Tag Archives: Jeremiah McNama

by | January 31, 2010 · 10:48 pm

Raptors Starting to Show Swagger in Win Against Pacers

After a rough start, Antoine Wright has found his groove, playing big minutes for the Raptors off the bench.

Aint it sweet?  The Raptors win their fifth game in a row against the Pacers.  The same team that handed them an embarrassing come from behind loss a few nights back. One of the few blemishes for the Raptors over this last month. A January that has seen the team go 10 and 5. The tenth time in franchise history they’ve been able to reach that win mark.  A pretty impressive month.

But of course, who cares about all of that? The big news of the day is the Leafs acquiring Dion Phaneuf. He must be excited. He gets to watch a world class basketball team when he gets here.

The Zan for three (plus the foul)

Jose hearts Amir

What’s up with these two? It seems as though they have some sort of kindred connection on the court. They work extremely well together; Jose seemingly finding Amir on every fast break.  A real life odd couple to say the least. And let’s give it up to Amir. He’s been the surprise of the season for me. Playing with heart, passion and intensity. And as we all know, because Leo says it a million times a broadcast, intensity is contagious.

Winning is everything

Don’t think this team wants to win? Up 10 with 1:42 to go, Chris Bosh commits a turnover. Bosh thinks the Pacers touched the ball last before going out of bounds, and emphatically and passionately pleads his case. And wouldn’t you know it, the ref reviews the call. It didn’t go the Raptors way, but it goes to show you, this team isn’t taking anything for granted.

I’m just going to say it

A small non-displaced fracture in the orbital bone? Get back out there Hedo. This is Toronto! Didn’t you hear? We’re a hockey town again.

Building Confidence

With the Pacers charging back to tie after falling behind 16pts, a Raptor fan could be forgiven for sensing a disappointing loss was coming.  There was a time when it was the Raptors M.O. to let a winnable game slip away to a team they should beat. Not so anymore.  The Raptors have built a confidence in themselves.  As a fan, the fourth quarter has become less stressful because you can just feel that the Raptors will take charge and win despite being down.  They have the swaggar of a team that knows how to win.  Winning is something to expect instead of something to hope.  It has been a long time since I could sit comfortably on my couch or barstool and feel that way about this team.

Zan of the Night

Chris Bosh

Ho hum, 26 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists. What what?! 7 assists?

Not Zan of the Night

Danny Granger

Recently someone on Realgm (shout out!) did a post on who the most punchable players in the NBA are. Admittedly, Granger is on my list. But not tonight! Going 3 for 13 will do that.

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Jeremiah McNama
The Zan Tabak Herald

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by | January 10, 2010 · 4:20 pm

The Raptors fail to measure up against Celtics once agian

Oh man. Nothing quite gets my blood boiling like the Raptors playing the Celtics. They may just be my least favorite team in the league. Maybe it’s because they’re so good. It’s probably because they’re so cocky. The one good thing to take from this game? We don’t have to play them again this year.

Zan for three

Hedo who?

It’s time for Jay Triano to call out  Hedo Turkoglu. We’re paying him big money and he hasn’t lived up to that.  He’s not playing like a 7 million dollar player right now. Just last week we saw Ron Wilson rip into Phil Kessel, it’s time for Jay to do the same.

Best of the bunch

Out of the four games we’ve played the Celtics this is the best of the bunch. More confident. More aggressive. The Raptors are a team on a roll right now, but the Celtics are the best coached team in the league and they’re top three in talent. That’s a tough combination to match up against.

Rasheed and Rondo

These guys have swaggar!  As a Raptors fan It was horredous to watch these two play on Sunday, but you have to appreciate their energy and confidence as a basketball fan. Rondo has really turned a corner as an NBA player.  He was once a scrub on a three man team and has since  become an All Star.

Rasheed Wallace just keeps on trucking. I thought his career might be done a couple of years ago but he just keeps getting better.  To be fair, he had a lot of calls go his way.  Maybe barking at the referees insessently works.  He never shuts up and is rewarded regularly.

Plus the foul

Enough of the Bosh talk

It seems as though Bosh trade talk has heated up in the past week or so. Unsubstantiated and biased. A lot of reporters (all from American media) seem to think it’s a forgone conclusion, when the truth is, nobody knows. Not Chris. Not Bryan. Not anybody.

I, for one, think Bosh is staying in Toronto. Why? He’s the man here with a good core of players. And the grass isn’t always greener. See Tracy McGrady. See Vince Carter. See Damon Stoudamire. Three of the Raptors departed.

Zan of the Night

Rajon Rondo

I was never a Rajon Rondo fan. In past years, I thought he was more hype than substance. But this year he’s proven me wrong. He’s fantastic.

Not Zan of the Night

Hedo Turkoglu

He needs less Pizza Pizza and a big time boost of motivation.

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Nest up a game against Indiana on Monday.  A big game to regain the momentum they’ve built over the last 10 games.

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Jeremiah McNama & Kristoffer Pedlar
The Zan Tabak Herald

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by | December 24, 2009 · 11:29 am

Raptors give Pistons a lump of coal for Christmas

Hedo Turkoglu was in a giving mood last night as he had 11 assists to go along with Andrea Bargnani’s big night and the Raps made the pistons look uglier than the drive from Windsor to Detroit.  The Pistons shot a ridiculous 27% from the field and the Raps absolutely took advantage for a rare laugher over Detroit.

The Zan for Three

How Belli got his groove back

Andrea dominates the Pistons D in Detroit

It was nice to see Marco shooting the ball with confidence last night.  He didn’t have a huge game by any stretch but this game may have really helped rebuild his confidence.  Going into a key stretch after the holidays they are really going to need him to be effective if they pan on stealing some wins in the next week or two.

Will the Real Bargnani Please Stand Up

Andrea has been nothing but inconsistent in his time as an NBA player but every once in a while he makes you jump out of your seat.  This is why Raptors fans hold on to the assertion that he will one day play like a Dirk Nowitzski.  His turn around dunk was one of those stand up moments.  He also shot the ball like a Hall of Famer last Night and looked very confident.  The battle for him over his career has been making it happen in consecutive games.  Here’s hoping he can put it together.

Kiddie Core

Demar Derozan, Amir Johnson and Sonny Weems are beginning to look very exciting aren’t they?  These kids are playing with energy and are using these big blowouts to build confidence in their game.  If the Raps are going to be successful this year they are going to need these Young guys to deliver.  All played big minutes last night and contributed to the dominating win.  Nice to see a new wave of young Raps coming up.

Zan of the Night

Andrea Bargnani

He played like an All Star and looked dominating.  Yes, it was against a Pistons team that likley would have played  my writing Partner Jer and I off the bench for added scoring last night, but it was still a positive sight to see him so dominating.  He took it to the rack, he shot with confidence and he was slapping balls down on defence.

Not Zan of the Night

Anyone who touched the ball for the pistons.

27% is awful.  This is the NBA and after the first ten minutes or so this team no longer looked like an NBA team.  Brutal.

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by | September 11, 2009 · 5:06 pm

Chris Bosh Setting The Tone For 2009 Season.

Recent reports from Matt Devlin, say that Chris Bosh has gained 20 pounds of muscle and is working tirelessly on his game. And what’s not to love about that. While some stars reach a certain level and stop working, it’s the ones who aim to improve every single year who turn into something special.

Chris Bosh - Kyle KorverCase in point. Take a guy like Vince Carter. (Here we go again, right?) A man gifted with talent. Could jump through the roof and blow by most defenders. Yet, as the years went by, he never really took his game to the next level. Determination and dedication being the missing factors.

At the opposite end of the spectrum is the greatest player of all time, Michael Jordan (fittingly enough, inducted into the hall of fame today). A man, with a skill set never before seen in the league. But also a man who’s hard work and dedication carried him beyond his God given talent.

And while Bosh doesn’t posses the the skill set of a man like Michael Jordan, no one does, his dedication and desire to improve every year is what could turn him into a superstar in the league, not just a star.

Sure, a cynic could say he’s in a contract year, and he has nothing but dollar figures to gain from improving his numbers. But to that person I say, what year hasn’t Bosh come back, bigger, better, and more determined? It’s in his nature.

And it’s for that reason that Bosh will get a max contract next summer. Without the attributes described above, he remains a fringe superstar, just below the Lebrons and the Kobes.  But with them, the sky’s the limit.  It becomes frightening to think just how good he can be.

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Jeremiah McNama
The Zan Tabak Herald

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