http://pics.forecaster.ca/nba-player/0909.gif"> <img border="1" src="http://pics.forecaster.ca/nba-player/0412.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/1306.gif"> <img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/speedythief/parkerbig1.jpg"> <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 defeated the declawed Charlotte Bobcats on Monday and 
the Sacramento Kings came back to win against the New Jersey Nets shortly after. 
You don't have to be a math wizard to figure out that a Raps win and Nets loss
equates to upward movement in the Atlantic Division standings for the dinos. 
Toronto will continue a five-game home stand Wednesday night against the small
and flightless New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, who played Tuesday night at
Philadelphia and got their stingers kicked by Kyle Korver and Andre Iguodala. 
The Hornets shot 42% and managed just 14 assists in the contest, forced to start
journeyman Devin Brown at point despite having Bobby Jackson on the bench. 
Brown led the bugs with 24 points and David West added 23 and 11 rebounds in
the loss. Toronto is looking to improve to 3-1 on their current homestand and 
pull to within one game of .500. It would be the last time the Raptors were this 
close to .500 at mid-season since Kevin O'Neill coached the Rose & Carter led
Raps to 25-25 before the team suffered a Biblical plague of injuries and O'Neill
broke some glass in frustration. The Raps will be without TJ Ford for the second
straight game due to an ankle injury. The game tips at 7:00 on TSN/Fan590.com.*​</td></tr>​


----------



## SickGame (Jan 23, 2006)

Winnable game for us but the return of David West makes it harder.
Garbo's minutes will be limited, there is no way he can cover Mason.


----------



## chocolove (Apr 4, 2006)

David West definitely makes the Hornets a bit tougher to play againist but I still feel confident about the Raps winning this one. Especially if Jose can play like he did againist the bobcats


----------



## Dee-Zy (Jan 12, 2006)

****, still no TJ huh? As much as I think Cal is better, that would still leave Mcnugget as a back up rather than Calderon.

The good news is paul isn't gonna be there, but with West back .... argh, we need to win this game baaaaaaaaad.

They lost tonight, so hopefully, on a back to back we can do some damage.


----------



## Timbaland (Nov 18, 2005)

Raps need to run the ball down their throats. Should be winnable as long as the Raptors play smart. You guys should ease up on the McNugget, although he does look like one, I have to admit he's a decent third string point guard.


----------



## Chan Ho Nam (Jan 9, 2007)

David West and Mason scares me, this will be one of the tougher home games fairly evenly matched IMO can go either way

hope our guards can do good for us, i feel that AP can shut down Mason and Calderon will have another great game


----------



## Pain5155 (May 28, 2006)

another blowout.


----------



## billfindlay10 (Jan 24, 2003)

This is a team that could hurt us on the boards. Rasho needs to limit Tysons chances on the the offensive glass. Bosh will also need to bring his "A" game on defence tonight. I like the advantage we will have at the point guard spot, a carrer 10th man who is a 2 guard starting at the point does not bode well for NOK.

I think we will see Parker start out on Mason as he is more of a slasher. This will allow Garbajosa to match up with Butler. Butler seems to be more of a hover around the 3 point line type of player.


----------



## Victor Page (Nov 1, 2006)

A "winnable" game? "Evenly matched"? What in the world are you guys talking about? The Raptors are big-time favourites in this one - if they lose it would be a HUGE upset.

Upsets are always a possibility (that's why they play the games) but let's call it what it is - a big mismatch in favour of the Raps (how often do you get to say that?).


----------



## ballocks (May 15, 2003)

i think it's ironically of benefit to the raptors for tj ford to miss this game. i'm not saying that because i think he's a 'bad' player or whatever, i'm just saying it because it's one of those games that we tend to overlook. with a full complement of players, we'd probably be _too_ confident heading in- which could lead to the same lapses that have plagued us throughout the season in games in which we've found ourselves pegged as decided favourites. having tj out of the lineup will call everyone into action from the opening tip, i think, for the simple reason that he _is_ out, and that we need to compensate for his absence. we're still decided favourites, no question, but the risk of almost 'forgetting' to play is not as significant for me as long as we have important players in suits.

i don't think we need this game that badly but i would certainly love to have it. we should learn how to play as favourites sooner or later. 

peace


----------



## streetballa (Dec 5, 2006)

If we can win this game then we will only be 1 game under.500, awsome!


----------



## drlove_playa (Feb 11, 2005)

If you guys are worrying about Mason and West, god help you. Those guys are nothing but 2nd string players in this league. I'd understand if it was Kobe or lebron u were talking about, but Desmond Mason and David West? Come on. If the raps can't stop either one of them, then there is no hope.


----------



## JuniorNoboa (Jan 27, 2003)

Raps 108
NEW OKLEANSOMA CITY 74


----------



## JuniorNoboa (Jan 27, 2003)

What's the over / under when we will be officially in first place: 

I say 12:53am, January 25


----------



## AirJordan™ (Nov 21, 2005)

Ewww, since when did we change our intro music? At least 'Renegades of Funk' pumped you up, this new one is just...bleh...

Lol, goes to show how many Raptors games I've watched lately, first game in a long while...


----------



## A.W.#8 (Sep 8, 2003)

why is bargnani not suited up?


----------



## Babe Ruth (Dec 6, 2006)

We're currently losing 18-15, Garbo is playing well, but we have to defend a little better because the Hornets are scoring easily. I think it will really hurt us that Il Mago won't be playing because it means that Humphries will have more minutes, and he can't score in my opinion, and he's hogs the ball a little to much, which means he'll take away shots from the others that can actually score.


----------



## Mr_B (Mar 6, 2004)

N.o came to play tonight


----------



## Mr_B (Mar 6, 2004)

A.W.#8 said:


> why is bargnani not suited up?


he has the flu


----------



## raptorsrule15 (Jul 4, 2003)

What is wrong with us, sometimes i actually think we're a good team, and we start off like this!


----------



## NeoSamurai (Jan 16, 2003)

theyre starting to play like the run and gun version of the raptors...falling in love with the perimeter game...


----------



## NeoSamurai (Jan 16, 2003)

wow, watching this game, you realize just how important Bargnani is to the team in providing space for everyone else on the team...we have no rhythm in this game, not working on defense, not executing well on offense...


----------



## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

You kind of get the impression that the Raps aren't going to have to increase their effort by a whole lot to take over this game, especially considering the Hornets played last night.

Pretty poor first half in general but I think we can win this game with a little more concentration.

What is the deal with Chris Bosh's rebounding these days?


----------



## Timbaland (Nov 18, 2005)

^^^ No idea but it's not helping my fantasy team thats for sure. Hopefully the Raptors put some effort into the second half and come out strong. The crowd is totally out of it too, Raps need to get them excited about something.


----------



## Mr_B (Mar 6, 2004)

This game is over opportunity lost


----------



## chocolove (Apr 4, 2006)

Man this is a stinker, good thing there is a good alternative today with the all star game on. No effort at all from the raps tonight


----------



## AirJordan™ (Nov 21, 2005)

Oh my god. What a ball game. Chris Bosh hits a three to tie it up!!!!! The Hornets are breaking apart right in front of our eyes...

LETS GO RAPTORS!


----------



## chocolove (Apr 4, 2006)

Man they really turned it around, I feel bad about making my previous post. That was a clutch shot by Bosh. Nice to see the Raps not on the receiving end of a comeback victory for once.


----------



## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

I don't know if this win is a good thing. We will learn nothing from this.

I'm actually disappointed we are going to win, and I knew we would; they knew they would win.

Bad win.


----------



## Mr_B (Mar 6, 2004)

wow what a gut check by the raps and what a meltdown by the hornets an ugly game to watch but thats a game we had no business winning at all


----------



## Zoltan (May 24, 2006)

speedythief said:


> I don't know if this win is a good thing. We will learn nothing from this.
> 
> I'm actually disappointed we are going to win, and I knew we would; they knew they would win.
> 
> Bad win.



hmm? at 1st they wern't playin hard but then i bet there probably relized that and began to play hard IMO i dont think there gna take opponents lightly again that much IMO its a good win


----------



## Sanjan (Mar 12, 2003)

speedythief said:


> I don't know if this win is a good thing. We will learn nothing from this.
> 
> I'm actually disappointed we are going to win, and I knew we would; they knew they would win.
> 
> Bad win.


We learned alot about the team out, it was a great win... i have no idea what your trying to say.

We need wins to make the playoffs, so really calling any win a bad win is crazy talk.


----------



## GoRaptors (Apr 3, 2005)

Raps win! 

While not the ideal way to play, it is nice to see the team succeed and snatch a comeback victory. The club was playing without Bargnani and Ford and still managed to win.


----------



## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Sanjan said:


> We learned alot about the team out, it was a great win... i have no idea what your trying to say.
> 
> We need wins to make the playoffs, so really calling any win a bad win is crazy talk.


What I'm trying to say is that the Raptors aren't good enough to saunter through a game like this just because the Hornets are a bottom-rung team. Until our team learns to play with the same intensity all the time we are still going to be up and down like a fiddler's elbow.

We need wins to make the playoffs but we need to win the right way in order to improve as a team. Playing lazy all game and then hoping to get bailed out by officiating and streak shooting isn't helping us develop the right mentality for the future.

We play another flattened out team in Friday. Are we going to try and coast through that one, too?


----------



## Timbaland (Nov 18, 2005)

Speedy speaks the truth. No doubt he's happy we got the win, because we were expected to. But coming from behind like that in the last 5 minutes after a lackluster effort is not the way you want to do it. Sure they got the win, but it was a lucky win, they aren't good enough to coast by on purely talent, which it seems like what they were trying to do.

Anyhow on the bright side, great game from Bosh besides his poor free throw shooting. Tonight he showed why he's the face of the franchise; when no one else could get it going they leaned on him and he came through. Awesome game by him and Calderon.


----------



## pmac34 (Feb 10, 2006)

can someone post a game recap? i missed it studying for exams and doing a project


----------



## streetballa (Dec 5, 2006)

It was great how the raps came back from that 10 point defecit. But for some reason for me it was not a satisfying win. They played with no energy the whole game and then made a comeback in the 4th. Ye it was a win, but they need to play hard for the whole 48 minutes. Dont forget that this was a 16-25 team we were facing, and we almost lost. What will happen when we face good teams, im happy that we got the win but we have to play well for the whole game and not rely on a 4th quarter comeback.


----------



## Knick Killer (Jul 16, 2006)

Hornets should be pissed. No way they shouldve lost this game. The Raptors played like crap since tip-off until there was about 5 minutes left.


----------



## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Also, its worth mentioning that the Raptors realllllllly got some favorable calls during their run in the fourth. Calls we won't get against good teams.


----------



## Crossword (Jun 7, 2002)

speedythief said:


> I don't know if this win is a good thing. We will learn nothing from this.
> 
> I'm actually disappointed we are going to win, and I knew we would; they knew they would win.
> 
> Bad win.


C'mon dawg, are you for real?

How can tonight be seen as a negative? This game is the diagram Smitch points to when exemplifying what the Raptors should play like. All game long we took low percentage jump shots (and even the high percentage shots weren't going in), and the only time good things happened were when we took it inside... well, we erase a 15 point 4th quarter deficit by doing just that, after Sam nearly goes back to the locker room for new hair dye to cover up his grays.

This was a great win for the Raptors... just because nothing was going for us for 40 minutes and finally caught a break at the end doesn't make it bad.


----------



## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Ok, ok, I guess I am happy we won. A bad win is better than a good loss.

But still...


----------



## narrator (Feb 11, 2006)

streetballa-ATL said:


> It was great how the raps came back from that 10 point defecit. But for some reason for me it was not a satisfying win. They played with no energy the whole game and then made a comeback in the 4th. Ye it was a win, but they need to play hard for the whole 48 minutes. Dont forget that this was a 16-25 team we were facing, and we almost lost. What will happen when we face good teams, im happy that we got the win but we have to play well for the whole game and not rely on a 4th quarter comeback.


I don't think one game counts as "relying on the 4th quarter comeback." I choose to look at it as an object lesson: play soft, lose the game; play hard, win the game. I think it's silly to worry about things like that, esp. with a young team learning how to win. For example, Calderon took charge and did what he had to do, namely, get it to Bosh and Peterson. When they weren't open, he took it himself (what a lefty lay-up, btw!). Bosh showed increasing ice in his veins, draining that three (better to be lucky than good, no?) and hitting crucial free throws. Bottom line is that the Raps know they *earned* this win. It wasn't a gift. They had to hit every one of those shots to win the game. And they did it. (I'll even give some credit to Mitchell here: whatever he said at halftime lit a fire under everyone.)

Again, I'll ask, since once again, I was privy to the TSN broadcast: what the crap is salami and cheese?


----------



## ss03 (May 31, 2006)

speedythief said:


> Also, its worth mentioning that the Raptors realllllllly got some favorable calls during their run in the fourth. Calls we won't get against good teams.


They got some bad calls in the fourth and earliar in the game those. The jump ball was the most obvious one.


----------



## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

narrator said:


> Again, I'll ask, since once again, I was privy to the TSN broadcast: what the crap is salami and cheese?


Something everyone is tired of.

Chuck says "bring out the salami and cheese" when we are a lock to win the game, be it in the last minute (tonight) or the third quarter (Monday).

He's told the story behind it: a fan emailed him saying he is too nervous to eat until he knows the Raps have it in the bag, then he can "get out the salami and cheese" and gorge himself or whatever.

Bryan Colangelo told Chuck on the Swirsky Show the other day to cool out on it a bit, which is good.


----------



## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

ss03 said:


> They got some bad calls in the fourth and earliar in the game those. The jump ball was the most obvious one.


Yeah but you rarely make a run like the Raptors did in spite of bad calls going your way. I think the officials helped facilitate our comeback by fouling out Chandler and no-calling Jackson's drives. But they did allow a lot of contact tonight.


----------



## MonkeyBallZJr (May 7, 2004)

Calls in our favour are a signs of things too come, we are getting respect in the league. I know some people might not like the inconsistency of the officiating but the NBA has shown itself to be an elitist league.


----------



## Crossword (Jun 7, 2002)

As much as the "salami and cheese" catchphrase is annoying, I'm glad it's annoying, and I hope it continues to be annoying, because all it being annoying really means is that we're a good ****ing team.


----------



## drlove_playa (Feb 11, 2005)

speedythief said:


> Bryan Colangelo told Chuck on the Swirsky Show the other day to cool out on it a bit, which is good.


lol what did he say to chuck about the salami and cheese?


----------



## Crossword (Jun 7, 2002)

speedythief said:


> Yeah but you rarely make a run like the Raptors did in spite of bad calls going your way. I think the officials helped facilitate our comeback by fouling out Chandler and no-calling Jackson's drives. But they did allow a lot of contact tonight.


Some no calls on the other end too, notably on Calderon, but point tooken.


----------



## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

drlove_playa said:


> lol what did he say to chuck about the salami and cheese?


He said to "ease up" on it or whatever. Seemed like Chuck took it as polite teasing.

You can listen to the interview in the "hot audio" section on fan590.com.


----------



## narrator (Feb 11, 2006)

speedythief said:


> Something everyone is tired of.
> 
> Chuck says "bring out the salami and cheese" when we are a lock to win the game, be it in the last minute (tonight) or the third quarter (Monday).
> 
> ...


Ah, ok. Glad I missed out on that particular catch-phrase. :biggrin:


----------



## narrator (Feb 11, 2006)

MonkeyBallZJr said:


> Calls in our favour are a signs of things too come, we are getting respect in the league. I know some people might not like the inconsistency of the officiating but the NBA has shown itself to be an elitist league.


I can't believe Bosh didn't get that call when Hilton Armstrong was on him in the 3rd. I think it was a charge on Bosh. Also, that stupid held ball call when Bosh was clearly fouled (I think that was in the 4th).


----------



## JS03 (Jan 5, 2005)

Very frustrating game. I'm glad we got the win.


----------



## madman (Oct 20, 2003)

definition of an ugly game, but hey a wins a win, lets hope that we play better in Indy and vs Wash


----------



## Q8i (Oct 23, 2004)

B---R--AHHHHHHHHHHHH


----------



## Chan Ho Nam (Jan 9, 2007)

the officiating was definitely in favor of the Raps during clutch time

amazing how Bosh hit that 3 pter, what a miracle

give big credit to the Hornets, they played with a cripple on the team and Jackson made his rusted joints make some nice drives

if the Raps had the intensity and force of the Hornets, we can have real high potential


----------



## Benis007 (May 23, 2005)

so glad to see us winning ugly over a team we should beat. 

its been a long time since i have had as much confidence in the team as i do now. great to see.


----------



## shookem (Nov 1, 2005)

Damn, I tunned out in the second while the team was getting killed. All well, that's what games-in-an-hour are for.


----------



## AirJordan™ (Nov 21, 2005)

chairman5 said:


> amazing how Bosh hit that 3 pter, what a miracle


It wasn't a pretty shot, got some lucky bounces off of the rim, but I'll take it.

What a comeback by the Raptors...


----------



## ballocks (May 15, 2003)

sort of glad i missed this one. must've been painful.

peace


----------



## ABargnani (Dec 16, 2006)

ballocks said:


> sort of glad i missed this one. must've been painful.
> 
> peace


Well just the first 3 and half quarters. It got really exciting at the end.

The 3 point shot from Bosh to tie it up was insane. clutch right there.


----------



## ss03 (May 31, 2006)

speedythief said:


> Yeah but you rarely make a run like the Raptors did in spite of bad calls going your way. I think the officials helped facilitate our comeback by fouling out Chandler and no-calling Jackson's drives. But they did allow a lot of contact tonight.


In past games, however, the refs have helped facilite comebacks against the Raptors. 

Thats just how it works


----------

