Total Prayer: Could Toronto still make the playoffs?

Raps won again tonight and put a 1 1/2 game gap between them and the Heat.

LETS GO RAPTORS!

 

Go Raptors!!!!!

Time to take advantage of the schedule. Atlanta, Sixers minus Ivy, and 2 games vs. the Terri-bulls...if they win all 4, and they should, that's a 7 game streak!

Now is the time to creep closer, they still have 2 head to head matches with Indy.

O'Neal is out for 2 games-Orlando and Miami, both will make things tough for Indy. Also, Bender will be suspended for the Orlando game.

All the elements are perfect for a Pacer meltdown, and a Toronto streak to the finish. Maybe even Hakeem will go through one of those rejuvenated streaks again, and carry them to the playoffs.

All about pick #14!!

 

Word to that one point squeeker today. I honestly have no idea how they pulled that off. Morris Peterson, Antonio Davis, Jerome Williams? God is blessing the happy people of Toronto.

No points for Hakeem and Keon sucked it up. Ugh... getting that pick looks grim....

 

Check out the end of this game.

http://scores.sportsline.com/scoreboards/nba/2001/0327/playbyplay/NBA_20020327_MIA@TOR.htm

Are these teams trying to win or lose? The tanking in this league is becoming ridiculous. In this game, the Raptors shot .413, go out rebounded by 11, scored 81 points … and won! The NBA is going to have to have another look at the lottery system. Who wants to watch two teams try to lose?

 

I watched much of the game, I can assure you neither team tried to lose. Both teams were playing great defense and had sucky offenses out there--but the effort was tremendous--one of the highest efforts I have seen this year.

 

Look on the bright side -- that's three wins in a row and they have a real chance to increase their streak. Streakin....streakin...streakin....Heigh ho, Toronto.

 

Who wants to bet that Toronto gets a top three pick, just to rub it in?

And I don't agree that Paul Pierce isn't a complete player because he doesn't "improve his teammates." What proof do you have of this? A lot of people who use the does-not-improve-teammates or does-not-get-teammates-involved argument are basing it purely on the number of assists that a player gets, because what else could you possibly base it on? And assists are about the most inaccurate statistic there is in all of basketball, because it has just as much to do with the player's teammates as it does with the player himself. Paul Pierce is easily one of the most complete players in the league. In fact, I would rate him about even with McGrady and Bryant. If you really want to compare them, Pierce is a better outside shooter than both of them, gets more steals per game than both of them, gets more blocks than both of them, gets more points per game than both of them, gets more rebounds than Kobe. And for the record, 3 assists for a shooting guard ain't that bad, which is what Pierce averages. Yet everyone includes Kobe and McGrady, but not Pierce. Why is that?

 

LETS GO RAPTORS

 

wee!

Houston's doing their part tonight

tho it doesn't have to be so ugly

 

Those darn 76'ers

buncha stupid veterans who know how to win and step their games up.... bah!

of course they're beating Chicago.....

 

Check this out...

Toronto is just TWO back of Indy, who will miss Jermaine O'Neal the next two games.

What a squeaker, but this team is finishing games like it's possessed. I cringed when SAR hit the shot, when Antonio Davis missed, and when Toni Kukoc appeared to have a floater, but they stuck through.

Next game is @Philly, and could be a huge game to win. Maybe Hakeem will show up to play Dikembe.

Go Raptors!!

 

I just saw the highlites and was about to cry when Shareef hit that three pointer. Toronto has 6 home games and 4 road games. They also have a pretty favourable schedule compared to the Wizards and Pacers.

Do they play the Pacers twice more though? Those would be huge!

 

@ Philly
Chicago
@ Chicago
Indiana
Charlotte
@ Indiana
Atlanta
New Jersey
@ Milwaukee
Cleveland

 

(6) PHILADELPHIA (37-33)
Record vs. Pacers: 1-2
HOME - 3/31 TOR, 4/3 PHO, 4/5 DET, 4/7 MIL, 4/12 WAS, 4/15 CHI.
ROAD - 3/28 CHI, 3/30 NJ, 4/9 MIL, 4/10 WAS, 4/14 ORL, 4/17 IND.

(7) CHARLOTTE (37-33)
Record vs. Pacers: 3-1
HOME - 3/29 SAC, 4/3 MIA, 4/5 WAS, 4/10 ATL, 4/12 CLE, 4/17 CHI.
ROAD - 3/30 CLE, 4/2 NY, 4/6 ATL, 4/9 TOR, 4/14 MIL, 4/16 MIA.

(8) INDIANA (35-35)
HOME - 3/31 MIA, 4/2 BOS, 4/5 PHO 4/8 CLE, 4/10 TOR, 4/12 MIL, 4/17 PHI.
ROAD - 3/29 ORL, 4/4 ATL, 4/7 TOR, 4/14 WAS, 4/16 CLE.

(T9) WASHINGTON (33-38)
Record vs. Pacers: 1-2
HOME - 3/29 MIL, 3/31 DAL, 4/2 LAL, 4/6 MEM, 4/10 PHI, 4/14 IND, 4/16 NY.
ROAD - 4/3 MIL, 4/5 CHA, 4/9 NJ, 4/12 PHI.

(T9) TORONTO (33-38)
Record vs. Pacers: 2-0
HOME - 4/3 CHI, 4/7 IND, 4/9 CHA, 4/12 ATL, 4/14 NJ, 4/17 CLE.
ROAD - 3/28 ATL, 3/31 PHI, 4/5 CHI, 4/10 IND, 4/16 MIL.

 

4 in a row w/o Vince. Who'd'a thunk it?

That's it, Raptors! Don't go out like losers, show some pride! Win! WIN! WIN!

 

Ok, I'll eat crow. I've changed my mind. Toronto's on FIRE! MoPete's making a bid to be a go to guy next year. KC and Jackson are playing for their next contracts. Davis is making up for a bad first half. Toronto's going to run the table! (Now they'll probably tank! )

 

This is getting dangerously close to Ewing Theory Material for Mr. Carter.

 

That 'Ewing theory' is the biggest pile of crap I have ever read...

Ewing absolutely carried NY pasy Miami in those play offs...on one leg...and then Indiana, as they'd done multiple times before, choked when it mattered most.

NY then went and got hammered by SA...never even looking like winning.

Since Ewing was traded, the Knicks have got from a perennial play off / conference finalist...to a lottery team.

Guess they don't miss Ewing...

 

Patrick Ewing hasn't lead anything since 1994.

He was practically a fossil for the Knicks in their Eastern Conference championship run, it wasn't a coincidence that they played better when he was out.

The knicks suck now because they've gone and acquired a roster full of undersized power-forwards, mediocre point guards, and two above average shooting guards.