http://www.yardbarker.com/rss/team/67 Recent articles about the Toronto Raptors en-us ah, that's right:  131-124.  Not the way we're used to the Spurs winning games, and not exactly Pop's favorite way to win.  But it was inevitable, and a W is a W.  And that was fun, wasn't it? About an hour before the game, the Spurs sent out word that Tim Duncan would not be playing.  At that moment, the fate of tonight's boxscore was sealed.  Without Tim Duncan, the Spurs had no chance of guarding Toronto's frontcourt tandem ... Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:07:35 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/PtR_QuickCap_Manu_is_back_Spurs_Slash_Raptors_131_124_Pop_Suffers_Brain_Aneurysm/1535619 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/PtR_QuickCap_Manu_is_back_Spurs_Slash_Raptors_131_124_Pop_Suffers_Brain_Aneurysm/1535619 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/PtR_QuickCap_Manu_is_back_Spurs_Slash_Raptors_131_124_Pop_Suffers_Brain_Aneurysm/1535619 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/6/7/6761590681e53d94759bda76017767e8975affa7/small/PicImg_SPURS_BOBCATS_DUNCAN_10b8.jpg More photos » by Tim Sharp - AP Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan thinks the Mavs are the 10th best team in the NBA. Browse more photos » 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Arial; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-... Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:38:28 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/Power_Rankings_Roundup/1535537 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/Power_Rankings_Roundup/1535537 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/Power_Rankings_Roundup/1535537 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/0/10b5cf91abacd1f82e778d26b9f4e6fc16941afe/small/0f.jpg Manu Ginobili scored 36 points without Tim Duncan and Tony Parker in the lineup and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Toronto Raptors 131-124 on Monday night. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:24:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/Ginobili_helps_short_handed_Spurs_roll_past_Raptors/1535646 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/Ginobili_helps_short_handed_Spurs_roll_past_Raptors/1535646 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/Ginobili_helps_short_handed_Spurs_roll_past_Raptors/1535646 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/6/7/6761590681e53d94759bda76017767e8975affa7/small/PicImg_SPURS_BOBCATS_DUNCAN_10b8.jpg by Justin Walsh Saturday, November 7 was an interesting day in basketball. Layups were made, jumpers were taken, balls bouncing, Allen Iverson leaves a team because of the roster makeup… You know, the usual. In more relevant news, the Toronto Raptors flew down to Dallas to take on the Mavs. Pre-Game – About 75 minutes before game time, it’s announced that Josh Howard will finally return to the lineup. Rick Carlisle is hesitant to give any real indication of how much playing time ... Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:06:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/Game_Notes_Raptors_at_Mavs/1532965 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/Game_Notes_Raptors_at_Mavs/1532965 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/Game_Notes_Raptors_at_Mavs/1532965 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/c/3/c3f686a90e49b166a9f42631919ead484069f144/small/90578173.jpg This season, several players came into camp with their bodies reshaped. Chris Bosh and Rajon Rondo both got jacked over the summer - each adding 15-20 pounds of mass to their once skinny frames. Other guys like Caron Butler, Quentin Richardson and Tim Duncan all dropped weight to increase efficiency and reduce the risk of [...] Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:07:44 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/The_Great_Weight_Debate/1529560 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/The_Great_Weight_Debate/1529560 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/The_Great_Weight_Debate/1529560 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/7/1/716a353b2edbc55020b4f46a7e6634f9c3789271/small/boshiso.jpg The Toronto Raptors and the San Antonio Spurs will both be trying to pick up a win on Monday when they battle at AT&T Center. Oddsmakers currently have the Spurs listed as 6½-point favorites versus the Raptors, while the game's total has not yet been posted. Chris Bosh had a double-double with 26 points and 12 rebounds in the Raptors 129-101 loss to the Mavericks on Saturday, as 7.5-point underdogs. The game's 230 points sailed OVER the posted total of 202.5. The Spurs were def... Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:49:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/NBA_Handicapping_Raptors_vs_Spurs/1528659 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/NBA_Handicapping_Raptors_vs_Spurs/1528659 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/NBA_Handicapping_Raptors_vs_Spurs/1528659 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/7/1/716a353b2edbc55020b4f46a7e6634f9c3789271/small/boshiso.jpg   The Maglev has left the station.  You'd better get used to it, Findog. After the last 2 games went horribly awry, the Spurs need a win to tread water.  Let me just say it up front:  I think they'll get that win tonight.  But how will it go down?  That's why we watch. Join us after the jump for your preview. In the last game, we learned that the new-look Spurs are capable of playing defense, thanks in large part to the efforts of Kei... Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:00:24 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/Game_Preview_6_Toronto_Raptors_San_Antonio_Spurs/1528058 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/Game_Preview_6_Toronto_Raptors_San_Antonio_Spurs/1528058 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/Game_Preview_6_Toronto_Raptors_San_Antonio_Spurs/1528058 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/2/7/27e022ebd994cf7f71edd04c50b424f44119e3d6/small/a8.jpg Is this the game that the Mavs finally start to get their shooting stroke back? We can only hope. This may be the perfect game for us and them to truly see what kind of team it is going to be. Do not get me wrong by no means are the Raptors a good basketball team, but they are a team that the Mavs "should" put away and put away early. The Mavericks have several areas of concern and tonight is as good a night as any to begin to get those issues cleaned up. Point Guard... Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:00:27 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/Mavericks_Vs_Raptors_Game_6_Preview/1519884 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/Mavericks_Vs_Raptors_Game_6_Preview/1519884 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/Mavericks_Vs_Raptors_Game_6_Preview/1519884 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/0/3/03aacdb498a246bb2a90c15964c33b1e2ece4a5c/small/kidd.jpg The Raptors roll into Dallas (tipoff at 8:30PM EST) on the back half of two games in two nights, and hope to both extend their win streak to three games and to give Chris Bosh, playing at an MVP level thus far, his first win in Dallas in his career. W2W4:- Big man matchups. The four starting PFs/Cs in this game will have a huge impact on how the game turns out. Dirk Nowitzki has always been a Turok (averaging 24 points and 7 boards against the Raps), and the player whose ceiling was always &q... Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:05:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Raps_Look_for_3rd_Straight_in_Dallas/1520239 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Raps_Look_for_3rd_Straight_in_Dallas/1520239 After a slow start to the season — at least in relation to the lofty expectations surrounding him — Jose Calderon has found himself smack dab in the middle of a point guard controversy. One local beat writer hinted at the need for a change while message boards have been nothing short of ruthless. What is up with all this talk swirling around about a point guard controversy in Toronto? Please, give it a rest. Calderon is firmly entrenched as Toronto’s starting point guard for the foreseeabl... Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:49:18 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/What_Point_Guard_Controversy/1518833 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/What_Point_Guard_Controversy/1518833 As part of their 15th Anniversary celebrations, the Toronto Raptors honored former PF Charles Oakley Wednesday night, an occasion that has me checking the schedule to see when Doug Christie’s number is being retired. The Globe & Mail’s Michael Grange used the opportunity to recall a time when the legendary clotheshorse/gourmand/Michael Jordan wingman wasn’t [...] Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:59:20 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/Our_Great_Cultural_Exchange_WIth_Canada_They_Gave_Us_Chuck_Biscuits_We_Gave_Them_Charles_Oakley/1513695 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/Our_Great_Cultural_Exchange_WIth_Canada_They_Gave_Us_Chuck_Biscuits_We_Gave_Them_Charles_Oakley/1513695 Sure, the story of the game is the Raptors bench helping the team gut out a big win so there's some great audio from Jarrett Jack, Antoine Wright and Amir Johnson in these Games Notes. So why is there a picture of a player who didn't even suit up in the game? Because the big news in these Game Notes is the audio clip we scored before the game of Rip Hamilton doing a little rap freestyle for us. Trust me, this is something you want to hear. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:13 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/Game_Notes_Detroit_vs_Toronto/1502653 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/Game_Notes_Detroit_vs_Toronto/1502653 With a more muscular Chris Bosh and newbie Hedo Turkoglu, the Raptors are improved, Charley Rosen says. But only on one end. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:26:12 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Raptors_have_plenty_of_O_not_enough_D/1502445 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Raptors_have_plenty_of_O_not_enough_D/1502445 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Raptors_have_plenty_of_O_not_enough_D/1502445 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/7/1/716a353b2edbc55020b4f46a7e6634f9c3789271/small/boshiso.jpg Andrea Bargnani had 22 points and 12 rebounds for his first double-double of the season, Chris Bosh scored 25 points and the Toronto Raptors beat the Detroit Pistons 110-99 on Wednesday night. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:11:12 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/Bargnanis_1st_double_double_fuels_Raptors_win/1502112 http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/Bargnanis_1st_double_double_fuels_Raptors_win/1502112 Andrea Bargnani had 22 points and 12 rebounds for his first double-double of the season, Chris Bosh scored 25 points and the Toronto Raptors beat the Detroit Pistons 110-99 on Wednesday night. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:04:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Bargnanis_first_double_double_of_season_lifts_Raptors/1502109 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Bargnanis_first_double_double_of_season_lifts_Raptors/1502109 First Orlando, then New Jersey, now Toronto. What’s next? Chapel Hill? After tonight, Vince Carter will have hit three stops on what the Orlando Sentinel is calling the “Vinsanity Reunion Tour,” but it is unknown if Carter will play after suffering an ankle injury in the second quarter of Friday night’s win over the Nets. The other major [...] Sat, 31 Oct 2009 04:49:38 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Preview_Orlando_Magic_Toronto_Raptors/1470435 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Preview_Orlando_Magic_Toronto_Raptors/1470435 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Preview_Orlando_Magic_Toronto_Raptors/1470435 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/e/1e35c296556db67b97345c9ebe524648137c872e/small/vinsanity.jpg Have you checked the calendar lately?  It's October! And there's a special feeling in the air. The feeling of NBA action! Yes, that time is almost upon us.  While we're waiting, let's embark on a journey to preview each and every team in the association. Just so we're clear, we won't make any promises about how we'll treat your beloved franchise.  We may praise them.  We may mock them.  Just be certain that we will preview them in... Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:45:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/NBA_Previewin_Toronto_Raptors/1375820 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/NBA_Previewin_Toronto_Raptors/1375820 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/NBA_Previewin_Toronto_Raptors/1375820 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/7/1/716a353b2edbc55020b4f46a7e6634f9c3789271/small/boshiso.jpg