February is a key stretch of games for the Raptors as their schedule, seemingly, gets lighter in that 6 of the 10 teams they play are under .500. It starts today with a home-and-home with Indiana. This will be the third time this season they have played a home-and-home, with the Raptors going 3-1 in those games; the only loss coming to Milwaukee on the road.

In addition, not only are there no back-to-backs, but there is at least a day off between games. If the Raptors can steal one of Memphis, Portland or Cleveland (all home games) then they have a great chance of finishing February 32-25. Miami on the other hand has two back-to-backs in the same week, and a much tougher schedule. Considering where this team was two months ago, to put things together and make this run is quite the accomplishment.

The goodness can start today against Indiana; the Pacers are 16-31 heading into this game, 4-6 in their last 10 with the last two games 20+ point losses to the Lakers and Cavs. What’s worse is that the fan-base holds out zero hope of this lot making the playoffs. The Raptors seemingly have a better chance of moving up to 4th in the East than the Pacers have of making the playoffs.

Tim Donahue from Eight Points, Nine Seconds (a great Pacers blog) projected where the Pacers will end up, and even though I’m not much of a Pacers fan, it depressed me how bad this team is and their outlook for the rest of the season. When words like; spitballing, battered, on pace to win only 28 games are being said and no one is disagreeing, the team is done.

With how the Raptors have been playing, and the manner in which they have been closing out games, the Raptors still can’t take this Pacers team lightly. They still have big guns in Granger, Murphy and Dunleavy. All of whom represent a type of player that the Raptors have historically been unable to defend properly.

Of the three, Murphy poses the biggest problem for the Raptors. For some reason, these mobile power forwards who can spread the floor with perimeter shooting give us big problems. When they pull Bosh or Bargnani away from the paint, they open the lane for penetration. More often than naught, Granger will just jack a gawdawful three and rim out, negating the space. In terms of strategy, though, you can’t count on an ill-advised shot as your way out of a situation.

Fortunately, Antoine Wright has been giving the Raptors EXACTLY what they need at the 2/3 with his defense, and occasional spot up shooting. With late game defensive duties falling on his shoulder, and the bulk of the offensive burden on Weems and Belinelli, the shooting guard by committee should be strong.

So after watching that Knicks game again, Hedo actually didn’t get that many more touches than he normally does. I mean, he did, but he seemed to do more with the ball than he normally would, and by that, I mean shoot it. Where normally he would try and create for a teammate, he created for himself. He averages 10 shots a game, and took 16, but got 2.4 less assists than he has been averaging for the year. Maybe ‘ball’ means to let him do what he wants, which doesn’t sit that well with me. Regardless, I think we can all agree that he has been under utilized this season, and based on his game and post-game comments, the ball (*groan* sorry) is squarely in Triano’s court.

I’m looking for both Italians to bounce back tonight after pretty rough performances in New York. The Pacers just don’t have anyone to defend against Bargnani, and with Bosh probably getting the most attention once he gets the ball inside 15ft, Bargnani will have a field day. As far as Belinelli goes, that step back-fade-away three point off one leg should be looking good after 3 days of rest.

The gamblers have the Raptors as 9 point favourite, with an over/under of 217.5. Should be an exciting one, and the Raptors should extend their winning streak to 5 for the first time this season.

#freeamir

The fact that teams are cutting costs these days is nothing new ? the fact just about every corporation in the world is cutting costs these days is not new, in fact – and the Raptors point was hammered home a little bit yesterday. Counting heads when we got into practice ? it’s something we do every day – there was one guy missing: Assistant coach Micah Nori. Figured he hadn’t gone off to help the Evil Empire Yankees hit with men in scoring position (he was a Mighty Yankees hitting consultant this summer) but where in the world could he be? Then it him me: He had to be off scouting the Cavs before opening night.

Raptors? Johnson back on familiar turf

Johnson, a reserve forward with the Toronto Raptors, spent 22 games, or the better part of three months, in South Dakota three years ago, playing for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the National Basketball Development League. He’ll be back there Friday, when the Raptors close out their NBA pre-season schedule against the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was pretty good, Sioux Falls. It kind of grows on you, Johnson said. ‘there’s not too much to do. The fans are great. The food was great, actually. Johnson might not know everything about Sioux Falls – population: almost 155,000, as of last year; area code 605 – but the Raptors might learn a little bit about themselves there Friday.

In Raptors’ final pre-season tuneup, Johnson knows role – thestar.com

Johnson's had a solid pre-season and, with an injury to Reggie Evans taking one Toronto big man out of the rotation, seems poised to play significant minutes once the regular season begins Wednesday.

Toronto Raptors-roster analysis 2009-2010 NBA preview – NBA – SI.com

DeMar DeRozan is going to be a premier rookie, Hedo Turkoglu was a good get and they have better backups up front and at point guard. I like this team now. They're going to be back in the playoffs. The big story is going to be whether they can keep Chris Bosh as a free agent this summer. It's important for them to have a good year because if they don't make the playoffs, it will be devastating.

Quincy Douby loves Toronto, despite the trade that wasn’t – Posted Sports

The situation was this: Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo had signed free agent Hedo Turkoglu, but he was in the midst of turning that signing into a four-team sign-and-trade to ensure the Raptors could keep some of their salary cap exceptions that they would otherwise have had to forfeit.

Raptors just what Toronto needs

But for the Raptors, who open the NBA regular season against Cleveland next Wednesday at the Air Canada Centre, things might just be getting good. Toronto is craving a winner, and winning creates bandwagons crammed with casual fans that, once upon a time, helped the Jays set those attendance records.

Can Toronto Build a Winner Around Bosh? – The Wages of Wins Journal

The Toronto Raptors appear to be on a mission. Somehow, someway, this team needs to convince Chris Bosh to stay in Canada. The issue for the Raptors isn’t money. To convince Bosh to stay, Toronto must convince Bosh that he will someday play for a winner. So far, though, the facts presented to Bosh haven’t been too convincing.

HIP HOOP JUNKIES – The blog highlighting the Canadian flavour of the NBA: The Throwback: Where in the World is Bryant “Big Country” Reeves?

Not Raptor related, but I always wondered what happened to Bryant Reeves: After six seasons as a Grizzly, "Big Country" retired from the NBA in 2001 at the ripe old age of 28, with chronic back pain. The big man from Gans, Oklahoma (population 208) was a big scorer at Oklahoma State University and also a great rebounder.

What Makes A Great Scorer? : The Picket Fence

Bargnani's big enough to score over smaller defenders inside, which makes him a bit of a matchup nightmare. It’s no wonder many Raptor fans foresee stardom in Bargnani’s future. The problem, however, is that despite Bargnani being a great shooter, he’ll simply never become a great scorer. Why? The answer lies with his inability to get to the line.

Match Ups – Toronto Raptors v/s Indiana Pacers – Heels on Hardwood

A lot of the hopes for moderate success in Indianapolis hinge on the health of Mike Dunleavy, Jr. The offseason loss of Jarrett Jack means that TJ Ford, Danny Granger and the recently acquired Earl Watson are really the team’s only capable perimeter ball-handlers other than MDJ, who was essentially the Pacers de facto “point forward” much of the time he was on the floor the last time he was, you know, actually on the floor. So if he can’t suit up and be 100% for more than, say, 60 games, that doesn’t bode well at all for Indiana.

Is 2010 Jose Calderon’s All-Star Year? | Bleacher Report

But this year, Jose Calderon has slipped below the radar of many NBA analysts and, sadly, many Toronto Raptors fans. Sometimes we need to be reminded that each season Toronto fans have witnessed the development of one of the better point guards in the NBA.

Toronto Raptors Starting Shooting Guard Dilemma – Brothersteve’s Green & Red Raptor Blog

The contrarian view says DeRozan just isn’t ready to start. He is too young and too inexperienced to be asked to guard a NBA starting shooting guard on a nightly basis. A bad experience could hurt his confidence and retard his development. This is definitely a decision best left up to the coaches. If Jay Triano believes DeRozan’s development is best served by starting, he is in the best position to make this determination.

RAPTORS: Raptors Video Player

Devlin And The Czar: Part 1 – Oct. 22, 2009
Check out part one of Matt Devlin's audio interview with Mike Fratello!