You know, it’s nice to have a team to support, to cheer them on, to believe in them. But sometimes - all too often in these parts - it’s incredibly difficult.

Last night’s game, unseen by the masses of course (hence this less-than-detailed analysis, which really, is more of rant…), was just the latest in a series of bitter disappointments.

Toronto Raptors basketball… where no double digit lead is safe happens.

Of course, it’s the Goddamn Nets again, so it’s even worse. But how in the world does a professional basketball team - any team, I don’t care if you’re the Celtics or the Grizzlies - give up a 23-4 run to start the fourth quarter? At home!? That’s almost inconceivable. How is it even possible to go for more than nine minutes of the fourth quarter without scoring a field goal? What the hell were they doing out there?

I really believed the improved play we’d seen over the past three games was indicative of overall improvements. I had faith that they were finally on the right track. But they betrayed me by choking down the stretch of last night’s game.

It doesn’t help that we have a team of cowards afraid to take shots and make plays in the fourth quarter. And when your knees are wobbling, it’s that much harder to play defense.

Playing not to lose is no way to win, that’s for sure.

Sigh. They did so many things right in that three-game stretch - even in the Hornets game - that I’d really believed they were at a turning point. I thought that confidence would transfer over to exactly the kinds of situations you had last night - a fourth quarter lead with the opposing team making a run - and that confidence would enable them to keep their cool, to execute, to raise their play.

I was wrong. The played exactly like they played through the first 20 games. Scared. Playing not to lose is no way to win, that’s for sure.

Of course, it’s not all their fault. It’s pretty clear now that Colangelo’s failure to get a decent wing player, who can score when needed and can defend his own position, is going to be the death mark stamped on this season’s back.

If we had one guy who could stop some dribble penetration, and not leave our bigs on an island, they might be able to stay home and rebound. And if we had a guy who could create his own shot, when the team struggles on offense, we might have someone to kick-start everyone else by creating something from nothing and getting to the line.

Is Corey Maggette really the answer? Of course not. He’s not much of a defender and he’s not known for swinging the ball or kicking out on drives. And he’s got a bad attitude to boot. But… isn’t he better than what we’ve got? Don’t you think Jermaine and Bosh can keep him in line? Don’t you think it’s possible that, playing in Golden State without a PG, is killing his game? And don’t you think getting ANYTHING for Bargnani would be a bonus?

Sigh. I’m sure BC’s going to make a deal in the near future, but I don’t think it’s going to be for anyone of substance. No one’s giving us something for nothing - and nothing is all we have to offer. So, let’s enjoy the rest of this mediocre season with our mediocre team. Because remember, we’re all fans in the end - and we support our team through thick and thin.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 16th, 2008 at 9:37 am and is filed under Game Wrap-ups, Toronto Raptors.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.