Barbosa: we got the W, but I still feel the need to ask where the hell he went in the second half. Yes, DeMar was having a game, but as the lead shrunk, Leandro, who had a nice first half, sat on the bench and tried to make a mental note of all the celebrities in the house so he could text his brother afterward.

Bargnani: I want to befriend the guy just to have him buy my lottery ticket. Evidently someone has told him that the solid line at the court that he stopped at the last few years can actually be passed without penalty and, holy moly, you have an easier time scoring!!! You can bet the usual doubters will be out with pitchforks at his first poor game, but lets enjoy the silence and the ride until then.

Butler: stone cold!! stone cold!! stone cold!! This guy beat you up, stole your lunch money, went to Harlem, bought a mixtape and a 40, came back, stole your girl, and is now rocking a fedora, a cane, and a fur coat as he gets a great return on his investment, just like Colangelo. Long time coming…for both him and your girl.

Calderon: the stinger he felt in his neck last night came back tonight, but only from watching the missiles being launched from downtown courtesy Douglas, Anthony and anybody else in white. He was a point shy of a double double which, for a PG playing 43 minutes, should be almost automatic.

Carter: you want a line to be proud of?  5 mins, 4pts, 4rebs, 3 asts. In that short amount of time he showed he was comfortable in knowing where guys were going to be and how to get them the ball. He certainly didn’t look like a guy who has had just over a week with these guys on the floor.

Davis: it was Ed’s girl that Rasual stole. He is trying harder than my girlfriend is to get me to look like some dude from some werewolf movie, but the one thing he and I have in common is we are coming out uglier in the end. Me physically, him in his game.

DeRozan: TMZ had the night of his young season tonight. None of that “let me just throttle up in the fourth” stuff tonight, baby. 7 of 13, 6 trips to the line, and enough bravado to have the ladies swoon.

A. Johnson: the first game where I was fearful of him fouling out before I needed a refill. He just made me fear the ref’s whistle from the outset. Sure enough, he picked up 5 but he never did get ejected. A few nice blocks, a silly turnover, and another night wondering what the hell that tattoo is.

J.Johnson: luckily we still had some confetti left from the other night, so I used it when James hit that corner 3 with enough wide open space in front of him that Donald Trump already had his assessors out there determining  how much he could get per square foot. Of course he followed that up with a quick shot that clanked like the Liberty Bell a few minutes later, but hell, he hit an important shot and looked like he had the weight of the world fall off his shoulders.

Magloire: from Howard to Chandler, the kid from Scarborough hasn’t had the easiest 2 nights in a row. Like last night, however, he earned some respect by hanging tough and actually matching Tyson’s rebound number with 10.  The Big Cat lives to see another day. I couldn’t be happier.

Driving the bus: DeMar DeRozan

Under the bus: Ed Davis

Theme of the Game:

Barbosa: he cares, he shows passion for the game, but I’m beginning to think the Blur nickname has passed him by.  Maybe the Brazilian Barely Buzzing is more apt.

Bargnani: might as well start calling him the puppet master. As Andrea goes, so do the Raptors so far this year. This was his best game but late 4th you could see him tire. He was still attacking the rim (!) but coming up short. The back to back Sunday/Monday should prove interesting, but Andrea seems to shine in NYC.

Bayless: down early due to a strained ankle. About as disappointing to most as it would be to find out a cheerleader had a crush on you.

Butler: Mr. Consistency showed us why he should be kept around to fill an important role:  nothing.

Calderon: the Spanish Sputterer looked confused and lost most of the game. You’d think if Andrea drops 30 you’d see your PG who played 30+ minutes stockpile some nice assist numbers and look, you know, active. On the contrary, at times Jose looked like he was wondering how he could get his name on the guestlist at the hottest club in Orlando for NYE.  That semi-dive where he looked like somebody hit him with a poison dart was impressive, though.

Carter: first action of the year and the first time since Hoffa where we have seen someone do a shout out to The Rock in the tattoo department. He gave us what we have come to expect from our backup PGs which is the equivalent of the effort of a waiter at the 3am rush in Sudbury during a snowstorm. None.

Davis: the effort seems to be there, but the results are somewhat shocking. Don’t know if it’s trying to grasp a new defensive system or the fact that the offense has taken a back seat, but Ed still hasn’t prompted any desire to move him up the rotation. He actually seems to be in the right spot…which is surprising for someone we all think is a double-double machine.

DeRozan: that clear path dunk was pretty, huh? Pretty enough to forget his poor shooting and inability to create opportunities or get to the line? I want so badly for this guy to be a solid #2 to AB, but I see nothing to say he will be.

Forbes: used to kill some minutes, but unlike the other night he actually provided an impression. He was a little Amir out there in a short appearance.

A. Johnson: Triano must be watching these games and wondering where he went wrong. Amir just seems to naturally be the guy that many touted him to be last season. Setting hard screens, driving the lane to slam in a follow up, calling huddles, listening to his coach. He is quickly making believers out of doubters and will soon have the following Reggie had here if he keeps it up.

J.Johnson: yikes. He definitely showed his on-court age tonight and it wasn’t pretty. 15min no points, 2 turnovers, and the look of an 11 year old that is having a tough time with his homework and his parents have told him he’s on his own. I actually think I heard him whimper at one point.  All players have games like this and no shame in having it happen against the champs, but if you played even half as well as you played in game 1, the Raptors could have stolen this.

Magloire: shocking that he basically fouled out just by standing up. 6 minutes, 5 fouls.  Big Cat is more like Big Detriment when on the court. Hey, I can see him being a motivational tool for the young guys, but so is providing bottles of Patron for the flight home if you play your ass off.  Hmmm…guy from Scarborough who is meaningless to most players or free booze?

Driving the bus: Andrea Bargnani

Under the bus: James Johnson

Theme of the Game:

Barbosa: the blur was far from it, but he was creating for his teammates. Rarely standing still with the ball he was looking to make things happen, which is why he could be the one player you don’t want to see sitting out games this year. We’ll need what we can get out of him.

Bargnani: it would be an easy out to rip him for not getting the “required” rebound numbers his coach has challenged him with, but you have to admit that the vegetarian pasta is looking a lot meatier. Talking on defence (and it actually getting caught on camera!), following his shots, getting his hand on loose balls, etc…all things we saw tonight and in the fake pre-season and something we have rarely seen in his years here. Impressive.

Bayless: it’s as if he and Jose decided to switch roles just to see how the other lives. Coming in you had to worry that Irving and Sessions would throw Jose around like a gingerbread man, but it was Bayless who seemed to show the frustration of getting a BlackBerry Playbook for Christmas and not an iPad2.

Butler: Rasual got the starting nod ahead of James Johnson and, to be honest, he did as much with his time in the spotlight as Kris Humphries did. You just gotta hope that Hump has some great video to show for it. Butler was never even close to being a factor and short of James just being a naturally better fit  with the second unit, Rasual should be back coming off the bench the rest of the season.

Calderon: not entirely shocking in that Jose always seems to play above himself (read: he actually exerts effort on the defensive end) when playing in big games. This being the first game of the season and the first real trial of who should be the starting PG, Jose flourishes against someone who is already in ROY talk by posting a double double (15/11).

Davis: Thompson made Ed look foolish early on, absolutely undressing Davis any chance he had. Pregame we asked RR followers who would lead the team in rebounding in this game and the straw poll had Davis the winner. Certainly didn’t start off that way, but Davis turned it around, hunkered down, and made TT work for everything he got. Offensively he was as perfect as Katy Perry in a bikini, going 7-for-7 and rocking the red headband.

DeRozan: remember as a kid you always seemed to open the smaller crappier gifts first? Socks, underwear, pet rocks, the new release from Menudo…..then, magically, as you hit your final few, it turned into Colecovision, a Three’s Company calendar, and a Michael Jordan rookie card. Well, that was DeMar’s season debut. To say he sucked rocks in the first half would be kind. No doubt that the coaches laid into the poor bastard at the half, because he sat for an extended period in the second and came back like he had been told if he led the team in scoring he’d get first dibs at landing the team charter.

A. Johnson: remember a few years ago when management would try and convince us that Toronto had a new Twin Towers? Well, under the radar, we might actually have it now in the Johnson’s. Together on the floor tonight they were prettier than some of the sister acts I’ve seen at the Zanzibar over the years. You get past one and, bam, another was waiting for you to break your heart. Amir threw double 13s and, for one game, absolutely wiped out the bad taste he left in some peoples mouth last season (okay, mine), but still he was out performed by….

J.Johnson: ……who came off the bench and LeBron’d the Cleveland crowd. He absolutely just made you go “whaaa??? whoooo???” as a Raptors fan and literally had Cavs fans buying programs to find out who the guy was with the funny hair. As the game wore on, others took over the spotlight, but a solid line of 5pts, 5asts, 6rebs, 3blks and 2stls doesn’t show justice to the effort he put forth to jumpstart his team.

Magloire: I’ll give you this: he has shown up in the best shape he has been in for years. After that, I got nothing. Sure, great story that he is the first Canadian to play for us, but Khloe got married before Kim, so firsts mean nothing. Surely there is someone out there that can save us from a season of watching this guy lumber up and down the court only to be lauded post game for being born here and nothing else. Waste of a roster spot.

Driving the bus: James Johnson

Under the bus: Rasual Butler

Theme of the Game:

It was a familiar refrain from Bryan Colangelo.

The Toronto Raptors president and general manager said Wednesday that he’s feeling good about the NBA team’s building blocks, has a plan is in place for the future and that player development remains paramount.

But there was one noticeable tweak to his annual pre-season media availability at Air Canada Centre. Colangelo has a new term to describe his vision for a team that’s coming off a disappointing 22-60 season.

"We’re not talking about rebuilding anymore," Colangelo said. "I’m stealing a line from coach (Dwane) Casey. What we’re talking about now is building."

Casey, who was named head coach in June, joined the GM at the availability with Colangelo’s new right-hand man, executive vice-president of basketball operations Ed Stefanski.

"It’s going to be about creating a new culture, a new system, implementing that system," Colangelo said. "And again, maintaining and sticking to the plan. But we’re past rebuilding, we’re now in the building phase."

What remains unclear is how long the process will take.

Toronto Sun

DeRozan, who met with the media on Wednesday after taking to the court just hours after arriving in Toronto from California, said he is eager to get working under a revamped defensive system.

“I love it,” said DeRozan, who averaged 17.2 points per game in his sophomore season — including 23.1 per in eight April contests.

Though new head coach Dwane Casey, the architect of Dallas’ title-winning defence is not yet allowed to meet with his new charges, DeRozan knows what to expect.

“I can’t wait to learn the system, see the schemes that he’s got going on. I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for us and I think it’s going to be fun.”

That’s not to say the noted gym rat isn’t also looking forward to showing off his new offensive wrinkles, even against opposing defences that will now make stopping him a primary objective.

“I had to deal with (defences focusing on me) in high school, I had to deal with it in college, I’ve just got to prepare myself,” DeRozan said.

“I worked extremely hard this summer for whatever comes my way.”

Globe and Mail

With a team that finished low in the pecking order a year ago, with a 22-60 record, Colangelo has a lot of holes to fill, specifically at centre and guard positions.

But, the GM said, don’t expect the Raptors to go out and try to spend their way out of their problems, at least not this year.

“One thing I will tell you, we have a plan in place … and we’re going to stick to that plan,” Colangelo said during a briefing on the upcoming season with reporters at the Air Canada Centre, flanked by new head coach Dwane Casey and Stefanski.

That plan includes the ongoing development of core players such as DeMar DeRozan and Ed Davis, along with Jonas Valanciunas, their first-round pick in the 2011 draft.

Colangelo threw cold water on a recent flurry of Internet reports that suggested the seven-foot Valanciunas was negotiating a buyout with his European pro team so he could join the Raptors this season. That’s not going to happen, Colangelo said.

Going forward, the GM said he will be looking to sign or trade for players – “system pieces” is how he referred to them – that have shorter contracts so as not to affect the team’s financial flexibility moving forward.

If all goes according to plan, Colangelo said he expects to have between $10-million to $20-million (U.S.) in salary cap flexibility to play with for the 2012-13 season.

Toronto Sun

Stefanski was in Latvia where Valanciunas dominated his own age group in the Under-19 world championships. Not only did he lead Lithuania to a gold medal in the tournament but he was an easy pick as tournament MVP averaging 23 rebounds 13.9 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game.

Stefanski was also in Lithuania the following month where Valanciunas joined the senior Lithuanian team and helped them to a fifth-place finish that earned them a berth in the 2012 FIBA Olympic qualifier.

Playing against men this time around Valanciunas did not dominate but neither was he overmatched. Playing in 10 of the 11 games for his home country in front of his countrymen, Valanciunas played just under half as many minutes a game as he did in the Under-19 tournament yet still averaged 8.4 points and 4.1 rebounds while leading Lithuania in blocks with 11 in those 10 games he played.

“You can see the kid has a chance but to have a 7-footer like that with his personality is unusual,” Stefanski said. “Usually 7-footers or big men are mostly reserved but this kid shows a lot of energy, is a good leader and on the court he plays with an intensity.”

Stefanski said his leadership was unmistakable at the Under-19 championships but even playing with the senior national team he more than held his own.

Having seen him prosper at both levels, Stefanski sees only positives in having him spend an entire season competing against men before coming over to join his NBA club.

“It’s not the worst thing in the world that he has to play another year over there,” Stefanski said.

Toronto Star

The Raptors plan to be tougher minded as a group. Casey spoke of instilling a “pack-it-in, zone-it-up” defensive scheme that amounts to building barricades up the middle. They promise to work harder, which is the sort of thing the last guy you want for the job is always promising.

Like developers holding waterfront property (which they sort of are), the Raptors are inviting fans to buy in cheap before the crowds start showing up.

The (rest of the) downside?

They aren’t holding out little hope of win-loss success. They’re holding out none.

Someone asked Colangelo to define what a “successful” season would mean to this team.

“To put ourselves in the position to hit the ground running the following season, that will be deemed a success,” he said in part.

You hear that sound? That was the sound of a dozen Christmas bonuses evaporating into nothingness at MLSE’s group-sales division.

Though he was precluded from talking specifically about additions to the thinned roster, Colangelo made it clear that there will be no surprise splashes on the Tyson Chandlers of the world.

Whatever human gristle is used to pad out this roster will be exactly that.

“To say that we’re going to race out and sign someone to a significant contract is probably not the case, unless it’s a one-year deal. We have contemplated a few of those scenarios, or acquiring a player in a trade with a one-year scenario,” Colangelo said.

Toronto Sun

If there was any debate about who is the glue on the Raptors’ 2011 roster, it ended yesterday when guard Leandro Barbosa walked into the team’s practice gym for the first time since last spring.

DeMar DeRozan, who seconds earlier had been busy running drills with teammates, broke away from the pack and made a bee-line to Barbosa, quickly engulfing him in a bear hug.

Then it was Jose Calderon’s turn, followed by Ed Davis, at which point Barbosa finally worked his way into the weight room away from prying eyes.

Barbosa may not like the cold temperatures here in Toronto — he swore it was the chief reason free agent and fellow Brazilian Nene likely wouldn’t consider the city in his future plans — but there is no question he is the heart and soul of the lineup.

Toronto Star

The Raptors are inching closer to adding their first Canadian player in franchise history.

While no contracts can be signed until Friday afternoon — and Toronto fans know better than anyone that no NBA deal is done until it’s signed, sealed and delivered — Jamaal Magloire is poised to join the team and give it some much-needed front court depth.

Magloire, the Toronto native about to enter his 12th NBA season, would be coming on a one-year, veteran minimum deal worth slightly more than $1 million a season as president and general manager Bryan Colangelo tries to maintain financial flexibility for a year from now.

National Post

Reports from both TSN and the Palm Beach Post have the Raptors poised to bring in Toronto-born Jamaal Magloire on a one-year deal. A source familiar with negotiations told the National Post on Wednesday evening that while the move remains a strong possibility, nothing could be done until Friday. It is believed the league will not allow player transactions to go through until Friday at 2 p.m. The new collective bargaining agreement must be ratified by both the players and the league first.

The Raptors have just 10 players under contract, and president and general manager Bryan Colangelo said on Wednesday that he would be looking to bring in a third point guard, a small forward and two big men, preferably all on one-year contracts. Magloire would qualify as one of those big men. It has long been believed that Magloire would not mind returning to his hometown. He does a considerable amount of charity work in the area.

TSN

I’m really curious to see if Jerryd Bayless can play extended nightly minutes and help you win as a point guard in this league. He showed me some good flashes at times last year. He can score – he’s kind of a 1 1/2, 1 3/4 type of point guard. He needs to show that he can run a club and make the necessary reads and adjustments on the floor and make others better and do it without losing his cool and getting baited by opponents. He’s a tough guy and competes – I like that. He has a chance to be a good player. He’s on his third pro team – it’s time to take another step and become a polished lead guard. I’m excited to see him grow and mature as a player.

On Saturday the Raptors shot down an ESPN report that Jonas Valanciunas might join the club this season and the big man put in his own two cents on Monday.

Valanciunas told lithuaniabasketball.com: “I’m currently with Lietuvos Rytas and I’m not really interested in those talks. There’s a lot to be done here. I’m in Lietuvos Rytas, not the Raptors.”

 

Raptors big man Andrea Bargnani told Italy’s La Stampa that he is getting his Canadian citizenship but will continue to play for the Italian national team.

Toronto Star

Johnson, Toronto’s incumbent starting small forward — and the only guy currently on the roster who plays that position — said he most appreciated the all-around nature of World Peace’s game and what he could learn at both ends of the court.

The two are similar in size, somewhere around 6-foot-7, kind of thick and muscular, but World Peace’s vast edge in experience allowed Johnson to learn a thing or two that Johnson hopes will help him on both offence and defence.

“He plays extremely tough defence and he’s also a force at the offensive end,” Johnson said after he, Jose Calderon, Ed Davis and Solomon Alabi got a pre-camp workout in at the Air Canada Centre on Monday.

“He’s not the fastest guy but defence-wise it’s just hard to get around him.”

Johnson would appear to figure greatly in Toronto’s plans for the coming shortened NBA season. General manager Bryan Colangelo isn’t expected to make any huge splashes in an underwhelming pool of free-agent small forwards and the job would seem to be Johnson’s alone right now.

If the third-year product of Wake Forest — obtained from Chicago midway through last season for an inconsequential draft pick — can give new coach Dwane Casey a consistently good wing defensive presence, it will be welcomed.

TSN

I’m sure Toronto Raptors coach Casey is counting the hours and minutes until he and his staff can finally get back to doing what they love. being on the practice floor with their players.

I learned this a long time ago when I was coaching. ‘You only get what you demand.’  He has President/GM Bryan Colangelo’s full support and for the organization to grow and develop into a contender he has to challenge this young squad from minute one to play the game hard, tough, right and together–nothing less is acceptable.

The wins and losses will come and go–it’s all about developing the proper mind set amongst everyone involved and with proper drafting, player development, trades, free-agency the process will reap the rewards of the tough love that will be necessary.

The Raptors have to find out things about a lot of their players to decide who stays and who goes as they methodically put the ‘right’ pieces together over time.

In order to make the right evaluations you have to put it to them and find out what they’re made of. I’m confident if the long term developmental view is used that some positive developments will take place with the current roster and more importantly in the seasons to come because they’ll know what they have and the bigger key, what they have to go get. 

Stick to your guns and get the best out of them.  That attitude and work will pay off in the end.

TSN

The second player that would seem to have lost his place in the greater scheme of things is Amir Johnson, the bouncy forward that started 54 games for the team last season. Here’s how the facts about Johnson shake out: He and Ed Davis are strikingly similar players in terms of their role on the team, but Davis is just better in the areas that are most important to the club: defense and rebounding.

Johnson got his shot last season, getting to start the bulk of the games he played in while playing a career-high 25.7 minutes per game in the process, and while he was a solid offensive contributor, he didn’t really do enough to cement his place in team hierarchy. While he cut his foul rate considerably to maintain starter’s minutes, shot a good percentage (.568) and transformed himself at the free throw line, his defense was as exposed as ever going against starting caliber fours each night and his rebound-rate dipped to its lowest point since his rookie year.

What’s worse for Johnson is that the Raptors seem intent on moving Andrea Bargnani to power forward this season, which means less minutes available at the position, and Davis will likely be the primary backup given his stellar rebounding and shot blocking abilities (plus, Davis only scored 1.9 ppg less than Johnson a season ago). There will still be minutes available to Johnson in a four-man frontcourt rotation, but the Raptors may be better served moving Johnson along and letting James Johnson and Linas Klezia log the leftover power forward minutes and using Amir in trade scenarios.

Raptors Rapture

With the increase of minutes last season Reggie had his first double digit rebounding average of his career at 11.5 boards a game during his injury plagued 30 game campaign. With the rest Reggie has been given via the lockout it is possible that a healthy Reggie Evans can average in the 11 to 15 rebound per game range in his spot in the Raptors rotation while providing defense, toughness and experience. Which happen to be the young Raptors three biggest holes.

Another factor that makes re-locking up Evans so important is the departure of Joey Dorsey, who is stuck overseas without an opt-out in his contract. Losing both Evans and Dorsey would leave the Raptors with a potential frontcourt that would be over-reliant on Amir Johnson, Ed Davis and Andrea Bargnani assuming Jonas Valanciunas spends the year in Europe.

The Raptors have a special player that can be a huge key in their rebuilding process. Who cares that he is a 31 year old with injury problems and can only rebound? If the Raptors want to continue to improve and rebuild Reggie Evans needs to be wearing a Raptors uniform on Opening Night.

Long past his prime, Stojakovic had to waive a portion of a trade kicker for Colangelo to complete a five-player deal with New Orleans.

"It was significant,” Colangelo said of the monetary inducement. "Enough that it wasn’t a bad day for him."

At 33, Stojakovic hardly fits in with what Colangelo is attempting to do with these Raptors, who are going young, are trying to develop emerging talent and are providing every resource for these pieces to flourish.

Rather than rush into any judgment, Colangelo is being prudent in determining Stojakovic’s role in Toronto.

"Nothing is pre-determined," Colangelo. "I’ve had conversation with Peja and his agent. They wanted to know what was in our agenda.

"Let’s get him here, assess him and let’s see if he can help this franchise. He could help mentoring, he could help us win a few games in the process."

As of yesterday, both Stojakovic and Jerryd Bayless, the two pieces Colangelo acquired from the Hornets in exchange for Jarrett Jack, Marcus Banks and David Andersen, were scheduled to arrive in town some time Sunday night.

Assuming they each clear their physical, which appears to be a formality, they should be available on Wednesday when the Philadelphia 76ers pay a visit to the ACC.

Maybe a player such as Stojakovic enjoys the city, enjoys playing in an up-tempo system and perhaps he even wouldn’t mind serving as a mentor.

But eventually he will be moved because his future isn’t as a Raptor, not when the future of the franchise amounts to clearing enough cap room for potential long-term gain and focusing on the present of developing talent.

Toronto Sun

This was an afternoon of riveting basketball, of clutch shots, of a team that continues to show encouraging signs.

Above all else, it was an opportunity for Johnson, the last player to go directly from high school to the NBA, to come of age.

This kid has so much potential and works so hard that it’s hard to tell what the future holds for Johnson, who was handsomely rewarded by the Raptors this past off-season.

The biggest issue surrounding Johnson is his penchant for getting into foul trouble, which he neatly avoided against the Celtics.

At this stage of his development, his defence is way ahead of his offence, but Johnson’s ability to step to the line under those circumstances and drain them with absolutely no doubt speaks to his work in the practice gym.

A lot of the credit rests with assistant Alex English, who took Johnson under his wing when Johnson and Weems were acquired last off-season in a deal with Milwaukee.

“I owe it all to him,’’ Johnson said of English, who was as prolific a scorer the NBA has ever seen. “After each practice before we leave the gym, we’ll shoot 50, almost 100 free throws.”

Confidence, form wise, you name it and English has nurtured Johnson to the point where he’s now an automatic when he steps to the line.

He’s so sure of his ability to knock down his fouls shots that Johnson implored the crowd in that late-game scenario.

“I was comfortable,’’ Johnson said. “I was showing them we were going to win this game. The only thing going through my mind was that I was going to make these throws and we were going to win the game.”

Toronto Star

Coming into this season, the 23-year-old Johnson was an atrocious free-throw shooter, making just 64 per cent of his attempts in the 2009-10 season.

But through hard work and consistent coaching, the 6-10 forward is now the best free-throw shooter on the team, hitting at a 90 per cent clip.

How?

“Coach English,” Raptors head coach Jay Triano said immediately when asked the reasons for Johnson’s stunning turnaround. “Alex has spent time with him and has been on him since he first came to the Raptors about his free-throw shooting.

“He really got into the form about it and credit coach English but Amir put in the time and worked on it.”

The win that Johnson sealed was about as improbable as him making foul shots to do it. The Raptors simply outworked the Celtics for most of the afternoon, did not cower when they got down three with 21.3 seconds remaining and executed nearly flawlessly down the stretch.

After a Sonny Weems drive and layin got them within one with 18.8 seconds left, they eschewed common coaching philosophy that says to foul immediately and instead forced Boston’s Ray Allen to cough up the ball.

And rather than calling their own timeout to let Boston set its defence, they got Leandro Barbosa flying along the baseline, and when he missed a shot, Johnson was there to fight for the rebound and get fouled.

“Our guys played real gutsy, we didn’t give them anything real easy,” said Triano. “I think we made a couple of mistakes defensively and Ray got free for a couple of threes there that got them back in the game … but I thought to a man we made them work for everything.”

Globe and Mail

Before the game, Colangelo described his rationale for the trade, in which Jack, reserve centre David Andersen, and benchwarmer Marcus Banks were sent to the Hornets in exchange for 33-year-old forward Peja Stojakovic, and 23-year-old guard Jerryd Bayless.

The thrust of the trade is to build around a core of young players including Johnson, DeRozan and Sonny Weems, he said. Bayless brings athleticism and defensive skills to the squad, and can initially back up Jose Calderon at point guard. “We’ve also increased the flexibility of this team with what the future holds in free agency and subsequent trades,” he said.

The Raptors also now have $25-million (all currency U.S.) in expiring contracts plus $12-million remaining on the trade exception from the deal that sent Bosh to the Miami Heat in the off-season.

Stojakovic, a sharp-shooter in his prime, has struggled with injuries this season and is in the tail-end of his career. Colangelo said there’s a chance he’ll be gone by next season after his $14.5-million contract expires, but his role is yet to be determined.

“It could be mentoring and bringing along some of the young guys, it could be helping us win a few games here in the process,” Colangelo said.

Globe and Mail

The Raptors play the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday at the Air Canada Centre with Calderon now holding the keys to the car because of the trade of Jarrett Jack to the New Orleans Hornets. The problem is Calderon is here only because a summer-time trade to the Charlotte Bobcats fell apart. He then compounded his lack of marketability when he lost the starter’s job to Jack. The good thing is that the Raptors’ young players now know with whom they have to fit in – the better thing is that Leandro Barbosa, if healthy, can be the sort of late game, ball-handler who can create his own shot that Calderon cannot be.

Jerryd Bayless, the guard who is expected to join the Raptors on Tuesday, is a former first-round draft pick whose numbers suggest he is more of a No. 2 than a point guard. Bayless was part of the 2008 U.S. select team chosen by USA Basketball, where Raptors head coach Jay Triano was an assistant to P.J. Carlesimo (who is now Triano’s assistant with the Raptors).

National Post

The low point of it all came with a little more than four minutes left when Toronto’s Sonny Weems stiff defence created a turnover in the Raptors end, and Toronto gave it back as Calderon and Reggie Evans reached for the ball at the same time. Boston re-took the ball and fed it to veteran shooter Ray Allen, who calmly drained a three-pointer to tie the game 94-94.

Moments later, another Allen three-pointer put the visitors ahead 97-94, prompting Triano to call a timeout when it looked like Toronto’s chances were slipping away.

“I said, ‘We have a four-minute game against one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, let’s play a four minute game, you guys have got to believe in yourselves,’ ” Triano said. “Then I had to call another timeout to tell them to believe in themselves.

The Raptors showed they could play with Boston, which was missing guard Rajan Rondo, for more than four minutes. Andrea Bargnani finished with a game-high 29 points, while Johnson scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for just the second double-double of the Raptors season.

Both Calderon and Leandro Barbosa played well in Jack’s vacated point guard spot.

Calderon had 11 points and two assists in his first start of the season while Barbosa scored 12 points and dished out five assists in his first game back after missing six with a shoulder injury.

Sports of Boston

Boston kept fighting back, though, and Ray Allen tied the game at 94 with a three with 4:11 left, and took the lead with another three from the same spot 33 seconds later. Glen Davis made one of two from the line to tack on a point, and Boston got the stop, but Allen was called for travelling, and Toronto put in a bucket to cut the Boston lead to 98-96 with 2:46 left.

After some missed shots (including another missed Boston free throw), Glen Davis hit two big free throws to put Boston up 101-98 with 21.3 seconds left. Ray Allen was called for a steal with 12.9 seconds left after Toronto hit a driving layup, but check the replay. Allen was slapped on the left side FAR away from the ball, but the referees let it go. No wonder Tommy Heinsohn has gray hair if he has to call such biased officiating. Boston even has trouble catching a break at home, but on the road, forget about it. Paul Pierce was called for a shooting foul and missed at the buzzer after Toronto hit both of their free throws with 2.7 seconds left to take the lead for good.

North Station Sports

The fourth quarter was a continuous struggle to get back into the game for the Celtics. Down by as much as a dozen at one point the Celtics had to claw their way back into the game throughout the quarter. With about 6 minutes left to play the Celtics put the game in the hands of the vets and it made all the difference, a 14-4 Boston run lead to the Celtics pulling the game back even at 94 behind a three from Ray Allen. Ray Allen continued his hot hand with a three to pull ahead 97-94 with 3:30 remaining off a beautiful pass from Paul Pierce. An obvious kicked ball by Barbosa and a missed call by the officials gave Toronto the ball back with a minute to play down 99-98 but the Raptors missed on both offensive chances they got giving the Celtics the ball and a chance to pull ahead for good. Glen Davis was sent to the line with 21.3 left in regulation where he hit both free throws to give the 101-98 edge to the Celtics. The Raptors hit a quick layup and on the inbounds pass to Ray Allen, while pushing the ball up the court Allen lost a handle on the ball giving the Raptors a shot at the win. Paul Pierce came up big in the paint with two blocks but was called for a foul on Amir Johnson who then proceeded to hit both of his free throws giving the Celtics a final shot with 2 seconds in the game remaining. Pierce originally was inbounding the ball but called for a timeout where he was replaced with Ray Allen as the inbounder. Pierce took the final shot, a midrange jumper and it rimmed out giving the Raptors the 102-101 win. The choice to give Pierce the final shot and have the Celtics best shooter, Ray Allen inbound the ball will be one that is called to question, did Pierce call the timeout to call his own number as he has done in the past? Why was Allen not an option for the final shot and Garnett not given the inbounding duties? Plenty of questions will come from the result of this game.

The Celtics missed 10 free throws on the game and that will be a huge cause for blame on the loss, as will be the second chance opportunities given to the Raptors giving up 10 offensive rebounds and getting out rebounded 41-36.

Boston Globe

The Celtics are going to have trouble with more athletic teams, exemplified by the Raptors’ ability to get to the rim easily with the quickness of their wingmen. The Celtics are a top-notch defensive team, but “team’’ is the operative word. They struggle with some one-on-one matchups.

With 21.3 seconds left yesterday and the Raptors trailing by 3 points, the Celtics essentially allowed Sonny Weems to streak to the basket for an easy layup.

The final 18.8 seconds of the game were pure chaos, which leads to point No. 2: The Celtics aren’t going to get help from officials on many nights, and they need to get accustomed to that.

Yesterday, the Celtics were particularly distressed with the calls of Brian Forte, who missed an obvious and-one on Shaquille O’Neal in the fourth quarter and then called Shaq for defensive 3 seconds when he was defending a pick and roll.

So the Celtics already realized they were facing longer odds in those final 18.8 seconds. Ray Allen dribbled toward the frontcourt and had his arm poked by Leandro Barbosa, the ball bouncing forward and the Raptors gaining possession. And in the final seconds, Amir Johnson drew a shooting foul on Paul Pierce with 2.7 seconds left. The whistle could have been swallowed there, in the waning moments of a close game.

Although there were some strange calls, complaining about the officiating or expecting to get calls will only lead to more frustration. The Celtics were so angered by the officials, they allowed their game to slip in stretches. For a team that entered with a 4-9 record and lacked a dominant inside scorer, the Raptors did receive more than their share of calls. But the Celtics have to get beyond such a situation.

Boston Globe

“When we put together some multi-stops, we were able to fuel some type of offense,’’ Garnett said. “But we’ve got to start the game like that. We’ve got to start with the relentlessness that we ended the game with. Give a team confidence, then anything can happen.

“We gave ourselves a chance to win, but we dug ourselves a hole too big and we paid for it.’’

Between Nate Robinson’s 16-point first quarter, Toronto’s 38-point second quarter, Shaquille O’Neal’s foul-out, and the Celtics’ 10 missed free throws, it was a different kind of afternoon.

“Our best free throw shooter was Shaq,’’ Rivers said, marveling at O’Neal’s 4-for-4 effort. “If there had been a [technical foul], we would have let Shaq shoot it. When you see Ray miss two and Paul miss four, that’s a strange night for you.’’

Raptors Digest

We have already seen our core of Andrea Bargnani, DeMar DeRozan, Sonny Weems and Amir Johnson make strides this season and we are still awaiting Ed Davis’ regular season debut.

We now have another piece in Jerryd Bayless to count among our core and Julian Wright is also getting his audition for that group and has impressed thus far.

Bryan Colangelo still has moves to make armed with a trade exception and the expiring contracts of Reggie Evans and Peja Stojakovic, but do not be surprised if one or more of these assets are not utilized with the new CBA looming.

One thing can be assured though and that is that Bryan Colangelo will look at every option to help him improve the team for the future even at the cost of wins

Because as Bryan Colangelo said, this year is about development, not wins.

The good folks at Dime Magazine reached out to us about Chris Bosh and The Summer of 2010. They have some interesting thoughts on why Bosh would be wise to leave Toronto, but they don’t know what he means to Toronto (and what Toronto means to him). Changing digs doesn’t always equal a championship, and the devil you know, sometimes is better than the devil you don’t.

The media frenzy surrounding his pending free agency has been ridiculous. The only questions I seem to be fielding about this team are about what he will do in the summer and whether or not he’s a max player. Just so it’s on the record, up until recently I was 100% sure he would be a Raptor come training camp, and still believe he is worthy of a max contract. However, the teams recent (horrible) performance and Bosh’s body language seem to indicate otherwise, or at create the perception that he’s dogging it.

The fact of the matter is that Chris Bosh is a man that is bound by the same rules as the rest of us: he wants an important role in a great company for great pay. The fact that he has other business interests at such a young age speaks volumes about the ambition he has, and the value he holds for any organization: he’s attempting to maximize every facet of his life to carve out his own piece of the pie.

What can we really read into this though? Sure he seemingly isn’t battling as hard as earlier in the season (I’m not so sure he’s checked out), but things are quite different than a few months ago and you can’t eliminate the human condition from the equation. You get worn down enough by what’s going on around you, and it will take its toll. It also doesn’t help that Toronto is a big media market, second only to New York/Los Angeles/Chicago. If you didn’t know, the spotlight here gets mighty hot.

During Bosh’s tenure with the Raptors, the only constant has been poor leadership and losing. So with the team desperate for a #2 to help take some of the burden off of Bosh, we saw two very big moves that brought in the wrong player over the last two seasons.

Last year saw Colangelo take a huge gamble on Jermaine O’Neal and lose; costing the Raptors players and two-1st rounder’s to trade for him, then ultimately unload him.

This season kicked off with a massive overhaul of the roster: 9 new players and Triano losing the interim tag as the coach. Hedo Turkoglu was signed as the clutch, playmaking forward the Raptors were sorely missing since Vince Carter. And Bargnani was expected to continue his realization as a legit NBA talent under Triano’s stewardship.

…we all know how that worked out. The team started 7-13 while trying to make the pieces fit; they took advantage of a weaker schedule going 22-10; and are currently watching it all get flushed down the drain as they have been struggling through injuries and motivation, going 6-14 since the All-Star break. Talk about an unstable work environment.

Both times, Colangelo had the right idea, but executed poorly in actually going out and getting the best fit for the team. Both times saw Bosh support the decision, because the intention of the move was right. Each times, we’ve seen it fall apart, leaving Bosh and whoever happens to be on the team, wondering where it all went wrong.

Bosh has always maintained that being the man on a championship team is his goal, but what about the city he lives in? Heading into training camp, he declared his love for Toronto, going so far as to say that he considers the Tdot home, and glad that he’s back after spending the summer in Texas. He is an established social figure here, and it is going to be difficult to recreate his brand in another city; where he’ll no doubt be less adored than the city who watched him grow and mature.

What if he actually leaves (or gets traded) though, then what? I think everyone can agree that Toronto wont be getting equal value back in a trade. Think about it: you’re giving up a 26 year old perennial All-Star who is only getting better, AND who makes about $16mil this year. You have to engineer a trade that nets you young talent and picks while making sure salaries match. In the event that he up and leaves, and his salary comes off the payroll, the Raptors will only have about $7mil to try and replace him. Bargnani has already proven that he can’t step up and be the man in Bosh’s absence, and you can’t even sign David Lee to a $7mil starting contract.

Either way, the core of the team will look like: Calderon, Turkoglu, Bargnani and whoever replaces Bosh. Excuse me if that doesn’t get me excited about the future of this franchise. Winning in the NBA requires teams to keep their stars and build around them with the right pieces at the right cost. The Lakers, Celtics, Magic, Cleveland and Miami are all proof of this. They drafted their star, and brought in the right pieces to compliment him.

I’m not sure I want to support a team that chases another one of it’s stars out of town while he gets vilified by the same people who showered him with praise and affection while he led this team. I’m pretty sure I wont have to make that decision though since Chris Bosh is the Toronto Raptors, everything that can be done to keep him here will be.

For the latest NBA news and rumors, check out Dime Magazine and follow them on Twitter.

Jack has never appeared in a post-season game and the chances of Toronto playing in the playoffs grew worse with each painstaking loss.

“As long as we stay together and continue to fight, there’s no reason why we can’t move up in the standings," Jack said. “It’s not really important who we play the rest of the way, but the rhythm in which we’re playing.”

Jack saved his best for last in Charlotte, scoring all 12 of his points in the fourth quarter.

Except for an ill-advised runner that he tried to bank in, Jack stepped up, even as the Raptors showed some deficiencies in their execution on offence and some lapses on defence.

But they made plays and they weren’t hanging their heads in despair like they’ve done in the past.

Jack recalls one huddle in particular late when the game’s momentum was shifting in Charlotte’s favour.

“We huddled as a group and there were no heads dropping," Jack said. “We were together and we played in unison. We were assertive.

“Eventually, we knew we’d turn this around.”

Toronto Sun

Turkoglu was neither upset nor did he offer much insight into the team’s decision not to play him a night earlier in Miami, where he dressed and had a courtside view of Toronto’s 97-94 loss after leading by as many as 17.

Without really saying it, Turkoglu seemed to indicate he knew before Sunday’s tip that he wouldn’t be playing.

Turkoglu has been a major bust in his first year in Toronto after signing a five-year deal worth $53 million.

There have been moments this season that cried out for meaningful change, but the Raptors decided to make a statement in the wake of last week’s development that saw Turkoglu miss 11/2 games because of a stomach ailment. At the same time Turkoglu was ill, he was spotted out on the town.

The perception, for obvious reasons, is wrong, sort of like Vince Carter showing up at a Nelly concert and dancing on stage when he was supposedly rehabbing a knee injury.

No one should be foolish enough to suggest the Raptors are better off without Turkoglu — because they’re not.

Say what you want about his attitude, approach and presence, but he can create on a team that lacks creators.

The problem rests with how the Raptors dealt with Turkoglu in the first place after they doled out a king’s ransom for the small forward.

Toronto Star

Surviving another harrowing finish – up seven with three minutes left, clinging to a two-point advantage without the ball and with 10 seconds go – the Raptors got a much-needed win here Monday night, upsetting the Bobcats 103-101 to put the skids to a three-game losing streak.

It was an all-too-rare show of unity from a team that some felt has been fracturing for more than a month.

"I think we really asserted ourselves," said guard Jarrett Jack. "Throughout the game there were calls that didn’t go particularly the way we would like. In the huddle, we didn’t hang our heads. Everybody was into it. The guys on the bench – everybody. We were just saying, `Stay together.’

"This is the time where we really have got to show that team unity, that camaraderie we have been building all season. This is the time where it counts the most."

The win gives Toronto a one-game edge on the Chicago Bulls for eighth in the Eastern Conference and moves them to just 1 1/2 games behind seventh-place Charlotte.

Most importantly, it puts behind them – for now at least – an ugly stretch of blown double-digit leads and the one-game de facto suspension of Hedo Turkoglu.

Globe and Mail

Last night they started the fourth trailing 78-72 but took their first lead since the first quarter a minute later helped by a pair of quick assists from Turkoglu on baskets by Jarrett Jack and DeRozan, and he was on the floor when the Raptors appeared to take control of the game, getting consecutive three-point plays at the three-minute mark to go up by seven points.

But the Raptors offence stalled out again down the stretch, and Turkoglu was no particular help, missing a late three-pointer and then turning the ball over by stepping out of bounds with 70 seconds to play and Toronto nursing a two-point lead.

But this time their defence stiffened as Charlotte failed to score a field goal until a Tyson Chandler dunk with 20 seconds left, but in the meantime the Raptors made enough crucial free throws – though Weems didn’t help matters by bricking a pair with 13 seconds to play that would have iced the game – and were able to force a turnover by Charlotte in the final seconds as the Bobcats tried to push the game into overtime.

Turkoglu finished with 11 points and three assists in 28 minutes, while the Raptors were led by Chris Bosh, who had 22 points and 11 rebounds, with support from Wright who had 15 points and six rebounds. Toronto shot 50.6 per cent from the floor to Charlotte’s 46.4 in the win.

National Post

Of course, if Charlotte makes a few more shots down the stretch, that camaraderie comment seems like a punch line instead of legitimate enthusiasm. And it still could end up as a punch line.

There were enough signs of life, however, to put the pessimism away for an evening. Chris Bosh was more lively around the rim, finishing with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Jose Calderon was more explosive than usual. And, as a team, Toronto had 10 offensive rebounds to Charlotte’s four.

And, yes, there was Turkoglu.

An evening after his surprise "did not play-coach’s decision" on his boxscore line, there was still a bit of commotion surrounding the forward.

After Sunday’s game, Turkoglu declined comment. He elaborated yesterday before the game, but not that much more. There was talk of respecting decisions, and little else.

"I can’t be angry. I respect all the decisions from now on," Turkoglu said. "I’m just upset at the silly situation, and I can’t help. I’m just upset. I can’t be mad about it. All you can do is be positive."

Chicago Sun-Times

Six of the Bulls’ last nine games are against teams with winning records.

”We have had some tough games, and these last couple were kind of our little breather before we play Phoenix, Boston, Cleveland and Toronto,” Miller said. ”We play everyone in front of us, so Toronto, obviously, is going to be a big game.”

Toronto also has nine games left, but its schedule is much more favorable. The Raptors have five home games, and only face three teams — the Cavaliers, Celtics and Atlanta Hawks — with winning records.

The rest of Toronto’s games — besides their April 11 game against the Bulls — are against some of the dregs of the NBA: the Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks.

On paper, the Raptors would appear to have the upper hand, but for that to be the case, they’ll have to prove that Monday’s victory gets them turned around. Before that game, Toronto was 4-13 since Feb. 24.

At this point, the Bulls need a lot of help from the Raptors.

Charlotte Observer

The loss dropped them to 38-35 and gave the Raptors (36-37) the season series, 2-1, should a tiebreaker be necessary.

Jackson saw the whole thing as a fluke.

"We didn’t lose that game. They didn’t beat us,” Jackson kept saying. "A lot of things went their way to cause them to win. But they didn’t beat us.”

Jackson was careful not to directly implicate the officials, but it was obvious he was frustrated after the Raptors took 15 free throws in the fourth quarter to the Bobcats’ eight. A five-point Toronto possession, off a dunk by Chris Bosh, a missed free throw, then three free throws by Jarrett Jack (Raymond Felton was charged with a shooting foul outside the 3-point line) seemed to get everyone agitated.

But that doesn’t explain away the Bobcats’ mistakes, particularly a turnover by Felton with three seconds left in what could have been the tying or winning possession.

"I’ll take responsibility,” said Felton, who finished with 18 points, seven assists and five rebounds.

Toronto Sun

Given the massive expectations placed upon this team prior to the season, it feels more than a little strange to write this, but the Raptors would be better off missing the playoffs.
Barely making it in, only to be obliterated by LeBron James and his Cavaliers in Round 1 accomplishes what exactly?
That is, unless they somehow find a way to move up to the 5th or 6th spot in the East by going on a run reminiscent of its 12 of 14 stretch in 2002. That would at least allow the notion of an upset to enter the realm of possibility.
That run isn’t going to happen though, so, here’s why missing the playoffs is the best outcome for this franchise at this moment.

NBA.com

"It was a character win for us tonight," Toronto coach Jay Triano said. "I think we’ve been playing well. I was glad to see them get rewarded with a win. The last three games we’ve been playing good basketball, but had a few bad breaks."

Tonight’s game was an important one for both Toronto and Charlotte as both teams battle for one of the final spots in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Toronto is now two games behind the Bobcats for seventh in the standings.

"This is a big win for us," Triano added. "They are a team we’re chasing and this gives us the tie breaker now. More importantly, I feel good for our players. Our guys found a way tonight and that impressed me."

Toronto took the NBA’s stingiest defense to task in the fourth quarter. The Raptors scored 31 points in the final period thanks to 9-for-15 shooting and 12 points from Jarrett Jack. It was the first time in which Charlotte had allowed more than 100 points in 14 games.

Hedo Turkoglu, who missed Friday night with a stomach illness and was a healthy scratch from Sunday’s loss at Miami, came off the bench and netted 11 points.

"If I get an opportunity," Turkoglu said. "I will just try to do my best. I got a chance tonight and put all the things behind me and stepped on the court. This is my job and I tried to do my best."

Turkoglu’s three with 4:22 to play put the Raptors in front to stay and jumpstarted an 8-0 run. Toronto took its largest lead of the game, 100-93, after a three-point play from Jack.

"I was struggling a bit and the guys on the bench got on me tonight about getting involved," Jack said. "They got my attention and got me going. Once I hit one, I was able to come up big for us."

TSN

Question: Will Chris Bosh be in Toronto next season?

Do you think the Raptors have had enough talent to get past the first round in their playoff appearances? I do. That means if you’re Chris Bosh, and you want the franchise money, if you haven’t been past the first round, maybe you have to look in the mirror. That’s where I think it’s important. Being a franchise guy isn’t just going somewhere where there is more talent, it’s making your team better.

Basketball Outsider

Their win against the Bobcats was not only important in oder to distance themselves from the Bulls but also to assure some of their certainties. The offense worked well, shooting 51% and Turkoglu exercised his role as closer hitting the go ahead 3 pointer on clutch time.

These final 8 games are huge for the Raptors’ future. If they manage to blow this playoff spot to a Bulls team with 3 keepers on their roster, they can kiss good bye to Chris Bosh. Bosh may love to live in Toronto but he also seems to be the type of superstar that wants to win, not just money like Boozer and Stoudemire, and lately Toronto’s play have raise doubts if this team could ever manage to provide him some sort of hopeful future. That’s why that playoff berth matters so much, even if that joke of a defense force them to be one and done.

The Zan Tabak Herald

Tonight was all about redemption for the Raptors.  Over the last two games they have been one of the worst fourth quarter teams in the league, gift wrapping consecutive games to Denver and Miami, two teams they should have beat.  Tonight they used a huge fourth quarter and timely play of Jack, Bosh and (Dare I say it) Hedo Turkoglu in addition to the Bobcats shooting woes, to nail home a thrilling win.  The game would have been a lot less nerve-wracking had the Raptors decided to hit a free throw in the fourth, but in the end, a win is a win.

T.Jose Caldeford

Toronto’s win over Charlotte on Monday night was just their 2nd win over a team with a winning record since January 28th! Two-plus months and 27 games played! They are 2-11 against +.500 teams during that time, and 10-4 against sub-.500 teams. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – This team has had a peachy schedule for awhile (note: first time I’ve ever used "peachy" in a sentence).

RaptorsHQ

If Bargs can attack the glass and be the true secondary scoring option this team needs on a consistent basis, and Bosh can get refocussed here down the stretch, who knows.

Mind you this is the 2009-2010 Toronto Raptors we’re talking about here, and one solid outing doesn’t have me ready to cash in my "over" bet yet.

However last night was the best I’ve seen this club look from front-to-back in ages, and considering the recent woes in Raptorland, I’ll take it and look forwards to the next few matches.

“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