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.

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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.