Linkage - Jan 29
"We have confidence," Bosh said. "When we start the game [driving to the basket] and trying to get to the free-throw line, and driving and kicking, we’re a tough team to beat because we have guys letting wide-open threes go. I think that helps us out."
No one has benefited more than guard Carlos Delfino, who has emerged as the Raptors’ most valuable reserve, averaging 11.8 points in his past five games, fuelled by a hot stroke from deep. He has shot 9-for-11 from the three-point line in his past two games, while contributing his tough brand of on-the-ball defence.
"I said, ‘Man, if I could do that, I would be a better player,’" says English, an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors who scored a tidy 25,613 points in the NBA. "And at that time, I started changing my shot, and releasing it up here. It took a while to get the rhythm down, but once I got the rhythm down and it became natural, that was my shot."
All this is a roundabout way of introducing the fact that 18 months after Raptors forward Chris Bosh changed his jump shot, he has finally got his rhythm down. Finally, his slightly retooled jumper has become natural. And that is one reason that Toronto is playing just a little bit better lately.
"I finally got used to it, yeah," said Bosh Monday. "About a month ago. If you look at the numbers, look at the stat sheet, you’ll see when it started to feel well."
On Dec. 22 - Bosh scored 42 points in Phoenix, making 10 of 20 shots, and 22 of 24 free throws. Of course, he got eaten up in San Antonio six days later, and shot poorly in Houston the night after that. Since then, however - about a month ago - Bosh has shot 59% from the field in 12 games, averaging 28.0 points per game. On the season, he is shooting 85.3% from the line, well above his career mark of 78.6%, and that carries extra significance when you take almost as many foul shots per game as Kobe Bryant.
Upon reflection, Bosh now admits he played down the various ailments that slowed him down during the first half of the NBA schedule.
These days, nothing seems to be slowing down Bosh, who is playing at a level not seen before by the fifth-year power forward.
In the 11 games played this month, Bosh has made 60% of his shots to top all Eastern Conference players.
He’s getting to foul line with regularity and converting 84% of his attempts.
When he and Jose Calderon are on the same page in their high screen and roll sequence, Bosh has been downright unstoppable.
But the 10-year veteran admits he never has seen a back-to-back set against the same opponent.
In one of those scheduling oddities, the Raptors will play the Washington Wizards in a home-and-home series beginning tonight in D.C.
"This is a new experience for me, so I don’t know what to expect," the gentle giant from Slovenia said. "The most important thing for us is to play as well as we can. You can put a lot of pressure by winning that first game."
As for Nesterovic, he is not necessarily happier backing up his younger teammate than starting, but as a multi-year veteran, he recognizes the inevitability.
"I know Andrea’s the future," Nesterovic shrugged. "I’m just going to try and do what I can do where they need me, whenever they need me. Believe me, we’re in it together. I think we just need to give him time. He came here not because he was like Shaq or some other big guys. He came here because he has some other potential that other guys don’t have. We need to give him time and be patient."
It all adds an air of urgency to the games. And particularly the first.
"They’re important because we play them back-to-back and we’re right there with each other," Toronto coach Sam Mitchell said yesterday. "At least you’ve got to split. If you don’t split, you feel like you’ve (failed)."
While some coaches would rather have all their players on vacation all-star weekend to rest up for the grind of the final post-season push, there are those who actively campaign to have someone chosen.
Denver’s Karl, for instance, told reporters last week about Camby that "it will be interesting to see a coach who doesn’t pick him … I’ll make some phone calls."
Scott, meanwhile, said he’d make some calls about Paul, who is bidding to be an all-star in front of the hometown fans.
For Mitchell, getting those calls is more of a pain than anything. And he wasn’t about to spend any time working the phone lines pumping up Bosh and Calderon. He figures if coaches don’t know what they can do, and if they don’t see the impact either has had on the Raptors, nothing he says is going to change anyone’s mind.
"No, I don’t think you should do that," he said. "It doesn’t help when people call me, either. I don’t have one thing to do with it."
"You’re not guarding guys one-on-one in the NBA, you’re not guarding LeBron James one-on-one.
"Understand something, a great offensive player? I’m not worried about you, I’m looking through you to those other four guys and where they are. I’m not looking at you.
"I can beat you.
"I didn’t worry about one guy guarding me most nights. It was those other three, four guys behind him. Was it a shot-blocker? Were they in help position. Where were they? Did I have a shooter on this side so if I beat my guy, I know this guy was going to have to stay so I have a driving lane?
"You’re not guarding guys in the NBA today, with the rules, one-on-one. I can’t put my hands on you, how am I going to guard you? Derek Harper would put that claw on you and make you go where he wanted you to go. He wouldn’t let you go. That’s why they changed the rules.
"You can’t guard guys one-on-one.”
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