Spurs vs. Raptors Previews

[duncan228]

Toronto (3-3) at San Antonio (2-3)
Game info: 8:30 pm EST Mon Nov 9, 2009
TV: RAPT, FSSW
By Brett Huston

The San Antonio Spurs had one of the league’s best road records last season, but they’re off to a woeful start away from AT&T Center and will be without Tony Parker for the next week.

Perhaps a lengthy stretch back home will get coach Gregg Popovich’s team back on track.

The Spurs look to avoid their first three-game losing streak since the beginning of last season Monday night when they open a stretch of 10 of 12 at home against the Toronto Raptors.

San Antonio (2-3) lost three in a row to open the 2008-09 season - two at home - but their current struggles have come on the road. The Spurs, who were 26-15 on the road last season, have won their two home games by an average of 18.0 points, but are 0-3 away from home.

They were in trouble from the outset in consecutive losses at Utah and Portland last week, falling behind by 10 after one quarter in a 113-99 loss to the Jazz on Thursday, then trailing by 15 after 12 minutes in a 96-84 defeat to the Trail Blazers one night later.

“We committed too many mistakes from the get-go,” said guard Manu Ginobili, who’s averaging 13.8 points but shooting just 39.2 percent. “It’s too bad. It shouldn’t be happening. We’ve really got to step out and try to play 48 minutes.”

San Antonio outscored Portland the final three quarters, but also played most of the final 36 minutes without Parker. The three-time All-Star sprained his left ankle in the second - the same ankle he hurt nearly a year ago to the day - and expects to miss about a week.

Parker said this sprain isn’t as severe as the one that caused him to miss three weeks last season, but the Spurs will certainly miss him considering he averaged 23.0 points and 7.0 assists in two games against the Raptors (3-3) in 2008-09.

Each team won on its home floor, with Toronto overcoming 32 points from Ginobili and injuries to Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon to win 91-89 on Feb. 11.

Bosh is among the league’s top five scorers through six games, averaging 28.5 points, and he’s also among the NBA’s rebounding leaders with 11.8 per contest.

The Raptors, however, have given up 108.2 points per game, and had one of their worst defensive efforts in years their last time out. Toronto allowed Dallas to shoot 62.4 percent Saturday - the best field-goal percentage by an opponent against the Raptors in more than six years - in a 129-101 loss.

“I’m disappointed in the way that we played, but they had more energy, they had more movement, they had better confidence shooting the basketball and that’s why you get a result like this,” coach Jay Triano said.

Toronto has made 40.0 percent of its shots from beyond the arc thus far, with Andrea Bargnani emerging as a consistent 3-point threat. The former No. 1 overall pick seems to have made some big strides in his game, shooting 52.4 percent overall and 51.6 percent from 3-point range - both significant improvements over last season.

He’s also averaging 20.7 points, a 5.3-point increase.

For the Raptors to have a chance, though, they’ll need Bosh to play better than he typically has against Tim Duncan. The four-time All-Star has averaged 13.0 points on 35.1 percent shooting in his last four games versus Duncan, while the Spurs’ big man has averaged 20.3 points on 60.0 percent shooting with three blocks.

*********************

Team Stat Leaders

Points
Chris Bosh Tor 28.5
Tony Parker SA 14.8

Rebounds
Chris Bosh Tor 11.8
Tim Duncan SA 11.8

Assists
Jose Calderon Tor 6.0
Tony Parker SA 4.0

*********************

Injuries

Toronto

M. Banks Flu
R. Evans Foot

San Antonio

No injuries reported.

[duncan228]

Toronto Raptors Getting Inside 2009-11-08

The Raptors go into San Antonio on Monday night, and the game will unquestionably evoke comparisons between Chris Bosh and Tim Duncan.

Now, no one is suggesting Bosh is nearly as accomplished as the man many consider the best power forward to ever play the game, but the similarities in their styles do bring about some discussion.

And the way Bosh is playing this year, being measured against a sure-fire Hall of Famer isn't a bad thing.

Bosh is having an extraordinary start to the 2009-10 season, and getting a shot at Duncan will show precisely where he is. His Toronto teammate, Jarrett Jack, says Bosh is right at the top of the heap.

"We haven't seen anybody who can really challenge him down on the low block, and I hope he keeps that mentality," said Jack.

Bosh is picking the best time to play his best basketball. As one of the more highly coveted free agents who will hit the market next summer, the more he raises awareness of his play around the league, the more he'll find teams clamoring to pay him untold millions as a free agent.

Bosh is seen in some circles as a second-tier free agent in a class that might include LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki and Amare Stoudemire, but his play so far can only raise his profile.

Now, let's see how he does against Duncan.

*********************

RAPS CATCH BREAK

San Antonio is never an easy place to get a win, but the Raptors' effort to get another road victory got decidedly easier when Tony Parker rolled over on his left ankle Friday and will be out at least a week. In two games against the Raptors last season, Parker averaged 23 points. The Raps play the Spurs tomorrow.

[Dice]

Bosh was the guy I really wanted to see Detroit do a trade for last season. I've heard over and over that he's not a franchise player, but besides guys like Kobe, Wade, and Lebron, who is these days? I thought he'd be a key piece to build around for the future. now I don' think they have a chance of signing him.

It'll be interesting to see who the team throws at him Monday night. I feel like the Spurs are better or are at least as talented at all the other positions. But an athletic defender like Bosh can give Tim trouble.

Anyone think there will be any other changes in the lineup because of Hill having to start for Parker?

[alchemist]

I expect a blow out, even without Parker. The Spurs have been a beast at home.

[Indazone]

Bosh vs Duncan should be interesting to watch

[boutons_deux]

Spurs trying to hang on to 8th seed.

TOR trying to move up to 8th seed.

Battle of the ans!

[AussieFanKurt]

Wonder how this will play out. Andrea and Bosh been playing well together

[HarlemHeat37]

Bosh doesn't scare me..

Bargnani does though..we don't have anybody that can stay with him on the perimeter, since he's a lot stronger than Bonner if Pop decided to leave him on him..otherwise, none of our bigs will be able to handle him..

This is a good 1st start for Hill, Calderon can be easily exploited on both ends..

[DPG21920]

Bargnani has been on fire and if Okur's athleticism gave the Spurs trouble, Bargnani's should be even worse. Hopefully they try and play him physically. I think the Spurs should be able to control the rebounding battle, however, I thought they should every game.

Will be interesting to see.

[SamoanTD]

what about hedo?

[Flux451]

Too bad Evans is out. Evans and Blair would have been fun to watch. I expect Hairston to play, but have a slight feeling Haislip will get the spot to counter Barhnini.

[TDMVPDPOY]

expecting another loss here...

[Danny.Zhu]

I like the international players on Raptors. They do have a lot of talents.

But unfortunately they don't heart.

[iilluzioN]

i dont think the spurs will win....... heck we cant even beat the jazz and bulls, and portland

[Spursfan092120]

i dont think the spurs will win....... heck we cant even beat the jazz and bulls, and portland

all teams that are better than Toronto..and we're gelling better. If Tony doesn't get hurt in that game, we beat Portland.

[duncan228]

Monday: Raptors (3-3) at Spurs (2-3)

Time: 7:30 p.m.
TV: FSNSW
Radio: WOAI-AM 1200, KCOR-AM 1350

STARTERS - SPURS - RAPTORS

PG - 3 George Hill (6-2, 2nd yr) - 8 Jose Calderon (6-3, 5th yr)
Nearly year to day after making first NBA start, Hill replaces Parker again

SG - 4 Michael Finley (6-7, 15th yr) - 10 DeMar DeRozan (6-7, 1st yr)
Finley’s starting streak ended in Portland, as Popovich opted for defense

SF - 24 Richard Jefferson (6-7, 9th yr) - 26 Hedo Turkoglu (6-10, 9th yr)
Former Spur Turkoglu cashed in after breakout seasons in Orlando

PF - 21 Tim Duncan (6-11, 13th yr) - 4 Chris Bosh (6-10, 7th yr)
Bosh’s last five scoring nights: 37, 35, 25, 27 and 26 points

C - 15 Matt Bonner (6-10, 6th yr) - 7 Andrea Bargnani (7-0, 4th yr)
Shooting 2 for 10 in two games no way for Bonner to stay on floor

SPURS RESERVES

8 Roger Mason Jr., G, 6-5, 6th yr
20 Manu Ginobili, G, 6-6, 8th yr
1 Malik Hairston, G, 6-6, 2nd yr
34 A. McDyess, C/F, 6-10, 15th yr
45 DeJuan Blair, F, 6-7, 1st yr
10 Keith Bogans, G/F, 6-5, 7th yr
42 Theo Ratliff, F/C, 6-10, 15th yr

RAPTORS RESERVES

3 Marcus Banks, G, 6-2, 7th yr
0 Marco Belinelli, G, 6-5, 3rd yr
1 Jarrett Jack, G, 6-3, 5th yr
15 Amir Johnson, F, 6-9, 5th yr
12 Rasho Nesterovic, C, 7-0, 10th yr
13 Patrick O’Bryant, C, 7-0, 4th yr
21 Antoine Wright, G/F, 6-7, 5th yr

COACHES
Spurs: Gregg Popovich
Raptors: Jay Triano

INJURIES

Spurs: Tony Parker (left ankle sprain) is doubtful.
Raptors: Reggie Evans (left midfoot sprain) and Sonny Weems (sore left foot) are day-to-day.

PROJECTED INACTIVE PLAYERS

Spurs: Ian Mahinmi, Marcus Haislip, Parker
Raptors: Evans, Weems, Quincy Douby

NOTABLE

Spurs open stretch in which they play seven of the next eight, and eight of next 10, at home. They are 2-0 in the AT&T Center this season, winning by an average of 18 points. ... On the road, Spurs are 0-3 by average margin of 11.6 points. ... Raptors have scored at least 100 points in each of their six games to start the season, a team record.

- Jeff McDonald

[AussieFanKurt]

C - 15 Matt Bonner (6-10, 6th yr) - 7 Andrea Bargnani (7-0, 4th yr)
Shooting 2 for 10 in two games no way for Bonner to stay on floor

we'll get ed in this matchup
bonner will stay no matter what he shoots

[duncan228]

Raptors’ Bosh off to MVP-like start
By Eric Koreen, National Post

TORONTO — It took less than a month last season for Chris Bosh to declare his individual aspirations.

Averaging 27.5 points and 10.5 rebounds after 14 games, the Toronto Raptors forward started talking about those three letters: MVP.

“I came into this season saying I’m going to give it a shot,” Bosh said at the time. “I think I can get it and we need more wins, of course, but when I think of MVPs in the past, I think of consistency and . . . every they night they put it out there on the floor and, when need be, they put their teams on their backs.”

Even less time has elapsed from this season compared with when Bosh spoke out last year, and you can be sure there will be no MVP talk from the forward, who has said he will not be discussing individual goals this season. But based on his first six games, he looks very much like a player -bent on carrying his team.

Although the Raptors have merely split their first half-dozen games, Bosh has been more than half-good. His averages of 28.5 points and 11.8 rebounds far outpace his career numbers, with his 3.5 offensive rebounds per game representing one of the larger leaps in his play, along with his unsustainable average of 14.5 trips to the free-throw line per game.

As well, his player efficiency rating — a statistic compiled by ESPN analyst John Hollinger — has him ranked second in the league, behind only New Orleans point guard Chris Paul, whose team lost to the Raptors on Friday night. (Of course, plenty of skepticism should be reserved for any statistic that has little-used Raptors big man Rasho Nesterovic ranked 17th in the league, in between all-stars Brandon Roy of Portland and Deron Williams of Utah.)

So, how is Bosh putting up such gaudy numbers so far? It is a three-pronged answer:

• Favourable opponents

Toronto has played Cleveland, Memphis, Orlando, Detroit, Charlotte and Dallas. Those teams do not exactly boast Kevin Garnett, or anybody approaching his man-on-man defensive ability.

At various times during this opening stretch, Bosh has been able to exploit the likes of Zach Randolph, Ryan Anderson, David West and Dirk Nowitzki, all of whom are sub-par post defenders.

In San Antonio on Monday night, Bosh should see plenty of Tim Duncan. Against Chicago on Wednesday, Joakim Noah, the type of agile big man who often gives Bosh trouble, will be his main compe ion. The next two games should be Bosh’s toughest tests yet.

• Better talent around him

The Raptors went into Sunday’s play averaging 107 points per game, good for fourth in the league. Their 40 per cent three-point success rate was eighth.

Due to his supporting cast, Bosh has more room to operate. And the Raptors have figured how to space out their two versatile big men better. Andrea Bargnani is both shooting the ball more reliably and venturing to the post more often, allowing Bosh to start his offence from varying places on the court. And the more routes of attack Bosh can use, the more dangerous he is.

• Added muscle

Bosh’s reputation as a jumpshot-oriented “soft” big man has always been unfair. He has gone to the line at least eight times per game in each of the last four seasons. His 617 free-throw attempts last year were more than every big man not named Dwight Howard.

But with 25 extra pounds to work with, he is spending his time on the court differently. As mentioned above, he is getting more offensive rebounds than ever, a product of hanging out more often in the paint. He is also attacking more and taking fewer jumpers.

So far, it has all added up to a memorable start. Of course, the same thing was said last year, too.

[Spursmania]

Hairston is playing.

[Blackjack]

But an athletic defender like Bosh can give Tim trouble.

For the Raptors to have a chance, though, they’ll need Bosh to play better than he typically has against Tim Duncan. The four-time All-Star has averaged 13.0 points on 35.1 percent shooting in his last four games versus Duncan, while the Spurs’ big man has averaged 20.3 points on 60.0 percent shooting with three blocks.

Numbers can be deceiving, but these ain't.

Tim has done basically whatever the he's wanted to with Bosh.


Bargnani definitely poses problems if he's on his game, and their overall shooting can really make a defense scramble.

It's hard to judge the Spurs given their Jekyll and Hyde personality at home and on the road so far offensively, but their defense better be solid if they're hoping to get a win.

Please tell me Roko Ukic isn't on the Raptors; I'm not sure if I could stomach the Spurs turning him into a HOF-er again.

[anonoftheinternets]

after brandon roy brushed off jefferson, cant wait to see if jefferson has better luck against hedo .... he needs to improve his D .. and i hope its somthing to do with learning the system, and not intrinsic sucking.

[ploto]

Bargnani: The most interesting thing about Andrea is that he seems to have learned how to play against the different match-ups. This season, if they put a smaller guy on him, he now knows to post him up. If it's a slower big guy, he will drive around him. His rebounding has been much better, as well.

Hedo: They are still learning how best to use him, especially to let him handle the ball more.

Bosh: He put on about 25 pounds of muscle this off-season. If you have not seen him yet, you might be a little surprised.

[anonoftheinternets]

Bargnani: The most interesting thing about Andrea is that he seems to have learned how to play against the different match-ups. This season, if they put a smaller guy on him, he now knows to post him up. If it's a slower big guy, he will drive around him. His rebounding has been much better, as well.

Hedo: They are still learning how best to use him, especially to let him handle the ball more.

Bosh: He put on about 25 pounds of muscle this off-season. If you have not seen him yet, you might be a little surprised.

guess u changed to raptors since hedo went there. But yea, why is hedo not being given the ball more? I mean i was watching the raps, and they are really not utilizing him properly.

[TDMVPDPOY]

i hope ghill3 s on calderon

[mingus]

if i turn on the game and i see both Bonner and Finley starting, my head might explode. God, get Pop's head out of his ass.