On a rainy Tuesday night in London, Ontario some 7,213 noisy Raptor fans cheered on a group of basketball players who have some real work ahead of them.
One would have to say the fans in London understand what pro basketball is all about, entertainment! And they were entertained. They enjoyed themselves. They drank a lot of beer! And they stayed to the end cheering “Let’s Go Raptors!” What was the score anyway?
The Raptors started out slow. Well slow is probably the bet descriptor of this current bunch of Raptors. They were sucking wind within minutes. Don’t believe the 76ers are in game ready shape yet either, they’re not! But the Raptors’ players are well behind them, except maybe a couple.
One Raptor player did stand out in a good way. By the end of the first quarter the crowd was loudly cheering, Reggie, Reggie! And Reggie Evans had earned it by being easily the most active and effective Raptor on the floor.
Tonight Reggie had 6 points, 3 boards, and 4 steals. And if he could make his put backs and dunks, Reggie would have been the best player on the floor. He was easily the most popular and looks to win fans fast once he plays in Toronto.
The quote of the night belongs to DeMar DeRozan. It actually happened yesterday but it could explain today. During an interview when DeMar was asked about playing in London, he said he thought they where playing overseas. Oops!
Apparently, not only DeRozan but, the whole team came down with a severe case of jet lag from the trip to London this evening.
The game in summary.
The rust on Calderon is so thick that he can barely move possibly causing the 4 really bad turnovers. Suggesting we send out for the “tinman” to bring some oil quick!
Jack didn’t perform much better getting 4 turnovers of his own.
DeRozan actually looked like someone suffering from jet lag. Hopefully someone lets him know that this game was played at about half speed compared to the regular season.
Sonny Weems played like he was alive. The kid had great energy and hops. Weems finished 3 inside passes at the rim with smooth precision.
Marcus Banks finished the 4th quarter with Weems, DeRozan, Johnson, and POB. And the team made a nice run with him leading against the 76ers rookies and hopefuls.
Triano left Banks out there in the 4th when Banks was obviously folding – he had actually stopped trying to defend. But when Jay wasn’t going to save him by sending him to the bench, Banks pulled it together and played like a pro.
Amir Johnson had a “big” game. 8 points, 10 boards, and 2 blocks. But don’t be fooled, in this case the stats lie. Johnson is interesting to watch in person. He wasn’t effective against early on against the better players, but he was very effective in a “street” ball environment. This kid can run!
Johnson stands shorter than his height. He plays like a small forward and looks like he weighs less than most small forwards. A previous description of Amir as a “hybrid” forward seems more accurate after seeing him play live.
Rasho played like Rasho plays, maybe with just a little rust. He’s still good.
Oh and almost invisibly Bargnani dropped in 22 points on 9 of 14 shooting. And it didn’t really look like he was putting out a full effort either.
Belinelli shows signs of having real talent, Douby got 5 assists that I missed seeing, and POB got 5 boards and 2 steals but was mostly invisible.
The team played like they were still out-of-shape and have some ways to go before they can function well as a unit. Anyone surprised, hopefully not!
Nothing really bad here to see, please move along. Check back here tomorrow, maybe there’s a new story.
And the score if anyone cares, 107-98 76ers. But no one should put much stock in the result, even if the Banks led comeback had resulted in a win instead.
Knowing how different things look when you’re actually at the game, I liked being able to read how you saw it. The team did look a bit raggedy at times, but nothing I didn’t expect.
And never mind the Tinman just bringing some oil for Jose … maybe we should soak him in the vat for a day or so. I fully expect him to come around, but I hope it’s quick. I’ll look for improvements tonight. I’m betting we see at least some.
I’ll be looking for a better effort tonight as well.
Reporting from Row E at the ACC later this evening, hopefully there will be some more positive events to discuss.
A good 48 min scrimmage, with some exposure of the bench, and suit players, and DD getting exposed to the NBA preseason, and speed of the 76ers guards.
Will not see the TEAM untill Bosh, Wright, and the Turk appear.
That’s pretty much it!
And it’ll take Bosh and Hedo a couple of preseason games to get up to speed as well.
So we should all just relax and enjoy the preseason for what it is!
By the way Sonny & DeMar promised an exciting dunk tonight – that’s what I’d like to see!
re: Tonight Reggie had 6 points, 3 boards, and 4 steals. And if he could make his put backs and dunks, Reggie would have been the best player on the floor. He was easily the most popular and looks to win fans fast once he plays in Toronto.
Unfortunately, this is how Reggie Evans plays, i.e. with a great deal of hustle and little else.
Hustle from a player like Evans does not produce a slew of W’s in the NBA.
You’re right!
Reggie has a history of joining a team, making an impact, becoming a fan favorite, then being replaced by someone with less rebounding ability but who can handle the ball without fumbling it. Then he gets traded again.
At 29, hopefully Reggie knows his limitations and can be more effective in a broader sense. The guy will undoubtedly become a fan favorite in Toronto too.
Nice recap. Hoping for a better one tonight, too.
Heh, damn it, I was about to highlight the same thing Khandor did. The problem with Reggie is that he’s pretty crap at finishing around the rim. Even when they seem like easy shots, he misses them. For a while, no one will be angry because he will have grabbed an offensive board a second earlier, but I think after a while Raps fans will get a bit frustrated with him. No use in getting an offensive board if you’re just gonna miss again.
See my earlier blog on Reggie: http://sbrother.wordpress.com/2009/08/26/toronto-raptors%E2%80%99-reggie-evans-game-changer/
Reggie has “Hands of Stone!” He can and will miss uncontested put back dunks!
Its too bad really – the guy outworks everyone else on the floor.
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