# Raptors @ Mavericks, Nov. 29th



## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

<center><table border="0" height="38" width="536" bgcolor="black" background="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/speedythief/nba-raptors.gif"><tr><td align="left" valign="middle">_........8:30 EST, The Score_</td><td align="center" valign="middle"></td></tr></table><table border="0" cellspacing="2"><tr><th><img height="143" width="100" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/speedythief/fordbig1.jpg">​</th><th><img height="143" width="100" src="http://pics.forecaster.ca/nba-player/0692.gif">​</th><th><img height="143" width="100" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/speedythief/parkerbig1.jpg">​</th><th><img height="143" width="100" src="http://pics.forecaster.ca/nba-player/0924.gif">​</th><th><img height="143" width="100" src="http://pics.forecaster.ca/nba-player/1719.gif">​</th></tr><tr><th><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/speedythief/headtohead.jpg">​</th><th><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/speedythief/headtohead.jpg">​</th><th><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/speedythief/headtohead.jpg">​</th><th><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/speedythief/headtohead.jpg">​</th><th><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/speedythief/headtohead.jpg">​</th><tr><th><img height="143" width="100" src="http://pics.forecaster.ca/nba-player/1013.gif">​</th><th><img height="143" width="100" src="http://pics.forecaster.ca/nba-player/0366.gif">​</th><th><img height="143" width="100" src="http://pics.forecaster.ca/nba-player/0913.gif">​</th><th><img height="143" width="100" src="http://pics.forecaster.ca/nba-player/0272.gif">​</th><th><img height="143" width="100" src="http://pics.forecaster.ca/nba-player/0086.gif">​</th></tr></table><img height="34" width="532" src="http://images.tsn.ca/images/e/headers/nba-mavericks-775x50.gif">​</center></center>
<table border="0" height="38" width="536" bgcolor="black"><td>Game 15 -- 29 November 2006
Raptors (5-9) @ Mavericks (10-4)
_The Raptors ended a six-game slide last week and have won three-of-four en route to tying New Jersey and Philadelphia for 2nd place in the pitiful Atlantic Division. Tonight they face a surging Dallas Mavericks team who, after an equally poor start, have won a league-best ten games straight, paced by the strong play of perennial MVP candidate Dirk Nowitzki. The game is a homecoming of sorts for Chris Bosh and TJ Ford, Texas natives. The game is broadcast on The Score at 8:30 PM EST and will be simulcast on Fan590.com radio._​</td></table>​


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## flushingflash (Jan 4, 2006)

i hope we can at least keep it close....and that bargnani has another solid game....no shame in losing to the mavs.


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## madman (Oct 20, 2003)

Going to be a tough game, at least we had a chance to rest our guys yesterday, if we can win this game i will be pleasently surprised.


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## billfindlay10 (Jan 24, 2003)

Dallas is due for a loss, why not tonight?


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

billfindlay10 said:


> Dallas is due for a loss, why not tonight?


Indeed.

Expect Bosh to play better tonight than he has in the past week.


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## ballocks (May 15, 2003)

man, sometimes i wonder how the mavericks even _got_ devin harris. i guess the entire league can learn from that: you don't necessarily need to have a bad team to draft a highly-touted collegian. that was an excellent move for their future- and they still have JT back there, too.

but i especially enjoy watching dallas games to see josh howard. we keep hearing about the big four from '03, but there are a list of others who deserve mention. i thought dallas scored another draft gem with josh howard- and where were they sitting in that one, 29th?

i mean, this team got josh howard and devin harris in back-to-back drafts after winning 60 and 52 games, respectively, in those seasons. in fact, i think they've won 50+ in each of the last 5 or 6. to think they've turned their franchise from such a mess into a legit, perennial powerhouse so quickly is mind-blowing. and they continue to make shrewd moves for the future even today. well done.

a win tonight would be fantastic.

peace


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## Ninjatune (May 1, 2006)

Should definitely be a fun one to watch. 
Been following Bosh since he was playing high school pall here in Dallas. He always seems to play well at the AAC.


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## SkywalkerAC (Sep 20, 2002)

Well, this is going to be a tough one to win. The Mavs are back playing on an elite level. Are we there yet? Probably not quite. 

We are going to give them a good run and who knows what can happen. I'm glad that Chris got his rest last night.

Can Andrea and Joey string together another good game? I can't wait to find out.


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## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

I think you guys have a good chance, and you're right - the Mavs are due.

How 'bout 2 of the fastest PGs in the league? :groucho:


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## JuniorNoboa (Jan 27, 2003)

ballocks said:


> man, sometimes i wonder how the mavericks even _got_ devin harris. i guess the entire league can learn from that: you don't necessarily need to have a bad team to draft a highly-touted collegian. that was an excellent move for their future- and they still have JT back there, too.
> 
> but i especially enjoy watching dallas games to see josh howard. we keep hearing about the big four from '03, but there are a list of others who deserve mention. i thought dallas scored another draft gem with josh howard- and where were they sitting in that one, 29th?
> 
> ...


They did get harris with the fifth pick however, and had to give up Jamison to get him. Of course they fleeced Golden St. to be able to get Jamison for a year.

"The Mavericks acquired Antawn Jamison, Danny Fortson, Jiri Welsch and Chris Mills from Golden State in exchange for Nick Van Exel, Evan Eschmeyer, Popeye Jones, Avery Johnson and Antoine Rigaudeau"


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## TRON (Feb 29, 2004)

I wonder if we'll get a Dirk-Bargs matchup sometimes tonight

I love Avery Johnson, he's a great coach and the Mavs are one of the best squads in the league. A loss on in Dallas shouldn't be too shocking, again all I'm hoping for is a good competitive effort.


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## NeoSamurai (Jan 16, 2003)

im more interested to see the Dirk-Garbajosa matchup...that'll determine whether or not we win this game really...Dirk was kept in check by Garbo for the most part at the worlds, lets see how he copes in the NBA...


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## Crossword (Jun 7, 2002)

Dallas is due, but then again, they're also going to try pushing this streak as far as they can to prove the doubters wrong after their 0-4 start.

Hopefully the Raptors can pull this one out, but it's gonna be tough.


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## AllEyezonTX (Nov 16, 2006)

As a Rocket fan, I need Dallas to take a "L" tonight! Raps gave me one last night, but this one will be huge! Go Rap......


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## Pain5155 (May 28, 2006)

This game will be decided how well CB4 defends dirk.


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## shookem (Nov 1, 2005)

Pain5155 said:


> This game will be decided how well CB4 defends dirk.


Yeah but I'm pretty sure Bosh is still wearing the knee brace and isn't at 100 per cent, so hopefully he gets some help, otherwise... I'm glad we won yesterday...


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## SkywalkerAC (Sep 20, 2002)

Facing the Mavs at home on a back to back is as good a test for our mettle as we're likely to find.


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## VCdunkking (Nov 22, 2006)

8-0 run by dallas, just as expected


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## VCdunkking (Nov 22, 2006)

sorry, i mean 10


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## shookem (Nov 1, 2005)

TJ hits a jumper.


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## VCdunkking (Nov 22, 2006)

13-2, is going to be a blow out


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## shookem (Nov 1, 2005)

Parker to Bosh 13-4


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## VCdunkking (Nov 22, 2006)

losing by 20 pts
you guys have too much expectation on the raps againist dallas for this game 
is better to be pessimistic about this game
so the outcome will make us feel better


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## VCdunkking (Nov 22, 2006)

that's how i approach every raptors game now 
this won't change until sam mitchell is gone


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## SkywalkerAC (Sep 20, 2002)

boy, the mavericks are pretty damn good.


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## SkywalkerAC (Sep 20, 2002)

wow, mavs probably would have had 40 points in the first if Mitchell hadn't got Diop on the line. Our D was lax and they lit it up. In recent games we've been challenging teams to shoot from outside and the Mavs made us pay before we could adjust. 

That said, they've got a great team- so well balanced. 

Down by 15. Gonna be tough to fight back. Let's see if we can get some easier looks.


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## SkywalkerAC (Sep 20, 2002)

mavs putting on a clinic, even with dirk in the locker room. 

bosh not getting anything easy.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Hopefully the Raps can get it to around 10 or so.


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## VCdunkking (Nov 22, 2006)

look at the shooting percentage
is a joke, didnt' we hire a new shooting coach?


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Nice, Raps have it down to 10.

We need to make sure and keep playing defense. The last thing we want to do is give up another eight or ten points in the last two minutes, as we've been known to do...

Bargs looks good again tonight. Graham especially.


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## SkywalkerAC (Sep 20, 2002)

Raps make a run and cut it to 10.

VERY interesting line - 

TJ
Calderon
Hump
Bosh
Bargs


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

VCdunkking said:


> look at the shooting percentage
> is a joke, didnt' we hire a new shooting coach?


We've almost put 50 on the Mavs this half, not too shabby.

Just need to keep up the defensive effort we've started this quarter.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Colour me impressed. Raps had a brutal first half of the first quarter, the super subs came in and saved us from being down huge. Then we lock down the Mavs in the second quarter and allow only 19 points, scoring 24 ourselves.

I'm never shocked when we give up a big first quarter on the road, that kind of thing happens. But we're learning to respond, finally.

Bosh with 14/8 and at least one block, though he should have credit for about three right now. On his way to another big night.

I have to say that TJ looks pretty awful out there tonight, though. Don't know what's going on there.

BTW, props to Smitch for getting after the ref and forcing Diop to the free throw line. He missed both if IIRC.


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## VCdunkking (Nov 22, 2006)

is there one game this year that we haven't gave up 50 pts by half time 
or 100 pts in a game


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

VCdunkking said:


> is there one game this year that we haven't gave up 50 pts by half time
> or 100 pts in a game


What about the game we played... yesterday?


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Raps only attempted 3 3pts, went to the line 15 times. That's a plus.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Dirk has blurred vision...











Yeah, its old, but its a classic.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Raps look pretty good to start the third quarter.

Funny how we seem to be able to play good defense at will, but the desire isn't always there.


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## VCdunkking (Nov 22, 2006)

speedythief said:


> What about the game we played... yesterday?


oops, lol, how can i forget, 77 pts


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

****, the Raps look great!

Actually, Dallas looks lost. But either way I'm happy.


BOSH WITH THE MONSTER STUFF!

lol

Raps are in this game, kids.


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## VCdunkking (Nov 22, 2006)

speedythief said:


> Raps look pretty good to start the third quarter.
> 
> Funny how we seem to be able to play good defense at will, but the desire isn't always there.


cuz we are lacking some veterans out there, ppl like the old" charles oakley, antonio davis, chris childs" and etc


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Man, Raps were right in it again.

Then two quick threes for Dallas.

Loose ball foul on Bosh... shaky call... 70-60 Mavs.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Wow, Mago just worked his magic on Dampier. Pretty cross to the reverse lay-up on the baseline.


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## Dee-Zy (Jan 12, 2006)

why is Dirk in the locker room?


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Man... ugly inbounds by Ford leads to the turnover, Howard gets to the rack and makes it plus the foul.

I really don't like the way Ford is playing tonight.

Why are our guards such inconsistent shooters, anyways? Even Parker, who people thought was going to be really steady, is shooting a low %.

If it weren't for Graham we'd have no guards hitting mid range shots every night.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Dee-Zy said:


> why is Dirk in the locker room?


Blurred vision... no explanation so far.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Nugget sighting... we need some long range threats in the backcourt.

Calderon and Martin in the backcourt, never thought I'd see that pair together outside of garbage time.

Lead hovering around 13.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

When Bosh runs the floor you can see a bit of a hitch in his stride, like he's trying to minimize the impact on his feet. I don't know it its his knee or his heels or what but he doesn't seem to have the full-court speed he normally has, at least not in more than bursts.

Mrs. Bosh cooking for the team after the game... I could go for some Southern soul food right now.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Stack is so good at hitting tough shots. What an asset to have a guy like that coming off the bench.

Mavs breaking this game open in the second half of the third quarter. Up to almost 90 points.


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## VCdunkking (Nov 22, 2006)

certified
raps lost the game


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Man oh man, so many threes.

Then Stack with the oop... put this one on ice.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Sheesh, Stack is abusing us.

Mavs hit shots.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

The way the Mavs work the ball around for open looks is just beautiful.


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## Rhubarb (Mar 19, 2005)

Less importantly, is this the game when our 3-point streak is broken? (if it hasn't already, I'm completely lost track)

0/4 from the field thus far.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Rhubarb said:


> Less importantly, is this the game when our 3-point streak is broken? (if it hasn't already, I'm completely lost track)
> 
> 0/4 from the field thus far.


Doubtful. It's garbage time, we're going to see some guys pad their numbers.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Starters still in the game for the Mavs... little odd.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Nugget is a scoring machine... lol.

This game is just farting along now.

Who's going to keep the streak alive?


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## Rhubarb (Mar 19, 2005)

speedythief said:


> Who's going to keep the streak alive?


Fred will want to throw a few bricks before it's all said and done.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

LOLOLOL!

Darrick Martin with the buzzer beater! Raps win! Raps... oh, wait.

Streak stays alive.


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## SkywalkerAC (Sep 20, 2002)

Hilarious that Dmart hits the last second shot after Chuck and Leo talking about it so much.

Mavs just lit us up with their shooting. They were getting good shots and hitting most of them.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

After going 0-5 on our last road trip, going 1-1 this time around doesn't feel too bad.

Jersey beat Boston tonight, and somehow the Knicks beat Cleveland.

Our division is still very interchangeable.


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## JS03 (Jan 5, 2005)

blow out loss... =/

but hey... we keep the 3pt streak alive thanks to Dmart. Haha.


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## anniebananerz (Jan 8, 2006)

crap. =(

At least Darrick Martin kept the streak alive though! :cheers:


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## shookem (Nov 1, 2005)

I thought Bargs looked good tonight. Only one TO and perfect FT shooting in career high minutes. Besides Bosh and TJ, Andrea was on the court more than any other Raptor.


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## Mr_B (Mar 6, 2004)

its the mavs I ain't mad over this loss


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## narrator (Feb 11, 2006)

Too bad they have to play the 4th quarter. :biggrin:

Beating the Mavs was a remote possibility. I'm glad they stayed in the game after that awful start. Bargnani looked good to me again.

My usual announcer quote: the Mavs announcers are much worse than I remember. How annoying.


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## Who-C (Nov 21, 2005)

Fred Jones with Zero shot attempts, Wow thats a first


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## madman (Oct 20, 2003)

pretty much the opposite of last game vs NO/OK we had absolutly no defense it was discusting, imagine if Dirk had played :uhoh:. Thank god for D-Mart tho i would've been upset if it ended in a game like that.


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## lucky777s (Nov 13, 2003)

We aren't as good as we looked versus a weakend NOK team that struggles to score, and we aren't as bad as we looked against a powerful DAL team minus Dirk.

TJ sucked both games, and the starters struggle as a result. How many more games til this guy feels 'comfortable' with his teammates? He has no clue how to run an offense. He gets into the lane and gets stuck, has to float horrible passes to the 3pt land that frequently go out of bounds.

Bosh is becoming a real machine out there. Gets it done every night. And Bargs is improving rapidly with increased minutes, as he did in Europe.

Joey is doing better, cutting to the hoop without the ball, but his dribble drives are still way too stiff and he is a straight line player.

Thought Rasho should have started against the power of Dampier.


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## Darman (Jun 29, 2006)

lucky777s said:


> TJ sucked both games, and the starters struggle as a result. How many more games til this guy feels 'comfortable' with his teammates? He has no clue how to run an offense. He gets into the lane and gets stuck, has to float horrible passes to the 3pt land that frequently go out of bounds.


:cheers:


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## ballocks (May 15, 2003)

these unceremonious blowouts that show up every week or two are probably the toughest to take during a rebuilding phase. i'm glad we went into it having won two in a row or it likely could've felt even worse.

i think the thing that pains me the most about it/them is the confidence we seem to infuse in our opponents. i don't know where it comes from but it's consistent: there's something about us that settles 'them' down in some games. i'm not talking about the good run/bad run patterns that define the sport of basketball, there's something there (imo) that is specific to toronto raptors/mediocre team basketball on certain days that drowns us over like a monstrous wave, whether we're on the road to improvement or not.

in the dallas game, i just don't know how they were hitting all those shots. they were progressively more wide open as the game went along, true, but even early on they were knocking them down at what seemed like a furious pace. what made it worse (these are the sorts of things that eat you alive) was that they transferred that confidence to the boards, so when they did miss a deep three, they'd have one or two bodies down low to gobble up the rebound and start again. 

at some point in the third quarter, i swear it felt like they scored on 10-12 straight possessions. they weren't 10/10 or 12/12 from the field, but they seemed to be getting all the offensive rebounds they needed to get to keep the possession alive until they _could_ score. frustrating stuff.

i wish we had more of a plan to deal with that. i think 'good' coaching is related to coming up with said plan. there are also some _players_ in the league who have a reply, who recognize those phony periods of confidence on the part of their opponent and do the things they need to do to end them, but it doesn't look like we have any of those players yet (imo). and i'm not talking about all-stars. it's more savvy vets (or savvy kids) who play on a higher level of some kind, even with their limited skillsets of talent. we could've had an all-star team on the floor last night and i'm sure josh howard and jerry stackhouse would've hardly noticed. it would've had less to do with them than it would have had to do with us. there's something there. i guess that's rebuilding in a nutshell: improving your own mind and confidence, as well as improving your chances vs your opponent by limiting the explosion of confidence in _their_ collective mind. 

ooh... the psychology. not exciting. 

peace


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## lucky777s (Nov 13, 2003)

Ballocks,

We definitely saw the same thing last year, and possibly Sam's first year as well. Teams have been coming out shooting 60+ % against us in the first five minutes of games for a long time. It was just amazing to watch EVERY single team come out hot against us.

I mean, even if the shots are wide open you would expect a few teams to have off nights. But they didn't. The J's were like layups.

Teams expect to beat us. Good teams know they should beat us. Bad teams know this is one of their better chances to get a win. And I think teams like playing in front of good crowds at the ACC. Not too hostile.


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## Victor Page (Nov 1, 2006)

DMart's last second 3 was one of the biggest clutch shots in Raptors history. Quick, name a more memorable shot....


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## madman (Oct 20, 2003)

Victor Page said:


> DMart's last second 3 was one of the biggest clutch shots in Raptors history. Quick, name a more memorable shot....


Dell Curry


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## Victor Page (Nov 1, 2006)

Which Dell Curry shot? 

The one to win the 2000 Naismith Cup against Vancouver in Winnipeg?


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## ballocks (May 15, 2003)

Victor Page said:


> Which Dell Curry shot?
> 
> The one to win the 2000 Naismith Cup against Vancouver in Winnipeg?


lol, the naismith cup. i wonder what they did with that. it's probably wrapped in cobwebs somewhere.

or maybe we still play memphis for it every year. or maybe we should. after all, it _is_ the *naismith cup*. it's no joke, it's a real prize. 

i love how we try to manufacture things- rivalries in this case. sometimes the modern day p/r around pro sports can swallow you whole. they seem to be trying too hard at times. i remember those games back in the day and the efforts to promote them as more than just exhibitions- awarding the cup after the game, interviewing a rep from the team winner, "what does this mean to you?"

"oh yeah, it means a lot. this is an amazing honour."

i wonder what it means to them today. i'm sure it's still 'an amazing honour'. 

peace


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## JuniorNoboa (Jan 27, 2003)

Talking about inter-Canadian trophies

Any baseball fans remember the Pearson Cup between the Jays and Expos. Used to be an exhibition game until interleaugue play.

They tried to make a deal out of it in 2000's.... then the morons at MLB decided to have the Jays play the Expos in Puerto Rico in 2004. Die Bud Selig.


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## Ninjatune (May 1, 2006)

narrator said:


> ....My usual announcer quote: the Mavs announcers are much worse than I remember. How annoying.


Tell me about it. :thumbdown: 
I usually mute the TV and listen to the radio broadcast.


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## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

Ninjatune said:


> Tell me about it. :thumbdown:
> I usually mute the TV and listen to the radio broadcast.


Pretty standard practice for me as well - homerism 101.


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## Ninjatune (May 1, 2006)

Followill I can stand, for a while.

Ortegal on the other hand. He beats me down with a bat all night long. What a whip.

And don't even get me started on Laura Green and the increase in on air time she has recieved this year. What tard made that call?


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