Toronto Raptors players, coaches and fans all have to be kicking themselves.
This is a game that they probably should have won.
104-103. Bosh missed game winner. That’s what people are going to point to.
I point to this: 35-18.
That was the score at the end of the first quarter. For the second game in a row the Raptors failed to show up at the beginning of the game. Granted they stormed right back and outscored the Magic 39-24 in the second quarter, but it is a completely different type of game when you’re down 15 at the end of the first instead of down 3. And tonight they can’t blame it on Orlando hitting three’s. Here are the plain facts:
- 18 of their first quarter points came from in the paint.
- They didn’t even take a three until there were 2 minutes left in the quarter.
Of their 13 turnovers on the night, 6 of them came in that first quarter. In addition to a shot clock violation, Bosh had 1, Parker had 1, TJ Ford had 2 and Calderon had 1. Ford had his two turnovers in the first 6 minutes. You can’t have two TO’s from your starting point guard in half of a quarter. Just unacceptable, especially in the playoffs.
Sticking with the PG’s…could someone please find TJ Ford’s game? Maybe it got lost on the way to Orlando or Woody Woodpecker stole it from him at Disneyworld, but sheesh. This is pretty much Stankonia. Ford had an eerily identical performance to the “classic” he presented in Game 1. Let’s make a checklist…torched by Nelson? Check. Couldn’t hit a shot? Check. Now add 4 turnovers onto that and that’s the kind of performance you got from TJ Ford tonight. In the two games he’s scored 11 points and shot 2-for-17 from the field. Not gonna lie to you, if that’s the production you’re getting from your starting PG in the playoffs you’re probably not going to win much In addition to Ford’s performance, they still failed to even think about guarding Jameer Nelson. Until they figure out a way to contain Nelson they are somewhat doomed. Toronto can’t give him 18 and expect to win. Why won’t Rasho just hit him? Just once.
Chris Bosh definitely responded after a lackingGame 1 performance. 29 pts, 10 rebs, 6 assists is a nasty little playoff line. The only problem was his T-Mac-esque performance in the 4th quarter. Please don’t kill me with a hockey stick mothercanuckers just hear me out. He took four field goals in the 4th quarter and missed them all. He only scored 2 points and those were free throws and he had 2 turnovers, including a key one down the stretch. Not exactly the best cap on an otherwise great performance.
The Magic did a great job of attacking the basket early and setting the tone. A lot of easy buckets early, pretty much the opposite of what they did in Game 1. They did what they had to do and they won both games at home. Tonight wasn’t pretty but they survived. Look at the box score. For the second straight game Rashard Lewis attempted more field goals (21) than he had points (18). Turkoglu had a way-off night (5 fouls, 12 points, 4/15 shooting, 0/4 from beyond the arc). But when you have Dwight freakin’ Howard in the middle getting 29 and 20 none of that really matters. I actually may like these trend to call guys hombres because Dwight may be the last BEAST left in the L. By the way, he along with another young gun is making the LEAP into superstardom with their playoff performances. Nights like these when both Lewis and Hedo struggle, really put an emphasis on the lack of offensive firepower that comes from that bench. This could be an issue as this series evolves.
Despite the fact that the Magic are up 2-0…Toronto should still have a quiet confidence about them. I subscribe to Charles Barkley’s theory that “a series doesn’t really start until a team loses at home”. Orlando has done their job, now Toronto has to do theirs. And it comes down to having to win Game 3. They can be confident in the fact that Jason Kapono has resurrected his career: he’s averaging 19 points and shooting 66.7% from behind the arc (8-12). Delfino and Calderon also had big offensive games and they only lost by 1 on a night where Parker and Ford combined for 6 points…all by Ford.
If anything tonight showed that this series is much more interesting than we gave it credit. Game 3 of course could change all of that. A Magic win will all but doom Toronto, but I have a feeling those crazy Canadians will provide more than enough energy to push the Raps through.