Bruce Bowen was up to his old tricks Wednesday night, i.e., pissing off opponents. Well, his elbow to the ribs of Amare Stoudemire only succeeded in firing up Stat, who came up big to lead the Suns to an immense 96-79 win over the Spurs. In today’s Daily Dose, we explore the situation.

Rafer Alston made an immediate impact upon his return; Chris Bosh was lights out; Charlie Villanueva had the finest night of his season; usual durable Shane Battier got hurt; Manu Ginobili is just one of many ice cold Spurs; and Tim Duncan is a double-double machine.

Do try to drag yourself away from Dooce long enough to read up on the latest fantasy basketball tidbits. We’ve got you covered in today’s Dose.

Just as the Pacers have started rolling, winning three of their last four (including a huge win over the Cavs after trailing by 16) to move over .500, they had to embark on their longest road trip (six games) of the season. And the road has not been kind to Indiana. It had lost four straight away from Conseco Fieldhouse before pulling into Toronto for an afternoon clash today against the Raptors.

Of course, playing agains the Raptors — struggling along at 3-9 heading in — doesn’t exactly intimidate anyone. On the plus side, before their win last night, the Bulls were also 3-9, and they are supposed to be good.

Well, the Raptors did their darndest to try, but even they couldn’t throw away a 27-point lead, hanging on to beat Indy 92-83, sparked by a very promising defensive effort.

Stopping a super hot Jermaine O’Neal was going to be a key for this game for the Raptors. Coming off a season-high 29 points (on 8-for-15 shooting) and four blocks on Friday, O’Neal arrived in town riding a streak of four straight games with at least 20 points. He had even pitched in with eight assists in the past two games. Like I said, scorching.

Toronto did a solid job slowing down Indy’s power forward, holding him to 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting. O’Neal still pitched in with 11 rebounds, three assists and a steal, but he was unable to stop the Pacers’ road woes, now stretched to five straight losses.

Another concern for the Raptors was point guard Jamaal Tinsley, averaging over 17 PPG in the past five thanks to back-to-back 19-point games. The always injury-prone Tinsley (knock on wood, healthy so far this season) managed 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting, but he had seven turnovers against just four assists, so he wasn’t exactly a positive contributor.

Even back-up guard Sarunas Jasikevicius was a big factor on Friday, pouring in 15 off the bench. This afternoon, however, as he is wont to do, he disappared (0-for-6, one point in 24 minutes).

Toronto, meanwhile, needed this win badly after a tough four-point loss in Atlanta on Friday (in which the Raps somehow got robbed of two key points by a scoring error late in the game), its seventh setback in the past eight. The Raps needed some home cooking to stop the bleeding, and that’s what they got, snapping a two-game skid against the Pacers. They are now 4-2 at the ACC. Just bottle that and get it through customs, please.

It was very encouraging that the Raps managed to win without a big effort from T.J. Ford. After just missing a triple double Friday (25 points, 12 assists, eight rebounds), Ford was very quiet this afternoon, managing just six points, six assists and four boards.

New starting centre Jorge Garbajosa continued his solid play, following up Friday’s 15-point, 12-rebound showing with 13 and six.

Chris Bosh, meanwhile, rebounded somewhat after Friday’s season-low 11-point game. He managed 17 today — better, but still not up to his standards. He’s really struggling from the field since Wednesday’s hard fall to the court, and he says he’s okay, but that brace on his knee suggests otherwise.

Morris Peterson, who had his NBA ironman streak of 371 straight games snapped on Wednesday, missed a third straight game with a partial tear in his left elbow. Toronto could really use some contribution off the bench from its seven-year veteran, yet strangely, it’s won two of three since he went down.

Game observations:

• O’Neal came into the game second in blocks and added another three rejections. He’s having his finest season yet in this department.
• It was all about a balanced offense for the Raps today. In addition to Bosh and Garbo, Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderon and Joey Graham all reached double figures in points.
• With MoPete out, Fred Jones needed to step up — especially considering this was his first game against the team he spent 245 games toiling for. He didn’t. Despite playing in a game-high 36 minutes, Jones was just 3-of-11 from the field for seven points. He did pitch in with five boards and three steals, but the key number here was zero, as in no free throw attempts. Jones is shooting 91.4 per cent from the charity stripe and he needs to be putting the ball on the floor, taking it to the hoop and drawing contact to taking advantage of that skill. Jones has been trigger happy from downtown, and last time I checked, that doesn’t often result in trips to the line.
• Bosh did manage another double-double, pulling down 11 boards. Again, good stuff, but below our expectations at this point. He starts 3-for-13 and goes just 6-for-18 from the field and didn’t play a big part in Toronto jumping out to the big early lead. The team’s hopes are riding on that right knee. Just how sore is it?
• Indy was horrible to start this game, but rode a 12-1 run to get back to within four in the third quarter. I was opening my window and had one leg on the ledge before the Raps sealed the deal with a big run of their own. At the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth, they outpace Indy 17-4, thanks to the second unit, specifically Graham and Calderon. Toronto never trailed in this game. Gotta love coast-to-coast wins, rare that they are in the NBA.
• How about Bargnani? Toronto leads 32-17 after one, but goes insane to start the second, with Bargnani scoring eight of his 14 points to key a 14-2 run. Have you noticed what he’s done the past four games since the organization has decided he needs PT to develop? That’s 46 points in the past four, or 11.5 PPG for those of you who dig averages. The Italian prodigy has been showing off that sweet shooting touch. He nailed two 3-pointers and sunk 5-of-11 overall. His upside is tremendous. At this point, it’s all about learning the D. That will influence the number of minutes he gets going forward. Don’t be shocked if he starts regularly getting 30 MPG.
• Rick Carlisle doesn’t get enough credit for how much he gets out of the Pacers year after year. Now in his fourth season at the helm of the team, he is a master of using the time out to stem opposing teams’ momentum. Basketball is such a game of runs and it seems so simple, but it’s amazing how few coaches are really good at using the TO as a weapon. Carlise is a genius when it comes to this, and that’s one of the reasons he has a winning percentage just a tick under .600 for his career.
• In addition to O’Neal, containing Pacer centre Al Harrington was going to be necessary to win this game. The Raps did a great job there, holding him to 4-of-15 shooting for 11 points. He had 14 rebounds, but if he is not providing interior scoring, Indy is a lot easier to beat.
• Stephen Jackson showed signs of life for Indy, pouring in 18 on 7-for-12 shooting. His shooting (both on and off the court) has been horrific this season. Jackson came in averaging just over 34 per cent from the field, and you have to wonder how much his head is in the game given the legal issues he’s currently facing. Still, this was a nice performance and perhaps will provide the impetus for Carlisle to give Jackson his starting two-guard job back. The Pacers need to have better starts, having trailed after one quarter in 11 of their first 14 games. If Jackson is finding his stroke, that will be a big help. He’s as streaky as they come, but can be so explosive when on.
• Danny Granger also scored 18, after basically disappearing on Friday night. If he can get hot, that will provide another huge boost for the Pacers. Coming out of college, he slipped in the draft because of concerns over his knee. Granger had a decent rookie year and has stepped up with more responsibility this year, although his shooting has been poor. Maybe both he and Jackson should hit the shooting range, er, I mean take extra shots, er, I mean basket attempts, at practice.
• The Pacers are shooting 36.4 per cent after one; Toronto is at 60.9 per cent. For the first half, Indy shoots just 32 per cent. The final tally? The Pacers are just over 37 per cent. Now that kind of defense will win Toronto some games.
• With under six minutes to play in the opening quarter, the Pacers have already turned it over five times compared to just one by Toronto. For once, turnovers don’t kill the Raptors. They give up just nine points off of fumbled balls for the game.
• Graham has definitely taken advantage of the extra time with Peterson out. He had 12 points and eight boards despite going just 1-for-5 and being mostly invisible in the first half. But Golden Graham sure picked up his play down the stretch today.
• Calderon’s big performance — 13 points and five assists in just 24 minutes — was just what the doc ordered with Ford off his game. He’s taking high percentage shots and is having a huge impact off the bench. On one inbounds play, Calderon went around and talked to each of the other four Raps on the floor, providing them with instructions from coach Mitchell. He’s becoming a leader on this team, certainly of the second unit.
• The Pacers next five games are on the West Coast. Yeah, we’ve done that. It ain’t pretty. Indy could find itself falling well behind the Pistons and Cavs by the time it gets back to its little field house.
• We had a Rasho sighting. After a pair of DNP-CDs, Nesterovic played 20 minutes, the most action he’s seen in over three weeks. He was active on the glass with seven boards and came up with a sweet rejection midway through the second quarter.
• Indiana didn’t get to the free throw line until there was just over six minutes to play in the second quarter. That is not going to get it done. Especially on the road, getting easy points at the stripe is vital. The Pacers bounce back and wind up with 20 trips for the game. Not great, but better than Toronto today.
• Ford and Calderon are doing a great job protecting the pumpkin. They have combined for seven assists without a turnover in the early going. For the game, try 11 dimes against two turnovers for this pair. Oh, man, it is so sweet to have some real point guards. Calderon, by the way, is just so impressive in his ability to turn the corner on defenders. He’s so much more comfortable this year after enduring some struggles — especially with an injured foot — last season.
• Ford was just 3-for-8 from the floor, but we’ll let it slide. His shooting has been much better of late, 15-of-24 in the previous two games. He started the game well with four points and five assists with under a minute left in the first quarter, but kind of disappeared for the rest of the day.
• A reminder is in order that it takes time for a team to gel. Consider how much playing time is being swallowed up by new Raptors. Ford leads the way with 33.3 MPG heading in, but all told, 63 per cent of the team’s minutes are being logged by new faces. That is by far the highest percentage in the NBA (the Bucks are a distant second at 35 per cent). We simply can’t expect instantaneous results with such a new group.
• Toronto needed to continue to be selective with its shots and distribute the ball well in the second half. It didn’t until it was almost too late. In fact, the Raps don’t record their first assist of the second half until less than a minute remains in the third quarter. Why do they go away from what makes them successful? I suppose I answered that question already with the point above, didn’t I?
• O’Neal and Harrington combine for just 11 points in the first half. O’Neal is hobbled in the third, clearly favouring his right hip after some serious contact. He winds up playing 38 minutes, so I guess he’s okay but, man, will the Pacers be screwed if this acts up on the Western swing. What a battler he is under the boards, by the way. He was taking a pounding all game, yet there he was, late in the fourth, fighting for position and corraling a loose ball, not once but twice.
• Garbajosa doesn’t look the part but he can actually beat opponents off the dribble.
• At one point in the fourth, it’s small ball time for the Raps. Ford, Calderon and Jones are out together. The bigs are Bosh and Nesterovic.
• Next up, the Raps head back on the road where they are winless. It’s just a two-game trip, but oh man, not only is it back-to-back, but it’s against the Hornets and blazing hot Mavs. Great. Are the Raptors ever going to have a winning streak?

You had to know going in that something was going to give here. The Nuggets were 0-2 at home and the Raptors were 0-4 on the road. Someone was going to break a goose egg. Unfortunately, it turned out to be Denver. And yes, the Raps didn’t arrive at their hotel in Denver until 4 a.m. Saturday morning and it’s never easy to play in the altitude of Denver, so that’s an easy excuse for the 117-109 setback.

But plenty of credit has to go to Carmelo Anthony, who has stepped up big time in the absence of Kenyon Martin, done for the year with another knee surgery. Coming on the heels of a 34-point point effort in a loss to Orlando Wednesday, Melo went crazy again last night with another 34-point game for his sixth straight 30+ effort.

That ties the Denver record and it was done with the man who held the mark watching from the bench. Raptors’ assistant coach Alex English was the first Nugget to turn the trick, doing it 24 years ago.

So despite an impressive offensive showing from Toronto, that’s five straight times the Raps have gone down at the hands of Denver.

Game observations:

• J.R. Smith has plenty of talent, but man, does he need some work on his decision-making skills. After his meltdown Wedneday that led to a tech and ultimately doomed the Nuggets, last night he threw up some very questionable shots. Sure, he sinks his share, but you could see the smoke rising from coach Karl’s ears. If the Nuggets finally deal some of their big men and bring in another small man (Corey Maggette?), Smith’s starting job will be in jeopardy. Despite the fact he’s a 3-point machine (four last night, on his way to 16 points), tread carefully.
• Moving Jorge Garbajosa into the starting lineup has been a stroke of genuis, even if it hasn’t resulted in a win yet. After scoring 10 points with eight boards on Friday in LA, Garbo was simply fantastic last night, filling up the stat sheet with 17 points (on 7-for-14 shooting), 10 rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block. That’s his first NBA double-double. I told you he can shoot; after three straight fantastic efforts, this slump is officially over.
• Toronto’s defense looked good in the second half Friday, holding the Lakers to 39 per cent from the field. We need to see more of that. Last night wasn’t great, but holding Denver to 45.1 per cent is a step in the right direction.
• Denver came in to the game third in the NBA in fast break points, but Toronto limited the Nuggets to 19. So how the hell did the Raps lose this game? Three reasons — the bench (see below), Denver shot over 40 per cent from beyond the arc, sinking 11 treys, plus it piled up 50 of its points in the paint. Hell, Yakhouba Diawara nailed three 3-pointers. Who? Exactly. He came in 0-for-8 from downtown. Uh, yeah. Perimeter defensive woes and an inability to stop Denver down low translates into another loss.
• That’s five straight losses. Yep, the team needs to step up defensively. Where have we heard this before? We have a habit of making teams look much better offensively than they are. Denver’s 117 points are its best total yet this year. Again, teams are circling the calendar dates when Toronto comes to town.
• English is the Nuggets’ all-time leading scorer with 21,645 points. At the pace the fourth-year Anthony is going, it won’t be long before he supplants him. Melo is already closing in on 6,000 points. In fact, at the early-season pace he’s set, he’ll get to 6K in about a dozen games. He might be knocking on the door of 8,000 points by the end of the season.
• With K-Mart out, Eduardo Najera has become the starting PF for Denver, and while he’s not a big-time scorer or fantasy option, he is an extremely physical player and very tough to play against.
• Chuck Swirsky says the e-mails are pouring in about Garbajosa. Is he a Kramer lookalike? What do you think? I think he could use a bit more poof in the hair, but there’s something there.
• With Anthony on fire, it was another reminder of how great the 2003 draft class was. Fellow members of that class, Chris Bosh and T.J. Ford, did their part last night. Bosh poured in a season-high 31 and added two steals, but had “just” nine rebounds. What? No double-double? I guess we’re spoiled. Ford was unbelievable. How about a season-high 26 points and a career-best 18 assists plus five boards and two steals? Wow! Charlie who?
• Raps were doing a great job moving the ball downcourt in the first quarter. They sink 14 of their first 19 shots. How they are still standing after that I have no idea considering the lack of sleep they’re operating on.
• Carmelo looks much improved this year in his abilitity to lean in and invite contact. The result is a career-best 10.1 trips to the line per game so far. Last night, he was 11-for-11 from the charity stripe.
• Ford didn’t just break his career-best in assists — he shattered it. He previous best was 14, set last year. With two minutes to go until halftime, Ford had already dropped 13 dimes. In fact, he fell just one assist short of tying the Raptors’ franchise record, held by good old Damon Stoudemire back in 1996. Ford is thriving in this offense.
• Denver shot 57.1 per cent in the first quarter. Here we go again. On the plus side, the Raps drained 66.7 per cent! It’s the wild, wild west. Is there a defensive stop in the house?
• The Raptors’ second and third quarter defense was much better, as Denver is down to 45.5 through three quarters.
• The Raptors definitely showed some life in this one, especially considering it was their first back-to-back of the season. They trailed by a dozen points in the fourth, but instead of folding in the tent, they pulled back within four with 42.5 second to go. However, Najera put the dagger in with a layup. Anthony drained two of his three 3-pointers in the decisive fourth quarter as well.
• Rasho Nesterovic was getting some good low-post position, but where’s the touch? He missed an easy shot, and wasn’t a factor, playing just nine minutes off the bench. He’s been doomed by a 38.9 per cent field goal percentage.
• Seven Nuggets scored in double figures. The Raptors bench was bitch-slapped by Denver’s reserves, 39-14. That doesn’t happen very often and was a key contributor to this L.
• Reggie Evans is looking absolutely dominant under the glass. In his first nine minutes, he’s already got seven boards. All told, Evans scores 10 points and adds 12 boards for his first double-double of the season. He is controlling the boards.
• Joe Smith also did a great job with 10 rebounds off the bench. Even without Martin and Nene (out for the past four games), Denver has been a superb rebounding team so far. Smith, of course, is being dangled in trade talks, and this can’t hurt his stock. Plenty of undersized teams could use some help even in this new small-ball era of the NBA.
• Morris Peterson’s elbow was bothering him. It’s obviously affecting his shooting touch as he misses his first three tries over 11 minutes of action, and goes just 1-of-5 in 15 minutes. The fact that MoPete was a complete non-factor off the bench really hurt Toronto in the battle of the benches as we discussed.
• Anthony’s big night moves him ahead of Michael Redd for the early scoring lead. Could this be the year he breaks through for his first scoring title?
• Marcus Camby had a tough time defending Bosh one-on-one. He kept gambling, trying for the block. It never came, marking Marcus’s first game this year without one.
• Bosh again did most of his damage early. He had 19 points with almost eight minutes to play still in the third quarter.
• Kris Humphries returned from his sprained ankle, and got to play 10 minutes — much of it in the third quarter — and he looked strong with six points and a steal.
• Melo was shooting the lights out late in the third quarter and early in the fourth, but takes a seat 90 seconds into the final frame. You can see he’s pissed, but coach Karl looks like a genius as the Nuggets go on a big run to stretch their lead.
• Denver got a scare in the final minute when Andre Miller landed on someone’s foot and sprained his ankle. X-rays were negative and he says he’ll be good to go Tuesday, but he looked quite hobbled as he tried to get to the bench. Miller shot well last night (6-for-11), but wasn’t much of a factor otherwise. If he has to miss time, watch for little Earl Boykins to step up.
• Bosh was struggling from the line — 4-for-8 to start — not an uncommon event in the altitude when you’re trying to slow your heart down. But he nails his final five from the line to salvage the night.
• Andrea Bargnani played just five minutes in the first half and not at all in the second half. His PT is on the decline on this road trip as he’s clearly been struggling. Once again: be patient. The skills are there for this guy to be a player.

There’s no shame is losing to Sacramento in Arco Arena. After all, after hammering Detroit the other night, the Kings are off to another good start in front of their great fans at 3-0, leaving them 165-43 in Sacramento since the start of the 2001-02 season. So clearly, few teams escape this trip with a W. The Raptors know that pain all too well, as last night made it nine straight loses at Arco. You have to go back to mid-March 1997 to find the last time — in fact, it’s the only time — that Toronto has won in this building. All-time, the Raps are 1-10 here.

But there’s no excuse for the absolutely horrible effort — sparked once again by a lousy start — that Toronto offered last night. This Kings’ team is beatable. They came in near the bottom in scoring, second-worst in field goal percentage and dead last in three pointers per game. All the Raps had to do was play their game, put up some points and the rest would take care of itself, right?

Wrong. Because, alarmingly, a big component of the Raptors’ game so far is allowing the other team to score at will. And even the offensively inept Kings were able to take advantage of that, and it was aided plenty by a new wrinkle in the Toronto troubles — turnovers. The Raps couldn’t protect the pumpkin, and that recipe — poor shooting, poor defense, inability to hold onto to the ball — rarely results in victory.

This is a vital stretch for the Raptors as they play the vast majority of their games on the road between now and the end of the calendar year. If they don’t get their act together fast, they will be buried by then. At 2-4, they’ve already dropped to 11th in the conference, a game out of the eighth spot. Believe it or not, it may take a .500 record to make the playoffs in the East this year.

Although at times I felt I needed to avert my gaze from this one, I offer up my observations regardless:

• Jorge Garbajosa needs to get it going. If he plays like he’s capable of, it will have a ripple effect through the whole team. Sam Mitchell has obviously started to get frustrating with him, giving the Spainaird just three minutes last night. Garbo came in 6-for-26 and he missed his only shot of the night, 3-pointer, so he’s now shooting a woeful 15.4 per cent from beyond the arc. I repeat the mantra — this guy’s track record of shooting the ball is unquestioned. Garbajosa is also capable of rebounding and when he starts playing better, it will help solidify the frontcourt.
• Ron Artest and Mike Bibby (who at least has an excuse because of his wrist injury) have been shooting the ball like crap this year. The tonic? A game against Toronto. Artest comes in at 31.7 per cent from the field and is 2-for-21 from 3-point land. Last night, he drains his first six and winds up 9-of-17 including 2-of-5 from long distance. Bibby is 34.8 per cent before last night, but drains 8-of-16 against Toronto. Do you think slumping shooters are starting to circle the date when Toronto comes to town?
• Sacramento wins the battle of the boards 44-35. The Kings have a couple of strong rebounders but don’t really have a dominant boards man, especially with centre Brad Miller out. Instead they are very efficient as a team, and it was on display last night. Artest led the way as usual with 10, but the contributions came from everyone: John Salmons (eight), Shareef Abdur-Rahim (seven), Kenny Thomas (six), Kevin Martin (six) and Mike Bibby (five) all helped out on the glass in a great display of gang rebounding. Eric Musselman, the Kings’ new coach, believes that guards should be involved in the rebounding game.
• Artest has definitely been doing his part to fill in for Miller on the glass. He’s pulled down at least eight rebounds in five of the first six games of the year. As usual, Artest fills the stat sheet and yesterday he added four assists.
• By the way, in case you hadn’t noticed, Martin has seriously arrived in this, his third season. In fact, it might be just about time to strip the ever-injured Kenyon Martin of his title and make Kevin the real K-Mart. He scored 26 points and sunk all eight of his free throws. This kid is money from the line. That’s 36 straight he’s sunk — the best current streak in the NBA. But it’s not the first time he’s done this. Martin sunk 37 in a row in February. He now has 143 points in six games this year. To put that in perspective, he scored 131 in 45 games as a rookie.
• In leading the Kings to a third straight win overall, Artest scored 23 points, but 15 (the most by any King in any one quarter so far this year) came in the first period that — at usual — put Toronto in a big hole. Obviously first-quarter D is an ongoing issue, but coming in, a better offensive start was a key for Toronto if it wanted to have a chance. Well, the Raps got it — shooting 55 per cent in the first quarter. But guess what? Sacramento is at 60 per cent, turnovers are taking away Toronto chances and the help defense is non existent. That translates into a 36-25 lead for the Kings.
• To start the second, however, Toronto comes out flat, missing seven of its first eight from the field. For the quarter, the Raps shoot just 30 per cent and manage only 19 points. The Kings stay hot, and go on an 11-3 run to help build an insurmountable 59-44 halftime lead.
• Sacramento had no problem keeping up with the Raps’ high-tempo offense. In fact, they were the pace setters for most of the night. The Kings, one of the top defensive teams in the association, employed a transition defense to defuse the Raps’ attack. Until Toronto gels, it’s going to have difficulty keeping its own weapon from being its own undoing.
• Chris Bosh had four double-doubles in the first five games, and he scored 19 but he fell short on the glass last night. Who can complain, though? The guy has been outworking his opponents — especially on the O-glass. He’s so much stronger than he used to be and what a difference that makes. He’s also massively improved in his ability to play with his back to the basket. Bosh brings a passion to the floor at all times.
• Bibby scored 21 points and added four assists. He’s still using a splint to protect that right wrist that was supposed to keep him out for the beginning of the season, but it wasn’t hindering his shot last night. He says it’s still bugging him to an extent, but this was a great sign for Bibby owners.
• Did I mention the turnovers? How about five for Toronto before five minutes have been played? It’s five and a half minutes in, better make that six. Those turnovers haven’t been a problem this year as Toronto has been one of the better clubs in the association as far as handling the ball. So let’s assume last night was an anomaly.
• T.J. Ford was making some smart decisions in the opening quarter. It was a much better start for him, at least. But he only wound up with just 12 points and seven assists. He did pitch in with six rebounds, but eight turnovers? Ugh. No wonder Toronto had a season-high 19 turnovers for the game.
• Salmons, the guy who screwed over the Raptors this offseason, came in averaging 7.4 PPG. He managed just six on the night. Small victories.
• SAR had 18 points for the Kings and flashed some fantastic post play. He may be undersized at centre as he fills in for Miller, but he makes up for it with fundamentally sound positional play down low.
• We mentioned how bad the Kings’ shooting was before. But last night, miraculously, they shot 49 per cent. It’s amazing how NBA teams can stick wide open looks. Funny how that works.
• Sacramento, now 4-2, looks like it will have another strong team this season. The Kings have remained remarkably competitive over the years despite being a small market club.
• Morris Peterson had another strong game with 18 points, but most of it came early. He scored 16 points in his first 19 minutes thanks to four 3-pointers.
• The Raptors seem to lack confidence right now. I think it will soon be time for a starting five shakeup.
• Veteran Corliss Williamson got a big ovation when he stepped on the floor. At least, I think it was for him (after all, he came up huge on Wednesday against the Pistons). But given that his nickname has become “Scoreless,” I’m not sure if the fans were cheering for him or perhaps a fan who made a great catch as the hot dog cannon was blasting red hots into the stands.
• What’s with all the misses on easy looks for the Raps? This team looks like the woman who pulls into the office after applying her makeup while driving on the highway. It’s just not very pretty.
• Did I mention the turnovers? It’s just over two minutes into the second quarter and eight Raptor fumbles have led to 12 Sacramento points.
• Sacramento has started winning by changing its formula. The Raps should take notes on this. The Kings have been charging out of the gates to work on getting the opposition into the penalty early in the game. For instance, in first quarters of their first three games, the Kings got to the foul line a total of 10 times. In each of three games since, Sacramento has had at least 10 first-quarter trips to the charity stripe. Are you paying attention, Toronto? It pays to go to the hoop, especially when your outside game is struggling.
• There’s less than six minutes to play in the second quarter and the Raps don’t have a three-pointer yet. They miss their first five tries, sink just 2-of-10 in the first half and go 6-for-24 overall. Sacramento is 6-for-22. It wasn’t exactly a sharp shooting display from the perimeter. Peja doesn’t live here anymore.
• Naturally, that led to plenty of long rebounds and second chances. Each team had 10 offensive rebounds — Fred Jones had three for Toronto and SAR pulled down four for the Kings.
• Like candy from a baby: Sacramento racks up a dozen steals, including three by Thomas, who only had two in the first five games in total.
• Artest was lighting it up, as mentioned, but man, what a brick he threw up midway through the second quarter. I think Chuck Swirsky and Jack Armstrong had bite back their laughter.
• Bosh had 15 points and four rebounds in the first half, but was very quiet in the second half. The Kings manage to keep the ball out of his hands and when he gets the rock, a second defender is quickly there to help out.
• Rasho Nesterovic continues to flash the D. He’s taking good angles against attacking offensive players and taking the charges.
• Artest hurts his finger late in the game. He’s icing it with a Kings’ branded ice bag. I’m impressed by the marketing savvy.

The Raptors were simply never in this game. Just a horrible defensive effort compounded by turnover city. Next up, the Raps get Golden State on Tuesday night.

The Hawks are not only the youngest team in the NBA, but most of their key parts are veritable babes in the woods. What a tremendous core of young talent this club has amassed: Joe Johnson (25), Josh Childress (23), Shelden Williams (23), Zaza Pachulia (22), Josh Smith (20) and Marvin Williams (20). Much of the supporting cast is also young, including Salim Stoudamire (24) and Cedric Bozeman (23).

With the win, the Hawks moved to three games over .500 for the first time in seven and a half years. Hell, Smith was barely in middle school the last time Atlanta had a winning team. Last season, the Hawks got off to an 0-9 start. These clearly aren’t your father’s Hawks. From the looks of it, they’re not even your older brother’s Hawks.

While I find it difficult to imagine this team will maintain its pace, or even make the playoffs for that matter (especially when other teams start taking the Hawks seriously), stranger things have happened. The team is actually starting to believe they’ll make the playoffs, and that’s often half the battle. But regardless of whether Atlanta is playoff bound or capable of snapping its streak of seven straight losing seasons this year, it’s a team on the rise and one that’s capable of giving anyone problems with its athleticism and skill.

As for the Raptors, the loss drops them back to a losing record of 2-3. Coach Sam Mitchell is considering lineup changes because in each of the five games so far, Toronto has gotten off to a slow start. Something’s got to give there.

Things don’t get any easier. The team now sets out on a five-game Western road trip starting Sunday in Sacramento and 17 of the Raptors’ next 23 games are away from the ACC. Thanks, schedule makers. The team better learn how to win on the road — pronto.

Observations from last night’s contest:

• The Hawks finally added a point guard this year in Speedy Claxton, but the injury-prone guard is out with knee woes. Bozeman — not Tyronn Lue — started in Claxton’s place. Lue is a tremendous player, but seems amazingly averse to starting. His numbers as a starter vs. coming off the bench suggest he’s simply just far more comfortable as a second-unit player.
• Johnson has arrived this season. As good as he was last season, he is a truly dominant player now, one capable of taking over a game. If you want to beat Atlanta, you have to keep Johnson under control. The Raps couldn’t do it last night, as he went off for a season-high 34 points and showed an ability to hurt the opposition in so many ways. For instance, he uses screens brilliantly to get open looks. How about eight boards and five assists as well? And for those in FG percentage leagues, you’ve got to love Johnson’s 12-for-20 shooting performance. Forget about his 31.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 5.4 APG. Johnson is a leader now. And when your leader is going as well as he is, the rest of the team will follow. With Boris Diaw looking incapable of matching last year’s breakout, this deal looks very good for the Hawks. Johnson has now scored at least 25 points in every one of the first five games, tying a franchise record held by Luke Hudson and Bob Pettit.
• By the way, on top of everything else, Johnson is also providing to be an extremely durable player. He’s played in 363 straight games, the second-longest active streak in the NBA. The current leader? Toronto’s Morris Peterson, at 365 in a row. With all these ironmen around, it feels like we’re in Hawaii. Except I don’t have a Mai Tai in my hand. Nor do I have my arm around a lovely tanned beauty wearing a coconut bra (she’s wearing the coconuts, not me). Oh, and it’s cold out. Otherwise, there’s a real Hawaiian feel in the air.
• Smith is an absolute beast. He poured in a career-high 29 points (20 in the second half when the Raps finally realized that you have to double-team Johnson) and is equally capable of producing highlight-reel power slams as he is hitting a back-breaking three-ball from downtown. Smith also filled up the stat sheet, getting his customary seven boards but also dishing five dimes. His previous best was 28 points on April 15.
• Toronto put itself in trouble right from the get-go. The Raps came out with no intensity in the first quarter and before they knew what hit them, they were down by a big deficit. We’re back to the first-quarter problem of allowing the opponent to sink easy buckets. Atlanta shot 57.1 per cent in the opening quarter, helping bury the Raps right off the bat. The Raps can’t buy a bucket, shooting just 26 per cent to start. Johnson and Smith, with nine points apiece, lead the way as Atlanta grabs a commanding 28-15 lead.
• Less then two minutes into the second quarter, the Hawks have already scored 14 points in the paint. Where’s the Raptors’ defense? For the game, the Hawks shot 50 per cent. You won’t win many games allowing your opponent to do that.
• Peterson shook off a substandard effort against Philly on Wednesday with a strong game. He scored 10 points in his first 10 minutes and was getting open for good looks. It was great to see him showing his patented hustle, rolling around the floor for loose balls. The Raps need Peterson supplying strong secondary scoring, and so far this season, he hadn’t been doing so. As we mentioned, there’s talk that the Raps may do some lineup switching, so Peterson could find himself coming off the bench if he doesn’t pick things up.
• Joey Graham, a good candidate to earn more PT if the Raps tinker with the lineup, is meeting his goal of supplying energy and excitement off the bench. Thanks to the high-tempo offense, the starters on this club will need plenty of spelling, and Graham has been doing a fantastic job of that lately. While he didn’t do much on the stat sheet last night, he is playing much-improved D this year and that will continue to earn the soph his minutes.
• The bench was again a strength for Toronto, outscoring its counterparts by nine. In the second quarter, the Raps’ second unit was instrumental in helping cut a 14-point deficit to a more manageable number.
• This is where Atlanta falls short, I think. Getting Claxton and Marvin Williams back will sure help, but the Hawks don’t yet have the overall team depth capable of being a contender. Of course, this is the East, a conference in which last season’s two best teams (Detroit and New Jersey) didn’t exactly rely on second-unit scoring. The exception, of course, is Childress, one of the league’s better sixth men. He poured in 16 off the bench. Love the ‘fro, love the game.
• The Hawks had the edge on the glass, outrebounding Toronto 49-40. Shelden Williams pitched in nicely in that area, pulling down seven boards in just 15 minutes. At this point, that’s his primary value and his ticket to PT.
• Speaking of rebounding, with apologies to Frank Sinatra, Chris Bosh is looking like the Chairman of the Boards. Late in the first half, he already has five, but he’s struggling with his shot. He shoots much better in the second half and goes crazy on the glass, finishing with 19 points and 17 rebounds. He now leads the association with 13.6 RPG. Wow. Bosh looks like a man possessed this season.
• Anthony Parker is showing a nice passing touch. I love how his game is so complete. There’s no one thing that makes him a star, but no glaring weakness either.
• Raps pull within two with 7:45 to play. But like I said, these aren’t the same old Hawks who made an art form of blowing fourth-quarter leads. Courtesy of two-thirds of the J, J & J Boys (Childress being the third member after Johnson and Smith), they promptly went on a 17-6 run to ice the game.
• T.J. Ford had a sluggish start (didn’t every Raptor except for MoPete?), going scoreless in the first quarter and managing just two in the second. But he looks great in the second half, and had 10 points in the third quarter with two minutes to play.
• Andrea Bargnani manages four points (on 2-of-3 shooting) and a couple of boards, but piles up the fouls and plays just nine minutes. He sits on the bench for the entire fourth quarter. Like I have said repeatedly, patience is the key with the number one overall pick.
• Jose Calderon looked fantastic again last night, providing a great lift for the team in the fourth quarter as the Raptors cut into Atlanta’s lead. He has really improved this season, looking like a completely different player. The confidence is obvious and I wonder how much of that is because of his experiences on the FIBA Gold-medal winning Spanish team and the addition of compatriot Jorge Garbajosa this season. Whatever the reason, it’s great to see. Calderon’s shot is night and day compared to last season when he was incredibly gun shy.
• Fred Jones is great off the bench last night. What a shock. I just dumped Jones in the pool because his low shooting percentage was too hard to swallow. So he drains 7-of-13 for 17 points before fouling out. Thanks, Fred. In his stead, I picked up surprising Spurs’ centre Fabricio Oberto. You better go crazy next week, Fabricio!
• Raps begin the fourth on fire, draining their first five shots. We need to see this touch earlier in the game, guys.
• Lue may hate starting, but he’s a solid player, and he also knows how to play D.
• Speaking of D, Parker is on Johnson and he also spent much of Wednesday on Allen Iverson. He seems to be getting the key defensive assignments that used to go to Peterson. In theory, this should help Peterson score more, as he’s not worn out on the defensive side of the floor.
• Is it just me or with his new full beard does Hawk coach Mike Woodson have a Gil Scott Heron, circa mid-’70s, thing going on?

Not surprisingly, against a dominant defensive San Antonio team, the club was not able to score at will as it did against Milwaukee on Friday night (a game which I missed in its entirety, by the way, not that I’m bitter or anything).

The Spurs remain one foe that Toronto consistently struggles against. The Raps have now dropped eight of their last nine against the perennial contenders.

With Tim Duncan 100 per cent healthy after struggling through the worst season of his career last year thanks to plantar fasciitis, San Antonio has to again be considered a top threat to win another championship. And you can bet the Spurs arrived in Toronto in a foul mood, after losing to the Cavs at home Friday night for the first time since 1988.

Duncan did his thing yesterday, completely taking over the game in the third quarter with 13 of his 26 points. He only played 29 minutes, but was amazingly efficient, sinking 10-for-15 from the floor and an uncharacteristically good 6-for-7 from the line (after missing 10-of-19 on Friday). It’s obvious how much better he’s feeling this year. Those quick spin moves in the low post were far too rare last season. Once that patented bank shot starts coming more frequently, look out. Duncan will justify his late-first round, early-second round selection status. Don’t worry.

The Spurs got capable secondary scoring from Tony Parker, despite the fact he’s still not at full strength after suffering an ankle sprain last week. Parker was also efficient, scoring 19 points (10 in the fourth quarter) on 8-for-15 shooting from the floor and 3-for-4 from the line. He also added four boards. There’s little chance Parker can duplicate last season’s ridiculously good 54.8 per cent mark from the field. That’s unheard of for a guard. But the early returns suggest that Parker is capable of averaging 20 PPG for the first time this season and he should get even better whenever Eva finishes nursing him back to full strength. As you can well imagine, it’s hard to be Tony Parker these days.

Observations from the game:

• It seemed like FIBA Day at the ACC. Both these teams are loaded with international talent and are the models for the future of a sport that is definitely becoming more global by the year. On San Antonio, you’ve got Duncan (Virgin Islands), Francisco Elson (The Netherlands), Manu Ginobili and Fabricio Oberto (Argentina), Parker (Belgium) and Beno Udrih (Yugoslavia). For Toronto, international flavour includes Andrea Bargnani (Italy), Jose Calderon and Jorge Garbajosa (Spain), Rasho Nesterovic and Uros Slokar (Yugoslavia) and Pape Sow (Senegal). And that doesn’t include Anthony Parker, who’s an Illinois native, but has been starring in the EuroLeague for the last six years.
• For once, Toronto got out of the gates with solid defence, limiting its opponent’s FG percentage to something acceptable in the opening quarter. The result is a 23-7 run late in the quarter and 25 points and lead at the end of one.
• The defensive breakdown occurs later, however, and San Antonio shoots 50 per cent overall, bouncing back nicely after a subpar effort against Cleveland. The second quarter is especially poor as the Spurs are sinking everything. Oberto, who’s a surprise starter at centre in the early going for the Spurs, is money in 24 minutes, sinking 5-for-6 for 12 points while adding nine boards. He’s available on your waiver wires, but will start getting attention if he keeps getting more minutes and putting up near double-doubles. I thought Elson would be the Spurs’ starting centre, and he’s playing well off the bench, but Oberto looks like he has control of this competition right now.
• Raps are shooting the lights out early on, sinking 47 per cent early in the second quarter. Unfortunately, that fades over the rest of the quarter and remains cold in the third. They wind up at 42.1 per cent, scoring just 94 points.
• While we’re talking about shooting, here’s a positive sign: Calderon drains his only shot and is now 8-for-11 for the young season. He’s not shooting as much, but is picking his spots well and it’s showing. If this keeps up, expect him to start getting 15 minutes or more per game and to possibly emerge as a useful fantasy option later in the season. Don’t forget how injury prone T.J. Ford is. Calderon may yet become a very important player for Toronto.
• On the downside, Nesterovic was just 1-for-4 from the field. No one is expecting him to contribute much offensively, but part of his limited fantasy value lies in the fact he won’t hurt you in the FG percentage category (51.5 per cent last season). So far this year, however, he’s struggling at 38.1 per cent. He’s been getting over twice the amount of touches he had with the Spurs, but so far it’s not paying off. I was a bit disappointed that Rasho didn’t come up with a better effort against the team he spent the past three years with. In fact, he struggled badly enough to have his minutes cut pretty significantly. I’ll give him this: he’ll get you a block or so per game, but the number that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet is how many shots he alters with his presence. Chris Bosh also helps tremendously in that area, giving the Raptors two players who can change a game defensively. That’s definitely going to help the team this year.
• Speaking of Bosh, he showed why he’s an All-Star, scoring 19 points and adding 17 boards (five shy of his career high, set last year), despite being guarded by Duncan and having to defend him as well. He’s starting to get his conditioning back after missing half the preseason, and his minutes are rising. The shooting touch and FT accuracy will come, and the scoring average will shoot back well over 20 PPG soon enough. The early-season rebounding prowess is very promising, however. If Bosh can be a 20 and 12 man, I’d be damn happy.
• Toronto is hot from outside to start (3-for-6), but hits just 2-of-7 from that point on. Luckily, San Antonio is no better, starting 3-for-7 and finishing 7-for-19. Without Brent Barry, who hits all five from downtown, the Spurs wouldn’t have had any outside presence. Barry just killed the Raps with 16 points in 30 minutes off the bench, and next to Duncan’s third-quarter exploits, he’s the main reason San Antonio is victorious in this contest. Barry, 5-for-6 all told in the game, is one of those players who could probably be a useful fantasy player elsewhere but is just a spare part in San Antonio. He doesn’t even play every game, but seems capable of coming off the bench at any time and lighting it up like he did yesterday. The thing is, barring a backcourt injury, there’s no reason to own Barry given his limited PT.
• Toronto expected to have a major edge when the second units were on the floor, but it didn’t play out that way in the first half. All told, the Raps’ bench outscored the Spurs 32-31. Of course, without Barry’s 16, Toronto probably wins the game. Its bench will probably outscore that of its opponents most of the time. Garbajosa is the top man off the bench for Toronto, snapping his early-season shooting woes with a 2-for-4 game for nine points. He sunk his only three-point try and added two steals. Kris Humphries and P.J. Tucker, meanwhile, don’t even play, as coach Sam Mitchell shortens the bench for the first time this season.
• Raps have a late run, sparked by Bosh (who dishes out some nice passes), pulling within five with 3:11 to play. But the Spurs take over. One 8-0 run later, it’s game over.
• Ginobili is kind of quiet, but he nails all four of his free throws, drops three dimes and hits two key layups in the decisive run.
• Thanks to Duncan, San Antonio sinks 18-of-25 (72 per cent) from the charity stripe. This is traditionally a weak spot for the this club. Last year, the Spurs sunk just over 70.1 per cent, ranking 28th in the association. They’re 27th this year, but the numbers are down to 63.54 per cent. Come playoff time, this will be huge, so San Antonio needs to consistently get over 70 per cent and perhaps closer to 75 per cent if it’s serious about a championship this year.
• Fred Jones was phenomenal this preseason, but has fought inconsistency early in the season. Yesterday, he struggled badly from the floor, sinking just 3-of-9 and missing both his three-point tries. He did pitch in with four rebounds and a steal, but was not able to build on a big game Friday. With Toronto playing just three times this week, I’m again keeping him on the bench. If Jones doesn’t step up, he might be on my bubble to be cut soon.
• Ford came up big in the fourth quarter for the Raps, operating the offense so quickly. All told he scores 15, but shoots just 5-for-14 from the field as he seemed to get away from his sweet spot of straight up and down jumpers, opting instead for off-balance, more difficult shots. Ford’s strength is not in scoring off the dribble. He only managed five assists, but pitched in with two steals.
• Bargnani keeps looking a bit better each time out. He played a season-high 11 minutes and sunk 3-of-7 from the field, including the first three-pointer of his career. Bargnani also added his first FT on the way to a new personal best of eight points. As mentioned, Garbajosa shot better yesterday, but if his struggles continues, Bargani could replace him as the first big man off the bench. Look for him to be getting 15 minutes per game perhaps as early as next week.
• San Antonio has a tough schedule this week. They flew from home Saturday for yesterday’s game, and play again tonight in New York. That’s a gruelling three days. Good thing the Knicks suck.
• Okay, so the loss drops Toronto to 1-2. But after starting last year 0-9, it’s already progress to have a winning percentage that includes numbers besides zeros.

NBA EXPERT LEAGUE UPDATE

I’m off to a very good start in the expert fantasy basketball league, ranking second of 12 teams after the first week. I made one switch this week, dumping Bobcat centre Primoz Brezec, who’s going to be out for two weeks because of exhaustion (jeez, the preseason sure is tough, eh?) and may not get his job back upon return. In his place, I’ve added Golden State’s Andris Biedrins. Biedrins has taken over at centre and recorded a double-double in his first game. I’m praying he keeps it up with the Warriors playing four games this week. At the very least, he should help my FG percentage, which is abysmal to start.

After the hype and excitement of a 7-1 preseason, the Raptors’ 2006-07 season got underway for real last night in New Jersey. While the false start — a 102-92 loss to the Nets — was disappointing, there is so much optimism that this club could potentially be playoff-bound this season, that one loss can’t dimish our hopes.

Coach Sam Mitchell is in the final year of his contract, and after four straight non-playoff seasons (not all under him of course), the time has come for Toronto to take it the next level or else find a coach who will.

President/GM Bryan Colangelo has come in and from Day One he put his stamp on this organization. He’s done an amazing job turning things around and instituting an environment that’s about winning. Colangelo came in with a plan and has executed. While it may take some time before we reap the rewards, it’s so clear the club is headed in the right direction.

Game observations:

• Much was made of Andreas Bargnani struggling as he tied the third-lowest first-game point total ever by a number one overall pick with just two points. In fact, he had more fouls (three) than points, leading to an undistinguished nine-minute opening game. But let’s put things in perspective: this kid turned 21 a week ago and was drafted as a project, not someone who would light it up immediately. He’s undergoing tremendous scrutiny as the Italian press is following him around. But I have no doubts about Bargnani’s long-term prospects. He can shoot the three, is a wonderful passer, can put the ball on the floor and — judging from the pair he got last night — can help out more in blocks than expected. Patience is the key here. Give him time to adjust to a new continent and a new game and you’ll be pleased with the results.
• The Raps’ passing looks much cleaner than it’s been in a long time. The club averaged 19.4 assists per game, but had 21 in the loss, despite having to work nine new players in. That total will soar when these guys click.
• Speaking of working everyone in, all 12 players played at least 8 minutes. Now that’s depth.
• I feel like a broken record with the first-quarter opponents’ field goal percentage already, but what I can say? The Nets shot 61.1 per cent in the first stanza and, sure enough, Toronto trailed 28-27.
• Old nemesis Vince Carter was doing a good job drawing fouls early, but then kind of went in the tank for a while before finishing strong. He only wound up getting to the line four times, sinking them all. Yet Carter still managed 25 points, thanks to a superb 10-for-16 shooting night, including sinking 1-for-4 from downtown. He completed the double-double with 11 boards and added six assists, but Carter would have easily topped 30 had he been more active early in the third quarter.
• The high-tempo offense looks good. Toronto was moving the ball up the court so fast. New point guard T.J. Ford has simply blinding speed pushing the ball. And everybody’s running. I counted only one time in the first half when the ball was walked up to the time line. Ford provides the Raps with something they’ve been missing for a long time — a true point guard. Sure, Toronto gave up a lot in Charlie Villanueva to get this guy, but he’ll be worth it. The early returns were sweet as Ford drained 19 points with seven dimes and five boards. He even shot well (8-for-15) and that’s not his biggest strength.
• Speaking of Charlie V., we’ll get a chance to see him tomorrow night when the Bucks come to town for Toronto’s home opener. I have a surprise party to go to and am unsure what the TV situation will be like, so feel free to drop me a note with any game notes as it looks like I may miss this one. (I best bring the stuffed Raptor along for moral support…this could get ugly. In fact, perhaps I need this.)
• Toronto is gunning for 100 shots per game. It got 54 in the first half and had 75 through three quarters, winding up with 94 in total.
• Early sloppiness by the Nets kept the Raps in this game. New Jersey had 15 turnovers with 6:45 still to play in the third quarter. It wound up with 23 all told — five by Jason Kidd.
• I suppose we can forgive Kidd, however, considering he racked up triple-double number 76 for his sure-fire Hall of Fame career. Eight points, four boards and four assists came in the decisive four quarter when the Nets outscored Toronto by six to put the game away.
• Anthony Parker struggled with his shot for most of the preseason, but as we noted towards the end of the exhibition schedule, he started turning things around. That continued last night when Parker, the starting two-guard, dropped in 9-of-17 from the field (two out of three from beyond the arc) for a team-high 22 points in 36 minutes. Not bad for his first NBA game in six years. Toronto fans are going to love this guy. He just never seems to make a mistake and is a fantastic addition to the club.
• Despite shooting over 51 per cent for the game, New Jersey sinks just one of its first 15 three-point tries. But the Nets nail two out of their final three attempts from downtown to help ice Toronto. Rookie Marcus Williams is 0-for-4 from beyond the arc, but fear not, this kid is going to be something.
• While Williams will help spell Kidd this season, make no mistake — this is still Kidd’s team. He proved that with his dominating fourth quarter. Kidd joked the other day about feeling strong enough to go out and average a triple-double this season. Then he proceeds to score 14 points with 10 boards and 10 assists. Sick.
• Another Raptor rookie, Jorge Garbajosa, struggled from the floor, hitting just one of eight shots in 20 minutes. Don’t sweat it — his shot was flat last night, but this guy’s track record of draining shots is irrefutable.

The preseason is now over, and the real games start on Tuesday. For those in last-minute drafts this weekend, here are some random observations to help you navigate your way to success:

• T.J. Ford is still out. Jose Calderon continued to do a fine job with Ford out, scoring eight points (and actually having a strong shooting game at 3-for-5, draining his only trey), but more importantly dishing seven dimes and even adding five boards in 26 minutes. He also had a steal. Ford is expected to be in action for the opener, but I would have felt better had he had more of a chance to get used to running the show.
• Chris Bosh returned, but looked limited and rusty. Yet he wasn’t far away from a double-double.
• Joey Graham came in averaging 8.1 PPG in the preseason. I’d be damn happy if he maintained a number similar to that in the regular season. Last night, he scored six and had a couple of steals.
• Andres Nocioni — as always — seems like he’s everywhere. Slashing inside, rebounding, stepping into the lane for a steal, getting a block.
• Raps struggling with the O in the early going. They’ve got just 16 points with 2:39 to play in the opening quarter.
• The Bulls are a much-improved offensive team this year. Malik Allen adds a good mid-range presence, specializing in nailing that 15- to 16-foot jump shot.
• I finally got a chance to see the Bulls’ big rook, Tyrus Thomas, as a pro. He stepped on the court and about 60 seconds and two quick fouls later, he was back on the bench getting a lecture on how to play D. He’s got a lot to learn, so I don’t see him earning serious rotation minutes for a couple of months at least. He came in averaging 10.6 PPG in the preseason, but he didn’t show me anything offensively. Of course, it’s hard to do that when you only play five minutes.
• The Raptors’ usual first-quarter problems continue. They let the Bulls shoot 58 per cent and it translated into a 34-30 lead. Sensing a trend here?
• Chris Duhon looked pretty darned shifty with his moves and has been draining shots and playing D, but is apparently having some turnover issues.
• The Bulls have turned the ball over five times just over one minute into the second quarter. They’re trying to run with the Raptors, but it’s not their forte.
• Raptors picked up the D in the second quarter.
• Ben Wallace’s FT shooting looked ugly. The Bulls’ announcers kept kidding themselves into thinking that Wallace’s FT shooting will come around. Um, dudes…he’s under 42 per cent for his career, so a 1-for-7 night shouldn’t shock anybody. The announcer suggested he’d be happy if Wallace sunk 70 per cent for the year. Rigggghhht. His career best is 49 per cent. By the second half, after Wallace kept throwing up bricks, the announcer piped in again, saying ‘like I said, if he can get around 65 per cent, I’d be happy.’ Do I hear 60? I expect by the end of the first week of the season, he’ll amend that to about 50 per cent.
• Bulls have scored only 11 second-quarter points with under four to go.
• In typical Toronto fashion, PIP is killing the Raps. They’ve been outscored 22-8 in the paint with under three and a half minutes to go in the half.
• Ben Gordon is ready to take the next step in his career. He is on fire, nailing everything. Inside, outside, getting to the line and even playing D. Wow. Gordon hits 12-of-20 (including two out of three from downtown) and goes a perfect 12-for-12 from the line. He adds four assists to cap a 38-point night. Gordon got to the line 3.4 times per game last season. If he keeps attacking the basket like he did last night, expect eight to nine trips per game and watch his PPG get over the 20 mark.
• P.J. Brown turned 37 a couple of weeks ago, but he still hustles like a fiend. Getting his shot to drop (0-for-5) was another story, however.
• Anthony Parker’s shot is finally coming around. He nailed 5-for-10 from the field and looked smooth doing so.
• I switched over the World Series for a while just in time to see Justin Verlander throw it away. I know that AL pitchers don’t hit, but apparently they can’t field, either. Ugly.
• Fred Jones wasn’t getting his shot to drop (1-for-7), but he again was making a ton of trips to the line (9-for-9).
• The Bulls showed some great ball movement in the fourth and that helped them to pull away with the game (56-44 Chicago in the second half).
• Michael Sweetney has some talent — he’s a good low-post presence, can rebound and block shots — but my god, he looks like the Michelin Man. Can he possibly get up and down the court if he had to play even 10 minutes a game? With Wallace and Brown around, PT will be limited for Sweetney anyhow, but if he were to ever commit himself to physical conditioning and get a 25-minute per game gig, he’d really be something.

Notes:

• Chris Bosh sat out another game. He needs to play in the final pre-season game tomorrow night to get ready for next week’s opener.
• Paul Pierce, suffering from an infected middle finger, was out as well. Nothing like stripping the game of its two best players, eh? By the way, Pierce suffered this injury from a paper cut. Watch out for that paper, kids. It’ll slice you up.
• Wally Szczerbiak was doing his best Pierce impression, drawing fouls right, left and centre. He was draining everything, but looked a bit shaky with the outlet passes.
• Al Jefferson is playing centre with Theo Ratliff out with a bulging disk. Jefferson says that playing C is no different than PF. It’s all about positioning, not size he says. Sure. So says the undersized centre.
• Delonte West needs to understand that when he’s at the two guard, he’s got to play a different game. He keeps playing like a PG, passing up shots he needs to be taking. You’re a shooting guard, Delonte. Shoot the ball.
• The Raptors again had trouble on defense early, allowing the Celtics to shoot 59 percent in the first quarter. Imagine how good this team would be if it didn’t keep spotting its opponent 30 or more points every opening quarter?
• Just 1:24 into the second quarter and Fred Jones already has three fouls and a seat on the bench. So, needless to say, he didn’t play as much, but still managed to drain all three of his shots from downtown. This guy does a bit of everything.
• Wally World starts the game 5-for-7 and is looking smooth from downtown. All told he goes 10-for-19 and a perfect 5-for-5 from the line.
• Michael Olowakandi isn’t playing much over the past week and I’m not sure why, especially since the team has asked for waivers on Brian Grant. What is Boston going to do for bigs? Celts are going to be playing a lot of small ball this year barring a trade.
• Tommy Heinsohn knows his Celtics, but he really needs to shut up when talking about anything else. I can’t stand announcers who are either too lazy to research their team’s opponents or — even worse — pretend they know what they are talking about when clearly they don’t. Case in point: Heinsohn is going on about what a good shooter Jose Calderon is, as all Europeans are, he suggests (nothing like a little stereotyping there). He’s especially great from three-point range, Heinsohn adds. Um, yeah. Calderon’s biggest weakness is his shooting ability and he couldn’t nail a three pointer from college range. Sorry, man, I’m going to have to deduct a Tommy Point for that miscue.
• Allan Ray gives the Celts another great FT shooter. He was 88.9 per cent from the stripe last year at ‘Nova.
• Morris Peterson is shooting way better this game, nailing 14 points in the first half and 21 overall (draining 8 of 15).
• T.J. Ford is out again, but Calderon again does a great job running the offense. He scores 19 (on 11-for-11 shooting from the line) and adds seven dimes. The Raptors finally have some depth at PG, which will come in handy because Ford is injury prone. By the way, am I the only one creeped out by how much Calderon resembles Y & R character Kevin Fisher?
• Raps keep draining from long distance. How about 10-for-22?
• Pierce and Allen Iverson — The Truth and The Answer — are the only two players who scored at least 15 points in every game they played last year.
• Gerald Green hustles his ass off and his defense is improving. Yes, he’s a project, but man, what talent.
• Kris Humphries, starting in place of Bosh, was again solid with 13 points and seven boards. I am loving this kid.
• Wally going one-on-one is a scary sight.

What encouraged me the most was the fact that Toronto was without its top player (Chris Bosh, sore left heel), its point guard (T.J. Ford, sore left hammy) and its top rookie (Andreas Bargnani, sore left ankle), while the Cavs started their regular lineup. Also impressive is the almost immediate chemistry this team is showing despite having to integrate nine new faces into the system. I assumed it would take 20 to 25 games for this club to gel, but from the looks of it, the Raptors are already playing extremely well together.

As for the walking wounded, while none of the Raptors’ injuries are serious (had this been a game that counted, they would have all been out there), if you own Bosh, there is a growing concern over this ailment that’s held him to three exhibition games so far. Coach Sam Mitchell said keeping him out was a precautionary move, but he admitted Bosh is in pain. He said that they’re trying to get Bosh pain free before the season starts, but that he’ll likely play in pain all season. It’s a similar injury to the one that rendered Tim Duncan less than fully effective last year. I think there needs to be a bit of a red flag over this one.

Observations from the game:

• With Ford sitting, Jose Calderon started and Darrick Martin got a chance for some minutes. This also meant extra PT for Morris Peterson, Fred Jones and there was even an extended look at Uros Slokar, thanks to Joey Graham being limited by an upset stomach.
• Again, it’s just preseason, but we’re nearing the end of the exhibition schedule and this game took on much more of a regular season feel. The Raps are playing with passion and giving a fantastic effort, which is great to see, but in a week and a half, when the games count, they are just as likely to look lost.
• LeBron James continues to just get better and better. With the season nearing, his minutes are ratcheting up, and he scored 21 on 9-for-17 shooting in 31 minutes. He had six assists and a rebound, but turned the ball over five times, was 0-for-3 from downtown and dropped in just 3-for-6 from the line. Still, what amazes me is his PPG keeps going up as does his FG percentage. This is a 21-year-old kid who has clearly established himself as the best all-around player in the game, and has the ability to both dominate single-handedly while also raising the level of play of those around him. He has such amazing ball skills, is such a gifted passer, can drain a jumper from almost anywhere and can slash and crash with the best of them. If he doesn’t go first overall in your league, please invite me to join.
• Toronto had serious trouble finishing at first, starting 3-for-16 from the field. The effort was there, though, as the team was crashing the glass with reckless abandon. Kris Humphries and P.J. Tucker add a new dimension to this club in that area.
• Get ready to see a completely different version of Fred Jones this year. Freed from the bonds of the conservative, feed-it-down-low-to-Jermaine O’Neal Pacer offense, Jones is thriving in the Raps’ up-tempo game. He’s driving hard to the hoop instead of playing a perimeter game, and the results are amazing. Yesterday, in 30 minutes, he shot 7-for-14 from the field, nailed both his treys and continued to get a ton of trips to the stripe and finish (6-for-7). He added three boards, three assists and — get this — three blocks. The sight of the 6′2″ Jones skying to make rejections made my mouth water, and forced me to immediately dump J.J. Redick and pick up Jones in the pool. Redick might help me in the second half, but Jones will help now. He is poised for a breakout year.
• Toronto’s first-quarter defense left something to be desired (the Cavs shot 54.5 per cent from the field and scored 18 points in the paint). The team made some good adjustments in the second half, but this will continue to be an issue for the team this season. Despite the massively improved depth and more balanced attack, D remains the key here for a club that allowed opponents to shoot 49.1 per cent last season — worst in the association. If that number is not cut significantly, all these off-season additions will be for naught.
• Zydrunas Ilgauskas got hurt and came out in the second quarter, but he returned in the second half and seemed fine. He was limited to 12 minutes in total, but scored 11, so don’t worry about the 7′3″ Lithuanian. There he was in the later stages, dropping in that patented 12- to 15-foot jump shot he so excels at.
• Martin showed he can still spark the offense coming off the bench. He’s such a tremendously unselfish player. There are much better third-string point guards around with potential upside, but this vet personifies team play.
• The Cavs won 50 games last year, but if they are to take it to the next level and challenge Detroit and Miami for the East, Donyell Marshall will be a key. They need him back bringing consistent double-doubles, offering his outside game and being a post-up presence. He’s looking good lately, getting 19 points and 10 boards on Monday, and adding 17 and nine yesterday. He can obviously help you in threes, but in blocks as well.
• Peterson was struggling with his shot, especially in the early going when he hit just two of his first eight attempts. But once all was said and down, he’d scored 16 points thanks to a pair of three balls, and added four boards and an assist. That’s the thing about Mo Pete — he can look awfully bad sometimes, yet the numbers are there in the end. It’s a level of consistency he did not have until last season.
• Rasho Nesterovic will not be scoring much in this offense — will he even be able to keep pace running up and down the floor? — but he will help this club with his defensive presence. His shot blocking, and more importantly — his ability to alter shots — will make him a factor on D. Nesterovic can drain baseline jumpers, so if he keeps things simple, he’ll get his five or six points a game. He shows a nice touch passing, and his work on the o-glass was impressive. Nesterovic also does the little things, like setting screens, that simply don’t show up on the stat sheet, but are vital to winning teams nonetheless. And he’s never played on a team that didn’t have a winning record.
• Calderon did a good job running the offense and was very crisp with his passing, for the most part (five assists, three turnovers).
• If Marshall and Damon “I’m the best shooter in the NBA” Jones can get back to their ‘04-05 three-ball form, it will really spread out opposing defenses and create a lot of space for King James to operate. The pair were brought in last season to beef up Cleveland’s woeful outside game, but they were not up to snuff. Marshall hit 41.6 per cent from downtown two years ago, but dropped to 32.4 per cent in 2005-06, while Jones plummeted from 43.2 per cent to 37.7 last year.
• Slokar, the team’s second rounder last year, looked very impressive in scoring six points and adding seven boards and an assist off the bench. He showed good rebounding skill and is aggressive defensively, both assets that will be valued on this club.
• Anderson Varejao pulled down 13 boards in 23 minutes off the bench. This guy is instant energy when he steps on the court for the Cavs, and even if he doesn’t score much, he has a huge impact with his floor play. Watching that Sideshow Bob ‘do flop around as Varejao moves around the court is a joy. And for a big man, he is extremely mobile.
• In addition to everything else he brought, Fred Jones also showed some nice passing skills. Thanks to his role in the Indy offense, he knows how to drop a dime.
• Speaking of Jones, how serendipitious was it that he wound up in Toronto? If Bonzi Wells hadn’t miscalculated his market value and forced Sacramento’s hands, John Salmons would have never reneged on his Raptor deal and headed off to play for the Kings. And had that not occured, Toronto would have never turned to Jones. This is going to be one of those situations that turns out to be a blessing in disguise.
• As per usual, Toronto’s outside game looks polished (5-for-14 from three-point land), while Cleveland still needs work (5-for-23). Judging from the number of attempts, however, the Cavs are working on it.
• Humphries has impressed every time we’ve seen him. He started for Bosh yesterday and scored 16 points with nine boards and two assists. Talk about hustle…his key loose ball rebound with time running down ensured victory for Toronto. He leaves it on the floor every game.