Sticking it to Dirk with D...

Team USA shot miserably against Germany, but still managed to win by 20 points (85-65).
The Americans shot 35% from the field, and only 25% from beyond the arc.
However, when you contain Dirk Nowitzki to the point where he's got more turnovers than buckets... you're in pretty good shape.

Dirk had 5 turnovers, to 3 made field goals (3/12 from the field).

If there were any doubts about the US' inside presence, this glaring difference on the glass should change that. Team USA outrebounded Germany, 48-34... but on the offensive side, it was a ridiculous 22-6.

Chris Bosh was once again borderline phenomenal in limited time:
10 points, 7 boards, and a block in just 14 minutes (more than Dwight Howard's 11 minutes, by the way).

Overnight, Bosh spoke to ESPN radio... and among the things he talked about was feeling like an underdog when he'd be watching Argentina and Spain in action. He obviously respects his opponents enough - which is something Coach K has drilled in from day one.

Concerning Greece, who team USA will play Friday morning at 3:30, Bosh says among their strengths, the Greek move the ball well, they've got 'good inside play', but "other teams respect them too much."

Bosh also noted that the reason why the US is undefeated, is because they frustrate the opposition. They "Intimidate people defensively."

If you've seen any of the games, the proof is in the passing lanes - which they dominate to the delight of fast-breaking basketball fans.

Steal the ball, streak up court, slam it home.

What's not to like?
==

I'm hearing conflicting reports about where we'll (the media) will be sitting once the Raptors' season starts... Originally I was told we'd be bumped up to the boxes... however, now I'm hearing that it's just tech guys and writers who will get the bump... which could mean that us broadcasters get to stay courtside.

I guess I'll know soon enough.

Talk to you after Greece.

In a Rush...

What's up peoples?? So I gotta write this up quickly, because I've got to get to work... but late last night, or in the early morning, if you will... I randomly turned on RaptorsTV before I went to bed, and I was graced with the beautiful opportunity of watching the States CRUSH Australia, 113-73...

Chris Bosh was looking damn good in what I saw... (most of the 3rd and 4th quarters).
He was perfect from the field (4/4), and missed only one of his 4 free throw attempts.

All that summed up to 12 points and 9 boards in just 18 minutes.

Now Team USA has a quarter-final match against Germany on Wednesday...
==
Also, I had a dream about the Raptors' upcoming media day... I don't know when it is... but I'm excited.

Enjoy life.

Bosh Demolishes the Africans...

Just 24 hours after his first DNP-CD, Chris Bosh simply dominated against Senegal (as did the rest of team USA - at least the guys that played). It was Wade's turn to sit, as the Americans rolled over the Africans, 103-58.

Bosh had a solid double-double, with 20 points (7/9 fgs), and 10 boards (6 offensive), to go with an assist and a block, in just 21 minutes.

I'm sure that performance will go a long way towards helping his confidence.

The States will next play Australia (4th place team from Group C) on Sunday
==
Looking elsewhere...

After testing team USA in a tune-up... Brazil got bounced by Lithuania - where's Hoffa when you need him?

China used a monster performance from Yao Ming to edge Slovenia, 78-77...
Yoa had 36 points, 10 boards, and 4 blocks, as the Chinese advance to the Roung of 16... Slovenia also advanced (because Italy snuck past Puerto Rico, 73-72), but in the game against the Chinese, Rasho Nesterovic had 11 points, 10 rebounds, 3 helpers, and 3 blocks in 22 minutes... Uros Slokar hit a go ahead bucked (which was later trumped, obviously) in the final seconds, and finished with 15 points, 6 boards, and 3 dimes - in 35 minutes (quality burn).

Spain remained unbeaten, and humiliated the hosts, 104-55 over Japan.
Pau Gasol - 26 points, 15 boards...
Jorge Garbajosa - 12 points, 6 boards, 4 steals...
Jose Calderon - 2 points (0/1 fgs), 7 assists, 1 turnover.

...and on the Darko watch, just because he's playing so damn well... Mr.Milicic had 24 points, 12 boards, 2 helpers, and 2 blocks in Serbia-Montenegro's 83-79 loss to the powerful Argentinians... Luis Scola had 22 points, 13 off the glass, and 5 assists.

==
Back in North America... the Newark-Star Ledger reports:

According to a close friend of the Nets forward, Carter and his wife, Ellen, recently initiated divorce proceedings, which may be a major factor in his next move.

If his wife gains custody of their 1-year-old daughter and moves back to Orlando or her own hometown in South Carolina, Carter could be motivated to sign with the Magic or Charlotte Bobcats just to stay close, as both teams have substantial cap room to sign him.

Just thought I'd put it out there for some water-cooler talk. It seems that Vince can't stay committed to anything long-term. At least, according to the report.

Bosh Sits for the States' First Scare...

I don't think it was a doubt in anyone's mind that Chris Bosh would gain more experience from just being around his teammates, than from getting actual playing time at the World Basketball Championships.

Most recently, Bosh learned what it's like to sit and watch, while his team overcomes early struggles. Sure, he did that in Toronto - but only at the end of the season, when his thumb injury kept him out. Otherwise, he was the hero.

But at the World's, he's not even a back-up... he's a third-stringer that, when the going gets tough, he keeps riding the pine.

Brad Miller was the only other American player that didn't see any game time against Italy... and for the first time this tournament, Coach K went away from his 2-squad system, and played his best players.

Carmelo Anthony eclipsed Kenny Parkers' former States record of 34 points (1990 worlds), with 35 (19 in the third), as team USA overcame an 12 point deficit to beat Italy, 94-85.

Dime Magazine printed a little excerpt where Kobe Bryant said that 'Melo is the hardest player in the league to stop... and it showed. (I'll save my ever-improving views on Carmelo, for when the Raptors play the Nuggets)

Dwyane Wade had 26 points, missing only 3 of his 13 shots, as the U.S. clinched first place in their pool.

==
Before we go on to the other games of importance... I want to say that Fiba.com screwed me. Keep in mind, this site is considered the "official scoring" of the tournament. They had it listed that Bosh had 4 assists in 13 minutes... but as suspected, it turned out to be 4 FOULS in 13 minutes. I don't know when they corrected it, but I went to air with it - overnight - on the Fan.

Never a good feeling to broadcast a mistake.

==
Ok, so back to the action...

Spain beat the tough Angolans, 93-83... Pau Gasol had a game-high 28 points, while in terms of the Raptors: the ever-steady Jorge Garbajosa had 15 points (4/7 3ptrs), to go with 4 boards. One game after Jose Calderon was on-fire offensively... he didn't even take a shot... 2 points, 2 boards, and 6 helpers.

Rasho Nesterovic had 12 points and 9 boards in Slovenia's 90-82 win over Puerto Rico. The effecient Uros Slokar had 5 points and 2 rebounds in 11 minutes.

Elsewhere...
Darko Milicic was ridiculous... 18 points, 11 boards, 4 helpers, and 6 blocks... Serbia-Montenegro beat up on Venezuela, 90-65...

Manu Ginobili had 20 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in just 17 minutes, as Argentina rocked Nigeria, 98-64...

Also... Greece upset Brazil, 91-80...

==
that's it for today...

Another Day... Another States' Blowout...

So the US had it's way with Slovenia, despite getting out-rebounded 37-26.
Kirk Hinrich led the States with 7 off the glass, while Dwyane Wade did the scoring with 20 points (Lebron had 19), in a 114-95 win.

Chris Bosh played distributor, doling out 4 assists (with 0 points, 0/1 fg's) in 13 minutes. In all honesty, that stat is coming from fiba.com... and they've mixed up their ASSISTS and FOULS before... so there's also a chance that Bosh had 1 assist, in reality.

Rasho Nesterovic had 14 points, 7 boards, and 3 assists in 27 minutes...
Uros Slokar 2 points, 5 boards, and 2 helpers in 16 ticks.

Spanish Sensations...

So Spain continues to roll at the WBC's... and normally I wouldn't make too much of a fuss... but the two Raptors on that squad simply torched the nets.

Jose Calderon had a game high 20 points (5/5 2pt fgs, 2/3 3 pt fgs), 6 ast, 2 stls...
Jorge Garbajosa chipped in 12 points (4/5 3pt fgs)...

and I can only assume that "The Garbage Man" was partly responsible to helping keep Dirk Nowitzki in check (14pts, 4 TO's in 35 mins).

Spain over Germany 92-71.

That's all that really mattered from Day 3, other than the fact that Angola managed to beat New Zealand... Argentina hammered Venezuela, 96-54; Walter Hermann (future Bobcat) had 25 pts and 9 rebs... Serbia-Montenegro punished Lebanon 104-57; Darko Milicic had 18 points off 7/10 2pt, 1/1 3pt shooting.

Raptors Around the World...

First off, I want to say how good it feels to be writing again...
Before the last post, I believe it had been 3 weeks - or somewhere near it. Now there's something to talk about, as the World Basketball Championships are now 2 days deep in Japan.

While I haven't been able to catch more than a glimpse of a few games... the trusty internet has given me the ability for some fine stat-tracking.

But first... I want to give you all a Lonny Baxter update...
According to the Associated Press (thanks again, fellas), the uglier half of the "Banger Brothers" (and any other grouping that involves halves for that matter) will be kept locked up until Wednesday, at the earliest because:

Baxter's lawyers asked a D.C. Superior Court judge Friday to delay a bond hearing so they could challenge aspects of the city's new crime emergency legislation that presumes anyone charged with carrying a pistol without a license to be dangerous.

According to the article, his passenger (who was later confirmed to NOT be Robert Archibald) was released... but Baxter is being held in solitary confinement because of his "celebrity status."

Oh, to be a "star" in America. The maximum sentence Baxter could face is 7 years.
And by the way, remember how he was pulled over by the Secret Service? Apparently a witness to the shooting FLAGGED THEM DOWN.

I have to have a Jerry Seinfeld moment here (so put on the voice, please):
"What's the deal with the secret service? I mean, if people can tell who they are... they can't be too secretive..." (If that wasn't funny, then just think about "man hands." - wait... give it a sec... THERE IT IS!!)

OK, so... moving on.

Yesterday (Saturday) marked the beginning of the Fiba WBC's (fiba.com is great - when it's up).

Team USA was trailing early against Puerto Rico, but rebounded midday through the second-quarter to pull away for a 111-100 win. In terms of the Raptors' presence, Chris Bosh had 5 points, 2 boards, a helper and a steal in 13 minutes.

Spain, who I personally believe is the biggest road block in the States' path to redemption, stuck it to New Zealand, 86-70.
Jorge Garbajosa shared the team-lead with 16 points, contributing a team-high 7 boards, to go with 2 steals and an assist.
Jose Calderon had 5 points, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 2 rebounds.

Slovenia beat Senegal, 96-79, with modest contributions from a pair of Raptors...
Rasho Nesterovic: 4 points, 4 boards, 3 assists, 1 block (16 minutes)
Uros Slokar: 1 point (0/2 from the field), 1 block, 1 steal, 1 assist, 6 rebounds.
(Senegal has 2 M.N'Daiye's... Mamadou was solid, though: 15 points, 6 boards, 3 assists, 1 block and 1 steal)

so that was day 1...

On to today... I woke up at 6:30 this morning for some reason - partly because I stayed home last night on lockdown (brief backstory: I was biking home from work yesterday at 1pm... My napsack evidentally opened up, and I dropped my lock and keys... When I went to replace the lock: insufficient funds. Used Visa. Called Bank. Account frozen till Monday. I gotta make this $5 last until Monday. Goddamn).

So yeah, 6:30... the start of the USA/China game... Didn't register in my brain which was more focused on the "day off" aspect of my life. Back to bed it was.

I woke up 3 minutes after the game ended.

How do you say "Boo" in Japanese??

Team USA absolutely punished China (with Yao this time), 121-90... At the break, China had more turnovers (12) than buckets (11).

Bosh, according to stats at least, had another mediocre game... In 11 minutes, Bosh had 3 points (0/2 fgs), 2 boards and 2 turnovers.

Spain throttled Panama, 101-57...
Garbajosa: 10 pts (4/11 fg's, 1/5 3pts), 5 rebs, 2 ast, 1 stl
Calderon: 5 pts, 5 rebs, 2 ast, 1 steal

Rasho Nesterovic was a beast, but Slovenia lost to Italy... 80-76
Nesterovic: team-high 17 pts (8/14 fg, 1/2 3's), team-high 8 rebs, 2 ast, 2 blks, 2 stls..
Slokar: 4 pts (2/2 fgs), 3 rebs, 2 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl

That's all she wrote for now... thanks to everyone who was kicking my ass to write more... and thanks to everyone else just for reading this.

When You Can't Get to Italy Fast Enough...

First of all, i want to apologize - sort of - for my lack of updating.
I was confronted by a friend/reader at the gym, pointing out that I needed fresh material.

The only problem is... there's no fresh material.

In fact, among the two topics I want to touch on... is OLD stuff.

Amid the madness that is called work, I found a little time to relax in front of the TV the other night. For the first time since some early USA vs. Puerto Rico tune-up action, I turned on RaptorsTV.

I'm sure as hell glad I did.

They're showing what they call the "Landmark Series" - the 2001 First Round playoff series against the Knicks.

Having that on television is like going back to an old fling, and having some good quality no-strings-attached fun. It's a guilt-free pleasure.

Watching the Raptors from when they were competitive.
Watching the Raptors, when the team boasted names like Charles Oakley, Dell Curry, Keon Clark... on top of your Vince Carters', Antonio Davis', Alvin Williams' (who torched New York repeatedly - as mentioned in the previous post, also nailed the "shot" (sorry MJ, Toronto fans get one too)).

Seeing the Jerome Williams', a young up-and-coming Mo Pete, and a Chris Childs before that disasterous 3-point attempt vs. Detroit, was just beautiful.

I almost cried.

There was pretty much a memory associated with every game.
Like, I'd remember watching game 1 of that series with my father on my parents couch... I remember my mother racing back in the car from Hamilton, as we listened to the start of game 3 on the radio, desperately trying to see the images from our own eyes (mother, not necessarily included)...
and fast forward a couple weeks, I remember exactly what I was doing when Vince Carter missed that basket at the buzzer, that would have beaten Philly and sent the Raptors into the Eastern Finals.

But that last one's a story for another post - perhaps.

I just wanted to share that feeling with you... and hope that you got/get a chance to see some of it, as well... because honestly, that's when this city went crazy for Raptors basketball. The bandwagon was never bigger.

And I'm sure I'm not the only one who will welcome further growth, when the on-court product is back to doing what this city demands/expects.

The past few years haven't been as kind, obviously... because of a number of reasons. Turmoil's a good word to use, I think... and turmoil's what one former player is dealing with right now.

I was catching up on what went on in the sports world between my sleeping hours, and came across this nugget: (keep in mind, the player to be mentioned signed a contract to play in Italy, just last week)

-kids... leave the guns at home-

(WASHINGTON AP) - Former NBA player Lonny Baxter was arrested by uniformed Secret Service agents on Wednesday after shots were fired from a vehicle about two blocks from the White House.

Baxter, a former Toronto Raptor who played with the Charlotte Bobcats last season, was taken into custody around 2:30 a.m. after a witness flagged down a Secret Service agent and reported shots fired from a white sport-utility vehicle, said Secret Service spokesman Eric Zahren.

Officers stopped the vehicle, which Baxter was driving, near the intersection of 17th and I streets in Northwest Washington.

"There were spent shell casings in plain view inside the vehicle," Zahren said. Officers also recovered a handgun.

Both Baxter, 27, and the vehicle's passenger, 35-year-old Irvin Martin, were charged with carrying a pistol without a license and other firearms charges. Police said it wasn't clear why they allegedly fired the gun.



"We're not sure at this point," Zahren said. "There may be some subsequent charges if we discover some additional information."

The two suspects are being held by District of Columbia police.

(thanks to the Associated Press)

...this just in... Irvin Martin is actually Robert Archibald... and they actually BANG, like brothers.

Chuck, you're a frikkin' prophet.