And so it goes...a lesson in game management and the NBA agenda

First things first, let's keep it real: it's just the first eff'n game...

So the Raptors came out the gates more like the team with nothing to play for than the streaking squad that ran through the second half of the season wrecking havoc 'round the Lig. You can't expect to win a playoff game like that...it's just not gonna happen.

And yes, at the risk of giving in to the most obvious paranoia, the refs didn't quite choose to subscribe to the traditional thinking for the role of the official concerning home court advantage. The last five minutes or so were most painful, the span between say 4 and two minutes in particular. Bare witness to the following calls made during what was an 83-82 game:

• phantom loose ball foul call against Humphries on the defensive end
• allowing RJ to travel in attempting to throw up a runner on which he consequently received 2 free throws for
• ignoring contact on a Parker 17 footer by Carter (game log credits RJ) which ended up hitting the side of the backboard and going to Jersey
• missing an obvious RJ carry, even by NBA standards, which lead to...
• the most egregious case of pre-emptive superstar treatment - phantom foul call on Parker while Vince was in the process of pulling up for a 19 footer: 2 shots
• some good ol' fashioned soccer-style fuckery, as Nachbar dives on a defensive rebound (!) and draws the loose ball foul which leads to 2 shots as the Raps are in the penalty

This all happened in a two minute span, as the Nets only came up with only two field goals (Nachbar dagger three and uncontested Vince lay-up) in the last five minutes. I have yet to mention the 'psyche job' the refs performed on Bosh by flagging him with two quick phantom calls to begin then game, and later denying him calls in the post against those mighty defensive stalwarts Jason "I got 6 fouls...and apparently don't need em" Collins and Mikki Moore. Then again, if anyone seriously wants to dispute this as a natural reality, I would suggest Mark Cuban as a shoulder to cry on. But if you do happen to want to focus your ire over the officiating, might I suggest directing that anger towards #31, Mark Wunderlich, Jason Kidd's favourite stoppage play conversational partner.

As I mentioned previously, the Raptors are going to win games clearly and decisively: relying on stretch runs will be an impossibility. I guess the obvious offending party here would be Sam Mitchell, the recently anointed coaching savant...

It could be argued the turning point of the game was removing Bosh and the resulting momentum that was created near the end of the first half, with the Raps closing down the Jersey lead to 44-41. With under two minutes left, the Nets went on a 7-0 run to enter the locker room with a 10 point cushion. Really, Mitchell spent the game reacting to Frank's moves, whether it was the match-up zone the Nets occasionally employed to Lil' Lawrence's judicious use of time outs. Frank clearly set the pace and controlled the game from a coaching standpoint.

But perhaps the most damaging coaching decision Sam chose to make was his insistence on leaving Joey Graham out for extended minutes. Joey's production (4 points, 4 rebounds, 35 minutes) was troubling, but what really stinks is his refusal to use MoPete as merely an alternate non-option. Given Garbajosa's absence, the 3 position is already razor thin, so not using a viable and experienced option because of some petty, personal feud is inexcusable. To put it bluntly, the Raps were outscored at the small forward position 50 to (a charitable) 7. Even counting RJ's abnormally large output as Parker's first half negligence, that's still a roughly 30 plus point difference. That even outstrips the 34-12 advantage in point production the Raps enjoyed from the lead guard position (I know, Kidd had 15 assists, five more than Ford and Calderon combined...).

Well, it's looking like I'll be at Game 2, so hopefully I will be a live witness to the adjustments that need to be made by the Raptors. The Nets have revealed their junk defenses and other gimmicks now, so barring Wunderlich from pulling a complete snow job, I anticipate the Raps coming out a signifcantly different squad on Tuesday. The end result should be different too.