Al Horford had no malicious intent, Anthony Johnson did
Posted by Arsenalist on January 18, 2008
If you’re going to be a big enough coward to hit a man on the head while he’s got his back towards you, the least you could do is not feign your innocence and openly acknowledge conflict. Instead Anthony Johnson pretended he had nothing to do with Jose Calderon being knocked down to the floor and was set to get away with it hadn’t the officials caught the violent act. Nobody was short in pointing out that this is the same team that knocked TJ out and now came close to taking out our other point guard. But unlike Horford’s take down of TJ, this one was malicious and intentional and warranted a response from the Raptors. I’m not calling for a brouhaha but somebody should at least go up to him, stare him down and give him a little bump, it’s warranted. But credit the Raptors for responding to the increased physicality in the second half and coming away with another hard-fought win in a close game. Suspension to follow. Co-incidentally, the Raptors toughness is alluded in Podcast #3 which was recorded before the Hawks game:
#3 - A Time to Kill Download it! (4.3 MB, 12′ 22”) Subscribe in iTunes
The second half’s better, topics include: Bryan Colangelo, Oakley, Davis, Celtics, 3rd Seed, RealGM, Jim Rome, rebounding, missing NBA on NBC, soft schedule etc.
Josh Smith’s defense and Joe Johnson’s offense kept the Hawks in this game as much as the Raptors’ tendency to walk through offensive possessions as soon as they got a 5 point lead. The Raptors pull a Jekyll and Hyde on offense every other possession, you literally see them move the ball extremely well off a double team leading up to an open shot and on the very next possession, you’ll see Delfino jacking up a shot or nobody moving for the first 18 seconds resulting in a forced low-percentage shot. What this tells me is that we tend to lose focus fairly quickly, something we can get away with against the likes of the Hawks but will end up paying for against better competition. Give Sam credit for recognizing the athleticism of the Hawks team and their lack of PG play; he put out a lineup of Parker/Calderon/Bosh/Moon for the majority of the game and we one-upped their length and size on every matchup.
Chris Bosh’s performance was impressive again (35 points on 12-18 FG says it all), his game is starting to become inside-out rather than the other way round and I’m sure we’ll all agree that’s what the order of attack should be. CB4 challenged Josh Smith on every opportunity and came out the winner most of the time proving yet again that if his mindset is aggressive, even the better one-on-one defenders in the league will have trouble with him. Bosh will always have trouble against Kevin Garnett but that’s because Garnett is a freak and can afford to lay off Bosh and take away his drive while at the same time contesting his jumper. He can also stay with Bosh in the post making CB4’s life difficult, but that’s not what stopping me from calling the Boston game next week in our favor (see podcast). Chris Bosh summed up his offensive groove nicely:
“Everything is just opening up for me. I’m finally at 100 percent. It’s been a tough stretch for me but I just kept playing and kept pushing through it. I don’t feel I’m taking many bad shots. I’m getting off the double team really fast and I’m finding a lot of my teammates and putting them in good positions.”
The bolded part tells me he knows the difference. I can sleep better.
Today’s Andrea Bargnani paragraph has a mix of Rasho Nesterovic in it. It’s mainly because Rasho’s reduced playing time has completely taken him out of his rhythm and he’s struggling to do the few things he used to be good at: finding space for the open jumper, hitting the glass, putbacks etc. Now given Rasho’s struggles and the need for Bargnani to pick up his game, this observer says we may as well let Bargnani play through fouls until he fouls out and not use Rasho unless necessary as per matchup. Bargnani played 14 minutes and scored two points, a fry cry from what me and David Moro were predicting after the Kings game. He didn’t screw up too badly, yeah he allowed an offensive rebound, passed up shots he should’ve taken and picked up cheap fouls but in my opinion he didn’t even stick around long enough to actually have a slim chance at having a decent game. I don’t blame Sam Mitchell, his concern is with winning the game and he tried to match the Hawks’ athleticism with Delfino, Parker and Moon which got the job done. It comes back to Andrea earning his minutes, except that he’s just not interested. I’ll even go ahead and buy Bryan Colangelo’s 5-year plan theory but he’s talking about player development taking that long, right? Or does he mean we have to wait 5 years before Bargnani plays a game with the same level of intensity and effort as Kris Humphries?
The third quarter has undone so many times that I feared for us after Atlanta opened it on a 13-2 run while our offense was playing Mr. Hyde. Jamario Moon’s propensity to jump in the passing lanes is meeting success over the last two games and he’s picking off passes in transition, guarding the post and getting deflections aplenty (something that should’ve long been a stat in NBA box scores). Moon was the key in triggering our third quarter run punctuated by two Anthony Parker threes which created a 7 point cushion and hopefully silenced those who think that Parker has been a major problem with the Raptors this year. Another solid game by Parker who’s been coming on strong as the season’s getting older, it’s called hitting mid-season form which is where veteran’s start getting in their stride and rookies start tailing off. AP’s been solid for most of the year, unfortunately for him he’s had a few zero point games which result in fans calling for his head. If you check his per-48 minute statis, they’re the same as last year. Yes, we need to upgrade the 2 spot, but not now.
Joey Graham is making it really hard for us to trade him and Juan Dixon isn’t helping either. The two players most likely to be traded if one is going to materialize scored a combined 4 points while having 2 turnovers. Graham is so far behind Moon and Delfino in the depth chart that the only way he gets into the game is when BC winks to Smitch from the tunnel. And when he does manage to get in, things aren’t pretty (how’s Danny Granger doing?). He looks about as comfortable as Bargnani on the low-post and you only have to watch a couple minutes before an ungodly turnover follows. He was supposed to be our tough hard-nosed slasher who could D up the opposition’s best player, instead he’s researching D-League accommodation with Maceo Baston. Imagine my shock when I heard that Maceo Baston was dressed up for this game, it almost looked like this was the game he might get some run. Sam is so mean, getting Baston’s hopes all high for nothing.
So far the 4 in 5 stretch has been going exactly as predicted with Philly being the decisive game in determining whether we stay .500 or improve our record by two games in this easier January stretch. Philly was blown out in Boston tonight with Iguodala playing 40 minutes, they’re 2-8 in their last 10 and the Raptors will be going for the kill in this one. We’ll do a mini celebration only if the Raptors win tomorrow because if we lose that, it’s like we didn’t gain any ground at all.
One-Liners:
* Kapono. Shot. Slowly. Coming. Back.
* Jose Calderon made up for his early bad pass intercepted by Josh Smith for a dunk by dishing 9 dimes.
* I don’t have a single complaint of Bosh today.
* Johnson should be suspended by the league for more than one game. There’s no doubt about his malicious intent.
* The Raptors and Hawks is turning into a rivalry, something which is good because right now aside from the Knicks and Nets, we really got nothing.
* Tonight’s win will mean little if we don’t win tomorrow.
* What is the point of having Maceo Baston on this team if he doesn’t play a single minute for months on end? Maybe we should fee free up the roster spot for a D-League rebounder or scorer? Just a thought.
* Sam deserves a lot of credit for sticking with his big guns instead of playing Kapono, Dixon and Bargnani for extended minutes. Kapono played well hitting both his shots but this isn’t the matchup for him.
* Jack Armstrong makes these telecasts so much better.
* What do people see in Tyron Lue? Every time I see him, I just remember Iverson stepping over him in the finals.
* The Hawks became more physical in the second half and the intensity of the game picked and the Raptors and more specifically Bosh, Moon, and Parker were equal to the task.
* Here’s the game in six minutes, thanks to monuow.
* Please make a constructive criticism about this blog, it really helps sometime.
Thanks for reading (and listening). Feed.
January 19, 2008 at 1:43 am
I don’t want to read too much into this win because the goal is to win the week not the game. Sixers might be tough at home, I don’t think it’ll be as easy as you might think, they were up on Boston early but fizzled out. A 4-0 sweep for is rare for us.
Anthony Johnson should be suspended for at least 2 games, cue Stu Jackson. Watch him screw this up somehow.
Podcast is improving, you might have something in that bit about BC not making a trade because he’s satisfied with status quo and is just waiting on Bargnani to pick up. A man must stand by his decisions.
January 19, 2008 at 1:45 am
Good post game analysis and podcast as usual Arsenalist, only watched the first half and had to go out, but it’s nice to see us pull of for the win at the end. Josh Smith was a monster in the first-half just dominating on the defensive end and the offensive end literally carrying the team on his back, he exploited his match up (Bargs)who picked up a series of fouls early on. I heard Moon was placed on him in the second half and had great success on limiting his play - I guess the best way to beat athleticism is to put athleticism on him.
Watched the cheapshot of Anthony Johnson (who?)didn’t catch it at first, but saw it on the re-play and lol. Looks like the Hawks have a nack of picking on our PG’s (I guess they are jealous because they have no legit PG and want to take that out on ours :p)
I agree that there might have some future rivalry spur out from these 2 teams, looking at the rankings I would be delighted if we meet them in the first round, but I honestly doubt that the Hawks can keep up their performance in the later part of the season where NJ makes their usual playoff run as well as Cleveland.
Bosh with another monster game (warrants him to definitely have a spot at the All-Star game with this kind of game play) Parker has definitely picked it up from his early season slump, taking SMARTER shots than the off balance fadeaway jump shots he took in the early part of the season from where I see. Delfino, off night don’t know how you can have a 28 point game to a 0 points the following, needs more consistency.
I actually agree with Smitch’s idea of pulling Kapono out of the game when playing Hawks, he’s a shooter and can not match Atl’s athleticism so he would get abused on the other side of the court if you were to play him straight up against these athletic freaks. However, he SHOULD get more touches overall in other circumstances.
Bargs, I’ve come to the point that I have nothing to say. His shot not dropping = he becomes a big liability and useless which I am sure applies to many other NBA players. Just have to wait till he gets out of his shooting slump now, there is no point of discussing about him other than that.
Looking forwards to the Philly game, I’ve missed the last 2 and haven’t had an eye on Reggie Evans, I would be sure to keep a keen eye on him since it seems that many people speak highly of this young man. I’m expecting a win nonetheless.
January 19, 2008 at 4:21 am
I really feel mad at Johnson… That dwarf is just a hell of a demon.. I want him to be suspended for a month!
January 19, 2008 at 8:12 am
Thanks for the breakdown since I did not see the game. The highlights gave me some of the story and you filled in the rest.
I agree that it would be nice if at least one Rap stood up and told husky boy Johnson to step off.
The Raps need to protect their PGs.
Just thinking back to what would happen if Oak was still on the team.
Bosh is becoming unstoppable (as long as he is not playing Sheed or KG)
Sadly those are the two that are standing at the door to the Eastern Conference title.
Keep up the good work, Sixers tonight!
January 19, 2008 at 9:17 am
HAHAHAHA…singing the nbc tune was hilarious.
January 19, 2008 at 9:48 am
Good podcast. I’ve finally come around, especially with the Calderon elbow, to the thought that we really need an Oakley-type player.
As RapsFan pointed out, it was a really quick play, and no one seems to have known what happened at the time. Still, I was hoping for some kind of reaction (and signs of life) by the players and fans. I heard nothing.
The shoddy ref job was only alleviated by the fact that they caught the AJ/Calderon play. The game should have never even been that close in the 1st quarter. It really gets on my nerves when we get shafted by the refs AT HOME!
January 19, 2008 at 10:08 am
[...] Before I get into tonight’ game I just wanted to make a brief comment on last night’s contest. I did not see the game but if you want a full rundown head over to The Arsenalist. [...]
January 19, 2008 at 10:09 am
Sixers next up
THey should take this one
http://cuzoogle.wordpress.com/2008/01/19/raptors-game-day-rapssixers-2/
January 19, 2008 at 10:32 am
If 43 year old Sam is the toughest member of your team… it’s major strategic problem. The softest team in the NBA will always make an early playoff exit.
This goes straight to Bryan signing Kapono, you know,
that “skinny white surfer dude”… as his big off-season move (not counting the Moon mega-fluke). Kapono has real value though… so this one could be
easily undone.
Now that McCown/Bryan have put Bargs trade talk on the
table… can we maybe please get some toughness for Kapono and Bargs? Compared to the endless Bargs downer… Ron Artest is starting to look like the lesser of two evils. RonRon would have taken out Johnson last night.
As for Bryan habitually “wasting” 2 roster spots…
I think it’s becoming clear that he places ZERO
basketball value on 14-15th men. Colangelo would rather
treat people decently and maintain a “family” team culture then run a Revolving Door for Scrubs.
Maceo Baston was on my milk carton this morning. He has been missing since 1986. Someone should call his family.
January 19, 2008 at 11:15 am
you made me a happy man today PsychicSpy…you really think Johnson would have bitched out, and elbowed calderon in the back of the head if artest was lurking in the cut? there is no way!
January 19, 2008 at 11:16 am
“Maceo Baston was on my milk carton this morning. He has been missing since 1986. Someone should call his family.” LOL…gold.
January 19, 2008 at 12:04 pm
**Anthony Johnson** Did I miss the change in sports from Basketball to Hockey. Totally blindsiding Calderon. Lucky his head wasn’t split open. Could has lost our PG & the Hawks would have won. I’m not saying Johnson planned it, but come on Johnson. The intent and why the elbow was thrown, unjustified. Johnson may have labeled himself for life in the NBA. Oooopps!!! I know nobody stepped up to Johnson, but my buddy made a good point. Everybody was in shock the moment it happened and then the Refs made the quick ejection call and Toronto had people escorting Johnson off the floor even before the crowd could really react. I think Toronto handle a potential escalating scenario very quick & professional. I still agree we need a Oakely type player. Respected around the league and also feared!!
“** Jack Armstrong** makes these telecasts so much better.” I agree Arsenalist !! Not the most exciting guy but he is a very smart basketball mind. He’s always aware of the underlining issues and has a way of clearly explaining it in a way a 2yr old could understand.
Jamario Moon’s . He’s the man for defensive plays. It you kept track of tip balls and shot altering he would have even more stats. 5 SEALS!!! 3 HUGE momentum killing Blocks!!! 9 Points, 2 Assist & big energy!! Mooooooooooooooooooooonnnnnn!!!!! I love this guy. Keeps us competing when things looked bad this season.
I thought it was great when they set-up around the perimeter, Isolated Bosh posting up, Calderon gave him the ball, Bosh waited for the double then kicked it back to Calderon who swung the ball around the perimeter, causing Atlanta to scramble trying to keep up with the ball. Then once the ball made it all the way around for the open 3 ball in the corner that Atlanta thought the Raps were going to shoot. Then quick pass to the cutter in the lane and, !!PRESTO!! and easy bucket! It really made us look good, and Atlanta look bad. Especially when we did it again. That’s an easy play that works for most teams when you have the post and three point threat. Why teams don’t run it more…. maybe it really that hard to get a team to play like a team!
Parker was his usually self when he’s not expect to try & carry the team. He’s play’s good when the team plays good. But it’s too much pressure when the team isn’t playing well. Parker is a great X-Factor.
Graham impressed me. As soon as he was put in he took it to the rack like a beast! And tried again!! Tear it down BIG MAN!!!
Hump needs a couple tear downs, but last night we need scoring so Hump sat most of the game.
I really like how Sam shorten the lineup. I thought they were good match-ups Sam was using. If it not broke don’t fix it.
I don’t need to say anything about Bosh, because enough has been said on the stat sheet lately. Get’em Bosh!
I am reserving my X-Factor spot for Bargnani tonight. He is sooooooooo due!
Regardless it was a win that would have been devestating if we lost. And we almost did!
January 19, 2008 at 12:41 pm
In defense of Delfino, he’s a 2nd unit guy, and players that come of the bench normally do so for a reason. I believe that he is still a great asset to this team, and people who expect him to get major numbers every night, aren’t very realistic. That being said, I do think that he will improve if given the chance to grow with this team (like Calderon).
I agree how Kapono is now the odd man out in the shuffle, since he doesn’t seem to really fit in either that 1st (defensive liability) or 2nd unit (without a PG to set him up). I like his shot, and I think he’s more money right now VS Bargs, but that also makes him good trade bait.
A Reggie Evans, Sam Dalembert, would be good to have on this team.
January 19, 2008 at 1:22 pm
@PapiJulio: Graham impressed you? How? Why? Also, I think AJ’s hit was completely premeditated and his intent was to hurt. It’s not like it “sorta happened”. I hate that guy.
@PsychicSpy: Can’t argue with two roster spots being completely wasted, Baston and Martin are practically of no use to us and I’m inclined to agree that BC is happy with the status quo and doesn’t really care if they get 0 playing time. If they can’t crack the rotation in the playoffs, they have zero chance of doing it in the playoffs!
Re: Kapono. He’s not going anywhere, BC signed him on the first day of free agency and I don’t think he’s even seen anything that might make him think of a trade. In his mind this is probably just a guy going through a funk, and not a guy who can’t find his place on the team. In reality, I’d say its 50-50.
@Everybody: Imagine if Bargnani gave us 18-20 points and 8 rebounds on a consistent basis like he was supposed to?? We’d be awesome!
January 19, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Graham impressed me because he didn’t shoot. He came into the game and just tried to tear down the rim. The first 2 plays for him that what he tried to do. People are going to move out of the way! He’s not going to log a lot of minutes but when Sam put’s him in I think that’s what he expects.
I think Johnson thought about about 5sec after Calderon bumped him. Then Johnson lost his cool and elbowed him. Not like he thought about it before the game…..I hope…!
Once the Raptors find a stable starting five, Kapono & Delfino will come off the bench and preform like we expect.
January 19, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Arsenalist… you said “we need to upgrade the 2 spot, but not now.”
Don’t you like AP? I think we need a player that can play the 2 spot but is more a 3. I happy with AP and Delfino. So Parker goes through slumps but he’s not the type that can carry a team. He might go off a game here and a game there, but he ‘Shit’s the Bed’ when the team tries to ride him. If we get and guy that plays both SG and SF, more SF, then we have options. Get a starting SF, have Moon of the bench and maybe you can work the hell out of Parker to start the game, then move the SF to SG and bring Moon off the bench. Like a Shawn Marion type player without the contract. Versatile.
January 19, 2008 at 3:08 pm
jamario’s salary = $427,163 (good production)
darrick martin = $1,219,590 (sitting comfortably on the bench)
i sometimes feel bad for jamario he can’t even get to buy a decent suit.
January 19, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Papi, if the Raptors are going to win the EC, I guarantee you that Parker will not be on that team. He’s an adequate player who has maybe a year or two left at his current level. We’re going to have to upgrade the 2 either this summer or the next if we plan on incrementally improving each year.
This isn’t a slight against Parker, he’s a very good fit for the Raps because he’s an intelligent player who takes good shots but age is a big factor here.
January 19, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Hmmmm…. I’m sitting here trying to hammer out a business plan with a 5 year outlook. Lots to thinks about. I wasn’t thinking that far down the road for the Raptors. That’s some deep thinking on a subject that I don’t think has been mentioned. Good point, but come on. The guy is in great shape still. I hear ya, but aren’t you jumping the gun? As a GM ya gotta be think about all aspects I guess.
Pugz- darrick martin = $1,219,590 (sitting comfortably on the bench)
That’s an expensive seat. I could seat beside him courtside with more leg room for way less money!! I might hit a wide open lay up too!!!
January 19, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Bryan’s a gamblin’ man. Not a bad thing.
(1) Big gamble on Bargs. Against conventional wisdom of trading down and taking NCAA sure thing.
(2) Medium gamble trading CV for TJ… considering TJ’s looooog injury history… and against conventional big/small trading philosophy.
(3) Hard to explain move signing Kapono… when we need
toughness and inside presence.
So, Arsenalist, point is… you keep taking “conventional wisdom” positions… but Bryan is gonna keep on gambling. ESPECIALLY since his previous gambles are in trouble… so the ONLY way out is more big gambles.
With the emergence of Delfino… who has taken many of Kapono’s minutes… and is becoming a fixture at crunch time… it seems unlikely that the Raps will be able to MATCH deals for BOTH Jose and Carlos next summer…
AND keep all that CAP Space open for 2009.