Two in a row for the Raptors as it looks like Jose Calderon is playing like, well, Jose Calderon as he said in his post-game interview last night. No doubt he is healthier than he's been for quite some time and it is being reflected in his play. Milwaukee came to town trying to get back on the winning track but maybe they had to check their defence at the border. Toronto put up 65 first-half points on 57 percent shooting from the floor.
The Bucks are doing the best they can and while you can survive for a while without your best players. Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd are out of the line-up and Luke Ridnour did not play last night as a result of back spasms but is expected to join the team later on this road trip. The longer you play less-talented players the more apt you are to be exposed. Right now, the Bucks are being exposed and a lack of intensity is killing them. Hey, they may just be running out of gas and this is a bad time to have that happen.
Scott Skiles has done a great coaching job this season but it may ultimately be just not enough to get the Bucks into the post-season.
It's tourney time and it was great to chat with Scott Skiles right-hand man, Jim Boylan, his trusted assistant who has been with him on every NBA bench he has occupied. Be it Phoenix, Chicago, where he actually took over for the deposed Skiles or currently in Milwaukee. Boylan was on the Al McGuire-led Marquette squad that won the NCAA title in 1977. Boylan laughed at the fact that it has been 32 years since he played in the title game.
"You never really realize how long ago it actually was until you see the number in print," laughed Boylan.
There were jokes that it was so long ago that the venue where it was played, the Omni in Atlanta, a brand new arena at the time no longer exists. It was a great Final Four as it included North Carolina, UNLV and an upstart Cinderella team in University of North Carolina at Charlotte, led by future Finals MVP for the Boston Celtics, Cedric "Cornbread" Maxwell. While Maxwell was the leading scorer in the tournament, Marquette's Butch Lee was the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
Boylan recalled that UNC took the lead in the title game and immediately went into their famous 'four corner' offense. For you youngsters, it was before the advent of the shot clock and it allowed less-talented teams to hold the ball and shorten the game thus giving them a better chance to win. Carolina would often take the lead and spread the floor in the four-corner offense with great ball-handlers and trailing opponents were usually done when it came to making a comeback.
But on this Monday night after holding the ball, Carolina saw an opening and what looked like an easy lay-up was blocked and Marquette regained the lead and forced the Tar Heels to play it out. The Warriors as they were known back then, came away with Marquette's only title by way of a 67-59 win. I remember watching a weeping Al McGuire in the post-game as the enormity of it all reduced the "fast-talking, street-wise" McGuire to tears.
Players make their names in the tournament and increase their draft stock and even though Stephen Curry from Davidson, son of former Raptor Dell Curry, is not dancing this year, he was one of the darlings of last year's tourney and is the cross hairs when it comes to this June's NBA draft. In some mock drafts, Curry is projected as high as a top 10 pick. However with the Raptors playing Bobcats twice last week and Dell Curry working on the broadcast crew for the Charlotte squad, he was quick to point out that Stephon still had a year of college eligibility and hinted that he might stay at Davidson for his senior year. It sounds like there is going to be some family discussions before Curry makes his final decision whether to enter the draft or not this June.
