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.”

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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.