From Row E at the ACC: Toronto Raptors Preseason Home Opener

The Raptors had a home opener of sorts at the ACC on Wednesday night.  No the building wasn’t full nor was it especially loud like it will be on the 28th.  But a lot of people did come out to watch two teams prepare for the regular season.

First off for those of you who haven’t had the chance to come down to the ACC since the renovations this summer, MLSE deserves some applause for a job well done.  Catch a preseason game if you can, the newly renovated ACC is worth a walk around.  It’s not as busy during preseason and you can take your time to enjoy the facility.

No the ACC isn’t radically different, but it is better for the work done.

By removing the TV studio from the Gate One area, the main entrance for those underground walkers and TTC plus GO riders is vastly improved.  The Gate isn’t any bigger, there’s just a lot more room to walk into.

The new addition at Gates Five & Six is another plus.  Gone is last year’s congestion.  The walkways are much nicer.  The new food venues are a welcome change.  You really should check out Burkie’s dog house!  The new TV studio isn’t as nice looking as the old one; but, the video boards are vastly superior and this TV studio isn’t in the way.

On Tuesday night, I was almost going to make the comment that the half a Dance Pak in London was suffering from the same “jet lag” as the team, but I restrained myself.  Tonight no such issues.  The new Raptors Dance Pak has all new routines and they performed well, sort of along the lines of the Raptors players performing better at home as well. (But the Dancers got up to speed much faster!)

And perhaps the best change (after the hot dogs) was the return of a half-time show.  This time, a martial arts inspired dance that was well done.  Hopefully the team’s brass has listened to fans complaints that a never ending slew of little kids playing streetball for five minutes during half-time just didn’t cut it last year.

The Raptors have a new preseason video presentation ahead of the player introductions.  Last year’s was beyond stale so this was a nice touch.  Expecting the real opening night video will be something special.

Oh and there was a basketball game played as well!  A 76ers squad beat the depleted Raptors 84-79 in a much more enjoyable game than the one in London.  (Not saying in any way that the fans in London didn’t have a great time because they did!)

Tonight’s game was different in one significant way.  The Raptors’ players were not turning pale and panting after a couple of minutes of exertion like they were in London (must have been the “jet-lag”).  It’s hard to know where the guys found their legs after just one day, but it was nice to see they could run for longer than a few minutes at a time.

(Reminder to take depth breaths and try to relax—it’s just the start of the preseason, 20 days to go before the games count.)

Tonight Calderon played much better.  No not like he’s expected to on opening night, but no one was searching for the emergency services number in case he collapsed from exhaustion either.

And he wasn’t alone, Reggie Evans improved his numbers with 9 points, 9 boards, and 4 steals.  Reggie played better than in London but because his teammates showed up tonight, it wasn’t as noticeable.  Reggie did really impress with some smart defense early in the third quarter.

DeRozan had a better start as well with a strong first quarter and better overall play.

Sonny Weems who had promised the ACC crowd would see some excitement this preseason came through tonight with two impressive dunks.  As Sonny didn’t play much last season in Denver, it was hard to know what the Raptors had acquired here. 

But the early line is Sonny Weems can play.  Hopefully he continues to shine through the rest of the preseason and beyond.

Amir Johnson’s stats weren’t as good as in London but his play was much better.  A nice sign that the Raptors may have indeed picked up a good young player.  I’d expect we’ll see improvement each time out.

And, Chris Bosh was dressed for the game!  No he didn’t play but he looked like he could have.  Maybe a tease for Sunday?  (Apparently Bosh forgot his suit at home and had to dress to be on the bench, it was just too funny to believe!)

Not a lot more worthy of commenting on.  Everyone played restricted minutes.  The players’ stats are more reflective of Jay’s rotations and restrictions than anything else.  It’s preseason!

 

At the end of the game Matt Devlin stopped by for a chat and brought some very practical insights into the game and tonight’s result.

The Raptors playing without Bosh and Turkoglu is the equivalent of the 76ers playing without Iguodala and Young.  No one would expect much scoring from the 76ers without their two stars.  Even just regular player rotations would be adversely effected.

The 76ers are basically playing with the same group of guys as they had last year.  They know each others tendencies and are ahead of the curve in terms of playing as a team.  The Raptors have nine new players to work in and get to know one another.  The fact that they may not be as cohesive as the 76ers at this moment isn’t much of a surprise.

And, we should be expecting some great new programs on Raptors TV soon.  (Some sneak peeks have begun airing if you’re lucky enough to catch a clip.)

I’d like to thank Matt for taking some time to talk and the encouraging words.

Unlike the game in London, this one was more like what should be expected in the preseason.  But like Tuesday night’s game, it’s not worth reading too much into the score or the players’ individual stats.

 

For those who love stats, get the whole boxscore at NBA.com

And if you missed Tuesday's Raptors/76ers game you can check out how London Loved the Raptors here.

Waiting for the next game at the ACC on Sunday.  Be there!