End of Mediocre Forever

Hey everyone,

We are officially closing down Mediocre Forever. It's been a fun experience, but the writers simply don't have enough time to blog about it on a consistent basis.

This of course doesn't in any way mean that we won't still discuss the Raptors and NBA basketball in general, just not on this blog/page. We are basketball junkies and are always talking hoops, but since we can't blog on a consistent basis, it's not meaningful to have the blog up with very few updates once in a blue moon while we are always talking amongst each other about the latest happenings in the league.

If you would still like to keep in touch and talk ball with me, I would very much like it, just add me on Twitter or message me on Facebook:

Facebook: http://facebook.com/Shayan.Mannan

Twitter: http://twitter.com/shayan007


On behalf of the rest of the Mediocre Forever crew, thanks for being a fan, it's much appreciated.

Cheers,
Shayan

P.S. As much as I hate the Celtics as a Raptors fan, I'm having tons of fun rooting for them against Vince Carter and the Orlando Tragic.

Mirror Image: Hedo Turkoglu is Ball

Hedo Turkoglu = "Ball." This is of coursed based on the already now infamous post-game interview.

One of the best comments I read on that video page was by user DJTRNX2:

"This interview alone justifies his contract"

Hedo+Ball = Good Game

Hedo Turkoglu played the best game of his short Raptor career thus far, and he still isn't backing off of letting it be known that the more he has the ball in his hands, the better he will be and so will the Raptors as a result. So here's the thing. I know he's hardly lived up to his big contract and expectations so far, but I have to say: anytime he's had the ball in his hands, good things have happened. Sure, he's been shooting bricks before tonight's game in NY, but regardless, he's a great playmaker and he's lived up to that.

His one word answer to Jack Armstrong's question of why he was able to be so effective tonight and have such a great game is going to become an instant classic: "ball". He just stared at Jack Armstrong with swag and confidence and didn't care about how awkward the moment was.

This is one of the few times I've seen Turkoglu be really aggressive and look for his shot, and I like it. How rare is it to see him dunk, and dunk ferociously nonetheless? Did he dunk 3 times in all of last season in Orlando? He's completely selfless, he truly loves team ball, which is why he wants the ball in his hands more often so he can create. And he's selfish in the right way; what I mean by this is that he wants the ball in his hands and he' s not backing off that claim whether he's playing good or bad. And for better or worse, I like that. You could see his swag and cockiness after the game, still putting it out there for everyone even in the locker room post-game interview that he played so well because..he had the ball in his hands.

His talents go to waste if he's just being used as a spot-up shooter. He's facing a lot of heat lately from fans, and they're not unwarranted, but I'm definitely rooting for him, and I think when the playoffs come that's when he'll really show his worth.

Hedo + Ball = Good Game.

Clearly Hollinger Doesn't Watch Raptors Games

I've always read from commenters across Raptors boards how John Hollinger of ESPN never actually watches Raptors games, instead just writes his "observations" by looking at statistics. It's hard to argue that, and seeing things like this just confirms it. From his NBA chat:

Steve (New York)

"I watched last nights Raptors and Magic and as an unbiased watcher that officiating was embarassing and makes me less of a NBA and shows me that officiating is gonna ruin this league."

John Hollinger (12:21 PM)

"Not sure who's feed you were watching but I saw it start to finish and didn't see anything terribly out of the ordinary."

I think he meant he was watching the box score from start to finish. Any casual observer could have pointed out the ridiculous 3 straight fouls called on Bargnani to kick him out of the game while Howard was roaming around with 5 fouls, and ZERO calls for the Raptors until the last minute of the fourth.

Win of the year (so far)

THAT'S how you play DEFENSE motha-fuckaaaaaaaaa!!

This is easily the best win of the year so far, and its special not just because we made it back to .500, but also because it was on the road against championship-contending team and old rival, the Orlando Magic and Vince Carter. I'm gonna skip straight to the fourth quarter:

• The refs need to be hung. I usually try to give the refs the benefit of the doubt; its a ridiculously high-pressure job, but that was just inexcusable. From the 3 straight phantom fouls on Bargnani that got him ejected, to the Raps not getting a single call in their favour until Orlando got 8...its just mind-boggling really...
  

• ...Yet we didn't help ourselves either. Those two 3-pointers Jarrett Jack took made me wanna rip my hair out - Turk was right there for at least one of them and I thought Jack should've passed to him instead - especially after Turkoglu made that 3 late fourth quarter which I think saved the game.

• I knew Jarrett Jack was gonna miss one of those free throws. And I swear I'm not hating on him even though it may seem like it, but I just had a gut feeling. Let's see if he turns into Anthony Parker, who misses at least one free throw when he goes to the stripe in crunch time.

• We make Jameer Nelson look unguardable. Like he's Chris Paul or something. And it wasn't just Jose, Jack couldn't do shit against him either. Nelson is just a killer...

• ..but J.J. Redick shouldn't be. How does he drop 22 points on us??

• Turkoglu's interviews are gold for unintentional-comedy. Jack Armstrong asks him after losing the first 3 games to the Magic, what made Turk and Raps come in here and win (or something like that)? Turkoglu answers dead-pan: "We didn't want to lose four in a row."

• I usually have no problem if Bosh doesn't have a great night and we still win, but tonight was different. When the Magic made that furious come back from an 18-point deficit, anytime Bosh got the ball he dished it right back to the perimeter, because he was double-teamed. But he's GOT TO ask - NO - DEMAND the ball back, and ATTACK! For God's sake Howard was playing with 5 fouls too, he's not going to be super aggressive guarding you! I honestly think the game would've been over much earlier in the fourth had he just tried to take it to the hole a few more times - instead - Bosh passes it, we swing it around, and Jarrett Jack or somebody else bricks a shot..BADLY and the Magic come back and score.

• That Boston gave hurts more and more with these last two amazing wins against the Spurs and Magic. Had we won in Boston against their scrubs, we'd be on an eight game winning streak right now and be the talk to the league instead of Gilbert Arenas' love for Shoot'Em Up.
  

Things As Expected

Malin just got back from abroad, and this was his response regarding the Raptors; I thought it was so sad yet so true and summed things up very well:

"Just made it back. Things are as expected with the raptors. Knew I would miss a 5 game win streak and return to see them lose. When i heard kg,pierce and rondo were out, I knew we had no chance lol."

Read it and weep. Are the Raptors that predictable?

Raptors Take It Up The Ass Courtesy of Boston Scrubs

What a piss-poor performance. I can't even begin to put into words how much of a shitty loss this was. It wasn't a blowout, but it might as well have been, because we got routed in every way other than the actual score. This is as bad a loss we've had all season.

We've always succumbed to the Celtics, and it's all mental. We have the talent to beat them, we really do - they're obviously the superior team, but we CAN win against them, but with every game against them, they've got us by our balls that much more. It's a mental thing. And to be on a five-game win streak, roll into town in Boston with Rondo, Pierce, AND Garnett out, and lose this convincingly!!?? Against their scrubs?

Every player, other than maybe Bargnani needs to be called out. But I think Bosh as the leader and franchise especially needs to be called out, because he's an all-star and he should've wreaked havoc on the Celtics: there's no KG to shut him down or more importantly, intimidate him, no Pierce to knee him in the balls, and for God's sake Rasheed Wallace is a certified fat-ass who camps out at the 3 point line these days. You, Chris Bosh, should've KILLED these dudes. Every time we went inside, good things happened..well other than sloppy turnovers :p

Just an INEXCUSABLE loss. Earlier on in the day I read Doug Smith's blog, in which he seemed to already having an excuse ready for the Raptors should they lose, stating:

"But here’s why it’s dangerous:

Doc Rivers is going to have to run out some combinations that the Raptors have never seen before and can’t have prepared for."

Really Doug? OMG, the Raptors might not win this because they don't know what kind of a lineup to expect and prepare for from Boston!!? Does it EVEN FUCKING MATTER? Apart from Allen and maybe Wallace, they're all SCRUBS! Who cares which players from the bench Doc Rivers puts out, the Raptors are FAR more talented, and therefore should outplay and outmatch the Celtics!

I wrote after the Charlotte game that it made our win-streak legit, but after this loss it really takes away the mist from that streak. Losing to a healthy Boston would've been understandable, but the Celtics scrubs brought it and we didn't. INEXCUSABLE.