A Culture of Losing

"I think if you look at our position in the East right now and how we've been playing, we're just decent right now. We have a lot of room to improve. I think we can be a lot better team (sic) ... It's better than being under .500. I'm not satisfied with our position and that's a good thing. Not to say that I'm disappointed or anything, I'm content with the way things are going but I think we can improve."

Just what, exactly, does Chris Bosh mean by that? When I opened a gift from my sister this Christmas and saw an oversized golf ball filled with cheap scotch I didn’t complain, even though I’ve drank scotch as many times as I’ve played golf (three) and abhorred them all equally. But if Bosh were me, based on his above quote, he might have said something like this: “I don’t really plan on using this and I don’t particularly like this, but I’m not disappointed. I mean, obviously you could have done better, but it’s great. I’m happy with it. Thanks.”

For perspective consider that the Raptors are currently 17-15. Based solely on winning percentage Toronto would be ninth in the West, good enough for a regular-season participation trophy, but not enough to keep the Irish Spring Dance Pack employed into May for the NBA playoffs.

TJ Ford, Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani have missed 15, five and four games respectively with injuries. Throughout all of which the team has been talking about pulling up their socks, taking it on the chin, etc. before adding a final pitiful whimper to evoke pathos in fans and reporters. The media spoke lengthily on the Raps’ tough western swing and how games against Phoenix and San Antonio were forgone conclusions. Well, they won one of them. How did they manage that, Sherm?

In fact, the pervading attitude of the Raptors this season is a confusing non-committal tagline, preferably uttered by Coach Mitchell himself: “We’re not making excuses, but we’ve got a few excuses.”

A good example of this is more nonsense from Mitchell, this time peering through his rifle scope at the stands of the ACC:

"People just assume because you're at home, you're supposed to win and that's just not the case. You still have to play well, you've still got to out-work a team and play better. The fans just need to realize, you're not going to come out and be up 25-10 every game at home. We've got the type of team where we're not going to stop playing. We're going to play 48 minutes and sometimes you're not going to play well for 48 minutes so their support is important."

When, in the history of this franchise, which was named after a dinosaur briefly made popular in a blockbuster film, which used to wear purple pajamas as uniforms, which once employed Vincent Lamar Carter and which, for years, played their home games in a baseball stadium, have the fans NOT been supportive? Did Mitchell somehow coach game five of the Raptors-Nets series with his hands over his eyes?

And the response from Toronto’s critical, fastidious fourth estate: “What’d ya think of Sam’s suggestion that fans may be a bit quick to get disgruntled at home games? All legit points, I think.” Quote courtesy of Doug Smith’s blog.

Meanwhile, a Portland Trail Blazers team that, before the season even began, lost their first overall draft pick - who some have called the second coming of Bill Russell – to a knee injury, are sitting at 19-13 on the year. They had a 13-game winning streak snapped on Dec. 30 before winning the very next game. What's their excuse?