ACC Will Be Pumpin' For Game 3

April 24, 10:01 a.m. The Raps and Magic tonight at 7:30 at the ACC. If you can't attend catch us on theScore. The crowd tonight will be a major factor. Orlando won a franchise record 27 road games including a November win here in Toronto. But the playoff atmosphere is different. This is a MUST win for the Raps. The intensity will be there and there is no question the Raps will be ready to play. You know the story. The Raps need a win. Doesn't matter if it's a one point thriller or a ten point cushion. A win is a win. The Raps simply can't dig themselves a hole in the first quarter as they've done the first two games. It's physically and emotionally draining to play catch up basketball. The Raps will have 19,800 fans going bananas and that should be an incentive to get off to a good start. What adjustments will the two teams make? Orlando will definitely work on defending Toronto's small ball unit. Jason Kapono, Carlos Delfino and Jose Calderon created numerous problems for the Magic. But as Stan Van Gundy said the other day, adjustments are easier said than done. This is not a computer game. A coach comes up with a game plan, a strategy to take away a team's strength and then up to the players to execute. NBA notes... Kobe was spectacular in the Lakers win over Denver. Put a fork in the Nuggets. Detroit played like Detroit. Hopefully the Hawks will take away something from their playoff series with Boston. For a team down 0-2 DeShawn Stevenson is doing a lot and I mean a lot of talking. It will be very interesting to see what direction the Bulls take in their search for a new coach. A lot of former coaches and current assistants want that job and for good reason. I'm interested in seeing where Danilo Gallinari goes in the NBA draft Pacman Jones sent to the Cowboys for a fourth rounder. The Titans must be overjoyed. Great move by the Reds signing Walt Jocketty as GM. More from the playoff e-mail bag: HI Chuck: I'd like to comment on the game. First of all I thought it was a lot better effort all around compared to the first game but they still came up short. Let's hope the Magic aren't wearing them down. Just an observation, I have been watching some of the other games around the NBA and have noticed that the playoffs seem to more physical than the regular season and was wondering if you think the Raps can be as physical, Bosh has been getting beat up and Delfino is certainly trying to attack the basket and is doing a good job but he's also getting beat up. Other than those two maybe Barngani, a little has tried to attack but he's not mixing it up like Bosh. I can kind of understand why Moon is hesitant to attack knowing full well he would probably end of on his rear end most of the time having to go up against some of these heavier guys, I mean it would be like running into a brick wall running into Howard. Do we need to insert more muscle like Joey Graham or Breznec, I know these guys aren't as consistent performance wise like some of the starters, but what can we do, Bosh cannot endure that punishment game in game out. Maybe in the off season the Raptors need to look for few heavier skilled guys to dish out some of that punishment that the Raps are getting. Nestervich has got the size and weight but does not have the quickness to do the job either. Thanks, Allan The Raps are down, but definitely not out. A better start to the game and better play from T.J Ford is crucial for the remainder of the series. Jamario Moon needs to stop settling for 3 balls just because he is open, needs to take a step in or explode to the bucket. By the way, excellent move by Sam Mitchell by taking out Rasho, forcing Howard to guard Bosh. Bosh ate him alive in the 2nd quarter, but needs help guarding Howard on the other end. GO RAPS GO!!!!...oh and JASON KAPONO IS AMAZING!!!!! -Bipan, from Markham Hi Chuck, Great game between the Raps and Magic last night. That's the type of playoff basketball I like to see (in quarters 2 to 4). Had the Raptors kept their first quarter mistakes to a minimum, they would have won. Raptors have got to get the next two games and keep home court otherwise this is over. The Magic will probably win in seven. But I'll take that as success over last year's playoffs where we lost a home game. Keep up the good work, Chuck!! Can't wait for Game 3. The crowd is gonna be insane!!! B Good Morning Chuck, Do you still doubt me when I said Magic in 5? It pains me so much to be so frustrated with the lack of execution from the Raptors on both the offensive side and defensive side; I just don't see how this team can win this series. Claudio Moreira. Hey Chuck, I feel that although the Raptors are down 2-0 in the series, they have some positives to bring back with them to Toronto. It’s a best of seven series and the Raptors dug themselves into a whole but the series isn’t close to over yet. The Raptors should realize that the Magic gave them their best shot and the Raptors still were able to fight back. The first key for the Raptors to pull out a win is not to let the game get away from them early and another key is the play with aggression for the whole game because in the playoffs its “GO HARD or GO HOME” and the Raps aren’t playing with that killer mentality that would allow them to compete throughout the game. Hopefully the line-up change Sam Mitchell said he’s going to try will make the 1st quarter of Game 3 a lot closer. I’m thinking he’s is going to start Moon and place Rasho on the bench and play Bargnani at the 5 instead of the 3. Craig Cunningham Chuck Is this team afraid to win? I get that sense some times. I don’t think that last shot was the best option...Bosh having to fade a jumper over Howard. My patience and nerves are raw. David Sutch Hi Chuck, After reading the daily media and internet blog attacks on the entire Raptors organization (Colangelo screwed up, Mitchell can’t coach, Bosh isn’t strong enough, TJ is “ME”-J, Bargnani is a bust, Moon is a bonehead, at nauseam), I must say I am totally dismayed that Toronto basketball fans have suddenly turned into whiny second-guessers and finger-pointers. Now everybody thinks they’re a better GM, coach, or player just because every decision is easier to re-do in hindsight. Instead of being encouraged by two straight playoff appearances by a young – I repeat, young – and relatively inexperienced Raptors team after many years of regular season failure, the sharks are now in the water and smelling blood. It is true that the Raptors have many deficiencies that still need to be addressed for them to be consistently successful, but come on – the way they are being pummeled by fans and media alike, you’d think they’re the Knicks. I try to see the Raptors from a glass half-full perspective, a true work in progress with a good young core assembled by a GM who has given himself the financial flexibility to continue tweaking and improving the roster in the future. I wouldn’t consider this season a failure if the Raptors fail to advance, because really, what are the chances of them winning the NBA championship now anyway? Even if they had signed somebody to a $120 million dollar contract. What do you think are the Magic’s chances of winning same championship this year? (Well, they might, but not likely.) At last count, only 8 NBA teams have won championships in the last THIRTY years. Some great teams (Utah, Phoenix, Dallas) are loaded with more all-stars than the Raptors ever had and have never won either. So where is it written that a team has to advance one playoff round every year otherwise it should be broken up? The “couch” critics are calling out Sam Mitchell for drawing up that final play for Bosh, as if Kapono or Calderon would have surely won the game for us if they had taken the shot. There’s no way to know really, and if CB4 had passed up that open shot for a Kapono 3-pointer and that one missed, would they call out Chris for not taking the shot himself? The thing was, it was an option play, and Chris made the decision to take the shot that was presented to him. Last thing you want in this case is for your franchise player to second-guess himself in a pressure situation. Okay, the Raptors had consecutive miserable first quarter starts. But even if they had led in the first quarter both games, how would that have guaranteed their chances of winning? The Phoenix Suns led San Antonio early in both their games and still lost twice. That’s why the games are played for 48 minutes. The ebbs and flows of the game in each quarter determine how a team plays. Maybe if the Raptors had kept the games close in the first quarter, the Magic would have kept their focus and not relaxed. Who knows? And blaming Bargnani for that poor first quarter start? Or Mitchell for starting Bargnani? Turnovers by Ford, Bosh, and Parker allowed those Magic run-outs that buried the Raps in the first place. Those had nothing to do with Andrea. And how is Bargnani now a bust in his second year who needs to be traded? Sure he’s not playing great and needs to develop multiple aspects of his game, but how can we know if he will ever be good if we don’t give him a chance? I think it would be a bigger disappointment if he were traded and THEN blossomed with some other team. Just look at players like Tyson Chandler – after the Bulls gave up on him. Or David West, whose averages in his first two years were less than Andrea’s, now an all-star in his FIFTH year. Or Chauncey Billups – he was once a Raptor wasn’t he? Didn’t we know that he would someday be an all-star in Detroit? Where would we be if we had given up on Jose Calderon after his FIRST year? How is Sam Mitchell suddenly a bad coach and needs to be fired? Because of his regular season record this year? Doc Rivers had a worse record last year. Was he a bad coach who suddenly became a great one? Byron Scott and Jerry Sloan have endured losing seasons for the Hornets and Jazz respectively. Now they’re under consideration for COY. Does their coaching ability change from one year to the next? Did Pat Riley go from genius to moron in two years? I think Sam Mitchell has done his best to play the hand he was dealt – I realize that the results are disappointing to some, but some of the issues they have had to deal with this year aren’t really his fault. If only 4 of your players are playing well, you still have to play a fifth guy. Like you say, the coach can get a player an open shot, but the player still has to hit it. So, after that long drawn-out rant, I’m all for being patient, Chuck. I watched the game last night and instead of cussing out the Raptors for falling behind in the first quarter, I applauded them for fighting back, playing hard, being competitive, and giving themselves a chance to win the game. Yes they lost the game, and I realize they will have a difficult time winning this series. But I’ve seen enough good things to be hopeful about their success in the future. Go Raps! Steve From Richmond Hill Chuck, you have to help me understand what happened in the final seconds of game 2. After Howard gets the controversial "no foul" call just moments earlier, wouldn't having Bosh drive to the hoop in the final seconds the smartest thing to do? either he would have had an easy basket or the refs would have been very inclined to call a foul seeing as they screwed up just moments before. that was the game winning tactic and they blew it. I don't get it??? why settle for a jumper? VINCE CHIERA Hey Swirsk- Raps are down 0-2, but I think we can comeback. Like you said, the ACC Arowd will be nuts the entire game. I think the Raps can win both games at the ACC, and hopefully the momentum will carry back into Amway. We still have a legit shot. If we can get the Calderon-Ford situation set, and if Kapono and Bosh continue there great play, we'll be fine. But we'll see. Go Raps, Kevin More and more e-mails, hundreds in fact I received and I appreciate all of them. It just shows you and demonstrates the amount of passion from the Raptors fan base not only throughout Canada but around the world as well. On Wednesday alone I received e-mails from Italy, Spain, Poland, South Korea and the United States. Flip a note or comments to me at cswirsky@torontoraptors.com or call me at 416-815-6189. Always a pleasure.