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2007–08 Toronto Raptors season

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2007–08 Toronto Raptors season
Head coachSam Mitchell
General managerBryan Colangelo
OwnersMaple Leaf Sports & Entertainment
ArenaAir Canada Centre
Results
Record41–41 (.500)
PlaceDivision: 2nd (Atlantic)
Conference: 6th (Eastern)
Playoff finishFirst Round
(lost to Magic 1–4)

Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television
RadioCJCL
< 2006–07 2008–09 >

The 2007–08 Toronto Raptors season was the 13th National Basketball Association (NBA) season for the Toronto Raptors basketball franchise, with the 2007–08 season scheduled to begin in October 2007. The major acquisition was that of three-point specialist Jason Kapono from the Miami Heat, and much expectations also rested on the maturing of Andrea Bargnani, Toronto's number one draft pick in 2006. With an overwhelming majority of home game sellouts (32, the second highest in franchise history), the Raptors qualified for the playoffs for the second year running, but this time around as the sixth seed.[1] The Raptors faced the third seed Orlando Magic, and were eliminated in five games. The Raptors had the tenth best team offensive rating in the NBA. They did not qualify for the playoffs again until 2014, when led by Lowry and Derozan.[2]

Roster

[edit]
2007–08 Toronto Raptors roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
PF 7 Bargnani, Andrea 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1985-10-26 Italy
PF 9 Baston, Maceo 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1975-05-29 Michigan
C 4 Bosh, Chris 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1984-03-24 Georgia Tech
C 1 Brezec, Primož 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1979-10-02 Slovenia
PG 8 Calderón, José 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1981-09-28 Spain
SG 20 Delfino, Carlos 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1982-08-29 Argentina
PG 11 Ford, T. J. 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1983-03-24 Texas
PF 15 Garbajosa, Jorge 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1977-12-19 Spain
SF 14 Graham, Joey 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1982-06-11 Oklahoma State
PF 43 Humphries, Kris 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1985-02-06 Minnesota
SF 24 Kapono, Jason 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1981-02-04 UCLA
SF 33 Moon, Jamario 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1980-06-13 Meridian CC
C 12 Nesterovič, Rasho 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1976-05-30 Slovenia
SG 18 Parker, Anthony 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1975-06-19 Bradley
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (DL) On assignment to D-League affiliate
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Last transaction: March 27, 2008

Offseason

[edit]
Three-point specialist Jason Kapono was Toronto's major signing before the season began; however, he was never deployed to the expected extent.

Coming off a successful 2006–07 campaign, Toronto were one of the league leaders in season ticket sales before the season began.[3] Toronto was barred largely by salary cap from making any drastic changes to its starting lineup, but they remained active in transfer activity. The Raptors first acquired Georgios Printezis from the 2007 NBA draft,[4] and followed up with a trade for Carlos Delfino,[5] and the free agent signings of Jamario Moon,[6] Maceo Baston[7] and three-point specialist Jason Kapono.[8] On the other hand, long-serving swingman Morris Peterson signed a four-year, $23-million US contract with the New Orleans Hornets,[9] while Luke Jackson was waived. Toronto played seven pre-season exhibition games—including five games in a tour of Europe—and won five.[10]

Regular season

[edit]

The Raptors were once again led by captain and All-Star power forward Chris Bosh, while much hope was rested on the number one pick of the 2006 NBA draft, Andrea Bargnani, who was slated to start as center. Point guards T. J. Ford and José Calderón were to be deployed in tandem, Anthony Parker filled in the shooting guard position and Kapono featured as the starting small forward (Jorge Garbajosa was ruled out for the whole season seven games into the campaign). Initially, this lineup worked well enough as Toronto won its first two games of the campaign; in its second game against the New Jersey Nets, it set franchise records for biggest margin of victory in a road game, and fewest points conceded in a road game.[11] However, the Raptors lost the next three games: Bosh and Bargnani could not seem to play well together, and Parker went through a bad shooting streak. This prompted coach Sam Mitchell to replace Bargnani with the veteran Radoslav Nesterović as the starting centre to give the team a greater defensive presence.[12] Toronto rebounded immediately with a road victory against the Philadelphia 76ers, and the athletic Moon was also promoted to the starting team in the next game against the Chicago Bulls, and the Raptors scored the largest win against Bulls in franchise history.[13]

Toronto looked to their 2006 number 1 pick Andrea Bargnani to combine with Chris Bosh to form the Raptors frontcourt, but the Italian struggled for the most part of the season.

Nevertheless, the Boston Celtics, who had acquired NBA All-Stars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen before the season began, were setting the pace in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference as pundits had predicted (they would go on to record a league-best 66 wins in the regular season). Meanwhile, the Raptors struggled to maintain a .500 record. Moon was kept in the starting lineup for the most part and the rookie put up several good performances, while Calderón—who would lead the league with a 5.38 to 1 assist-to-turnover ratio by the season's end—was equally outstanding stepping in for Ford who had suffered a severe injury to his back.[14] Delfino was a revelation as well, contributing on both ends of the court when he was first brought into the fold. Bargnani on the other hand did not perform as expected and apart from Bosh, the frontcourt often saw the rotation of the Italian, Nesterovič and Kris Humphries. Kapono, in the meantime, was seldom used to his full potential, either in terms of minutes played or shots attempted.

December was a particularly challenging period, with injuries to several key players, a long road trip and games against some of the best teams in the league. Toronto reached the mid-season mark with a 22–19 record and ranked as the best three-point shooting and second best free-throw shooting team in the NBA.[15] It marked the start of its latter half of the season with a road win against Boston,[16] and January proved to be the best month yet as Toronto capitalised on home advantage and went 8–5.

The 2008 NBA All-Star Weekend featured four Raptors: Bosh as the starting power forward for the East in the All-Star game, Bargnani and Moon for the Rookie/Sophomore Challenge, Moon for the Slam Dunk contest, and Kapono for the Three-Point Shootout.[17] By this period, Bargnani and Bosh were beginning to combine more effectively, while Calderón continued to put in impressive performances regularly. Juan Dixon was traded to Detroit Pistons for Slovenian centre Primož Brezec before the trading deadline.[18]

February and early March featured mostly opponents from the lower half of the league table, but Toronto had difficulties pulling away from the .500 mark, although the home win over the Knicks on 24 February 2008—their 54th game of the campaign—was the fastest Toronto ever reached the 30-win mark in a season.[19] Nevertheless, the loss of Bosh for several games in the final third of the campaign sent the Raptors struggle even further; in a heavy 102–137 defeat to the Denver Nuggets on 14 March 2007, the team set a franchise record for most first-half points given up.[20] With Boston dominating the division—and subsequently winning the title easily—Toronto's problems were exacerbated by Ford's increasing frustration at playing backup to Calderón, and there were even calls for Ford to be traded at the end of the season.[21] Nesterovič was one of the few players who played well in Bosh's absence, but was unable to halt the team's slide.

The return of Bosh in late March served as a minor reprieve, but the Raptors continued to capitulate in spectacular fashion in their remaining games, plummeting down the conference rankings with defeat after defeat, and fans were beginning to show their displeasure.[22] In response, Bosh made a video on YouTube, urging the fans to rally behind the team as the playoffs were arriving.[1] The Raptors went on to close out the season with a 41–41 record, qualifying for the 2008 NBA Playoffs as the sixth seed and setting up themselves with a matchup against the Orlando Magic.[1] While ending the season as the league's best three-point shooting team (0.390) and the team with the least turnovers (13.1 per 100 possessions),[23][24] the Raptors continued to be criticised for being defensively poor on the perimeter, and playing without enough aggression.[25]

Season standings

[edit]
W L PCT GB Home Road Div
z-Boston Celtics 66 16 .805 35–6 31–10 14–2
x-Toronto Raptors 41 41 .500 25 25–16 16–25 10–6
x-Philadelphia 76ers 40 42 .488 26 22–19 18–23 7–9
New Jersey Nets 34 48 .415 32 21–20 13–28 4–12
New York Knicks 23 59 .280 43 15–26 8–33 5–11
# Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Boston Celtics 66 16 .805
2 y-Detroit Pistons 59 23 .732 7
3 y-Orlando Magic 52 30 .634 14
4 x-Cleveland Cavaliers 45 37 .549 21
5 x-Washington Wizards 43 39 .524 23
6 x-Toronto Raptors 41 41 .500 25
7 x-Philadelphia 76ers 40 42 .488 26
8 x-Atlanta Hawks 37 45 .451 29
9 Indiana Pacers 36 46 .439 30
10 New Jersey Nets 34 48 .415 32
11 Chicago Bulls 33 49 .402 33
12 Charlotte Bobcats 32 50 .390 34
13 Milwaukee Bucks 26 56 .317 40
14 New York Knicks 23 59 .280 43
15 Miami Heat 15 67 .183 51

Game log

[edit]
2007–08 game log
October: 1–0 (home: 1–0; road: 0–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
1 October 31 Philadelphia W 106–97 Andrea Bargnani (20) Carlos Delfino, Anthony Parker (6) T. J. Ford (12) Air Canada Centre
19,800
1–0
November : 8–7 (home: 4–4; road: 4–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
2 November 2 @ New Jersey W 106–69 Andrea Bargnani (21) Andrea Bargnani, Carlos Delfino (6) José Calderón (8) Izod Center
14,980
2–0
3 November 4 Boston L 95–98 (OT) T. J. Ford (32) Chris Bosh (10) T. J. Ford (5) Air Canada Centre
19,800
2–1
4 November 6 @ Milwaukee L 85–112 Juan Dixon (20) Kris Humphries (9) José Calderón (8) Bradley Center
13,495
2–2
5 November 7 Orlando L 96–105 Chris Bosh (26) Chris Bosh (10) T. J. Ford (8) Air Canada Centre
17,977
2–3
6 November 9 @ Philadelphia W 105–103 Chris Bosh (24) Chris Bosh (10) José Calderón (7) Wachovia Center
10,886
3–3
7 November 10 @ Chicago W 101–71 Carlos Delfino (16) Radoslav Nesterović (8) T. J. Ford (14) United Center
22,467
4–3
8 November 14 Utah L 88–92 Anthony Parker (19) Kris Humphries (14) T. J. Ford (8) Air Canada Centre
17,337
4–4
9 November 16 Indiana W 110–101 Chris Bosh (22) Jamario Moon (7) José Calderón (10) Air Canada Centre
19,800
5–4
10 November 18 Golden State L 100–106 T. J. Ford (29) Chris Bosh (11) T. J. Ford (9) Air Canada Centre
19,800
5–5
11 November 20 @ Dallas L 99–105 Chris Bosh (31) Chris Bosh, Jamario Moon (12) José Calderón (6) American Airlines Center
20,272
5–6
12 November 21 @ Memphis W 95–89 Chris Bosh (22) Chris Bosh (19) José Calderón (8) FedExForum
12,217
6–6
13 November 24 @ Cleveland L 108–111 Chris Bosh (41) Anthony Parker (7) José Calderón (13) Quicken Loans Arena
20,018
6–7
14 November 25 Chicago W 93–78 José Calderón (19) Chris Bosh (13) José Calderón (14) Air Canada Centre
19,800
7–7
15 November 28 Memphis W 103–91 Anthony Parker (19) Jamario Moon, Anthony Parker (8) José Calderón (10) Air Canada Centre
18,906
8–7
16 November 30 Cleveland W 91–82 Andrea Bargnani (26) Jamario Moon, Radoslav Nesterović (9) José Calderón (10) Air Canada Centre
19,800
9–7
December : 8–8 (home: 3–2; road: 5–6)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
17 December 1 @ Washington L 97–101 Jason Kapono (23) Jamario Moon (13) José Calderón (11) Verizon Center
20,173
9–8
18 December 3 Charlotte W 98–79 Carlos Delfino, Kris Humphries (17) Jamario Moon (12) José Calderón (9) Air Canada Centre
17,439
10–8
19 December 5 Phoenix L 123–136 T. J. Ford (27) Jamario Moon (10) José Calderón (9) Air Canada Centre
19,800
10–9
20 December 7 @ Boston L 84–112 Anthony Parker (13) Joey Graham (6) Carlos Delfino, Darrick Martin (4) TD Banknorth Garden
18,624
10–10
21 December 9 Houston W 93–80 Chris Bosh (21) Chris Bosh (10) José Calderón (6) Air Canada Centre
19,800
11–10
22 December 11 @ Atlanta W 100–88 T. J. Ford (26) Chris Bosh (13) T. J. Ford (8) Philips Arena
13,173
12–10
23 December 12 Dallas W 92–76 Chris Bosh (17) Kris Humphries (12) José Calderón (7) Air Canada Centre
19,800
13–10
24 December 14 @ Indiana W 104–93 Jason Kapono (29) Chris Bosh (16) José Calderón (16) Conseco Fieldhouse
10,437
14–10
25 December 16 Boston L 77–90 Chris Bosh (17) Chris Bosh (13) Chris Bosh, José Calderón (5) Air Canada Centre
19,800
14–11
26 December 18 @ L.A. Clippers W 80–77 Chris Bosh (24) Chris Bosh (9) José Calderón (9) Staples Center
14,455
15–11
27 December 19 @ Portland L 96–101 José Calderón (19) Chris Bosh (11) José Calderón (9) Rose Garden Arena
16,066
15–12
28 December 21 @ Seattle L 115–123 Chris Bosh (26) Chris Bosh (13) José Calderón (16) KeyArena
13,661
15–13
29 December 22 @ Phoenix L 103–122 Chris Bosh (42) Chris Bosh (13) José Calderón, Juan Dixon (4) US Airways Center
18,422
15–14
30 December 28 @ San Antonio W 83–73 Jason Kapono (15) Kris Humphries (11) José Calderón (5) AT&T Center
18,797
16–14
31 December 29 @ Houston L 79–91 Chris Bosh (19) Chris Bosh (12) José Calderón (10) Toyota Center
18,103
16–15
32 December 31 @ New Orleans W 97–92 Chris Bosh (29) Jamario Moon (10) José Calderón (12) New Orleans Arena
11,444
17–15
January : 8–5 (home: 6–2; road: 2–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
33 January 4 Detroit L 85–101 Andrea Bargnani (25) Chris Bosh (16) José Calderón (9) Air Canada Centre
19,800
17–16
34 January 6 Cleveland L 90–93 Chris Bosh (23) Anthony Parker (9) José Calderón (11) Air Canada Centre
19,800
17–17
35 January 9 Philadelphia W 109–96 Anthony Parker (22) Jamario Moon (9) José Calderón (9) Air Canada Centre
18,067
18–17
36 January 11 @ New York W 99–90 Chris Bosh (40) Chris Bosh (11) José Calderón (8) Madison Square Garden
17,456
19–17
37 January 13 Portland W 116–109 (2OT) Chris Bosh (38) Chris Bosh (14) José Calderón (10) Air Canada Centre
19,800
20–17
38 January 15 @ Detroit L 89–103 Chris Bosh (16) Chris Bosh (11) José Calderón (5) The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076
20–18
39 January 16 Sacramento W 116–91 Chris Bosh (31) Chris Bosh (9) José Calderón (14) Air Canada Centre
17,760
21–18
40 January 18 Atlanta W 89–78 Chris Bosh (35) Chris Bosh (9) José Calderón (9) Air Canada Centre
19,800
22–18
41 January 19 @ Philadelphia L 95–99 Chris Bosh (25) Chris Bosh, Jamario Moon (9) José Calderón (11) Wachovia Center
13,853
22–19
42 January 23 @ Boston W 114–112 José Calderón (24) Andrea Bargnani, Chris Bosh (7) José Calderón (13) TD Banknorth Garden
18,624
23–19
43 January 25 Milwaukee W 106–75 Chris Bosh (32) Andrea Bargnani, Chris Bosh (7) José Calderón (12) Air Canada Centre
19,800
24–19
44 January 29 @ Washington L 104–108 (OT) Chris Bosh (37) Chris Bosh (12) José Calderón (13) Verizon Center
12,905
24–20
45 January 30 Washington W 122–83 Andrea Bargnani (19) Radoslav Nesterović (8) José Calderón (11) Air Canada Centre
19,800
25–20
February : 7–5 (home: 4–4; road: 3–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
46 February 1 L.A. Lakers L 101–121 Andrea Bargnani (28) Chris Bosh (15) Juan Dixon (6) Air Canada Centre
19,800
25–21
47 February 4 @ Miami W 114–82 Chris Bosh (24) Jamario Moon (9) José Calderón (10) American Airlines Arena
19,600
26–21
48 February 8 L.A. Clippers L 98–102 Chris Bosh (29) Chris Bosh (12) José Calderón (14) Air Canada Centre
19,800
26–22
49 February 10 @ Minnesota W 105–82 Andrea Bargnani (16) Chris Bosh, Carlos Delfino (9) T. J. Ford (13) Target Center
13,785
27–22
50 February 11 San Antonio L 88–93 José Calderón (27) Chris Bosh, Carlos Delfino, Jamario Moon (8) José Calderón (6) Air Canada Centre
19,800
27–23
51 February 13 New Jersey W 109–91 Chris Bosh (27) Chris Bosh, Carlos Delfino (9) José Calderón (12) Air Canada Centre
19,800
28–23
52 February 20 Orlando W 127–110 Chris Bosh (40) Jamario Moon (12) José Calderón (13) Air Canada Centre
19,800
29–23
53 February 22 @ New York L 99–103 Chris Bosh (23) Chris Bosh, Jamario Moon (8) José Calderón (6) Madison Square Garden
19,763
29–24
54 February 24 New York W 115–92 Andrea Bargnani (25) Jamario Moon, Radoslav Nesterović (8) José Calderón (7) Air Canada Centre
19,800
30–24
55 February 25 @ Indiana W 102–98 Chris Bosh (24) Anthony Parker (11) T. J. Ford (7) Conseco Fieldhouse
10,468
31–24
56 February 27 Minnesota W 107–85 Chris Bosh (28) Chris Bosh, Jamario Moon (7) José Calderón (7) Air Canada Centre
18,325
32–24
57 February 29 Indiana L 111–122 Andrea Bargnani (27) Andrea Bargnani (9) José Calderón (11) Air Canada Centre
19,800
32–25
March : 6–11 (home: 4–3; road: 2–8)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
58 March 2 @ Charlotte L 98–110 Anthony Parker (24) Kris Humphries, Anthony Parker (6) José Calderón (10) Charlotte Bobcats Arena
12,083
32–26
59 March 4 @ Orlando L 87–102 T. J. Ford (20) Carlos Delfino, Anthony Parker (9) José Calderón, Carlos Delfino (3) Amway Arena
17,519
32–27
60 March 5 @ Miami W 108–83 Radoslav Nesterović (16) Radoslav Nesterović (10) José Calderón (13) American Airlines Arena
19,143
33–27
61 March 7 Washington L 106–110 (OT) Andrea Bargnani (27) Radoslav Nesterović (12) José Calderón (9) Air Canada Centre
19,800
33–28
62 March 9 Seattle W 114–106 Anthony Parker (23) Andrea Bargnani (7) Radoslav Nesterović (6) Air Canada Centre
19,800
34–28
63 March 11 @ L.A. Lakers L 108–117 T. J. Ford (28) Radoslav Nesterović (8) Andrea Bargnani, José Calderón (6) Staples Center
18,997
34–29
64 March 12 @ Golden State L 106–117 T. J. Ford (23) Anthony Parker (9) T. J. Ford (8) Oracle Arena
19,596
34–30
65 March 14 @ Denver L 105–137 Anthony Parker (19) Carlos Delfino, Jamario Moon (7) José Calderón (7) Pepsi Center
17,952
34–31
66 March 16 @ Sacramento L 100–106 Jason Kapono (26) Radoslav Nesterović (8) José Calderón (9) ARCO Arena
13,963
34–32
67 March 17 @ Utah L 79–96 José Calderón (16) Radoslav Nesterović (12) José Calderón (7) EnergySolutions Arena
19,911
34–33
68 March 19 Miami W 96–54 Andrea Bargnani, Anthony Parker (14) Jamario Moon (14) José Calderón (10) Air Canada Centre
19,800
35–33
69 March 21 @ Cleveland L 83–90 Chris Bosh (24) Jamario Moon (10) T. J. Ford (5) Quicken Loans Arena
20,562
35–34
70 March 23 Denver L 100–109 Chris Bosh, José Calderón (17) Jamario Moon (15) Chris Bosh (9) Air Canada Centre
19,800
35–35
71 March 26 Detroit W 89–82 Chris Bosh (21) Radoslav Nesterović (9) T. J. Ford (9) Air Canada Centre
19,800
36–35
72 March 28 New York W 103–95 Chris Bosh (29) Chris Bosh, Carlos Delfino (10) T. J. Ford (9) Air Canada Centre
19,800
37–35
73 March 30 New Orleans L 111–118 Chris Bosh (21) Chris Bosh, Kris Humphries (7) José Calderón (11) Air Canada Centre
19,800
37–36
74 March 31 @ Charlotte W 104–100 Chris Bosh (32) Radoslav Nesterović (11) T. J. Ford (7) Charlotte Bobcats Arena
12,188
38–36
April : 3–5 (home: 3–1; road: 0–4)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
75 April 2 @ Atlanta L 120–127 (OT) Chris Bosh (24) Carlos Delfino (11) T. J. Ford (13) Philips Arena
14,691
38–37
76 April 4 Charlotte L 100–105 Chris Bosh, Radoslav Nesterović (23) Radoslav Nesterović (10) T. J. Ford (14) Air Canada Centre
19,800
38–38
77 April 5 @ New Jersey L 90–99 Radoslav Nesterović (22) Radoslav Nesterović (14) Chris Bosh (6) Izod Center
15,927
38–39
78 April 9 Milwaukee W 111–93 Chris Bosh (32) Chris Bosh (11) José Calderón (12) Air Canada Centre
18,569
39–39
79 April 11 New Jersey W 113–85 Carlos Delfino (24) Chris Bosh (9) José Calderón (10) Air Canada Centre
19,800
40–39
80 April 13 @ Detroit L 84–91 Chris Bosh (30) Chris Bosh (10) T. J. Ford (8) The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076
40–40
81 April 14 Miami W 91–75 Radoslav Nesterović (20) Andrea Bargnani, Radoslav Nesterović, Anthony Parker (7) José Calderón (11) Air Canada Centre
18,855
41–40
82 April 16 @ Chicago L 97–107 T. J. Ford (18) Kris Humphries (7) José Calderón (8) United Center
21,909
41–41
2007–08 season schedule

Playoffs

[edit]
With T. J. Ford out for a large part of the season, José Calderón filled the starting point guard spot to good reviews, including leading the league in assist-to-turnover ratio.

The first-round series against the Magic was touted as the matchup between two of the league's best young big men in Dwight Howard and Bosh, but the Raptors were perceived to have an advantage in their dual-point guard play.[26] With Orlando holding home court advantage, however, the Raptors were unable to win their first two road games. In Game 1, Bargnani was deployed as the starting small forward (with Nesterovič moved to the bench) but this did not pay dividends. Orlando took a huge lead in the first quarter with nine three-pointers converted and with Howard dominating the game, Toronto were unable to cut back on the deficit.[27] Game 2 was the same with Orlando opening up the first quarter with a big lead and Howard dominating yet again, but solid plays from Bosh, Kapono and Calderón saw the Raptors take the lead with just a couple of minutes remaining in the game.[28] With 9 seconds left on the clock, Bosh had a chance to score the game-winning basket but his 18-foot jumper missed the mark.[28]

Coach Mitchell promised yet another change in the starting lineup for Game 3 at Toronto (with Moon replacing Nesterovič), and this time the Magic were unable to dominate the first quarter as before.[29] With Ford leading Toronto in scoring and Calderón stepping up his game yet again, the Raptors preserved some hope with a 108–94 home win.[29] Only one point separated both teams leading up to the fourth quarter in Game 4, and despite Bosh recording 39 points and 15 rebounds,[30] deadly shooting by the Magic in the final few minutes ensured victory for the visitors. Back on the road in Game 5, Toronto were outplayed by the Magic in the second half, and were thus eliminated from the first round four games to one. GM Bryan Colangelo said at a press conference thereafter, "Whether it's protecting [Bosh] inside the paint, getting a little bit more of a presence in there, to just getting him another scorer that's going to shoulder some of that burden, it's something that's clear we have to get better", hinting that changes to the squad beckoned for the next season.[31] Throughout the series, Orlando's point guard Jameer Nelson capitalised on being left unguarded and shot 51.9% from the three-point arc, while Howard single-handedly outrebounded the entire Toronto frontcourt with 91 rebounds.[32]

Playoffs

[edit]
2008 playoff game log
First Round: 1–4 (home: 1–1; road: 0–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
1 April 20 @ Orlando L 100–114 Anthony Parker (24) Radoslav Nesterović (8) José Calderón (8) Amway Arena
17,519
0–1
2 April 22 @ Orlando L 103–104 Chris Bosh (29) Chris Bosh (10) Chris Bosh, T. J. Ford (6) Amway Arena
17,519
0–2
3 April 24 Orlando W 108–94 T. J. Ford (21) Jamario Moon (10) José Calderón (13) Air Canada Centre
20,023
1–2
4 April 26 Orlando L 94–106 Chris Bosh (39) Chris Bosh (15) T. J. Ford (13) Air Canada Centre
20,416
1–3
5 April 28 @ Orlando L 92–102 Chris Bosh (16) Chris Bosh (9) T. J. Ford (5) Amway Arena
17,519
1–4
2008 playoff schedule

Player statistics

[edit]

Ragular season

[edit]
Player POS GP GS MP REB AST STL BLK PTS MPG RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Anthony Parker SG 82 82 2,634 334 183 79 17 1,025 32.1 4.1 2.2 1.0 .2 12.5
José Calderón PG 82 56 2,484 236 678 87 6 922 30.3 2.9 8.3 1.1 .1 11.2
Carlos Delfino SG 82 0 1,928 359 145 69 11 738 23.5 4.4 1.8 .8 .1 9.0
Jason Kapono SF 81 7 1,530 120 65 34 2 580 18.9 1.5 .8 .4 .0 7.2
Jamario Moon SF 78 75 2,166 484 90 80 108 661 27.8 6.2 1.2 1.0 1.4 8.5
Andrea Bargnani PF 78 53 1,861 288 89 23 37 792 23.9 3.7 1.1 .3 .5 10.2
Rasho Nesterović C 71 39 1,486 342 82 20 52 552 20.9 4.8 1.2 .3 .7 7.8
Kris Humphries PF 70 0 925 259 28 25 28 397 13.2 3.7 .4 .4 .4 5.7
Chris Bosh C 67 67 2,425 583 171 63 67 1,496 36.2 8.7 2.6 .9 1.0 22.3
T. J. Ford PG 51 26 1,199 100 313 54 0 617 23.5 2.0 6.1 1.1 .0 12.1
Joey Graham SF 38 3 331 67 15 3 0 138 8.7 1.8 .4 .1 .0 3.6
Juan Dixon PG 36 0 424 47 65 21 2 153 11.8 1.3 1.8 .6 .1 4.3
Darrick Martin PG 17 0 141 7 21 6 0 27 8.3 .4 1.2 .4 .0 1.6
Maceo Baston PF 15 2 103 26 3 2 4 41 6.9 1.7 .2 .1 .3 2.7
Primož Brezec C 13 0 110 18 1 1 2 48 8.5 1.4 .1 .1 .2 3.7
Jorge Garbajosa PF 7 0 74 15 3 3 0 22 10.6 2.1 .4 .4 .0 3.1
Linton Johnson PF 2 0 10 1 1 0 0 6 5.0 .5 .5 .0 .0 3.0
  • Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Raptors only.

Playoffs

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Player POS GP GS MP REB AST STL BLK PTS MPG RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Chris Bosh C 5 5 199 45 18 8 2 120 39.8 9.0 3.6 1.6 .4 24.0
Anthony Parker SG 5 5 196 30 10 4 2 57 39.2 6.0 2.0 .8 .4 11.4
T. J. Ford PG 5 5 124 22 33 5 0 58 24.8 4.4 6.6 1.0 .0 11.6
Andrea Bargnani PF 5 5 104 7 2 4 3 32 20.8 1.4 .4 .8 .6 6.4
Jamario Moon SF 5 3 104 24 4 6 3 27 20.8 4.8 .8 1.2 .6 5.4
Rasho Nesterović C 5 2 77 13 3 1 2 23 15.4 2.6 .6 .2 .4 4.6
Jason Kapono SF 5 0 152 13 4 2 0 78 30.4 2.6 .8 .4 .0 15.6
Carlos Delfino SG 5 0 121 24 11 4 0 43 24.2 4.8 2.2 .8 .0 8.6
José Calderón PG 5 0 120 18 35 1 0 59 24.0 3.6 7.0 .2 .0 11.8
Kris Humphries PF 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 .7 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0
Joey Graham SF 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1.0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0
Maceo Baston PF 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1.0 .0 .0 1.0 .0 .0

References

[edit]
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  2. ^ "Offensive Rating". NBA.com. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
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  6. ^ Raptors Sign Jamario Moon, nba.com/raptors, 10 July 2007, accessed 22 July 2007.
  7. ^ Raptors Sign Maceo Baston to Offer Sheet, nba.com/raptors, 11 July 2007, accessed 22 July 2007.
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