Well, I guess we got what we hoped for, a first round series with the relatively inexperienced Orlando Magic, the team that gives us the best chance for advancing past the 1st round. So now we have the thankless job of having to deal with Superman, but we just might have his Kryptonite in Chris Bosh, the one player the magic dont seem to have an answer for. Another intriguing matchup will be the guard play, TJ/Jose are way better than Jameer/Arroyo, and Anthony Parker/Carlos Delfino are much better than Dooling/Mo Evans, and in the playoffs guard play is huge. Rasho is a big enough body to handle Howard and not get punked in the low post, and of course we will send all sorts of double teams and help defenders at him, since D-12 still isnt a good passer out of the post.
X-Factors: Orlando-Hedo Turkgulo who can absolutely explode, but Jamario if he pulls his head out of his a$$ should be able to make things difficult for Hedo.
Toronto- Andrea Bargnani, if he somehow regains his lost outside shooting then the Raptors have a huge mismatch off the bench, because he can suck his defender out to the perimeter and create all kinds of space for Bosh and Rasho, but he has to start sticking 3 pointers again.
Prediction: As a raps fan, I have no choice but to go with Toronto, I see them winning in 7, stealing one game from Orlando but then losing at home, only to win a hard fought battle in Central Florida, with Bosh hitting a game winner, big time homer statement, but lets enjoy an epic battle between the 2 best young big men in the east (maybe the league).
Good stuff Bosh4Prez, its going to be a great series, and I see Toronto winning the series in 6-7. I could see Toronto winning in less then that because when healthy, the Raps have dominated Orlando.
Bosh is definetely Kryptonite, he Owns against Orlando, and should be the series MVP. Ford/Calderon will run circles around Orlando, and with their passing ability, along with the ability to drive the lane and take shots, its clear Toronto will dominate at the point.
X-Factors for the Raps:
Bargnani has the talent, and he has been playing better over recent weeks then in the middle of the season. I think he will do just fine in the first round, maybe not spectacular, but he will be ok. I could see him getting like 16ppg and some important 3 balls.
Calderon has shown how good he is and how he can help carry the Raptors. im sure he will come off the bench at first, but depending on how TJ plays, he could get the odd start as well. I could see him averaging a double-double in the first round, with a fair share of steals and 3's.
Delfino is always an X-Factor. He can play some amazing ball when he is on his game, drain 3's, drive the lane, even make some good passes. Mitchell should keep him on a short leash on a game-to-game basis, benching him if he starts to slump, giving him a ton of time if he is hot.
Finally, Kris Humphries & Jamario Moon. the Hump is a pretty solid player, he can grab boards, make shots, play D, and when hes on his game, hes definetely a good piece of the puzzle. Moon's D could make or break the series. He will be relied apon to get those blocked shots, rebounds, and be available for the Alley Oops. Lets hope Moon doesnt take too many perimeter shots and instead drives the lane and draws fouls.
1. Getting off to a good start. The first two games are HUGE. If they don't come out of Orlando with at least a split then people are really going to be questioning them by the time they get back to T.O. and the added pressure will take a lot away from home court advantage.
2. DEFENSE on the wing. Our offense should be fine an' dandy with Bosh and the PG's. But someone's gonna have to step up and really keep Turkoglu and Lewis in check on D. If those guys go off then we're in big trouble. It might be too much to ask of Moon and I think this is actually where Bargnani might be a big factor. I know he's not exactly Scottie Pippen on defense but he IS 7 feet tall and should at least be able to keep up with someone like Turkoglu.
Just let Rasho and Bosh cover the interior and have Bargs stick to Hedo at all times and contest everything - you listening Sam? :P
Anyway that's my take and I think as long as they pull that off - Raps in 6. Otherwise...ooof.
In terms of match-ups this is the best bracket for the Raps. Not only do we get the best first round opponent but God forbid we look ahead. We would get Detroit in round two whom we have matched well against and hopefully Cleveland will knock off Boston.
Do the brackets still work that way? I thought they finally changed that so the the highest seed plays the lowest seed in the second round no matter what, meaning there's no way we could play Detroit in the 2nd round.
Also, I think we match up better against Boston than we do the Pistons.
Also, let's not even think about it 'cause beating Orlando first will be tough enough.
You are looking at this all wrong. Ypu probably got the worst team to play in the layoffs. They are excited to finally get a playoff victory so they will play herder hen ever. Also you can't even compare bosh to Howard. Bosh is good but Howard is a whole other species. he is such a train doen low and I think if his coach ells him to pass more he will. I see Orlando winning in 5. They are the most underated team ever.
I'm an orlando fan and donn't want to get in a fight. i'm just here to present my two cents. If nelson and Evans play well like in game 1, the guard situation levels out. Bosh can't handle howard and if he tries, he'll get in foul trouble like in game 1. Lewis did a okay job handling him in game 1. I think it will be a 5 or 6 game series with orl coming out on top.
Also, Dwight had 20-20 game in game 1. He wasn't handled. When y'all tried to double. He kicked it out and the shooters hit their shots. When they didn't, he slammed it home. Bosh is gonna have to really step up for this series not to be a sweep
Has been a good series so far, it could easily be 1-1. Man near the end there is seemed like you guys didn't even need to run an offense as it was dribble dribble nail a cold blooded shot like 5 straight times. I think you should have gone to Calderon or Bargnani taking a perimeter jumper the last couple possessions rather than Bosh trying to go at Howard, but I am glad it had this outcome.
