Polar Opposites

First, the Raptors destroy New Jersey, IN New Jersey, by 37 points. Only Richard Jefferson reached double digits for the Nets, Mr. Triple Double had a mere 2-3-6, and the Nets as a team shot less than 37% from the floor. Add to that the Raptors outrebounding them, getting more assists, more steals, and less turnovers, and the game becomes a box score demolition. On the Raptors side, they shot over 50% from the field, 59% from three, and 93% from the FT line. You'd think the Raptors just became Steve Nash. Individual performances include Bargnani's 21 points and 6 boards, Delfino's 10 points, 4 steals, 4 assists, and 6 rebounds, and Calderon's 10 points and 8 assists. Their defense wasn't too shabby either, holding the Nets to just 28 second half points.

Then, Boston came to town. Our first glimpse of the new Big 3. Though the Raptors lost, and played awful for most of the game, there were positives to come out of match. Amazingly, the Raptors had a chance to win the game, even though they shot less than 37% from the field and only 40% from three. The two Raptor big man combined to shoot only 7-28, but did combine for 18 rebounds and 6 blocks. The biggest positive was the play of TJ Ford. The Raptors needed all of his 32 points, and were only still in the game at the end because of his 3 three-pointers [on only 4 attempts]. The Celtics certainly didn't look dominant, even with 69 of their points coming from the Big 3.

After three games, the Raptors look pretty good, and the league seems to recognize that. Both NBA.com and ESPN.com have them in the top 10 in their power rankings, and their defense is in top 5 of the league in terms of points per game against. This season, it seems like Bosh could average less than 20 points a game, but the Raps could win more games. Bargnani looks like he could average 16 and 6, and Ford looks ready to take the next step in becoming one of the league's premiere point guards. I see Sam Mitchell shortening the rotation to 9 men shortly [Calderon, Delfino, and Dixon, plus one of Hump, Rasho, or Garbo] and adding a 10th man when foul trouble is an issue. Not much can be said about a team after only three games, but the Raptors look as though they have as good a chance as anyone on being atop the Eastern Conference standings at years end.