04.13
Slumped over a plate of ribs, his first solid food in 21/2 days, a flu-weakened but improving Sam Mitchell wanted nothing to do with the daily media briefing that comes with the title of NBA coach.
As for the health of his team in light of those two wins, though, Mitchell was in no mood to discuss.
Asked if he could get a proper gauge of his team based on wins over one team that was out of the playoff picture and the other who had already had their playoff last rites read, Mitchell turned slowly to his questioner and asked if he had been dropped on his head as a child.
In Mitchell’s book, a win in the NBA is just that. The opponent doesn’t matter and to question the validity of any win is tantamount to declaring oneself brain damaged.
A three-way tie at the end of the season between the Raptors, Washington and Philadelphia would work in the Toronto’s favour. The first tiebreaker would be head-to-head play followed by conference record.
The Raptors were 3-1 against Philadelphia and 1-3 versus the Wizards. The season series between the Wizards and 76ers was 2-1 in favour of the 76ers going into last night’s fourth and final game of the season series. A Philly win would leave all three teams with the same record. The next tiebreaker would be conference records, where the Raptors are 28-21, the Sixers 25-24 and the Wizards 27-22. Each team has three games remaining.
If the Raptors and Sixers go 2-1 in their final three and the Wizards go 1-2, the Raptors would own the tiebreaker and finish fifth, earning a first-round date with Cleveland.
It hasn’t been unusual in the last couple of weeks for Carlos Delfino to be the last Raptor off the practice floor, not ready to leave until he’s done some extra work on his jump shot, catching and shooting from around the arc, inside, outside, one dribble, no dribbles, trying to find some consistency and accuracy.
"It’s not mechanical, I think it’s more about confidence," Delfino said yesterday. "The more you work, the better you feel with the ball. The mental approach is just better."
Delfino has been one of the more confounding Raptors during a season that has highlighted the inconsistencies that dogged him through three seasons in Detroit.
"I’ve been working because I know I’ve been struggling, so I’m just trying to work on the shots a little bit more. A couple of extra hours and it helps," he said.
"You can tell early, like his first couple of shots," Mitchell said of Delfino’s offensive ups and downs. "But Carlos can do a lot of things. It really helps us when he’s playing better."
Aside from wavering confidence, another factor may play into Delfino’s good-one-night-bad-the-next performance. He’s never going to be the first, or even second, offensive option on the Raptors so if he’s going to score, he has to score early.
"At our position on this team, it’s not that you never know," he said. "You just have to be ready because you have two great playmakers trying to create shots for everyone. You have to be ready. Sometimes you feel ready and you miss a couple of shots and it’s normal that the ball doesn’t get to you again because you are missing."
Without having looked at every tape of every game he played, I’m pretty sure Bosh’s foul on Richard Jefferson –- when hit him pretty hard and sort of grabbed him around the neck and chest – might have been the hardest foul Bosh has ever committed.
On a team of nice guys who never, ever, ever do that, it was good to see. The Nets were up screaming for a flagrant foul call that’s unheard of with Raptor fouls.
If you’re looking for drama in today’s game between the Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors, it’s there if you look for it.
First, the Pistons want to continue the aggressive play they showed in their 102-74 whipping of the Washington Wizards on Friday and, even more, the Raptors could be Detroit’s first-round playoff opponent.
"There’s a good chance we’ll play them,” Pistons coach Flip Saunders said. "If somehow Philly beats Washington (Saturday night), you’ve basically got a three-way tie for that spot.
"Of the rest of the games that Toronto has, we’re the only team that can beat them. The other teams (Miami and Chicago), I think they’ll beat them. Based on that, we look at them as a possible opponent.”
Billups agrees, saying the Pistons don’t want to take a step back from their performance against Washington.
"We knew (the starters) would only play the first and third (quarters) but we wanted to be aggressive,” he said. "We’re fired up and ready to go and that was a good game for us. We’re hoping to do the same.”
Another game, another potential first-round playoff opponent. The Toronto Raptors come to the Palace today.
To the Pistons, with the playoffs just a week away, that doesn’t inspire much excitement. They’re tired of playing in potential previews. They’re ready for the real thing.
"It’s like, bring it on already," point guard Chauncey Billups said. "We’re ready for that."
Raptors have a chance to open some eyes if they get in the playoffs and take on Orlando. I think many a jaw will drop if the Magic get tossed aside by Toronto. It will be more about the Magic blowing it then Raptors winning it. But the truth for those who care to pay attention is that Raptors have always played the Magic well and deserve to be a slight favorite in a 7 game series. But if you are hoping American media will give the Raptors any form of credit I suggest you don’t hold your breath. Maybe after they were to win 2 NBA Championship they would actually get some credit. The one thing they do have in their favor is Bryan Colangelo who the media in the U.S loves. So there is a slim chance the Raptors might get credit before having to win a couple NBA Titles. But in the end it doesn’t matter. If they believe and we the fans believe that is what counts. The process of making the fans believe continues tomorrow afternoon on ABC. It is on the score up here but I for one want to here just how much credit the people down south give us. I already know that Chuck Swirsky believes and don’t need to hear the constant themes of the whole Chuck and Leo show. I will tune back to Canada for the Miami game which I greatly hope will not be Jack Armstrong’s last. If the Raptors let Jack Armstrong get away I may just mute the T.V all next season in protest. Jack Armstrong does a great job and he proved it again last night.
I think Feschuk should shut his mouth. Yaa, the Raps need to win. Yaa, they’ve had a very sub-par month. Hell, I was disgusted watching them play during this month. Regardless of that, you gotta support the boys. Constantly we are told by Sundin etc. to get behind the Leafs and this is never questioned. It is always done. When the undisputed Raptors Captain asks of this from us, you tell him to shut up. That’s what’s wrong with this town. Raptors have to win to get support; which I totally agree with. Leafs are blindly supported. Leafs have put garbage in front of us, every year for 40 years with exception to the only team with a chance in 92-93. Raptors have relatively put great quality on the court; with exception to a couple of years after their expansion and after VC screwed us.
The United States had finished rolling through last summer’s Olympic qualifying tournament, and Carmelo Anthony already was thinking about some missing teammates who needed to rejoin him in Beijing.
Dwyane Wade was a “no-brainer,” he said. Chris Bosh, too.
Chris Bosh?
Sure, he is an N.B.A. All-Star, averaging more than 22 points for the third season in a row. But he has made a minimal impact on the United States program over the last two years, and does not assume there is a spot guaranteed for him even if others do.
“I’m not coming into next summer just knowing I’m going to make it,” Bosh said recently. “Usually you tend to just relax and not work as hard, so I’m going to take it as I still have to make the team. I’m going to work hard enough to secure a spot and when it comes up to practicing and the tryouts, I want it to be no question. But I have to do that with my play, and not through politics or anything.”
So is he really a sure thing?
“I don’t use the word lock, personally I don’t,” the USA Basketball managing director, Jerry Colangelo, said. “Because I think he’s an outstanding young player. He brings what he brings to the floor. He’s more of a perimeter player. He’s a scorer, he can rebound, but as we put our pieces together I say this, the people who have been with us in the program in ’06 and ’07 have equity in the deal.”
Bosh was a piece, though not a big one. He played only 13 ½ minutes a game two years ago in Japan, where he was one of only two American players who did not start a game. He never got off the bench in one game, and played only 5 minutes in the Americans’ semifinal loss to Greece.
“I wasn’t unhappy, it was just you have to make some adjustments,” Bosh said. “With the depth and the talent, Coach Krzyzewski, he just came to me and he told me it was going to be some games where it was going to be tough for me to play some games. But I knew that coming in. I just care about winning.”
Krzyzewski listed Bosh as one of the players he expected to make the team last summer, but Bosh was forced to pull out because of plantar fasciitis in his left foot. He took part in the team’s July minicamp before deciding not to rejoin the American team when it reported for practice leading into the tournament.
“Given the seriousness of the injury, I could have played, but my foot I think still would have been the same even until today,” Bosh said. “So I took the necessary risk, I talked to Jerry and I talked to Coach K and they all told me to get healthy.
“So I just wanted to be there for moral support with the team, show that I’m dedicated and get some rest and get my foot right, because if I had played last summer, I probably would have missed out on this summer.”
“I think I can go out there and help,” Bosh said. “I know that they like to play a spread offense and everything, and if they want me to play inside, I’ll play inside. If they need me to work on my midrange shooting to the international 3, I can do that, too.”
“I’m just going to work on my game and whatever happens, whatever they need me to do, I’ll come in there and do it,” he said.
Very interested to see todays game. But probably for all the wrong reasons.
SMitch – hope he is feeling better. BC is not happy !!
Team – Bosh may have called out the fans but BC called out the players
So the boss has spoken and today is the last true test before the playoffs. I know they are all well paid but should be interesting to see what happens.
I seem to remember the coach signed 4 year deal. Would that stand in the way of a coaching change ??
I would think that MLSE would have an issue paying out the remainder of his contract. Plus, if the players like him, do you piss off 15 guys to make your GM happy?
Raps just have to win quarters 2 & 4 against scrubs and keep pace in quarters 1 & 3 and they will be fine. Doubt Detroit will be pounding up and down the floor.
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That’s just what we need, our “post” man to go out there and shoot threes with the rest of ‘em.
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