Projected Starters Pg: Nash Sg: J Rich Sf: Grant Hill Pf: Amare C: Channing Frye (who shoots three's these days) Key Reserve: Barbosa Raptors Pg: Caledron Sg: Derozan Sf: Wright (Hedo is doubtful for the game) Pf: Bosh C: Bargs Game Notes: we all know about the history between triano and nash, so this games takes on a special importance for both participants. -amare boasted about how he was better than bosh this past offseason, lets see how bosh reacts -beli is going to get big minutes in this up and down game -basx said he was going to choose the girl for the game thread but he has yet to submit a suggestion, so i guess we will have to go with mine for the time being.
For those of us who don't have the dreaded TSN2: http://www.atdhe.net/ Scroll down and choose the Raptors game.
Oh snap, Master Shake is back! Awesome! Also, we always struggle against the Suns. Hopefully we can defend the PnR better tonight.
observations... -bosh is forcing it, i guess those offseason comments really irked him and he's determined to silence his critics -beli is looking good in all facets -hedo looks like an old man who uses trickery to get his points -amir is bringing the awesomeness again -derozan is playing angry -nash dominated caledron in the first quarter -amare looked like he lost his burst in the second quarter i still think the raps will manage to somehow lose this game
A really entertaining half of basketball. It was fast-paced the entire time, but the first quarter was characterized by made baskets while the second was characterized by stingy defense. Our bench really made a difference, giving us that 10 point lead which we've coasted on since. As much flak as Triano's received so far, the dude deserves praise for his defensive scheme (especially in the 2nd quarter). Nash and Amare's pick-and-roll is one of the more lethal plays in the NBA because they make it so unpredictable, with all the options it creates. Triano (or Iavaroni) has made the Raps do a firm switch on each pick-and-roll, baiting Nash to pass it into the "Amare on a PG" mismatch. But once he does that, we do a hard double from the other side of the court (where they can't get the ball to without at least 2 passes) and Amare hasn't been able to do much against it. Bosh (and occasionally Bargnani) also deserves credit for playing Nash pretty well straight up. It's been really interesting to watch.
