Basketball Eh? - djp's Custom Raptors

[djp73]

RAPTORS UPDATE
EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS

#8 NEW YORK KNICKS vs #1 TORONTO RAPTORS


THORNTON WITH THE PUT-BACK SLAM IN GAME ONE

Air Canada Centre, Toronto - Despite their regular-season dominance the Raptors still had a lot to prove going into the playoffs as the #1 seed. Many experts had New York taking them to at least 6 games and most said 7. Some even had Toronto going down in 7. When they took the court in the sea of purple and red for game one they knew the task at hand. It was a back-and-forth battle that went into the final frame with a score of 68-63 Raptors. The Knicks would battle back and take the lead early but strong play by Foster had Toronto back on top late. Tied at 87 with under a minute to play Donovan Davis swiped the ball from Jeremy Lin and found an open Phil Foster for three to make it 90-87. Toronto would hit 4 free throws down the stretch and take the game by a final of 94-87.

Game One

New York Knicks @ Toronto Raptors

TM|1Q|2Q|3Q|4Q|OT|TOT
NYK|20|27|16|24|--|87
TOR|23|25|20|26|--|94

Key Players
New York
J. Lin 22pts 6reb 10ast
C. Anthony 19pts 9reb
JR Smith 15pts 2reb 3ast 2stl
A. Stoudemire 12pts 7reb 2ast 3stl 1blk
Toronto
P. Foster 23pts 4reb 2ast 1stl 1blk
T. Thornton 18pts 7reb 4ast 4stl 1blk
F. Petrovic 16pts 7reb 1ast 1blk
D. Davis 14pts 2reb 8ast 8stl

==================================================

Air Canada Centre, Toronto - Up 1-0 Toronto was looking to maintain their home court advantage over the Knicks. The Raptors looked sluggish early as New York jumped out to a 37-28 lead after the first quarter. The teams played nearly even in the second and at the half Toronto was down 65-57. Coming out of the gate to start the second half Toronto's big three led them on a 19-2 run en route to a 49-19 quarter. The Knicks never recovered and Toronto won 122-104 to go up 2-0. "We really didn't need much motivation at the half. Theo stood up and said something along the lines of "This is our house" and that was all it took. We knew what to do." explained coach djp after the win.

Game Two

New York Knicks @ Toronto Raptors

TM|1Q|2Q|3Q|4Q|OT|TOT
NYK|37|28|19|20|--|104
TOR|28|29|49|16|--|122

Key Players
New York
JR Smith 27pts 2reb 3ast 2stl
A. Stoudemire 24pts 6reb 2ast 2blk
C. Anthony 18pts 2reb 1ast
J. Lin 13pts 1reb 8ast 1stl
Toronto
T. Thornton 27pts 6reb 2stl 1blk
P. Foster 23pts 5reb 3ast
F. Petrovic 21pts 9reb 2ast 1blk
S. Woolridge 18pts 3ast

==================================================

Madison Square Garden, New York - Headed into New York already up 2-0 Toronto was looking to keep all the momentum in their corner. The rabid atmosphere in the Garden would be sure to test them. The young Raptors squad showed no fear as they jumped out to 37-19 first quarter lead. Disaster struck midway though the second quarter when Toronto sharpshooter Stephen Woolridge went down with an apparent broken nose when Carmelo Anthony and he collided going for a rebound. Woolridge's status for the remainder of the playoffs is unknown. Toronto would maintain their composure and go up 3-0 with a 121-91 win.

Game Three

Toronto Raptors @ New York Knicks

TM|1Q|2Q|3Q|4Q|OT|TOT
TOR|37|25|35|24|--|121
NYK|19|23|30|19|--|91

Key Players
New York
C. Anthony 20pts 10reb 4ast 2blk
B. Davis 15pts 1ast 1stl
JR Smith 12pts 4reb 1ast
M. Bibby 10pts 2ast
Toronto
T. Thornton 24pts 6reb 5ast 2stl
P. Foster 21pts 5reb 2ast 3stl
F. Petrovic 19pts 18reb 4ast 1stl
S. Woolridge 19pts 1reb 1ast

==================================================

Madison Square Garden, New York - Do or die. Win or go home. The Knicks had been in this situation before. For the Raptors it was brand new. Up 3-0 with a chance to close it out and move on. How would they react. At the half Toronto led 46-44. The third quarter saw a total of 83 points scored and New York was up 90-82. Trailing 108-109 late in the game Theo Thornton snagged a deep rebound off a Carmelo Anthony miss and took off up court with Anthony in pursuit. Thornton pulled up at the top of the three point line and Anthony couldn't react fast enough. Thornton drained the three to make it 111-109. Petrovic hit a pair of free throws and the Raptors completed the sweep 113-109. "Everyone seemed to think we would really struggle against them but we just played our game and it all worked out." stated Veteran Forward Joe Smith. The Raptors did suffer a devastating loss when Phil Foster left in the waning minutes of the third quarter. His injury is listed as a sprained wrist on his shooting hand. He is day-to-day. The injury leaves the Raptors with just 3 true guards on the roster, all under 6' and certainly more in the point guard mold. Toronto has been rumored to be speaking with free agent Anthony Morrow, who averaged 9.9 minutes per game in 58 appearances for New Jersey this past season. In order to fill the voids left by Foster and Woolridge the Raptors will need several players to step up. Chicago and Orlando are currently tied 2-2 with the winner to face Toronto. If that series goes long it could benefit Toronto on the injury front.

Game Four

Toronto Raptors @ New York Knicks

TM|1Q|2Q|3Q|4Q|OT|TOT
TOR|19|26|37|31|--|113
NYK|22|22|46|19|--|109

Key Players
New York
A. Stoudemire 27pts 12reb 1ast 1stl 1blk
C. Anthony 22pts 8reb 5ast
JR Smith 16pts 3reb 3ast 1stl
J. Lin 10pts 1reb 6ast 2stl 1blk
Toronto
P. Foster 27pts 3reb 3ast 1stl 1blk
T. Thornton 25pts 2reb 1ast 2stl
F. Petrovic 24pts 9reb 4ast

==================================================

FOSTER HITS A LATE THREE TO ICE GAME ONE, THE RAPTORS WOULD LOSE HIM IN GAME 4

[djp73]

NBA NEWS

Playoff Update

Western Conference

#1 Portland Trail Blazers 54-28 vs #8 Los Angeles Lakers 43-39
Game One
LAL 94 79 POR

Game Two
LAL 89 93 POR

Game Three
POR 81 93 LAL

Game Four
POR 91 115 LAL

Game Five
LAL 86 107 POR

Game Six
POR 73 80 LAL

Los Angeles wins the series 4-2

#2 Denver Nuggets 47-35 vs #7 Los Angeles Clippers 43-39
Game One
LAC 115 85 DEN

Game Two
LAC 100 108 DEN

Game Three
DEN 95 117 LAC

Game Four
DEN 95 107 LAC

Game Five
LAC 109 123 DEN

Game Six
DEN 100 93 LAC

Game Seven
LAC 129 124 DEN (OT)

Los Angeles wins the series 4-3

#3 New Orleans Hornets 46-36 vs #6 San Antonio Spurs 44-38
Game One
SAS 95 88 NOH

Game Two
SAS 69 96 NOH

Game Three
NOH 80 99 SAS

Game Four
NOH 67 98 SAS

Game Five
SAS 118 101 NOH

San Antonio wins the series 4-1

#4 Golden State Warriors44-38 vs #5 Oklahoma City Thunder44-38
Game One
OKC 123 96 GSW

Game Two
OKC 98 85 GSW

Game Three
GSW 71 103 OKC

Game Four
GSW 98 112 OKC

Oklahoma City wins the series 4-0



Eastern Conference

#1 Toronto Raptors 61-21 vs #8 New York Knicks 41-41
Game One
NYK 87 94 TOR

Game Two
NYK 104 122 TOR

Game Three
TOR 121 91 NYK

Game Four
TOR 113 109 NYK

Toronto wins the series 4-0

#2 Boston Celtics 57-25 vs #7 Atlanta Hawks 43-39
Game One
ATL 83 101 BOS

Game Two
ATL 117 96 BOS

Game Three
BOS 89 84 ATL

Game Four
BOS 87 90 ATL

Game Five
ATL 101 105 BOS

Game SIx
BOS 97 102 ATL

Game Seven
ATL 113 123 BOS

Boston wins the series 4-3

#3 Miami Heat 56-26 vs #6 Indiana Pacers 44-38
Game One
IND 98 85 MIA

Game Two
IND 118 122 MIA (OT)

Game Three
MIA 116 92 IND

Game Four
MIA 104 84 IND

Game Five
IND 92 129 MIA

Miami wins the series 4-1

#4 Chicago Bulls 44-38 vs #5 Orlando Magic 46-36
Game One
ORL 77 108 CHI

Game Two
ORL 86 72 CHI

Game Three
CHI 75 94 ORL

Game Four
CHI 94 96 ORL

Game Five
ORL 77 90 CHI

Game Six
CHI 101 85 ORL

Game Seven
ORL 71 91 CHI

Chicago wins the series 4-3

[djp73]

NBA NEWS

Playoff Preview
Round Two

Western Conference

#5 Oklahoma City Thunder 44-38 vs #8 Los Angeles Lakers 43-39
Projected Lineups
R. Westbrook | R. Sessions
D. DeRozan | K. Bryant
K. Durant | S. Marion
S. Ibaka | P. Gasol
K. Perkins | A. Bynum

Injuries
SG J. Harden | None

#6 San Antonio Spurs 44-38 vs #7 Los Angeles Clippers 43-39
Projected Lineups
T. Parker | C. Paul
M. Ginobili | N. Young
G. Hill | C. Butler
T. Duncan | B. Griffin
M. Gortat | D. Jordan

Injuries
None | None

Eastern Conference

#1 Toronto Raptors 61-21 vs #4 Chicago Bulls 44-38
Projected Lineups
D. Davis | D. Rose
T. Thornton | R. Hamilton
F. Petrovic | L. Deng
G. Oden | C. Boozer
V. Papadopoulous | J. Noah

Injuries
S. Woolridge, P. Foster | None

#2 Boston Celtics 57-25 vs #3 Miami Heat 56-26
Projected Lineups
R. Rondo | M. Chalmers
R. Allen | D. Wade
P. Pierce | L. James
K. Garnett | C. Bosh
B. Bass | A. Varejo

Injuries
J. O'Neal, K. Dooling | None

[djp73]

RAPTORS REPORT

Series Preview
Raptors vs Bulls
Eastern Conference Semi-Finals

What does Toronto need to do to win?

1. Contain Chicago's Bigs
-Chicago has a potentially dominant frontcourt. Boozer averaged 15.7ppg and 7.1rpg. Taj Gibson can take over a game off the bench and Noah's rebounding and inside defense can be disruptive. If Toronto can keep them from blowing up they should be ok.

2. Get production from Greg Oden
-With Stephen Woolridge and Phil Foster out for the series Greg Oden will move in to start at the 4. They need him to produce. He will be tasked with guarding Boozer for the bulk of the series.

3. Find another scorer
-Woolridge was the teams 4th leading scorer and would have been third if not for a late-season surge from Petrovic. Foster was #2. Thornton and Petrovic need to step up obviously but they also need someone else to become a viable scoring option. Davis has the ability but prefers to get his teammates involved. Papadopoulous is not likely to be the answer. Oden, Earl Boykins, Al Thornton and newly-signed Anthony Morrow will need to step up.

Roster Comparison

Point Guard
Derrick Rose vs Donovan Davis
Rose is your typical new style scorer at the point guard position. Davis is a throw back who prefers the assist over scoring.
Rose gets the edge here.

Shooting Guard
Richard Hamilton vs Theo Thornton
Thornton will be slightly out of position during the season. Thornton should easily out-score Hamilton in the series and will likely use his speed to a big advantage.
Edge to Thornton.

Small Forward
Luol Deng vs Frederic Petrovic
Petrovic has a height advantage here though not as much as he would against other teams. This match-up could be pretty even. Deng may be trouble for Petrovic defensively.
Even.

Power Forward
Carlos Boozer vs Greg Oden
Oden will need to slow down Boozer and provide some offense. Boozer is the better offensive player but could have some trouble with Oden defensively.
Advantage Boozer

Center
Joakim Noah vs Vladimir Papadopoulous
This is a match-up of two defense/rebounding focused centers. Noah may be able to use his athleticism to an advantage but the real contribution from either of them will be measured in blocks and rebounds.
Even.

Bench
Toronto's bench will be heavily depleted with the loss of Woolridge and Foster and with Oden moving into the starting lineup. Boykins will be leaned on heavily as well as Al Thornton and newly-signed Anthony Morrow. Sherron Collins has been a spark at times during the regular season. Joe Smith and Malik Allen bring valuable experience and Hassan Whiteside provides frontcourt depth in case of further injuries or foul trouble.
Chicago brings Taj Gibson off the bench and he has the ability to take control of the paint. Ronnie Brewer didn't have the season he hoped for but is still a viable option off the bench. Chicago also uses rookie forward Jimmy Butler, Guard CJ Watson and center/forward Omer Asik regularly. Kyle Korver has been known to provide a deep threat.
Toronto would have the advantage if they were healthy but in their current configurations Chicago gets the edge.

[djp73]

RAPTORS UPDATE
EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS

#4 CHICAGO BULLS vs #1 TORONTO RAPTORS

GAME ONE


ANTHONY MORROW HITS AN EARLY THREE, HE SCORED 17

RAPTORS TRY TO LOSE, CAN'T

Air Canada Centre, Toronto - In order to win the Raptors would need to slow down the Bulls bigs and find a third scorer to compliment Petrovic and Thornton. Toronto jumped out to an early lead on the shoulders of Morrow's threes. They were up 25-15 after one. The teams played an even 2nd quarter and went into the half with the Raptors ahead 45-35. The third quarter saw Toronto push the lead to 14.

The 4th quarter was a completely different story as Toronto's lead evaporated quickly. With seconds left to play the Bulls inexplicably put the ball in Noah's hands and he failed to convert his first attempt of the game. Toronto narrowly escaped with the 79-77 win.


BULLS ROOKIE FORWARD JIMMY BUTLER THROWS DOWN AS MALIK ALLEN DOES THE DUCK AND COVER

Chicago Bulls at Toronto Raptors
Game One	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Chicago (4-3)	15	20	19	23	77
Toronto (4-0)	25	20	23	11	79

Chicago Bulls
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
D. Rose	27	7-22	0-1	4-6	4	8	4	1	7	18
R. Hamilton	29	9-17	1-5	2-3	5	3	2	0	2	21
L. Deng	27	3-12	0-7	0-0	10	2	4	1	2	6
C. Boozer	30	7-9	0-0	1-2	8	2	1	1	2	15
J. Noah	26	0-1	0-0	0-0	6	1	3	2	3	0
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
R. Brewer	8	3-3	0-0	0-0	2	2	2	0	2	6
J. Butler	10	2-2	0-0	1-2	2	0	3	0	0	5
O. Asik	8	2-3	0-0	0-0	2	0	0	0	1	4
CJ Watson	10	1-7	0-3	0-0	2	1	2	0	2	2
J. Lucas	1	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
K. Korver	1	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
T. Gibson	10	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	0	1	0	3	0
TEAM TOTALS		34-76	1-16	8-13	42	19	22	5	24	77

Toronto Raptors
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
D.Davis	26	1-7	1-5	0-0	5	10	7	1	6	3
T. Thornton	21	7-15	3-7	3-3	2	2	4	2	2	20
F. Petrovic	20	8-18	3-4	1-1	4	0	0	1	1	20
G. Oden	23	1-2	0-0	1-4	9	2	2	0	0	3
V. Papadopoulous	21	1-3	0-0	0-0	7	3	3	1	2	2
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
A. Morrow	13	6-9	5-7	0-0	1	1	1	2	0	17
H. Whiteside	15	2-6	0-1	1-3	5	2	2	2	2	5
A. Thornton	12	2-4	1-2	0-0	2	2	1	1	1	5
J. Smith	10	2-4	0-0	0-0	4	0	0	0	2	4
M. Allen	11	0-4	0-1	0-0	1	0	0	0	3	0
S. Collins	9	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	1	1	0	4	0
E. Boykins	3	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	1	1	0	2	0
TEAM TOTALS		30-72	13-27	6-11	38	24	22	10	25	79

THORNTON ABUSES HAMILTON

[djp73]

RAPTORS UPDATE
EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS

#4 CHICAGO BULLS vs #1 TORONTO RAPTORS

GAME TWO


THORNTON SCORES 2 OF HIS 42


THE BULLS LOST RONNIE BREWER TO A BACK INJURY EARLY

RAPTORS HANG ON IN OT, LEAD 2-0

Air Canada Centre, Toronto - Once again the Raptors would go into the fourth quarter up by a large margin and nearly lose the game. Toronto led by 10 entering the fourth and needed overtime to leave with a victory. Chicago battled back to take Toronto to OT but key free throws in the extra period would ice the game for the Raptors. Derrick Rose led the Bulls with 35 points while Toronto was paced by Thornton's 42 and Petrovic's 38. Game Three will have the Raptors travelling to Chicago. "These were the games we were supposed to win, now comes the real test." stated a stoic Coach djp after the narrow victory.




BULLS ROOKIE FORWARD JIMMY BUTLER CONTINUED TO FLY HIGH

Chicago Bulls at Toronto Raptors
GAME TWO	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Chicago (4-4)	18	25	27	32	13	115
Toronto (5-0)	22	26	32	22	16	118

Chicago Bulls
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
D. Rose	35	15/31	3/4	2/2	6	13	1	1	5	35
R. Hamilton	32	7/22	2/8	0/0	4	4	1	1	5	16
L. Deng	30	9/15	5/8	2/2	5	2	3	1	2	25
C. Boozer	32	6/7	0/0	1/2	14	2	2	1	2	13
J. Noah	32	4/6	0/0	1/2	10	4	4	1	1	9
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
T. Gibson	13	2/3	0/0	2/2	2	2	3	0	0	6
K. Korver	7	2/4	1/2	0/0	0	0	1	0	0	5
J. Butler	8	2/6	0/2	0/0	3	0	1	0	1	4
CJ Watson	6	1/1	0/0	0/0	0	6	0	0	0	2
O. Asik	7	0/0	0/0	0/0	1	0	0	1	0	0
R. Brewer	2	0/2	0/1	0/0	0	0	2	0	2	0
J. Lucas	DNP
TEAM TOTALS		48/97	11/25	8/10	45	33	18	6	18	115

Toronto Raptors
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
D. Davis	32	4/7	2/5	0-0	1	19	4	1	11	10
T. Thornton	32	17/32	3/5	5/6	4	4	4	0	2	42
F. Petrovic	30	15/29	5/9	3/4	12	3	3	1	2	38
G. Oden	28	1/5	0/1	0/0	9	1	1	0	2	2
V. Papadopoulous	30	1/1	0/0	0/2	15	5	0	2	0	2
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
A. Morrow	13	5/8	5/6	0/0	3	2	1	0	2	15
A. Thornton	11	3/4	1/2	0/0	2	1	0	1	1	7
M. Allen	7	1/2	0/0	0/0	1	1	0	0	1	2
H. Whiteside	4	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	0	0	0
J. Smith	7	0/2	0/0	0/2	3	0	0	1	0	0
S. Collins	3	0/1	0/1	0/0	1	1	0	0	0	0
E. Boykins	9	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	5	1	1	0	0
TEAM TOTALS		47/91	16/29	8/14	51	42	14	7	21	118

PETROVIC ICES THE GAME IN OT WITH FREE THROWS

[HARLEE23]

Up 2-0! How does that feel?

[djp73]

Pretty surprised actually. Well see how it goes in their crib