They say everything bigger in Texas and I guess that’s true for the Toronto Raptors … following their loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.
“Big” for the Raptors … was their 24-point lead in the first half.
“Big” for the Raptors … was the 31-point, 12-rebound breakout performance from 2-time All Star, Chris Bosh.
Unfortunately as well …
“Big” for the Raptors … was the 54-23 run they allowed the Mavs to go on for 17:35 minutes (the last 5:35 of the 2ND quarter and the entire 3RD quarter (when Dallas outscored Toronto 38-17 alone)).
“Big” for the Raptors … was the ’stinger’ injury suffered by TJ Ford in the 3RD quarter; an injury that’ll LIKELY keep Ford out of the line up on Wednesday night (we’ll find out officially at shoot-around on Wednesday morning though - so check back in the afternoon and/or listen to the FAN updates for more info).
“Big” for the Raptors … was the pre-game news that Jorge Garbajosa has been placed on the Inactive List. He will not be allowed to play or even practice following an MRI this past Saturday that revealed ’something’ the doctors want to investigate/test further before giving Garbo the okay to resume any kind of work.
The Raps now sit at 5-6 - below .500 for the 2ND time this season - facing a tough Memphis club that is much better than their record indicates.
But the best thing about the NBA … is … generally you don’t have much time to ‘worry’ about wins or losses. There are games every night - or every other night - so having a short memory is a huge plus. Thus, Toronto has to forget about their 105-99 loss to the Mavericks, and concentrate on getting back on track against the Grizz on the back to back.
Wednesday night’s game will be important for T.O. … ’cause if they can get the “W” … it’ll give them a little more wiggle room as they head into the weekend with another back to back against Cleveland (road) and Chicago (home). Entering those games at an even 6-6 would obviously be a lot easier to take than walking in 2 games below .500 … in the midst of a 3-game losing streak (Golden State, Dallas, Memphis?).
E. Smith
ericsmithfan590@yahoo.com
FYI - http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/sma/sma_stinger_sma.htm
