Well then. Now that the most hated ex-Raptor is in Orlando and (arguably) Orlando’s MVP of the past two seasons is in Toronto, is it possible Orlando will replace New Jersey is our arch-rival du jour??

We can hope. Though I somehow doubt the Magic fans will have the same disdain for Hedo Turkoglu that Raptors fans have for Vince Carter, since even the most casual of fan can see losing Hedo is strictly a financial decision…

On the other hand, it looks like Hedo and the Raps haven’t made any new fans in Portland…!

But seriously, this is a pretty big coup for the Raptors. Hedo was arguably the biggest unrestricted free agent available this year; he might just be the biggest free agent signing the Raptors have ever made. And, although he isn’t the super-athletic wing we need, he can score from anywhere, he’s not afraid to drive (his 389 attempts last year would put him second on the team, behind Bosh), he can initiate the offense, and most of all, he seems to thrive with the ball in his hands in the clutch, a trait no other Raptor has.

And, you know, he’s got big game experience. Think about it. He was a bit player on those great Sacramento teams. He spent a year in San Antonio. And he made it to playoffs four out of five years in Orlando, including the finals this past season. The Raptors have been desperate for a guy who can take and make big shots for years. There’s no doubt in my mind that Turkoglu can be that guy.

Of course, signing him means we can’t sign anyone else to fill out the bench - not even Parker and Delfino - so we’ll likely be saddled with 2009 versions of Will Solomon and Hassan Adams. So there’s that to look forward to.

Also, he’s 30 years old, and played in 193 games the past two seasons. Last year he also shot below his career averages from the field and from 3pt range. Will he hold up for the length of the contract? And, he’s not a great defender (nowhere near Marion’s level).

Still, as a fan, I appreciate that the Raptors are making a splash and going for it. Even thinking longer-term, I guess the idea is, if Bosh leaves a year from now, they will (should) still have a decent core in Turk, Bargnani, and Calderon (and hopefully DeRozan), and cap space from Bosh’s salary to sign multiple guys.

Well. I do hope Colangelo is not done wheeling and dealing, but I am glad to see he’s not just sitting by while everyone else gets better.

I didn’t think that was true, since I’d seen every game the guy had played against the Raps and almost every game he played with the Raps, and noticed no difference whatsoever. But I decided to check the stats, and thankfully, the stats backed me up. Check it:

So you see, the stats are virtually identical. His numbers were incredibly similar overall, vs. Toronto, and at home and away. In Toronto, where he hears the boos, his shooting percentages are down slightly, but his scoring and rebounding are up slightly, so it’s a wash. His free throw shooting is down across the board which is odd, considering he’s normally a great free throw shooter, but it’s likely just an aberration.

The only thing I really notice is the free throw attempts vs. field goal attempts in Toronto and Jersey. He seemed to take some more contact in Jersey, with 23 more FTs attempted in the same amount of games – and settled for more jump shots in Toronto, with 38 more FGs attempted.

Relevant? Probably not. The Nets won 13 of the 24 games during Carter’s time there, which is the most important thing, including 4 of the six playoff games of course, and that’s not a surprising thing considering they had the better team and coach most years.

In Orlando, I expect Vince’s stats to be down across the board as that team is pretty stacked and doesn’t need him to be the focal point of the offense; plus he’s not as young as he used to be. In the flip side, because they are a good team, he should probably experience his greatest team success there. I look at that roster and, assuming they fill out the bench with a couple decent guys, I have to believe they’re the Eastern Conference favourites – at least as long as Cleveland plans to head into 2009-2010 with the same undersized backcourt and under-athletic frontcourt (I fail to see how adding Shaq addresses the flaws exposed in the Orlando series).

So the question remains – will Vince be booed here in Toronto? Yeah… probably. Maybe not quite as much – New Jersey was a fun team to hate. But I’m sure they’ll still be plenty audible. And I’m OK with that. Most people seem to think it needs to stop… but really, who cares? Everyone loves a villain, and Vince brought it all on himself by quitting on the Raptors five years ago. As you can see above, it has zero impact on his play, so if people enjoy booing… I think they should go ahead and do so.

Quick Free Agency Update: Looks like Ariza’s going to Houston. That means, as far as I can tell, it’s all but a lock Shawn Marion will be back next year, and the Raptors will go into the 09-10 season with at least four of the five starters the same. Hardly a great recipe for improving on a 33-win team…

What can you say about two teams that have played each other three times already? Especially when each team has one easy victory and the other time, it was one of the most thrilling basketball games of the year?

As I’ve discussed before, the Raptors and Nets really had a chance to be a great rivalry, what with the trading of Vince Carter to New Jersey in 2004. Unfortunately the Raptors sucked the next two years; hard to have a rivalry when one side can barely win 30 games. Then in 2006-2007, both teams were pretty good, and they met in a classic playoff series.

But then the Nets sucked last year, and now, they both kinda suck. Fighting over the final playoff spot isn’t quite the same as fighting over a division title. Is a one playoff series a rivalry?

So, now you’ve got two mediocre teams going head to head, and when you look at what we’ve already seen- one classic game, two crappy games - you can expect tonight will likely be more of the latter. I mean, let’s face it, neither one of these teams is setting the world on fire. The Raps are 8-15 since their last meeting; the Nets are 8-14, and both teams have lost seven of their past 10. Not exactly seizing the moment, are they? (Each team also holds the “distinction” of having lost to the “Thunder”… ugh.)

Still, I guess this game does have meaning. The Raps are clawing for that playoff spot and they need to beat the teams in front of them; New Jersey is one of them. They also need all the wins they can get before they play the murderer’s row of Orlando, Cleveland, LA and New Orleans. For the Nets, well, same deal - they gotta keep beating the bad teams to hold their ground.

This is the Nets first home game back after a four game Midwestern trip. Generally, teams are either so happy to be home they blow the opponent away, or else they’re so tired they come out flat and get killed. I have to say, as much as I’m down on the Raps this year, I like them in this game, and the latter point is a big reason. The Nets already appeared tired in their Monday loss to the Thunder (Harris and Carter, combined 6-29), probably went out last night to celebrate VC’s birthday (I somehow doubt they went out and celebrated in Oklahoma City on Monday, his actual birthday), and now have to play a game against a well-rested Toronto team.

Meanwhile the Raps’ve had big leads on the Nets all three times they’ve played; yes, they blew them twice but I would really like to believe they’ve learned from their mistakes, and if they get up on the Nets this time, I believe fatigue will hold the Nets off from making a comeback.

Not only that, but I believe Andrea Bargnani will be a huge factor in this game. He was pretty invisible (coming off the bench) in the two meetings, but now that he’s starting, and his confidence appears to be at an all-time high, I think he’ll have more of an impact. Who on the Nets can guard his inside-outside attack? Brook Lopez? Ryan Anderson? Look, both those guys are having solid rookie years but can they hang with Bargnani on the perimeter? No way. Unless he makes it easy on them by bricklaying, he’s got a major advantage.

I suspect Anderson will start out on Bargnani and Lopez on Bosh; Lopez can be physical and bang on Bosh, and since Lawrence Frank wrote the book on defending Bosh (remember when Jason Collins and Mikki Moore completely took Bosh out of the playoffs two years ago?) I expect he’s passed the lessons onto young Brook - get up on him, hit him hard, force him to drive. Bosh HAS to realize he’s got the quickness advantage on Lopez (or anyone else on the Nets) and take advantage. Much like Bargnani, this one’s all on Bosh - if he does what he’s supposed to do, the Nets can’t stop him.

I guess the real question is whether the Raptors can stop Carter and Harris. Harris has abused Calderon in the Nets’ two victories and Carter, as we have come to expect, has had one good game, one great game, and one crappy game (and please don’t make me go into the Vince Carter Stats AGAIN). I suspect he’s due for another “good” game, probably about 26 points, 7 boards and 5 assists on 10-18 shooting. Parker’s gonna have a long night, because I bet he’ll see time guarding both Harris and Carter… poor bastard.

If I’m the Raps I simply lay off Harris and make him beat you from the outside. He’s a decent shooter but I’d much rather have him taking jumpers than getting into the lane for easy looks (and creating easy looks for teammates).

I think the Raps have got this one. It won’t be a blowout, but they’ll get the early lead and this time, hang on to it and pick up their third win in a row, this one by nine points.

Quick correction to my last post about Vince Carter. I somehow neglected to include Game 6 of the 2007 Playoffs, which was, until the November 21st game, the best game between these two teams since the trade. Perhaps the end was too painful and I blocked it out. Carter had another average game, 6-19 for 21 points in the Nets’ one-point win.

Anyway, I’ve updated my spreadsheet and here are Carter’s stats against Toronto, including Game 6 and this past weekend’s games:

44.6% FG, 36% 3FG, 68.5% FT, 6.5 R, 4.5 A, 23.7 PTS in 23 total games. New Jersey with a 13-10 record.

And his total stats as a Net, through Monday’s game:
45% FG, 36.9% 3FG, 80.4% FT, 5.9 R, 4.7 A, 24.2 PTS. 317 games played.

So, again, virtually identical. I think I’ve made my point here, though I’m sure I’ll be forced to bring it up again when the Nets come to town in January… but Carter’s no different against the Raps than he is against anyone else.

Of course, in the one stat that really matters, he’s got 3 more wins against the Raps than we have against him - and I hope that we can get one more this year.

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.

Well, the Raptors are inching back closer to respectability thanks to two straight wins. No, neither opponent was a world-beater, so it doesn’t make sense to get too excited, but the Nets are above us in the standings, and as I said the other day, wins are wins!

And, as we all know, there was a little extra motivation for last night’s game.

It sure seemed to pay off, as the Raps earned their first blowout win of the year - Chris Bosh and and Jose Calderon got the fourth quarter off! I didn’t see that coming.

As for Vince, you’ve all heard the story by now - 0-13, only 3 pts on 3-4 foul shooting. Hate to blow my own horn, but didn’t I just say he was due for a bad game? Now, maybe, can we stop the “he plays so great against the Raptors!” comments.

To be honest, I was more worried about Devin Harris going into the game than Vince. Harris has been playing so well, and our perimeter defense - especially that of Jose Calderon - had been so weak, I thought Harris would go off. But, credit Jay Triano for giving Harris a multitude of looks - Calderon, the strong Joey Graham and the long Jamario Moon - to keep Harris off-balance. He finished 4-10 for 14 points.

The first half sure was a sloppy affair, with only Bosh really finding a groove; both sides missed a ton of open looks and the combined 74 points at halftime wasn’t pretty.

But Jason Kapono found his groove in the third with three threes and the Raptors sealed the deal early.

For the second straight game the Raptors held an opponent under 35% shooting. Crappy opponents, or good defense? I’d like to think it was a combo of both. I mean, you look at the Pacers and Nets; both were averaging just over 100 points per game going into their contests with the Raps (on 45% shooting) and the Raps held them to 88 and 79 respectively, on 35% and 31% shooting, respectively. So you gotta give the defense some credit.

Credit the Raptors bench, too, for playing well, and not just holding the lead but building it. Raps won every quarter except the ugly third, where each team scored 16. Ukic, Graham and Bargnani all scored in double figures off the pine.

Unfortunately, Bargnani’s 11 came on 10 shots and he only hit two of them (got the rest of his points at the line). He was fine defensively - 11 boards and 4 blocks - but man, he has got to get that jump shot falling. Like last year, he’s rushing everything and nothing he shoots even looks like it has a chance to go in.

Jermaine O’Neal was also a non-factor; 2-9, 2 boards, 2 blocks. Bosh made up for the scoring, at least, going 6-8. But he only had 5 boards as the Raps were once again outrebounded 50-37.

Now, once again - as with the Indy game - the Nets’ low shooting percentage contributes to that number. You miss 57 shots, there’s a lot of offensive boards to be had - and the Nets got 20 offensive boards. At the end of the day, though, a 13-rebound differential is way too high, regardless of the shooting percentages.

So, once again, a quality win. Raps led most of the way, held every Nets run in check, and won going away. A much, much tougher test comes to town tomorrow with the Hornets, but at least these wins should give the Raps some confidence going into that one.

And yes… revenge is indeed, sweet. Thanks for another memorable one, Vince! See ya Monday!

Since it’s Raptors-Nets tonight, that’s prompted the usual “Vince really likes to kick Raptor ass!” statements around the Web. The one that’s got me riled up right now is on Yahoo Sports. It features such gems as:

“There are few players who treat the Raptors as poorly as the one who led them further than they’ve ever gone,” and “Carter has been a thorn in the side of the Raptors ever since he was traded away from Toronto in 2004.”

Just for kicks, since I looked at Vince’s numbers against the Raps in Toronto last month, decided to take a look at the Raptors-Nets box scores in Jersey over the past four seasons. Game results are at the end of the post, and here’s the tally.

Now, if you’ll recall his stats as Net:
45% FG, 37% 3PT, 81% from the line, 5.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 24.4 points per game.

And his stats in Toronto against the Raptors (11 games):
45% FG, 36% 3PT, 68% FT, 7.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 24.5 points per game - almost identical.

So, here’s his stats in New Jersey against the Raptors (9 games):
50% FG, 36% 3PT, 66.7% FT, 5.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 25.6 points per game.

In other words… WAIT FOR IT…. ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME.

Here’s the overall stats in 20 games against the Raps:

47.4% FG, 35.6% 3PT, 65.6% FT, 6.5R, 4.7A, 25 points.

So, field goal percentage up slightly, 3-point and free throw down slightly, rebounds and points up slightly, assists the same. Really, is a half-point more against us than against everyone else “sticking it” to us?

And really, it’s just downright lazy on your part. I did this research in about an hour this afternoon. It’s all out there on the Web, and if I can do it, so can you. Especially the reporters - you know who you are, the ones who look down on us mere bloggers. This is your job, for God’s sake, to get the facts right. So do the research.

Of course, now you don’t have to since I’ve done it for you! In return, I am asking, if not outright begging: people, please stop saying Vince Carter brings his A game against Toronto every time they play. The stats clearly indicate he brings the same game he brings against every other team - which, as you know, is inconsistent but pretty darn good overall - and there’s no evidence to suggest he goes out of his way to play better against us or stick it to us or whatever.

I mean, look at it this way. In 20 games, he’s averaging 25 points per. He’s had:

Six games within five points of the average (between 20-30 points).
Seven games of more than five above the average (31 or more).
Seven games of more than five below the average (19 or less).

In other words, a little up and down, but, well, that’s Vince’s entire career, right?

Yes, he’s had some great performances against us, and of course, those are memorable. The talking heads remember them because they make the highlight reels, of course, as fans, those are incredibly painful losses. But you can’t forget that he’s had great performances against a lot of teams; sure, it doesn’t break their hearts the same way it does ours, but they’re no less impressive.

Not only that, but he’s had some outright bad performances against us! If you’re going to recall the great ones (the 42 point game, the 37-point game and the two 39-point games, all victories), please, don’t forget about the bad ones (the two 15-point games, the 12 point game, and the 7-point game, all losses).

So, newsmen, talking heads and bloggers, stop sayingthat Vince is gonna stick it to us “again.” Write that Vince is going to be Vince - maybe good, maybe great, maybe average - just like every other damn time he’s played us.

(And hey - doesn’t it look like he’s about due to drop an egg against us? Say maybe a 6-17, 16 point, 3 free throw night? I think it’s time.)

As for those game-by-game results:

February 22, 2005: Toronto 100, NJ 82
Carter: 8-25 FG, 0-3 3PT, 6-10 FT, 7R, 4A, 22PTS

December 3, 2005: Toronto 95, NJ 82
Carter: 4-11 FG, 2-6 3PT, 5-7 FT, 1R, 3A, 15PTS

March 4, 2006: NJ 105, Toronto 100 (OT)
Carter: 12-26 FG, 0-3 3PT, 7-13 FT, 7R, 4A, 31PTS

November 1, 2006: NJ 102, Toronto 92
Carter: 10-16 FG, 1-4 3PT, 4-4 FT, 11R, 6A, 25PTS

January 9, 2007: NJ 101, Toronto 86
Carter: 12-23 FG, 2-4 3PT, 6-8 FT, 5R, 7A, 32PTS

April 27, 2007: NJ 102, Toronto 89 (Playoffs Game 3)
Carter: 15-23 FG, 2-4 3PT, 5-6 FT, 2R, 5A, 37PTS

April 29, 2007: NJ 102, Toronto 81 (Playoffs Game 4)
Carter: 9-15 FG, 5-8 3PT, 4-9 FT, 7R, 7A, 27PTS

November 2, 2007: Toronto 106, NJ 69
Carter: 2-6 FG, 1-2 3PT, 2-4 FT, 5R, 3A, 7PTS

April 5, 2008: NJ 99-90
Carter: 12-21 FG, 1-5 3PT, 7-8 FT, 7R, 5A, 32PTS

It’s the Nets again, this time in New Jersey. I won’t go over the details of the last game against Vince and the boys - it’s too painful to think about - but we all remember it was a horrific loss, one of the worst in Raptors history.

It’ll also go down as one of the games - along with the Denver Debacle - that got Sam Mitchell fired. Hearing Colangelo say that he “just can’t get the New Jersey game out of my mind” following the coaching change was very telling.

The Raps may have won Wednesday, but they’ve still dropped 7 of their last ten. Meanwhile, the Nets lost Wednesday, but they’ve actually won 7 of 10.

Perhaps not coincidentally, both of those strings started that night in Toronto.

But, the past is the past and we’ll see tonight if the Raptors can avenge that loss, and we’ll see if “The Turnaround” really is in effect.

Devin Harris has been playing out his mind. Honestly, I never thought the guy was this good… but damn. 24.8 ppg on 49% shooting? 6.2 assists? Those are some pretty unbelievable numbers. Vince is putting up his usual 22/5/5, and together they form the highest-scoring backcourt in the NBA.

The Raps, obviously, need a repeat performance by the swingmen from Wednesday if they want to win tonight. If you’ll remember last game, Chris Bosh dominated the Nets up front - they really had no idea what to do with him - but I don’t think that’ll happen tonight, because Lawrence Frank is too smart for that. And he’s got history with shutting Bosh down.

He’ll realize this time out that letting Bosh get his isn’t the way to go, and that the better strategy - played out over these past 10 games - is to double and trap Bosh, and make the wings beat you. I’m certain we’ll see the Nets moving a lot faster on the double tonight.

That should free things up a little for Jermaine O’Neal, perhaps. O’Neal struggled last game, before going down in the third quarter with the knee injury, despite the fact that he was being guarded by rookie Brook Lopez. I’d really like to see Jermaine attack Lopez, especially if the Nets are paying extra attention to Bosh like I expect.

Defensively for the Raptors, I assume Jamario Moon and Jason Kapono will get the starting nods again tonight, and I assume we’ll see Moon guarding Vince and Kapono on Bobby Simmons. Simmons isn’t nearly as big a factor in the Nets offense as Carter, obviously - less than 7 shots a game and more than half of those are from downtown. So that should minimize Kapono’s defensive deficiencies, and if Moon can play with the energy he brought last game, he should be a little more effective at slowing down Vince than Kapono.

Bosh and O’Neal should have an advantage over Yi and Lopez, the real challenge - as always - will be keeping them, and their reserves Josh Boone and Ryan Anderson off the glass. Crafty vets like Bosh and O’Neal should be able to do so. I’d like to see both of them with double-doubles tonight.

Unfortunately, I really don’t really know how Calderon is going to be able to slow down Devin Harris. Harris has shown he can take just about anybody, and Calderon has trouble keeping guys in front of him, so this spells mismatch from start to finish. I just hope Calderon continues his aggressive play from the past couple of games and makes Harris work on the other end.

To be honest, these teams are a pretty cool mismatch on paper - the Nets are strong in the backcourt, the Raps are strong in the frontcourt. The former won game one, which will come out on top in game two?

Not only that, but we all know Lawrence Frank has owned Sam Mitchell for the past two years, so now we get a chance to see if a new coach can make some adjustments in turn. I think this is a great test for Triano; when the teams are evenly matched, the coach can make a big difference. Let’s see if Triano earns his pay tonight!

I have decided that positivity is the way to go, especially in games where the teams appear to be evenly matched. I choose to believe that the win the other night was the start of a good thing, and I believe they’ll continue that - and build on it - tonight in New Jersey.

Raptors by 7.

By the way, after hearing several people say, “Stop booing Vince Carter, it only makes him better/try harder!” I decided to do some research. Is that sentiment true? Does the negative attention make him better?

Carter’s performance last week was an absolute classic - that was one for the ages. But was that indicative of his play in Toronto, or an aberration?

Here’s his stats from Friday:
November 21, 2008: New Jersey 129, Toronto 127 (OT)
Carter: 17-28 FG, 3-7 3PT, 2-2 FT, 9R, 6A, 39PTS

Here’s his stats when playing in Toronto since the trade, including playoffs:

April 15, 2005: New Jersey 101, Toronto 90
Carter: 15-26 FG, 3-8 3FG, 6-7 FT, 9R, 4A, 39PTS

Nov 11, 2005: New Jersey 102, Toronto 92
Carter: 9-17 FG, 2-7 3PT, 0-0 FT, 7R, 6A, 20 PTS

January 8, 2006: New Jersey 105, Toronto 104
Carter: 18-35 FG, 3-5 3FG, 3-5 FT, 10R, 3A, 42 PTS (including the three-pointer at the buzzer to win)

December 15, 2006: Toronto 90, NJ 78
Carter: 4-17 FG, 0-6 3PT, 4-8 FT, 6R, 2A, 12PTS

February 14, 2007: Toronto 120, NJ 109
Carter: 5-15 FG, 3-5 3PT, 4-7 FT, 6R, 10A, 17PTS

April 21, 2007: NJ 96, Toronto 91
Carter: 5-19 FG, 1-3 3PT, 5-8 FT, 7R, 3A, 16PTS

April 24, 2007: Toronto 89, NJ 83
Carter: 8-24 FG, 1-7 3PT, 2-4 FT, 11R, 5A, 19PTS

May 1, 2007: Toronto 98, NJ 96
Carter: 10-22 FG, 4-7 3PT, 6-10 FT, 5R, 2A, 30PTS

Feb 13, 2008: Toronto 109, NJ 91
Carter: 5-15 FG, 1-2 3PT, 4-4 FT, 3R, 7A, 15PTS

April 11, 2008: Toronto 113, NJ 85
Carter: 9-15 FG, 1-5 3PT, 4-4 FT, 6R, 2A, 21PTS

As you can see, some real ups and downs. But, average it all out, and after 11 games in Toronto, we have:
FG: 105-233 (45%)
3FG: 22-59 (37%)
FT: 40-59 (68%) (5.4 FTA per game)
RPG: 7.8
APG: 5.7
PPG: 24.5

Now, take a look at his overall stats since he joined the Nets:
FG: 2642-5858 (45%)
3FG: 509-1387 (37%)
FT: 1670-2074 (81%) (6.8 FTA per game)
RPG: 5.9
APG: 4.7
PPG: 24.4

In other words… ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME. So there is absolutely zero evidence that booing makes him any better or worse. Basically, this is a non-argument.

What I find most interesting is that before Friday, since the last time he beat us at the buzzer, he’s actually been in a real funk at the ACC; here’s his stats from the past seven Nets games in Toronto before Friday, including the playoffs:

FG: 46-127 (36%)
3FG: 11-35 (31%)
FT: 29-45 (64%)
RPG: 6.3
APG: 4.4
PPG: 18.6

Those are significantly down, as you can see. But do I think the boos contributed to a bad stretch of games? Not at all. You can attribute that to the Raptors getting better as a team, and to New Jersey declining (note that the Raptors won 6 of those 7 games), and to Vince’s general indifference to playing hard every night.

Basically, what I’m saying is, I doubt the boos affect the guy at all, positively or negatively. We all saw Carter for long enough to know that sometimes, he just doesn’t bring it, and sometimes, he gets it going like no one else. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to it - and it’s one of the main reasons we dislike the guy so much.

So don’t stop booing for Vince’s sake - I don’t imagine he cares at all. If you’re going to the game, and - like me - you enjoy having a villain to boo, then keep on booing. If you don’t enjoy it, then no one’s gonna force you! They’re your tickets, it’s your night out, enjoy it how you like.

The Raps play their first of four straight home games tonight against our old friends from New Jersey, the Nets. Of course, this isn’t your father’s New Jersey Nets team; in fact, there’s hardly anybody left from the hotly contested playoff series of 18 months ago.

Jason Kidd’s gone, Richard Jefferson’s gone, Nachbar, Collins, Moore, Williams, Krstic, Robinson… The only two left are Josh Boone (who’s hurt) and some ther guy, you may have heard of, named Vince Carter.

They’d added some nice young pieces in Devin Harris and Yi Jianlan, but they’ve filled out the roster with journeymen like Bobby Simmons, Keyon Dooling and Jarvis Hayes. Of course I call them journeymen but in their journeys, if I recall, each of them has had big games against the Raptors in the past…

Anyway, the focus of this New Jersey team is clearly Carter and Harris. Harris has been very impressive, averaging 23 points and 6 assists a night. He’s also averaging 11 free throw attempts per game! That’s, um, kind of insane for a point guard. And given that none of our point guards are exactly defensive stoppers, look for a lot of Harris going to the hole tonight.

As for Carter, well… I have to admit my hatred of the man has dulled to a slow-buring loathing. Don’t get me wrong, I’d still boo till I was hoarse if I were going to the game, but it’s just not the same anymore, now that New Jersey’s, well, kind of crappy.

I’m actually disappointed in the way this New Jersey team has gone into rebuilding mode, because with Carter playing the central villain, things were really lined up for a great rivalry. I blogged about this two years ago - that even though Carter was old news, that the team had moved on, that booing was maybe even immature - that Carter made a great villain, and villains make things interesting, so we should totally continue to boo him and hate him and build this thing up.

Rivalries are great, and of course, being a relatively “new” team, and being the only team in Canada, there aren’t any natural rivals for the Raptors. Two years ago, given that New Jersey had been successful for several years and the Raps were trying to get to their level, given Carter’s presence, given that the two teams are in the same division… it seemed as close to natural as we’d get. Then you get to the great playoff series in 2006-2007, and the rivalry seemed to be on.

When the Raps came out and completely obliterated the Nets in the second game of the regular season last year, I thought, “it’s definitely on, our guys showed it means something, and we got our revenge for the playoffs, let’s see how they respond.”

Well, they responded by trading Kidd, missing the playoffs, and going into full rebuilding mode. Given that they’re not very good right now and not a real playoff threat, and given that Carter’s tenure here is that much further in the past, this rivalry is pretty much dead.

I have to imagine that a lot of other people feel the same, and I have to imagine the booing - while still present - will be toned down a little tonight.

Unless Vince gets going. Then it’ll be back on in all its full-throated glory.

The Raptors should win this game. New Jersey is small, and I don’t see anyone on their roster that can slow down O’Neal or Bosh. Or even Bargnani, should he decide to show up tonight. Of course, Lawrence Frank proved two years ago that he can outcoach Sam Mitchell with a blindfold on, so you can bet he’ll have something cooked up to counter the big line-up, whether it be a zone or soft double or whatever.

I would like to believe that Wednesday’s game was a turning point for the Raps. I would like to believe that, three games in, the three-bigs experiment is a success. I would like to believe Anthony Parker is an offensive threat again. I would like to believe Sam Mitchell smacked some sense into Will Solomon in the past two days.

I would like to believe that the Raptors will win tonight, by 12 points.

(If it sounds like a less-than-confident prediction, it is. That’s how much Sam and Will Solomon have shaken my faith in this team.)