That’s a Wrap!

Posted on April 27, 2012 | 7 Comments

After the game started out 17-2 for the Raptors, and the Nets couldn’t even get a shot up in the first two minutes, the writing was on the wall. The Raptors tried to tank, holding both DeMar DeRozan and Aaron Gray out of the game. Both teams started 2 former D-Leaguers, and you could seriously see most of these guys in the summer league, but the Nets upped the ante by starting a late first round pick and a second round pick. The Raptors looked like the Thunder in comparison, for most of the game. D-Leager, Ben Uzoh, even racked up a triple double, the first for the Raptors since Alvin Williams in 2001. The last time a Raptor got a triple double, Vince Carter was putting the Raptors on the NBA map by doing his best Michael Jordan impersonation, John Stockton and Karl Malone were still playing in Utah, and most of the world had never heard of Osama Bin Laden.

In all honesty, this was the first game all year I didn’t watch in it’s entirety (on purpose). After the start of the 3rd quarter, it was pretty apparent the Nets had even less talent on the floor than the Raptors and were not going to try and make a game of it. No, it really wasn’t even a game, so I decided to turn it off and join the living.

In the first half, though, I saw a Nets team that had more turnovers than made field goals in the first half. James Johnson and Ed Davis, on the other hand, looked like real NBA players. Davis finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds, which is about what he would average if he played in the D-League, so it’s kind of fitting.

Unfortunately, the win mean the Raptors drop to 3.5% chance of winning the lottery rather than the 7.5% chance they would have if they lost. For those keeping track, a loss would have DOUBLED their chances of hitting the jackpot. There was a ridiculous article on RaptorsHQ.com that argued a win would have gone a long way to changing the culture of the franchise. Really? More than drafting a guy like Anthony Davis? In reality, the only person who will remember this win a month from now is Uzoh.

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Speaking of RaptorsHQ, I want to thank Adam Francis, co-creator of RaptorsHQ. for dedicating a whole article to my idea about starting a fan for the game against the Nets. Maybe if they had then they would have lost.

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Check back Saturday when I’ll post my Raptors Final Report card.

Join the discussion: 7 Comments

Category: NBA, Nets, Raptors

Comments

theswirsky

“to my idea about starting a fan for the game against the Nets. Maybe if they had then they would have lost.”

after watching that game…..I doubt it.
DevilRStar

See you draft day!
Tinman

Que sera sera …………… and actually Tim the idea of starting a fan goes back years.
pran

wow what a dissapointing way to end the season, can’t say I blame anyone, it is the job of the coach and players to go out their and compete, and it really isn’t their problem what lottery balls would help the team.

Anyways, if the pick ends up being lower than 3rd, I say we completely gut this team, including the draft pick.

The only players I would keep are jose calderon and Ed Davis, and maybe JV, but if the right offer comes along trade him too.

what do you think would be the best course of action for this team at this point?
http://www.wearingfilm.com/picketfence/ Tim W.

@theswirsky

Ya, you’re probably right. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Net players were paid extra to lose after that debacle.

@DevilRStar

I just hope the basketball gods will pay the Raptors back at the lottery.

@Tinman

One fan, ya. But a whole team?

@pran

I’d put Valanciunas as the only untouchable, but I have to say I’d agree with you. After suffering through this season, I’d really hoped there would be a better shot at the top pick, by the end. The first pick in the draft is probably not up for grabs, but I hope, if the Raptors don’t move up, that Colangelo has the foresight to offer up any player on the current roster to try and grab Kidd-Gilchrist. Otherwise it’s going to be a long decade for the Raptors.
Stephen Waugh

It’s really hard even for teams like the Raptors to lose to teams that put out NO EFFORT like we saw in the Nets in the last game of the year, like the Celtics in recent matches and the Hawks in Atlanta, shame on them.

The only reason I don’t have both the Celtics and Hawks losing in the first round is because they face each other, and while much of the future of the Raptors hinges on what happens this summer, New Jersey (oops, sorry, I mean Brooklyn) has plenty more to worry about.

(From http://blogs.thescore.com/raptorblog/2012/04/26/fouling-out-six-personal-thoughts-on-the-game-raptors-98-nets-67/)

“5- A quick word on the Nets. I know it’s been said before, but if this team doesn’t land a top-three pick, the franchise will be in a world of hurt for the forseeable future. They were bad enough as is. Take away Deron Williams, take away the possibility of acquiring Dwight Howard, and keep them without a lottery pick this summer, and Brooklyn might be getting the worst team in the NBA next season. If there really is an NBA conspiracy to “fix” the lottery, then my money would be on the Nets, for the simple premise that anything outside of the top-three (and therefore a pick that would move to Portland) could be a death blow for the franchise before they even pack up and move. Us Raptors fans think we have a lot riding on this year’s lottery and draft, but no team has as much at stake on lottery night as the Nets.”
theswirsky

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the Net players were paid extra to lose after that debacle.”

lol I was actually wondering that as the game was happening. “Did Prokhorov dish out a few extra $ to make sure they lost? These guys aren’t even pretending to try”