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.