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The Raptors' Five-Game Mirage

Andrew Damelin

Writer, Fantrax

The Toronto Raptors were expected by most of us to be bad, but a 4-19 start was even worse than the dreary expectations. The defensive identity that coach Dwane Casey forged last year had been lost, with the Raptors giving up 100+ points every other game. Then the unthinkable forseeable happened - Andrea Bargnani drove to the basket, leapt from an impossibly far distance, plowed into a stationary defender, and crashed elbow-first into the floor. The result was a torn ligament, and an extended absence from the court.

Generally when your number one overall pick and highest paid player goes down with injury you'd expect the team to get worse. But when that player is your worst defender, is among the worst rebounding forwards in the history of the game, averaging a pathetic four boards per game, and is shooting less than 40% on the season, the opposite is not only expected, it's known.

Cue the five game winning streak. The Toronto-based commentators have exalted the Raps for "playing as a unit", "refusing to lose" and "buying in" to the defensive philosophy.

Blah blah blah.

The Raptors have reeled off five straight wins for several less glamorous reasons:

1) They came against bad teams and/or teams playing badly: the Mavericks, Rockets, Cavaliers, Pistons and Magic.

2) The Raptors are better without Andrea Bargnani

This season has been an unequivacle disaster for Il Mago (Bargnani's Italian nickname, "the magician"). Last year it seemed Andrea had turned a corner - he was shooting less three pointers, getting more baskets around the rim with dunks and layups, getting to the free throw line six times a game (vs three this year), and seemed to give a crap defensively. Apparently this was an illusion. Bargs went down for the season after 30 games, and has regressed badly. Outside of the aformentioned stats, Bargnani just isn't trying. Before his most recent injury he was barely working to catch the ball inside, instead parking himself behind the three point line, a place defenders don't mind him catching since he's so easy to guard from that distance.

3) Luck

In the fourth quarter against the Pistons and Magic, the Raptors hoisted three after three, many of them by some guy named Alan Anderson, who is shooting 33% on the season. Fortunately for Toronto, these shots went down. Over the course of an entire season these results will prove anomolous.

No one I know is touting the Raptors as ready to grab one of the last couple playoff of playoff spots. The suggestion that they've made any significant improvement, outside of the natural improvement by losing one of the most harmful players in the game, must be dismissed.

Andrew Damelin was a finalist in The Score's Drafted competition and is a sportscaster and sports writer. Email: andrewdamelin@gmail.com. Twitter: @Transition_D

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NBA Player News

Stephen Curry G - GS: May 17, 7:55PM: Stephen Curry... Stephen Curry said he will work on getting stronger in the offseason. "I'll work on getting stronger, continue to work on my body," Curry said about his offseason plans. "The more minutes you play and the more grind and physical play you endure through the course of a season, you have to re-charge and get your body right for the next season." He had to deal with ankle surgery in the offseason last year, so this year he can try to get better as a player rather than rehab. Curry will be off the board in the first round next year.
Jason Kidd G - NY: May 17, 4:35PM: Jason Kidd... Knicks coach Mike Woodson strongly hinted Friday that he would stick with the same rotation and minutes in Saturday's Game 6. That rotation kept the struggling Jason Kidd and the rusty Amare Stoudemire on the bench for the entire second half. Kidd appears to be barely hanging on at this point in the season while STAT is still adjusting after returning from his second knee surgery of the season. The absence of both players allow Chris Copeland to play a substantial role and the rookie forward gave the Knicks enough of a boost in Game 5 that Woodson said he might increase Copeland's minutes Saturday. It's hard to see either Kidd or STAT having much of an impact the rest of this series.
Harrison Barnes SF - GS: May 17, 3:56PM: Harrison Barnes... Harrison Barnes said Friday that he felt fine after a scary fall in the second quarter Thursday night in which he landed on his head. Barnes tried to come out and play the second half but eventually left complaining of headaches. It's unclear if Barnes suffered a concussion, but he'll have the entire offseason to let the symptoms subside after the Warriros were eliminated by the Spurs.
Andrew Bogut C - GS: May 17, 3:53PM: Bogut expects to... Andrew Bogut said he expects to be 100 percent by the start of next season. Bogut clarified the statement by saying that could change if "I go out and get hit by a car or something," which sounds funny but isn't all that far from the realm of possibilities given his injury history. Bogut's surgically repaired left ankle limited him to just 32 games in the regular season and affected him enough in the postseason that he required a painkilling injection during the first round. If Bogut can stay healthy for an entire season, he could have a strong fantasy impact but that's a very big "if" at this point in his career.
George Hill G - IND: May 17, 2:33PM: George Hill still... George Hill remains day-to-day with a concussion. Hill missed Thursday's Game 5 after suffering the injury Tuesday night. The Pacers said Hill showed no symptoms after Tuesday's game but admitted to headaches on Thursday and then proceeded to fail a concussion test. Hill will have to pass several levels of concussion testing as part of the league's protocol before he can return. The Pacers lead the series 3-2 and will host Game 6 on Saturday night.
Chris Copeland F - NY: May 17, 1:33PM: Knicks will keep... Appearing on ESPN radio, Mike Woodson reiterated Chris Copeland will remain a part of the rotation. Copeland was a spark off the pine on Thursday with 13 points (three 3-pointers) to go along with two steals in just 19 minutes, and we wouldn't be surprised if the rookie saw 20-25 minutes on Saturday. His ability to stretch the floor is something the Knicks need, and he's clearly helping the team where it needs assistance.
Raymond Felton G - NY: May 17, 1:26PM: Raymond Felton... Raymond Felton (ankle) is "fine," and is expected to play in Game 6 vs. Indiana after receiving treatment. Felton's been dealing with the ankle issue since the beginning of the month, but he doesn't anticipate taking any time off and that lines up with both the Knicks' expectations and ours. Felton will play through almost anything he can, but the ankle may limit what he's able to do in terms of his mobility on Saturday.

Stephen Curry G - GS: May 17, 7:55PM: Stephen Curry...