Official Game Thread: Milwaukee @ Toronto (3/2/07)

<div align="center"> <font size=""4"">@</font>
<font size=""4"">Milwaukee Bucks</font> VS. <font size=""4""><font color=""Red"">Toronto Raptors</font></font>

<font size=""4"">21-37, 5th Central</font> <font size=""4"">32-26, 1st Atlantic</font>

<font size=""4"">WHEN: Fri., Mar. 2, 7:00pm
WHERE: Air Canada Centre
TV: NBALP, TSN, TSNHD
</font>


(click on logo for team stats)

<font size=""4"">Starters</font>

<font size=""1"">Ford, Peterson, Garbajosa, Bosh, Nesterovic</font>

<font size=""4"">Bench</font>

<font size=""1"">Sow, Humphries, Bargnani, Graham, Calderon, Dixon, Slokar, Martin</font>

<font size=""4"">Team Injuries/Inactive List</font>

<font size=""1"">Tucker, Parker</font>



(click on logo for team stats)

<font size=""4"">Starters</font>

<font size=""1"">Williams, Redd, Bell, Skinner, Bogut</font>

<font size=""4"">Bench</font>

<font size=""1"">Patterson, Noel, Villanueva, Greer, Ilyasova, Reiner, Markota</font>

<font size=""4"">Team Injuries/Inactive List</font>

<font size=""1"">Boykins, Gadzuric, Simmons</font>


<font size=""5"">Who's Hot</font>




<font size=""1"">Bosh: 24.6 ppg in last 15 gp / Bargs: 18.5 ppg. in last 2 gp</font>




<font size=""1"">Redd: 26.8 ppg in last 4 gp / Bell: 18.5 ppg in last 6 gp</font>


<font size=""5"">Key Match-ups </font>


<font size=""3"">Michael Redd vs. Morris Peterson</font>


<font size=""3"">Andrew Bogut vs. Rasho Nesterovic</font>


<font size=""3"">Fox Sports World's Head to Head Match-ups</font>
(click either player photo to see numbers against one another)

PG vs. PG

SG vs. SG

SF vs. SF

PF vs. PF

C vs. C



(click on image for preview *NOTE: only available on "Game Day")


<font size=""4"">Prediction</font>

<font size=""4""><font color=""Red"">Raptors</font></font> - 110
<font size=""4"">Bucks</font> - 94</div>


Back at home playing the Bucks who've won their last 2 games. I expect much of what we saw last night against the Rockets but this time a much weaker defensive team in Milwaukee.

Predict and discuss!

<div align="center"><font size=""5""><u>Raptor Babe of the Game</u></font>

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This should be an easy win for Toronto. Milwaukee is a very weak defensive team, so the Raptors should be able to get 100-110 points. I say Raptors win by 10, 109-99.

 

Bargnani out boys.

 

I hope we don't take them too lightly. You never know with Michael Redd and we don't want to get into a shooting competition with Bargnani gone. We need to just maintain that perimeter D, because their guards tend to ignore Andrew Bogut for some reason.

 

Charlie V will drop 50 on us.

 

I don't know if this will be a pushover game. The only reason why the Bucks record is so bad is because of Michael Redd's injury. They're still capable of lighting up the score board. I think Charlie Villanueva is either going to have a very good game or a very bad game since that's usually what happens to players looking to make a statement against their former team.

Prediction: Milwaukee 104, Toronto 100

 

TJ Ford is my [e]X-factor. I know they have already played but TJ has to be dissapointed with the way thinsg ended - specifically sitting on the bench for the Bucks during the play-offs. Mo-williams pretty much took his job so i look to see TJ go after him.

 

This will sound somewhat obivious but I'd say our chances of winning this game pretty much come down to CB4. Last time we played the bucks no one was able to cover bosh and he was extremely efficient. If Bosh can get going this game we should be able to withstand the firepower of Redd and Williams.

 

this should be a good scoring game, who ever plays good defence wins, we know these two teams can shoot, which will play d? my bet is the raps, with the way they been playing defensively

 

Without Bargnani, might we see Joey Graham play some power forward again? If he doesn't, I won't really lose sleep with Humphries; he had a great game against Houston. Bosh really needs to take over this game. Brian Skinner is nowhere quick enough to guard him and Bosh is due for a big game after two mediocre ones. Mo Pete's my X-factor. He's got to shut down Redd.

 

Bargnani's actually playing tonight. His flight was cancelled because of last night's crazy snowstorm, so he's leaving tomorrow, I think.

 

That's good that he's playing. Honestly, we need Bargnani to push us over the top with his 3s. Once he starts draining them we're able to start putting doubt into the Bucks that they can keep up scoring with us.

I hope everything is okay with his family and that it doesn't bother him mentally for this game.

 

What is going on out there for the first two quarters? TJ Ford is taking 3 point shots from the corner and has more shot attempts than Chris Bosh? Our offense has not flow, I don't care if the game is close we shouldn't be operating like that.

The way the Bucks are playing defense right now I think we should have Calderon in at point guard. They are basically daring TJ to take shots and not even covering him.


I know were trying to develop bargnani's post game, but let's not go overboard and give him the ball down low more times than necessary. It's not particularly effective yet.


Chuck and Leo are freaking terrible today. I've never heard so much butt kissing in my life, give it a rest !!!!

 

Too many turnovers, too many jumpshots.

I expect them to bounce back tomorrow.

 

Well, in the end of this one you can only say the bucks deserved to win. They clearly had an idea of what they wanted to do on defense (double bosh, let TJ Ford shoot) and we played right into it. The "coy" was freaking terrible this game.

I've seen enough of Juan Dixon already, he can go sit on the end of the bench rather than kill the ball movement in our offense by jacking up ill advised shots. This team is missing Anthony Parker badly!

 

This game highlighted our lack of a 2nd scorer. Bosh was getting triple teamed the whole game, and there weren't any other players who could score consistently and make the defense respect them. Anthony Parker was usually that person, and unless we continue to shoot like we did against Houston, I think we're going to miss him a lot more. Also, I don't like the idea that every time Bosh has the ball, it has to be on a post up or an iso. I think he's mobile enough and could be pretty effective moving into a pass, because it wouldn't let the opposition set up the double.

Both our point guards played mediocre, IMO. Way too many turnovers and they just swung it around the perimeter (that's more the coachings fault).

Bargnani had a nice rebounding game. Always nice to see that.

 

Dixon is unfortunately a necessary evil right now. Graham and MoPete are playing like garbage (not that Dixon is doing much better). I don't expect his minutes to go down until Parker is back.

 

Hehe, the best play of the game was TJ Ford penetrating then threading a pass to a wide-open Darrick Martin, who unfortunately was in his warmups and sitting on the home team's bench. That is pretty much representative of how the Raptors played this game. Hopefully they can bounce back against Cleveland tomorrow night.

 

I was wondering where that pass was going. There was no one even remotely close to that pass. UGLY.

 

You're totally right about Joey Graham, he's playing the worst basketball i've seen from him since he's been in the leauge. It's absolutely terrible.