It's Game Day Baby!

: April 27, 11:29 p.m. Scroll down the page for my daily dip into the mail bag I'm not in to these three days between games gap - let's play some ball. J-Kidd with a strained knee. Game-time decision if he plays or not, - run him in transition or have TJ break him down off the bounce! The sellouts at the ACC can make a difference and trust me players are well aware of it. This item appeared in today's NY Times: As of Thursday evening, many tickets remained for Game 3. A scattered crowd would stand in contrast to the scene at the Air Canada Center. The arena was packed, the noise was nonstop, most of the fans wore red T-shirts and, for Game 2, they waved flags. It was a scene from a European soccer stadium. “It was great; I love that,” Nets forward Bostjan Nachbar said of the atmosphere in Toronto. Nachbar, who is from Slovenia, started his career in Europe. “For me, that’s something that I kind of missed the last couple years,” he said. “Any crowd is going to pump me up, whether it’s cheering for me or against me.” How about this stat provided by our ace stat man "Jumpin Johnny Rusin"--in a best-of-seven series tied at a game apiece... the winning team in game three has gone on to win 75% of their respective series. More stats from the "Rus man" 4th quarter Average pts Toronto 28.5, New Jersey 19.0 Fg% Toronto 51.4 (18/35) New Jersey 26.8 (11/41) Star power: Bosh 10.5 pts Carter 6.5 pts That's impressive. Raps-Nets on The Score at 7PM. Based on the amount of e-mail I'm receiving, there will be some enthusiastic Raptors fans in attendance. Got to love the passion of the Toronto fans! NBA news and notes..... 67 points for the Rockets - 67 points? What's up with that? Kwame Brown with 19. Am I dreaming? Lakers back in the series after beating Phoenix. Somebody tell the NBA that combination of Lakers gold and Phoenix bright orange is tough on the eyes! The Pistons are going to have a nice, long break. Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson were out of control during game two against Dallas and Don Nelson is taking matters in his own hands.....(Associated Press) "I want to play with passion. I want to play with emotions, (but) have respect for authority out there. The referees are the authority, and just like when I make a decision, I expect the respect to be there for me. ... Things don't always go your way, and you've got to control your emotions." Wow---respect for authority. What happened to that in our society. Whether it's sports, work place or in the home. Monta Ellis was named Most Improved Player. The guy really came in to his own with the Warriors. What a talent! Kevin Martin of the Kings is a worthy candidate as well. Anthony Parker and Jose Calderon would have certainly been in the mix for that honour. The playoffs create a great stage for athletes to shine and AP is making the most of it with his outstanding play. Other quick hits.... A couple of former Florida Marlins were bringing it last night. A.J. Burnett was poppin that fast ball as the Jays won their third straight and Josh Beckett ran his record to 5-0 as the Red Sox beat Baltimore. Why are people so infatuated with Rosie O'Donnell? Am I missing something? What's gotten into the SF Giants? San Jose and Ottawa-my teams to reach the Cup Finals. To the Mailbag! Emailer Paul, Toronto: Hey Chuck, I've got a suggestion for Richard Jefferson and all those who doubted the red-clad fans that rocked the ACC over the past two games: Perhaps the Meadowlands can have a similar promotion... all the fans can dress up as empty seats! Emailer O.B.: Chuck, I devour your blogs like you on a DQ Blizzard! I'm living in Hong Kong and can't get any games because of... Well, it's Hong Kong! Without your blogs, I'd be lost and locked out of dino-land (and stuck WORKING all day!). I'm not surprised that Vince is settling for jumpers in this series. I remember being infuriated with V.C.'s penchant for 1-pass basketball back in the day. From everything I'm reading, this crew moves the ball... and I'm MISSING IT! ARGH! Any chance Raps TV will start putting some on webcasts. Need Raptors, will pay! (Ed's note: You can now get the games the next day here http://download.nba.com) Emailer John: Hey Chuck! The name's John and I'm a huge Raptors fan! Unfortunately I'm studying in Sydney, Australia, and am unable to experience the whole "aura" surrounding the Raptors playoff push. I wear my Bargnani jersey almost every day! You'd be surprised at how many people in Australia know and love the Raptors. They love the Canadian aspect of it, being the only non-US team in the NBA! Unfortunately catching games is a real pain in the you know what. The games are usually on in the morning (7pm there, 9AM the next day here) and I need to catch them over Internet broadcasts which are of poor quality and frequently freeze. I do what I have to do to watch the Raptors. There is a bunch of us down here from Toronto and we frequently get together to drink Canadian Club and eat salami and cheese! We've been really enjoying watching Vince Carter get his due from the fans! Anyways, just wanted to let you know that the Raptors have a global following and we're cheering them on the best way we can down here!! If you're ever in the area, we'll have some cheese and salami with your name on it! GO RAPTORS GO!!! Emailer Rasool - London, England: Hey Chuck, Even from across the ocean, I can feel all the extra attention that the franchise is getting. I can't stay away any longer -I'm flying in to Toronto on Friday to soak up Raptors-Fever. So hyped for this playoff run. Go Raps!! Keep up the good work Chuck. ps - when i arrive, where can I get a good salami & cheese sandwich? Emailer Amy Jeswani - Rexdale, ON: So I just came back from a four-month trip to Guyana and let me tell you how Raptors deprived I was. Chuck, I had to read raptors.com to get all of my raptors updates during the best part of their season!!! The feeling of anxious-ness my body felt to watch a Raptors game is indescribable. Finally, after coming back in time to watch game 2, I felt this sudden satisfaction. You have no idea how fabulous it felt when you declared the bringing out of the salami n' cheese. Thanks for your blogs Chuck, they kept me going :) Emailer Chris, Vancouver BC: Love the blog! It's the most entertaining piece of sport commentary out there. Just wanted to let you know that in Game 1 my friend and I made ourselves Salami & Cheese sandwiches. However, the Raps still lost!! So Game 2 we went with a bold new strategy: Salami, Cheese and Onion pizza. Result: Raps Win! So I'm thinking maybe you should workout a deal with a pizza company for the 'Chuck Swirsky Special'!! Chuck: Sounds good to me... Whatever works! Emailer Jerome, Hong Kong: First off, I wanna say what an awesome job you are doing this season. Too bad Hong Kong Raptor fans can't catch any of your commentating games here. Even in Hong Kong I can feel the Raptor fever here!!! I have one question, where can I get a Salami and cheese or Onions Baby Onions T-shirt? Is it only exclusively in the ACC Raptor store? I wanna show my Raptors and Swirsky love here in Hong Kong. Heck, I may even wear that to catch some 2008 Beijing Olympic basketball games! Chuck: The best way of purchasing a shirt is to go through Centre Sports at the ACC. Thank you! Emailer Everton - Toronto: Just letting you and Raptor fans back home, know that my boys and I are getting up EARLY to drive to New Jersey to support the Raptors. "You Gotta Love It"...lol. Let people know ;-) Chuck: NJ will see a sea of red tonight for sure. Emailers James Russell, Michelle Haroun, Sam Bremang - Hamilton Ontario: Three of us just drove down from McMaster University to come see our boys play!!! We wrote our last exam of 4th year at 9am on Thursday morning, then jumped on the road to JERSEY! after 10 hours, a few traffic jams and lots of rain, we're here and PUMPED!! We are missing one of our best friends birthday's for this game, but since he's as big a Raptors fan as you could ever imagine, he understands! hahaha :) His name is Marcel Sedati, and we know it would mean the world to him if you could "ring it up!" for him tonight! Anyways, we'll be sitting 5th row in the corner, dressed and painted from head to toe in RED, with two huge "Jose Calderon" hands, so keep an eye out for us! See you tonight at the game, but most importantly....GO RAPS GO! GO RAPS GO! Voicer mailer Gord: Chuck, I'm calling out hockey fans around Canada to get behind the Raptors. Voicer mailer Luke: Chuck, Joey Graham needs to step up. Tell Coach Sam to give Mo Pete a start. Voice mailer Mohammad: Chuck, Onions, Baby, Onions...Raps in 5 and we can play the Cavs next week. Voicer mailer Rich: Chuck, thanks for the blog. We are going crazy here in Windsor for the Raps. Voice mailer Bruce: Chuck, got to get the salami and cheese out twice in NJ. This serie is over if Kidd can't play. Voice mailer Brad: Chuck, thanks for the blog and your number. I love what's going on with the team and city. I was at game two and it rocked. Tell Sam to play Bargnani more. Voice mailer Dave: Chuck, love the passion you have for the Raps. I like the Raps in 7. Bryan Colangelo is the man. --> Got a question or comment about the Raptors/NBA e-mail at cswirsky@torontoraptors.com you can phone me at 416-815-6189. Always a pleasure.