Sunday November 30 2008 – 12:25 Pacific Time

I’m bitter right now.

The Bills are losing.  I just lost my fantasy QB too (Trent Edwards (while my other guy, Joe Flacco, is on my bench and lighting it up)).  And I hear it’s snowing pretty hard back in T.O.

But I’ll get over my bitterness quickly – seeing as I’m about to go chill out poolside, and enjoy the 25-degree weather in LA.  I’ll get in a little R&R before the Raps and Lakers tip it off in about 6 hours.

Enjoy the vlog folks.  Jonesy and I will check in with another one tomorrow, and I’ll have a post-game blog/recap after the ball game tonight.

E. Smith

* And if you’d like to see some of the photos from last night (the USC-Notre Dame game, etc. that we reference in the VLOG) check out my Raptors.com blog as well:  http://www.nba.com/raptors/news/eric_smith_blog.html

Friday November 28 2008 – 10:20pm Eastern 

Hawks @ Raptors 

Final Score: 
93-88, Raptors 

“Alice Fazoolis” Player of the Game:
- JASON KAPONO
16 points
2 rebounds
2 assists
6/10 FG 

“Smith and Jones” Player of the Game:
- CHRIS BOSH
30 points
10 rebounds
7 assists
3 blocks
13/26 FG
4/5 FT  

Shout-out to the Hawks:
- MIKE BIBBY
24 points
3 assists
2 rebounds
9/14 FG (including 4/7 3PT)

Stats that stood out:
- Jose Calderon:  11 points and 1 turnover
- Raptors out-rebound the Hawks in the 4TH quarter 15-7
- Points in the paint:  Toronto 34, Atlanta 24
- Hawks held to 42% FG (note:  all 8 of Toronto’s wins have come when they’ve held their opponent under 45% FG)

Thumbs Up:
- The wings.  The 2-3 has been an issue all season.  But Joey Graham (11), Jamario Moon (10), and Jason Kapono (16) combined for 37 of the Raptors 93 points. 

Thumbs Down:
- Another big lead blown.  Though they came back to win (and kudos for that), Toronto was up 12 in the first half but they allowed a huge 16-point turn around in the final 7:00 minutes of the 2ND quarter to see the Hawks go into the break witha  4-point lead.

Smith says:
- “It should have been a 3-1 home stand – as the Raps gave away that game against the Nets last Friday.  But Toronto did a nice job of bouncing back after losses to New Jersey and Boston to get the next two games, improve to .500 at home, and hit the road above .500 at 8-7.”

Jones Says:
- “The game turned late in the third quarter.  If Joey Graham continues to play the way he has in the last two games, he may see more minutes at important times.” 

“V-Tech” 3-In-To-Win Give-Away:
The Raptors were 4 of 15 from 3PT range 

Next game:
- Raptors @ Lakers
– Sunday November 30 – Tune in at 9:05pm Eastern for the pre-game show and just after 9:30pm Eastern for the “Pizza Pizza” starting line ups

E. Smith

Listen to the post game here:

[audio:http://qml.quiettouch.com/files/radio/fan590/hotaudio/rapspostgame-fan-20081128.mp3]

Friday November 28 2008 – 6:40pm Eastern

Sorry for the bad rip-off of the Aerosmith tune … but … check this out …

Chris Bosh just got to the arena at about 6:10pm – less than an hour before the tip-off against the Hawks.

Why?

He was stuck in the elevator at his condo building for nearly *50* minutes!

He wasn’t able to go through his usual pre-game routine, but I’m sure the big man will be just fine. 

Funny (frustrating for Bosh though I’m sure) story nonetheless.

FYI – Josh Smith will NOT play tonight for the Hawks.  He’ll still be sidelined with that sprained left ankle.

As I told you earlier today, Jamario Moon will start alongside Bosh, Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderon, and Anthony Parker.

E. Smith

Friday November 28 2008 – 6:15pm Eastern

It’s official … Jermaine O’Neal will sit out tonight’s game against the Atlanta Hawks.

Jamario Moon will start.

E. Smith

Friday November 28 2008 – 11:13am Eastern

I’ll probably have a little bit more later on, but for now, I figured I’d pass this along: 

Jermaine O’Neal will likely miss tonight’s game against the Atlanta Hawks.

The question was just posed to Sam Mitchell at the ACC:  Will O’Neal play tonight?  And Sam’s response …..

“He’s moving around a little bit better, but, probably not.”

Mitchell would not speculate if J.O. would be good to go (or not) by Sunday when the Raptors face the Lakers.

“There’s no point in us talking about that,” he said.  “We’ve gotta focus on the Atlanta Hawks.  The rest of that stuff will take care of itself.”

Mitchell said Jamario Moon will start again … alongside Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderon, and Anthony Parker.

E. Smith

By: David Alter

The absence of Jermaine O’Neal due to a sore knee/ankle means others have to fill the void, so look no further than Chris Bosh, who’s 39 points last night against Charlotte vaulted him to second in the NBA in average points a game with 27.6, just 0.3 behind leader LeBron James.  Now the start forward is thinking M.V.P. “I want to get it…Plain and Simple” says Bosh when asked about his aspirations for M.V.P.  “That’s where I’m at right now, every game, I’m trying to be a like an M.V.P. calibre player.  I’ve been sharing that with my family, but I haven’t shared that with you guys (the media) but now you know.”  J.O.’s status has not changed, he remains day-to-day ahead of tomorrow night’s game against the Hawks.

It been anything but a cakewalk for Joey Graham as he has struggled with consistency over the past few seasons.  But a shorter raptor bench combined with injuries have seen an increased role with the Raps, and entering the final year of his contract, Graham knows he still has a lot to prove.”This is my contract year, I’m going out there with a chip on my shoulder just trying to play hard, show my worth and just take care of business” says Graham.  “This is do or die time for me.”  Graham is coming off one of his biggest games in which he scored 17 points off the bench in a Raptors win over Charlotte, his highest point total since April of 2007.

Wednesday November 26 2008 – 10:45pm Eastern 

Bobcats @ Raptors 

Final Score: 
93-86, Raptors 

“Smith and Jones” Player of the Game:
- CHRIS BOSH
39 points
11 rebounds
15/20 FG
9/10 FT 

“Alice Fazoolis” Player of the Game:
- JOEY GRAHAM
17 points
6 rebounds
6/8 FG  

Shout-out to the Bobcats:
- GERALD WALLACE
23 points
8 rebounds
8/20 FG
7/11 FT
2 assists 

Stats that stood out:
- Andrea Bargnani:  11 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 assists
- 15 offensive rebounds for Charlotte (Bobcats out-rebound the Raptors 39-37)
- Raptors shoot 50% from the field (36/72)
- Bobcats held to 43% FG (note:  all 7 of Toronto’s wins have come when they’ve held their opponent under 45% FG)
- Fast break points:  18-3, Miami 

Thumbs Up:
- Bosh.  That’s it.  He carried the Raptors to this victory. 

Thumbs Down:
- Points in the paint:  42-22 Bobcats.  They came into this game 27th in the league in that category.

Smith says:
- “I don’t know if I would’ve called this game a ‘must win’ … but it was sure close to that.  Toronto had to get this one – and they need the one on Friday as well.  They’ve gotta get some momentum going again before hitting the road this weekend.”

Jones Says:
- “This was an unspectacular, but a very necessary win.  Maybe this calms the waters enough for the Raptors to re-focus and get another win Friday before going out West.” 

“V-Tech” 3-In-To-Win Give-Away:
The Raptors were 6 of 16 from 3PT range 

Next game:
- Hawks @ Raptors
– Friday November 28- Tune in at 7:00pm for the “Pizza Pizza” starting line ups

E. Smith

Listen to the post game here:

[audio:http://qml.quiettouch.com/files/radio/fan590/hotaudio/rapspostgame-fan-20081127.mp3]

Wednesday November 26 2008 – 1:30pm Eastern

I wasn’t at shoot-around this morning – had some personal stuff to take care of – but the FAN’s David Alter was there and he told me the word on Jermaine O’Neal is that the big man will likely sit out tonight’s contest against the Charlotte Bobcats.

O’Neal said yesterday his knee is actually feeling alright … it’s his ankle that his hurting more than anything else.

Sam Mitchell said “I’m not 100 per cent sure he’s not going to play but it’s just a feeling.”

O’Neal tried to give it a go against the Celtics on Sunday but left the game in the 2nd quarter and did not return in the 2nd half.

If he does end up missing tonight’s game, Jamario Moon will likely get the start alongside Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani, Anthony Parker, and Jose Calderon.  Kris Humphries would be the first (and only) big off the bench and may fill that role of the 3rd “big” in Mitchell decides to throw him out there with Bosh and Bargs.

Unfortunately, while it sounds like the Raps are losing one key guy, it sounds like the Bobcats are getting back a key cog.  Jason Richardson will likely play tonight for Charlotte.  He has missed the last 6 games after having minor arhtroscopic surgery on his right knee a couple of weeks ago.

The Raptors beat the Bobcats earliest this month – in Charlotte – 89-79.  Bosh had 30 points and 15 rebounds in that game, and for what it’s worth, O’Neal played a season-low 19:36 minutes in that game (not counting Sunday’s early exit against Boston).  Based on that, the Raps should be okay without J.O. tonight, but there’s no denying … they need the big man back as soon as possible – especially with that daunting December schedule staring them down!

E. Smith

Tuesday November 25 2008 - 4:30pm Eastern 

Jermaine O’Neal admitted on Tuesday afternoon that his knee brace likely saved his season.

“The good thing about this brace is that I felt the part that keeps the knee stable on the sides - the two cushion parts – I felt it grinding into my knee as I was going down,” said O’Neal.  “If that part isn’t there, then I probably tear every ligament in my knee.”

“We talked about it – the training staff and the doctors – and I probably would have been done for the year if I didn’t have the brace on.”

And the fact that O’Neal was even wearing the brace at that point may be a minor miracle in itself.  Through the opening 12 games of the season – before he was hurt on Friday night – O’Neal has ripped off the knee brace a number of times and thrown it to the sidelines.  Not only have the straps been coming loose too often (he’s constantly re-adjusting them), but it seems like the big man may not be comfortable with the apparatus.  In fact, on Friday night against New Jersey, he played most of the 3RD quarter without the brace before putting it back on before the 4TH quarter began.

“God is good because I took the brace off – the strap kept coming off – so I switched braces,” said O’Neal.  “They brought (the new one) out to me and I looked at the brace for at least 50 straight seconds; just looked at it.  I wasn’t going to put it on.  And I said ‘Ya know what, I’m gonna put it on’.”

“As soon as I got back into the game, I hurt my knee.”

O’Neal said the knee is doing fine right now.  He even pulled the cuff of his pants up to show the knee off to the TV cameras; to show that there was no real swelling present.  And there wasn’t.  But the 6-time All Star did admit that his ankle hurts more than anything else.  J.O. figures he tweaked the ankle on Sunday – against Boston – when he landed awkwardly on the foot of either Kendrick Perkins or Glen Davis.  The twisting of the ankle and the nasty fall to the floor re-aggravated the knee.

At this point, O’Neal thinks the ankle is causing him more problems than the knee.  He said he would have practised on Tuesday had it not been for the sore ankle.  He said he could have practised on the knee.  But he wasn’t prepared to say – yet – whether he’ll be able to suit up against the Charlotte Bobcats or not.

To hear more on O’Neal and how he got hurt, how he’s feeling now, etc. have a listen to the audio file below and hear from the man himself!

 [audio:http://qml.quiettouch.com/files/radio/fan590/hotaudio/jermaineoneal-es-20081125.mp3]

E. Smith

By: David Alter

Jermaine O’Neal did not practice with the Raptors following their latest loss at home to the Boston Celtics.  Having only played 14 minutes getting 6 points with just 2 boards, head Coach Sam Mitchell says O’Neal remains day-to-day and if O’Neal feels he can play at a high level, who is he to say that J.O. shouldn’t play.  “Jermaine has been in the league 12 or 13 years so he understands and knows how to play” says Mitchell after practiced wrapped up.  “So if he can go, he’ll let me know and he’ll play.” O’Neal has had a history of knee problems which has plagued his career.

With the Raptors under .500 for the first time this season at 6-7 and the injuries taking their toll, it’s not unnatural for the Raptors to be feeling a little bit of pressure to snap out of their current mini-funk.  Chris Bosh talked about the problems with the team and says nobody is panicking on the team, at least right now.  “Shoot, just not being where we are supposed and not helping each other” said a frustrated Bosh.  “We just have to bring a certain energy.  We  fell off a couple of games, it’s going to happen, it’s a long season. We just have to get back to it and hopefully we will stay consistent from here on out.”

Perhaps Roko Ukic is the answer.  While waiting for Mitchell to talk to us, we watched Mitchell give Ukic a little shooting tutorial.  Enjoy.