The Rudy Gay trade was as tough to support as it was to criticize. Watching Ed Davis finally begin to blossom with consistent minutes had been one of the few bright spots of the season, and losing him was a sentimental loss. Before even mentioning my feelings on Gay, let it be known that I have no interest in being a part of the Rudy Gay defenders vs. haters comment section turf war. To that end, I’ll avoid getting into salary cap realities or the ‘nerdery’ of efficiency arguments. I think that Gay is a really good player; he’s a borderline all-star, makes his team better defensively and has been tremendous in the clutch. What I can’t get past is how Memphis was willing to trade him because he was the third best player on a team that still wasn’t championship calibre. How can that possibly be the description of a franchise player? I’ve been a Toronto Maple Leafs fan for far too long to celebrate rationalizing a very good player as a great one. That’s how mediocre teams are made. The goal should be higher than just good enough to make the playoffs.

So what do Raptor’s fans have to be happy about this season? Terrence Ross’ dunk contest victory was fun to watch. But, for a fan-base that hasn’t been to the playoffs in five years, another dunk contest victory feels too much like getting a participant ribbon while watching the winning teams get their trophies. Am I happy for Terrence Ross? Absolutely. But am I happy? Not so much.
I don’t believe that the 2012-2013 season has been lost though. There are feel-good stories nestled inside that 26-44 record. And chief among them for me has been Amir Johnson.

When Amir Johnson was resigned to a five year, $30 million dollar contract in July of 2010, the response of Raptor fans was a collectively long and drawn out, sarcastic ‘Greeeaaaaaaaaaaaat.’ It wasn’t that we had any ill will towards Amir, but in a week when Chris Bosh had just dumped us on national TV, the third star player to spurn the franchise, we weren’t really in the best of moods. Amir Johnson demonstrated upside, but it was impossible to tell if that upside would ever be realized by a player who acted like a walking personal foul. Amir’s per 36 minutes stats suggested that he could be a double-double player, but he had averaged over 6 fouls in those per 36-minute stats for every year of his career up to that point. If it seemed to you like Amir Johnson was always in foul trouble when you watched on TV, it’s because he was. This explained why he had never averaged more 24 minutes a game, chaining his potential.

The 2010-2011 season seemed to validate both the investment and the trepidation over Amir Johnson. He bumped his per game numbers in minutes, rebounds and points up, demonstrating both improvement and potential. But fouls continued to contain him. Johnson played 24 minutes a game most nights because he had to be sat down with fouls, not because he didn’t belong out there. He also played the same position as the Raptors highest paid player, Andrea Bargnani, and their new first round draft pick, Ed Davis. The only national attention Amir got this season was a mention in Bill Simmons worst contracts in the league column as the punch line of a Bryan Colangelo joke. The optimism remained more in potential than reality.

Between the lockout and the 23-43 record, last season seemed like a lost season for the Raptors. What was noteworthy to see though was how much better they did with Amir Johnson getting more minutes when Andrea Bargnani went down. The advanced stats backed up the eye test, as the Raptors were more than 7 points per 100 possessions better when Amir was on the floor compared to when he was on the bench. That very quietly made Johnson one of the most valuable players on the team, and reason to look forward to his 2012-2013 season.

During this past 2012-2013 season, Amir Johnson has not disappointed. Johnson has been a defensive rock for the Raptors. The Raptors have a defensive efficiency rating of 104.9 (that’s 104.9 points per 100 possessions) when Johnson is on the floor, which would be good for 12th place overall, between Philadelphia and Miami. However, when Johnson sits, the Raptors defense gives up a defensive rating of 111.3, which is only a fraction better than the league worst and historically bad Sacramento Kings and Charlotte Bobcats. Johnson’s defense is largely the product of effort, as he is willing to play the grunt work of fighting for defensive rebounds and moving opposing big men off the spots where they want the ball. This kind of effort was on display when the Raptors beat the visiting Clippers back on February 1st. Without Chris Paul, the Clippers had still been winning with Blake Griffin scoring and facilitating from the low post. Amir Johnson had the task of stopping Griffin, one of the strongest power forwards in the league. He did so by bullying Griffin off the low block before he could get the ball, and then not allowing him to back his way down once he got it. The Raptors would double with their second big man and Griffin would be forced to pass the ball back out. This kind of defense is a lot more work than it sounds like, and the patience it requires is uncommon, especially against someone as strong and talented as Griffin. By the end of the 3rd quarter, Griffin was visibly frustrated by Johnson, and spent most of the 4th quarter on the bench.

It’s not just defense out of the post for Johnson, who is leading the team in blocks despite being an undersized centre. His improved timing on defensive rotations from the weak side has his blocks up to 1.3 per game. The fact that he’s putting up more blocks and less fouls while playing more minutes is evidence of a new found patience. Johnson has always been an energetic player willing to play his heart out, but defense requires staying on your feet for pump fakes, moving your feet instead of reaching and challenging shots instead of trying to block them every time. Johnson’s energy is a great gift, but the enthusiasm that came with it got him in to foul trouble, removing him from the game. As he has learned when to rotate, improved his footwork and, perhaps most importantly, his patience, he has seen his fouls finally start to go down. This has improved his defense, and let him spend more time on the court to reveal a developing offensive game.

Amir Johnson has also been a pleasant surprise on the offensive side of the court this season. The Raptors are a better offensive team than the Lakers when Johnson plays, with an offensive efficiency rating of 109.7, which is good enough to crack the top 10 in the league. However, with Johnson on the bench, the Raptors offence ranks even with that of the Orlando Magic and Minnesota Timberwolves, uncomfortably close to the bottom dregs of the league. Besides being the best offensive rebounder on the team, Amir Johnson brings his real value to the game away from the basket. The NBA is dominated by the pick and roll and plays that utilize screens to get wing players open looks from outside or lanes to drive to the basket. Finding a big man who can thrive in this environment is more difficult than you might think. This kind of offensive system means less touches down low for the big man, and ego is always a factor in the NBA (just ask Dwight Howard how he feels about it). But more than that, it requires an exceptional amount of effort from those big men, who have to work a lot harder than most to lug their 6’10, 270 lbs. bodies all over the court. When the ball changes possession, a team’s centre is almost always standing right underneath his team’s net, either rebounding or inbounding the ball. He has to sprint up the floor all the way to the same spot on the other end of the court while the offence sets. Then he has to run up to the top of the 3-point arc to plant his feet and set a screen for a teammate that results in his defender running into him. It’s a lot of work, and to do it well requires speed and enthusiasm, or proves ineffective (again, just ask Dwight Howard, who hasn’t met a screen he actually wanted to set this entire season). Johnson does this tirelessly, and it is often what frees up the middle of the court for DeRozan or Gay to drive, or frees up Lowry, and especially Calderon before him, to take a shot at the elbow or hit a cutting teammate going to the basket. Johnson is a crucial part of setting the whole team’s offence in this way, but he gets to be a part of it in the high-low pick and roll.

Amir Johnson pick and roll

Johnson has proven to be an absolute beast in setting a high pick for the point guard, sealing his own man and rolling hard to the basket. Squint your eyes a little, and you might think he’s Amare Stoudemire or Tyson Chandler as he takes an easy pass for Tomahawk dunk after Tomahawk dunk. This offence comes in part from an improving skill set and touch around the basket, but it is much more the result of a tireless effort and willingness to play a team role.

As impressive as the efficiency numbers are, it’s that last point that has endeared Amir Johnson the most to Toronto fans. Toronto is a hockey crazed market, where we celebrate a grinder who works hard in the corners, drops his gloves and gets stitched up on the bench as much or more than a flashy goal scorer. Raptors fans can see Amir Johnson playing this role for the Raptors, and he has found himself adored as a result. Playing with this haircut and showing up at a Leafs game like this has endeared him even more to a city that is longing for an emotional attachment to a basketball player who actually wants to play here too. Don’t get me wrong; Amir Johnson is not going to be Hakeem Olajuwon. But when you hear the roar of the Air Canada Centre crowd whenever Amir subs in for Andrea Bargnani, it certainly sounds as if they think he is by comparison. While his style of play has endeared Amir Johnson to Toronto fans, his improvement has had an even bigger impact on the play of the team. And when that comes from a 25 year old who is under contract and happy to be in Toronto, it’s reason enough to look forward to next winter.

Andrew Thompson
@MarmaladeJacko

“No resistance, man,” a properly reserved Chris Bosh said afterward. “No resistance. It's no science. There's no structure. You just have to get the basketball.

“It was,” he added, “too easy.”

A Bosh prayer in a 106-105 win over the Atlanta Hawks and a 102-96 win over the New York Knicks is the only reason this team isn't looking at a 12-game losing streak this morning and, frankly, a plague of Chicago Bulls injuries is the only reason they aren't in ninth place.

Forget Charlotte, Oklahoma City destroys Toronto 115-89 | DailyThunder.com

You want Coach of the Year material for Scott Brooks? Here’s your Coach of the Year material. Brooks put his team through a rough and tumble, physical, intense practice Thursday after the loss in Charlotte. He was making and stressing the point to his young squad that under no circumstances can you take your foot off the pedal. I think his group got the message.

It all resulted in a 115-89 domination of the Raptors, a game that certainly made Thunder fans forget Wednesday. OKC just absolutely owned the game. The Thunder shot 26 free throws in the first half, making 23 (29-33 for the game). Kevin Durant scored 31 in three quarters and hit 17-18 from the stripe (15-15 in the first half). OKC took 21 more shots than Toronto. The Thunder controlled the glass 53-37 and grabbed 20 offensive rebounds. And an underrated, but key stat: OKC turned it over just nine times, including five through the first three quarters. Boomshakalaka.

Did Bryan Colangelo Land A Ricciardi? | Toronto Sports Media Blog

“Turkoglu in particular is so abject and so low energy and has such awful body language that it is not a stretch to repeat the sneaking suspicion he is this franchise’s Vernon Wells.” That from Jeff Blair in the Globe and Mail.

Now I know the background on JP and Vernon, but who thought when Turkoglu wad brought in we were looking at this scenario? Now we are wondering if we can get him to play for the Marlies. Are any other Raptors fans feeling rather helpless right now? The guy we were sold as our saviour, the guy who was going to bring sucess and stability to the franchise can only truly be proud of one thing right now, he’s standup. He’s not blaming anyone but himself.

Raps a dispassionate lot – Toronto Sun

"The athleticism is probably as high as the average NBA team," Triano said of the Raptors' skill level. "As far as ability to shoot the basketball and take care of the basketball, I would say slightly above average. As far as individual one- on-one play, slightly below."

So, if they are equally talented and the injuries are healing, it comes down to who wants to win most. They have just 15 games to prove they have less heart than the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz. You don't prove that by getting booed off the court at half time. You want intensity? Flip channels and watch the NCAA tournament.

Durant gets a lot of help in Thunder win – NBA.com

"When they threw the ball up in the first half there were 15 defensive rebounds that we got and 15 offensive rebounds that the got," Jay Triano said. "Any time you play a team where they throw it up and half the time that they miss they get t back, you are going to be in a bit of a hole." Despite the final quarter being garbage time, the Thunder never let up for a second, pressuring on defense and hustling until the final buzzer sounded, their 42nd victory safely tucked away. "Not letting up," Durant said of the mindset of the team even after the game had been blown open. "Not getting satisfied. I think we did a good job of coming in and fighting for the whole 48 minutes. I was excited and happy to see that guys came in off the bench and everybody gave us energy."

These are tough times, I’m glad I’m off to Ottawa – Doug Smith’s Blog

As part of practice the last couple of days, what they’ve done is have halfcourt, five-on-five scrimmages aimed solely at rebounding and boxing out. Five guys to the offensive glass because no one has to worry about getting back and that means five guys have to turn around and box someone out.

Thunder notebook: Serge Ibaka ignites blowout of Toronto

The show of emotion portrayed the way Ibaka lifted the Thunder to its 115-89 trouncing of Toronto on Friday night at Air Canada Centre. Ibaka flew all over the court, using his inspired play in the first half to help spark the Thunder to a 71-44 halftime lead. Ibaka had just two points in 9 1/2 first-half minutes but contributed five rebounds and two blocked shots as well. But his only two points of the night, that putback dunk over Raptors forward Amir Johnson, was a beauty that brought the entire Thunder roster off the bench.

"Serge Ibaka got the dunk of the night two games in a row,” said Kevin Durant. "That was an unbelievable play. I think that’s what started the run we had. That was one of the best plays I’ve ever seen.”

Raptors booed during crushing 115-89 defeat – thestar.com

And when Oklahoma City went up 71-44 at the half, the near-sellout crowd of 19,351 broke up. But the time the slaughter was finished and the boos rained down, the building was less than half filled.

“We don’t have any resistance,” Chris Bosh said after Toronto lost for the ninth time in its last 11 games. “We let guys walk down into the post, we let guys go by us with no resistance.

“There’s no resistance. It’s just too easy.”

And too troubling if you’re a Raptors fan because they have been down this road so many times before.

Raptors suffer humiliating loss to Thunder – NationalPost.com

Last night the Raptors were simply humiliated – again – by an Oklahoma City team that all but toyed with its prey. Toronto allowed 39 points in the first quarter, 71 in the first half, and sank without a trace, 115-89. The crowd wasn't happy, but at least the team gave out complimentary boos with every ticket.

"They pretty much just kicked our ass today," said Chris Bosh, bristling with frustration but seemingly sapped of fury, after delivering a lonely 22 points and 10 rebounds. "There's really no nice way to put it … we didn't resist them. At all."

Before the game, coach Jay Triano said, "If we can defend and we can rebound like we did against Atlanta, we're going to be in a good basketball game."

Well, by halftime Oklahoma City had as many offensive rebounds as Toronto had defensive rebounds, and despite the Thunder's 41.5% shooting for the game, the Raptors often defended as if they were donating Thunder points to charity.

Thunderous loss as Raptors fall below .500 – thestar.com

Toronto players and coaches slinked from the court at halftime under a hail of jeers from what had become an increasingly agitated home crowd. Not only were the Raptors behind by more than 25 points, they were also being out-rebounded, out-worked and out-played in every meaningful facet of the game.

Oklahoma City seemed to hit at the heart of Toronto’s greatest weaknesses. The Thunder held a 14-point lead after the first quarter thanks in no small part to a dozen points gained from 13 free-throw attempts.

Raptors guard Jose Calderon committed a trio of turnovers in the first quarter. Maligned forward Hedo Turkoglu missed his first two field goal attempts and was recalled to the bench for a long stretch of the second quarter.

FAN590 – Blogs – The Rap » Thunderstruck (Again)

Stats that stood out:
- Points in the Paint: 44-36, Thunder
- 2nd Chance Points: 27-6, Thunder
- Fast Break Points: 34-10, Thunder
- Durant tied a Raptors record (for an opponent) with 15 FT attempts and makes in the first half
- OKC outrebounded the Raptors 53-37
- Toronto drops back below .500 but they’re still locked into 8th place (for now)

Dino Nation Blog: Thunderclapped Raptors Recap

What started out as relatively close first six minutes of the first quarter, ended with the Thunder leading 39-25 after one. By the time half-time rolled around the Raptors had given up a hideous 71 points. What's worse is that OKC didn't shoot a great percentage from the field (41.5%). They did most of their damage from the free-throw line (+15) and with second chance points (+17). The Raptors gave up 15 more rebounds at the half including 10 more offensive rebounds. Basically, the Raptors once again lost in those categories that are usually used to measure heart and hustle.

Raptors blown out by Durant’s Thunder – sportsnet.ca

Toronto fans erupted in revolt at the end of the half, after Thunder centre Nenad Krstic capped a fast break with an easy dunk. It gave the visitors a 71-44 lead, led by 23 points from Durant, who had not exactly been allowed to slip into the city unnoticed before the game.

The 21-year-old entered the game ranked second in the league with an average of 29.7 points per game. He had nearly matched that average by halftime (23) in Toronto.

"He's turned into a bona fide superstar in this league," Triano told reporters earlier Friday afternoon. "He finds ways to score. He's active. You take one thing away from him, he goes to another."

It was a dreadful display for the Raptors, but remarkably not the worst of the season. Toronto conceded 75 in the first half of a game against Atlanta on Dec. 2.

Toronto Raptors Look Fragile Versus The Thunder « Brothersteve’s Green & Red Raptor Blog

There is no question that the disparity in foul shots was a major component of the Thunder’s 27 point half-time lead. But the Raptors inability to play through the adversity faced in the first half helped make that lead bigger than it needed to be and took away the Raptors opportunity to show their fans the toughness demonstrated only two nights before in the win against Atlanta.

In the second half, the foul calls did slowly begin to even out. It didn’t matter however because the game was out-of-hand. The evening-out of foul calls over the course of a game is common practice in the NBA and the Raptors players should have expected this.

But the Raptors were fragile and it showed and the fans at the ACC did not appreciate it.

Raptors-Nets Preview – Sporting News

Consecutive games against subpar opponents give Toronto a chance to gain some confidence. Two days after facing the league-worst Nets (7-61), the Raptors will remain on the road for a matchup with Minnesota, which has the West's worst record. Toronto is 3-0 against New Jersey this season, winning by an average of 16.4 points. The Raptors have a chance for their first four-game season series sweep of the Nets. But even New Jersey might be too difficult of an opponent to overcome if Toronto struggles as much as it did in a 115-89 loss to Oklahoma City on Friday night. The Raptors shot 43.8 percent and committed 19 turnovers, four by All-Star forward Chris Bosh.

New Jersey Nets expect Devin Harris, Yi Jianlian will return against Toronto Raptors – ESPN

The New Jersey Nets are getting reinforcements in their bid to avoid the worst record in NBA history.

Harris

Harris

Yi

Yi

Point guard Devin Harris and power forward Yi Jianlian practiced Friday and both said they will play for the Nets (7-61) on Saturday against the Toronto Raptors at the Izod Center.

Harris has missed the last two games with an upper respiratory infection. Yi has missed the last six with a sprained left ankle.

"Yi made it through practice. Devin made it through practice, so at this point I think we will have everyone," interim coach Kiki Vandeweghe said.

The Nets need to win three of their final 14 games to avoid tying or breaking the league's record for single-season futility, a 9-73 mark set by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1972-73.

NBA At 2: Focusing Bargnani – Hoopsworld.com

On the season Bargnani is averaging 17.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and shooting 47% from the field – all career-highs. However, if he's going to show everyone he's earning the five-year, $50 million contract extension he signed last summer (that kicks in for the 2010-11 season) he needs to bring it on a more consistent basis.

Over the last 11 games Bargnani is averaging 15.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 0.82 blocks on 47% shooting. During that same time frame Bargnani is getting roughly one less shot per game (13.3 during the 11 games, 14.2 for the rest of the season) and making roughly half a shot less (6.2 during the 11 games, 6.7 for the rest of the season).

Interview: Flint Northwestern grad Morris Peterson talks about being a positive influence to kids and winning it all at Michigan State | MLive.com

Whether it was playing games with a cast on his hand or knocking down big shots in big moments, Morris Peterson epitomized the toughness that the Flintstones brought to Michigan State.

The Flint Northwestern product proved to be a talented scorer and lockdown defender at Michigan State before getting taken in the first round of the 2000 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors.

Peterson is one of the best and most well-liked players in Raptors history and is currently in his third season with the New Orleans Hornets.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Toronto Raptors – Box Score – March 19, 2010 – ESPN

PHOTOS: Raptors vs. Thunder | Toronto Sun

Raptors Game Recap – The FAN 590 Toronto – Audio on Demand

Jose Calderon – March 19, 2010

Chris Bosh – March 19, 2010

Jay Triano – March 19, 2010

This is the city that embraced Jerome (Junkyard Dog) Williams because, while he couldn't figure out a pick-and-roll for love nor money, he hustled. This is the city that adored Alvin Williams and his limited talent because he worked. This is the city that loved Matt Bonner because he was an adorable doofus. Oh, and he gave his all, too.

The point is that this well-heeled town has an affinity for the grinders, and while Amir Johnson does what he can in the minutes he gets, this team's character is sometimes dominated by the Andrea Bargnanis and Hedo Turkoglus, which is probably part of why attendance has dropped 8.3%since 2007-08.

Raps Notebook: Bargnani in focus | Basketball | Sports | Toronto Sun

The Raps centre had lost his focus over the past few weeks with his role changing in the absence of Chris Bosh and then again when Bosh returned.

On Wednesday night, however, Bargnani was back to being the guy who not only produced points on one end, but was productive on the defensive end of the floor, as well.

“We need him to focus,” head coach Jay Triano said. “When we were rolling, he was doing more things and it becomes a confidence building thing for him. If he’s not making shots (he has to) do something else so we can keep him on the floor. Defend, be there on the help side, rebound and box out.

“When we were rolling, he was doing that and scoring. I think sometimes when he doesn’t get the basketball, he gets a little frustrated and it has been tough with sliding Chris back into the lineup for him to get touches. He worries about his scoring, but he can help this team a lot more than just scoring the basketball.”

Feschuk: Roundball a true Rautins passion – thestar.com

Leo, before his current life as a Raptors broadcaster and coach of Canada's national team, was a Toronto high school star, a Syracuse stalwart and a first-round NBA draft pick. But Jim Boeheim, the Syracuse coach of 34 seasons, said that when he recruited Andy as a high-schooler, he wasn't sure the slightly built son of his former star forward would turn into the starter he has become.

"My only conversation with Leo (before Andy arrived at Syracuse) was that I'm not sure that Andy can be a great player for us. I think he can. I think it's going to be a close call," Boeheim said. "There were only two Division 1 schools that really liked him. … He's really just done an unbelievable job of improving himself, making himself a better player."

Raptors’ Antoine Wright keeps giving kids an earful – thestar.com

DeRozan and Weems, a couple of colts still trying to figure out the NBA and their place in it, are Wright's main projects at the moment. And while DeRozan has made great strides offensively, he still needs major improvement at the other end and that's where Wright's incessant harping could have its greatest impact.

"He was more of a scorer coming in; defence is not glorified at all," Wright said of DeRozan. "I think what he's understanding is that he sets the tone of the game and you let a guy like (Oklahoma City's) Kevin Durant make his first five shots, it's going to be difficult for me and Sonny to come there and put that fire out."

Toronto Raptors Beating The West At Home « Brothersteve’s Green & Red Raptor Blog

In a Raptors season that has been seen both highs and lows, the team has played very well at home. A 23-10 mark that should give Raptors fans some comfort about their team’s ability to win enough games to finish the season ahead of the ninth place Bulls.

And surprisingly, the Raptors winning percentage of 70 at home applies equally to teams from either the Eastern or Western conferences. A good thing too! The Raptors have five more home dates against the West this season.

The Raptors 7-3 home record against the West hasn’t come solely at the expense of teams out of the playoffs. Toronto has reeled off impressive wins over:

* San Antonio 91-86;
* Dallas 110-88; and the
* Lakers 106-105.

Jeff Green’s defense will be a key for the Thunder | NewsOK.com

"Our other four guys on the floor have to help him out because you can’t guard a guy one-on-one in this league,” said Durant. "Nobody can. You might be able to do it for a couple of possessions, but you can’t do it every night, especially great players like the guys he’s guarding.”

Durant’s analysis of the situation echoes the sentiments of Thunder coach Scott Brooks, who, rather than criticizing Green, chose to condemn the team’s help.

"I tell Jeff like I tell the other guys, it’s our defense that’s getting scored on,” Brooks said. "One of the strengths of our team defensively is that when we see a problem we make the adjustment.”

Father and son forge a bond on the court – The Globe and Mail

“Everywhere he went when I was younger, I went,” Andy says. “Every arena he went to, every game. I think that’s where my passion for the game comes from. We’d hop in the Porsche, throw in the Boss, Bruce Springsteen. To me that was special, just cruising to Bruce Springsteen, and whenever I got the opportunity, I always got out in front of the camps and shot some jump shots. I guess I enjoyed the attention.”

A hint that Andy might be something special came at one of those camps when Andy, barely older than a toddler, stepped up and knocked down some free throws with perfect form, just as his father had demonstrated.

“He was always very visual,” Leo says. “You could show him how to do a layup and he’d do a perfect layup. It was kind of weird.”

Antonio Davis – The FAN 590 Toronto – Audio on Demand

Antonio joins Hoops to talk about his playing career in the NBA, the Raptor fans in Toronto & his thoughts on coaching in the future.

Thunder-Raptors Preview – STATS Writer – NBA – Sporting News

A 19-point, second-quarter lead over Charlotte on Wednesday put Oklahoma City (41-25) in good position for its sixth straight victory and the franchise's first winning season since 2004-05. The Thunder, though, were outscored 41-16 during a stretch bridging halftime and fell 100-92 to open a three-game trip.

"We weren't able to finish out the game," point guard Russell Westbrook told the Thunder's official Web site after recording his third straight double-double with 15 points and 10 assists. "It's very disappointing, but that is part of the game and we have to move on to the next game."

Despite scoring 26 points with 10 rebounds Wednesday, Kevin Durant will look to bounce back against Toronto after missing 17 of 26 shots, including all seven of his 3-point attempts versus the Bobcats.

"His shot was short most of the night," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said of Durant, who is second in the NBA with 29.7 points per game.

Even as Chris Bosh scores 10,000th NBA point, speculators wonder if he’s planning to dump Toronto | torontolife.com

Last night’s Raptors game, wherein they squeezed out a win over the Atlanta Hawks, played out like an awkward date at the end of a once passionate relationship. After Bosh scored his 10,000th NBA point and became the first Raptor ever to reach that milestone, the crowd showed its love with a standing ovation. Bosh, chillingly, didn’t respond.

Jones: Finally for Raps and the Madness – sportsnet.ca

I have to tell you that the defensive rebound off a free throw is the easiest one in the game and the Hawks would surely have corralled that one and changed the course of the game had Johnson not got a hand on the ball. Toronto would have needed a whole lot more help being down a point with Atlanta having the ball with just less than 10 seconds to go. Impossible? no, but certainly more difficult to come up with a victory from that standpoint.

In the country of my birth, the old folks always say "It's never too late for a shower of rain", not sure what that means all the time but it's probably something along the lines of "better late than never" and is that what we might be seeing from Turkoglu… again. It looked he was starting to play better just before the orbital bone fracture and the mask episode set him back. But last night, he looked like a more determined player getting to the free-throw line as he had six trips to the charity stripe.

Hawks credit Weems defense, Horford fronting – Atlanta Journal Constitution

I didn’t see the play live because Woody was blocking my view and I never saw a replay that was conclusive. The Hawks still had a chance to win if they got one more stop but of course Bosh hit that sweet stepback jumper over Al, whose defense on the play wasn’t that bad (”Great play,” he said). It looked like Jamal’s final shot attempt may have been deflected by Sonny Weems but Jamal said he didn’t think it was. He said he just couldn’t get a clean handle on the ball.

Mo thought the Hawks should have went to Al more because the Raptors couldn’t handle him. But Jamal said the Raptors started fronting Horford to make straightforward entry passes more difficult, and Al said he had no problem with the Hawks going to the pick-and-roll because that was working, too.

khandors sports blog >> Raptors catch breaks late, steal victory from Hawks

Full marks to Chris Bosh & Co. for having the intestinal fortitude required to battle through an overall poor performance and the ability to take advantage of the opportunity presented to them late in last night’s game.

Hoopinion: Raptors 106 Hawks 105

It was clear that Josh Smith wasn't in a good mood early in the game. Complaints, against teammates, referees, the fates, came frequently and easily. He took two jump shots in the first three minutes. He did not look to be troubled by the possibility of getting thrown out over his reaction to whatever Jose Calderon said to him in the second quarter. Despite this, Smith was reasonably productive. He's a good and talented player. He can't get by on talent and occasional effort alone as three key fourth quarter possessions proved.

Syracuse duo share Canadian bond – Vancouver Sun

After another six wins — or one loss before then — Andy Rautins' Syracuse career will be over. He will likely play for his dad at the world championship in Turkey this summer — Joseph will probably join him — and then weigh his professional options. Rautins could be a second-round NBA pick, but is more likely to choose between trying to catch on with a team at summer league or a team in Europe.

Joseph, too, has NBA aspirations. Leo Rautins says he could play in the league, comparing him to Raptors rookie DeMar DeRozan. Joseph says his professional career is miles off in the horizon. "I'm a sophomore in college," Joseph said. "I have two more years left, and I want to enjoy the rest of my ride."

GamePoint: Batman and Robin(s)

Lastly. Let's give it up to someone who has been under constant fire since the Raptors went into a downward spiral. Though not an actual player on the roster, this specific individual also played his part in setting up Bosh for his game winner. Congratulations Jay Triano! After drawing a foul, Hedo Turkoglu went to the line in an attempt to tie the game. Before the second free throw, Triano subbed in Amir Johnson for rebounding purposes. Turk surprisingly missed the second shot, which Amir (unsurprisingly) quickly tracked down before scrambling for the loose ball amidst the overwhelming number of Hawks players around him. The result? Toronto regaining possession with 10 seconds left.

DeMar DeRozan scoring more – ESPN Fantasy Sports

Unfortunately, as I said above, the current version of DeRozan is nearly useless in fantasy no matter how many points he scores. Sure, he helps you in field goal percentage, but he's not anything special as a free-throw shooter, and he doesn't really rebound, get assists, or rack up numbers in the defensive categories. Right now he's a one-trick pony. Still, if you're considering guys who might make huge leaps next year, consider DeRozan. He's already an efficient scorer, and he's got the athleticism to be the rare sort of player who contributes in blocks and rebounds from the guard position. He's a decent bet to make a huge leap forward next season.

Jarrett Jack and Sonny Weems try to be different – canoe.ca

SHOE DILEMMA

Wearing the St. Patrick's Day green uniforms presented problems for a few Raptors. While the majority of the Raptors wore the matching green footwear provided, some opted to go their own route. Jarrett Jack stuck with his blacks while Sonny Weems, who normally sports Chinese brand Peak, switched over for last night's game to a pair of black Nikes.

Jay Triano- March 18, 2010

DeMar DeRozan- March 18, 2010

Antoine Wright- March 18, 2010

Chris Bosh- March 18, 2010

All it took was some typical Amir Johnson hustle and a big shot from a Chris Bosh after he’d barely made one all night for Toronto to steal a 106-105 victory from the Atlanta Hawks at the Air Canada Centre on Wednesday, putting the breaks on an ugly five-game losing streak.

“Man, it’s been a long time since we played with any urgency like that, or played on the defensive side like that,” Sonny Weems said after Bosh’s game-winner with 2.9 seconds left allowed Toronto win.

“I think everyone’s fed up with playing like that.”

It was a victory achieved in the most unlikely of manners for a team that’s stumbled for weeks. They had a big lead – 15 points at one time – and let it get away; they were down and seemingly out when they trailed by nine with less than four minutes and somehow – out of nowhere – the summoned a comeback.

Feschuk: Timely swish and a milestone for Bosh – thestar.com

And wasn't that as good as waving goodbye?

No, no, no. Nobody's saying Bosh has made his decision to leave Toronto when he has the option to become a free agent in July, although there have been plenty of observers, both inside the team and around the league, who have noted his post-all-star-break swoon and wondered if it indicates the intention of an impending departure.

Damn those speculators, indeed. Wednesday night, depending on how you looked at it, offered a counterpoint to the latest in attempted fortune telling. Bosh, after flat-footing it through a subpar shooting night, nailed the winning shot in a 106-105 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. The timely swish – along with a missed 22-footer at the buzzer by Atlanta's Jamal Crawford – broke Toronto's five-game losing skid just as it sent a roller-coaster Raptors season back on the ascent, at least momentarily.

Turkoglu Starting To Find His Groove | Hoops Addict

After the game Turkoglu chalked up his play tonight to finally feeling healthy.

“I was feeling much better,” a modest Turkoglu told the media following the win against Atlanta. “It has been hard to settle on jumpers. I just decided I didn’t want to play like that anymore and I need to be more aggressive and get to the free throw line. I wanted to make some easy layups to get myself in a rhythm and tonight my ankle was feeling much better. Hopefully in a few days it’s going to be closer to 100 per cent.”

Or, as Chris Bosh told me after the game, maybe Turkoglu’s just one of those guys who thrives on pressure.

He knows there’s been a lot of expectations placed on him after signing a big contract last summer and Turkoglu is aware he hasn’t come close to meeting those expectations.

Bosh caps Raptors’ rally – The Globe and Mail

Calderon got the team off quickly, sprinting with the ball out of the backcourt and pushing it forward, with ripple effects all over.

DeMar DeRozan, the rookie some like to finger for the Toronto Raptors woes? He was statistically blameless, chipping in with 19 on 7-of-12 shooting, including 11 points in the first quarter when the Raptors jumped out to 30-25 lead.

Andrea Bargnani responded to calls for him to rebound his position better by battling in the paint, snaring three offensive rebounds, posting up deep and grabbing 11 rebounds to go along with his game-high 22 points.

Post Game: Atlanta Hawks vs Toronto Raptors « New Leisure Blog

Quick keys to the win:

- Turnovers. We didn’t turn the ball over against a team that could kill on the fast break.

- FT line. We got to the line in the fourth quarter, and got some freebies. Scoring against the Hawks in the half court setting is very tough.

- Fight. They got down 11 in the fourth but they fought back, didn’t quit. That’s all you can ask really.

Winning this game doesn’t change the fact, that I don’t want to see the Hawks in the Playoffs. Horrible match up for the Raptors. They may not have the size, but they got the athletic ability and quickness that the Raptors will have lots of issues dealing with. Their help defense is top notch. They double Bosh a lot, but they are very quick to recover on the help. Just a tremendous job by Mike Woodson.

Dramatic Win For Toronto – FAN590 – The Rap

Stats that stood out:
- Points in the Paint: 58-46, Toronto
- 2nd Chance Points: 16-6, Toronto
- Fast Break Points: 31-23, Toronto
- The Raptors win only their 8th game all season when trailing after 3 quarters
- This was Toronto’s first win over a .500 or better team since January 27
- Atlanta shot 61.1% from 3PT land (11/18)
- In spite of a rough, rough night (6/19 FG) Chris Bosh did hit the dramatic shot with :2.1 seconds to play and did register another double-double as well (14 points, 10 rebounds)
- Bosh surpassed 10,000 career points in this game (first ever Raptor to do so)

Bosh sinks winner, Raps rally over Hawks – sportsnet.ca

Though the stat sheet was no friend to Bosh — he went 6-for-19 from the field, shot just two free throws and finished with five fouls — he knew he was going to take the shot if it wound up in his hands on the final play. Bosh said the decision to play the hero role was an easy one, even despite his struggles.

"It's not tough at all, because you want to make the next one," said Bosh. "I think every shot after is the one to kind of erase the memory, get the bad taste out of your mouth."

He also reached a personal plateau, becoming the first player to score 10,000 points in a Raptor uniform.

"Something like that is always special," said Bosh. "Just to be the first to do something is always cool."

The win came at a pivotal time for Toronto (33-33), which once sat comfortably in fifth place but is now scrambling to stay ahead of the ninth-place Chicago Bulls.

TEN GRAND – RAPTORS 106, HAWKS 105 – HipHoopJunkies.com

He struggled in last night's game, only shooting 6 for 19, but Chris Bosh came up big when he needed to. Bosh nailed a jumper with just 2.1 seconds to play to help snap the Raps' losing slump. They caught a huge break when Hedo Turkoglu missed his second free throw with 14 seconds to play and regained possession when Atlanta attempted to grab the rebound but turned it over back to the Raps. This gave enough time for Bosh to make the J over Al Horford.

Desperate Raps claw way to victory | Toronto Sun

“We’re at the point now where every shot is a big shot,” Bosh said. “I’m just glad it went in. I shot it with confidence. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that it wasn’t going in. I’m just glad that it gave us the go-ahead to win the game.”

Bosh doesn’t even get to make the attempt, however, without the hustle of Amir Johnson. With Hedo Turkoglu at the line awaiting his second free throw and the Raptors down a point, Triano made his most productive substitution of the night sending Johnson in for Bosh.

When Turkoglu missed the second free throw, Johnson did what he does best.

“I heard Turk on the line when he said it was off so that made me jump ahead of my guy,” Johnson said. “When I got in front of him I got my hand on the ball before he tipped it off the other guy.”

Raps need to follow coach’s footsteps | Toronto Sun

Jack Donohue, the old coach, used to say that having Triano on the floor was like having another coach on the team. He didn’t have to tell him what to do, Triano just had an instinct for it. He understood what was necessary, even if he knew he didn’t have the star’s ability to make a difference. And maybe that’s part of the problem coaching in the NBA. For some, the game comes too easily. They don’t have to listen. They don’t have to push themselves. They’re already set for life no matter how many games they win.

Even in the victory Wednesday, the Raps still gave up too many easy buckets, too many uncontested shots — and at one point the Hawks were shooting 73% from three-point land, which borders on the absurd.

Clutch shot by Bosh ends Raptor slide – thestar.com

“I don’t care who it’s against right now, we wanted and needed a win, just for morale,” said coach Jay Triano. “On the road trip (a four-game, four-loss sojourn out west), we didn’t get the results we wanted but we had a coupe of bad quarters that hurt us. Other than that, I thought we competed fairly well.

“But we need to be rewarded every now and then so we continue to compete.”

They were rewarded because they worked hard, which is not something that can be said about them over the past three weeks.

Johnson, who has become invaluable for his constant hustle, was able to rebound a missed Hedo Turkoglu free throw with 14 seconds left and the Raptors trailing by one that got Toronto an extra possession.

Bosh rises to the occasion as Raptors edge Hawks – Canada.com

“He wanted the basketball,” Raptors coach Jay Triano said, “and we gave it to him.”

If the sample size was the first 47 1/2 minutes of the game, Bosh had not earned the ball. On a night when his team — finally — seemed to play with conviction somewhat consistently, Bosh clanked jumper after jumper. The Hawks reliably sent a second defender at Bosh, but when the power forward got looks at the basket, he usually settled for jumpers and missed 13 of the 19 he tried.

Could The Raptors Be The Worst Defensive Team To Ever Make The Playoffs? – SB Nation

You ever here the phrase "defense wins championships." Of course you have, because if there are three constants in life, they are death, taxes and basketball talking heads repeating that phrase.

Don't tell that to the Toronto Raptors though. We've talked about how terrible they are on defense, but it's even worse than we thought. Pro Basketball Talk's Matt Moore runs some advanced numbers and reveals that the Raptors could end up being the worst defensive team to ever make the playoffs.

Toronto Raptors focus on long term with All-Star Chris Bosh – Frank Hughes – SI.com

"The GM is always going to make moves," Bosh said. "But I am not a GM. I don't paint the picture. I just play my role."

He did say, however, that if he stays with Toronto, he plans to have a voice in the direction of the team. "If you are able to be in that position, you should use it," Bosh said. "Anytime you are in the certain position as a player, you want to be able to have some kind of say-so about where the organization is going because you are committed to them and they should be committed to you. [Dwyane] Wade is Miami's best player. They should take care of him. That is how it is supposed to be."

Bosh did not want to get into the specifics of the changes that need to be made, but there are obvious issues. Starting with defense, where the Raptors rank 27th in scoring defense (105.9 points) and last in defensive efficiency.

Interviews: Triano, Bosh, Calderon, DeRozan, Turkoglu, Bargnani, Johnson

Triano, Bosh, Calderon, DeRozan, Turkoglu, Bargnani, Johnson speak with the media following Tuesday's practice at Air Canada Centre.

Chisholm: Raptors’ malaise to blame for tailspin

With that, Wednesday's game against Atlanta is expected to bring yet another change to the rotation, as Jose Calderon is expected to start at point guard for the club. Now, the move hasn't happened yet so it would be prudent to be reserved in one's judgment of this move, but let's just say that when a team is struggling so mightily with defence, starting their worst defensive player and starting possibly the team's worst defensive unit might not be the greatest coaching strategy ever conceived. Nor is starting this particular guard (with defensive deficiencies) against Russell Westbrook, Devin Harris, Jonny Flynn, Deron Williams and Chauncey Billups – the five guys he'll be asked to guard after the Atlanta game. Nor is re-inserting a guard that has a 37-53 record over the last two seasons as a starter during the most important stretch of games the Raptors have played over the last two years.

Redemption on Raptors’ minds down stretch – thestar.com

"It doesn't matter who plays, I've been talking about that all season," Calderon said Tuesday after the Raptors went through a rather lengthy workout at the ACC.

"It doesn't matter who starts, it doesn't matter who plays more minutes, we've got to win games. We're upset because we're losing games. We're not upset because I'm not playing or I'm not starting or something like that. Let's keep things simple: We've got to win, and everything else doesn't matter."

Time to play big | Toronto Sun

The Raptors could have really shaken up their rotation had they decided to put Andrea Bargnani into the second unit.

Even though Bargnani has fallen back into his nasty habit of disappearing in games, he won’t be losing his starting role anytime soon.

When he was playing at a high level back in January, Bargnani was making a pretty compelling case as an all-star.

He wasn’t settling for jumpers, was rebounding, blocking shots, getting to the line and providing that much-needed interior defence.

When the Raptors needed Bargnani to step up in Chris Bosh’s absence, he had a difficult time reacting to the added attention of double teams.

Raps flip the switch | Toronto Sun

The ball is back in Jose Calderon’s court at a time when the Raptors are courting disaster.

All is not lost because there is still time for the Raptors to regain their form, but there’s a growing sentiment that the team has become a lost cause.

“We’re in a tough situation,’’ Calderon said after Tuesday’s practice, a lengthy session that followed a rare gathering in the wake of a back-to-back set. “At the same time, we have to be motivated as ever.”

Officially, nothing has been said publicly, but it’s almost a given that Calderon will start Wednesday night when the Atlanta Hawks, without Joe Johnson, pay a visit to the Air Canada Centre.

Chris Bosh And The Blame Game | Hoops Addict

“You can’t put the emphasis on one person … it’s a team sport.”

Many of those words ring true. There is no star Toronto player who does more to help his team win each night than Bosh.

He averages 24 points, 11.2 rebounds per game a just over a block a game – strong numbers that aren’t inflated by the fact he’s a great player on an under-performing team.

Like any player of his caliber, Bosh often wants the ball in his hands. But he’s also aware of the fact he can’t win on his own, and will defer to teammates he knows are capable of helping the team.

Spurs’ situation with Splitter reminds of Scola – MySanAntonio.com

With the Raptors tanking lately, threatening to drop out of the Eastern playoff picture, their chances of retaining Bosh get slimmer and slimmer, and a sign-and-trade more and more likely.

If the Spurs can leverage another team's desperation to alleviate some of their own, they should do it.

Don't get overly excited about the prospect, though. The suggestion from afar was that the Spurs might be able to use Splitter's rights as a third-party sweetener in a Bosh sign-and-trade, getting another player or future draft pick in the package, not Bosh.

Then they will have to hope Splitter doesn't produce as consistently as Scola.

If Playoffs Started Today: East – Basketball News & NBA Rumors -

(1) Cleveland vs. (8) Toronto
After getting off to a miserable start this season, the Raps righted the ship towards the middle of the season. Over one 35-game stretch starting in December Toronto was actually one of the hotter teams in the entire league, going 24-9 (.686 winning percentage). However, just as quickly as it all came together; the wheels have fallen off once again. The Raptors have now lost nine of their last 10, and tension in T-Town is thick. The backbiting and infighting has increased, and nearly everyone seems on edge. GM Bryan Colangelo has called the regression "perplexing" and Chris Bosh is quick to deny culpability. The scene in Toronto is ugly, and is quickly escalating from bad to worse. Luckily for the Raps, the Chicago Bulls, losers of seven straight games, are about the only team playing worse. If the playoffs started today, the Raptors would be the only team in either conference to qualify with a sub-.500 record.
Prediction: Cavs Sweep Raptors

Raptors Still Looking for Leader of the Pack « The Zan Tabak Herald

The Raptors have not had that in a long time. Not since Charles Oakley.

Love him or hate him Oakley was a motivator in that locker room and was key to the initial success of the Toronto Raptors. Yes, Vince and McGrady had a thing or two to do with the Raptors making the playoffs for the first time and winning their first series, but it was Oakley that pushed them to get there.

He was vocal, wasn’t afraid to call out his coach and teammates and he brought it on the floor. He fought for loose balls, rebounded with the best of them and knew his role. Not everyone liked what he had to say but he pushed his teammates to be better. And they were.

FAN590 – Blogs – The Rap » Blog Archive » Change(s) Coming?

There has been a lot of speculation regarding the starting five for Tuesday’s tilt but Triano hasn’t officially confirmed anything as of yet. The most likely scenario though would see Jose Calderon inserted into the starting line up for Jarrett Jack. Talk of moving out DeMar DeRozan may be premature as well, given that Antoine Wright has been nursing an ankle injury since Sunday night. In fact, deflection or not, Triano said no one on the second unit has really jumped out at him RE: nabbing a starting role

For his part … Jarrett Jack stressed that if he is replaced as the starting PG, he’ll still play as hard as he can for every second that he’s on the floor and he’s not concerned with coming off the bench or starting. He said he’s just happy to be home (note: the Raptors are 22-10 at the ACC this year).

Understanding how Toronto lost to Golden State – khandor’s sports blog

QUESTION

How exactly did Toronto manage to lose this game to Golden State?

ANSWER

When you look at the boxscore for this game:

A change coming for the Raptors, probably – Posted Sports

Jay Triano likes to keep his options open.

For the second straight day of practice, the Toronto Raptors coach remained uncommitted about shaking up the starting lineup that has played together since for every game since Dec. 8, except when injury has intervened.

"We've thought about it a lot," Triano said. "We haven't made any decisions yet.

"We're thinking about making some adjustments. But I don't think it will be anything major."

Hawks overwhelm downtrodden Nets  | ajc.com

The Hawks won their third consecutive game and seventh of nine while snapping a five-game losing streak in New Jersey. The lopsided victory allowed the Hawks to rest their starters late in advance of Wednesday’s game at the Raptors, who have lost five consecutive.

Will Jack pay price for Raptors’ slide? – The Globe and Mail

It appears that Jack, the Raptors’ starting point guard for the past 43 games, will be the one to pay the price for the team’s 1-9 slide.

“We’ve thought about it a lot,” Raptors head coach Jay Triano said after practice yesterday. “We haven’t made any decision yet. … [But backup point guard] Jose [Calderon] has been playing well and I might take advantage of that.”

Triano showed his hand when he sat Jack to start the second half of the Raptors’ loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday and Jack played just 17 minutes in a loss to the Golden State Warriors the night before.

GamePoint: With A Side Of Red – Mar.16/10 [In the End, There Will Only Be Chaos]

In honor of the release of God of War 3 today, I bring you the deepest shade of "With A Side Of Red" ever. Just like on Mount Olympus – it's not looking good right now in Raptors Nation. Colangelo is panicking more than Zeus is. Why? Because he knows that the wrath of Raptors fans was what gave birth to whatever Kratos is so upset about. The despair and treachery the God of War games use as themes have nothing on what the Raptors camp looks like at the moment. Here's Jack and Bosh opening Pandora's Box:

Raptors threatening to slide out of Eastern playoff picture

The Raptors have lost five in a row and nine of their last ten games, with a 102-96 decision over the New York Knicks on Mar. 5 as the lone victory. They now sit in eighth in the East at 32-33 with the Chicago Bulls (31-34) within striking distance. The only good news for the Raptors is that the Bulls are also sputtering, having lost seven in a row.

The bad news is nobody on the Raptors is sure how to change their fortunes.

With free agency looming for Chris Bosh, a season out of the playoff would seem to all but pack his bags for him. He's a competitor who wants to win and refuses to shoulder the blame for this losing streak on his own.

NBA PM: Contract For Boozer? – Basketball News & NBA Rumors -

Signing Bosh is not an option for the Blazers. They will not have any cap space available and could only use the Mid-Level Exception or Bi-Annual Exception to sign a free agent, and that sure isn't going to get anyone Bosh. This is assuming Bosh even decides to become a free agent and leave Toronto, which he has shown zero indication of doing. (And no, his recent comments about his team are not an indication of leave – quite the opposite. It shows he still cares.)

That leaves only a sign-and-trade possibility, as Arnold notes later in the piece. He also acknowledges the deal would have to center around power forward LaMarcus Aldridge since they play the same position. We've talked about such a possibility in this space in the past, concluding such a deal was unlikely, but it's worth noting Aldridge is a Base Year Contract player for the 2010-11 season. His contract extension kicks in for next season and it gives him more than a 20% raise over his 2009-10 salary of $5.8 million.

Struggling Raptors expected to shake up starting roster

“Jose has been playing well,” Triano said. “We might take advantage of that.

“You play the hot hand. There have been times when Jose has sat down when Jarrett has been rolling. It will continue to be the same.”

“I think that’s Coach going with the flow,” Jack said. “I’ve heard him say before that he’s going to go with whoever he thinks is playing best and that’s just the way it’s been going.”

All season long, both guards have continued to say they will fill the role they are given with aplomb. But both players also have trouble hiding their emotions. Calderon is perpetually animated, while Jack has looked downcast for the last week or so.

Blazers comment of the day: Should Portland pursue Toronto forward Chris Bosh? | OregonLive.com

"Yes, yes, yes. Bosh over LaMarcus all day, any day, any point in their careers. It's not even close. Bosh has some serious handles, and LA will never be able to put it on the floor and get to the rack like Bosh. They're not at the same level and never will be. LA is a nice player, improving slowly, but he'll never reach Bosh's level. Get real, Blazers fans. Love LA, but he's nowhere near Bosh."

Uh oh, Toronto, the Raptors aren’t doing so well – Ball Don’t Lie – Yahoo! Sports

It seems like a rough time to be a Toronto Raptor right now. Five straight losses, and nine of the last 10 will do that to a team. But it seems like everyone on the Raptors hates being on the Raptors right now.

Antoine Wright Puts Up Zeros On The Road – Brothersteve’s Green & Red Raptor Blog

Wright started out the season shooting a career low 34 percent from the field. Unfortunately his 31 percent shooting from three was actually an improvement from his last two seasons. The result was the disappearance of Wright into the Jay Triano doghouse in the second half of December.

And during Wright’s previous four NBA seasons, he has been a five point, two rebound role player who averaged 41 percent from the field and 30 percent from three. Now in 55 games with the Raptors, those averages are reappearing.

But it is easy to forget that Antoine Wright is just 26 year-old and the improvements seen during last year’s playoffs with Dallas and in the last two months in Toronto could be sign of Wright’s continuing development as a player. There is a case for Antoine Wright.

Raptors Game Time – Payal Doshi

The destruction continued and the heads hung low. The fight what fight? The defense- I didn't see much of it. It went from a NBA game to a summer league non-chalent session of pick up basketball. A first have that saw the Raptors play with some sense of purpose did not translate in the 2nd half. The Warriors a perimeter oriented team were glued that territory and both Mario Ellis and Steph the rookie Curry killed it from beyond the arc. Let's not even speak about cleaning up the glass that was all done by the my under the radar dude Anthony Tolliver!

Practice Interviews: Jose Calderon :: Hedo Turkoglu :: Jarrett Jack :: Jay Triano

But note Bosh's answer when he was asked on Monday if yet another failed season would be a reflection on him.

"No. What else do you want me to do?" he said. "Do you want me to score 30, 40 points a game? Twenty blocks a game? That's not my game. That's not what I do. I try to get these guys going, and that's pretty much it. I'm not weak-minded by any means. I know that we're going to be good this year. I think we have time to turn it around. That's the plain fact."

He didn't sound convinced the resurgence was imminent, not with Atlanta and Oklahoma City next on the schedule. And he added: "You can't put the emphasis on one person … it's a team sport."

Bosh is back | Toronto Sun

There’s not a lot to be optimistic about based on the pessimism that hovers over the Raptors like a dark cloud.

The team is in the throes of a five-game losing streak and the immediate future looks bleak with the Atlanta Hawks and Oklahoma City Thunder coming to town this week.

The Raptors are barely clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. But amid all this doom and gloom comes word from Chris Bosh that bodes well for a team that hasn’t been playing well.

“I think I’m back to where I was,’’ Bosh said after Monday’s practice. “My timing is better and I’m feeling better.”

Raps need mental toughness | Toronto Sun

Jose Calderon will be back in the starting unit, a move that is long overdue but one that clearly has upset Jarrett Jack, at least based on Jack’s terse comments.

Jack shouldn’t feel bad, but he does because he’s a professional and he takes pride in wanting to be the on-court leader.

It’s commendable, but the Raptors need to get out to better starts and they need to regroup better at halftime.

For one of the few times since the all-star break, the Raptors actually won a third quarter, outscoring Portland 29-24 on Sunday with Calderon on the floor when the period began.

Fault lines | Toronto Sun

“If you want to blame somebody for the way we’re playing, blame me,” Colangelo said late Monday afternoon.

It was late Monday after back-to-back games on the west coast, a red-eye flight home, a practice called on what was thought to be a day off.

“I’m the guy ultimately responsible,” he said, and then essentially put the onus on his players, not his coach, to find a way out of this dark NBA hole the Raptors find themselves in.

Sam Mitchell on the Fan 590

Sam Mitchell joins the Big Early to talk about his new gig with NBA TV, the breakdown of the East, and the possible destinations of the big name free agents.

Hey, I’m back. Miss me? – Doug Smith

Want to know one reason why I think it’s wise to have Jose replace Jarrett as the starting point guard? As we’ve seen all year, Toronto’s defence comes off its offence – it’s a terrible trait and one they have to break but it seems undeniable at this point in the season – and it strikes me as the offence just runs more efficiently with Calderon at the helm.

High screen and roll works a bit more smoothly, possessions have a bit more “calm” to them and there’s just a greater sense of confidence in those moments.

Raptors skip out as questions get tough – The Globe and Mail

“It was a teaching tone,” he said of Triano's mood in practice. “It's the right tone. Yelling and screaming is a waste of breath, I've always felt. We're professionals. If you want to scream at a bunch of grown men, good luck.”

But who slipped out of the gym as all eyes were on the embattled rookie head coach?

That would be Bryan Colangelo, the team president, general manager and architect of a house once again badly listing.

Understanding where the Raptors are headed – khandor’s sports blog

Given the complete overhaul of their roster which the Raptors made last summer:

- Trading for Reggie Evans [#1]
- Selecting DeMar DeRozan [#2], No. 9 [overall] in the 2009 NBA Draft
- Signing Jarrett Jack [#3], as a restricted free agent
- Trading for Amir Johnson [#4] and Sonny Weems [#5]
- Trading for Marco Belinelli [#6]
- Trading for Hedo Turkoglu [#7] and Antoine Wright [#8]

in hopes of significantly upgrading the talent level of the players around Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani, it is difficult to believe that this is the type of final result which Toronto’s basketball braintrust was expecting from this season.

Toronto Raptors Are At The Crossroads « Brothersteve’s Green & Red Raptor Blog

In Bosh’s first three games back after his injury, his shooting stroke was gone and so was his ability to drive. In the next couple of games, Bosh found his stroke was still mostly playing on the outside. And in his attempt to regain his offensive rhythm, Bosh turned the ball over nine times over those last two games.

Equally important for a poor rebounding team like Toronto, Bosh has averaged about three fewer boards per game since his return.

Maybe it was conditioning or maybe it was timing. It’s even possible Bosh was still feeling the effects of that sprained ankle. But without Bosh’s new found ability to dominate in the paint against all types of defenders, the Raptors looked a lot like last year’s team in four of the past five games.

Daily Herald | Bulls won’t be buying Lotto tickets anytime soon

One bit of good news for the Bulls is even while losing seven in a row, they're just a game out of the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. That's because Toronto has been just as bad, losing nine of 10.

Raptors star and free-agent-in-waiting Chris Bosh delivered a pointed message following a recent loss in Golden State.

"We're supposed to be gearing up for playoff basketball and this is not playoff basketball," Bosh said in the Toronto Sun. "I'm glad I'm not one of the coaches. I wouldn't know what to do, either. I don't know how many speeches you can give. I don't know how many lineup changes there can be. I don't know."

Bosh doesn’t think losses reflect poorly on him – Posted Sports

So, a reporter asked Bosh if this slump should reflect on him. Bosh was defiant.

"What else do you want me to do?" Bosh said after a late practice on Monday. "You want me to score 30? 40? 20 blocks a game? That's not my game. That's not what I do. I try to get these guys going and that's pretty much it. At the end of the day, we're going to be successful. I'm not weak-minded by any means."

Not much time for Raptors to turn season around – Montreal Gazette

“It’s not a losing proposition to make the playoffs,” Colangelo said after his team participated in a practice Monday. “A couple years ago you were begging for teams to make the playoffs. We’ve been in the playoffs. We’re competing at the level we can compete right now with the teams that we’re fighting with. And if you don’t make it to the second round, it’s not a failure. It’s not a loss if you don’t make it to the second round.”

NBA Insider: If Chris Bosh decides to leave Toronto, the Blazers should go after him | OregonLive.com

If Bosh does become a free agent, the Blazers should make a serious effort to sign him.

The 6-foot-10, 210-pound Bosh is averaging 24.1 points and 11.2 rebounds per game and, with Memphis' Zach Randolph, is one of two players averaging at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per game this season.

Bosh is a four-time All-Star and member of the gold medal-winning 2008 U.S. Olympic team.

Bosh and the Blazers don't sound optimistic that Portland could be a potential destination for him.

"I think they're already set. Especially with the acquisition of (Marcus) Camby, and they have LaMarcus (Aldridge)," Bosh said. "They're pretty much locked up at the four position."

Bad time for Chicago Bulls to be short-handed; luckily, Raptors struggling too – chicagotribune.com

The Raptors already own the tiebreaker over the Bulls by winning the first two head-to-head meetings. And though both teams have nine home and eight road games remaining, the Bulls face 11 winning teams while the Raptors draw just nine.

So catching the Raptors won't be easy, particularly given the Bulls' failing health.

"The only way we have a realistic chance is to get everybody healthy," coach Vinny Del Negro conceded. "Let's try to heal up and see if we can make a push at the end. It's not a lot of fun right now."

In the next breath, Del Negro did have fun, joking about how even the projected second-team lineup could change given the team still had to travel to Memphis.

Looking at 2010: Chris Bosh’s Top 6 Free Agency Options | Bleacher Report

Bosh has made statements that make it sound as if he would prefer to continue being the superstar on his team. Despite this, I am sure the possibilities of playing on a team with another All-Star or two would be intriguing to him.

Many teams can be ruled out because of their cap-space or talent situations. The Los Angeles Clippers for example, have cap-space but have plenty of talent at the F/C positions already. A team like the Denver Nuggets would love to have Bosh, but have no cap flexibility.

GamePoint: Raptors Rundown Podcast – Episode 1

Here's the first episode of the Raptors Rundown podcast. It's something I want to be able to do weekly at the least. In this episode, I and fellow guest/fan Rose Arcana discuss topics that include the recent four game West Coast trip, Bosh venting to the media, 3rd quarter meltdowns, and more.

Niagara Falls girl to sing at Raptors game – St. Catharines Standard

"I was laying on my recliner and she came over and asked if it would make me happy if she sang a song," Howie Triano recalled.

Triano was so impressed with Morgan's performance – he had also heard her sing the national anthem at the Niagara Falls Review Basketball Tournament – that he mentioned her talents to his son Jay.

Jay Triano, head coach of the Toronto Raptors, was equally impressed with the Grade 4 student at Orchard Park Elementary School.

So, on Friday, Morgan will belt out the Canadian and U.S. national anthems at the Raptor's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Air Canada Centre.

Gametape Breakdown: Offensive Interplay Between Marcus Camby and LaMarcus Aldridge – Blazersedge

Let's explore McMillan's statement about adjusting the team's sets. Reviewing the tape from last night showed that the adjustments were relatively subtle yet incredibly effective. The biggest beneficiary, especially early, was LaMarcus Aldridge, who enjoyed a monster first quarter. The biggest cause for his success, I would argue, was his developing chemistry with new Center Marcus Camby.

Andrea Bargnani’s rebounding: a historical perspective

In his fourth NBA season, Toronto Raptors center Andrea Bargnani is averaging 6.0 rebounds per game over 34.8 minutes. While this rebounding average is a career-best for him, it’s still terrible for a seven-foot center. How terrible? Here are all the seven-foot players in NBA history who averaged at least 30 minutes in a season while grabbing fewer than seven rebounds per game.

NBA: Jarrett Jack says Raptors have time to change | OregonLive.com

"I wouldn’t have predicted us to slide as rapidly as we’ve done. But that's the league. You go through stretches of up and down basketball," Jack said. "The thing we have to do is make sure that we don’t let the down stretches go on too long. We have to try and correct it before it becomes a problem."

The current "down" stretch has been a lengthy one, but Jack says the Raptors can reverse their current trajectory in the final 17 games.

"We’re still fine. We have a lot of basketball left to be played," Jack said. "If the situation was that we had four or five games left in the season and we’re hoping for other teams to lose…"

Calderon may become Toronto starter – ProBasketballTalk

Toronto plays no defense. That is what gets them beat. That is why they have lost five straight games and have fallen to eighth in the East (and would be out entirely if not for the Bulls recent play).

Wanted that to be clear so one person isn't blamed for the woes. But Jarret Jack isn't helping matters. And that is a more fixable problem short term — which is why he may be about to lose his starting job. Jose Calderon has been out playing him — Jack had seven points against Golden State, Calderon came off the bench and put up 24. Calderon also had two more points and two more assists than Jack in the loss to Portland.

NBA.com: Bosh’s odds of staying in Toronto: Falling with the Raptors?

What's more, if the Raptors fail to make the playoffs for the second straight season and sixth time in eight years, it could certainly open the door for Chris Bosh to fly the coop and join forces somewhere with one of the other big name free agents.

Back when the Raptors were flying high, it was popular to think that a strong finish would convince Bosh to re-sign in Toronto with a program that was moving forward. But if the Raptors continue their fade down the stretch, the power forward could come to realize that he's not the big dog to carry a franchise by himself and look to move. At least, that's the hope of Miami, Houston and a few other places.

NBA AM: Bosh Goes Off On Raptors’ Effort – Hoopsworld

"I'm glad I'm not one of the coaches," he said. "I wouldn't know what to do, either. We changed I don't know how many times, I don't know how many speeches you can give. I don't know how many lineup changes there can be. I don't know.

"I mean, the coaches can only do so much. We have to take control of this thing because time is ticking and it's counting down. We keep playing like we are right now and we're going to be on the outside looking in."

The Raptors remaining 17 regular season games include nine home games and nine games versus teams likely headed to the playoffs – including two games versus Atlanta, a home game versus Boston, a home game versus western conference powerhouses Utah and Denver and a road game in Cleveland.

Jay Triano – March 15, 2010

Jarrett Jack – March 15, 2010

Chris Bosh – March 15, 2010

Make sure to join the first ever RR March Madness Tournament.

The move to Calderon over Jack did staunch the third-quarter wounds that have been inflicted the past two games against Sacramento and Golden State.

"I thought Jose was playing pretty darn well," said Triano. "I thought we had a good rhythm with that group so I just rolled with it. When he was on the floor, I thought we were playing pretty darn good."

However, the coach stopped short of confirming a permanent shift for Wednesday's game at home against Atlanta.

"I might change it up a little bit, watch the tape again and see what we think is our best lineup," he said.

But even though the Raptors carved an 11-point halftime deficit to seven after three, it wasn't enough to overcome a litany of other persistent problems.

Portland drops Raptors 109-98 – The Globe and Mail

Portland held the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, five games in front of Memphis, and just a half-game back of seventh-place San Antonio and a game back of Phoenix.

The Raptors were also in the eighth place in the Eastern Conference, struggling while just a game up on Chicago.

“There no science to it. It's not rocket science or brain surgery. You just have to win,” Bosh said. “If you make it complicated, it will be complicated. We just have to win games. That's all.”

Triano glad Bosh vented his frustration | Toronto Sun

They haven’t forgotten Hedo Turkoglu’s snub here in Portland.

A story in yesterday’s Oregonian rehashed the whole courting and subsequent spurning by Turkoglu.

According to the article, Turkoglu twice made a verbal commitment to sign with Portland — once in a dinner with coach Nate McMillan in Orlando and again to general manager Kevin Pritchard during a visit to Portland.

McMillan, though, isn’t interested in rehashing the events.

Back in Toronto when the Trail Blazers visited in February, McMillan suggested Turkoglu “could have handled it in a different way” but didn’t sound too broken up with the way it went down.

“He made his decision and we’ve moved on,” he said.

CANOE — SLAM! Sports – Basketball – NBA Games: Raptors improve, but skid continues

With the loss, the Raptors fell a game below .500 for the first time since Jan. 20. The Raptors continue to defend like their allergic to the activity, but it had to feel nice for a change to at least be in a game. The Raps remain a game up on Chicago for eighth place in the East but wins by both Charlotte and Miami on Sunday night mean they are now two full games out of sixth and seventh spots.

Bosh, after he aired his teammates out for a lack of passion following the Golden State game, wisely stepped up his own game hitting for 27 points and seven rounds to lad the charge.

The Raptors downfall, though, was in two of the same three areas that they were so woefully exposed the night before in Oakland.

Raptors need to shape up – National Post

For most of the season, Chris Bosh's future seemed like a coin flip. You could make an argument that he might stay a Toronto Raptor; you could make an argument that he was destined to leave the Toronto Raptors behind. Nobody could – or can – say for sure.

But despite various predictions that Bosh had already made up his mind to flee, there was not a shred of tangible evidence that was the case. Three weeks ago he was downplaying the much-ballyhooed free-agent madness of 2010, suggesting it was more and more likely that the biggest names of this free-agent class – LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, in that order – might stay exactly where they were.

"I think it's a very strong possibility," he told nba.com. "When it comes down to it, that's where you're comfortable, that's where … you started your career. It's always a very important thing."

Portland Roundball Society: A Trail Blazers Blog – Home

“Mrs. Turkoglu,” the homemade sign read, “Thanks for Andre.” And indeed, we are thankful.

Thankful for a whip-smart ball handler. Thankful for a cagey veteran. Thankful for a guy who’s finally pushing the tempo (at least a bit). Thankful for one of the best rebounding guards in the league. And last, but not least, thankful not to have a big, dopey, bad-shot taking, constantly complaining, junk-food scarfing small forward clogging up his arteries, the Portland payroll and the Blazers starting lineup.

So yes, thank you Mrs. Turkoglu—for from saving us from ourselves (or at least the whim of Paul Allen). Because of you, the correct and natural order of things were maintained.

Media Row Report: Blazers 109 Raptors 98 – Blazersedge

LaMarcus Aldridge appeared extra-motivated to begin the game. He sent a physical message by banging into his defenders chest-to-chest and he backed it up by putting up more than half of his shot attempts (11 of 21) and scoring more than half of his points (12 of 22) in the opening period. As the Raptors began to devote extra attention to Aldridge inside, things quickly opened up for Portland's perimeter players. Andre Miller alternately drove into the paint and operated from the post, dishing off smartly for layups and dunks and finishing his own attempts at the rim. Brandon Roy struggled with his shot some (6 of 16 from the field after back-to-back hot shooting nights in California) but he commanded extra attention from Toronto's defense and made consistently solid reads, finding perimeter shooters who couldn't miss.

Tonight, Turkoglu went through the motions like so many slightly above average players on slightly below average teams. His shot was falling (4 of 5 from deep), he was careless with the basketball (4 turnovers) and he did not impact the game on the boards or on the defensive end. Don’t look now but it could be a really, really, really long 5 years.

Raptors’ Slide Continues As Losing Streak Stretched To 5 « The Zan Tabak Herald

Statistical anomaly

If you were to look at the stat sheet without knowing who won the game, you would have assumed the Raptors walked away with the win. Shooting 56 percent for the night compared to 46 for the Blazers. Comparable stats in assists, turnovers and rebounds. It certainly doesn’t have the appearance of a 10 point loss. I guess sometimes, the stats don’t tell the tale.

Stronger Effort, Same Result | Raptors Rapture

Wow that was an incredibly painful road trip. Hopefully the Raptors can surprise us all with a couple of motivational wins against the Hawks and Thunder, before the schedule finally eases off for two -with stops in New Jersey and Minnesota. Stay patient Raptors fans.

Toronto Raptors Players Post All-Star Break Updates | Bleacher Report

It was starting to look like the Raptors rookie DeMar DeRozan had finally hit the rookie wall and something would have to be done.

DeRozan has started in every game he has played for the Raptors this season and is averaging 8.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.3 blocks in 21 minutes per game.

But the pre-All-Star bump in DeRozan’s game vanished quickly after the break, and the rookie was looking like, well a rookie.

In DeRozan’s last 10 games, he has maintained his season averages. But the zero points he put up against Houston and the two points against Portland and Washington stand out.

The Toronto Raptors and the Guard Situation for Next Season | Bleacher Report

The Raptors had a little more to address this past offseason than toughness, athleticism, defence, and rebounding. How about a 2-3 “skilled” wing player that can cause havoc on opposing defenses, just as they do to the Raptors on a nightly basis, ala Tyreke Evans, Steph Curry, Monte Ellis, and Kobe on this current road trip alone. Hedo Turkaglu was never going to be, and has not been, the answer. The Raptors simply do not have an elite-wing player.

To begin, an elite-wing player would generally defend opposing wing players as well as they possibly could be defended because of their quickness and athleticism. The Raptors look in disarray on defence on many possessions involving penetrations from opposing wing players. The rotations aren’t crisp and decisive enough to make up for the inability of their perimeter defenders to play man-to-man.

The Associated Press: Batum, Aldridge each score 22 in Blazers’ win

Toronto's Hedo Turkoglu was close to signing with the Blazers last summer as a free agent. The 6-foot-10 forward even came to Portland and met with general manager Kevin Pritchard.

But the deal abruptly fell through and Turkoglu, who helped Orlando to the NBA finals last season, agreed the next week to join the Raptors.

Turkoglu was booed loudly during pregame introductions. Conversely, former Blazers guard Jarrett Jack received a warm round of applause.

Turkoglu then made a 3-pointer 19 seconds into the game.

Fixing the Raptors « mathletics

Blazers 109, Raptors 98: Postgame comments | OregonLive.com

Trail Blazers 109, Toronto Raptors 98: Postgame video | OregonLive.com

Chris Bosh – March 14, 2010

Jay Triano – March 14, 2010

Andrea Bargnani – March 14, 2010

Raptors vs Blazers – Game in Six Minutes

Along comes Calderon, a victim of a bad break in Oklahoma City when his right elbow was cut courtesy, believe it or not, of a tooth by an unknown Thunder player.<br />
<br />
Calderon watched the horror show in Houston and admitted, without any provocation, following Toronto’s blowout loss that the Raptors had reached a low point.<br />
<br />
Leaders are supposed to rally their team in times of difficulty, provide a calming hand, reassure when players are unsure.<br />
<br />
Heading into the meeting Friday with the New York Knicks, a team that is dangerous only because it has nothing to play for, the Raptors had lost four in a row.<br />
<br />
In each setback, the Raptors began the game by trailing after the first quarter.<br />
<br />
The tone the Raptors were setting, in other words, was not conducive to winning.<br />
<br />
In the NBA, you don’t want to be playing catch-up, especially when a team’s franchise player is unavailable.<br />
<br />
On Friday, Calderon subbed in for Jarrett Jack with the game tied in the first period.

Raptors nick Knicks | Toronto Sun

Weems will never be mistaken for a shy player, but his decision to go right after Knicks veteran and one-time Raptor Tracy McGrady during a 10-point fourth quarter was brazen even for him.<br />
<br />
“He’s getting kind of old,” Weems said foregoing any tact. “I’m quicker than him so I just tried to take advantage of that.”<br />
<br />
Weems and Calderon were two of six Raptors to get into double figures in scoring. The only starter who didn’t get there was Bargnani and he was playing with three skin staples in his head to stitch up a cut he got from an errant elbow.<br />
<br />
Hedo Turkoglu wound up playing 25 minutes on a sprained ankle that is still bothering him. He fought through it to give the Raps a dozen points and nine rebounds.<br />
<br />
Bosh’s absence didn’t appear to hurt the Raptors scoring inside as they matched their season high with 60 points in the paint against the defensively challenged Knicks.<br />
<br />
Calderon exposed the Knicks time and again as he blew by defenders to the basket.

Perkins: Maple Knicks just right for Raptors – thestar.com

They’re a team now in the process of being blown up, struggling at 21-40 and holding its nose while playing, say, a mostly washed-up Tracy McGrady at point guard. They’ll try to start all over again with a renewed sense of commitment and a coach-GM combination supposedly on the same page with a plan in place, and they’ll be a factor again — once they start spending their $31 million (U.S.) in cap space this summer.<br />
<br />
The Raptors, meanwhile, have gone from being four games behind Boston a month ago, with Boston struggling and the faithful beginning to dream little dreams, based on a soft schedule immediately in front of Toronto. Now, the tail lights of the top four seeds in the East are visible only in the distance again and the Raps are only a few games ahead of ninth place, with another non-taxing (in theory) game at home Sunday against Philadelphia, then another of those West Coast trips, a four-gamer, lined up for next week.<br />
<br />
And we all know how well they tend to do out there.

Young Raptors beat Knicks without hospitalized Bosh – thestar.com

“Well, he’s been playing pretty well lately, but it’s just that their athleticism is at a bit higher level than ours,” lamented Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni.<br />
<br />
The Raptors need to exploit that advantage because they were once again without all-star power forward Chris Bosh. Despite being fully recovered from a sprained ankle, Bosh missed his seventh straight game after he came down with severe stomach pains.<br />
<br />
“He went to the hospital just prior to the game just to get checked,” coach Jay Triano said of Bosh. “We don’t anticipate it’s anything serious, they just wanted to do some tests and hopefully ….. he’ll be ready to go on Sunday.”

Raptors dump T-Mac and Knicks – The Globe and Mail

Toronto shot 50.5 per cent from the field and committed just eight turnovers.<br />
<br />
McGrady counted 13 points and four assists, but showed his rust, too, committing six turnovers.<br />
<br />
If the athleticism has departed, he still has a feel for the game – the Knicks play him at point guard in a tribute to the former scoring champ’s ability to make the right pass – but on a listless night, he largely fit right in.<br />
<br />
The Raptors led by a point after three quarters, and were able to pull away in the fourth, thanks to youngsters Weems and Johnson – players with just a shade of McGrady’s gifts in their legs, but more important, just a fraction of the miles.<br />
<br />
David Lee of the Knicks came into the game tied with Bosh with 39 double-doubles on the season, and left with his 40th, finishing with 23 points and 18 rebounds.

Raptors hang on to scrappy win over Knicks

"After that loss in Houston, we talked about that a great deal: everybody trying to do too much, everybody trying to be that one [guy] with Chris gone," Weems said of Monday's loss. "All we had to do was just play as a team, move the ball and help each other out."<br />
<br />
Despite the Knicks' relative putridity, this win was earned, if aesthetically unpleasing.<br />
<br />
Bosh was holed up in a hospital room somewhere in the city hooked up to an intravenous tube, the result of a misbehaving stomach. Hedo Turkoglu was hobbling around on a weakened left ankle. Reggie Evans was using a heating pad on his back. Andrea Bargnani had three skin staples in the back of his head to close a cut.<br />
<br />
Wearing their throwback white-and-blue Toronto Huskies uniform, the Raptors were instead black and blue, with a bit of red from Bargnani thrown into the mix.

New York keeps pace with Toronto early, but Knicks fall to Raptors, 102-96

The Knicks seemingly had everything going in their favor, except the final score, of course. With Sonny Weems scoring a career-high 20points off the bench and the Knicks unable, yet again, to protect the basket, Toronto held on for a 102-96 victory. "As good as they are at home we should have won this game," David Lee said. "With Bosh not playing, this is a game we should have won."<br />
<br />
For the Knicks (21-40), things can get worse, dramatically worse, before they improve. The Nets make their final visit to the Garden tonight, and losing to New Jersey – which the Knicks have already done this season – could send Knicks fans over the edge.

The Associated Press: Weems scores career-high 20 as Raptors win 102-96

Jarrett Jack and Amir Johnson each scored 14 and Hedo Turkoglu had 12 points and nine rebounds for the Raptors, who won on a night when All-Star Chris Bosh was forced to go to hospital an hour before the tip.<br />
<br />
Johnson started in place of Bosh, whose plans to end a six-game absence caused by a sprained left ankle were ended when he left for tests about an hour before the game complaining of severe stomach cramps. A Raptors staffer said during the third quarter that Bosh was still in hospital, receiving intravenous fluids.<br />
<br />
Weems scored 10 of his points in the fourth and finished with nine rebounds, while Johnson had eight rebounds for the Raptors.

NorthJersey.com: Knicks’ leave ‘D’ at home in 102-96 loss in Toronto

Instead, surrendering 62 points in the paint to a team missing All-Star big man Chris Bosh, hospitalized before the game with cramps from a stomach virus, Mike D’Antoni’s team lost its 40th game of the season, 102-96, to the Raptors.<br />
<br />
Lacking the kind of size inside that Bosh could help cure if he signed with the Knicks this summer, D’Antoni said, “We don’t have a lot of resistance. That’s a little bit of our size. We’re a little size-challenged down there, but … you’ve got to take a challenge and I don’t think we took the challenge of stopping them.”<br />
<br />
The result was often a Raptors’ layup line illustrated in great part by David Lee’s mere two fouls, the first drawn near the end of the third quarter. Despite his 23 points and 18 boards (but no assists), he and his teammates often matadored Raptors who got inside, not exactly the old no-layup rule enforced by Charles Oakley and Co. back in the day.

3-5-2010 (Unoffical) Recap: Raptors 102, Knicks 96 "Sonny effing Weems?" – Posting and Toasting

13) When the Raptors were in their half-court offense they repeatedly broke down the Knicks defense with dribble penetration from Jose Calderon, Jarret Jack, and Hedo Turkoglu. The three of them combined for 12 of the Raptors 18 assists. Calderon had 6, Jack had 2, and Hedo had 4. Trust me when I say this, if the NBA kept track of assists like the NHL does, the Raptors would have had close to 40 assists. Fortunately for the Knicks, the NBA does not, thus the box score says the Knicks win the assist margin 20-18.<br />
<br />
14) On a related noted to the previous point, here is further proof of how well Toronto's offense played tonight. Toronto's point guard duo of Jarrett Jack and Jose Calderon combined for 30 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds and 4 turnovers. They outshined T-Mac and Sergio's 23 points, 11 assits, 9 rebounds, and 7 turnovers.

CBC News – Toronto – Weems scores career high in Raptors win

Turkoglu, knocked out of Monday's game at Houston by a sore left ankle, left briefly in the second to have the ankle re-taped and sat out the fourth quarter.<br />
<br />
"You could see he was laboring," coach Jay Triano said. "We tried to go as many minutes as we could with him."<br />
<br />
Weems scored 10 points in the fourth and finished with nine rebounds while Johnson had eight rebounds for the Raptors.<br />
<br />
"[Weems] played an outstanding game," Johnson said. "He was relentless, man. Sonny gave us a big lift."<br />
<br />
Jack said Johnson's contributions were just as important.<br />
<br />
"He did a good job of sparking us early, being on the glass, being a good interior presence for us," Jack said.

Chris Bosh has chance to leave Toronto Raptors this summer, New York Knicks may lure forward

Bosh, who is from Dallas, remains noncommittal about his future. If the Raptors fail to reach the second round of the playoffs, there is a strong possibility that Bosh will leave.<br />
<br />
In Bosh's two previous trips to the playoffs, Toronto lost in the first round.<br />
<br />
McGrady's one and only postseason appearance with Toronto came in 2000, when the Knicks beat the Raptors in four games. At times, McGrady was the best player on the court, which helped him in the free agent market. Three months after that playoff series, McGrady signed with Orlando.<br />
<br />
"This is where I got drafted," McGrady said, talking about his time in Canada. "This is where my teenage years of playing in the NBA started. I enjoyed my three years here. It was awesome. I learned a lot ."

T-Mac makes case for Bosh’s escape – NYPOST.com

T-Mac's remarks made the rounds of the Canadian blogosphere yesterday, and he got booed more than usual last night, especially during introductions and the first time he touched the ball.<br />
<br />
"Get over it," McGrady said. "Get over it. What? It's 11 years, something like that? Get over it."<br />
<br />
Before the game, Colangelo sounded comfortable in his ability to keep Bosh in Toronto.<br />
<br />
"A handful of teams have the ability to sign him outright," Colangelo said. "We still remain the most viable option for him to get him the most money and most years. That's not changing."<br />
<br />
The Raptors can offer their own free agents the maximum salary for six years. The Knicks can offer five years. However, Bosh could force a sign-and-trade to the Knicks and in that scenario still get a six-year contract.<br />
<br />
Colangelo said the Raptors' desire to keep him was evidenced by their lack of conversations with other teams about trading Bosh at the deadline.

Johnson And Weems Step Up | Hoops Addict

“I had Tracy (McGrady) on me most of the fourth quarter and I just tried to attack them every time I got the chance,” Weems boasted to Hoops Addict while smirking. “Jarrett (Jack) and Jose (Calderon) did a great job of penetrating and kicking to me and I tried to attack the paint and get some easy buckets. I think with Tracy getting a little bit older I just tried to exploit that.”<br />
<br />
A couple of lockers down Johnson was searching for some cough medicine to help with the cold he is fighting through. Tonight he battled through some cold symptoms but “coughed it out” during the game.<br />
<br />
While talking with the media Johnson was sitting in a chair at his locker and his voice was strained as he attempted to talk through his cold but he couldn’t wipe the smile off his face while talking about how big this win was for Toronto.

Toronto Raptors After 60 Games « Brothersteve’s Green & Red Raptor Blog

While Jay Triano is right to say it will be a fight to stay in the playoff race until the final day of the season, the Toronto Raptors can still finish as high as fifth. And they will be fighting for fifth as long as Chris Bosh returns to the line-up by the weekend.<br />
<br />
This year, the Raptors have played well enough so far to put their playoff fate in their own hands over the final six weeks of the season.<br />
<br />
So Raptors fans should be anticipating an exciting drive to the playoffs.

Post Game: New York Knicks vs Toronto Raptors « New Leisure Blog

62 points in the paint. The Knicks do not have anyone who can block shots. Very soft interior defense, so the Raptors take full advantage. They didn’t take too many jump shots, instead they remain aggressive for the game.<br />
<br />
- Amir/Weems. They provide energy and athleticism sorely needed. They combined for 34 points and 17 rebounds. The trade with the Bucks is looking better each day.<br />
<br />
Hopefully Bosh is ok and will be back on Sunday. We do need our full lineup before going to the west coast trip. Things are getting tighter in the Eastern Conference, each game means a little more between now and to the end of the season.

Raptors Outlast Knicks to End Drought | Raptors Rapture

Luckily for Raptors fans, the result was positive, a 102-96 win over the lowly New York Knicks -ending the recent Raptors slide. The Raps were lead by high-flyer Sonny Weems who poured in 20 points while pulling down 9 boards which earned him critical fourth quarter minutes. In a losing cause, the Knicks were led by David Lee who put up 23 while grabbing an astounding 18 rebounds.

FAN590 – Blogs – The Rap » Blog Archive » Raptors Snap The Skid

Smith Says:<br />
- “A balanced attack … and a BIG win considering the victories for Charlotte and Milwaukee tonight as well.”<br />
<br />
Jones Says:<br />
- “Nice effort by Sonny Weems. His play earned him some key 4th quarter minutes … which we may see more of against athletic teams – especially down the stretch.”

Raptors Game Recap – The FAN 590 Toronto

THE FAN presents highlights (clip #1 courtesy Paul Jones) and the recap (#2, courtesy Eric Smith) of a 102-96 Raptors' win over the Knicks.

Tracy Murray – The FAN 590 Toronto

The long-time NBA player and former Raptor joins Paul & Eric to remenisce about his career and assess the current Raptors' squad

Game in Six Minutes – March 5, 2010

Check out the game between the Raptors and New York Knicks all in six minutes!

Jay Triano – March 5, 2010

Jay Triano addresses the media following the Raptors win over the New York Knicks.

Jarrett Jack – March 5, 2010

Jarrett Jack talks to the media following the Raptors win over the Knicks.

Andrea Bargnani – March 5, 2010

Andrea Bargnani talks to the media following the Raptors win over the Knicks on Huskies night at the ACC.

Jose Calderon – March 5, 2010

Jose Calderon talks to the media following the Raptors win on home court Friday night.

In this second episode of LCN, we join Colin Alschotz at the Feb. 3/10 Raptors home game against the pathetic New Jersey Nets as he hangs out with some true Raps fan-addicts and gets their take on a bunch of pertinent topics surrounding the team such as: Who’s been the best player other than Bosh so far this season and who should start in place of DD? We also asked fans how they would have reacted had the Raps lost to the Nets and pose a surprise question relating to the all-time greatest halftime show in Raptors team history!

Mad props go out to everyone that contributed to the making of this series, especially: Colin Alschotz for the on-screen presence; Birdman for the directing and editing; D&L Productions for the original music; LyNx for the graphics; BigMac (Rexdale) for the game footage, and MLSE for putting the product on the court.

Raps fans get ready cuz we’re making LOUD CROWD NOISE!!!

With the glitz and glamour surrounding NBA All-Star weekend, we thought we’d use this moment to drop some fresh extra flavour to ‘the game’ by releasing the premiere episode of our new RRTV original weekly series called LOUD CROWD NOISE!!!

Because we’re all passionate Raptors fans here in the Republic, so much so that that the blood in our veins is Raptor-red, it just isn’t enough for us to simply stand proud knowing that everyone in the basketball media community knows full well that Raptors fans are a savvy and crazy bunch when it comes to covering the team online. So we felt it was necessary to exercise our creative and innovative spirit to literally show everyone in the league that the Raptors have the strongest, loudest, craziest and most passionate fan base in the NBA! It’s our love for the Raptors that brings us together and LOUD CROWD NOISE!!! is a testament to our passion and dedication for the Toronto Raptors.

In this premiere episode, we captured the excitement and energy of the Raps season opener against the Cavs as our host Colin Alschotz interacted with fellow Raps fan-addicts and got their thoughts about all things Raptors.

Finally, we want to express our huge thanks to everyone that contributed to the making of this series, especially: Colin Alschotz for the on-screen presence; Birdman for the directing and editing; D&L Productions for the original music; LyNx for the graphics; BigMac (Rexdale) and TheScore for the game footage, and MLSE for putting the product on the court.