January 17, 2007               

MAVERICKS LOSS COULD PROVE TO BE WATERSHED MOMENT FOR RAPS

      Sure the Raptors eventually lost that heartbreaker to Dallas.  And sure they ended up blowing a double-digit lead in the second half.  And, sure they played tentative in the last few minutes of the game and allowed a last second basket through miscommunication, flawed anticipation, and plain old bad luck.  But the positives that could be gained from this game far outweigh the fact that it was just another loss in a long season of peaks and valleys.

       There is little doubt that the Raptors are a developing club—improving by game and destined to make a run at the playoffs this year.  But the goal for this franchise is not just to be a playoff contender this year, but an upper tier contender next year, and a championship caliber club the year after.  In order for this plan to take effect the club has to climb out from the safe and easy, from the abyss that is home to all mediocrity, and establish itself as a team that desires greatness—to be a serious threat to all those above them.  The Dallas game may be the proof—to them and to the rest of the league. 

      The Raptors discovered—through this game—that if they play smart basketball, move the ball on offense, communicate on defense, play with passion and intensity, and trust each other on the court that they have the talent to play with anybody.  Dallas has established itself as the best club in the league (perhaps an argument could come from Phoenix) and they came into Toronto expecting to run roughshod over one of the leaguer’s bottom feeding clubs.  What they expected and what they actually faced were polar opposites and it took more than a quarter for that fact to sink into their collective heads.  By that time they were behind by a substantial amount.  That’s when the Mavericks turned it on and played as well as they could for the remainder of the game.  The surprising fact was that they didn’t just take over the game and roll over the Raptors—Toronto took everything the Mavs hit them with and came back with shots of their own.  It was a battle right down to the end.  Even through Toronto lost they discovered that they aren’t as far behind Dallas as previously thought, and that if they keep the same intensity and effort they’ll beat most teams most nights.

       Confidence and self-assuredness are factors for which the Raptors have been searching for years.  Previously they didn’t have the talent to warrant such emotions, but this year they have the depth and the skill to compete on a nightly basis.  The Dallas game taught them a valuable lesson.  It was a watershed moment for this club.  They realized that they aren’t among the league’s punching bags anymore—they realized that they can actually be one of those clubs that administer the beating on other clubs, like they did to Philadelphia the next night.  Consistency is the next level they need to reach, and they are going to have that opportunity over the next couple of weeks.  A heavy dose of home games are scheduled against clubs that they suddenly are favoured to beat.  

      If they learned anything from the Dallas game it will surface over the next fortnight, and if it comes to fruition then the Raps can actually take control of their division.  We shall see if they actually like prosperity, or if they just can’t seem to find their way out of that hole.

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