Total Prayer: Could Toronto still make the playoffs?

HUGE win!

The Raps now hold the tiebreaker over Indiana.

Charlotte goes to Toronto on Tuesday. That'll be a tough game because Charlotte has been hot. Hopefully, Toronto can pull that one out as well.

 

Franchise record eighth straight win. Go figure. They played with passion and purpose too. 19 ORs. I haven't been able to see enough of the games to have a clear idea of what the difference is, but it looks like several players have really stepped up. Alvin seems to be playing great as a SG. I don't think he's smart enough to be a NBA PG. Just too many bad decisions. Childs was running the offence pretty well. There was good ball movement and the team was alert and playing with energy.

A subplot to the Tuesday game is Jamaal Magloire's homecoming. He's been hot lately, scoring double figures in 7 of his last 8 games, and he's the only player in the league from Toronto. There'll be more than a few people there cheering for him.

 

Hakeem is the man dont get it twisted, When the Raptors make the playoffs and advance to the east finals all you haters will again be Hakeem fans. You know what dont even try it. Cheer for your team to lose and lose again. You better get used to it cause the Rockets are gonna lose for years to come. The Rockets are on some glitter sh#t trying to be to fancy with no substance.

 

Hakeem scored 8 pts (4-6 shooting) yesterday and grabbed 4 rebs, and also got one block and one steal. Not great numbers, but he only got 16 min. I dont know why he is not playing more, but since the Raptors are winning I guess they are not going to change their ways.

 

The real Lewis Lloyd helped the Rox lose for years back in the day (in the parlance of our times) and it was some glittering **** up his and Lucas and Wiggins noses that we could do without. This is nuts... I should of kept lurking.

 

The Rockets had 1 bad year in the Lewis LLoyd era and that was the 83-84 season. At least the Rockets were exciting back than averaging 110 points per game with fastbreak basketball. This Rockets team is drop dead boring. That was when the NBA was strong and there were great teams in the league. The league is now weak and the Rockets are even weaker than this weak league. Your coke statements are played out like this 3 guard offense the Rockets have. These new Rockets all smoke weed and get drunk you just dont hear about it. For the record weed is worse for your brain than coccaine. It is a proven fact.

 

I would LOVE to see you provide a link to some evidence on this statement.

 

LL2, I agree with what you said about the league in the 80's. The level of play and the strength of the GOOD teams leaves today's NBA sucking air (or something). I LIKED Lloyd and the other guys I mentioned. After we took the Celtics to 6 games in '86 (and scared the hell out of them) I thought we were going back to the Finals with that group for years to come... then, during the next year, it all blew up. I don't care about the smoking and drinking players do, as long as it doesn't affect their play. I DO have a problem with coke, not the least of which is that it will get you kicked out of the league. I'm not going to touch your weed-coke brain thing... whoops, can't help myself- it's your opinion, which is cool, but I think it's bullsh!t. Sorry.

 

Guys,

Don't let LooLoo2 derail this thread. He's a troll trying to pick a fight. If you ignore him, he'll have no reason to stick around.

 

Go Toronto!! Their opponents are doomed!

 

Hakeem is playing low minutes because quite frankly, he tires to quickly. He's playing 20 minutes a game with all he has and once he shows signs of tiring, he's being removed and rested.

 

Indiana falls to Cleveland 111-99 to fall one and a half games behind Toronto.

Go Raps.

 

Pacer's losing

 

YES!!

 

Dream wants to win

By FRANK ZICARELLI -- Toronto Sun

In a quiet way, the Raptors have made a future Hall of Fame centre vanish.

For Hakeem (Dream) Olajuwon, it's not his minutes on the floor or the amount of touches he gets, it comes down to winning and advancing into the playoffs.

"My role is to do whatever the team wants," Olajuwon said. "The most important thing for me is to win."

Where once he started, Olajuwon now is the third player coming off coach Lenny Wilkens' bench.

During the team's franchise-record eight-game winning streak, Olajuwon seldom played with Antonio Davis.

The first big man off the bench has been Keon Clark, who plays with Davis in the fourth quarter.

"Antonio is such a natural power forward, such a blue-collar player, a warrior," Olajuwon said. "Our positions don't conflict. If that's the philosophy (not having Olajuwon and Davis on the floor together), it's a coaching decision."

Olajuwon hasn't reached double figures in scoring since March 8.

In Sunday's big win over the Indiana Pacers, Olajuwon played 16 minutes, but he scored eight points on four-of-six shooting, recorded one block and hauled down four rebounds.

 

In Carter's absence, the entire team has elevated its game, but clearly, the players welcome a healthy Carter. According to Hakeem Olajuwon, the prospect of missing the playoffs has fuelled the Raptors.

"Vince is a superstar and we need him," Olajuwon said. "At the same time we all know that the season would be a total disaster if we don't make the playoffs.

"This team was built for the big picture. It was not built for one guy. There is ammunition on this team and there are key players who can step up and make a difference.

"What you are seeing is not a team playing on emotion, but a team that has the ingredients to win when everybody is contributing."

In his own way, Olajuwon has become a presence. His minutes are down, but he's producing at both ends of the floor in his limited role.

"We just want to get into the playoffs," Olajuwon said. "Once you get in there, anything can happen. With Vince, you look to go all the way, but this team has done well because we look only at the present."

 

RAPS WIN AGAIN!

If the Raps beat the Pacers tomorrow, they pretty much clinch a playoff spot!

LETS GO RAPTORS!

 

Milwaukee is very close to undermining our ideal tank aspirations.

They are currently tied for 8th in the East with Toronto, which means if they lose one more, the Rockets would be getting the 15th pick as opposed to the 14th pick from the Raptors.

The difference may have no bearing on a major trade....OR....a deal could be contingent on acquiring a certain player with the 14th pick who may or may not be available at 15. Minimal chance of something like that happening....but still the less desirable situation to be in.

 

Raptors and Bucks play still, and check out the Bucks schedule, they might even miss the playoffs.