This used to be little more than a basketball backwater, a frozen wasteland of puckheads that once every decade or so would produce a hoopster of some renown by little more than happenstance or a quirk of breeding.
But as we evolve from a society where young Frank Mahovlich-wannabes would nestle on to the couch next to dear, old dad each Saturday night to await the dulcet tones of Ward Cornell or Foster Hewitt to thrill them, so too has changed our dependence on hockey as our sole winter sports pursuit.
We may still want to be more like Mario than Mike and The Big O is more recognizable as a decrepit stadium in Montreal or an overweight ex-Raptor than one of basketball's greatest players of all time, but times are indeed changing.
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It was the perfect time for a little ugliness, a little hack-and-whack and walk-it-up, pound-it-inside, shoot-free-throws-all-night kind of ugliness that can turn a basketball game into something akin to mud wrestling.
But nooooo, the weary Toronto Raptors would have none of that, they wouldn't realize that strategy was so necessary here Saturday night.
They'd go on jacking up three-pointers, launching jumpers with about 18 seconds left on the shot clock and then watching the well-rested Seattle SuperSonics run past them like quarterhorses chasing Clydesdales.
And in a not-so-shocking turn of events, the Raptors had their heads handed to them at the Key Arena, dropping a 101-75 decision that really wasn't even as close as that.
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The Raptors need a Childs to lead them.
The injury-riddled Raptors should have veteran guard Chris Childs back on Wednesday. To say they've missed him would be a vast understatement.
"I guess it's my decision," Childs said when asked if he would be ready for the Raptors' next game, Wednesday in Portland against the Trail Blazers. Childs has been on the injured list since Dec. 20 because of soreness in his right ankle and Achilles tendon, but he has sat out the mandatory five games and is eligible to rejoin the active roster.
"We have a few more days of practice and it hasn't caused me a lot of problems (recently)," Childs said. "If it's healthy enough, I'll sit down with my trainer and coach and see what we can come up with. It's getting better because the swelling doesn't come back. I'm looking at Portland, but we'll wait and see."
The Raptors are in dire need of the attitude, defence and minutes that Childs can provide.
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Raptors Dec 2001 Archive
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| Dec 30, 2001
With six days before their next game, the Seattle SuperSonics should have everybody back from injuries the next time they play.
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| Dec 30, 2001
Twelve minutes against the Los Angeles Lakers is one thing; 48 minutes against the Seattle SuperSonics is quite another.
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| Dec 30, 2001
When Toronto Raptor general manager Glen Grunwald constructed this current roster, one of the things of which he was most proud was the depth he'd amassed.
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| Dec 30, 2001
Even after flirting with a triple-double, Alvin Williams can find fault with his own game.
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| Dec 30, 2001
After leading the Cougars to back-to-back NCAA championship game appearances, he topped that by winning consecutive NBA titles with the Rockets, and he came to be known as the Dream somewhere along his special journey into the hearts of Houston sports fans.
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| Dec 29, 2001
They talked about working hard and playing defence and maintaining intensity for 48 minutes and then the Toronto Raptors went out and did it.
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| Dec 29, 2001
More than any other team in the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers realize that championships are neither won nor lost in December.
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| Dec 29, 2001
It's funny to think that something as small as a toe could fell a seven-footer.
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| Dec 29, 2001
The Raptors' season flashed before their eyes as Vince Carter lay on the court, terrified by the lack of feeling in his left shoulder.
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| Dec 29, 2001
Vince Carter was listed as doubtful for Saturday's game against the Seattle SuperSonics after straining his left shoulder against the Los Angeles Lakers the night before.
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| Dec 29, 2001
Matchup - Toronto Raptors at Sonics
When - 7 p.
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| Dec 29, 2001
This is getting contagiously fun, and the Sonics don't want it to stop now.
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| Dec 29, 2001
When: 7 p.
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| Dec 28, 2001
IT WAS Vince Carter's graduation year — a convocation ceremony that would loom rather large in the finish to the Toronto Raptors' 2000-01 season, and confirmation signed on the dotted line of his importance to the NBA's lone remaining Canadian franchise.
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| Dec 28, 2001
Signs of chagrin are showing on Raptors forward Antonio Davis.
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| Dec 28, 2001
Toronto Raptors centre Hakeem Olajuwon didn't travel with the team on its current West Coast trip, sidelined by an infected toe on his left foot.
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| Dec 28, 2001
The Raptors have been trying desperately to find some comfort in these disturbing times.
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| Dec 27, 2001
If the Toronto Raptors are trying to find some solace in having played themselves right down among the dregs of the NBA's Eastern Conference playoff teams, it's not too hard.
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| Dec 27, 2001
It is glaringly apparent that the Toronto Raptors just aren't as good as they think they are.
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| Dec 27, 2001
All Dell Curry needs is a little space and it's quite incredible that he still gets it.
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| Dec 27, 2001
Toronto Raptors assistant coach Stan Albeck is making some progress recovering from a serious stroke he suffered in the team's locker room at the Air Canada Centre on Sunday.
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| Dec 27, 2001
The Raptors are as perplexed as anyone when it comes to the team's lack of intensity.
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| Dec 27, 2001
Vince Carter insists he won't force his offence, but on nights when he's not getting any support the Raptors' franchise player has been reluctant to assert himself.
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| Dec 27, 2001
There was a sense of vindication, but more a sense of relief for the New York Knicks.
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| Dec 24, 2001
Raptors coach Lenny Wilkens almost broke down in tears when he began to discuss Stan Albeck, his longtime friend and assistant.
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| Dec 24, 2001
VINCE CARTER, philanthropist.
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| Dec 24, 2001
Vince Carter scored his points, but more importantly he made a point of finding his teammates on the floor.
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| Dec 24, 2001
Raptors assistant coach Stan Albeck suffered a stroke in the team's locker room prior to Sunday's game against the Heat and was rushed to an area hospital.
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| Dec 24, 2001
Heat guard Mike James can now say he has officially played in the NBA.
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| Dec 24, 2001
There are no more ways to state the obvious, so Heat coach Pat Riley is resorting to an alternate form of communication.
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| Dec 24, 2001
Toronto Raptors assistant coach Stan Albeck suffered a stroke before Sunday's 83-76 win over Miami and was taken to a local hospital.
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| Dec 24, 2001
AP reports that Toronto assistant coach Stan Albeck suffered a stroke Sunday about 30 minutes before the Raptors played the Miami Heat.
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| Dec 23, 2001
Raptors coach Lenny Wilkens hopes his players remember a tidbit of knowledge he has worked to plant in their brains for some time now.
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| Dec 23, 2001
For the Raptors, home court has become a bit of a disadvantage.
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| Dec 23, 2001
Tipoff: 3 p.
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| Dec 22, 2001
Charles Oakley should bill the Raptors for his coaching services.
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| Dec 22, 2001
It would be so easy to discount the contribution Jerome Williams makes to the Toronto Raptors, so easy to label him the chief cheerleader and rabble-rouser who simply runs willy-nilly all over the court whenever he gets a chance.
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| Dec 22, 2001
Vince winced.
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| Dec 22, 2001
"It felt like it looked," the Raptors guard said yesterday, referring to a play on Thursday on which he was taken down hard by Charles Oakley of the Chicago Bulls.
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| Dec 21, 2001
Seldom has such a narrow victory over such a bad opponent been greeted with such glee.
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| Dec 21, 2001
THE REAL WORLD is full of revisionist history.
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| Dec 21, 2001
Charles Oakley has accused Glen Grunwald of being vindictive.
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| Dec 21, 2001
Charles Oakley woke up the Raptors.
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| Dec 21, 2001
Raptors point guard Chris Childs went on the injured list Thursday with a sore right ankle and sore right Achilles' tendon.
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| Dec 21, 2001
Most players wouldn't dare comment on another team's struggles, especially if they were playing on their league's worst club.
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| Dec 21, 2001
Ron Artest made his season debut last night in Toronto while Charles Oakley re-visited the place he called home for the last three seasons -- with mixed results.
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| Dec 20, 2001
Fans remember their former heroes here in this hoops-happy town and those ex-Pacers remember them.
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| Dec 20, 2001
Morris Peterson may have laid that second-option argument to rest for a little while.
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| Dec 20, 2001
Charles Oakley does not think the Raptors are getting a decent return on the money they spent last summer.
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| Dec 20, 2001
On the surface, it seemed like a great time to be playing Toronto.
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| Dec 20, 2001
The point was hit home for Raptors backup point guard Chris Childs when he watched Grant Hill's season come to an end for the Orlando Magic.
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| Dec 20, 2001
The Raptors talked the talk and walked the walk, even though a few couldn't get off their feet.
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| Dec 19, 2001
Everyone else had bolted to take care of the day's business, to shower, get changed, grab a quick bite and head to the airport for the Toronto Raptor charter to Indianapolis last night when Alvin Williams continued his relentless attack on the basket.
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| Dec 19, 2001
Vince Carter continues to be the most popular player in an NBA that again includes Michael Jordan.
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| Dec 19, 2001
Raptors guard Vince Carter did his best Sgt.
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| Dec 18, 2001
The freefalling Raptors met behind closed doors to air their beefs and share their grief yesterday and only time will tell if the off-court assembly will have any impact on their on-court performance.
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| Dec 18, 2001
He can change the starting rotation, the way his club prepares for games and the team's style, but coach Lenny Wilkens sees no reason to change the Raptors roster.
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| Dec 18, 2001
THESE RAPTORS have become so predictable.
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| Dec 18, 2001
Vince Carter has no intention of returning to the NBA's dunk contest.
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| Dec 18, 2001
In no way should this be taken as an excuse for the Raptors' passionless play of late.
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| Dec 17, 2001
LENNY WILKENS says he isn't hearing footsteps and Glen Grunwald says he isn't taking them.
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| Dec 17, 2001
It was what can only be called a veteran move.
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| Dec 17, 2001
MICHAEL JORDAN has won games in a lot of different ways in his long career ・in the air or on the ground, with the jumper or the drive or a free throw or two, and of course at the other end with starchy defence.
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| Dec 17, 2001
With so many things going so wrong on the court, the Raptors will retire to the locker-room this morning for one of those soul-searching, players-only meetings that come with desperate times.
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| Dec 17, 2001
There is trouble brewing in Raptor city.
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| Dec 16, 2001
At one time, Jordan's brilliant game was deeply rooted in the psyche and flash of playground ball ・intense, in your face, at times a very personal one-on-one confrontation.
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| Dec 16, 2001
The Toronto Star's Mark Harding reports that the Raptors received some encouraging news yesterday.
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| Dec 15, 2001
Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich is "shocked" and "heartbroken" to see Hakeem Olajuwon rip the coach and organization over the way his departure was handled.
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| Dec 15, 2001
THE WAY the Raptors are going these days, it is difficult to believe Michael Jordan wouldn't be itching to get out there and try them tomorrow.
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| Dec 15, 2001
Offensively, the Raptors are slowing down when they should be speeding up.
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| Dec 15, 2001
They've been blown out, beaten at the buzzer, and have looked totally lost during stretches of far too many games.
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| Dec 14, 2001
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports on the fallout from Hakeem Olajuwon's comments on the Rockets yesterday.
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| Dec 14, 2001
On a night when they had a handful of excuses to lose, the Toronto Raptors wasted no time making sure they did.
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| Dec 14, 2001
A year older and a year wiser, Jamaal Magloire figures he's getting this NBA lifestyle figured out pretty well right now.
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| Dec 14, 2001
At least Vince Carter played last night.
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| Dec 14, 2001
It was a game of gasps.
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| Dec 14, 2001
Just about everyone left the Charlotte Coliseum happy Thursday night.
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| Dec 14, 2001
So much for road weariness.
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| Dec 13, 2001
Robinson made the most of his reprieve, Bruce Bowen checked Carter — at least until Carter checked out — and Tim Duncan scored 28 points as the Spurs blitzed the Raptors 108-95 before 16,650 at the Alamodome to secure their best start in franchise history.
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| Dec 13, 2001
CHARLOTTE
The toughest stretch of the Charlotte Hornets' season is over.
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| Dec 13, 2001
CHARLOTTE (10-11) VS.
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| Dec 13, 2001
Miami Heat coach Pat Riley constantly tells his players, "You're either in or out," meaning there's no in-between on commitment.
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| Dec 13, 2001
Take away Antonio Davis and the Toronto Raptors might be able to steal a win every now and then.
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| Dec 13, 2001
Toronto Raptors centre Hakeem Olajuwon criticized the Houston Rockets, his team for 17 seasons, on his first trip to Texas since being traded away this summer.
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| Dec 12, 2001
He's had no 42-point games or winning buckets in the waning seconds like his more glamorous teammate, but don't discount the impact Keon Clark has made on the Raptors in the last three games.
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| Dec 12, 2001
Hakeem (Dream) Olajuwon won't feel alone when he ventures to the Lone Star State for the first time as a Raptor.
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| Dec 11, 2001
To borrow a classic line from the old flick Cool Hand Luke, what the Raptors have right now is a failure to communicate.
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| Dec 11, 2001
Raptors players, coaches and fans have been awestruck by Vince Carter's performance the past two games.
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| Dec 10, 2001
Penny Hardaway found the perfect way to redeem himself after a tough loss.
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| Dec 10, 2001
With Hollywood luminary Burt Reynolds sitting at courtside, Vince Carter wouldn't have needed to go very far to ask someone about the importance of a lead actor needing a strong supporting cast.
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| Dec 10, 2001
Live by the buzzer-beater, die by the buzzer-beater.
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| Dec 10, 2001
Whatever is going on in the Raptors locker room at halftime needs to cease immediately.
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| Dec 10, 2001
The Toronto Raptors activated rookie forward Michael Bradley from the injured list Sunday and placed rookie guard Carlos Arroyo on the injured list because of tendinitis in his right Achilles.
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| Dec 9, 2001
There is a feeling of unease hanging over the Toronto Raptors as a quarter of the NBA season has now come and gone.
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| Dec 9, 2001
On a Raptors team looking for a consistent second option behind leading scorer Vince Carter, Peterson has had flashes when he has elevated his game.
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| Dec 8, 2001
He worked so hard to create overtime that Vince Carter wasn't about to let someone else leave his mark on it.
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| Dec 8, 2001
TIME TO DO a re-assessment of the Raptors.
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| Dec 8, 2001
Nick Van Exel was a man of many second-half points but few words.
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| Dec 8, 2001
For a few moments last night, Keon Clark reverted to the form that forced the Denver Nuggets to trade the athletic big man.
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| Dec 8, 2001
Forget for a moment that this was a game that never should have gone down to the final moments.
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| Dec 7, 2001
Having made so many early defensive mistakes, it should come as no surprise that a solid late-game offensive effort went wasted for the Toronto Raptors last night.
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| Dec 7, 2001
Antonio Davis was a reluctant cheerleader last night.
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| Dec 6, 2001
Keon Clark could get his first start in a Raptors uniform tonight, as Toronto faces the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center (9 p.
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| Dec 6, 2001
What, you thought the Raptors were annoying? You reckoned the market on great expectations and its corollary of cold, hard reality had been cornered? The Raps roll into Milwaukee tonight for round two of a series that began two weeks ago in Toronto with this appropriate bon mot from George Karl: "It's way too early for me to know what the hell's going on.
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| Dec 6, 2001
For Hakeem (Dream) Olajuwon, basketball history can wait.
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| Dec 6, 2001
Oh my, do we even want to pass this along.
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| Dec 5, 2001
When the Raptors offence goes sour, Alvin Williams blames himself.
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| Dec 5, 2001
The Raptors are hoping a step back will help them move forward in restoring some rhythm to their game.
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| Dec 4, 2001
Say this for the Toronto Raptors: They don't spare the home crowd from their worst performances.
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| Dec 3, 2001
Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker are the NBA's highest scoring duo.
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| Dec 3, 2001
Not in any of the Oliver Miller eras, nor the Vincenzo Esposito period, nor during the wretchedness of a 16-66 season has such Toronto Raptor offensive ineptitude been on display.
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| Dec 3, 2001
WELCOME to the new NBA.
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| Dec 3, 2001
As the starters stumbled and shots were missed with startling frequency, Lenny Wilkens turned to his Toronto Raptor backups for some help yesterday afternoon.
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| Dec 3, 2001
The Raptors weren't just bad, they were record-breaking bad.
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| Dec 3, 2001
In frenzied moments, the Raps have scored that many points in 11 seconds, let alone 11 minutes.
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| Dec 2, 2001
Life on the road in the NBA means an endless string of charter flights and five-star hotels and hostile arenas.
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| Dec 2, 2001
The Raptors are beginning to find both comfort, and victory, away from home.
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| Dec 2, 2001
It remains to be seen whether the Toronto Raptors can put teams away.
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| Dec 1, 2001
It should come as no surprise that the Toronto Raptors are professing to be quite concerned about facing the Hawks here this afternoon.
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