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Yea! Go Raptors!
link to the video
http://broadband.nba.com/cc/playa.ph...nk&nbasite=nba
Yea! Go Raptors!
yeah, I saw on ESPN's recap. It was like, OMG, that guy is gonna get killed in the lockerroom!
If all goes bad for the Wizards that play is gonna come back to haunt that guy.
Damn. 10 games left with a 7 game division lead. I told my friends they'd make the playoffs this year as an 8th seed. I was never expecting this.
Holy Cow!
I was tired when I came in and just now saw the video.
Holy Cow! That was insane! Holy cow!
.02 ! And here I thought 2 was an unlucky number.
http://www.nba.com/raptors/news/postup_033007.html
March 30, 2007
(WASHINGTON, DC - AP) - Chris Bosh had a huge start and an even bigger finish.
Bosh scored eight of his 37 points in overtime as the Toronto Raptors remained in third spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race with a 123-118 victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
The win, coupled with New Jersey's 110-105 loss to Detroit Friday night, reduced the magic number for the Raptors to capture their first Atlantic Division le to four.
The Wizards appeared to have a victory secured until Michael Ruffin's celebratory heave toward the rafters landed in the hands of Raptors guard Morris Peterson, whose three-pointer from 31 feet tied the score at 109 as the horn sounded ending regulation.
``I was hoping it went in, and, shoot, it went in,'' Bosh said of Peterson's desperation heave. ``After that, I was just concentrating on winning the game.''
Ruffin intercepted Anthony Parker's inbounds pass from underneath the Wizards' basket near midcourt and flung the ball high into the air with 1.1 seconds left.
``It was just a natural reaction to throw it in the air,'' Ruffin said. ``I was thinking the time would run out. I guess there ended up being more time than I expected, and I didn't have a good hold on the ball. I threw it off my palm.''
Peterson attempted his game-tying shot with .02 of a second left.
``When I saw (Ruffin) tip it, I looked and I saw I had a chance to get it and it turned out the ball just came to me,'' said Peterson, who played only the final 4.4 seconds of regulation and the last 47 seconds of overtime. ``I looked at the clock real quick and there was like one second, and I just threw it up. Thankfully it went in, gave us another chance _ gave us another win, and I'll take it.''
Bosh, who made nine of his first 11 shots and had 21 points in the first half, managed only eight points in the second half. He shot 4-for-5 in overtime and blocked Gilbert Arenas' layup attempt with three seconds left. Bosh also had 14 rebounds and five assists.
Asked if he had ever seen such an unusual ending to a game, Bosh replied: ``Nah, not really, just on TV. But we were on the receiving end today and it gave us a little bit more time to capitalize.''
``Just wild stuff,'' Bosh said when asked how he could describe the ending. ``I don't know, man, you've got to go to the libraries on that one. I took Mo's shot as a second chance for us. When stuff happens like that, you've got to win.''
``You have to try your best and play as hard as you can because the basketball gods were looking out for us.''
Arenas led the Wizards with 34 points and seven assists. His three-pointer with 30 seconds remaining gave the Wizards a 102-99 lead they did not relinquish until Peterson's desperation heave.
``It was like watching an NCAA tournament game, and it felt like one,'' Arenas said. ``It's hard to lose one like that.''
The victory was Toronto's first in its past seven games in Washington.
DeShawn Stevenson's three-pointer gave the Wizards their last lead at 112-111 with 4:05 remaining in overtime.
Bosh responded with a jumper, a tip-in and two hook shots.
Juan Dixon and Anthony Parker both made two free throws to secure Toronto's second straight victory.
Kris Humphries' three-pointer from the corner tied it at 97 with 1:55 left in regulation. After Arenas made two free throws, T.J. Ford tied it again at 99.
Ford finished with 23 points, six assists and five rebounds. Joey Graham had a career-high 12 rebounds.
Caron Butler had 17 points and seven rebounds for Washington. Stevenson had a season-high 10 rebounds.
Butler's free throw gave Washington a 64-63 lead early in the third quarter, marking the first time the Wizards led since 7-5. Stevenson's three-point play capped an 11-0 run that gave Washington a 69-63 lead.
Graham's three-pointer capped a 10-4 run that gave Toronto a 43-30 lead with 8:49 remaining in the second quarter. At that point, the Raptors were shooting 66.7 per cent.
Wizards coach Eddie Jordan then turned to his bench and got a lift from Jarvis Hayes, Antonio Daniels and Darius Songaila. The trio shot a combined 7-for-8 from the field and 4-for-4 at the free-throw line during a 20-10 run that pulled Washington to 53-50 on Hayes' steal and layup.
The surge also gave the Wizards starters enough rest to make a run of their own in the third.
``Earlier, we were winning a lot of close games at the buzzer,'' Ruffin said. ``Lately, we've been coming up on the short end with different mistakes. Giving up offensive rebounds, throwing the ball up in the air and having it go to the other team. All you can do is get stronger from it, build on it, and try to come out better the next time.''
Notes: Wizards centre Calvin Booth went to the locker room with a dislocated left index finger with 1:54 remaining in the third quarter. He returned to the bench and was available but did not re-enter the game. ... Toronto holds a 23-22 lead in the series between the teams.
The guys' reaction is priceless.
TrueThe guys' reaction is priceless.
Lefty- your sig.- you're wicked! Should have stopped with the Coyote.
Sorry, but It started with this thread : http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63226Lefty- your sig.
I couldn't resist
Onions!! Baby!!! Onions!!!!
I love Sam Mitc 's reaction.
Does the person who wrote this article even know who Kris Humphries is? If he made a 3 from the corner to tie the game with less than 2 minutes to go, it might be as big of a story as Mo's 3.Kris Humphries' three-pointer from the corner tied it at 97 with 1:55 left in regulation. After Arenas made two free throws, T.J. Ford tied it again at 99.
It was Anthony Parker's 3 pointer.
Sorry, but It started with this thread : http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63226
I couldn't resist
I know where it started. The question is, where will it end?
:guilt trip
Good Luck to Candace Parker- big game Sunday night.
Anthony's sis I presume?
Yes- Anthony's little sister- star player at Tennessee, playing in the Final Four. Anthony turned down a chance to compete in the three-point contest at All-Star weekend because he had already made plans to see her play- since he had missed other seasons playing in Israel.
Ah! That's sweet.
Good luck Candace.
Guess who is going back to the play-offs for his ninth straight NBA season?
Raptors with the 107-94 win over Charlotte and a guaranteed play-off spot. A couple more wins and they clinch the Atlantic Division and go from Lottery Winner to Division Winner in one season. Raptors also have the best record in the East since January 1.
And Bryan will win Executive of the Year- the man whose first major personnel move as GM was to trade for Rasho Nesterovic.
Nice to have Andrea there today.
Whoosh! I told you the Raptors would be in the play offs! So exciting!!!!!!!!!!!!
That's a good picture of Sho. A.B. looks nice too.
http://www.nba.com/raptors/news/ulmer_040107.html
Raptors Clinch Play off Spot
April 1, 2007
(TORONTO) -- Morris Peterson will tell you: it was all worth it.
The forced trades of Vince Carter and Antonio Davis. Jalen Rose dressed in black when removed from the rotation.
And the losing, five straight years of it, including seasons of 25 and 27 wins.
“That probably was the toughest things, some of the losses we had,” said Peterson. “All the games we led and ended up losing. If I look at this day, I would go through all the other stuff just to be here today.”
Here today, are the playoffs, with yards to spare. Next will be the Atlantic Division le, the Raptors magic number is now three and there are two weeks of basketball yet to play.
As far as the NBA post-season goes, the Raptors are extinct no more. They are, instead, a versatile, unselfish, hard-working, basketball team with premier weapons in Chris Bosh and TJ Ford and a whale of a bench. If you needed any proof, you needed look only at Sunday's 107-94 pummeling of the Charlotte Bobcats that was nowhere near as close as the score would otherwise indicate.
Bosh had 10 points and five rebounds halfway through the first quarter. He finished with 24 points and 16 rebounds in just over 30 minutes of work.
Six Raptors, Bosh, Anthony Parker (14 points), Juan Dixon (15), Kris Humphries (13) and Jose Calderon (14) hit double figures. The Raptors outrebounded Charlotte 48-34 and reeled off 18 fast-break points to the Bobcats 4. Now, the Charlotte Bobcats are not going to the playoffs, but you get the point.
The Raptors rebuild began with the appointment of Bryan Colangelo as president and general manager and featured nine new players, including the widely-panned acquisition of Ford for Charlie Villanueva.
From the beginning, the Raptors insisted they were playoff worthy but when the club stumbled under the weight of a hideous early schedule, there seemed little evidence that this year would be substantially different than last.
“When we were 2-8 everybody doubted us but we didn’t have any doubt in that locker room that we were a good basketball team,” said Raptors coach Sam Mitc .
There were a couple of pivotal nights. Limping home in the early going after six straight losses, the Raptors beat Cleveland 97-93. “No one thought we could win that game,” Mitc said. “The Cleveland game proved that after a long road trip, and we proved to ourselves, that we could beat a good basketball team.”
In mid-December, with Bosh knocked out of the lineup by a sore knee, the Raptors won in Orlando 91-84. Rookie Andrea Bargnani scored 23 points.
“Andrea kind of grew up that night,” Mitc said.
The varied elements blended together by Colangelo quickly came together.
Anthony Parker emerged as the most fundamentally sound player on the team and a player with prodigious basketball IQ.
Bargnani quickly became a rookie of the year candidate before an emergency appendectomy knocked him out of the lineup. He should be ready for the playoffs.
Fred Jones never found a consistent spot in the rotation. Colangelo swapped him to Portland for Juan Dixon who boosted an already impressive bench.
After a middling rookie season hampered by injury, Jose Calderon emerged as a player whose hustle, shot and court vision, who would earn him a starting spot on the majority of NBA teams.
Before a fractured ankle, Jorge Garbajosa had established himself as a valuable starter.
“I think everybody gets the same credit,” said Bosh. “Everybody came to the table this year, ready to work. We had positives at udes. No matter how much people didn’t see us coming, we continued to work.”
Peterson, as he usually does, has it right.
“Winning cures all,” he said. “You’ve got to fall before you’ve had some success. That gives you character and makes you hungry.”
Good night for the Slovenian Sensations.
Sho had a good game- 8 points ( 2 of 2 from the free throw line
Brezec also had 8 points ( 3 of 3 from the field; 2 of 2 from the free throw line
Uros made a free throw; all three guys scored.
In case you can't tell, I'm really excited about the play offs.
http://www.nba.com/raptors/news/quotes_040107.html
SAM MITC
Thoughts on clinching a playoff position…
You feel gratification for the guys, the organization, the fans and what we have been through over the past two and a half seasons to get to this point. Happy for them, happy for the coaches and myself included, but we still got some things that we want to try to accomplish. We want to win the division and then try to get home court, go into the playoffs playing well, try to get healthy and then make some noise as well.
Thoughts on keeping your players motivated…
No, I mean these guys are happy but it was Chris Bosh in there saying ‘next step division, next step trying to secure homecourt.’ They understand but it was our first goal to make it to the playoffs like every team, you want to get in and we’ve accomplished that. It’s nice to accomplish your goals because it keeps the guys working. I remember Barry Bonds saying one time that when he is in a hot streak he works harder. And so when you’re winning and achieving things, it should motivate you to work harder because now you know that your hard work hasn’t been in vain.
At what time did you think it all came together?
I just think when we came off the road trip and we beat Cleveland, when no one thought we could win that game. The Cleveland game, even when we lost a couple of games after that, the Cleveland game proved that after a long road trip, because normally the toughest game to play is the first game back after a west coast trip. We proved to ourselves that we could beat a good basketball team. Then the Orlando game, right there in Orlando when Chris was out and Andrea (Bargnani) kind of grew up that night. He stepped up and played big for us, and so did our bench. So there has been a couple of games where as a team we’ve had to step up. Rasho (Nesterovic) right down to all these guys. These guys should all feel proud of themselves because when we were 2-8 everyone doubted us, but we didn’t have any doubt in that locker room that we were a good basketball team. I remember Wayne (Embry) kept saying to me that it takes time when you got a brand new basketball team. We just had to continue to work until those guys played, they allowed the coaches to coach them and they try to do the things that we have asked. They should be proud of what they accomplished because no one thought that we could get here.
Bosh
CHRIS BOSH
How does it feel to be in the playoffs for the first time?
It feels good and I’m still looking for a better feeling once we get everything underway. It feels good just to be in important games. Like I have been saying for the past week or two week, it feels good. It’s general excitement right now because we still have two more goals ahead of us. We want to get home court advantage and we want to lock up the Atlantic division. We still have nine more games to play and we have to concentrate and focus on each game until we clinch both.
Is it important to clinch a playoff spot in front of the home fans?
I think so I think the fans enjoyed it. It just shows how we are turning this whole thing around and it’s good for the fans to be a part of that and to see it.
Thoughts on other guys getting opportunities to play…
I think that is the best thing about this year, everybody has stepped up. I’ve been out, T.J. (Ford) has been out, Jose (Calderon), Garbo’s (Jorge Garbajosa) out, Andrea’s (Bargnani) out and the list goes on and on. Everyone has stepped up at certain points in time with any rotation that we put in the game. We continue to work together, we have that confidence and it is good for us because there is no telling what will happen from here on out.
Humphries
KRIS HUMPHRIES
On today’s win happening to be for bigger stakes…
Yes, it feels good to clinch a playoff spot. For us now we are trying to clinch our division, get home court. Everything builds on itself. You look at where we were at the beginning of the year, what people were saying, now these people are riding with us. It’s been great and we’re just going to build on this.
The last few games the rebounding intensity has picked up…
For us with Garbo (Jorge Garbajosa) being out, and Andrea (Bargnani) being out we lose a lot of height and with that comes some rebounding. Guys got to come in and play hard and get rebounds, like Joey
Happy night for the Parker family. Anthony comes back to the NBA and makes the play-offs and Candace is headed to the championship game.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- With Candace Parker making the biggest steal, Tennessee snuck back into the NCAA championship.
Parker wrestled the ball away from North Carolina's Alex Miller in the final minute and the Lady Vols rallied to beat North Carolina 56-50 in a national semifinal on Sunday night, setting up a NCAA le date with Rutgers.
The Lady Vols (33-3) set a Final Four record with 20 steals and outscored the Tar Heels 20-2 over the final 8:08 to earn their 12th trip to the le game -- but only their first since 1998.
It was sweet revenge for Tennessee, which had lost the Cleveland Regional final on the same floor one year ago to the Tar Heels (34-4).
Parker finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Nicky Anosike added 14 points, none bigger than her layup with 2:04 left when Tennessee, down 48-36 with 8:18 to play, finally caught the Tar Heels at 50-all.
North Carolina collapsed down the stretch, just like its men's team did last week against Georgetown.
In the Tar Heels' last 15 possessions, they scored just two points, missed all eight field-goal tries and had seven turnovers.
All-American Ivory Latta had 13 points, but missed three 3-pointers in 1:15 as North Carolina was unable to pull it out.
When the final horn sounded, Tennessee's players poured onto the floor in celebration. Parker, though, walked to mid-court and said, "One more," reminding her teammates there's still work to be done.
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