Toronto closed out the home portion of the season with a win Sunday over the Philadelphia 76ers and it's too bad for Raptors' fans that there weren't more home wins this season. In the end, the inability to hold court at home and rack up wins is what cost Toronto a shot at the playoffs even with all the turmoil this season.
During the 2006-07 season when Toronto raised an Atlantic Division championship banner, the Raptors were a solid 30-11 at home while going 17-24 on the road. Last season the home record dipped to 25-16 while the road record was almost identical to the previous campaign at 16-25. But this season the 18-23 mark at the Air Canada Centre was a major reason why the building will be dark next week without playoff basketball. If, and yes I know the old adage about 'ifs and buts' however if, Toronto had the same home record as last season, the 39 wins would have them in the mix for a playoff spot.
It was a solid fourth quarter for Quincy Douby last night in the win over the Sixers as he came off the bench in a tough spot to spark the team. As Anthony Parker said in his post-game radio interview, it's tough to sit for the better part of three quarters and come off the bench in a one-point game and be expected to produce. But that's exactly what Douby did last night in 11.5 minutes, scoring seven points and registering two assists while playing a strong floor game. Parker wasn't too shabby himself as he played aggressively in the second half when he notched 13 of his 18 points.
There is more speculation here in Washington that as early as next week, the Wizards will name Flip Saunders as their new head coach. The report also says that Sam Cassell might be part of the staff should Saunders take over the reigns in the Capital District. Cassell has ties to the area as he attended famed Dunbar High School and is expected to be sort of an intermediary between Saunders and the players. The one knock against Saunders, even with all his offensive creativity is his control in the locker room.
The word out of D.C. is that general manager Ernie Grunfeld, wants a coach with a proven track record with postseason success. So what will happen to interim head coach Ed Tapscott? It sounds like he will be going back into his front office position as Director of Player Development. If that is the case, who better to give Grunfeld all the information on what the team needs than the guy sitting on the bench for 71 games.
Did the Cavaliers send a message to the Celtics yesterday with the beat down at the "Q" yesterday afternoon? Not only did they beat them up but Cleveland's celebrating during the blow-out win did not sit well with Boston's players. And while some will say that Boston still has the title, well Cleveland now has home-court advantage in the playoffs. Why is that significant? The last 15 times these two teams have played the home team has won every time and Boston has lost 11 straight in Cleveland so it might be a big concern for the Celtics should they meet the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Final.
While all the teams in positions four through 15 in the East will make legitimate claims that they are a playoff squad next season, (and it will be hard to argue with them), Indiana will be getting one of its best players in Mike Dunleavy Jr. The Pacers swingman had successful surgery to remove a bone spur in his knee. Head coach Jim O'Brien says Dunleavy is expected to be back until January of next season at the earliest.
