2007–08 Toronto Raptors season
Encyclopedia
The 2007–08 Toronto Raptors season was the 13th National Basketball Association
(NBA) season for the Toronto Raptors
basketball franchise, with the 2007–08 season
scheduled to begin in October 2007. The major acquisition was that of three-point specialist Jason Kapono
from the Miami Heat
, and much expectations also rested on the maturing of Andrea Bargnani
, Toronto's number one draft pick in 2006. With an overwhelming majority of home game sellouts (32, the second highest in franchise history), the Raptors qualified for the playoffs
for the second year running, but this time around as the sixth seed. The Raptors faced the third seed Orlando Magic
, and were eliminated in five games.
Coming off a successful 2006–07 campaign
, Toronto were one of the league leaders in season ticket sales before the season began. Toronto was barred largely by salary cap
from making any drastic changes to its starting lineup, but they remained active in transfer activity. The Raptors first acquired Giorgos Printezis
from the 2007 NBA Draft
, and followed up with a trade for Carlos Delfino
, and the free agent signings of Jamario Moon
, Maceo Baston
and three-point specialist Jason Kapono
. On the other hand, long-serving swingman
Morris Peterson
signed a four-year, $23-million US contract with the New Orleans Hornets, while Luke Jackson was waived. Toronto played seven pre-season exhibition games—including five games in a tour of Europe—and won five.
Chris Bosh
, while much hope was rested on the number one pick of the 2006 NBA Draft
, Andrea Bargnani
, who was slated to start as centre. Point guard
s T. J. Ford
and José Calderón
were to be deployed in tandem, Anthony Parker
filled in the shooting guard
position and Kapono featured as the starting small forward
(Jorge Garbajosa
was ruled out for the whole season seven games into the campaign). Initially, this lineup worked well enough as Toronto won its first two games of the campaign; in its second game against the New Jersey Nets
, it set franchise records for biggest margin of victory in a road game, and fewest points conceded in a road game. However, the Raptors lost the next three games: Bosh and Bargnani could not seem to play well together, and Parker went through a bad shooting streak. This prompted coach Sam Mitchell
to replace Bargnani with the veteran Rasho Nesterovič as the starting centre to give the team a greater defensive presence. Toronto rebounded immediately with a road victory against the Philadelphia 76ers
, and the athletic Moon was also promoted to the starting team in the next game against the Chicago Bulls
, and the Raptors scored the largest win against Bulls in franchise history.
Nevertheless, the Boston Celtics
, who had acquired NBA All-Stars Kevin Garnett
and Ray Allen
before the season began, were setting the pace in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference as pundits had predicted (they would go on to record a league-best 66 wins in the regular season). Meanwhile, the Raptors struggled to maintain a .500 record. Moon was kept in the starting lineup for the most part and the rookie put up several good performances, while Calderón—who would lead the league with a 5.38 to 1 assist-to-turnover ratio by the season's end—was equally outstanding stepping in for Ford who had suffered a severe injury to his back. Delfino was a revelation as well, contributing on both ends of the court when he was first brought into the fold. Bargnani on the other hand did not perform as expected and apart from Bosh, the frontcourt often saw the rotation of the Italian, Nesterovič and Kris Humphries
. Kapono, in the meantime, was seldom used to his full potential, either in terms of minutes played or shots attempted.
December was a particularly challenging period, with injuries to several key players, a long road trip and games against some of the best teams in the league. Toronto reached the mid-season mark with a 22–19 record and ranked as the best three-point shooting and second best free-throw shooting team in the NBA. It marked the start of its latter half of the season with a road win against Boston, and January proved to be the best month yet as Toronto capitalised on home advantage and went 8–5.
The 2008 NBA All-Star Weekend
featured four Raptors: Bosh as the starting power forward for the East in the All-Star game, Bargnani and Moon for the Rookie/Sophomore Challenge, Moon for the Slam Dunk contest, and Kapono for the Three-Point Shootout. By this period, Bargnani and Bosh were beginning to combine more effectively, while Calderón continued to put in impressive performances regularly. Juan Dixon
was traded to Detroit Pistons
for Slovenian centre Primoz Brezec
before the trading deadline.
February and early March featured mostly opponents from the lower half of the league table, but Toronto had difficulties pulling away from the .500 mark, although the home win over the Knicks on 24 February 2008—their 54th game of the campaign—was the fastest Toronto ever reached the 30-win mark in a season. Nevertheless, the loss of Bosh for several games in the final third of the campaign sent the Raptors struggle even further; in a heavy 102–137 defeat to the Denver Nuggets
on 14 March 2007, the team set a franchise record for most first-half points given up. With Boston dominating the division—and subsequently winning the title easily—Toronto's problems were exacerbated by Ford's increasing frustration at playing backup to Calderón, and there were even calls for Ford to be traded at the end of the season. Nesterovič was one of the few players who played well in Bosh's absence, but was unable to halt the team's slide.
The return of Bosh in late March served as a minor reprieve, but the Raptors continued to capitulate in spectacular fashion in their remaining games, plummeting down the conference rankings with defeat after defeat, and fans were beginning to show their displeasure. In response, Bosh made a video on YouTube
, urging the fans to rally behind the team as the playoffs were arriving. The Raptors went on to close out the season with a 41–41 record, qualifying for the 2008 NBA Playoffs
as the sixth seed and setting up themselves with a matchup against the Orlando Magic
. While ending the season as the league's best three-point shooting team (0.390) and the team with the least turnovers
(13.1 per 100 possessions), the Raptors continued to be criticised for being defensively poor on the perimeter, and playing without enough aggression.
The first-round series against the Magic was touted as the matchup between two of the league's best young big men in Dwight Howard
and Bosh, but the Raptors were perceived to have an advantage in their dual-point guard play. With Orlando holding home court advantage, however, the Raptors were unable to win their first two road games. In Game 1, Bargnani was deployed as the starting small forward (with Nesterovič moved to the bench) but this did not pay dividends. Orlando took a huge lead in the first quarter with nine three-pointers converted and with Howard dominating the game, Toronto were unable to cut back on the deficit. Game 2 was the same with Orlando opening up the first quarter with a big lead and Howard dominating yet again, but solid plays from Bosh, Kapono and Calderón saw the Raptors take the lead with just a couple of minutes remaining in the game. With 9 seconds left on the clock, Bosh had a chance to score the game-winning basket but his 18 foot jumper missed the mark.
Coach Mitchell promised yet another change in the starting lineup for Game 3 at Toronto (with Moon replacing Nesterovič), and this time the Magic were unable to dominate the first quarter as before. With Ford leading Toronto in scoring and Calderón stepping up his game yet again, the Raptors preserved some hope with a 108–94 home win. Only one point separated both teams leading up to the fourth quarter in Game 4, and despite Bosh recording 39 points and 15 rebounds, deadly shooting by the Magic in the final few minutes ensured victory for the visitors. Back on the road in Game 5, Toronto were outplayed by the Magic in the second half, and were thus eliminated from the first round four games to one. GM Bryan Colangelo
said at a press conference thereafter, "Whether it's protecting [Bosh] inside the paint, getting a little bit more of a presence in there, to just getting him another scorer that's going to shoulder some of that burden, it's something that's clear we have to get better", hinting that changes to the squad beckoned for the next season. Throughout the series, Orlando's point guard Jameer Nelson
capitalised on being left unguarded and shot 51.9% from the three-point arc, while Howard single-handedly outrebounded the entire Toronto frontcourt with 91 rebounds.
* Total for entire season including previous team(s)
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(NBA) season for the Toronto Raptors
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA's re-expansion...
basketball franchise, with the 2007–08 season
2007-08 NBA season
The 2007–08 NBA season was the 62nd season of the National Basketball Association. The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 30, 2007, and ended on Wednesday, April 16, 2008...
scheduled to begin in October 2007. The major acquisition was that of three-point specialist Jason Kapono
Jason Kapono
Jason Alan Kapono is an American professional basketball player who is a free agent. Drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the 2003 NBA Draft, Kapono later also played for the Charlotte Bobcats, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, and Philadelphia 76ers...
from the Miami Heat
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
, and much expectations also rested on the maturing of Andrea Bargnani
Andrea Bargnani
Andrea Bargnani , nicknamed "Il Mago" , is an Italian professional basketball player with the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association. He was selected first overall in the 2006 NBA Draft. He is a power forward/center standing at 213 cm and weighing 113.4 kg...
, Toronto's number one draft pick in 2006. With an overwhelming majority of home game sellouts (32, the second highest in franchise history), the Raptors qualified for the playoffs
2008 NBA Playoffs
The 2008 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2007–08 season which ended with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4–2....
for the second year running, but this time around as the sixth seed. The Raptors faced the third seed Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy...
, and were eliminated in five games.
Roster
Offseason
2006–07 Toronto Raptors season
The Toronto Raptors 2006–07 season is the twelfth National Basketball Association season for the Toronto Raptors basketball franchise. Following a poor 2005–06 season, General Manager Bryan Colangelo greatly revamped the team roster during the pre-season but continued to build the team around...
, Toronto were one of the league leaders in season ticket sales before the season began. Toronto was barred largely by salary cap
Salary cap
In professional sports, a salary cap is a cartel agreement between teams that places a limit on the amount of money that can be spent on player salaries. The limit exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both...
from making any drastic changes to its starting lineup, but they remained active in transfer activity. The Raptors first acquired Giorgos Printezis
Giorgos Printezis
Georgios Printezis is a Greek professional basketball player...
from the 2007 NBA Draft
2007 NBA Draft
The 2007 NBA Draft was held on June 28, 2007 at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. It was broadcast on television in 115 countries. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...
, and followed up with a trade for Carlos Delfino
Carlos Delfino
Carlos Francisco Delfino is an Argentine professional basketball player. He also has Italian citizenship. Delfino plays at the small forward and shooting guard positions. He stands tall and weighs . He is also noted for his defensive skills...
, and the free agent signings of Jamario Moon
Jamario Moon
Jamario Raman Moon is an American professional basketball player. Moon played college basketball for one season at Meridian Community College and began his professional career with teams in the United States Basketball League and NBA Development League, the Harlem Globetrotters, and Mexican...
, Maceo Baston
Maceo Baston
Maceo Demond Baston is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent.-College career:After graduating from Dallas' H. Grady Spruce High School, Baston played college basketball at the University of Michigan. At Michigan, he was part of an all-star recruiting class that...
and three-point specialist Jason Kapono
Jason Kapono
Jason Alan Kapono is an American professional basketball player who is a free agent. Drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the 2003 NBA Draft, Kapono later also played for the Charlotte Bobcats, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, and Philadelphia 76ers...
. On the other hand, long-serving swingman
Swingman
A Swingman is a basketball term denoting a player who can play both the small forward and shooting guard positions, and, in essence, swing between the shooting guard and small forward positions." Swingmen males are often between 6'5" and 6'8" .John Havlicek, who played for the Boston Celtics in...
Morris Peterson
Morris Peterson
Morris Peterson, Jr. is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent.- College career :...
signed a four-year, $23-million US contract with the New Orleans Hornets, while Luke Jackson was waived. Toronto played seven pre-season exhibition games—including five games in a tour of Europe—and won five.
Regular season
The Raptors were once again led by captain and All-Star power forwardPower forward (basketball)
Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low...
Chris Bosh
Chris Bosh
Christopher Wesson Bosh is an American professional basketball player who plays power forward for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association ....
, while much hope was rested on the number one pick of the 2006 NBA Draft
2006 NBA Draft
The 2006 NBA Draft was held on June 28, 2006 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players,...
, Andrea Bargnani
Andrea Bargnani
Andrea Bargnani , nicknamed "Il Mago" , is an Italian professional basketball player with the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association. He was selected first overall in the 2006 NBA Draft. He is a power forward/center standing at 213 cm and weighing 113.4 kg...
, who was slated to start as centre. Point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
s T. J. Ford
T. J. Ford
Terrance Jerod "T. J." Ford is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for KK Zagreb. Having been awarded numerous top basketball accolades in high school and college, Ford entered the 2003 NBA Draft and was selected eighth overall by the Milwaukee Bucks...
and José Calderón
José Calderón (basketball)
José Manuel Calderón Borrallo is a Spanish professional basketball player who plays for the National Basketball Association's Toronto Raptors and the Spanish national team.-European career:...
were to be deployed in tandem, Anthony Parker
Anthony Parker
Anthony Michael Parker is an American professional basketball player who last played with the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association . After graduating from Bradley University with a major in liberal arts, he entered the 1997 NBA Draft and played briefly in the NBA before...
filled in the shooting guard
Shooting guard
The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...
position and Kapono featured as the starting small forward
Small forward
The small forward, or colloquially known as three, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically somewhat shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers, but on occasion are just as tall...
(Jorge Garbajosa
Jorge Garbajosa
Jorge Garbajosa Chaparro, Jr., nicknamed "Garbo" , is a Spanish professional basketball player. At 2.07 m , he plays both power forward and small forward.-Pro career:*1994-97 Taugres*1997-00 TAU Cerámica...
was ruled out for the whole season seven games into the campaign). Initially, this lineup worked well enough as Toronto won its first two games of the campaign; in its second game against the New Jersey Nets
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, it set franchise records for biggest margin of victory in a road game, and fewest points conceded in a road game. However, the Raptors lost the next three games: Bosh and Bargnani could not seem to play well together, and Parker went through a bad shooting streak. This prompted coach Sam Mitchell
Sam Mitchell (basketball)
Samuel "Sam" E. Mitchell, Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player and a former head coach in the National Basketball Association . He is currently an assistant coach with the New Jersey Nets....
to replace Bargnani with the veteran Rasho Nesterovič as the starting centre to give the team a greater defensive presence. Toronto rebounded immediately with a road victory against the Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
, and the athletic Moon was also promoted to the starting team in the next game against the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
, and the Raptors scored the largest win against Bulls in franchise history.
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
, who had acquired NBA All-Stars Kevin Garnett
Kevin Garnett
Kevin Maurice Garnett is an American professional basketball player who currently plays power forward for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association . After a high school basketball career at Farragut Career Academy which included winning a national player of the year award, he...
and Ray Allen
Ray Allen
Walter Ray Allen is an American professional basketball player who is currently playing for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association. He has played professionally for the Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics, and the Boston Celtics; and collegiately for the University of...
before the season began, were setting the pace in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference as pundits had predicted (they would go on to record a league-best 66 wins in the regular season). Meanwhile, the Raptors struggled to maintain a .500 record. Moon was kept in the starting lineup for the most part and the rookie put up several good performances, while Calderón—who would lead the league with a 5.38 to 1 assist-to-turnover ratio by the season's end—was equally outstanding stepping in for Ford who had suffered a severe injury to his back. Delfino was a revelation as well, contributing on both ends of the court when he was first brought into the fold. Bargnani on the other hand did not perform as expected and apart from Bosh, the frontcourt often saw the rotation of the Italian, Nesterovič and Kris Humphries
Kris Humphries
Kris Nathan Humphries is an American professional basketball player who last played for the NBA's New Jersey Nets. He became an unrestricted free agent in 2011.-Early life:...
. Kapono, in the meantime, was seldom used to his full potential, either in terms of minutes played or shots attempted.
December was a particularly challenging period, with injuries to several key players, a long road trip and games against some of the best teams in the league. Toronto reached the mid-season mark with a 22–19 record and ranked as the best three-point shooting and second best free-throw shooting team in the NBA. It marked the start of its latter half of the season with a road win against Boston, and January proved to be the best month yet as Toronto capitalised on home advantage and went 8–5.
The 2008 NBA All-Star Weekend
2008 NBA All-Star Game
-Eastern Conference roster:The Boston Celtics, the team with the league's best record, came into New Orleans with three players. Kevin Garnett, top vote-getter in the league with 2,399,148 votes, was selected as a starter, while Paul Pierce and Ray Allen were selected as reserves by the coaches of...
featured four Raptors: Bosh as the starting power forward for the East in the All-Star game, Bargnani and Moon for the Rookie/Sophomore Challenge, Moon for the Slam Dunk contest, and Kapono for the Three-Point Shootout. By this period, Bargnani and Bosh were beginning to combine more effectively, while Calderón continued to put in impressive performances regularly. Juan Dixon
Juan Dixon
Juan Dixon is an American professional basketball player. Dixon led the University of Maryland Terrapins to their first NCAA championship in 2002 and earned Most Outstanding Player honors at the 2002 Final Four.-Early life:...
was traded to Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
for Slovenian centre Primoz Brezec
Primož Brezec
Primož Brezec is a Slovenian professional basketball player with Lokomotiv Kuban of the Russian Super League. He is a 7 ft 1 in tall center. Brezec has played seven seasons in the NBA.-Europe:...
before the trading deadline.
February and early March featured mostly opponents from the lower half of the league table, but Toronto had difficulties pulling away from the .500 mark, although the home win over the Knicks on 24 February 2008—their 54th game of the campaign—was the fastest Toronto ever reached the 30-win mark in a season. Nevertheless, the loss of Bosh for several games in the final third of the campaign sent the Raptors struggle even further; in a heavy 102–137 defeat to the Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
on 14 March 2007, the team set a franchise record for most first-half points given up. With Boston dominating the division—and subsequently winning the title easily—Toronto's problems were exacerbated by Ford's increasing frustration at playing backup to Calderón, and there were even calls for Ford to be traded at the end of the season. Nesterovič was one of the few players who played well in Bosh's absence, but was unable to halt the team's slide.
The return of Bosh in late March served as a minor reprieve, but the Raptors continued to capitulate in spectacular fashion in their remaining games, plummeting down the conference rankings with defeat after defeat, and fans were beginning to show their displeasure. In response, Bosh made a video on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, urging the fans to rally behind the team as the playoffs were arriving. The Raptors went on to close out the season with a 41–41 record, qualifying for the 2008 NBA Playoffs
2008 NBA Playoffs
The 2008 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2007–08 season which ended with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4–2....
as the sixth seed and setting up themselves with a matchup against the Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy...
. While ending the season as the league's best three-point shooting team (0.390) and the team with the least turnovers
Turnover (basketball)
In basketball, a turnover occurs when a player from one team gives possession to a member of the opposing team by losing the ball. This can result from the ball being stolen, the player making mistakes such as stepping out or throwing the ball out of bounds, or committing a violation or committing...
(13.1 per 100 possessions), the Raptors continued to be criticised for being defensively poor on the perimeter, and playing without enough aggression.
Playoffs
Dwight Howard
Dwight David Howard is an American basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association . Howard, who usually plays center but can also play power forward, had an outstanding high school career at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy...
and Bosh, but the Raptors were perceived to have an advantage in their dual-point guard play. With Orlando holding home court advantage, however, the Raptors were unable to win their first two road games. In Game 1, Bargnani was deployed as the starting small forward (with Nesterovič moved to the bench) but this did not pay dividends. Orlando took a huge lead in the first quarter with nine three-pointers converted and with Howard dominating the game, Toronto were unable to cut back on the deficit. Game 2 was the same with Orlando opening up the first quarter with a big lead and Howard dominating yet again, but solid plays from Bosh, Kapono and Calderón saw the Raptors take the lead with just a couple of minutes remaining in the game. With 9 seconds left on the clock, Bosh had a chance to score the game-winning basket but his 18 foot jumper missed the mark.
Coach Mitchell promised yet another change in the starting lineup for Game 3 at Toronto (with Moon replacing Nesterovič), and this time the Magic were unable to dominate the first quarter as before. With Ford leading Toronto in scoring and Calderón stepping up his game yet again, the Raptors preserved some hope with a 108–94 home win. Only one point separated both teams leading up to the fourth quarter in Game 4, and despite Bosh recording 39 points and 15 rebounds, deadly shooting by the Magic in the final few minutes ensured victory for the visitors. Back on the road in Game 5, Toronto were outplayed by the Magic in the second half, and were thus eliminated from the first round four games to one. GM Bryan Colangelo
Bryan Colangelo
Bryan Colangelo is the President and General Manager of the Toronto Raptors of the NBA. He is the son of Phoenix sports mogul, Jerry Colangelo. He attended Cornell University. He was the 2005 and 2007 recipient of the NBA Executive of the Year Award.-Phoenix:Bryan began his NBA front-office career...
said at a press conference thereafter, "Whether it's protecting [Bosh] inside the paint, getting a little bit more of a presence in there, to just getting him another scorer that's going to shoulder some of that burden, it's something that's clear we have to get better", hinting that changes to the squad beckoned for the next season. Throughout the series, Orlando's point guard Jameer Nelson
Jameer Nelson
Jameer Nelson is an American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the NBA. He played college basketball at Saint Joseph's University and was drafted in the first round of the 2004 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets but was traded to the Orlando Magic, where he has played for his...
capitalised on being left unguarded and shot 51.9% from the three-point arc, while Howard single-handedly outrebounded the entire Toronto frontcourt with 91 rebounds.
Regular season
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78 | 53 | 23.9 | .386 | .345 | .840 | 3.7 | 1.1 | .29 | .47 | 10.2 | |
| 15 | 2 | 6.9 | .680 | .000 | .700 | 1.7 | .2 | .13 | .27 | 2.7 | |
| 67 | 67 | 36.2 | .494 | .400 | .844 | 8.7 | 2.6 | .94 | 1.00 | 22.3 | |
| 50 | 18 | 9.5 | .468 | .000 | .600 | 1.6 | .2 | .06 | .14 | 2.2 | |
| 82 | 56 | 30.3 | .519 | .429 | .908 | 2.9 | 8.3 | 1.06 | .07 | 11.2 | |
| 82 | 0 | 23.5 | .397 | .382 | .744 | 4.4 | 1.8 | .84 | .13 | 9.0 | |
| 51 | 26 | 23.5 | .469 | .294 | .880 | 2.0 | 6.1 | 1.06 | .00 | 12.1 | |
| 7 | 0 | 10.6 | .320 | .375 | .000 | 2.1 | .4 | .43 | .00 | 3.1 | |
| 38 | 3 | 8.7 | .434 | .667 | .844 | 1.8 | .4 | .08 | .00 | 3.6 | |
| 70 | 0 | 13.2 | .483 | .000 | .605 | 3.7 | .4 | .36 | .40 | 5.7 | |
| 81 | 7 | 18.9 | .488 | .483 | .860 | 1.5 | .8 | .42 | .02 | 7.2 | |
| 17 | 0 | 8.3 | .233 | .125 | .833 | .4 | 1.2 | .35 | .00 | 1.6 | |
| 78 | 75 | 27.8 | .485 | .328 | .741 | 6.2 | 1.2 | 1.03 | 1.38 | 8.5 | |
| 71 | 39 | 20.9 | .550 | .333 | .755 | 4.8 | 1.2 | .28 | .73 | 7.8 | |
| 82 | 82 | 32.1 | .476 | .438 | .816 | 4.1 | 2.2 | .96 | .21 | 12.5 |
Playoffs
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 5 | 20.8 | .333 | .250 | 1.000 | 1.4 | .4 | .80 | .60 | 6.4 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .0 | .0 | 1.00 | .00 | .0 | |
| 5 | 5 | 39.8 | .472 | .143 | .833 | 9.0 | 3.6 | 1.60 | .40 | 24.0 | |
| 5 | 0 | 24.0 | .440 | .476 | 1.000 | 3.6 | 7.0 | .20 | .00 | 11.8 | |
| 5 | 0 | 24.2 | .405 | .267 | .900 | 4.8 | 2.2 | .80 | .00 | 8.6 | |
| 5 | 5 | 24.8 | .362 | .125 | .938 | 4.4 | 6.6 | 1.00 | .00 | 11.6 | |
| 2 | 0 | 1.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .0 | .0 | .00 | .00 | .0 | |
| 3 | 0 | .7 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .0 | .0 | .00 | .00 | .0 | |
| 5 | 0 | 30.4 | .585 | .542 | .750 | 2.6 | .8 | .40 | .00 | 15.6 | |
| 5 | 3 | 20.8 | .379 | .364 | 1.000 | 4.8 | .8 | 1.20 | .60 | 5.4 | |
| 5 | 2 | 15.4 | .500 | .000 | .500 | 2.6 | .6 | .20 | .40 | 4.6 | |
| 5 | 5 | 39.2 | .408 | .294 | .857 | 6.0 | 2.0 | .80 | .40 | 11.4 |