A December to Remember...

After taking a smidgen of a break from the bloggage, we’re back…
Really, there wasn’t much to write about since the Raptors hit the road for a 4-game swing away from the ACC, and upon their return last night, I was in the update chair.

So this update will be brief, as well… mostly just as a reference point, as to what happened.

Last night, my father and brother attended the game against the Hawks. My dad called me at the half and asked if I wanted any live updates from the game – I declined. I, in turn, asked him if the team had officially recognized Morris Peterson for becoming the longest serving Raptor in franchise history (he surpassed Alvin Williams, playing his 418th game). Apparently they didn’t. Pretty sad, really, since this is a guy who has gone on the record and says he wants to be a Raptor for life. Considering he’s been around for some ugly times, he should certainly be honoured. I’m sure it’s just a matter of time.

In either case, the Raptors snapped their 6-game home-slide, and got their second win over Atlanta this season.

Raptors 108, Hawks 102

Mike James scored a team high 28 points (off 11-for-17 shooting), picking up 6 boards and 9 assists, as well. Mo Pete had a season high 26 points (missing only 6 of his 16 shots). Chris Bosh scored a December-low 15 points, but it was refreshing to see the team didn’t need a stellar performance from him to compete.

Despite allowing the Hawks to shoot 56%, the Raptors forced nine 4th quarter turnovers, improving their home record to 2-12, and 7-22 overall.

==

Back-tracking to Motown, The Raptors looked much better on the final score sheet, than they did at the Palace.
After being outscored 31-16 in the 2nd quarter, the best team in the NBA was playing like it. Toronto managed to punish the Pistons in the paint (58-34, yes, you’re reading it right), but Detroit controlled the perimeter, converting 11 of their 21 3-point attempts. Other than the 2nd quarter, it’s hard to pin-point where the game went wrong, seeing as how the Raptors were comparable in every stat category, and tied their own NBA record, committing only 3 turnovers. They only made it close in garbage time.

Pistons 113, Raptors 106

Chris Bosh scored a career-high 37 points, and grabbed 11 boards for his 14th double-double. Chauncey Billups was a beast, scoring 21 points, grabbing 7 boards, and dishing out 13 assists.

==

Against the Spurs, the Raptors played their hearts out. The 53% they allowed San Antonio to shoot was by no means indicative of the defense the Raps’ played. The rotations were on point, and shots were contested – the Spurs just made them. However, the black and silver also allowed the Raptors to shoot 48% - which is by all means not good against the NBA’s worst-team.

Spurs 95, Raptors 90

The Spurs were so embarrassed that they wouldn’t even talk to the Toronto media after the game. Tim Duncan shot 12-for-16, scoring 27 points, grabbing 10 boards, and coming just two assists shy of a triple-double (he had 8 helpers). Jalen Rose scored a Raptor-high 19 points, missing only one of his 9 shots, in just 25 minutes. The Raps’ loss was their first in 4 games away from the ACC.

==

The Rockets have been struggling this year to say the least. To say they’ve been bitten by the injury bug would be an understatement, seeing as it’s almost eating them whole. With Yao Ming the most recent of 6 prominent Rockets sidelined with injury, the lone remaining target was clear.

The Raps held Tracy McGrady to only 7 points off 2-of-11 shooting.

Raptors 94, Rockets 81

Mo Pete, largely responsible for holding T-Mac in check, had 18 points. Mike James had a team-high 19 against his former running mates, while Chris Bosh chipped in 17 points (shooting 7-of-12), in the Raptors’ 5th win in their last 6 games away from home.

==

The first stop of the Raptors’ 4-game trip took them to Orlando. I remember watching the goodness with my dad at home (don’t you love the holidays?). My brother (visiting from Victoria) was passing out on the coach, while Father and I were screaming ours heads off (from the diaphragm, dad).

Morris Peterson beat the shot-clock buzzer with a deep 2, with 8 seconds left in the 4th, and the Raptors hung on for their 3rd straight road win.

Raptors 92, Magic 90

Mo Pete and Chris Bosh shared the team-high with 19 points. Steve Francis led 6 Magic-men in double-figures with 20.

**

The Raptors cap off 2005 with tomorrow’s game in Indiana. If they can pull out a win, they’ll be an even 7-7 in December.
Hopefully after the “holidays,” I’ll return to my more comfortable seat at the ACC, and these updates can get some more quotage.

Yeah, I said it: quotage.

When I’m away from the ACC for this long, my brain goes crazy. Or maybe that’s because of the egg-nog.
In either case Happy New Years… and watch those corks when they go flying.

We’ll speak in 2006.

Easy, Breezy, Beautiful Radio...

If there’s one thing I do know, it’s that I don’t envy newspaper writers. After every Raptors home game, I’m responsible for producing one post-game report. If I’ve got another angle, or some good tape to back it up, I’ll maybe make up two. But newspaper writers need to jot down about 600 words every game about something seemingly fresh and exciting. The problem is, there’s absolutely nothing new about what’s going on with these Raptors. If they’re actually in the game at the half, by the time the 3rd period is over – chances are they’re not.

Such was the case Sunday. Another opportunity for me to sit courtside (one of my colleagues was on vacation) was another ugly defeat at the hands of the Sixers.

76ers 107, Raptors 80

The good news was that I got to watch Andre Igoudala make countless stellar dunks just feet from my bated breath. The bad news, you ask? Every single time he made a steal (he had 3), and streaked through, uncontested, for an incredible jam I thought of the fact that he could have been a Raptor. Iggy missed only one of his 10 shots in the game, and matched his career-high of 26 points (which he set against the Raptors in their last meeting).

Going into the Raptors’ post-game scrumfest was not something I enjoyed at that moment. I’ve been there for some ugly losses, but for the first time I was worried (as a fan… shhh, don’t tell) that Chris Bosh had had enough.

When a reporter asked Bosh if he felt the Raptors are improving, Chris said: “It doesn’t matter. I mean, I keep getting asked the same question: ‘are we getting better, are we getting better?’ You know, I guess… I have my certain opinions; I keep answering the same question. I guess people just have to assess that for themselves.”

I asked if he was getting tired of singing the same song every game (being close at the half before getting blown out): “Same thing. Same thing every day.”

Listening back to the tape while I write this, I don’t feel the same emotion that I saw draped over his face: Not making eye-contact with anyone, just staring right through the bright lights of the TV cameras.

We spoke to Bosh first, because as word would have it Sam Mitchell was having a post-game meeting with minority-owner Larry Tanenbaum. Mitchell, and everyone else for that matter – other than Babcock – was asked if changes need to be made. Everyone answered with the same “I’m not the right person to ask.” And yet people keep asking; funny how that works.

Jalen Rose was surrounded, but didn’t really offer much worth quoting. But when you’re playing lousy in the 12 minutes of opportunity who can blame him? Morris Peterson was a different story. He takes the losing personally.

“As a competitor, if this doesn’t hurt, then I don’t know what does. When you got guys on the other team laughing and joking while we down 30 points… you know, if that doesn’t piss you off… then I don’t know what does. I mean, after a while, if you don’t have a sense of pride, then what are you playing for as a professional? I’m pissed right now. I’m pissed at the way we’re playing. I’m pissed at the way I’m playing. Hopefully we can get the last laugh.”

When most of the reporters took off, I asked if he minded answering a few more of my questions. I wanted to know, first of all, what exactly happens at the half. I wanted to know in specifics, in terms of: do they all sit down in a circle and talk about the game? Do they just stretch and relax? Unfortunately he took my question figuratively and said:

“It’s more mental. We can’t go into a game at halftime, and feel like we’ve accomplished anything. We have to realize there’s 24 minutes out there, and just be ready mentally. That’s the biggest thing, you know, we talk about it, we come in at halftime and say ‘let’s go, let’s keep playing…’ but when we get out there, it’s a whole different ballgame. So I don’t know. I can’t really explain it.”

Neither can I. It’s tough to put a finger on one thing that plagues this squad. I can say that it’s definitely youth; it’s definitely ability; and it’s definitely defense. I guess it’s just one blurry mess… err… mix.

Without Jose Calderon, there was no one that could handle the ball with any consistency. Nobody that could penetrate and kick, and nobody – not even Bosh – could save the Raptors.

==
I didn’t catch a minute of Friday’s game, as I was at a friend’s Christmas party… so you have the same insight that I do:

Warriors 108, Raptors 98

==
I was doing double-duty against the Bulls on Wednesday. My colleague was on vacation, but there was nobody booked to help out. So I covered both locker rooms after the 1st of their 3 straight home-losses.

Bulls 105, Raptors 94

In all honesty, I really don’t want to write about this game, either, because it’s the same old story. A blown 3rd quarter spelt the demise of the Raptors.

That’s why I’m glad this is just a blog, and I’m only obligated to write as much as I feel.

==
Tonight, the Raptors kick off the first of a 4-game road trip in Orlando. We’ll talk later.

Practice is good... Practice

Raptors shoot-around is a pretty low-key atmosphere. Guys tend to be smiling, and joking around – at least by the time they let reporters in. I’ve been witness Mike James going off from the 3-point line. On Sunday, he hit like 14 of 20… but on Friday, he hit 18 of 20. Looking at the consistency of his jumper is like watching a blissful breeze blowing through blades of bright green grass – or as the current season would have it: a light dusting of snow swooping across the top of a quiet roadway. If it were spring or fall, I’d just call it poetry in motion.

But with only a select few reporters in attendance at practice, everything’s pretty easy-going. It also helps when the team’s coming off a tough-fought win the night before (in Charlotte).

Chris Bosh was the first to talk to reporters. He reflected on how he’s getting better by the day. The coaching staff’s continuously preaching to him to drive to the free-throw line, and take advantages of mismatches (he said Detroit’s Rasheed Wallace is probably his toughest match up). Bosh also said that his added strength and weight (“a whopping 5 pounds”) has made it easier to deal with the daily-grind of going against bigger players.

I then spoke to Charlie Villanueva - who’s easily becoming my favorite interview. I asked him about what it was like to play Emeka Okafor (his UConn teammate) the night before, and have the opportunity to go against his closer buddy from the Huskies, Ben Gordon, in just a couple days.

“I got Ben… and I also got my high school roommate, too – Luol Deng. He was my roommate in my sophomore year at high school (Blair Academy HS in Blairstown, NJ). I got two of my closest friends that I’m going to playing against.”

I asked him how that feels, to which he responded: “It’s going to be exciting, you know… talk trash to Ben and Lou. We’re going to go back and forth, so it’s exciting. Right now, I’m 1-0 on Luol, because we beat him to go to the championship game in the Final Four.”

And then, thinking of a question posed to me in a comment here (what up Ferg!?), I wanted to get into some “Fantasy Hoops” talk. I asked Charlie how important it was, seeing as how he had 9 rebounds against the Bobcats, to get that 10th.

“It’s really important for me, because I’m trying to be a double-double guy.” I asked if that was a personal goal, or if it were a Fantasy thing… “maybe you drafted yourself, or something,” I said.
He laughed it off and said: “I want to be recognized as a double-double guy. If you get recognized like that, you could make a whole lot of money, and stick around long in this league.”

I was curious if money was a motivator for him. He said he was more looking at it from a durability standpoint, wanting to stay in the league for 14 or 15 years. Just in case Fergus wanted specifics, I asked if Charlie actually played Fantasy Hoops.

“Nah. I don’t even know how to mess with that.” I thanked him, and told him his value was going up in Smallworld.

I talked to Mike James for a couple quick minutes, while waiting for Sam Mitchell to emerge from a conversation with Wayne Embry and newly acquired assistant coach, Gene Keady (pronounced KAY-dee).

When Mitchell came up, everything was really smooth. He wasn’t at all on edge, until a camera lit up (the reporter had alluded to the fact that he thought Mitchell had it out for him – sound familiar?) “Hey guys, I’d like to be able to see here when I leave, guys.”

The camera turned away about two minutes later, and it was then pretty much just a light conversation. One of the reporters playfully asked how Mitchell felt about Bosh’s recent play. The response? Drenched in sarcasm.

“I hate everything he’s doing…He sucks right now, and I’m just truly and highly disappointed in Chris right now… If you’re going to ask me a question like that, after the guy’s been going to the free-throw line 14 times a game, in the last 3 or 4 games, and scoring 20-plus points a night, and getting more than 10 rebounds… if you ask me if I’m pleased with that… then I’m going to give you that answer.”

I worded a follow-up question to that wisely… I said: “Sam, how about his passing game… you’ve got to be pretty pleased with that… well, I don’t want to say have to, but I’d imagine you would be.”

“That’s one of the things we’ve been talking to Chris about. If you’re going to command a double-team, you need to make smart decisions with the basketball. He’s getting better at it… He’s been doing a good job passing the ball.”

The discussion continued for another 10 minutes, but it got pretty candid, so we turned off the recorders. Mitchell talked about how he felt Chris would stay after his contract expired, noting obvious reasons about growth here, but also the obvious fact that Toronto can pay him more. The conversation spilled into politics a few minutes later, and continued for about 30 minutes. No need to get into that mess, though.

The reason everyone was so cheery… the night before, the Raptors pulled off their 3rd win in their last 5 games.

Raptors 111, Bobcats 103

Bosh scored 19 of his 30 points in the 2nd half, while adding 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Charlie V had 19 and 9. Emeka Okafor left the game with a sprained toe in the 3rd.

==
On Friday, there was another practice I covered, but in all honesty nothing exciting happened. A reporter kept pressing Mitchell about Charlotte’s building “plan.” Sam was with the Bobcats for about two weeks before accepting the head coaching job in Toronto. He didn’t know the plan, but the reporter kept pressing, making for a pretty sour scrum.

The extent of the excitement was, as mentioned earlier, Mike James nailing 18 of 20 three-pointers.

I sometimes wish I had a shot like that… but then I realize I might not have the same joy of covering the Raptors that I wake up to now. I might have had to play for them. I’d imagine it’s much easier to just do the talking.

On a sidenote... Joey's "better" brother, Stephen Graham got signed by the Rockets the other day. The Raptors are in Houston on the 21st.

==
But first, the Raps host the Bulls on Wednesday – I’ll be there… but the following two home games, against Golden State and Philly, I’ll be doing updates. We’ll speak sometime in the middle, I’d imagine.

Keep those comments coming.

Anyone find a missing ID?

As I sit here, the morning after, I’m listening to O.C.’s new album – a song called “This is me” comes on. The Raptors obviously don’t know the words, because they certainly don’t seem to have any identity yet. The same team that came an overtime frame away from sweeping their 3-game road-trip was nowhere to be found in the 2nd half of a home-game against the Lakers.

The 1st half was competitive, but defenseless (The Raptors shot 40%, compared to LA’s 56%). If Kobe hadn’t hit a 23-foot buzzer beat, the deficit would have been only four points at the break - And this was after the Lakers started the 2nd on a 10-0 run. The start of the 3rd was almost a mirror-image - beginning with a 10-2 run for LA - en route to outscoring Toronto 31-18.

After that, the Raptors managed to barely outscore the Lakers’ benchers, 29-21 in the 4th quarter (only recent-starter Sasha Vujacic was on the floor for the final frame, while the other foursome was comprised of a rotation of rookies and role players).

Lakers 102, Raptors 91

Chris Bosh played a pretty well, despite missing a few easy buckets at crucial times, finishing with 22 points (6-14 shooting), 10 rebounds and a career-high 6 assists… On the flipside, Kobe Bryant “took what the defense gave him” and jacked up a season-low 12 shots (hitting 5 of them), but dished out a season-high 9 helpers. Lamar Odom spread it out, per usual, scoring 19 points, adding 5 boards and 4 assists.

I got to speak to one of the legends of the game afterwards in Coach Phil Jackson. The man has 9 championships – guided MJ and the Bulls to 6, and then Kobe + Shaq to the LA 3-peat. The “Zen-Master” is truly a man who commands respect… and a huge media scrum. It was tough to get in, but as usual, I slid in right by his shoulder. Everyone was jumping on each other to get their questions in, and I guess he saw I wasn’t trying to be overtly rude like the others, because he kept looking over to me, as to let me get my thoughts in…

“Coach, you guys came out with two crucial runs… to start the 2nd, 10-0… and then a 10-2 run to start the third. How important is it to dictate the tempo early in the frame?”

“That’s the key about basketball,” he said. “You shorten your opponents’ runs, and lengthen your own. Anytime you can run more than 6 points in this game, you have to feel fortunate.”

Just like the other coaches whom I respect so much (and have spoken to) – Jerry Sloan and Mike Fratello – Jackson looked me dead in the eye. You really learn to appreciate the importance of that when there are so many people trying to toss in a penny for his thoughts.

After he wrapped up his scrum, it was off to the Lakers’ locker-room. Lamar Odom was up first. This guy was the polar opposite: Answered questions in 5 second spurts, looked at you while asking the question, and then drifted off during his response.

Kobe, on the other hand, was entirely different from what I would have expected. Most “stars” just want to speak their peace and get back on the plane (or at least, in my assessment), but after arriving late to the scrum, I stuck my mic in his face and asked:

“Kobe, you know, you tossed up only 12 shots… but played distributor, dishing out a season-best 9 assists. Was that something you consciously decided to do, or did it just pan out that way?” (He’s recently been under fire for attempting over 30 shots a game)

…dead in the eye, Kobe responds: “Nah, I just go in and play the game…You know, we’re prepared, and defensively they tried to pack the lane in on me… Just tried to find the open guys and continue to hit open shots. Next time we play them, we’ll see if their defensive strategy’s the same. If it’s the same, I’ll continue to do the same thing – kick it out to the open guys.”

It’s truly an honor and privilege to speak to these guys – I love it.


(a photo taken by a friend who works at a Serbian Newspaper.)

==
Backtracking to that road trip now… in brief:

In Washington, the Raptors couldn’t stop giving up open looks to Gilbert Arenas and Jarvis Hayes (37 and 21 points respectively), and the Wizards came out victorious in overtime…

Wizards 119, Raptors 111 (OT)

The Raptors, as seen late versus the Lakers as well, didn’t box out at the free-throw line and gave up easy 2nd chance buckets. Antawn Jamison had 26 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists. Chris Bosh had 27 and 9 boards. Morris Peterson, who had a great game (if he wasn’t in foul-trouble in the 3rd, I honestly believe the Raptors could have won), sent it to overtime on a gorgeous follow-up to an ugly 3-point attempt. He unleashed from the top of the arch, the ball grazed the rim and rebounded him and into his soaring arms… In one continuous motion, he ran back to his office in the corner and jacked up another three-pointer – SWISH – with 5.1 seconds left. Then it was off to overtime, where it’s very tough to win – especially on the road. Jose Calderon had his best game in the NBA – 8 points, 9 rebounds, 13 assists.

==
Another game against Vince Carter; Another game against the Nets; Another road win.
In what was a quality wire-to-wire performance from the Raptors, they soundly beat New Jersey for their most-convincing win of the season.

Raptors 95, Nets 82

Rafael Araujo tripped up Vince in the lane, and as usual #15 crumpled as if he’d been shot JFK-style. Back, and to the left.
He lay in the fetal-position for a good 3 minutes, wincing in pain, before getting helped off the court. He returned a few minutes later, and was miraculously better when he saw an open lane (but when he missed… oh there’s the limp). Chris Bosh had 29 points and 13 rebounds. Mo Pete, a season-high 24 and 9.

==
The road-trip began in Atlanta. A home-coming for Sam Mitchell and Joey Graham, and Bosh’s “3rd home” – he went to Georgia Tech. Even with all the tickets they bought, there was still only about 5,000 fans in the stands. Pretty sad. But when it’s the two-worst teams in the NBA, I guess you can understand.

Raptors 102, Hawks 101

Jose Calderon fed a pretty double-teamed pass to Charlie Villanueva to break a 98-98 tie with 2 seconds left. Joe Johnson had a chance to tie it, but grazed the line, stepping out of bounds. Mo Pete hit 2 free-throws and Salim Stoudamire (Damon’s cousin) nailed a buzzer-beating 3 to help my fantasy team (and boy do I need the help this year).

Chris Bosh had 23 points and 9 rebounds. Charlie V finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds.

==

I’m covering a practice on Sunday after the Raps’ game vs. the Bobcats. We’ll talk then.
Thanks for listening, and please, feel free to leave me comments about what you like, dislike, and want more of.

The Grizzlies Had the Runs...

On Wednesday night I got the privilege of watching the worst Raptors’ performances of my young reporting career. As a fan, I’d seen many ugly games, but this one I had to hold back my emotions. Nobody came to play.

Even the Grizzlies had one of their weaker efforts, but still managed to pound the Raptors.

Grizzlies 92, Raptors 66

The Raptors capped off their worst November in franchise history with that stinker. It was the fewest points they’ve scored in a game since April 2nd, 2004; and it was also their biggest margin of defeat this season (26 points, 1 more than the brutal game against the Warriors on Saturday).

Spoke to “The Czar” after the game. Grizzlies’ Coach Mike Fratello, who’s actually much shorter than he looks on TV, was a great interview. Of course, I always find it easier when I get the first question in. I asked him if the 3rd quarter was one he’d like to forget (the teams combined for 29 points; Toronto shot 30%, which was actually better than Memphis’ 27.8% - that’s Rosanne Arnold-Ugly).
His response to the question was more of a general speech than an actual response… but here it is. More pity:

“[Toronto] has played hard in a lot of games, and lost a lot of heartbreakers. Sometimes this happens to you, it happens to all teams… when you lose a real tough one, like they did to a terrific team, Dallas, the other night… sometimes it takes a lot of air out of you… It happens to you every once in a while. They taste it, they’re so close to a win, and then the last second it gets snatched from you… sometimes it’s hard to bounce back. You have to understand that overall, they’ve played very hard, and very tough, and they’re catching some tough breaks here… I think they’re going to get it together, and put together a little roll. I really do.”

There it is. It’s getting to be the same swan song from opposing coaches, and I’d start to get offended if I was a Raptor. They simply deserved no praise on Wednesday. They went on scoring droughts, one lasting 5 minutes, from when they were still in the game in the 1st. Memphis broke it open with an Eddie Jones “and-1,” which was followed by a 3-ball from Jones… and another 2 from Shane Battier and Bobby Jackson. That closed the first quarter with a 12-0 Grizzlies run. By the time the Raptors scored their first bucket in the 2nd (10:24), that had turned into a 16-0 run. Three minutes later, Memphis went on another 10-0 run, which turned into a 17-6 streak to close the half. There was a third 10-0 run before the game was done.

Spoke to Damon Stoudamire afterwards, along with Eddie Jones (who is a real-life quiet-talker) and Pau Gasol who let it rip on the Raptors.

He was drafted by Atlanta, and then traded to the Grizzlies on draft-night. A team that went 1-11 to start ‘01-‘02 (they were 4-12 through the first 16 games, as opposed to the Raps’ 1-15). He knows all about a teams’ suffering… and finally, someone who held back the pity:

“I don’t see the veterans… The veterans have to step up, and have to take leadership. They have to lead and guide the young players. They have so many talented young players, but it’s got to come from the veterans first… The thing about them, you know, is that they settle too much… and they kind of gave up too early. When we made our run, and got a big lead, they kind of dropped their intensity and everything. They have to keep playing hard, and work for wins.”

That was refreshing. A player actually just speaking about what he felt, as opposed to the media-friendly jargon I’m getting all too used to.

==

Before the game, during Sam Mitchell’s pre-game talk, it was surprisingly loose. I asked him if he’d spoken to Jose about the importance of this game in his hometown. The game was being broadcast live all across Spain (1am their time), because for the first time ever in the NBA, there were two Spanish starters (Gasol and Jose Calderon).

“I didn’t realize there was all this Spanish media here... If it doesn’t have to do with Memphis, what they’re trying to do and trying to accomplish… no.”

All right, so that was pretty stiff… but it got loose. So much so, that he used me as an example in one of his demonstrations. He was fielding a question about why Calderon had been covering Dirk Nowitzki on Monday so much. He was going through some plays, and asked me my name. I reluctantly told him, with the sneaking suspicion that he’d use it for the powers of evil somehow. So far so good. He said… “OK, so say Zack’s covering me… and then you come over and set this pick…” The rest is unimportant. The point is… if something bad happens, and it’s in my name; chances are it was Coach.

==

At practice today, I wanted to ask how a team doing as poorly as the Raptors’ are, can manage to avoid the sideshows that plagued the team last year. I didn’t ask it. In fact, I don’t think I even asked one question. It was a pretty boring shoot-around for the most-part, other than the fact that before we were allowed in, I got to speak to Joey Graham’s father for a good 10 minutes.

I was standing outside the RBK Court, chatting it up with the security guard, who’s always been a stand-up guy. A man holding two plastic bags stuffed with what appeared to be clothing walked over to us. I can’t remember how it became clear to me that they were family, but they certainly look alike. He said someone had joked with him that his son had slipped on the ice and broke his leg in three places. Mr. Graham (Joe) was obviously relieved when he found out his son was safe and sound. He was worried about the called-for snow and ice, so the security guard and I proceeded to tell him various things he could do to prevent slippage (as Seinfeld would say). I told him he could try buying some hard-soled boots, and sticking some ice-salt in the grooves to give him a little traction.

He then said that Joey’s brother, Stephen, had just been 12 inches of snow dumped on him in South Dakota, where he’s playing for the CBA. Stephen, a shorter, but identical looking Graham, had played preseason ball with the Spurs. That’s obviously a pretty tough roster to crack. I didn’t record the conversation for obvious reasons, but Joe went on to tell me that Stephen’s actually the better basketball player.

He said at Oklahoma State, where they both attended University, the guard rotation was already set; whereas there was more opportunity at the forward slots. He said once OSU gave Joey the opportunity to get in the game, he grabbed boards like a monster. When they realized he could shoot, he was an instant plug. Got all the playing time, garnered NBA attention, and well… you know the rest.

Joe told me that Stephen’s quicker, stronger, and a better shooter… but was simply not given the same chance to shine. I asked him why he chose the CBA, as opposed to the NBDL… and that’s when he asked if I was a reporter.

Maybe I’m starting to play the part.

==

The Raptors are in Atlanta on Friday, New Jersey on Saturday, and Washington on Tuesday. The Lakeshow’s here on Wednesday. Chances are, we’ll talk after that.

I Made ESPN...

On Monday, the Raptors again, were on the wrong end of a nail-biting finish. Hosting the Mavs, Toronto built up a 6-point lead after Chris Bosh capped a 9-0 run with a pair of free-throws. That with just 2:07 left in the 4^th. Then Dirk Nowitzki went off. With 1:42 remaining, Dallas missed a jumper and the Raps couldn’t snag the bouncing board. The Mavs retrieved it, and dished it out to Dirk for an open-3, kicking off a personal 8-0 run.

Matt Bonner tied it up with a long-2 (his foot was on the line), with just 2 seconds left. Overtime? Dallas said no thanks.

The Raptors took away any impending pass to Nowitzki, forcing Dallas to burn a timeout. The Mavs reworked the play, and drew up something that made the Raptors look foolish. The inbounds pass went right to Jason Terry, who saw a week’s worth of daylight in the lane. JT drove through, and dropped a floater, just slivers above the outstretched hand of Bosh, as time expired.

Mavericks 93, Raptors 91

After the game (since the return of a co-worker meant I was back to the visitor’s dressing room), I spoke to Dallas Coach Avery Johnson, who responded to a question about the final play as being the work of assistant coach Dell Harris. “We both wanted to get to ball to JT,” Coach said. “We just wanted to get it to him in different ways… I’ll buy him lunch for drawing up that play.” As the scrum was nearing its end, the man once known as the General went into an inspirational rant about the Raptors’ future, which I used in one of my two post-game reports. Here it is, in its beautiful entirety:

“We were concerned coming into this game. Not because of their record or anything. We think this is a good basketball team…we think Sam Mitchell – forget about the record – he’s doing a good job with this basketball team. They’ve had some tough losses. Here, another game they lose by two; fortunately we won, and we wanted to win…but you know, they lost to the Clippers, they lost to Sacramento…they played well against Miami at home. So again, this is a tough basketball team, I just hope the people here don’t give up on the team or their coach.”

A few quick questions, and the cameras clicked off, coach left and we went scurrying into the Mavs’ dressing room.

Terry was already sitting down, with his feet planted in a tub of ice water. I squeezed my way in beside a reporter from the Score, and got right beside JT. Blah blah blah… a few questions came and went… I want to get to the part that got me smiling the day after. As the scrum was starting to draw to a close, the reporters started to walk away, when I spoke up and asked Jason: “Did you know you had enough time to take the inbounds pass and nail the floater?” All the reporters came fluttering back just before JT replied: “That’s something I work on all summer long, during the season, individual workouts…you take one, two dribbles, and float it up… it takes less than two seconds, I guess it was perfect.”

We waited about 20 minutes for Dirk to come out, and say nothing fabulous.

I was doing my morning run-through of the basketball daily’s today, which included a stop at ESPN’s daily dime (via Insider). At #8 was a blurb from Elias Sports Bureau, which featured the response to the question I had asked JT.

I was brimming with pride. So much so that I changed my MSN name… that’s how you know I felt good. It may seem insignificant to you, but to someone who is still not the most confident in his line of questioning, this was glory at its best.

Time to build on it.

The Raptors hit the road for stops in Atlanta, Jersey, and Washington, before hosting the Lakers next week. We’ll chat then.

Who Said It Was Nice Out West?

While the Raptors were on the road, I was in the friendly, winter-bitten, confines of the Big Smoke.

Since I got the exact same perspective as you at home, I’ll keep this update brief.

First, we start with Saturday’s stink-fest. I was doing updates at the station, and got to witness a gorgeous Leafs win over the Canadiens. (I was called by my boss that night, and told to leave out such short-form nicknames as: The Buds (Leafs), Baby Buds (Marlies), Habs (Canadiens), and Raps (Raptors), so I’ll try to keep it consistent on this space, too.)

Toronto couldn’t match the effort or intensity of their on-ice counterparts.

The Raptors were in Golden State, wrapping up what had been a pretty remarkable 4-games-in-5-nights west-coast road trip. The Warriors were a team that the Raptors had beaten 5 out of the 9 previous times in Oakland. But clearly, both teams are very different now from even last year.

Two words: Baron Davis. He dished out 14 assists, including back-to-back identical alley-oops to Jason Richardson. Both backdoor; both, the Raptors had no idea what was going on. Toronto gave up 60 points in the paint, to Golden State’s 28, allowing the Warriors to shoot 58% on the night. Chris Bosh scored 21 points (15 in the 1^st quarter, and 4 in the 2^nd), to share the team-high with Morris Peterson.

Mo Pete, Jalen Rose, and Mike James sat out nearly the entire second-half of the game, allowing the rookies to try and make it competitive. Joey Graham had 12 points, Charlie Villanueva had 6 (1-10 shooting), while Jose Calderon registered 4 points and 6 assists. Rafael Araujo, in his 2^nd year, had his only weak game on this road trip – stats seldom do justice to his effort, so I’ll just leave them out.

Warriors 117, Raptors 91

The game was so dismal that Coach Sam Mitchell decided the team would practice on their “off-day” (They’ve had only one day off all season). The Raptors got off the plane from San Francisco at 3:30pm EST, and were on the RBK practice court at the ACC exactly an hour later. Granted, the practice only lasted 90 minutes, but you’ve got to think that was punishment. Again, I was at the station doing updates, so any quotes wouldn’t come from me… thus, check your local paper.

=

Friday night in Sacramento, the Raptors had an 8-point lead with just over 7 minutes left, but came up short for their 8^th straight loss at Arco Arena.

Kings 106, Raptors 104

Araujo tied a career high with 14 points. The Raptors shot 51% from the field, and dished out a season-best 27 assists.

=

Wednesday night at Staples Center… again, another 4^th quarter lead let go for a loss.

The Raptors committed only 5 turnovers, but allowed Corey Maggette to torch them for 30 points. Sam Cassell scored 10 straight points in the final frame for the Clippers’ win.

Clippers 103, Raptors 100

Chris Bosh drove through the lane, and probably drew enough contact for a possible “and-1”, but dished it out to an open Morris Peterson, who missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

=

Tuesday night, the road trip started in Phoenix. The Raptors were fresh off their first win, and were beaming with optimism. They played great against the Suns until again, the 4^th quarter. Phoenix went on a 12-0 run with 4:14 remaining (Shawn Marion and Steve Nash both scored 6 points), to seal it.

Suns 90, Raptors 82

Chris Bosh had a great 3 quarters, picking up 23 points on 10-19 shooting, but was shut down by Brian Grant in the 4^th, missing all 4 of his shots. Marion was dominant – 28 points and 18 rebounds, despite Phoenix scoring a season low for the second straight game.

==

On a side note, as I’m always looking for positives… Pape Sow is destroying the “D-League” (The NBA Developmental League). He scored 40 points and picked up 14 rebounds for his second straight double-double yesterday. On Friday, he had 21 points and 11 boards. Sow was sent down to the Arkansas Rim Rockers (a team the Raptors share with 3 other clubs) last week.

A player can be transferred back and forth between the “bigs” and the NBADL a maximum of 3 times a season.

**

We’ll talk after the Mavs and Grizzlies roll through town.

The Raptors now stand at an NBA-worst 1-13.

And There It Is...

10 games was all it took… Win number one.

The monkey was no longer on the Raps’ back; It was running around the ACC, jubilant that the countdown to December’s date with the Hawks would be of lesser significance.

You see, the Atlanta Hawks were also 0-9 as of Sunday, and many believed with the Raptors hitting the road for a 5-games-in-4-nights west coast swing, a win would be impossible (if not highly improbable) to come by. The Hawks were set in the same gloom – they’d surely lose every game until December 2^nd, and the two teams would then square off with the losers’ prize being the NBA’s worst-ever start (both the Miami Heat of ’88, and the Clippers of ’98 started off 0-17).

Now that’ll just be another empty-seated affair in Atlanta.

Before I get ahead of myself, though, let’s talk Sunday. The Raptors did many good things… but starting off strong was not one of them. They somehow escaped the first period with only an 11-point deficit. The Heat opened the game on a 10-1 run, to lead 24-13. Toronto shot 15.8% (3-19 FG), compared to Miami’s respectable 45.8% (11-24).

The Raptors could have easily hung their heads and said here we go again. But they didn’t.

Toronto was down by 6, with less than 6 minutes left, before closing the door with an 18-2 run to end the game. Charlie Villanueva found his bearings, scoring 6 of his 8 points in the 4^th (but more importantly, held his own on the glass); Jalen Rose bounced out of his funk to score 10 of his 22 in the 4^th (his 3-pointer brought the Raptors to within one at 4:55); Mike James scored 14 of his 25 in the final frame (three 3-pointers); and Chris Bosh stayed strong to register his 7^th straight double-double (27 pts, 12 rebs). Toronto outscored Miami, 40-24 in the 4^th.

Raptors 107, Heat 94

The Raptors out-played Miami in every statistical category with the exception of steals (the Heat had 5, to Toronto’s 4).

You would have thought that the guys would be beaming. Not so much. Coach Sam Mitchell was happy, but not ecstatic. “I feel good. I'm happy for those guys in there. I get mine after the game, but during the game, those guys have to go out there and be the focal point, and hear the cheers and hear the boos… I'm proud of them and happy for those guys."

Sure he was happy, but was he smiling when he said it? Not really. I think the team must have had a discussion before meeting with the media, saying that they’d save the celebration for the plane or something, because other than a few one-cheekers, you wouldn’t be able to tell these guys finally won their first game.

But there’s also a good chance they got all their smiles out at practice the day before… I went to shoot-around on Saturday, and it was pretty quiet. When the 3 reporters (including myself) entered the practice gym, the team was huddled around each other, encircling the logo on center court… smiling and laughing.

This was a team that hadn’t won since the season started nearly two and a half weeks ago.

That was pretty much my focal point through the practice… why was everyone so goddamn happy? Sam Mitchell couldn’t sleep (although he told us that it’s mainly because he didn’t have heat in his home – despite some steep rent), but also said: “It’s my job to keep these guys’ spirits up… If I don’t do it, who else will?” He’s got a point.

When the media’s not dumping on their heads, they’re counting down the days until the team’s next loss.

After Sam was done, and this time it was much more loose, we spoke to Charlie V. He had just come off a decent game in Boston, where he scored 18 in the first half, but got shutout in the home stretch. He talked about putting it all together, playing defense, and rebounding more. I also asked him if anybody had been chirping in his ear about being Rookie of the Year, yet.

“Yeah, but it’s too early… it’s still way too early to be saying that…I can’t even be listening to that, it can’t even be in my mind right now. I’m trying to win some games.”

The other two reporters left after Charlie was done, but I wanted to stick around to talk to Chris Bosh.

One-on-one interviews are really the best, because you can treat it more like a conversation; without having to worry about someone else jumping in before you get to what you really want to talk about. I asked him about how if it’s Sam’s job to keep the guys positive, were it up to him to ride someone if they weren’t playing well.

“Good teams always police each other,” Bosh said, thinking over what he wanted to say next. “The Coach doesn’t always need to step in and tell everyone where they’re supposed to be. We should always be able to get on each other, and make each other better. You know, constructive criticism between each other is always good.”

As for his mid-range game – which is the only thing I see him practice - I pointed out that the team seems to do a lot better when he’s aggressive, driving to the hoop and drawing fouls.

“That mid-range [practice] is just for the 3 or 4 shots that I hit,” Bosh replied. “You know, when I do shoot, I want to hit ‘em. I shoot up a hundred shots a day, just so I can make those 4 shots… But I can’t fall in love with that jump-shot. I got to make sure that I continue success by getting into the lane, and onto the free-throw line.”

==

To get you up top date, which you probably already are if you’re reading this… there were 3 previous games that I won’t really get into depth about.

Celtics 100, Raptors 93

The Raps led at halftime for only the second time all season (they were up 8, until a mental cough brought Boston to within 4 at the break). With Boston up 1, with less than 9 minutes left in the 4^th, Dan Dickau sparked a 9-3 run, which the Raptors couldn’t overcome.

Sixers 121, Raptors 115

I got to sit courtside for this one, and watch Allen Iverson and Andre Igoudala light it up. After an awful first quarter again (40-28), the Raptors won the next 3 before falling short – again. It was this very game that I realized: sitting courtside, wearing a headset and watching basketball really felt like home.

I’m back to doing updates for 680 News every half-hour, despite all the noise, and it’s getting to be a lot of fun. Feeding off the games’ energy is indescribable, and creates a rush that feels like bliss. I’m in my happy place.

Sixers 104, Raptors 92

Marking the first of a home-and-home, Philly stormed out in front outscoring Toronto 39-20 in the 1^st. Charlie V improved on his previous best, with 27 points and 13 rebounds… Chris Bosh had 19 and 17, but Iverson scored 34 to go along with Chris Webber’s 28 for the win – Philly’s 5^th straight.

I Blame the Media

Two games have passed since my last entry, and both were supposed to be wins. This past Friday, the Utah Jazz came to our wonderful city, and did they ever go to town.

For the first time ever - my view was front and center. One of my colleagues had planned a road-trip of sorts, meaning I would take his press-row seat. Good times.

That also meant that I’d be keeping score and letting the Fan 590 broadcast team of Paul Jones and Eric Smith know of any runs or droughts.

The game started off great for the Raptors. They had come out victorious in the opening quarter for the first time this season (21-18). After that, though, it was all downhill. In the 2^nd, the Jazz went on a 19-2 run; one that would last more than 6 minutes before the Raptors scored a bucket.

Jones gave on-air praise for my quick calculation – something a math teacher never did once throughout my entire scholastic career.

But number crunching aside, the Raptors let a very winnable ball game slip right through their fingers.

Jazz 99, Raptors 84

Mehmet Okur led Utah with 29 points and 12 rebounds, as the Jazz shot 50.7% from the field. Chris Bosh countered with 19 points and 10 rebounds; The Raps shot 42.6%

Aaron Williams was supposed to be the answer to their problems at center – or at least the best of 3 pivots – but he picked up 4 fouls in all of 10 and a half minutes.

Rafael Aroujo was proud of him.

The bright spots: Matt Bonner came out of his season-opening funk to record 12 points, 8 boards and 4 steals… and I got to sit courtside.

==

Before the game, I was asked to attend a media conference held by Basketball Canada. They announced a new membership program called “Be One,” which in short, is designed to train kids at a younger age how to play basketball properly – and unlike Jamaal Magloire – actually want to play for the Canadian National Team.

What I got out of the conference was:

- A little confusion as to what the program was all about

- A chance to network (I met one of the hosts of NBA XL - she asked if I was interested in making an appearance for a segment sometime – hell yes)

- A free T-Shirt

- A dry-erase basketball clipboard

- A cold (a writer from the Star was kind enough to cough on the side of my face during a scrum)

As I’m typing this, I sit here listening to Nina Simone (“I Hold No Grudge” – coincidentally), with a Kleenex draping from left nostril. Hey, you asked. No?

Well you should have.

==

Moving on – and back in time a day – The Raps played host to the Sonics, who had come into the ACC losers of their last three games (most recently a 41-point spanking courtesy of the Wizards).

This game would be seen by my eyes from the friendly confines of the radio station (again, my position at the game is easier to fill than the one as sportscaster - although I was already losing my voice – badly). My younger cousin came to job-shadow for a few hours as a school project. Another set of eyes never hurts.

What we witnessed was one of the most exciting Raptors games in a while – certainly the most entertaining this season.

The Raptors were down 18 points early in the fourth, when everyone – mainly Mike James and Charlie Villanueva – started going off. James made five 3-pointers in the final frame alone (finishing with a career-high 36 points), while Charlie-V did most of his 26 points and 12 boards of damage in the final 11 minutes, as well.

With the Raptors down by 3, James lined up for a long-ball with 4.7 seconds left… top of the arch, probably would have been good, had Ray Allen not fouled him (Allen’s 6^th) before the attempt. That pre-empted move put James on the line for two free throws (remember, the Raps were down 3). So he hit the first, and needed to miss the second and hope for a put-back.

This play maybe works once a season – but it worked to perfection on Sunday.

James’ high-arching free-throw hit back-rim, sailed up and into the hands of Charlie-V, who tried to bank it in, only to shoot wide. Chris Bosh was there, and finger-tipped it in as the buzzer sounded.

Off to overtime…

Bosh fouled out two minutes into the extra frame on a shady “moving-pick” call. The Sonics then rolled to victory as an open 3-ball from Jalen Rose went blank, and a poorly timed turnover from Jose Calderon spelt defeat (he did have 12 assists for what it’s worth).

Sonics 126, Raptors 121 (OT)

==

I went to shoot-around today with mic-in-hand, and Halls-in-mouth. Avoiding excessive coughing proved troublesome, as I had to leave numerous scrums just so I didn’t infect the players.

Seriously, not that I needed to be told, but the Media Relations guy told me “just don’t infect the players.”

What I did stick around long enough to hear, was Jalen again taking most of the blame for the losing: “Hopefully, when I finally have a good game, it will coincide with the team winning,”

The Raps are in Philly to start a home-and-home tomorrow night. On Wednesday, I’ll be courtside again. But right now, I’m sniffling up a storm.

That Nina song’s long over now… Grudge or no grudge, I blame the media.

Aretha Had it Right

Last time we spoke, there was a sense of optimism. The Raptors had just come off a 3-point loss to a fine club in the Washington Wizards.

Here we are only five days later… and things have turned sour. Like, you just sucked on a bag of lemons and your cheeks have concaved, sour.

Here’s how it started:

Friday, November 4^th… Vince Carter and the New Jersey Nets are in town; Game two of the season. VC drops 20 points, to go along with 7 boards and 6 helpers. Almost every play is run through him in the 4^th, while Richard Jefferson goes off for 35 points and 11 boards on the night. I’ll spare you theatrics since this is already old news by it reaches your monitor.

Nets 102, Raptors 92

The one bright spot was Jose Calderon, who yet again proved that he could run the club with confidence. Calderon had 20 points and 7 assists, instantly bringing some soul back into a lifeless club in the second half – after a driving lay-up, he stole an inbounds pass and threw a crafty no-look dish to a streaking Mo Pete for an easy bucket.

The crowd was louder at that point, than it was for any of the incessant booing of Carter.

After the game, I would focus my report on Calderon.

I asked New Jersey coach, Lawrence Frank, what his assessment of the Spaniard was:

“Oh, I think he’s going to be very good. We were here for that exhibition game, and to see him play against Washington, and to see him play again tonight… that’s definitely a great acquisition for Toronto. He’s a very good player.”

Calderon pretty much matched Jason Kidd – one of the league’s best point guards – play for play. J-Kidd, though, didn’t dole out too much praise too soon:

“He’s a going to be a good… you know, he’s young. He’s going to be a nice point guard for them. He runs the offense, he can shoot. So the more time he gets, and the more he starts to understand the NBA game, he’ll be fine.”

Vince had nothing worthwhile to put in this space, other than the fact that when he was asked about the booing, he replied: “It’s beautiful.”

Lammond Murray, on the other hand, was quick to insult the franchise to anyone that would listen. That would be me - mic in hand.

“Hey Lammond,” I said. “What are your thoughts on returning to the ACC when it actually matters?”

To which he replied:

“It’s alright. I don’t like the floor.”

The floor!?

“The new design on the floor kinda makes your eyes go Huuuuuh. The first day we came here it was like ‘what the hell did they do with the floor?’ All these zig-zag patterns… parquet. I don’t know what kind of parquet they put on the floor, but you know, whatever.”

The floor is kind of ugly - with the red looking more magenta than anything else - but it’s just funny to hear someone vent about it.

--

On a side note, I think I got over my fear of the cameras. And I can remember exactly when that happened.

It was in that same visitor’s locker room, and a scrum had already encompassed Richard Jefferson. He was the top dog that night, so I had to get my mic flash in there, or the boss would be furious. I couldn’t see any open spots, but I did see that the bench beside all the reporters was vacant. So, me being the slim gentleman that I am crawled onto the bench, bearing bag and leather coat, and ducked under some reporters’ underarms to snag a spot right beside RJ. I then asked him some questions - straight and to the point - about his importance to the club.

I realized while I was writing my last entry to keep the questions quick and direct. So far, it’s helped.

==

Moving on… the Raptors had their first road game, and it took them to Motown. I wasn’t at the game, so I’ll spare you the recap (also because it’s a game that everyone would like to forget).

Pistons 117, Raptors 84

==

Then came the day that I was looking forward to most… The day Lebron came to town.

Then I got the call from the Boss.

“Zack, I’m going to need to pull you off the game. is sick. I need you to do updates.”

My role as a reporter is a lot easier to fill than that of the sportscaster. So my shot at interviewing Lebron James gets the bump. March 8^th. Circled on my calendar.

You guys better take some Vitamin C.

While I wasn’t pleased (that’s an understatement – I wanted to break stuff)… I’m still fortunate to be in the position I’m in. There would be more games.

But this one was monumental. It marked the Raptors’ 4^th straight loss to open the season. That’s the worst start in their 11-year team history.

Cavs 105, Raptors 93

Chris Bosh had a season-best 26 points to go along with 12 boards… but he couldn’t do it himself. The Raptors got out-rebounded 47-30. The “bigs” did nothing.

I went to shoot-around (practice) this morning, and talked to Coach Mitchell. For the first time in my brief reporting career, the man whom I was intimidated by so immensely directed some praise my way.

“Is this team built to stop the opposition?” I asked.

He paused, and then replied: “I’m not sure I understand the question.”

I reconstructed: “Is this team capable of being a team that can shut down the opposition?”

I wish I had the quote, but unfortunately, my minidisc was on pause!! Yeah, rookie mistake. That, and the fact that my batteries ran out…

In either case, on record, he talked about the team trying their best, then looked at me and said: “Good question.”

Obviously not good enough for him to answer one that I tried to ask as the scrum was wrapping up: “Sam, if rebounding isn’t something you can teach… how does a team improve on it?” He walked away, ignoring the inquiry.

Some of the other reporters there asked me what I tried to ask the coach. I told them. They also thought it was a gem.

Now while it may seem to be just a minor detail to you… it’s huge for me. Respect is a big thing. Confidence is, as well. I’m learning, and trying to build upon what I’ve experienced…

Just like the guys in purple and white.

And So It Begins...

It’s game night. I’ve been waiting for this since the Raptors took a dive below mediocrity sometime in the middle of last season. If I fetched the date, it would only depress me, so that’s in the past… and this club is clearly headed for a brighter future.

To this point, my basketball reporting spanned 3 preseason games, a couple of practices, media day… but this was the real deal. The Regular Season Opener.

I put that in caps, so it would seem more epic. For me, it is.

As they say, “it only matters how you perform when the lights come on.”

My job would become a lot more complicated this evening, as now The Fan 590 will be doing pre, half, and post-game shows. That means I need to get juicy quotes for all those segments. Then I found out that I’d be doing in-game updates for 680News.

If you’ve ever been to the ACC, you already know it can get pretty loud. Well, granted the season is still early, but the Hangar got loud. The stands shook like we were sitting at an AC/DC concert, and when it came to my second update, I couldn’t even hear my queue…

“The Fan’s Zack Cooper joins us live from the ACC… Zack? …Zack?”

I wasn’t being rude, I swear. If I heard Mr. Dunleavy, I would have responded. The first update (at 7:15) went great – or so a text message from a friend assured me. Needless to say, the second hit left me feeling a little rough around the edges.

Whatever, “with sports at 15 and 45 past every hour…” this is 680 News. I’d be able to make up for it. And I’d like to think I did.

Although there were no more text messages – except from a buddy of mine sitting courtside – to assure me.

Game time.

The Raptors looked pretty good. Much better than you’d expect from a team that was predicted to finish dead last in the league (It’s unanimous south of the border).

The Raps didn’t play any defense, and couldn’t shoot the ball – Toronto shot 39% in contrast to Washington’s 48 percent (61 at the half) - but they looked good doing it.

The starting five consisted of Mike James, Jalen Rose, Joey Graham (whom they call “The Pilot” – he got his aviator’s license a couple of years ago), Chris Bosh, and Loren Woods.

They rode JG for the first few possessions, and he carried them. An immediate 3 in response to a Gilbert Arenas triple was a crowd-lifter. Then when he dashed through the lane for an extended finger-roll lay-in, the butter melted all over the ACC, and the fans jumped to their feet like popcorn from its kernel.

This is what’s to come, indeed.

Sparing you most of the in-game run-through, I will shed light on the fact that once again Jose Calderon was shining when running the point. He kept the game high-paced, found the right guys at the right time (Mo Pete in the corner for 3, again and again), and played sound defense.

As a wise man by the name of Kevin Nealon once said in a great movie:

“All good things… circular.”

Fast-forward to late in the fourth. About 2 minutes left in regulation. For some reason, Chris Bosh is not on the floor, along with Graham – they’re both riding the pine (despite the fact that CB4 had 17 points and 14 rebounds). While Matt Bonner - who was cold all night, and couldn’t play on-the-ball defense if it fell on him – was.

The Raps are down by a point (94-93), and get three solid opportunities for open 3-pointers. Mo Pete from the corner…clank! Jalen from the top of the arch… snap! Mike James 3 feet to the left… dang! All that was missing was a Chuck Swirsky “Bam!” – then the Raps would not only have the lead, but we’d have successfully reenacted an old episode of Batman.

Moving on… After the Raps retrieved a defensive rebound, Rose tried to dribble into the lane, when Brendan Haywood (7’0”, 263 lbs) drew a charge on Jalen (6’8” 225 lbs).

I’m trying to learn how to say flop in Ukrainian… just for fun.

Antawn Jamison then avoided a trip to the charity stripe with 12.7 seconds left, dropping in a short-jumper for the Wiz. (He later said “To me, that’s a lay-up.”)

Charlie V missed a 3, Bonner collected the rebound, dished to Jalen for the tie… nope.

Wizards 99, Raptors 96

--

After the game, I spoke to the visiting coach per usual. Normally asking questions, I’m fine… but when there are cameras around, I guess I get nervous. I tried to ask Coach Eddie Jordan what they changed in the second half to force 12 Toronto turnovers… and it came out something like this:

“What did you guys do? Second-half, you gave the Raptors 12 turnovers. They got… In the late…”

I’m pretty sure that’s not even a question. But he answered it anyway…

Heading into the locker room, I went one-on-one with Haywood. Spoke to him for a few minutes. That went smoothly… no cameras.

Gilbert Arenas… top-notch guy. When all the cameras drifted, I asked for a few minutes of his time…

Not too long ago, this guy was told by everyone he didn’t have the game for the NBA (“He’s too small, he’s not a pure point guard…” on an on). He drifted all the way to the 2^nd round of the 2001 draft (finally getting selected by the Warriors, 31^st overall). He wears the number “0” to represent what everyone expected out of him – nothing - and last year he was selected to his first (of likely many) all-star games.

He knows all about the role of underdog… so I asked him to indulge me on his thoughts about the Raptors being predicted to finish at the basement of the league.

“I hate when people doubt someone. I’m always going for the underdog. You know, because I was an underdog. So if someone says someone’s going to finish last – I’m rooting for them to win. Just to prove everybody wrong. You know, like “Ahhh they did it!”

Gorgeous. Just talking. Me and Gil. Gil and I. I’m living my dream, no doubt.

That was in my mind as he continued: “They got a great, talented team. Especially young. You know, the young boys played hard, and once they get a few more games under their belt they’ll be good.”

All the while, I’m envisioning he’s talking about my performance…

But when the cameras are rolling, I need to know how to perform when the lights come on.

--
The Nets are here on Friday… the Raps are off to Motown on Saturday, and then it’s hosting Lebron and the Cavs on Monday (we’ll talk after that). Thanks for listening.

Second Look...

It’s been a busy week, and we’re still two and a half away from the regular season.

This is going to be fun.

We left off last time after the Jazz game… A few days later the Raptors made history; But not in a good way.

You see, the Dino’s were playing host to Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv – an Israeli national team that is no stranger to domination in Israel and Europe.

However, now they were on NBA turf - despite the fact that it certainly didn’t feel like it.

Of the 17,281 people “in attendance,” there were maybe 13 people not chanting “MA-CAB-EEE” endlessly.

Do Raptors fans still exist?

Throughout the sea of yellow and blue Elite supporters, I swear I saw a few.

A 105-103 Raptor defeat meant Toronto had just become only the second NBA team in 28 tries (in 18 years) to lose to international competition.

(The Soviet National team topped the Atlanta Hawks in 1988).

"To lose is unacceptable," said coach Sam Mitchell. "To say, 'To lose to a team like that,' would be disrespecting them."

Just last night, the Orlando Magic had their shot against MTA, and beat them soundly: 93-79.

***
Two days post-defeat, I got my first taste of Raptors practice (although media's not allowed to watch).

After that loss it went a little long - which meant me and the rest of the Toronto media got to witness the Kurt Browning All-Stars rehearse for that night’s performance (I was told Smurfs would be there, too).

After arriving just before noon, the practice finally wrapped up at about 1:45.

A lot of talk had to do with Vince’s second return to the ACC as a Net, the freshly-implemented dress code, and the hopeful return of Alvin Williams (he was out of commission for 20 months after undergoing 3 separate surgeries).

No one had anything juicy to say about VC…

In terms of the dress code: “I got one suit,” Matt Bonner said. “I plan on getting one every year, so by the time I’m done, I’ll have a wicked wardrobe.”

I asked him how he picked it out: “I just model it after what Jalen Rose would wear.”

What did Jalen think?

“I just do what the Commissioner says: ‘Wear what Jalen Rose wears.’”

Both those guys make interviewing a breeze… Loving life.

In terms of Alvin’s return they wouldn’t promise anything, because as he put it: “some days I wake up feeling good… other days, not so much.”

But he was optimistic, and so was I. The Raptors could sure use his heart.

Went back to the station, cut up some clips, and did 4 recorded reports (two about Alvin, one about the dress code, and one about Vince’s return).

I awoke the next morning to a call from my boss…

“Zack, I think you just set a record. 38 Clips from a Raptors practice; 4 Voicers… you’re going to tonight’s game…”

Sold! (I was going to go anyway and volunteer my time – but he offered to pay me, and with cell phone bills like mine, I’m not turning down free money)
***
So it’s 4:50, now… I had just gotten to the ACC for tonight’s 7 o’clock tip.

“Go early, just in case Vince has something to say.”

He didn’t.

That meant more free pizza for me.

Coach Mitchell always does his pre-game address about 75 minutes before the tip… so after a slice or three I fled to the podium (which went missing?!).

As I adjusted my positioning to allow some TV cameras in, I brushed up against coach’s coffee.

“Please don’t touch my coffee.”

Feeling great.

Coach didn’t want to talk about either Vince or Lammond Murray (who was spitting fire on Raps’ Brass in the morning.)

Fine… so I’ll talk to Lammond, myself.

“I’m just telling the truth,” Murray says. “For three years I was here, and every year was a rebuilding one. A new coach every year… New Players… Now I’m with a good team… moving on.”

I thanked him, and returned for more pizza. (I swear, you’d think I weighed more than 143 lbs.)

It’s game-time now…

Vince - as expected - faced a chorus of boo’s. Surprisingly, though, those boo’s turned to meh’s in just a few short minutes. VC went on to drop 20, while Jason Kidd was close to a triple double (5 points, 9 boards, and 8 assists) in just 23 minutes.

All that was brushed aside, though, as the Raps not only got their first win of the preseason (107-105 in OT), but also the heart-felt return of Alvin. He was greeted to a standing ovation – not me, though – I’m not allowed to cheer, remember?

He had a steal pretty much right off the bat, and ended up adding one assist in his 4:43 on the court.

Charlie Villanueva finished with 24 points, including 3 clutch free-throws with 1.6 seconds left to force overtime.

“Ice in his veins,” Matt Bonner told me. “It’s awesome for a rookie like that to be able to step up like that.”

If all goes well, I’ll have my peers saying the same… talk to you next week.

First Glance

A Rookie Reporter’s Life on the Sidelines

Zack Cooper, The Fan 590

October 13, 2005

Already I feel like I’m misleading you…

You see, I thought I’d be on the sidelines, but alas… it’s my first year on the job (let alone day), and I’ll be sitting up in the press box.

I have a love for the game of basketball: a love that many don’t understand. I lived and breathed Raptor-ball up until last night – when I became a Raptors Reporter.

My first experience with nerves can be summed up in a brief conversation I had with Coach Sam Mitchell on media day. I walked in wearing dress pants, to go with a snazzy new shirt and tie, looking and feeling good. But when I walked into the RBK Court (where they were holding the festivities), I clearly looked like the new kid. Some of the other reporters were in sweats – Costanza-style – and here I was looking like Johnny-Just-Moved. No Matter. So what if I look good?

So I walked up to Sam Mitchell…

“Coach Mitchell, I just wanted to introduce myself... My name is Zack Cooper, this will be my first year covering the Raps for the Fan. I might be a little nervous, but…”

He cuts me off: “Don’t worry, there are 82 games.” He then up and walks away.

Good Start, Zack.

Fast forward 6 days to last night’s preseason opener against the Jazz. It’s go time. I get the behind-the-curtains-tour of the ACC by a trusty co-worker from the station. He introduces me to the right people, I shake the right hands, and walk down the right (and sometimes wrong) hallways. He also shows me to my seat. Look up… way up.

"People sit there?” I ask.

“That’s where you’ll be sitting.” He says.

No matter. I’m watching Raptors games, and getting paid for it: Living the dream.

So he runs through the routine, pre-and-post game ethics: who to talk to, where to go… and we’re getting ready to move. But not before we indulge in some free food in the media room.

An endless pile of Pizza awaits, with salads and deserts just to the left (if you pay $12, you get the “meal” – which last night was a pasta bar).

The TV Screen shows we’re four minutes away from tip-off against the Jazz. Got to get to my seat.

Just in time… the balls up in the air… and there it is: I’m now officially a Raptors reporter, and I have the media pass and free pizza to prove it.

…By now you know the outcome. The Raptors lost 102-101 in Overtime.

After the game Sam Mitchell was no happy camper: "We have to find somebody who is going to rebound," a steamed Mitchell said. "That's all we've been talking about (in training camp).”

That’s the same song he’s been singing since he got here a little over a year ago. It’s nothing new, but he wouldn’t comment on anything else.

Charlie Villanueva grabbed 5 boards through the course of his 35 minutes. He looked good, though. He had a decent touch around the rim, used his body well on the defensive block, and found a way to send back 4 shots (one of which came with less than a second left in OT– and although I’m not supposed to cheer, I let out quite the yelp in support).

Joey Graham had some tendonitis in his knee flare up, so he left early… Matt Bonner was dealing with a stomach virus. The starting 5 opened up the game, before turning to cheerleaders by the end of the first.

Jose Calderon took over the point and looked solid. His stats don’t reflect his floor-leadership (9 points, 5 boards, 2 helpers), which just goes to show there’s no language barrier once the whistle blows.

He looked composed, smart, and opportunistic. He had 3 turnovers, but only one was off a bad pass (refreshing for Raptors fans). He looked good enough to make a case for starting, in my eyes.

It’s still undetermined who’s going to get that third spot in the rotation, though.

If last night’s play was any indication, Tierre Brown should get it, over Corey “Homocide” Williams (who killed himself at the free throw line (1-5), when he wasn’t trying to do too much) and Robert Pack (who showed he’s still crafty).

Brown had 24 points (12 from the charity stripe) along with 7 assists, and 2 turnovers. His jumper looked NBA-worthy (as much as that says), and his ability to drive into the lane was crucial.

After the game, I went to go speak to Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, who was a class act. He stared me right in the eyes, and answered every one of my questions with care and consideration, while my heart was pounding through my shirt – another new one.

“Coach Sloan, you’re notorious for not using rookies - granted it is preseason - but they came up big for you tonight…” I asked, referring to CJ Miles (who sent the game into OT with a late 3-pointer, and scored 5 points in the extra frame) and Robert Whaley (who sealed it with a tip-in with 0.8 seconds left).

“They played well, but they’ve got a lot to learn if they want to play in this league… I’ve never had to do so much talking in my coaching career,” Sloan said. We continued a nice conversation for the next 5 minutes.

I then went into the Jazz locker room, and spoke to Deron Williams, Miles, Milt Palacio, and Whaley. Afterwards, as instructed, I headed back to the Raptors locker room, where all the scrums were just wrapping up.

You see, I’ve been delegated to the away-team locker room, but I don’t mind one bit.

After all, I’m now a basketball reporter.