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New York Knicks Lose at Home to Toronto Raptors: A… |
The lesson to learn from Monday night’s game (Jan. 2) is that if you live by the three-pointer, you also die by the three-pointer. The New York Knicks attempted 35 three-pointers against the Toronto Raptors, making just 10 of them to finish 28.6 percent from beyond the arc. Overall, the team went just 28-for-78 from the field (35.9 percent) in a game that simply got away from them at the end. This 90-85 loss to the Raptors is extremely frustrating; especially with how good the Knicks looked against the Sacramento Kings back on Saturday (Dec. 31). The team had to play without All-Star power forward Amare Stoudemire again, and at first it didn’t seem like it would hurt the team. The Knicks took a nice 23-22 lead at the end of the first quarter and it looked like a great game was brewing. The second quarter got out of control though, as Toronto out-scored the Knicks 29-11 in those 12 minutes alone. Heading into halftime with a 17-point deficit to a team that won 22 games last year is not what Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni wanted to see, and at least the team put in more effort in the second half. The Knicks fought back to within one point with just 35 second left but couldn’t stop the Raptors when it mattered most. In the early Atlantic division standings, New York now falls behind Toronto by means of the head-to-head tie-breaker. This is definitely not where the team wanted to sit after five games in a shortened season. Carmelo Anthony finished the game 13-for-31 from the field, often taking shots he wasn’t comfortable with just to get the offense going. Far too many times there were other players passing up shot opportunities and it seemed like Bill Walker was afraid to even take shots on Monday night (Jan. 2). I don’t blame Anthony at all for attempting 31 shots, but I would have liked him to make a couple more. He did finish with 35 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists though, so fantasy basketball owners that have him had to come away happy from this game. Next up for the 2-3 Knicks are the Charlotte Bobcats, who come to town on Wednesday (Jan. 4) for a 7:30 p.m. ET game. More From YCN : Knicks Beat Kings Without Stoudemire Stoudemire Injures Ankle No_Garnett_Suspension New_York_Wins_Opener_Against_Boston Baron_Davis_Comes_To_Knicks Sources: Full Knicks Schedule New York Knicks Website *Ryan Christopher DeVault is a fan of the New York Knicks that has followed the team since the days John Starks, Charles Oakley, and Anthony Mason instilled their defensive will on the rest of the league. Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content. What are your opinions. Posted in raptors, Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Cleveland Cavaliers Meeting Detroit Pistons for… |
It is only the second regular season game on 12/28/11, but the Cleveland Cavaliers will be meeting the Detroit Pistons for the third time. The only other team that the Cavs have faced this season has been the Toronto Raptors. The Cavs beat the Pistons on their first meeting and lost to them on their second meeting. Right now, each team has had a chance to evaluate each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Looking back at the game against the Raptors, the Cavs are going to have to play harder and are going to have to penetrate the paint more. The Pistons are a physical team and if the Cavs are in the paint, they can get fouls, and in turn, foul shots. The Cavs also have to greatly step up their defense. This really hurt them in the second preseason game against the Pistons. The Cavs were simply not playing a strong enough defense and the Pistons were running circles around them. “This team plays hard and this has been their MO for years,” coach Scott remarked about the Pistons. “If you don’t match or surpass their physical style they are going to beat you. That’s the first thing we have to address. All our bigs and our team in general has to understand who we are playing and how they play. It’s going to be a physical basketball game. They are going to grab and hold you and you can’t cry about it. You have to fight fire with fire.” Kyrie Irving is most likely going to start in this this third meeting against the Pistons. However, he has to up his shooting game. In the game against the Raptors, his field goal percentage was only .167. After his impressive games in the preseason against this Pistons’ team, hopefully he can up that stat. He did do well in assists though, so as a point guard, Irving did not fail his team. On the defensive end, all Cavs’ players failed and they all need to step it up. They cannot beat the Pistons playing defense like they did against the Raptors. R. Elizabeth C. Kitchen was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio and still lives there. She was raised a Cavs’ fan and has remained loyal through all of the teams ups and downs. She remains confident that the Cavs will bring home a championship at some point in her life. Follow Rose on Twitter @Rose_Kitchen Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content. If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top. |
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Raptors implement unique motivational tool |
A 1,300-pound boulder sits just inside the front door to the Toronto Raptors’ dressing room, a physical reminder of the mentality Dwane Casey is trying to instill in his new team. Heading into what the Raptors head coach is calling a “building” season, Casey has implemented a new motto: Pound the Rock. “I knew we were going to be a work in progress, every time we walked on the floor we were going to have to have something to get us to think about … how we have to get better, we’ve got to work to get better,” Casey said earlier this week. “It’s from a story about a stonecutter. Every time a stonecutter hits a rock it may not break, you may have to hit it 100 times but on that 101st time you hit it, now you crack the rock.” The motto is written on the walls of the team’s practice gym and in the locker-room. The boulder, purchased at a quarry in Thornhill, Ont., just north of Toronto, is there to remind the players every time they walk on the court. They’re supposed to touch it as they pass by and will leave every huddle with a call to “Pound the Rock!” The meaning of the phrase goes back to Jacob Riis, a social reformer who wrote about the plight of the poor in New York in the late 1800s and early 1900s. “That’s our motivation this year, as you know rocks are hard to break, and our goal is to break that wall and to persevere,” said forward Jamaal Magloire. Raptors employee Graeme McIntosh was sent out to find the stone that stands about three feet tall, snapping a photo on his phone and sending it to Casey for approval. The stone, which cost about $500, was then washed and shipped to Air Canada Centre. Casey said the rock won’t win his team games, it’s just a physical reminder that hard work eventually pays off. “So every day we walk into practice it may not end up in a ‘W’, it may not end up in a great game, but we’ve got to keep pounding, we’ve got to keep hitting the rock, and eventually it will crack,” Casey said. “That’s why we work every day to get better. And you can use it in any walk of life, whether it’s as a journalist, or in a lawyer’s profession, doctor, whatever it is, we all have to pound the rock.” Casey isn’t the first person to implement the mantra in sports. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden used the “Pound the Rock” motto and had a rock in the NFL team’s locker-room in 2002, the year it won the Super Bowl. The San Antonio Spurs also have the rock and the motto. The Raptors players seem to have embraced the philosophy. “Naturally our first meeting was when he introduced the theme and everybody gravitated to it right away,” Magloire said. “I just think you’ve just got to remember it and always persevere and break through that wall — or break through that rock — as we say.” There is the quick update of the day. |
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Pound the rock: Toronto Raptors implement unique… |
TORONTO – A 1,300-pound boulder sits just inside the front door to the Toronto Raptors’ dressing room, a physical reminder of the mentality Dwane Casey is trying to instill in his new team. Heading into what the Raptors head coach is calling a “building” season, Casey has implemented a new motto: Pound the Rock. “I knew we were going to be a work in progress, every time we walked on the floor we were going to have to have something to get us to think about … how we have to get better, we’ve got to work to get better,” Casey said earlier this week. “It’s from a story about a stonecutter. Every time a stonecutter hits a rock it may not break, you may have to hit it 100 times but on that 101st time you hit it, now you crack the rock.” The motto is written on the walls of the team’s practice gym and in the locker-room. The boulder, purchased at a quarry in Thornhill, Ont., just north of Toronto, is there to remind the players every time they walk on the court. They’re supposed to touch it as they pass by and will leave every huddle with a call to “Pound the Rock!” The meaning of the phrase goes back to Jacob Riis, a social reformer who wrote about the plight of the poor in New York in the late 1800s and early 1900s. “That’s our motivation this year, as you know rocks are hard to break, and our goal is to break that wall and to persevere,” said forward Jamaal Magloire. Raptors employee Graeme McIntosh was sent out to find the stone that stands about three feet tall, snapping a photo on his phone and sending it to Casey for approval. The stone, which cost about $500, was then washed and shipped to Air Canada Centre. Casey said the rock won’t win his team games, it’s just a physical reminder that hard work eventually pays off. “So every day we walk into practice it may not end up in a ‘W’, it may not end up in a great game, but we’ve got to keep pounding, we’ve got to keep hitting the rock, and eventually it will crack,” Casey said. “That’s why we work every day to get better. And you can use it in any walk of life, whether it’s as a journalist, or in a lawyer’s profession, doctor, whatever it is, we all have to pound the rock.” Casey isn’t the first person to implement the mantra in sports. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden used the “Pound the Rock” motto and had a rock in the NFL team’s locker-room in 2002, the year it won the Super Bowl. The San Antonio Spurs also have the rock and the motto. The Raptors players seem to have embraced the philosophy. “Naturally our first meeting was when he introduced the theme and everybody gravitated to it right away,” Magloire said. “I just think you’ve just got to remember it and always persevere and break through that wall — or break through that rock — as we say.” Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news. |
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Toronto Raptors To Honor Canadian Military With… |
On March 21, 2012 the Toronto Raptors will take to the courts of their home game while wearing camouflage uniforms, a salute to Canada’s active military members. Coachs and employees for the team will also sport poppies on their clothing in support of the troops. The game will take place against the Chicago Bulls and the uniforms (pictured above) will only be worn for that game. Joseph Casciaro of Raptor Blog however doesn’t think the uniforms honor Canada’s troops in the right way, writing:
I have to disagree with Casciaro in part, yes it is true that the team could use a more “modest” approach to honoring their troops, however the uniforms, as ugly as they may be, send a strong statement that raises awareness about the men and women who serve in Canada’s armed services. Do you think the Toronto Raptors “remembrance” uniforms are gaudy and uncalled for or a nice gesture on the teams behalf?
That’s all for today. |
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