Raptors come up short when it counts
Their season was all but in ruins; their chances at the post-season no longer in their own control, a glorious opportunity wasted and there were no answers coming from the Raptors.
They could not explain a lack of passion, a lack of effort, a lack of execution.
They could not stand there and make any sense out of the lackadaisical effort they could only muster on the biggest night of the season, a 104-88 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Sunday at the Air Canada Centre that may have doomed their playoff hopes.
When the game was there for the taking, when the sellout crowd of 19,515 began the night on its feet, dying for effort and enthusiasm for a win, it quickly settled into the same old gloomy night as the Raptors gave up 58 first-half points and really never had a chance.
Toronto Star
Bulls beat Raptors to take over 8th spot in East
A message in the Chicago locker room read: “How bad do we want it?” The way Joakim Noah played, it was easy to tell.
Derrick Rose scored 26 points, Noah had 18 points, 19 rebounds and matched a career-high with seven assists and the Bulls beat Toronto 104-88 on Sunday night to take a one-game lead over the Raptors for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.
“I knew it was a really important game, I was really focussed,” Noah said. “I just wanted to go out there and impose my will as much as I could, just be aggressive offensively and defensively. It was a huge win and I just wanted to make sure that our team played harder than their team.”
Luol Deng scored 14 points, Taj Gibson had 11 and Ronald Murray and Hakim Warrick each scored 10 points for the Bulls, who led by 25 points. Chicago has won eight of 12 since Noah returned from a foot injury that forced him to miss 10 games. The Bulls went 0-10 without him.
National Post
Raptors are just like Leafs: Losers
There is something deep within the culture of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd. that produces embarrassing team after embarrassing team. A sporting virus that is not easily explained or defined — but clearly it is there.
Almost every year — almost every team, MLSEL: A profitable portrait of exasperation. The worst season in Maple Leafs memory thankfully ended Saturday night. The Raptors followed that up with a disgraceful performance Sunday evening in a game that was supposed to mean everything to their season.
The soccer team attracts fans who show up and have fun whether they win or lose — so it doesn’t really matter what they do. But it mattered at the Air Canada Centre Sunday night.
The season was supposed to be on the line for the Raptors. It mattered to the fans who acted playoff-like with standing ovations before the game even began and ended with the same fans either walking out early or booing — or both.
Toronto Sun
Raptors Are One Game From The Lottery
In games that Bosh has been injured, the Raptors are 3-7 this season; with those three wins coming against the Nets, Wolves and Knicks. See a theme? They can beat the gawdawful teams without Bosh, but they can’t beat anyone else (they’ve also not been able to beat bad teams with Bosh in the lineup, but I digress). We actually have a good sample size of what life without Bosh is going to be like, and I’ll tell you, it’s not going to be good.
I actually have very little to say about the game. Contrary to the mood at the ACC, I didn’t boo the team, I wasn’t disgusted with the performance, and I’m not upset that we’re currently 9th in the East. I’m not saying I’m happy with the outcome, (that was as much basketball as rubbing up against a woman on the subway is sex) but I am sending bad vibes towards Colangelo and Triano.
Raptors Republic
