Brooklyn wins the series 4-3, final score 104-103
Wow... It came down to 6.2 seconds, all or nothing. It's almost fitting that it ended this way. No regrets. Brooklyn won, Toronto lost. It's that simple. I'll say that the better players won, not the better team, because in all honestly, The Toronto Raptors were the better team.
Game 7 X-Factors:
1. Execution: Brooklyn executed better, particularly in the 2nd quarter. 35-25 was the score for the 2nd frame, and that was the beginning of the end for Toronto. Toronto's 4th quarter defense came into play, but again, Brooklyn just wanted it that much more.
2. Guard Play: Surprisingly, Toronto won this matchup. Lowry and DeRozan combined for 46 points (with DeRozan playing thru flu like symptoms). Johnson and Williams had 39. Credit Brooklyn tho for making Lowry score more than DeRozan.
3. Ross: TERRENCE BOSS! He actually came to play! He wasn't super confident about his shots, but that defensive stop! Gave us a chance to win it! Can't really ask for more.
4. Vet Play: Paul Pierce with the game saving block. KG with a double double. Vets matter. That is all.
5. The Crowd!: Toronto Raptors Fans, take a bow. I must correct my self, because I've been saying that Jurassic Park (Maple Leafs Square) was touting 4-5000+ people... 10000+ rowdy fans outside the ACC for all 7 playoff games were always on hand! That means that yesterday, over 31000 fans at the ACC were going ape nuts for the Raptors till the bitter end. Captured live across Canada on TSN, and live across the USA on ABC. We shattered viewing records set (ironically) 13 years ago for basketball in Canada, even outshining the Stanley Cup Playoffs! The world knows that WE ARE THE NORTH! BEST FANS IN THE NBA! PERIOD!
Interesting Developments:
1. Refs: Joe Crawford officiated this game... That's as much as I will say... Screw it, the NBA is about making money, and quite frankly, they believe that they can make more money from a Heat-Nets matchup than a Heat-Raptors matchup. Sometimes it is about the name(s) on the back of the jersey more than the name on the front. And I really hope the NBA can live with that. That said, and I mean this, let this serve as a constant reminder that this factor and this factor ONLY is where Brooklyn's experience and Toronto's lack thereof came into play. THAT'S as much as I will say about the officiating!
2. RESPECT: This goes out to all those who believe a first round playoff appearance or a winning season was a waste of time. In a few ways, I'm actually glad the game ended how it did. For about 20 minutes after the game, most of the fans gave the Raptors a standing ovation as they walked of the court. RESPECT. For the first time since Vince was here, the Raptors are no longer a laughing stock. RESPECT. Charles Barkley ACTUALLY believed that the Raptors would outlast the Nets... Barkley NEVER supported the Raptors in the past! RESPECT! For a brief moment, Basketball took precedence over hockey on TSN and Sportsnet! RESPECT! For all those out there who keep saying "The Raptors should've tanked, had a chance to draft Wiggins" or whatever other crap that you come up with, shut your damn mouths and show the Raptors the RESPECT they have earned and deserve! For 89 games, they have given their best effort with the talent they had, rattled off a franchise best 48 wins (and I don't want to hear anything more about this weak East BS), and never quit! This goes beyond just being a Raptors fan. If you even casually like basketball and don't even admire all the work that the Toronto Raptors put in, YOU DON'T LIKE THE SPORT, PERIOD, END OF STORY!
3. The Future: I'll go more in depth with this when I do my season in review, but I'll just say this: the future is bright. Again, glad the Raptors actually lost in the end. Had we won, it would be harder to tell what really needs to be tweaked and fixed. The only real question mark is Lowry, tho it sounds like he'll most likely be back in a Raptors uniform. DeMar is hungry, and I hope he remembers how salty that defeat was. He'll need that to push him over the top in the future. JV and Ross will only get better. Johnson needs new ankles, but he'll be back. Vasquez, Patterson, Novak and Psycho T need to come back. Everyone else is dead weight.
It was one hell of a season! Next year, I'm hoping for 50 wins. I'm hoping for the return of VC15. I'm hoping for a shot at redemption (ie let's go ECF!)! 5 months till the season starts back up... Till then, LET'S GO RAPTORS!
Comments
Post a Comment