Built Ford Tough

I repeat: Seriously, how the hell do you blow a 27 point lead to a team missing two of their four best player and arguably the two most important pieces to the offense? Just pathetic. Scratch that, how do you blow a 27 point lead to any team and end up losing by nearly double digits?

So I actually watched the video and heard Matt Barnes comments for the first time. Are those comments really the ones that you have been going off about? The dude gave Griffin props for being a great player, said he is going to be even better in the future, praised his athletic abilities and made one comment about how he thinks he flops too much and doesn't need to given how good he is. What exactly is wrong with that? Its not like he went out and slammed the guy. Rumblings of Griffin developing a reputation as a flopper came long before anything that Barnes said. There was talk about it last season and some of his antics this season, especially against the Heat and Wolves on ESPN, have just made it more obvious to people who didn't watch the Clippers last season. Barnes "whining" has tarnished Griffin's legacy forever? Seriously?

Magic are absolutely losing their shit out there. Two straight T's on Anderson and Howard. Nice move by Turkoglu there. Good job of taking it strong to the hoop.

Lol at the Magic.

Ok, that was lame. I had to work last year so I didn't watch it, but I can't believe I just sat through nearly 2 hours of that. Even though I was only paying half attention to it, it was still enough to be a huge bore.

Patrick Kane: "Damn, that blonde is smoking!" Can't say I disagree with him. A hot chick in a hockey jersey would definitely do it.

Dwane Casey was on Prime Time Sports earlier today and judging from the way he talked about Bargnani, it doesn't sound like he will be out for that long. Said he is feeling much better today, moving around better and stuff like that. Of course, who really knows. Casey said Bargs would only miss a few days originally and he ended up missing 2 weeks.

Yeah, the fans are just brutal. The only thing keeping this on my tv is Lupul's chirping. Kind of disappointed that he stopped, but I can understand why. I liked Phanuef's "They really like us here, don't they?" comment to Chara when he was picked. Other than that, this is pretty bad. The crowd is completely ruining it. EDIT: On second thought, it would probably be pretty boring without the crowd. Just watching them read names would get dull really fast.

Anybody else watching the All-Star Fantasty Draft? Lupul is killing me right now. Crowd boos him non-stop and he responds with: "Its ok, I don't want to be cheered in Ottawa anyways" among other gems.

Only if Paul changes his name to Chris Fall.

Yeah, this kind of stuff should go into The Random Thread in the Off-Topic Forum found here: http://www.otrbasketball.com/forums/topic/9625-the-random-thread/

Ok, so Pau initiated the bump. I'll give you that. The whole thing would've been avoided if it wasn't for Paul starting it prior to the free throws, though. Its not like Pau just went out of his way and went after Paul out of the blue. You can see Paul yapping at Pau before the bump as well. He should've just walked away, though. The Lakers won and he had a great game.

It looked to me that Paul was the one who initiated again. He started walking back towards Pau and started yapping at him again. I could be wrong, but to me it looked like Paul was the one who initated everything. I like Paul (could do without the excessive flopping) but the guy has always been a sore loser dating all the way back to his days at Wake. With what we know about Pau and Paul, if I had to guess one way or the other, I'd lean towards Paul initating in that situation. I could be wrong, though, since it was kind of in the corner of the screen and I watched it on my laptop.

Back in the Jordan/Reggie days the Bulls and Pacers had a solid little rivalry going on (nothing huge of course, but the competitiveness of Reggie and Jordan make for some awesome games), but it kind of died out after that as Chicago faded away into obscurity after the MJ years. With last season's first round matchup between these two teams being so tight it seemed to put the spark back into these two teams. Then last night they faced off for the first time this season and the Pacers ended up handing the Bulls their first home loss of the season in a very close, hard fought game much like the playoff series last season. A couple of Bull players, mainly Derrick Rose and Ronnie Brewer, took exception to the way that the Pacers celebrated their win last night and Rose had this to say: http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/218584/Rose_Wont_Forget_Pacers_Post_Game_Celebration Ronnie Brewer was on ESPN Chicago radio and cleared some things up as well, saying that as they waled back to their dressing room they had to go past the vistors room and mentioned that the Pacers were celebrating like they just won the championship or something. Is anybody else excited about this new age Bulls/Pacers rivalry? I know the Bulls are clearly a better team, but with the addition of David West, the improved play of Roy Hibbert and the experience gained in last year's playoff defeat, the Pacers are more than capable of giving the Bulls a run for their money.

That was all Paul. He took a swipe at the ball after the whistle. Pau starts a little friendly trash talk (you can tell with how he was smirking and laughing) with him, Paul gets pissed off and starts getting pissed so Pau jokes around more by patting him on the head. Paul gets even more pissed and takes exception. I honestly see nothing wrong with what Pau did. Paul was just pissed about the score and his team losing and ended up taking exception to it. Just look at Kobe's reaction as well. Him and Billups were doing the same thing back and forth all game long.

Pretty awesome milestone. I only ever really became active after the hack so I don't have nearly as much of a history as many of the other posters do here, so it is probably a bigger deal to the guys who have been here since the beginning than me, but it is still cool regardless. There really aren't that many smaller forums like this one who end up lasting 3 years, let alone 5 and definitely not 7. Just within the last few years how many smaller forums like this have popped up and are either on life support or gone? I can think of around 6 or 7.

I was thinking about making this thread yesterday and then after seeing the discussion going on in the other thread, I figured I might as well throw this out there. It could've been posted in that other thread, but I figured it was broader than just that single discussion so I made an entirely new thread. The issue of the Sixers not having a legit number 1 option has been discussed throughout the season. The team is one of the deepest in the league, play superb defense, have a very balanced team, great in transition and are very well coached. However, they lack that go to scorer for when the game slows down and you need a bucket in the final minutes. Usually you see this in the playoffs but there are also plenty of examples that you can point to throughout a season where you think that having a bonafide number 1 option would've won them the game. So with that said, how much better would the Sixers be with a pre-achillies injury Elton Brand? I'm not even talking about the peak 25 ppg scorer Brand, but the 18-20 point scorer that he was before he blew out his achillies? Not just in terms of late game scoring, but in an entire game standpoint. He isn't the ideal late game scorer as you would normally want a wing player to be your go to guy down the stretch, but it would still be an improvement on what they have now in terms of late game, go to guys.

Seriously, is there a team that flops anywhere near as much as the Clippers do? It is ridiculous how much this team flails all over the place. Between Paul, Griffin, Williams and Evans I don't think I've ever seen a team this bad. http://cjzero.com/gifs/CP3Flop.gif http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/947266/GRIFFIN.gif http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyXeeHcaGR0&feature=player_embedded http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Jcv2FCDzVI I'm sure if you actually took the time to search for more, you could find many, many more examples but that would jsut be beating a dead horse. I understand that this is part of the game and other teams do it as well, but I've never seen a team take it to the extreme like the Clippers. Even Vlade Divac didn't flop this much.

Don't get me wrong, I agree with you despite my rant in the first post. As much as it sucks to say, this is probably for the best since he legitimately looked like he would carry this team to a near .500 record. They are 6-7 with him in the lineup and would've beaten the Kings had he not gotten injured in that game (were up when he got hurt and couldn't score worth a damn after he left and still almost won; he also got hurt earlier in the game and tried to play through it which hurt his performance). The Raptors have also had a fairly difficult schedule to start the season so when it eased up a bit, you got the sense that they could put a winning streak together. I was just dreading how I will be back to watching the Raptors struggle to score 85 points again. It was some ugly, ugly basketball when Bargs was out. I'm not saying pull him out of the game when it is close. You just have to do a better job of monitoring his minutes earlier in the game. The whole play him for 10 minutes, rest him for 1 minute, play him for 10 minutes, rest him for a minute thing was stupid. Anybody could see that he was just asking to re-injure himself considering how calf injuries tend to linger if you don't get proper rest. Manage his minutes earlier in the game and it might have been different. It also isn't up to the player in this situation, a coach needs to do what is best for the team. No player is going to want to come out in a close game, especially one like Bargnani. There is no official update as of yet, but according to Chisholm (TSN), he thinks that Bargs is likely to miss all of Feburary and perhaps more. That sounds about right to me considering by all accounts this is worse than his previous injury which caused him to miss around 2 weeks. At the very least, he will be out for 2-3 weeks.

For those of you who were wondering what exactly his PPP is, since it isn't posted in the article, here it is, along with two other stats: .64 ppp against 33% fg against 31.1% scored against This wouldn't take last night's game against the Jazz into account, though.

I loved that coaching move from Pop to start the 2nd half. He wasn't happy with his team's effort level so after just 1 minute he called a timeout and sat down Parker, Jefferson and Blair. He brought in Joseph, Green and Bonner and it sparked a Spurs run, just like the bench did for them in the 2nd quarter. From that point on it was smooth sailing for the Spurs and they coasted to an easy 22 point win. Leonard did a nice job on Johnson tonight. He was pretty much a non-factor. Part of that was due to him looking disinterested, but a lot of it was due to great defense as well. Teauge had a very good game despite the loss. Was scoring efficiently on offense (20 points on 9/13 shooting) and he picked the pocket of the Spurs guards at least 3 times. His game management wasn't the greatest as he didn't have a single assist on the night, but part of that was due to the team, outside of him, struggling to hit shots. Lastly, nice to see Hinrich make his season debut. He has always been one of my favourite point guards in the league so it is good to see him back on the court after having offseason shoulder surgery. Managed to net 7 points on 3-4 shooting in some limited action to get his legs under him.

Way to go, coach. Was winning two games really worth losing Bargnani for an extended period of time? Anybody could see that playing a guy 80 minutes fresh off of a calf injury was a terrible idea.

By far the best Raptor game of the season so far. I am pro-tank but even I have to admit that after the game went into overtime part of me wanted to win that game. Then when Millsap drained that 3 with 3 seconds left to tie it and send it to the 2nd overtime, I was in full blown Raptor cheerleader mode so it is great to see them come away, especially after seeing how devestated Bargnani looked on the bench when he had to come out due to injury. He looked absolutely destroyed and heartbroken. He had his head down, ripping at his hair and looked like he was about to cry/kill someone. It was kind of scary as I have never seen Bargnani like that, not even when playing for Italy where he has always shown more emotion than when playing for Toronto. It just goes to show how bad he wanted to win this game (he was talking about how the Raptors haven't win in Utah since 2004 before the game and how he planned on changint that tonight). Just look at his face when he had to come out of the game and sit on the bench. http://i.imgur.com/90pBJ.png Now, enough with the sob story and on to my thoughts about the game. Kleiza was brilliant. Played his best game as a Raptor by far. When Bargnani left he put the team on his back and carried them to victory by scoring 10 of their first 12 points in OT including a stretch of 7 straight. He was knocking down dagger 3's, hit 4 clutch free throws, was posting up effectively, taking one/two dribble pull ups and was getting after it on defense battling with Millsap and Favors down low. He came up with two really huge rebounds. This is the kind of play that I envisioned from him when I constantly defended the signing of him last summer. Hopefully it is a sign of things to come now that he looks to have gotten his legs under him after having microfracture surgery last year. (Finished with 25 points on 8/16 shooting with 5 boards). Calderon hit two huge 3's. One to tie it and send it to OT and another desperation, beat the shot clock 32 footer. His defense on Harris was attrocious and, had Harris not choked at the line by going 1-4 in the final minutes of the 2nd OT, almost lost the Raptors the game but even I, as much of a Calderon hater as I am, can't deny how big those two shots were. I still absolutely loathe how much he pounds the ball and looks off wide open players because there is a slight chance he might turn the ball over on the pass. DeRozan had a solid game. He was a ghost on offense in overtime but did hit some huge free throws and had an excellent drive late in the 4th. Nice to see him not settle for jumpers and look to attack the rim down the stretch. He had his most efficient game in forever so hopefully this can get him going. It will be needed now that Bargs looks like he will be out of the lineup for a while. Also nice to see him grab 8 boards which I believe is a new career high for him. James Johnson didn't do much offensively, but he was an absolute force on defense. He completely shut down Hayward as he held him to 1/9 shooting and just 2 points. He blocked a career high 6 shots, altered at least 2 more, had a couple of steals and grabbed 5 rebounds to top it all off. The one block he had on Favors where he helped over on the wing player and then rotated down to the baseline to block the jumper was filthy. He also had a huge rejection on a Hayward drive late in the 2nd quarter (or 3rd? Not sure exactly as the game is one big blur to me). He is playing some awesome defense for this team. Bayless did a nice job of running the 2nd unit with 7 assists. Had some nice drive and kicks, showed some solid PnR work and did a good job pushing the ball. His jumper is still completely off and he takes some terrible shots, though. For the Jazz: Millsap was a beast. 31 points and 11 boards and he did a solid job guarding Bargnani as well, although Bargs was clearly gassed. He came up with some big baskets when his team needed them, like that game tying three. He was physical down low and did a nice job battling for loose balls. Favors did an excellent job filling in for Jefferson. The Raptors had a hell of a time keeping him off the glass and he chipped in 16 points to go along with his 12 rebounds. When he fills out and develops his skills, he is going to be a very good player because he has all the physical tools you would want in a big man. Harris was blowing by Calderon at will tonight. Too bad he choked at the line because prior to that he was having a very good game, probably his best of the season. He finished with 24/6/3 and was the catalyst to the Jazz getting that early 18 point lead.

In tonight's game against the Utah Jazz, Andrea Bargnani ended up leaving the game with about 20 seconds left in regulation. He obviously re-injured his calf that had made him miss the 6 games prior to the Suns game. He limped over to the bench, was in obvious pain and sat out the rest of regulation and both overtime periods. He had his calf all wrapped up and did not move from his seat on the bench for a good 25-30 minutes that it took to play the two overtime periods. And to be perfectly honest, I am not surprised at all. He played around 42 minutes last night in Phoenix and then they rode him for another 35 or so tonight in Utah. I understand that both games were close and the Raptors needed him on the court, but what exactly is Casey thinking playing a guy coming off of missing the past 6 games near 80 minutes in less than a 24 hour span? Just horrible management from a coach, one that, at least in my opinion, directly led to an injury and what could possibly keep him out of the lineup for another 2 weeks. I may be wrong and it was nothing, just him cramping up, but I highly doubt it given he was just coming back from an injury, the way his leg was wrapped up and the look on his face. I'm guessing he is going to be out for a while given his reaction. Dude looked absolutely crushed as well. http://i.imgur.com/90pBJ.png I guess the silver lining is that the Raptors are going to lose a lot of games in his absence which should help in the long run with their draft pick. With him in the lineup it looked very likely that the Raptors may hover around .500 but without him they weren't even close to winning games. It still sucks to see him go down with what looks to be a fairly significant injury when he was playing so well this year. EDIT: Here are some updates that I posted below. Figured I'd have them in the first post.

It wasn't even just Hawes, but Vucevic as well. The Sixers have nice depth, but I don't know many teams that are able to withstand losing both of their rotation centers and having your only other legit big in foul trouble. Nice win for the Nets, though. Regardless of the injury problems the Sixers have, they did still beat the Wizards by 20 the previous night so its not like they haven't proven to be able to compete despite their hurting rosters. These are the kinds of games that the Nets need to take advantage.