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cheapbag214s · Posted: Wed 3:58, 04 Sep 2013 Post subject: Raptors cap season

Raptors cap season
The Toronto Raptors wrapped up another campaign to forget with a victory on Thursday - something they couldn't get nearly enough of when it mattered this season,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych].
Ben Uzoh recorded Toronto's first triple-double in 11 years in the battle between bench players,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], with 12 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds as the Raptors beat the New Jersey Nets 98-67.
Toronto native Jamaal Magloire took centre-court for the traditional season-ending shout-out to the fans, and promised a post-season appearance next year.
"We'd like to thank you guys for hanging with us through thick and thin I know it's been a turbulent year." Magloire said. "I promise you we will get better. thank you from the bottom of our hearts, and continue continue continue to stick with us because we are going to improve and we are going to make the playoffs next year."
Anthony Morrow and Armon Johnson scored 11 points apiece to top the Nets (22-44), who finished last in the Atlantic Division, one spot below Toronto.
In a woeful finale between two teams with nothing to play for but draft lottery positioning, the Nets dressed eight players while Toronto played just seven. The same five Raptors played the entire second half.
"I just thanked all the guys for their effort,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]," said Raptors coach Dwane Casey. "This game was meaningless,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], but they came out and laid it on the line and played for 48 minutes."
The Raptors had already shut down Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon for the season,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]. The team announced before tipoff that DeMar DeRozan had hurt his ankle in the morning shootaround,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych].
So fans had to be content with big prizes instead of big names,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]. The night was billed as "Fanapalooza" and cheerleaders chucked T-shirts and handed out everything from autographed jerseys to concert tickets all game long.
The Raptors led 73-43 heading into the fourth quarter in what had to be one of the ugliest games ever played at the Air Canada Centre,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], a fitting ending for a season that had gone awry weeks ago.
'Short but a long season'Casey summed it all up, saying "It's been a short but a long season."
The season, cut from 82 to 66 games due to the NBA lockout,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], began with plenty of promise, but unravelled after Bargnani suffered a calf injury that kept the team's leading scorer out 35 games. The Raptors won just 10 without him.
If there's a silver lining to this season of disappointment,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], it's the attention to defence that Casey instilled. The team went from being one of the worst in the league to the middle of the pack,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], with Bargnani playing the best defence of his career.
"Looking forward to next year,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], and I'm excited about this summer,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], the possibilities,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]," Casey said. "I'm proud of the guys that we had this year,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], everybody that played with us."
The Raptors also have the financial flexibility to make some moves this off-season,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], which was GM Bryan Colangelo's intent all season. The team will have a high draft pick, plus Jonas Valanciunas,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], the Lithuanian centre they took fifth in last year's draft but left in Europe for another year of seasoning.
"We knew this year was kind of in the middle,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], but I think that we grew as a team,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], and that's the step [playoffs] that we need to do next year," Calderon said. "I think we're not that far from being a really good team,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], with coach Casey everything is different. I feel really comfortable with where we're going and what our goals have to be."
Anderson had three three-pointers in the game's first four minutes as the Raptors backups beat up on the Nets' second unit in the first quarter, running out to a 17-2 lead. The Raptors led 26-15 at the end of the first.
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