And Lowry, as everyone connected with the team is, remains confident in the pieces that are in place. “I’m confident in all my teammates, I think they’re all confident in me and I think we’re all confident in each other,” he said. “We’ve got some young pieces, some learning to do to get better in the summer. . . . We had a disappointing year but we’ll bounce back.”

RaptorBlog | Thoughts On the Game: Raptors 101, Bulls 98

It’s hard to take anything from the results of these quite meaningless games as the Raptors play out the string, but we can look for small beads of development in the rookies’ games and look at things like an improved three-point shot from Gay. All in all, we just ask that you bare with us over this final five games of the season. I’m not sure how much we’ll have to talk about after the games or how many of the games we’ll even have postgame thoughts for, but you can be sure that RaptorBlog will have a ton of its usual content again once the season ends and we can officially start looking ahead to the off-season and next season.

Blog a Bull | Bulls vs. Raptors final score: Jimmy Butler’s career high not enough to steal victory

Might as well lead with Butler anyway: he played all 48 minutes, and finished with a career-high 28 points on 10-12 shooting. Also had 7 rebounds. But most impressive was his 3-3 on corner three-pointers on the evening: with this team at full strength Jimmy won’t be asked to do as much as he took on tonight, but he’ll need to hit those 3s. He of course was required to really expand his offense in this one, and he delivered in what was the most thrilling part of the night for the Bulls. The idea of him playing 48 minutes alone with his style of play is impressive.

Toronto Sun | Casey praises Bulls in Raptors win

“They have a team, starting with Luol Deng (their leader), Derrick Rose their other leader that is built to compete and play hard on the defensive end,” Casey said. “They have a defensive roster and I think that’s where it starts with that mentality and with coach (Tom) Thibodeau. He puts a high premium on defence and if you don’t play the way he demands, you don’t play.” Casey feels his team has had that kind of defensive buy-in for portions of the schedule, but not all of it. “That’s something I thought the middle team we had (Calderon starting at point guard, Amir Johnson, Ed Davis holding down the paint) did a heck of a job at. Defensively our numbers were (improved) but again, you have to coach the team that you have.”

Toronto Sun | Valanciunas taken to hospital after Raps’ win

Valanciunas was attended to on the Raptors bench as the rest of the team went to the locker room following the 101-98 win. He left on stretcher wearing a neck brace but was seen joking with the Raptors staff who were attending to him. GM Bryan Colangelo described the injury as “whiplash-like” and said Valanciunas was taken to Rush Presbyterian hospital as a precaution.

TSN | Lewenberg: Raptors hold off undermanned Bulls for 30th win

The poise and composure of Tom Thibodeau’s team, even undermanned, was evident while the Raptors were stuck with the “here we go again” look on their collective faces. Again, execution escaped Dwane Casey’s club down the stretch. They committed costly turnovers, gave up crucial offensive rebounds (Chicago grabbed four in the quarter, 13 in the game) and somehow managed to find themselves in yet another bizarre late-game situation when an inconclusive replay forced a jump ball with nine seconds remaining. Despite the dramatics, Toronto was able to pull out the rare closely-contested victory but likely would not have been so lucky against the healthy version (as healthy as it gets) of this veteran Bulls team.

Raptors Rapture | Recap: Toronto Raptors defeat Chicago Bulls 101-98 (3/9/13)

The Raps enjoyed balanced scoring on this night, with contributions from Rudy Gay (19 points), and three players (Amir Johnson, Kyle Lowry, Terrence Ross) adding 13. Getting effective play from Terrence is a huge relief, after the mid-season scoring drought he endured. Quincy Acy continued bolstering his case for more minutes, as he chipped in 8 points and 6 rebounds. It’s clear the Raps are determined to take a long look at our rookies, now that the playoffs are out of reach. The kids are responding well. For the Bulls, Jimmy Butler, an unheralded sophomore small forward, never got off the floor while scoring 28 points. He didn’t miss on 3 shots from deep.

The Point Forward | Court Vision: Amir Johnson blooms in an otherwise woeful season for Toronto Raptors

“You have to be willing to leave your guy knowing that sometimes another guy might forget his assignment and your guy might end up scoring,” Raptors centre Aaron Gray said of team defence. “That happens a lot, and you go, ‘OK, I’m going to stop helping other guys because they’re not helping me and it makes me look bad.’ With Amir, he knows how to play the game the right way. He doesn’t care who gets the credit. He’s going to make the right play every time. He’s going to try to do the right thing and continue to hope people have his back like he has ours.”

The Globe and Mail | Raptors hold on to beat Bulls; Valanciunas taken to hospital

“It’s one of those plays,” Gay said. “That’s what makes the job tough. That’s why everybody can’t do it. Sometimes, things like that happen being aggressive trying to get the ball. He’s an aggressive player, but he just ended up in the wrong spot. We’re hoping that he’s OK. But we all know that anytime anything can happen. We all know that. Look at the Final Four, some of the crazy injuries that happened in that. This is a physical game.”

CSN Chicago | Bulls lose close call to Raptors

The team’s early struggles prompted Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau to insert power forward Malcolm Thomas (six points, eight rebounds), who was recently signed for the remainder of the season, and while the power forward wasn’t directly responsible for the hosts ending Toronto’s run and making it a more competitive affair, he did provide some energy, as well as a focus on interior defense and rebounding. Marco Belinelli, who was held scoreless in his return to the lineup Sunday in Detroit, was one of two scoring threats for the Bulls, along with Butler, as they battled to make it a single-digit contest.

For many of us, it’s a sigh of relief after what’s unquestionably been a tough season, one that’s shown little in terms of upside. The club is again heading into the off-season without a playoff appearance under their belt (a franchise-record fifth-straight miss I’d add), little financial room to make improvements, and of course, likely no draft picks to help bolster a club that’s got issues at nearly every position. The team hasn’t even finished up the season strong, despite a flattering schedule, losing seven of their last 10, including to clubs like Detroit and Charlotte (and of course Saturday night’s disaster versus Milwaukee.)

Toronto Sun | First business, then pleasure for Raptors’ Johnson

Unlike many of his younger teammates who are still working on developing parts of their game, Johnson’s is a finished product for the most part. “Amir is going to be Amir,” Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said. “What he does it’s hard to improve on because he has a heart as big as the country of Canada. That’s one thing he brings that you can’t teach. I don’t know how much more you can improve on that.” There is no question that effort and a refusal to back down regardless of the size of opponent or the score of the game are at the core of what makes Johnson the player he is. That’s not going to change. Johnson knows that.

Toronto Star | Payton feels Raptors’ Casey deserves another season

“When you come in and take jobs like that and then you don’t turn it around, I think that the organization should give him an opportunity to get players and do that … Since they got Rudy Gay I think it changed around, it turned around a lot. My young kid (DeMar) DeRozan is out there, I think he’s getting better. You’ve just got to give him an opportunity, you give him a chance, put a couple more pieces around and then see what happens,” Payton said.

TSN | Armstrong: Five thoughts on Wade, Felton, and more

Have really enjoyed watching him since he came back from the D-League. He gives it his all and the experience is helping him. It’s important for the Raptors to get a sense of what they have returning for next season and he’s given them reason for optimism that he can be a solid role player. Drafting second round picks is always a crap shoot – he’s showing them that he’s worthy of their trust/faith in him. Is he going to be a big-time player? Likely not but this is more about him developing into a serviceable winning second unit guy and the minutes/experience he earns now will help in that formation. It’s on him to continue to improve his game and body but he looks like a guy who is willing to pay the price to do it – that’s all you can ask.

Sportsnet | MacKenzie on Raptors: Revisiting pre-season predictions

And this is where I felt like setting the internet on fire. I suppose this is what you get for believing in a 13-game segment from a season ago instead of the six previous seasons, but count me in on the list of people who were all-in on Bargnani. Less than six months later, this statement makes me want to shake my head at myself. It’s been a bad season in Toronto and, through injury/apathy, it has been the worst season for Bargnani. From fans booing to Italian interviews needing to be cleared up, there probably isn’t a Raptors player who is looking forward to the off-season more than Bargnani. The question now: Where will home be for Bargnani next season?

Dino Nation Blog | This Week In Raptorland Is Back

After a week off due to some scheduling conflicts we return with the best podcast in the world on your Toronto Raptors. Least we make the effort to be that which you can question about the Raptors of late. We take a look at the Raptors future and wonder if it really does get any better for this basketball team going forward. Along for the ride as always is Josh from TSN 1050 and TSN.ca.

Chicago Tribute | Chicago Bulls: Toronto Raptors at Chicago Bulls

The Bulls have won five straight in the series. Their 14th different lineup is anybody’s guess after coach Tom Thibodeau admitted starting Hinrich and Nate Robinson together didn’t work against the Pistons.

Sports Chat Place | Chicago Bulls Vs. Toronto Raptors: 4/9/13

Head to head, the Raptors are 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings and 6-1 ATS in the last 7 meetings in Chicago while the road team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings and the underdog is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings. The Bulls are 5-12 ATS in their last 17 home games vs. a team with a losing road record, 0-4 ATS in their last 4 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of less than .400 and 12-26 ATS in their last 38 home games. The Raptors on the other hand are 0-7 ATS in their last 7 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record, 2-5 ATS in their last 7 road games and 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games overall.

Whether it’s Chicago, Brooklyn, Atlanta or Boston, Toronto’s four remaining opponents, each is jockeying for playoff positioning. But with the Raptors, especially at this time of the season, it’s not so much wins and losses, but how they compete, how much fight is summoned, how much pride is shown. “If we’re serious about being a playoff organization, our mental approach has got to change,” Raptors head coach Dwane Casey. “I understand where we are and the season’s only got five more games. “But pride comes into to play, individual pride comes into play when you’re approaching the game.”

Sportsnet | Mackenzie on Raptors: Big V causes a buzz

“I think we’ve really seen a progression of him recognizing, reading, anticipating,” Casey said. “The key word, I think, is anticipating what the offence is trying to do to him. He’s doing a much better job of anticipating the speed of how things are happening, where things are happening, where he has to be. That’s the NBA. The NBA is a complex game when it comes to reading and anticipating. If it were easy, everybody would be doing it.”

ESPN | NBA — Chris Bosh’s game is on a superstar level

[Insider] How can a player with barely a 20 PER be a superstar? Well, Bosh can’t be involved in as many possessions, given that he shares those possessions with two other superstars, so his PER is far lower in Miami than it was with relatively talentless Toronto (it was 25.1 in his final season there). Despite taking more long jumpers than ever, Bosh has a spectacular true shooting percentage of 59.0 (just 0.2 off his career high). In short, he’s become a more efficient scorer while subsisting on the most difficult of shots. Ask yourself: Is Chris Bosh playing any less hard than the days where he averaged 24 and 11? Is he any less effective? Close observation would prompt a “no” to each question, and closer observation would actually reveal improvement. He shoots better than before, he defends better than before, and he uses his right hand with increasing facility.

After receiving inconsistent minutes to start the year, rookie Jonas Valanciunas played 27 minutes per game in March, and that figure will rise in April. His fellow rookie Terrence Ross had his minutes nearly doubled in March, a trend that will likely continue as well. Beyond that, Quincy Acy has been called up from the D-League, and the Raptors would like to see how much the second-round draft pick has progressed since the beginning of the year. All of that is reasonable. If anything, Casey should have adopted that mindset earlier.

National Post | Five years of Toronto Raptors futility: A look back

With their loss to the Pistons on Monday, the Raptors were assured of not making the playoffs for the fifth straight year. This is now the longest the Raptors have been out of the post-season. The franchise made the playoffs in their fifth season of existence, and then ended a four-year drought when they won the Atlantic Division in 2006-07. But the Raptors have not sniffed the post-season since being knocked out in the first round by Orlando in April 2008.

Toronto Star | Raptors: Only thing right about view from cheap seats is the price: Kelly

Luxury boxes are fun, but not for any viewing purposes. You end up hitting the open bar like men going into combat. Halfway through those games, I couldn’t tell you the score. By the end, I’m iffy on the sport. A $4 ticket at a reseller like StubHub isn’t really four dollars. There’s a $5 service fee (“Here are your tickets”) and a $4.95 delivery fee (“Here are your tickets: The Sequel”). Total cost for a $4 ticket: $13.95. These also weren’t the cheapest tickets in the NBA on Wednesday. Mid-afternoon, some schlub was trying to unload a pair to see Denver (good team) in Utah for 89 cents a pop. If they sold the whole ACC at this price point, they’d make $80K. That’s about two-thirds of what Andrea Bargnani was paid Wednesday for bogarting a courtside seat.

Toronto Star | Toronto Raptors defeat Washington Wizards at ACC

Two of the rookies more than earned their keep Wednesday night as Jonas Valanciunas had a season-high 24 points to go along with 10 rebounds and Quincy Acy contributed eight points and a bundle of energy in his 20-minute run. The most impressive part of Valanciunas’s night was his 16-for-18 performance at the free throw line (both season highs) and the fact he had just four fouls in 41 minutes against two big, strong Wizard big men in Emeka Okafor and Nene.

Raptors HQ | Wizards vs Raptors Final Score: Valanciunas Powers Raps to 88 – 78 Win

While Toronto jumped out to a nice lead, the team decided to stop defending and suddenly the Wizards were ahead 50 to 39 at the half. The Dinos weren’t even attempting to guard the Wiz at times and as the third quarter began, this looked to be loss number 48 on the season for TO. However Raptors’ head coach Dwane Casey must have gotten through to his troops during halftime as a different version of the Dinos emerged from the locker room, one that was focused on D and getting stops. And that made all the difference.

RaptorBlog | Thoughts On the Game: Raptors 88, Wizards 78

After a tremendous game against Detroit, Rudy Gay appeared to be battling injuries. I would suspect his back was bothering him because Gay appeared very stiff, couldn’t beat anyone off the dribble and had trouble getting down in his defensive stance. It’s admirable that he continues to play through his injuries, but I wouldn’t be opposed to him being shut down for the season. Rudy really struggled to score (2-8 FG, 2-4 FT) but he still hit the glass for 8 rebounds and picked up a couple steals. After the game, Dwane Casey said Gay was limited to 24 minutes due to a twisted ankle.

Bullets Forever | Wizards vs. Raptors final score: Where did the offense go?

It was an offensive performance reminiscent of the November Wizards. With Wall’s jumper not falling, Martell Webster’s hot stroke fading and Bradley Beal on the sidelines, the Raptors packed the paint and dared the Wizards to beat them from the outside. Washington couldn’t drive and kick for open threes, nor could they force double teams in the post. As a result, their offense consisted mostly of mid-range jumpers from Nene and Emeka Okafor, and that won’t work. The worst part is that the Wizards looked to be in great shape in the first half. It was almost like a role reversal, actually.They had the defense that was stifling. They were grinding out hoops by working through all their half-court options and crashing the glass. They had the 15-point lead at one point. But that was before the third quarter that we will never speak of again.

Toronto Sun | Raptors welcome back defence … and a win against Wizards

“The physicality of the game doesn’t bother him anymore,” Casey said, “whereas before he would kind of disappear a little bit. Now he’s huge at the end of a game. You can go to him. He can make free throws. He can pass the basketball but most of all he can defend without fouling. That’s huge for him. That growth for him has been huge.”

TSN | Lewenberg: Valanciunas sparks Raptors in win over Wizards

“That’s just him playing hard and being aggressive,” DeRozan said of Valanciunas, who shot an impressive 16-for-18 from the free-throw line during his career outing. “As a rookie when you get 20 points that’s definitely big, especially when it’s a double-double as well so that’s going to go a long way.” The 20-year-old from Lithuania has recorded a double-double in three of his last four games, scoring in double figures in 13 of 14.

Sportsnet | Raptors Post-up: Valanciunas earning respect

“They were being aggressive and they just took control of the game,” John Wall said. “They were more aggressive to start the second half and we needed to be that way to close out the game.” Wizards head coach Randy Wittman agreed with his point guard. “We came out the second half and shot around 20 per cent,” he said. “There was no pace to the game. We had no movement, which was disappointing. To be up 11 at the half and then go through the motions…we need that killer instinct and we have not shown it.”

“I think he thinks he’s going hard and playing hard, but for whatever reason that life, that spirit, that fun, that bounce, hasn’t been there,’’ said Casey. “We’re searching for it, trying to get it from him.” In back-to-back losses to Washington and Detroit, Ross did not make a single shot, went scoreless in each game and was yet again victimized on the defensive end.

TSN | Chisholm: Looking at Lowry’s struggles this season

Really, though, when it comes to Lowry the stats aren’t really telling the whole story. Casey has seen fit to neuter Lowry considerably since his freewheeling (and highly productive) preseason games, effectively trying to turn him into a poor man’s Calderon by forcing him into the unnatural role of a facilitator rather than into his natural role as scorer and playmaker. Even with the arrival of Rudy Gay, Lowry remains the team’s best option at creating offense for himself and others, but more often than not he is tasked with entering the ball at the start of an offensive possession then staking out a spot behind the arc to wait for a kick-out.

Sportsnet | Raptors’ Acy learning how to be a pro

…It’s made it more fun. It’s not a lot of workload on myself or just him. We help each other. If it’s something that they ask one of us to do and we can’t do it, I’ll ask him if he can get it for me and I’ll get him next time. Like holding something for one of the guys, just little tedious stuff that kind of gets on your nerves (laughs).

Wizards.com | Game Preview: Wizards vs. Raptors

The Wizards saw these same Raptors on Sunday night at Verizon Center, where they dismantled them 109-92 behind Bradley Beal’s 24 points off the bench. At the time, the Wizards entered that game one game behind Toronto in the standings, but tonight head to Toronto one game ahead. The Raptors returned home on Monday night and lost to the Pistons, while the Wizards knocked off the Bulls on Tuesday night to catapult them ahead of Toronto in the Eastern Conference. The Wiz now sit alone in 10th place, just 2.5 games behind Philadelphia for 9th place. For a team that began the season 4-28, that’s quite an accomplishment.

“I think obviously there’s a lot of emotion involved. I think this will be a little bit different than some of the other former Raptors,” said Pistons coach, and former Nets coach, Lawrence Frank. “I was around when Vince [Carter] came back, and [the same thing happened with] Tracy McGrady and Chris Bosh. This will be, hopefully, the complete opposite.” It was.

Raptors HQ | Raptors vs Pistons Final Score: Calderon Leads Detroit Over Toronto 108-98

They said Rudy Gay was inefficient, he shoots 72% from the floor! They said he was a poor three point shooter, he makes all four of his three-point tries! Forget his struggles this season, Gay for MVP!

RaptorBlog | Thoughts On the Game: Pistons 108, Raptors 98

DeMar DeRozan may have had a good basic stats night (15 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals), but he shot the ball horribly (7-of-17), held the rock for way too long at times and had his lack of ball handling skills brutally exposed by the Pistons in the fourth quarter. For as much as DeRozan has improved his court vision and play making abilities in terms of creating for others, he still lacks the necessary ball handling ability to get to the next level as a wing player in the NBA. More than anything else (yes, even more than he needs to add a dependable three-point shot), DeMar has to come back next season with a tighter handle.

PistonPowered | Jose Calderon leads Pistons to wild win in Toronto return

Gay, deservedly, has a reputation as an inefficient shooter, but he didn’t live up to it tonight. Gay had scored this much (34 points) six times before, but he’d always needed at least four more shots to get there than the 18 he took tonight.

Toronto Sun | Pistons charge past Raptors in Calderon’s return

For those keeping score, it’s now five years in a row without the playoffs, the longest stretch in Raptors history. “It hurts,’’ said head coach Dwane Casey of not making it into the post-season. “Our goal was to knock on the door and get into the playoffs. “A couple of weeks ago, we saw that light, but it faded when we could not take care of games against Washington, Cleveland and Milwaukee. Unfortunately, it is now over. It hurts.” Toronto’s depleted bench was outscored 51-17.

Toronto Sun | Jose Calderon’s return to Raptors territory ‘weird’

“It’s just a different feeling,’’ began Calderon, whose return to the Air Canada Centre drew an unusually high amount of media members. “It’s just weird. So many feelings, so many memories. Next to my home (back in Spain), this is the place where I’ve spent most of my time.” When he addressed the media, Calderon had no clue how he’d react to the response, to the moment, to the stage, where he was basically leading man on a night featuring two teams heading into a long off-season.

Raptors Rapture | Recap: Detroit Pistons defeat Toronto Raptors 108-98 (4/1/13)

You won’t be surprised in the least to learn that Jose Calderon was brilliant for the Pistons. He needed only 12 shots to pour in 19 points, and dished out 9 assists against 1 turnover. Greg Monroe, the only Piston who looks like a rising star, was a load in this game. He displayed excellent moves close to the bucket, and a more-than-respectable jumper, on his way to leading his team with 24.

Toronto Star | Toronto Raptors lose to Wizards in Washington

A few got their t-shirts, but Rudy Gay robbed them of their chicken. They give away free Chick-Fil-A sandwiches in the fourth quarter if an opponent misses a pair of free throws. Chicken is to Washington as pizza is to Toronto. It’s hard to say which city clings to its artery clogging booby prizes with more ironic detachment. Neither, probably.

Toronto Sun | Raptors’ Big V making strides

Yes, Valanciunas is getting more minutes and by extension a much greater opportunity, but he’s also taking advantage of it. For the past five games the team is actually running plays for Valanciunas, something they had not done all season and Valanciunas is repaying that confidence with results. “I’m getting much more confident,” Valanciunas said. “Coach has started to trust me. He’s scheming the ball in the post so that’s giving me confidence. I feel trust from the coach’s side and it’s motivating me to work more.”

TSN | Lewenberg: Raptors wiped out by Wizards in Washington

For the Raptors, this was a disaster on defence nearly from the start. Wall, who has been playing some of the best basketball of his young career, started creating havoc for Toronto out of the gate. His ability to break down the defence and get into the lane had the Raptors scrambling, which led to 16 first-quarter free-throw attempts for Washington and early foul trouble for Gay and Amir Johnson. It didn’t stop there…

Sportsnet | Wizards hand Raps sixth loss in seven games

“I thought we came out with a relaxed disposition and didn’t come out ready to go. The guys didn’t look like they were ready to move their feet defensively,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. “We had some frustration fouls which kind of set the tone for the course of the game.”

CSN Washington | Instant Analysis: Wizards 109, Raptors 92

“We have to get back to that level of play where we have the respect of the league — everybody was talking about us — and get everybody talking about that Toronto Raptors team being an up-and-coming team for next year. We have to get the respect back that we had at that point, and that wasn’t that long ago.” The way to do that is to win, or at least be competitive the rest of the way. Even the players feel there can be a carryover effect from one season to the next.

Doug Smith’s Sports Blog | A good sign and some astronomical numbers

Best game in a long time From Jonas Valanciunas, that is. Sure, he made some defensive mistakes but, big whoop, everyone does and the kid played hard and well and is showing some of the toughness this team simply lacks. He fights for position, plays hard and is really finishing the season strongly. One moment caught a lot of people’s eyes: In the second quarter, he gets the ball on the baseline about 15 feet away and everyone’s expecting to either get rid of it or turn around and try to back his man down. Nope, he squares up, surveys the situation and hits a jumper. Not all that huge in itself but if he can make that shot and bring guys out to guard him, imagine how effective he’ll be with a pump fake and drive? That’s going to really make him dangerous and I think he’s bright enough to know how special that can be.

Raptors HQ | Raptors vs Pistons Final Score: Dinos Blow Out Pistons 99 – 82

Rudy Gay had probably the quietest “19 point quarter explosion” I’ve ever seen in an NBA game. He was great in that quarter and the fact that he was 3/4 from the 3pt line helped his efficiency tonight. The guy only needed 14 shots to get his 21 points. Go Efficiency!

RaptorBlog | Thoughts On the Game: Raptors 99, Pistons 82

The frontcourt of Amir Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas continues to be one of the few bright spots in this final stretch of this season. Despite playing on a hurting leg, Amir put up the kinds of numbers we’ve come to expect from him with 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting to go with eight rebounds and two blocks in over 37 minutes of action. As for Valanciunas, the big fella had one of the most promising games of his rookie season thus far, going off for 14 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks (though he also committed four turnovers) while showing off his rapidly expanding offensive game. As a combo, Johnson and Valanciunas combined for 34 points on 72.7 per cent shooting, 21 rebounds and six blocks.

Piston Powered | Andre Drummond returns, Brandon Knight re-injured ankle and breaks nose, Pistons lose big in front of another home crowd

Monroe was solid on the glass and decent in the passing game, but he struggled with his shot and … well … let’s just not talk about the interior defense on Amir Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas tonight. Drummond’s defense wasn’t great, either, but he scored around the basket, he blocked shots, he rebounded and he didn’t look all that rusty considering he’s missed the last 22 games.

Toronto Sun | Raps a not-so familiar foe for Calderon

“I think it’s going to be a little more interesting in a few days,” Calderon said looking ahead to Monday’s Toronto homecoming. “I mean, here it’s going to be weird because I played a lot of years for (the Raptors) but being here in Detroit, when you get on the court, you are concentrating on what you are doing for your team and your teammates, so you’re not thinking too much. In Toronto, it could be a little bit different.”

Sportsnet | Raptors snap five-game skid, defeat Pistons

“Whatever he drank at halftime, he needs to keep drinking it,” coach Dwane Casey said of Gay, who was 7 for 11 from the floor in the third. “Something clicked at halftime to get him going.” Gay had just two free throws in the first half, but heated up quickly once the teams returned to the floor. He scored eight of the Raptors’ first 10 second-half points and added two 3-pointers later in the period to help turn the game into a rout. “We’ve got a lot of young players and we’re playing for next year,” Gay said. “These young guys need to know what it feels like to win.”

Another loss is the micro problem. The macro issue is the complete emotional unraveling of this squad in the face of any opposition — whether from other players, the officials or, much of the time, themselves. By the end, Kyle Lowry had taken what is becoming his nightly technical for arguing. To watch him on the court, he has never committed a foul in his career. Rudy Gay was left complaining to everyone within earshot at every break in play. A great deal is made of “vocal leadership” in sport. It’s rarely mentioned that it can take away just as much as it adds.

Doug Smith’s Sports Blog | On capitulation and two great Canadian coaches

Now, at some time I’m going to sit down seriously and try to come up words to fully describe this season but that’s for another day because – yikes!!! – there’s three weeks less a day and 11 games to go. But when we were talking to Dwane after the game, he came up with the sentences that almost perfectly describe what transpired last night and what’s transpired most of this season. “We didn’t respond when they got physical. We were looking for calls and they’re not calling them.” Drops mic. We’re done here, nothing to see, time to move on, folks.

Raptors HQ | Hawks vs Raptors Final Score: Hawks Beat Raps 107-88

The Raptors are a team of chuckers. When they’re going in, no one’s complaining, but on nights like tonight when the shots aren’t falling, it’s really tough to win. DeRozan, Lucas III and Anderson, the chucking ‘big three’, went a combined 11-30 from the floor

RaptorBlog | Thoughts On the Game: Hawks 107, Raptors 88

Jonas Valanciunas is more impressive every time he steps on the floor. He went toe-to-toe with Atlanta’s all-star Al Horford. JV showed a variety of hook shots that he was not comfortable using early in the season. In the first half, he was backing down Horford at will. Horford is an undersized defender, however he plays with very good position. The 19 points were the second most JV has scored this season. Fans will be happy with the 8+ minutes he received in both the third and fourth quarters.

Peachtree Hoops | Hawks vs. Raptors final score: Atlanta runs past Toronto 107-88

Jonas Valanciunas led the Raptors with 19 points and eight rebounds. Rudy Gay logged a double-double in his return from injury with 15 points and 12 boards. DeMar DeRozan added 14 while Terrence Ross and Alan Anderson also finished in double figures with 13 and 12 respectively.

Toronto Sun | Raptors halfway decent in loss to Hawks

Welcome to the plight that is the Raptors, a team that plays in spurts, a team that has absolutely no chance of winning when not enough stops can be summoned, when there’s not enough fight when a challenge has to be met. When the visiting Atlanta Hawks found their shooting rhythm in the second half Wednesday night, the Raptors suddenly found themselves in trouble, deep trouble, earning the wrath of the home crowd that quickly headed to the exits. Fans gave up on this night with roughly four minutes remaining on an evening when the Raptors actually played decent basketball. Unfortunately, it was for only one half. To say the Raptors quit would be cruel, but their play in the final quarter told a sad tale of a team that is nearing the ranks of sad sacks.

Sportsnet | Raptors post-up: Ugly nights part of the process

“Toughness is a big part of this league,” Casey said. “If you don’t have the mental and physical toughness, he gives us that experience in there. (Jonas Valanciunas), as much as anything else, had some breakdowns defensively in that stretch (without Johnson), but again it’s the only way he’s going to learn. Amir is that experienced guy who’s been in those situations, in those mid-screen-and-rolls … We missed that toughness, what he brings to the table.”

Sportsnet | Report: Colangelo visits Rome to scout Italian

“It has been great to see Datome practicing and verify his leadership and his positive influence on the team. He has been working hard and he’s playing with so much confidence,” Colangelo told Italian newspaper Il Corriere dello Sport. “He has certainly caught the attention of NBA scouts and he has already expressed his desire to play in the NBA. His biggest challenge will be to understand what may be the best role for him in USA: small forward or power forward. He should get the most out of this experience if he will be able to live it. Anyway, the athleticism and shot from outside are his greatest strengths.”

Raptors Watch | Game Recap: Raptors collapse in the fourth; lose 107-88 to Hawks

“Frustration…. We let frustration get to us and they took advantage of it.”-DeMar DeRozan “That was bad” – Jonas Valanciunas. It was so bad in fact, that the Raptors were booed off of their own court. It’s proving to be a torture-some end to this season.

TSN | Armstrong: Five thoughts on Raptors, Del Negro and more

In my 15 Years as a Raptors Broadcaster, I must say this is the quietest it’s ever been as far as fans venting their frustrations and media uproar. Not sure how to read that. I just hope they aren’t becoming irrelevant and folks have just accepted that it is what it is and thrown up their hands. Hopefully, it’s more a sign that folks are patient and hopeful that they’re getting closer to turning it around. Not sure how to read it. It promises to be a fascinating off-season to watch. Fingers crossed it starts to turn. Winning is a whole lot more fun than this.

Dino Nation Blog | It’s All About Pride and Hope More Than Hawks And Raptors

Here is the thing though pride can be a double edged sword. Bryan Colangelo has a lot of pride as well and his pride in his pick of Andrea Bargnani has been an anchor on this franchise. He had pride in his re-signing of Jose Calderon as well to a contract that far out weighed his worth. He likely has the same pride in the extension he gave to DeMar DeRozan, the acquisition of Rudy Gay maybe even in signing Linas Kleiza who now collects a roster spot.

It may seem ridiculous that we’re even talking about this seriously, and I maintain that forfeiting a first round pick this year is better than losing it in more plentiful draft years, but you can already hear the Tank Nation rumblings starting up again among some Raptors fans, and it’s hard to blame them for that. After all, that fact that a group of fans thinks losing as many games as possible at this time of the year is what’s best for the franchise shouldn’t be seen as a negative representation of their loyalty. The fact that fans have been reduced to this yet again instead of being able to watch meaningful games in March and April is the real issue, and that’s an indictment of the need for change at the top of this organization.

Toronto Sun | Raptors’ Rudy Gay says his season isn’t over

“Some people are different,” Gay said. “Personally, I’m the type of guy if there is basketball to be played, I want to be a part of it. I love the game, I love my job.” In truth, there is very little to be gained by Gay playing the final dozen games, outside of the obvious building of familiarity with some of his new teammates. “We know what he can do,” Casey said. “But what I would like to have is for him to be healthy to where we could get a rhythm and a style of play established with he and DeMar (DeRozan) and he and Kyle (Lowry) and that group more than anything else.”

TSN | Lewenberg: Raptors Practice Report – Anderson’s Journey

“I don’t worry about the future,” he continued, “I worry about the present. I worry about; ‘did I do everything I should have [done] to make it to tomorrow?’ ‘Did I shoot enough shots, did I go hard today in practice?’ I worry about that.” With his contract set to expire upon the completion of this season, his hard work could finally pay off and land him his first multi-year NBA deal. Based on potential salary cap restrictions and an abundance of players at the wing positions, the Raptors may be unwilling or unable to extend him. However, his play over the last 12 months has likely turned enough heads to net him a hefty raise wherever he ends up this summer.

Yahoo! Sports | oronto Raptors Need a Veteran Leader

“I was lucky because I had veterans who came in and didn’t let me settle,” Morris Peterson explained when he was in town last weekend. “If I was sitting out in practice they were going to say something. Now you get young guys sitting out of practice, and you don’t get guys saying anything. I was scared to miss practice because I thought I was going to get beat up or something. Just little things like that make you listen to the guys in front of you.” When you look at Toronto’s current roster, there isn’t a single player who will call a teammate out for dogging it in practice or not playing up to the level Dwane Casey expects. The big story coming out of practice last week was that DeMar DeRozan video-bombed Amir Johnson during an interview. The kind of jovial, country-club mentality is something that has permeated the club the past few seasons. The tough leaders Peterson talked about who helped the team succeed back when Davis and Oakley were here because they set an example. Guys like Johnson, Rudy Gay, Aaron Gray and Telfair aren’t loud guys, and they would much rather have a good rapport with their teammates.

Rant Sports | Should the Toronto Raptors Accept Kyle Lowry’s Option For 2013?

Lowry was great with the Houston Rockets in a contract season as he averaged a career-high 14.3 points in 2011. While the Raptors didn’t get any career-bests from the guard out of Villanova, they still were able to have a guard who sees the floor very well and shoots over 40% from the floor. I didn’t expect the Raptors to extend Lowry when the team had Jose Calderon on the roster, however now that Calderon got dealt to the Detroit Pistons I think the team is sold on the 27-year-old.

NESN | Rudy Gay Trade Has Failed to Make Raptors Better, But Toronto Has More Serious Image Problem

Still, it is tough to see similar criticism arising if Lowe had spent his time with the brain trust in Houston, Oklahoma City or San Antonio. Replace every reference to the Raptors with “Rockets” in the ESPN piece and every stathead from MIT to Caltech would have been fawning over Daryl Morey‘s expanding genius. Heck, they might have called an emergency Sloan Sports Analytics Conference just to discuss the brilliance of Houston’s approach and their refreshingly open attitude about teaching the rest of the world the “right way” to analyze the game. The point of all this is not that the Raptors were wise to give their SportVU system its day in the sun, or that the Rockets are doing something fundamentally wrong. Morey certainly knows what he is doing in constructing the Rockets’ roster. Colangelo, judging by the results, does not.