Raps Get Played by the Jazz in Utah

It was certainly a night to forget for the Raptors as they continued their Western trip in Utah.  The first half looked like an utter gong show, but the Raptors showed some fight, cutting the lead to just one in the third frame.  In the end the Jazz did pretty much whatever they wanted for the other three quarters to secure a dominant win.

This should start the calls out there for a “tanking” or for “heads to roll”.  But I feel it more appropriate to try to make sense out of this madness instead of letting it tear us all apart.

The Raptors are probably not as good as many of us “homers” were hoping they’d be.  I still don’t think we are as bad as many made us out to be.  But after the way the Raps were manhandled inside and out by Deron Williams and All Jefferson it is clear that there is still a lot of work to do in Raptorland.

The Zan for Three

Silver Lining

Look, it’s pretty much all we have this year.  This team is going to lose a lot of games.  Some, like the one in Sacramento, will be heartbreaking.  Others, like tonight, will be a tease.  There are other ways to lose that we will surely experience as well this year; maybe even on this road trip. That doesn’t mean there isn’t something we can find hopeful.  Right?

Joey Dorsey – Played his first minutes tonight and didn’t look half bad.  He sank both shots he had, collected three boards and seemed to play with some energy.  He had four fouls in nine minutes…but we’re trying to be positive.

Andrea Bargnani – Played with some fight in the third quarter and had a great shooting game.  He probably isn’t the guy to build around, but he is making someone very happy in the fantasy sports world.

Sonny Weems –  He had a great shooting night off the bench and really helped the Raps climb back into this one.  He might be a nice piece off the bench for the Raps at times this year.

There will be many nights where you’ll just have to pick out the few hopeful moments in order to remind yourself there will be sunlight at the end of the tunnel some time down the road.

The Raptors fought their way back in Utah, only to watch the Jazz walk away with victory.

Time to Stop the Gravy Train

I hate to use the words of our infamous mayor-elect (as sad as that is), but the Raptors have to stop letting teams get easy buckets.  Don’t get me wrong, Deron Williams is a great player and will certainly eat opposing teams for breakfast sometimes, but he had it way too easy tonight.  Williams blew by Calderon and Jack and when he wasn’t finishing at the rim he was dishing it off to Jefferson for more easy buckets.

The Raptors simply are not a good enough team to give their opponents an easy ride.  They have to defend the perimeter harder and prevent easy baskets.  Tonight Williams was running circles around the Raps and they couldn’t do anything about it.

Early Energy

One thing you couldn’t fault the Raptors for in Sacramento was their energy from the moment the ball was tipped off.  They fought their way to huge lead before the Kings could even wake up.  Tonight they came out sluggish and slow.  They looked like they had been partying it up all night on the beaches in California.  We know that isn’t possible because they were in Utah and no partying whatsoever goes on there.

The Raptors must come in to each game ready to play immediately.  If they do not they will find themselves down early and often and without a way to fight their way back.  They fought tonight, but the hole they dug themselves into was far too deep to get out of.

Zan of the Night

Deron Williams

He was the puppet master for the Jazz tonight and the architect of misfortune for the Raptors.  He did whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted to it and the Raptors simply could not contain him.  One of the more underappreciated players in the league.  A true talent, that took control tonight.

Not Zan of the Night

Jose Calderon

What is going on with this guy?  Is he still upset about his off-season trade?  I mean, I get it, but get over it already.  Jose is not good on the defensive end and he probably will never be.  We’ve already accepted his deficiencies on the defensive end, but his shots are not falling and he looks very uncomfortable out there.  This is the team leader when he’s on the floor and right now he seems lost.  Calderon had another bad night and the Raptors lost.  He needs to get his game back on track.