Official Game Thread: Hornets vs. Raptors 1/24/07

<div align="center"> <font size=""4"">@</font>
<font size=""4"">NO/Oklahoma City Hornets</font> VS. <font size=""4""><font color=""Red"">Toronto Raptors</font></font>

<font size=""4"">16-23, 4th Southwest</font> <font size=""4"">20-22, 2nd Atlantic</font>

<font size=""4"">WHEN:Wed., Jan. 24, 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"">Calderon, Parker, Garbajosa, Bosh, Nesterovic</font>

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

<font size=""1"">Bargnani, Humphries, Peterson, Jones, Martin, Graham, Sow</font>

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

<font size=""1"">Slokar, Ford</font>


(click on logo for team stats)

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

<font size=""1"">Brown, Butler, Mason, West, Chandler</font>

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

<font size=""1"">B. Jackson, Johnson, Pargo, M. Jackson, Simmons, Armstrong </font>

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

<font size=""1"">Paul, Stojakovic, Vinicius, Bass</font>

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




<font size=""1"">Bosh: 25.3 ppg in last 7 gp / Jose: 17.5 ppg in last 2 gp</font>




<font size=""1"">West: 22.5 ppg in last 2 gp / Butler: 17.8 ppg in last 5 gp</font>

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


<font size=""3"">Rasual Butler vs. Anthony Parker</font>


<font size=""3"">David West vs. Chris Bosh</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> - 106
<font size=""4"">Hornets</font> - 91</div>

Hey guys, I hope don't mind me doing the game thread for tomorrow night's match-up. I see that a game thread hasn't been done for the last couple games so I figured it wouldn't hurt.

Well, West is back but the Hornets are still missing their own floor general in Paul and Peja, so if we can come out with a similiar effort as the one from last night against the Kitties then I see no reason why we can take care of business against the Hornets.

I'm assuming that Ford will likely sit again tomorrow night so for now I have him as being inactive for the match-up against NO/Okla.

Predict and discuss!

 

Wow nice game thread! I love it

I predict Raptors take the cake in this one

 

Nice, really cool. and ya the raptors will most liley take this one, they bet the horents with paul, then can beat them without him. A propose another big game from jose and Bosh and rasho.

 

Great preview DJN. The Raptors should handle the Hornets easily, by at least 10. The Raptors SHOULD win this game, but you never know with Toronto.

 

One hell of a preview man.

This game definitely won't be as easy as the last time we faced them. We actually have to deal with an inside-outside threat. However, I still see us overcoming their lack of offense.

 

Love the preview DrJ! If Calderon continues how he's been playing lately, then the Raptors should have no problem taking care of the Hornets.

Raps by 14.

 

Thanks guys .... in the future if the usual game thread creators (epidemik, Chut, etc.) know they can't do it for a particular game just PM me and I'll do my best to fill in.

BTW, the Yahoo preview is available for those who care. Just click on the "Yahoo Sports" image to access it. I haven't heard anything regarding Ford's status for this evening so let's assume he'll sit this one too.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Dr. J. Naismith Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Thanks guys .... in the future if the usual game thread creators (epidemik, Chut, etc.) know they can't do it for a particular game just PM me and I'll do my best to fill in.</div>

I don't think that is really a problem. People seem to be pretty busy these days as we don't get many people making official game threads lately.

 

I guess there is no Bargnani tonight either ....

It's going to see how our team holds up with pretty much all the starters being counted on for heavy minutes this game.

 

We're getting owned on the defensive glass, which has usually been a strongpoint for us. Also, the Hornets aren't respecting Bosh's post game at all (putting quick SF's on him).

 

Be nice if bosh could hit a free throw. Be nice if the announcers talked about it also.

 

Wow, what a comeback! I had pretty much written this one off, no one was hitting their shots and we were playing super tired. Props to everyone for not mailing it in and coming back for the win.

 

I thought that was a loss for sure. Down 7 with less than 2 minutes left.

Ugliest win EVER. But I'll take it, one game away from .500!

 

I saw this game on League Pass and must say I'm impressed the way the Raptors got back into this game. They were pretty unrelenting, which is why they one. You know you guys are like 5 games away from first place in the East?

 

<div class="quote_poster">Eclipse Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">
Ugliest win EVER. But I'll take it, one game away from .500!</div>

I'd say so. I don't know who made that jump ball call, but it was terrible!! I've never seen anything so brutally wrong. In other news the refs mucked up this game big time with some inconsistant calls, it could have affected the Hornets even more than us.

 

Wow what a clusterF*&K of a game.
Big performance by Bosh he played 46 minutes tonight im guessing a season high. Also at the 10:03 mark of the forth quarter he missed a free throw making it 6th consecutive miss and i was thinking his confidence was shot but from then he goes out makes six consecutive free throws in the clutch.

Great comeback. Also you saw how valuable Bargnani is to this team, they are a completely different team without and thats saying a lot considering he is only a rook.

 

Hell of a comeback. Even when we were down by 3, I wasn't sure if we could make the stop on defense. But, Tyson Chandler fouling out was huge. Bosh came up big at the end and what else can you say about Jose Calderon?

 

Eventually, it's going to be a decision that Colangelo would need to make, and that is keeping Ford or Calderon around for the long term. It's very unlikely that they could coexist and continue splitting minutes for the next five years, when they both know they would be playing 35 minutes a game on another team. I just hope that when the time comes Colangelo would make the right call and pick the player who'll mesh the best with Bosh. Until then, I'll enjoy watching this point guard situation. Jose Calderon is a joy to watch.

 

Jose Calderon does NOT **** around

 

<div class="quote_poster">AirJordan Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Jose Calderon does NOT **** around</div>

Well except for the first 3 1/2 quarters of this game...but otherwise