You have to love that he was making omelets in the morning, and putting the final touches on a big contract in the afternoon. This will probably mean the end of Rasho Nesterovic and Patrick O’Bryant in Toronto, since we also grabbed Davis and Alabi in the draft.

This deal also provides a bit of insurance in the event that Bosh lands elsewhere (you do have to take the fact that the Miami rumours weren’t such a slam-dunk since nothing happened on the first day of free agency); although Amir will have to show that he can consistently play 30+ minutes a night without being hindered by foul trouble. I like this move a lot since you can never have enough young/long/athletic bigs who are aggressive in and around the basket, congrats kid, make us proud.

Banks – a long season that saw him get some meaningful minutes, just not often enough.

Bargnani – If only the entire NBA season could see the Raptors play New York and Detroit on alternate nights. Andrea attacked the hoop at will, his outside shot was on point and you could tell he welcomed playing against Gallinari once again. Still far from the face of the franchise, but a nice 2nd fiddle.

Belinelli – outside of one just completely boneheaded turnover, Marco played well. Shot 5/8 included a perfect 3/3 from 3. Still a massive failure this season and we should move him if we can.

Bosh – could not have been happy with the lukewarm response he received when shown on the scoreboard. That won’t sit well as he continues his rehab by watching Tyler Perry on repeat.

Calderon – Jose played limited minutes, but produced well in them, scoring 15 points on 6/10 shooting. He looked like he was in this game much more than he has been over the past month, which is both nice to see and completely aggravating.

DeRozan – well, if you are going to end a disappointing rookie year, you might as well do it with a bang. 9/11, 8 trips to the line, 37 minutes, 9 rebounds, 24 points. Wow. Yes, it was the Knicks, but it was really fantastic to see DeMar play with such passion and confidence. Well done.

Evans – didn’t see the floor and I couldn’t be happier.

Jack – he didn’t want the season to end, so he practiced being a vendor during the game by running up into the stands and slapping skin with the locals. Jack has been the glue to this team without Bosh and tonight was more of the same. Keep the Jose and Jarrett tandem happy (and not on the floor at the same time) and we can go places. Have them play defence and we could actually win 45 games! Maybe even 50!

Johnson – it’s like he and Andrea have their legs tied together in a 3-legged race. Amir with his second straight strong offensive game, this time with 21 points. for the haters, yes, he only grabbed 5 rebounds and yes, he did seem non-commital at times on defence, but he kept his fouls down and we won, so there.

Nesterovic – so, what do you think? Last game in the NBA? Could have been. If so, wonder if he will enter the Hall of Fame as a Raptor?

O’Bryant – see above.

Turkoglu- can there be anybody happier that this season is over than Hedo? What a way to end it too: 14min, 5 pts, 3 assists and 5 fouls. People in Portland often wonder why the basketball Gods hate them so much, but the Gods gave them a solid last summer.

Weems – bouncing back from a minor injury to post 18 points on 9/12 shooting. A diamond in the rough this year and a kid with the type of attitude you hope is infectious. I give Colangelo massive grief, but he deserves kudos on this one.

Wright – missed the game tonight as well and it must have killed him. He had an inconsistent season, but so did the whole team. Still not worthy of a starting role, but he was a solid addition to this ragtag bunch of players.

Driving The Bus:  DeMar DeRozan

Under The Bus:  Hedo Turkoglu

Game Theme:

Banks – didn’t need his stonewall defence tonight, so saw quick garbage time duty.

Bargnani – Bogart in Casablanca. Monroe in Some Like It Hot. Costner in Field of Dreams. Willis in Die Hard. Bargnani in Detroit. All amazing performances. Tonight Andrea played out of his mind. 33 points on 13/22, 5 3pointers, 7 boards, no fouls, and he made anybody that covered him look like a joke. He was playing like he had unlocked his own personal cheat code.

Belinelli – 17 minutes of Marco on an empty stomach was almost too much for me to bear, but because I love you, I held on. He certainly had one of his better games in recent memory and added a bit of flair with a 3ball that looked like it was being shot into a wind tunnel. Antoine can’t come back quick enough.

Bosh – people are all wound up about how he hasn’t said anything or appeared anywhere. The man’s face is broken. Think about it. His. Face. Is. Broken.  He’ll be there on Wednesday either behind the scenes or in the public eye, but no need to crap on him for being quiet.

Calderon – looking to create tonight and feed the beasts known as Amir and Andrea. He played the part of the floor general to a T and lived up to his trait of less than stellar defence. Face it, that will never change, but any time he can give us 11 assists and no turnovers, we need to take it, embrace it and love it.

DeRozan – I don’t know if Alvin threw DeMar against the wall in the meeting today or what, but DeMar looked like…like…like…a basketball player tonight. He fought for position, he made himself available for the pass, he shot well…the only thing he didn’t do was hand out towels in the huddle. The way he played tonight was a long time coming.

Evans – limited minutes for a guy with limited talent. Jay is finally coming around.

Jack – remember those “Super Balls” you used to have as a kid? You’d toss them against the wall and they’d bounce all over the place, almost uncontrollably? Jack reminds me of one of those. He’s been attacking the paint with abandon, he’s stood his ground taking charges, he’s moved well with the ball to create opportunities for his teammates, and he’s been doing all of this consistently. Tonight he provided 15 points, 12 assists. He did commit 4 turnovers, though, and more than a few times he looked off some open opportunities. Still, a great night from both our point guards.

Johnson – know how you can tell he used to be a Piston?  Career high 26 points, 10/12 shooting and an unheard of 6/7 from the free throw line. By his standards, he was unconscious. You are more likely to see Colangelo in a thong, a fedora and nipple clamps standing courtside on Wednesday than to see an offensive outburst like this again from Amir.

Nesterovic – you could almost hear him audibly groan “oh, alright” tonight when Jay called his name to enter the game. He’s just counting down the days until his pension.

O’Bryant – perfect from the floor and a beast on the bench. 1/1 in 1 minute. Stellar.

Turkoglu- he came out with one purpose tonight: make sure that we, as Raptors fans, know that last night’s performance from him was not to be counted on night in and night out. We should treat in like it was a night of binging in a year long diet. A blip, as it were. How to do that? Well, committing some silly fouls helps, pepper in some ill-advised 3s, and some swiss cheese defence and we are back to reality. With a thud.

Weems – carried off late in the 4th, but he wasn’t a huge factor in this blowout. It was nice to see him corral his shots, though. He took way too many last night and hoisted just 7 tonight, hitting 3. He had been playing with his usual hops up until he was knocked out. Have to question him being on the floor for 40 minutes, but Jay knows best.

Wright – still out with a sprain. If that is all that is standing between us and less Marco, I’d like to suggest Antoine stick some IcyHot on that thing and get out there and play Willis Reed style.

Driving The Bus:  Andrea Bargnani

Under The Bus:  Hedo Turkoglu

Game Theme:

Banks – first night back in uniform and he is out there in the 4th quarter. Too bad it didn’t matter. At all.

Bargnani – can’t hate the guy for not doing what he hasn’t been doing since he’s been in the NBA: play defence. Looked more into the game tonight than he has recently, but that isn’t saying much. Still more afraid of the bright light than a mouse followed by a floodlight.

Belinelli – honestly, he sucks. Plain and simple. We might as well just stick one of those defenders made out of wire they use at the AllStar game on the court, put some wheels on it and have the mascot push and pull it up and down the court all night. 

Bosh – if he still had any gauze in his nose, it probably blasted out and left marks on his white walls.  If nothing else, he now knows how important he is to this team.

Calderon – ugh. Like Andrea, he played marginally better tonight than the majority of his last few games, but not nearly enough. DRIVE TO THE HOLE. MAKE THINGS HAPPEN. CREATE. For the love of all things holy, Jose, you are so much better than this.

DeRozan – utter disappointment. 0/2, 1 assist and absolutely no sign of effort or passion. He was mentally out of this game from the moment he checked in, but Jay had to use him. It’s a shame because he deserves to be benched after his showing tonight.

Evans – what does it tell you that Reggie was the main offensive force in the late fourth. He looked like Jordan with bulk. When it mattered, though, he didn’t do much defensively, providing 4 boards. Not much more to say. Typical night turned in by someone who might hurt us more than helps.

Jack – can’t knock his desire, but played some selfish ball at times. Yes, it’s aggravating that none of your teammates seem to care, but you have to lead them at times like this. Make them want to get back at the booing fans. A disappointing night from both our main point guards.

Johnson – picked up his 3rd foul 2 minutes into the 2nd quarter. He had been playing well up until that point but just took himself out. No way should a guy of his ability come out of a major game with just 2 boards in 25 minutes, unless the other team is shooting 80%.

Nesterovic – only played a minute and I realize that the Bulls aren’t his ideal opponent, but would have loved to see him instill some veteran presence on the floor, even just as a bridge from quarter to quarter. Even better, lay Noah on his butt just once.

O’Bryant – saw some game action tonight and did nothing with it. Probably spent most of his floor time asking for peoples twitter names so he can stay in contact with them over the summer.

Turkoglu- superb game by Colangelo’s mistake. He played over and above what anybody would expect of him, so now we’ve seen both his extremes. Ready for this? 6 points, 9 assists, 19 rebounds. He was absolutely gassed in the third, but rightfully so. He seemed to be responsible for every Raptor board when he was on the floor. As it ended, he almost had half since the team ended up with 41 total boards.  For one night, Hedo didn’t deserve the hate….but he was the only one.

Weems – 22 shots…only 9 makes.  He’s been such a “find” over these past few weeks that it’s hard to knock him, but when you raise the level of expectation it pains us when we see a stumble. He’s got 2 big games coming up where we will need every bit of his energy.

Wright – sat out due to injury. Must have killed him to do so, but we need him in the playoffs. Yes, you heard me.

Driving The Bus:  Hedo Turkoglu

Under The Bus:  DeMar DeRozan

Game Theme:

Banks – still stylin’ and profilin’.

Bargnani – kept it under 20 FGA’s, so he shot a better percentage. That’s one plus. No trips to the line, only 6 rebounds, and of very little help to his team tonight.

Belinelli – Marco got into the game and played down the stretch. I’m tuning into CNN as we speak to see if the planet is slightly off axis or not. In any event, he did what he’s been doing all year for us: playing ball to the same level I cross stitch.

Bosh – back in Toronto where I have zero doubt that his posse is reminding him how good he is and that chicks dig guys with scars and stories of massive personal pain. Oh, and the fact you have a kid and a whacko baby momma.

Calderon – know what happens when you don’t force the issue? 5 of 8, 10 assists, 10 points, 0 turnovers, and you have no need to throw a snit fit and throw towels because your peeps boo your lazy ass. Welcome back, Manuel. Stay a while.

DeRozan – i still don’t really get why he doesn’t perform better against athletic teams. Not that he doesn’t score proficiently (heaven forbid), but you’d think it would give him a jolt to sort of step up every now and then and feel challenged. Instead he seems to stall. He had an average DeMar-type night, nothing more, nothing less.

Evans – his starting role was shortived. He was replaced tonight by Amir, forcing Reggie to the back up role again. How did he respond? Well, let’s just say he took one shot from within the paint that went OVER the backboard. Like, home run style. Didn’t touch rim, glass, or even shot clock. Epic.

Jack – the little chihuahua tried so hard in the fourth. Driving, heaving, floating, passing, looking like a little lost boy going to school without his best friend. When it looked over, Jack tried to bring his team back, but fell short.

Johnson – that third quarter of his looked like someone had shoved a bottle rocket up his bum and they threatened to light it if he ever stopped moving. It was like a human version of the bus in “Speed”. Just a nice nice night for Chris Bosh Light as Amir had 18 points, 13 rebounds, and the need for oxygen and fluids.

Nesterovic – The Hawks have Zaza. We have Rasho. It would be unfair to the paying public to sit Rasho in this matchup of European superpowers. Jay bowed to the pressure and had Rasho on the floor for a three minute stretch that is probably already on a mixtape and on the streets in Eastern Europe as we speak.

O’Bryant – as he watched Amir and Reggie pick up quick fouls in the first half, POB just hoped he had put his underwear on. Luckily, we never had to find out as Johnson and Evans toned down their fouling and Patrick could enjoy the rest of the game from his usual perch.

Turkoglu- he looked at ease with that mask as I would wearing a Reggie Miller jersey. Didn’t seem to want to shoot the ball and, frankly, outside of a handful of possessions, he didn’t do a good job of setting his guys up, something that has been a strength of his. Still, Mr. Stat Filler did provide 9pts, 9rebs, 3 assists and nightmares for any child under 8.

Weems – boy it looked like it was going to be a long night when Sonny picked up 2 fouls in the first 2 minutes. You could almost hear Jay’s sphincter pucker up and him mumble “holy crap, holy crap, holy crap” like he was Rain Man. Once Sonny came back and settled down, he did fine and provided some nice jumpers that aren’t highlight worthy, but sweet nonetheless. Finished with a…wait for it…  –25.

Wright – not much to say. 0 for 6, defended well, kept the fouls down and also sprained his freakin’ ankle and left the game. I swear we’ll be hearing soon how Alvin Williams slipped on a banana peel and Micah Nori cut his jugular while constructing a tinfoil hat.

Driving The Bus:  Amir Johnson

Under The Bus:  Antoine Wright

Game Theme:

Banks – with his rugged good looks, he just might be thankful he isn’t seeing any playing time.

Bargnani – time for the fanboys to earn their keep. Had a good stretch in the third quarter, but otherwise just not the type of game you can accept from your usual #2 and now #1 option. Time to reach down and feel those things that hang between your legs and prove you have ‘em, because in spite of that frightened look you have on your face, you are the man for the rest of this season. Hey, we don’t want you to be either, but neither of us have a choice.

Belinelli – honestly the epitome of despair. The fact he is dressed and actually sees the floor is a testament to how desperate we are right now. In the 4 minutes he played, he committed more gaffes than POB has done in all his garbage time put together.

Bosh – hopefully he caught some/all of this game and saw that his guys put forth a valiant effort. I also hope Hadi found some hospital scrubs that fit him.

Calderon – he mocked the home crowd that booed him after an air ball. Typically I’d be on his side immediately, since, at the time, the Raps were close and were playing fairly well. However, Jose, you’ve been playing like ass lately and the crowd deserved that shot at you. It did appear to wake you up a bit, so it must have worked in some way. Still, 6 FGAs and the situations they came from…just not having it.  Whatever is providing that mental block needs to be addressed and knocked down.

DeRozan – continues to bring it on the offensive end off the bench. Particularly impressive in the fourth tonight with some nice attacking moves and showing that he hasn’t forgotten how to run the floor. I still get that impression he feels somewhat “starstruck” when he plays certain teams. His play in the playoffs will be interesting to watch.

Evans – it’s too bad we didn’t have boom mics set up in every Raptors fans home to hear the reaction when they saw Reggie in the starting line up. Sure, he wasn’t in there long and, sure, he was up against somebody that has the agility of a bull riding a Segway, but still. How did he do? About as well as if that bull was riding that Segway in a thick forest.  Still seems to be the #1 target (even over Bargnani) of any Raptor player with the ball. Give it to Reggie and watch the magic happen. Makes me sick.

Jack – Hey Jose Manuel……you see that guy that replaces you?  You see how he plays with heart and determination, how he drives to the hoop, how he stands up for himself, how he hits the rim with his shots? Try being a bit more like him, eh?  Jarrett had another inspiring game that shows us how lucky we are to have the two headed PG machine. He truly has been the backbone of this team lately.

Johnson – you know when you go to the doctor to have your little swimmers tested (or you go to the sperm bank to donate in order to get money, just like A-Dub does so he can buy the latest X-Men “graphic novel”) and they give you this fairly sizable dixie-cup in order to place your sample in? You think to yourself that maybe they are expecting just a wee bit too much of you. Well, Amir is your spunk and Raptors fans are the cup. He’s trying to fulfill your hopes and desires, but just can’t get it all together to come through. Come through. Get it?

Nesterovic – I respect any guy that can play well past his bedtime. Did you see him lumbering up and down the court at times? He looked like a 3-legged camel, but he played hard and played well.  He fouled his man with authority, tried to rekindle his outside shot, and probably is in a tub of ice as we speak.

O’Bryant – something that will put the fear of God into some:  Patrick is back in uniform. The only thing more terrifying would be if we found out Sprite upped their ad-buy budget and now we get to see that Drake commercial during every commercial break.

Turkoglu- played 7 minutes and then..wait for it…wait for it…got hit in the face and was taken to the hospital for a CT scan. Incredible. What sucked is, just like Bosh last night, Hedo was off to a fair start. He was active on defence and was actually running hard without the ball. Unlike what some fools say without watching the game, with Bosh gone for the rest of the regular season, we need all hands on deck to stem the tide.

Weems – A career night for a guy that deserves it more than some. Anybody that said practice pays off can use him as a posterchild. All those nights at the gym shooting jumpers and layups have paid off and he surely has solidified a role in the starting lineup. He once again started on fire and ended up 8/13, was at the line for 5 of Toronto’s 12 free throws, had 5 rebounds and 21 points. Not going to get that from him every night, but he left it all on the floor on a night we needed every ounce to keep us in it.

Wright – was removed from the starting lineup, but hobbled his way on to the court in the first and played with some fire. You could tell he wasn’t 100%, but he was close, letting some beauty haymakers go from deep. He’s like that construction worker you see working on the 40th floor of a building in the middle of winter with the wind blowing in off the lake. He may not be pretty, but he’s gonna give you what he has. Tonight he did: 17points, 7 rebounds.

Driving The Bus:  Sonny Weems

Under The Bus:  Marco Belinelli

Game Theme:

Banks – lookin’ tight in that suit. As he should by now.

Bargnani – 10 “Bad Shooting Night”  20 GOTO 10.  That long range shot of his is his bread and butter and it’s like the butter was cold and unable to be spread. Just wasn’t there for him tonight. Down low wasn’t much better since, when he did find himself with an advantage, he was looked off. Maybe he needs a miner’s helmet.

Belinelli – I wonder what this guy lists as “profession” when he goes through customs. It sure as hell shouldn’t say “basketball player”.

Bosh – roh roh. Hope they didn’t trash Hedo’s mask because Chris might need it stat!  Still no word on his condition, but I think some trees lost some new leaves tonight when Toronto ball fans collective inhaled. Just to add to the odd Bosh night: he played 2 minutes and had a board, an assist, and scored 2 points. Not bad.

Calderon – you know those homeless people you see every few blocks on Queen Street that, from 20 feet away, you can see swerving back and forth as they walk looking completely out of it? Well, that is a great way to describe Jose’s game lately. His shot it off, he seems incapable of finding (or putting) people in good positions and even his one clap defence is lacking.

DeRozan – he should be using these last few games to really zero in on his defence. He handled and shot the ball well tonight, but he has to use his hands on D more often. Something is lacking there and has been all season. No time like the present, especially given the competition and what’s at stake.

Evans – seriously, was there a memo passed around at practice a week ago that stated Reggie needed touches? Why are people driving and kicking….TO REGGIE EVANS??? Just pitiful. Good job on the boards tonight, which was a nice change. Wonder if Amir is worried yet?

Jack – what most teams want from their starting point guard, we get from our back up. Great shot selection (most of the night), great jogs into courtside seats again, but most importantly, he became a rallying point for these guys with their leader down. Wasn’t enough, but it sure would have been a lot uglier had he not stepped up.

Johnson – did you see him float to the rim tonight? Did ya? Nice all around game and I, for one, was ecstatic to see his constant motion be rewarded for the first time in a while. A strong double double and a great body of work against the best in the league. Well done.

Nesterovic – he is quite happy that Big Z is back in Cleveland since it means playing time. Otherwise he is our version of France. You only see him when we’ve already surrendered.

O’Bryant – at least he isn’t Jamario Moon.

Turkoglu- no touch tonight, but he created for others. A step below his recent play…which will need to be improved even more if Capn Crunch is gone for a game or two.

Weems – I was secretly hoping to see him take it at AP hard, but it never seemed to happen. I think it would have been a great boost of confidence for Sonny if he had broken some ankles or cracked some domes, especially if this is the playoff matchup. Make them plan for you and take some of the heat off our main guys.

Wright – he left late 3rd, finally giving into an ankle injury he had earlier in the game. He worked well on LeBron and even pushed the envelope a bit offensively. He needs to take a page from Bosh’s book, though: attack or somehow draw the foul and get to the line. Not hard against this Cavs team.

Driving The Bus:  Jarrett Jack

Under The Bus:  Jose Calderon

Game Theme:

Banks – relish. You rarely use it, but when you do, you remember how good it could be.

Bargnani – spicy tomato sauce. Not to everyone’s taste, but if you love it, you LOVE it. To say he had an off shooting night tonight is like saying Stacey Dash is kinda cute for her age. He had already hoisted 13 by the early part of the second quarter and finished this work of art going 7 for 23. A good number of those were wide open looks. Not good.

Belinelli – 6 month old mayonnaise. It could still be good, but you are scared to use it.

Bosh – ketchup. The old standby that goes well with everything. Outstanding night offensively, 1 monster block, took care of the ball with only 3 turnovers, 12 rebounds and 5 steals. Could have won the game at the end, but not in the cards. Oddly enough, he was supposed to miss that free throw and didn’t. 20/23 from the line.

Calderon – jalapeno peppers. Good on one end, but not necessarily coming out the other. Tonight was a prime example…..Stephen must have had a fitful sleep last night thinking of what he could do to Jose and it didn’t take him long to try everything out. Just not a nice night at the office for Jose. At all.

DeRozan – sugar free low calorie strawberry jam. Looks great at first glance but when you use it to start your day, it just seems lacking. Very active tonight pulling down 5 boards, but I was hoping for more considering he was up against an athletic team that liked to run and pop a shot. Of course, we’ve expected more all year, so there ya go.

Evans – sauerkraut. Always looks good in the fridge, but truthfully should probably stay there since it has a knack of upsetting your stomach when used.

Jack – dijon mustard. A popular topping made even better with a twist.  Jack turned this team around in the fourth. He buckled down, took the butt kicking Curry and Maggette were laying on the Raptors personally and brought his teammates along for the ride. His performance even turned the boo-birds around, something tough to do in this city of fan-idiots. 

Johnson – marmalade. Sometime it tastes so sweet, other times it just doesn’t have that kick. Had a great hustle game tonight and had a bit of a shooting stroke too. He outworked his defenders quite a bit and was all over the floor. An impressive game that allowed us to hang around.

Nesterovic – molasses. Used rarely and, when used, is slow to react.

O’Bryant – mango chutney. Something that is used only on special occasions and usually just as a treat, even then.

Turkoglu- multiberry jam. You like strawberries, you like raspberries, you like blueberries…and you think when you see a jam made of all 3, it would be like the perfect condiment ever. Then you try it and you are left wanting more. Much more. No Hedo during the middle of the 4th, which surprised me considering Jay’s recent comments. Also, at the time, Weems was having a pretty tough time. Still, Hedo continues to impress off the bench although he wasn’t as good tonight as in the past couple. One thing I did notice, though: a lot less talking to other players and fans. Good to see.

Weems – steak sauce. Just makes certain things better. He was having a very dark Sonny day until late in the fourth when he attacked the basket on one big play and, of course, almost snatched victory out of the jaws of defeat by stealing the in-bounds and scooping it to Bosh. Sadly, like his night, the end result just wasn’t a success.

Wright – olives. You want to like them all the time, but sometimes the salty taste makes you want to scrunch your face up.  He and Sonny seemed to have mirror image games tonight, except Antoine really didn’t do anything special to save his butt from the fire. He seemed a step slow tonight and was kept off to the side as a non-factor by the Warriors.

Driving The Bus:  Chris Bosh

Under The Bus:  Jose Calderon

Game Theme:

Banks – all he kept thinking was “cheeeeeeesesteak”

Bargnani – possible for him to have a quiet 23?  He put up some nicely timed 3s and corralled the loose ball (tipped by Wright) off of Jack’s missed FTs in overtime and both were huge factors in the game. Just as sweet: a buzzer-beating heave from beyond mid-court and 3, count them, 3 smiles. Must be spring.

Belinelli – as useless as Jay was in the fourth.

Bosh – you know when your leg is asleep and when you try and walk it kind of thrusts out and leaves you unbalanced as you lean on it? Kind of making you feel unsure of yourself? Well, Bosh’s entire body seemed to be like that early in this game. It was like watching him play in a sandbox.  He continued to fight his way to the line, which accounted for 12 of his 28 points, but that spark wasn’t there early.  Time for him to live up to his own words and give effort right from the word go.

Calderon – he found himself in strange territory: foul trouble. And early, too, picking up 2 quick ones. He ended up with 5, but still managed 33 minutes, 10 assists and 16 points. Jay hid him on the defensive end to preserve him, but he did a great job on his own of playing smart and really helping his team tonight.

DeRozan – wow. Talk about a step back. 0 of 2 in 10 minutes that featured as much pop as Evian water. I bet if you asked 20 people, 18 of them would say he didn’t even play today, he was that invisible.

Evans – like me, were you expecting a bit more? I know he said earlier in the day that his return to Philly meant nothing, but come on. He even entered to some appreciative applause and, stranger still, he looked spry with eyes wide open and the hunger looking like it was present. Well, that translated into a short stint of playing time.  Jay’s love affair with the zone killed any need we had for Evans.

Jack – He looked Bosh-like for a great portion of the game: distant, uncaring, wondering how many more squares he needs to complete that quilt he is working on. Which is odd considering he’s been somewhat of a catalyst lately. He’s earned an off day, but surprised it came against this team.

Johnson – like Reggie, Amir came out looking like he’d love to knock the head off the Rocky statue. He actually even played like it: 5 boards in 7 minutes against a fairly big squad is nothing to be ashamed of. Then ZONE 2010 came into Wachovia and made Amir expendable.

Nesterovic – I see him in shootaround, so I know he’s alive.

O’Bryant – if ever there was a competition to find the worst dressed scrub in the league with a good IQ and the ability to tweet, I’d want to be his running mate. (I’d bring the IQ part).

Turkoglu- it’s kind of like someone wanted to create the ideal player for fantasy sports and came up with Hedo. You want to rip the guy a new one after every game and then you see how he fills up a stat sheet. Then again, you look at his hair, and the game is back on. Hedo has found his groove off the bench. That second unit has begun to gel and we have just enough time before the playoffs to make it a cohesive unit. Could be the card up our sleeve.

Weems – I’ll let Sam tear Jay a new one in the post game, but Sonny, while not out-of-this-world spectacular today, played pretty freaking good. Good enough to have more than 25minutes of floor time considering every other starter played 33min+.

Wright – solid game from start to finish. Can’t rag on him for his shot selection, he hit some nice “nooooo’s” and played up to his own level of defence. As mentioned above, his play in overtime probably saved the game for us.  He’s still way too up and down for my liking, but a performance like tonight would go down quite well every night.

Driving The Bus:  Chris Bosh

Under The Bus:  DeMar DeRozan

Game Theme:

Banks – all he kept thinking was “cheeeeeeesesteak”

Bargnani – possible for him to have a quiet 23?  He put up some nicely timed 3s and corralled the loose ball (tipped by Wright) off of Jack’s missed FTs in overtime and both were huge factors in the game. Just as sweet: a buzzer-beating heave from beyond mid-court and 3, count them, 3 smiles. Must be spring.

Belinelli – as useless as Jay was in the fourth.

Bosh – you know when your leg is asleep and when you try and walk it kind of thrusts out and leaves you unbalanced as you lean on it? Kind of making you feel unsure of yourself? Well, Bosh’s entire body seemed to be like that early in this game. It was like watching him play in a sandbox.  He continued to fight his way to the line, which accounted for 12 of his 28 points, but that spark wasn’t there early.  Time for him to live up to his own words and give effort right from the word go.

Calderon – he found himself in strange territory: foul trouble. And early, too, picking up 2 quick ones. He ended up with 5, but still managed 33 minutes, 10 assists and 16 points. Jay hid him on the defensive end to preserve him, but he did a great job on his own of playing smart and really helping his team tonight.

DeRozan – wow. Talk about a step back. 0 of 2 in 10 minutes that featured as much pop as Evian water. I bet if you asked 20 people, 18 of them would say he didn’t even play today, he was that invisible.

Evans – like me, were you expecting a bit more? I know he said earlier in the day that his return to Philly meant nothing, but come on. He even entered to some appreciative applause and, stranger still, he looked spry with eyes wide open and the hunger looking like it was present. Well, that translated into a short stint of playing time.  Jay’s love affair with the zone killed any need we had for Evans.

Jack – He looked Bosh-like for a great portion of the game: distant, uncaring, wondering how many more squares he needs to complete that quilt he is working on. Which is odd considering he’s been somewhat of a catalyst lately. He’s earned an off day, but surprised it came against this team.

Johnson – like Reggie, Amir came out looking like he’d love to knock the head off the Rocky statue. He actually even played like it: 5 boards in 7 minutes against a fairly big squad is nothing to be ashamed of. Then ZONE 2010 came into Wachovia and made Amir expendable.

Nesterovic – I see him in shootaround, so I know he’s alive.

O’Bryant – if ever there was a competition to find the worst dressed scrub in the league with a good IQ and the ability to tweet, I’d want to be his running mate. (I’d bring the IQ part).

Turkoglu- it’s kind of like someone wanted to create the ideal player for fantasy sports and came up with Hedo. You want to rip the guy a new one after every game and then you see how he fills up a stat sheet. Then again, you look at his hair, and the game is back on. Hedo has found his groove off the bench. That second unit has begun to gel and we have just enough time before the playoffs to make it a cohesive unit. Could be the card up our sleeve.

Weems – I’ll let Sam tear Jay a new one in the post game, but Sonny, while not out-of-this-world spectacular today, played pretty freaking good. Good enough to have more than 25minutes of floor time considering every other starter played 33min+.

Wright – solid game from start to finish. Can’t rag on him for his shot selection, he hit some nice “nooooo’s” and played up to his own level of defence. As mentioned above, his play in overtime probably saved the game for us.  He’s still way too up and down for my liking, but a performance like tonight would go down quite well every night.

Driving The Bus:  Chris Bosh

Under The Bus:  DeMar DeRozan

Game Theme: