Time for Bargnani to go
Bargnani held to four points but makes two key stops (seriously)
It’s not fighting that ends relationships. That happens when one partner decides it’s not worth arguing any more.
We’ve reached that point with Andrea Bargnani. No amount of verbal lashing will move this man. He’ll absorb everything this city flings his way and shrug.
“Criticism has two sides,” Bargnani said last year. “Most of the time it just comes here” — pointing at one ear — “and goes out here” — pointing at the other.
He is a stump. A talented stump, but a stump nonetheless — immovable, unchangeable.
The crucial distinction here is this: With a limited sampling of Kyle Lowry still available, Bargnani remains the most dependable offensive option on the Raptors roster.
He is a star, but not the right star for this squad.
“I like our team. I like our pieces,” coach Dwane Casey said Friday.
“Sometimes I don’t like the way they execute.”
After a month of searching, the Raptors finally found in the Phoenix Suns a team further down the officiating food chain than they are.
That and — even more unlikely — two Lee Marvin-esque fighting defensive stands by Andrea Bargnani sparked Toronto to its fourth win of the year on Friday night.
With seconds left and down two, Suns slash-and-burn specialist Shannon Brown pulled his chute as he thundered through the lane. Brown made hard contact with a bevy of Raptor bodies and went tumbling to the floor out of bounds. He looked up for the foul and found himself the recipient of some commiserations, but nothing else.
By this point, Suns coach Alvin Gentry could no longer maintain the amused smile that comforts him through the hard times. He was left screaming in disbelief. Moments after it ended, Gentry had his coaching staff huddled around him outside the visitors’ dressing room, running down all the uncalled fouls that sank his team.
“(Luis) Scola? Definitely a foul,” Gentry grumbled. The staff nodded sympathetically.
Toronto to Alvin — your Dwane Casey impersonation needs work.
This one had all the hallmarks of a Toronto Raptor Loss (trademark pending).
First quarter collapse? Check. Toronto was down by 10 inside of 12 minutes.
Second unit fightback? Check. When the starters couldn’t get a thing going, the subs were able to claw their way back in to things. Special citations for Ed Davis (eight rebounds) and Jose Calderon (13 points, nine assists). Citation plus a purple heart for Amir Johnson, who contributed 16 enormous points despite being a game-time decision with a wonky ankle. Third quarter stalemate? You’re getting the hang of this. Check. It was a see-saw encounter until DeMar DeRozan drove the basket at the third-quarter buzzer. Though his shot went up late, upon review officials decided he’d been fouled. The additional free-throw put the Raptors up 80-76. They would not surrender that lead. But it sure looked like they might, didn’t it? Of course it did. This is Toronto. If you ask Toronto to move your piano, it’s going to carry it down the fire escape by itself. It won’t realize there was an elevator until the ambulance gets there.
The Raptors were up nine with nine minutes to go.
Too good to be true? Check and double-check. With two minutes to go, it was back to a one-point game. And you know what happens in tight games requiring defensive stops? Put the name of a Raptor together with the word “time.” After 12 tries, you’ll get to “Bargnani time!”
On what was otherwise another miserable night for the Italian (four points), he put his shoulder pads on for the final half minute.
First, when Lowry lost counterpart Goran Dragic in the haze, it was Bargnani who ended up marking the slippery Slovenian. Bargnani moved his feet and backed Dragic onto the baseline, where a panic pass ended up back in Kyle Lowry’s hands.
On the next possession, Bargnani found himself guarding Scola in the post. Despite catching an elbow from the Argentinean full in the chin, Bargnani did not go down. Neither would Scola’s hook.
It was still a two-point game when Brown drove the lane on the final play. That’s when officials decided to do some (long overdue) score settling and give the Raptors the benefit of the doubt.
Bargnani’s third and fourth points on the night put it out of reach.
It was only the club’s fourth win from 17 games. A gruesome fivegame road swing out west looms. But you have to appreciate the small moments in a season like this, and coach Casey is a, “Hey, are those roses?” type of guy.
“I don’t drink beer, so I’m having a Gatorade,” Casey said as he entered the press conference room afterward. Perhaps you were also popping a bottle at home. As a Raptor fan, it’s more likely you were knee deep in your third (litre).
This morning, you may need reminding — the Raptors won.