Killer B's On The Swarm - RAPTORS 107, BOBCATS 103

RAPS 107, BOBCATS 103
Man, I love these Bosh pics.

The Doubting Thomas December Rankings starring Roko Ukic, POB & Marco Belinelli

Our Aussie homies at NBA Mate put out the December rankings for the prestigious Doubting Thomas Award.  The award recognizes the lesser-known underachievers of the NBA.

How did the Raptors rank in December?

How the Canadian flavour of the NBA performed last week

(Photo by P.A. Molumby/NBAE via Getty Images)

Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns (Victoria, BC)

18.7 PPG, 11.2 APG, 2.9 RPG
(Last week: 23 PPG, 9.8 APG, 2.0 RPG)
Steve Nash is Awesome.

Nothing Says Christmas like Dikembe Mutumbo singing "Jingle Bell Rock"

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HOLIDAY FROM HIP HOOP JUNKIES!

Pistons Missed-Tons of Shots Last Night - RAPTORS 94, PISTONS 64

RAPTORS 94, PISTONS 64
And you thought Jersey was bad.

We're Gonna Party with Amare, Leandro, Fiesta, Forever...

Steve Nash's Meathawk Productions brings you another hilarious short.  Leandro Barbosa kicks off a Lionel Richie "All Night Long" sing along with the rest of the Phoenix Suns squad...

Marcus Banks scored 14, 'Nuff Said - RAPS 118, NETS 95

RAPS 118, NETS 95
This wasn't an all-star game of any sort, but it sure felt like it.  The Raps just jumped on the Nets in the first half and built up a 70-33 lead by halftime.  This was just ugly Nets basketball.  I know how hard it is to be a Raps fan, but being a Nets fan this season must be worse.  This was more of an embarrassing loss for the Nets than a good win for the Raptors.

Not Enough Raps' D and Too Much D12 - MAGIC 118, RAPS 99

MAGIC 118, RAPS 99
11-17 and 2nd in the Atlantic Division, man, does this division ever suck.  Defensively, you never know what you're going to get from these Raptors, and tonight, the Raps had no defense at all.  The Magic shot about 70% for like three quarters of last night's game.

Heat Team Meeting Defeats the Raps - HEAT 115, RAPS 95

HEAT 115, RAPS 95

The first thing I heard was that Eric Spoelstra had a closed-door team meeting with the Heat before this game.  I knew this would spell trouble for the Raptors.  The Heat were blown out by the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, so the Heat were ready to come out swinging at the Raptors' expense.  The Heat outscored the Raptors 67-48 in the middle two quarters and didn't even turn back as the Raps couldn't get back into this one.  Wade even sat out the entire fourth quarter.

OUTSIDE THE BOXSCORE: Talkin' Hoops with Drafted winner, Paul Brothers

Outside The Boxscore  features basketball Q and A's with people outside of the hoops industry.

Hailing from Bishop Falls, Newfoundland, comes Paul Brothers, who was recently named the winner of Drafted: the search for Canada's next sportscaster.  Paul was selected as the overall winner amongst thousands of contestants across Canada and won a one-year contract as a sports braodcaster with The Score.  Paul had the opportunity to interview Kardinal Offishall and Toronto FC's Carl Robinson during the process and we got to ask Paul about his recent win, his thoughts on the Toronto Raptors and the hardest NBA name he has had to pronounce.

Ariza Goes 0 for 10 - RAPS 101, ROCKETS 88

RAPS 101, ROCKETS 88
Trevor Ariza went 0-10 from the floor yesterday, 0 for 9 from the field and 0 for 1 in thrown elbows as the Rockets lost to the Raps yesterday afternoon in Toronto.

Happy Canada Basketball Day!

Tonight at the ACC, the Toronto Raptors will have their annual Canada Basketball night with members of the senior men's and women's team in attendance.  For more information on what's happening tonight, check out the details on Basketball Canada's official website.

Now for all you Halifax/Canadian hoop heads, be sure to check out my recap at Haligonia.ca on how our Canadian content of the NBA performed last week.

BUCKWHILIN' - BUCKS 117, RAPS 95

BUCKS 117, RAPS 95

In case you missed Delfino's block on the rook, check it out here.

RAPTORS VLOGGIN' Ep. 4 featuring Hip Hoop Junkies & Hoop Heads North

In this week's vlog, U-E, Sean and myself discuss the Toronto Huskies throwback jerseys, the roller coaster that we know as the Toronto Raptors and some of Jay Triano's new offensive sets.  We poke a little fun at the Jarret Jack shoe-tying play, so in case you missed it, here's what transpired this past Saturday when the Raptors played the Chicago Bulls.

Steve Nash's Toilet Humour

Captain Canada is back at it again with his co-star Amare Stoudemire in their one minute film entitled......ahhh...just watch the video:

Raptors Bully the Bulls

RAPS 110, BULLS 78
In case you missed DeMar's dunk on Brad Miller last night, here it is:

Jurassic Five - RAPS 109, WIZ 107 (OT)

RAPS 109, WIZ 107 (OT)

The Raptors just got dragged through the media the past couple of days after their five game losing streak;  blame this person, blame that person, blame it on Triano, blame it on the schedule, blame it on the players, blame it on Colangelo, gotta blame it on somethin', gotta blame it on somethin'.....

RAPTORS VLOGGIN' featuring Hip Hoop Junkies & Hoop Heads North

In our latest vlog for Raptors fan show, RaptorSpace (which aired last night on RaptorsTV), we talk about the problems with the Raptors, our surprises/disappointments with the team and the upcoming schedule...

Stinker.

HAWKS 146, RAPS 115
They say good teams adjust and I didn't see any adjustments from the Raptors in terms of defense, effort or intensity last night.

What more can I say?  The Raptors gave up 32+ points to the Hawks for four quarters.  It's nothing new, Raptors fans are patiently waiting for this Raptors team to "finally turn it around"

Wiz win 106-102, now it's time to panic....

WIZARDS 106, RAPS 102
I thought that a new month would be the turning point for the Raptors in their matchup against the losing Wizards, but the Raptors couldn't even stop them last night.

Hip Hoop Junkies talks Suns basketball with Slam Online writer, Ben York

Steve Nash touched down on his native Canadian soil on Sunday afternoon when his Phoenix Suns downed the Toronto Raptors 113-94.  Nash's Suns are currently the top team in the NBA with their 14-3 record and are one of the early surprise teams in the league.  I got the chance to talk to Phoenix Suns' fan and writer, Ben York about our Canadian product, Steve Nash, and this year's Phoenix Suns.  Ben is a national writer for Slam Online and also a writer for Fanster.com (covering the Phoenix Suns)  We talk about Steve Nash, how the Raptors can be more like the Suns and what Ben knows about Canadian culture.  

Nash Shows Canada Who's Boss

SUNS 113, RAPS 94
I can't believe a 35-year old Canadian and Grant Hill are running this league.

The Toronto Raptors don't exactly make me proud to be a Canadian, but damn, Steve Nash does.  Nash proved today that even at 35 he can run the best team in the league. Sure, you have your Kobes, your Lebrons, your Melos in the rest of the league but Canadians have Steve Nash.  And he put on a show yesterday.  Nash finished with 20 pts, 3 rebounds and 16 dimes as the Suns downed the Raptors 113-94.

RAPTORS VLOGGIN' featuring Hip Hoop Junkies & Hoop Heads North on Raptorspace

One the latest episode of Raptorspace, check out the Q and A at Centre Sports with Hedo Turkloglu and DeMar DeRozan from last weekend.  Also, at the 6:30 mark of the video, check out the latest vlog from Hip Hoop Junkies and Hoop Heads North discussing some of our favourite Raptors of all-time.

Celtics Knee the Raps in the Crotch

CELTICS 116, RAPS 103

Another third quarter collapse.  The Raptors have to recognize, this is where they lose games, as they were outscored 33-17 in the third.  The Celtics went on a 13-0 run during this quarter and the Raptors weren't able to stop anything.

Hip Hoop Junkies talks hoops with Raptors broadcaster, Matt Devlin

We got a heavy hitter in for a Q and A here at Hip Hoop Junkies.  Matt Devlin, the Raptors official play-by-play announcer, was kind enough to take the time to answer some of our Raptors questions.  Matt, who is in his second season with the Raptors, has a nice broadcast background behind him and has covered everything from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Charlotte Bobcats all the way down to Olympic wrestling.  Co-blogger Sean and I asked Mr. Devlin a few questions about the Toronto Raptors, his prior knowledge of Canada and what music he listened to in high school.

Do you want a Raptors 'Starting Five' T-shirt?

Raptor fans: I saw this shirt when I was at the ACC for the Raptors-Heat game over the weekend, and immediately my buddy had to inquire on how we could our hands on one of these shirts.  It's a very cool tee with the Raptors starting five on the front, I just got mine in the mail today.

Anyhow, if you want one of the shirts (seen above) check out Mark @ Circle T's to get your own.

If you missed this one, lucky for you...

BOBCATS 116, RAPS 81
Yep, welcome to the roller coaster we know as the 09-10 Toronto Raptors.  After dropping 74 points in the first half against the Indiana Pacers, that same Raptors squad scored 74 pts midway through the fourth quarter tonight as they shot a dismal 34%.   And did they "protect the house"?  The Bobcats embarassed the Raptors tonight with 74 points in the paint to the Raptors' 44 points.  That pretty much summed it up, the Charlotte Bobcats who are the worst offensive team outside of the New Jersey Nets, put up 116 on the Raptors.  I repeat, the WORST offensive team outside of the New Jersey Nets!

To put it in perspective, the Charlotte Bobcats average 85 points per game.  The Toronto Raptors let them score 116 points tonight and the 35-point win was the largest win in Bobcats history.  Defense anyone?

Nuthin' But a "PG" Thang

RAPS 123, PACERS 112
Point guards, Jose Calderon and Jarret Jack, put on their best performance of the season, combining for 39 points and 13 assists as the Raptors had their offense going in their 123-112 win over the Indiana Pacers.  Jose Calderon got it going early, playing aggressive, attacking the basket and it worked.

OH CANA-DUNKS! Joel Anthony Jams it Home in the Homeland

Canadian baller, Joel Anthony showcased a little bit of his dunking ability on the Raptors' Amir Johnson in the Heat's loss against the Toronto Raptors on Friday.

Of Boos & Broken Clipboards

MAGIC 104, RAPS 96

Look above.  The Magic knew who they had to defend yesterday.  In what was supposed to be a VC tribute night that Carter in turn, "politely declined".  VC decided to make his own tribute night finishing with 24 points and 8 rebounds, handing the Raptors another "haha, in your face, this was almost five years ago, stop booing, I got the last laugh" loss. 

The Heat Ain't So Hot

RAPS 120, HEAT 113
The first half of last night's game may been the best half of basketball that I've seen from the Raptors this season. 

RAPTORS VLOGGIN' EP. 2 featuring Hip Hoop Junkies & Hoop Heads North

Hip Hoop Junkies and  Hoop Heads North collaborated for another video blog for this week's episode of RaptorSpace on Raptors TV.  This week we talked about our most memorable Raptors moments, some of our favourite Raptors of all time and the Raptors upcoming home stand.



Big ups to Jeorge Sadi for his camera work!

Talkin' Hoops with Audley of the NBA Breakdown

If you're into NBA podcasts, you probably already know about The NBA Breakdown with Dave and Audley.  And if you haven't checked these guys out, start now. The podcast is into its second season and these guys have interviewed an all-star calibre list of guests. From Maurizio Gherardini to Tom Chambers to Montell Jordan, they've had guests from all aspects of hoops on their show. I caught up with Audley from The NBA Breakdown and asked him about this year's Toronto Raptors, Steve Nash's Suns and the greatest NBA player/rapper.

The Doubting Thomas Award starring Patrick O'Bryant, Marco Belinelli & Roko Ukic

My blogging homie from Australia, NBA Mate asked me to participate in the nominations of an award named The Doubting Thomas award.  NBA Mate calls this award "An award to recognise the achievements of those who have achieved so little. An award to celebrate those players who have frustrated us beyond belief, yet leave us with a tinge of hope that maybe, just maybe, they’ll turn it around soon. Because let’s face it, no matter how many chances you’ve blown, there’s always the chance you won’t f*ck up the next one."

RUN PMB! Pops Mensah-Bonsu Returns to T.O.

The rumours were swirling and then the rumours just became a truth tonight.  Pops Mensah-Bonsu was claimed off of waivers by the Toronto Raptors.  Pops was signed as a free agent last season with the Raps and brought energy back to Toronto during the tail end of last year's dismal season.   Time will tell on how he'll fit in the rotation with Reggie Evans, Amir Johnson and Rasho Nesterovic coming off of the bench but he's definitely a great addition to the squad.

4 Q's of Basketball with Vicious D of RaptorsHQ

One of the cool things that I had noticed at the beginning of this season was the representation of the Raptors' blog nation at events like Raptors Media Day and the Toronto Raptors training camp.  One of the blogs that had access to the Toronto Raptors Media Day was RaptorsHQ.com  I wanted to get an inside scoop of Media Day from a blogger's perspective, so I asked Vicious D from RaptorsHQ a few questions about his first experience at the event.

How to Avoid a Chris Kaman Attack

(seen above: Toronto Raptors Amir Johnson is brutally attacked by a Chirs Kaman)

The Chris Kaman of species losangelescenteris is native of the Los Angeles area but is also known to travel to other areas of Norh America.  The Chris Kaman is an unpredictable species of NBA player and is known to attack. 

Call Jason Voorhees, Raps Killed it on Friday the 13th

RAPS 104, CLIPS 89

After a poor first quarter, the Raps came out and adjusted their defense for the last three quarters to beat the LA Clippers 104-89.  If you checked out the boxscore, the Raptors gave up 34 points in the first quarter to the Clips but then improved their D, and held them to 20 pts in the second, 20 pts in the third quarter and then stepped it up holding the Clips to 15 in the fourth.

RAPTORS VLOGGIN' featuring Hip Hoop Junkies & Hoop Heads North

My blogging homies U-E Sampang, Sean Francois and myself put together a mini vlog for Raptors fan site, Raptorspace.com  We discussed the Raptors upcoming road trip, Vince Carter and Matt Bonner's nasty slam on the Raps.

It was our first attempt at putting something together like this and thanks to the handy video editing by U-E, this is our finished product:

OUTSIDE THE BOXSCORE: Talkin' Hoops with Toronto DJ, Skratch Bastid

Outside The Boxscore is a new feature to Hip Hoop Junkies, featuring basketball Q and A's with people outside of the hoops industry.

If you don't know who Skratch Bastid is, you will now.  He's not a new face in my hometown of Halifax as he's been doing his thing even before he was out of high school.  Taken straight out of his bio at skratchbastid.com:

Raptors get back to .500 with an inspired 2nd half effort against the Bulls

Photo credit: Ron Turenne/NBAE

After the lackluster defensive effort from the Toronto in their last two games on the road, the Raptors were looking to rebound (literally!) from those defeats and get a win at home against the visiting Chicago Bulls before they went back out on the road for 4 more games.

Steve Nash's Suns are Scorching

In case you missed it (but you probably didn't), Captain Canada did it again as he dropped his second 20 assist game of the season against the Sixers on Monday.  This time he added 21 points to his 20 dimes in the win.  Nash is averaging 18 points per game and a whopping 13 assists per game.

I have to get a pair of Air Bonners

SPURS 131, RAPS 124

Maybe they should have called off this game.  Then, maybe the Raptors could have taken the time to review their defensive schemes again. 

Before the tip off, there was some sort of an issue with the wax on the court, and they were contemplating calling off the game due to the slippery conditions.  But the game went on.

DeMar DeRozan: One Rookie

 
DeMar DeRozan has been holding his own with the Raptors, and so far, the rookie hasn't lost his starting job.  He's been averaging about 19 min/game, 5.2 ppg, 3.2 reb and 1.2 assists and while his numbers haven't been noteworthy, Triano has been ensuring that the rookie is getting his exposure to NBA play. 

Mavs Outrun, Outwit, Outplay the Raps

MAVS 129, RAPS 101

The Mavs came out running, and the Raptors came out limping as the Mavs blew out the Raps 129 to 101. In the second game of Raptors' back to back, the Mavs just straight out scorched the Raps and shot 62.4% from the field.  Dirk led the Mavericks with 29 points and 9 rebounds but the Mavericks also had big games from Josh Howard (16 pts in his season debut) and former Raptor, Shawn Marion (18 pts, 8 rebounds)  The Raptors couldn't keep up with the running game and the Mavericks pulled away after a 15-4 run to start the third.  That 15-4 run coupled with a 44 point Dallas Mavericks fourth quarter put the icing on the cake early as the Raptors stunk it out.

CHRIS ROCKS! Bosh's 27 Wins Over Paul's 21

RAPS 107, HORNETS 90

Even Patrick O'Bryant got some clock.

The Toronto Raptors "See N' Say"

Ok, NBA broadcasters, commentators, analysts, podcasters, radio dudes who reads the regular sports updates,  Mr. Marasmitch and myself are sick of you guys mispronouncing our Toronto Raptors' last names.  So in order to save you embarassment on your next broadcast, we've produced a handy visual guide for those 'hard-to-prounounce' Raptor last names.

BARGNANI BOARDS!

RAPTORS 110, PISTONS 99

Where's Rip? Where's Sheed? Where's Chauncey?

I know they always talk about the Raptors and their nine new faces, but wow, these Pistons look a lot different this year.  With new faces like Charlie V, Ben Gordon, Chirs Wilcox, Jonas Jerebko?  I had a hard time getting used to who was who.

Hip Hoop Junkies talks ball with Raptors radio analyst, Eric Smith

Screw Vince Carter.  They should honour Eric Smith at the ACC this season.  All kidding aside, Eric Smith may be one of the hardest working media members for the Toronto Raptors.  You can find his blog at Raptors.com, he has another blog 'The Rap' at the FAN 590, he co-hosts the daily radio show 'The Game Plan' with Jack Armstrong, he's a radio analyst for the Raptors' coverage on the same radio station, he's also on Twitter (@Eric__Smith), he responds to pretty much every email/tweet he gets, he's growing out the 'stache for Movember (raising funds for prostate cancer) AND....let me take a breath....the guy has a family on top of that (there's probably more that I'm missing). 

REDICK-ULOUS! Vince who? JJ Redick drops 27 on the Raps

MAGIC 125, RAPTORS 116 Man, it was a horrible day for Raptors fans.  First of all, Vince Carter didn't even play, so the fans didn't even get the chance to "boo" the crap out of Carter every time he touched the ball.  And second of all, the Raptors got killed with the three ball at the hands of who?  JJ Redick and Ryan Anderson.  The Magic had three key players out: Vince Carter (ankle...boo hoo), Pietrus (flu-like symptoms) and Rashard Lewis (suspension).  I don't know if the Raptors were hungover from the Jay-Z concert from the previous night, but the Raptors were asleep on perimeter defense yesterday afternoon.

Liveblogging Raptors-Magic today at TheScore.com!

Hip Hoop Junkies will be liveblogging the Raptors-Magic today at TheScore.com.  Check the link at game time (1:00 PM EST):

Raptors-Magic Liveblog

And let's hope this doesn't happen again:

Victorious Grizzles after Raptors' Lead Fizzles

GRIZZLIES 115, RAPTORS 107

In the Raps' first road game against the young and talented, Vancouv...uh....Memphis Grizzlies, the Raps blew their 8-point lead (oh, please don't start this again) in the fourth quarter, falling to the Grizz 115-107.  It was a battle of the lefties, as both power fowards Zach Randolph and Chris Bosh went toe to toe.  Bosh finished the night with a monster line: 37 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and Zach Randolph countered with 30 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists.

Need a Last Minute Halloween Costume? Be "Halloween Hedo"!

Do you need a last minute costume?

Be the hit at your office Halloween party and become the Turkish superstar, Hedo Turkoglu with your very own "Halloween Hedo" mask.   Just print, cut and you're set!

OH CANA-DUNKS! How the Canadian flavour of the NBA did on opening night

Toronto Raptors: RAPS 101, CAVS 91

You read that right. 

The team scores are associated with the right team. 

The Cleveland Cavaliers are 0-2. 

This isn't the year 2027.

'More Than A Game' is More Than a 'Lebron' Movie

On Monday night, my buddy Sean was able to score some advance screening tickets to see the new hoops flick 'More Than A Game' here in Halifax.  Unfortunatley for Sean, he wasn't able to make it due to prior commitments but fortunately for me, I was able to scoop them up! If you are unaware of this movie, it's a documentary directed by Kristopher Belman about Lebron James, his crew of friends and their quest to becoming one of the best high school basketball teams in the country.  

4 Q's of Basketball with Kat from the Raptors Dance Pak

Toronto hoops fans probably know Kat from the Rapors Dance Pak, she also gave fans a behind-the-scenes look of the Dance Pak on  NBA XL and Twitter nation knows her as @RaptorspaceKat.  On top of that, she is also the new host of the new Raptors fan show, Raptorspace soon to be on Raptors TV.  I asked Kat a few questions on hoops, the Dance Pak and got the scoop on the new show.

You Want a "Big Country" T-Shirt?

Well, during my quest to find "Big Country" Bryant Reeves, I also found this t-shirt. 

Stop what you're doing and order it now.

The 'FOLLOW 13POB13' Twitter Movement

This, ladies and gentlemen, is how powerful Twitter can be.  My buddy Sean (@seanfrancois) jokingly dubs it "Where Amazing Happens" after talking with the likes of Dwight Howard, Larry Fitzgerald, and Ernie Johnson on Twitter.  Whether you thought it was a fad or something "you just didn't understand", this story goes to show how much social media mediums like Twitter, Facebook etc. is much a part of this generation.

4 Q's of Basketball with TWolves Blog

The preseason wraps up tonight for the Toronto Raptors as they face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  The Raps have already faced the Wolves this preseason and the Raps took the victory 112-97.  In tonight's matchup, the Wolves are playing without Kevin Love who recently suffered a hand injury, which may sideline him for 6-8 weeks.  I caught up with College Wolf from Timberwolves blog, TWolves Blog to talk about the latest with the Wolves as well as tonight's preseason matchup.

The Throwback: Where in the World is Bryant "Big Country" Reeves?

The return of NBA basketball to Vancouver last night sparked some memories of the Vancouver Grizzlies.  Eric Smith blogged about it on the FAN590.com yesterday: "The worst trade in NBA history: Vancouver for Memphis!"  When you mention the Vancouver Grizzlies, Canadian hoop heads get bitter. Why? There was a series of failures with the Canadian NBA franchise: the Steve Francis fiasco, the NBA lockout, the ugly uniforms (see above), the team's move to Memphis and the Grizzlies' first ever draft pick:

Bryant "Big Country" Reeves.

Vancouver basketball is back!

....well at least for one night.  Steve Nash is back in BC.

And the Toronto Raptors 'Tweet of the Season' goes to.......

SONNY WEEMS!

Join the "FOLLOW 13POB13" movement!

Twitter nation, ask yourself one question.  Are you following 13POB13?