Hebrews 11:1

* Before the game Jay Triano was asked the rational for signing Jake Voskuhl and he told the media scrum, “Jake’s another big body for us. We went three or four games there when Kris Humphries was out with only three big guys. We just felt like we couldn’t put ourselves in that position. We need to have a guy to go in and bang. It remains to be seen what he can give us in games, but at least now we can practice. We haven’t been able to big against big in practice… well, we haven’t even been able to practice for awhile. We haven’t been able to go big guy against big guy for quite some time now.”

* Voskuhl picked an unusual basketball number (#77) and when asked why he told the reporter, “I thought about 7, but then Andrea (Bargnani’s) got that. Nobody had 77 so it was just a process of elimination. There’s no deep meaning.”

* Sean Williams may be inactive because he’s lodged in Lawrence Frank’s doghouse, but the second-year player is doing whatever he can to get back into the Nets rotation. He was the first player on the court today and was working diligently with the Nets coaching staff on his game.

* Within the first few minutes of the game the crowd started a “V-C Sucks” chant. As Vince Carter ran down the court alongside Jamario Moon the two players enjoyed a good laugh at the crowds foolishness and needless resentment. Seriously, why are the fans here in Toronto holding a grudge so long? It’s time to let it go.

* Once again, the jeering of Carter didn’t even work as he scored the Nets first seven points and finished the game with a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds.

* Today I was up in the gondola to watch the game and something that really impressed me was the Raptors ball movement in the first half. They would swing the ball until the found an open man and more often than not they would find someone wide open. It resulted in the team getting out to a 16-2 lead to open the game while Toronto shot a sizzling 5-6  from the field.  New Jersey on the other hand was ice cold as they went 1-5 while committing two turnovers.

* In the first quarter the only Nets starter to score was Vince Carter (9 points). The other four starters were a combined 0-3 from the field and it took until the 9:56 mark of the second quarter for a Nets starter other than Carter to score.

* Roko Ukic had a sweet steal on Devin Harris early in the second quarter and I’m pretty sure Harris was having Stuart Tanner flashbacks.

* Chris Bosh scored his first field goal of the game at the 9:38 mark of the third quarter. While he finished with a respectable 17 points he also went 4-15 from the field.

* Devin Harris went on a 9-0 run early in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 72. Adding to the frustration for Raptors fans was  Toronto didn’t record a field goal until the 2:35 mark of the fourth quarter. Ouch!

* After the game Bosh was asked to explain the 25-2 run the Nets went on in the fourth quarter and he told the reporter, “We’re not getting rebounds right now. That’s our main achilles heal right now. We’re giving them multiple shots but for the game they shot 38%. And (normally) if I told you we held a team to 38% you would ask me how many we won by. We have to do a better job of only giving them one shot. We’re shooting ourselves in the foot right now and I think if we get better on the boards we’ll win a lot more games.”

* Triano echoed these sentiments when he vented to the media, “We hold a team to 38% shooting, when you consider what the percentage was on the second chance ones it was probably in the 70′s. So we do a pretty decent job guarding, but you can’t let a team take 14 more shots than you. They get 14 more shots because we don’t box out and we don’t rebound the ball.”

* A reporter followed up by asking if it was effort or concentration, and Bosh replied honestly , “I think it’s just concentration because all it (requires) is getting between your man and the basket, getting your body on him and going to get the ball. Positions one through five, it has to be a team effort. Everybody has to do it. I think if we do a better job of that there’s no telling what could happen.”

* Triano was asked if he was worried about his teams inability to finish games and he quickly interjected, “I’m not concerned about finishing games, I’m concerned about finishing possessions. I have talked about process before, the process of playing good defense and executing each time. You don’t have to worry about finishing games if you box out and you rebound long before the game gets into the final five minutes.”

* Ryan Anderson scored a career high 21 points off the bench for New Jersey tonight. For some insight into Anderson, click here to check out the interview I had with him the last time he was in Toronto.

* I had a great chat with Mike Ulmer tonight after the game. After busting his chops about the video of his dance practice with the Raptors Dance Pack we had a great chat about online media.

Photo Credit: Chris Creamer’s Sports Logos

* Antonio Daniels has been with New Orleans less than a week but already he’s struck up a friendship with Chris Paul. The two were joking around in the locker room and warmed up together on the court before the game.

* I was able to score an exclusive chat with Julian Wright before the game that I’ll be posting within the next few days. Last year Wright was a big part of the Hornets run in the playoffs but this year he’s seen his minutes cut drastically. He was humble talking about the experience, why he’s had fewer minutes and what he’s doing to prepare when his number is called.

* Before the game Morris Peterson was trying to film a segment for The Score and Hilton Armstrong and Rasual Butler were clowning around trying to distract him.

* Going into the game Chris Paul had recorded a steal in 103-consecutive games and with a steal tonight he set himself up to  tie former Raptor guard Alvin Robertson on Tuesday when New Orleans plays Memphis. Before the game Byron Scott talked at length about this and after the game Chris Paul provided some great quotes that I’ll use for a story which I’ll post Tuesday morning.

* Chris Bosh got off to an uncharacteristically slow start shooting 0-for-5 from the field. While he had four rebounds in the first quarter he also had a couple rebounds slip through his fingers and seemed to be having an off game. Bosh finished with a team high 25 points but he scored 13 of those points from the free throw line and was an uncharacteristic 6-for-17 from the field.

* Andrea Bargnani may not have flashy stats tonight but I was impressed by what I saw from him. He was being aggressive taking his man off the dribble, he was shooting without hesitation when he was open and he was back to attacking the glass. Even though he only scored four points in 11 minutes of burn, it’s clear that his confidence is starting to come back.

* James Posey was on fire beyond the arc in the first half going 5-6 while scoring all 15 of his points. Even more impressive was the fact Posey wasn’t even looking for anything inside the arc. All six of his field goal attempts were beyond the arc as he would camp outside the three-point line and when a Raptor defender would sag off him Posey would make them pay by sticking a huge three.

* Jamario Moon had a nice block on Rasual Butler’s dunk attempt late in the second quarter.

* The entire Hornets bench stayed standing to start the second half until Chris Paul hit a jumper at the 10:30 mark of the third quarter.

* At the 3:12 mark of the third quarter the Hornets on the court mysteriously converged before Chris Bosh’s second free throw attempt. After Bosh hit the free throw the Hornets then pushed the ball all the way up the court in four seconds which caught the Raptors defense off guard and allowed Chris Paul to earn a trip to the free throw line after he was hammered on his drive to the hoop.

* Jose Calderon went a sizzling 8-8 from the field and 5-5 from beyond the arc. After the game a reporter asked about his night shooting the ball and the Spaniard shrugged off the question by saying, “It happens sometimes. It’s not like a big thing, it doesn’t matter. Today it went in, others day no. I just need to keep doing my thing and get everyone involved.”

* While Calderon wasn’t willing to brag about a solid night his counterpart, Chris Paul, was more than willing. When asked about Calderon’s game Paul’s face brightened up and he boasted, “Calderon shot the ball incredibly well. He was what, 8-8 from the field? He kept the pressure on (us).”

* Late in the fourth quarter Calderon threw Moon an alleyoop and Moon nearly hit his head on the bottom of the backboard trying to soar through the air. A couple possessions later Moon soared about the rim for a rebound and was knocked to the ground. You’ve got to hand it to Moon for playing with reckless abandon after he left Friday’s game with his ribs wrapped.

* Chris Paul made a genius play late in the fourth quarter which saved his team from taking a timeout. With just over three minutes remaining in the game James Posey hit the floor hard after a basket by Jermaine O’Neal. Instead of burning a timeout to let Posey regain his composure, Paul didn’t touch the inbound pass until Posey found his way to his feat. At the time New Orleans only had three timeouts remaining and with a seven point game it looked like they would need all of them. On the flip side, you have to wonder why a Raptor guard didn’t pick up on this and press the inbound pass which would have forced New Orleans to waste a timeout.

* When asked about his big night shooting the rock, a modest Posey shrugged his shoulders and told the media, “We did a great job today of running out stuff and making the extra pass. We have some very unselfish players on this team and we’re not scared to make the extra pass. The shots just fell for us tonight.”

* Posey got a fair amount of ribbing from teammates after the game when he decided to brush his teeth at his locker instead of in the sink in the washroom.

* Even though New Orleans might appear to be on a slow pace to start the season, they only had 13 wins through their first 18 games last season. Heading into the season they were heralded as being one of the top teams in the NBA but injuries to Tyson Chandler and having a bullseye on their backs have caused them to get off to a 12-7 start to the season after a loss to Boston on Friday. Today they improved to 13-7 on the season and Chris Paul feels they have the pieces in place to win an NBA Championship this season. After the game a confident Paul was asked by a reporter if his team can go all the way and he boasted, “We can, but we’re a long way away.”

* In the games prior to Sam Mitchell’s dismissal there seemed to be a cloud of frustration hovering over the Raptors locker room. Normally the players don’t like to lose but it seemed that the losses that mounted late in Mitchell’s tenure was something the players couldn’t shake. Even though the team was disappointed over the loss today, it seemed the players were able to cope with the loss. Don’t get it twisted, they weren’t happy with the loss, but they were at peace with the strides the team is making and the direction the club is headed. O’Neal addressed this after the game when he admitted to reporters, “Overall it seems to be getting better.  We feel more and more positive about the direction we’re going in and we know what we can do. I think the route looks a lot more clear now than it did the past few weeks.” Calderon also addressed this when he told the media, “Everyone’s feeling comfortable with the way we’re playing now. We’re going to be okay. I keep being positive because I feel like each day my teammates are getting a little bit better.”

* After the game Jermaine O’Neal was asked how he felt about the teams execution on the defensive end and he paused before admitting, “It’s getting better. Chris Paul puts extreme pressure on teams defensively with how he handles the ball and with his quickness. We tried a couple different things that worked but he’s probably one of the best ballhandlers that we’ve seen in awhile. He keeps probing and you’ve got to honour that because if you don’t stop him then he’s going to lay it up.”

* It was interesting to see Chris Bosh walk out of the Raptors locker room with a Chris Paul jersey. When asked why he had an opponents jersey, Bosh cracked a smile and told the reporter, “That’s my Olympic teammate, we have that bond.”

* New Orleans is now 9-3 with Rasual Butler in the starting line-up.

* The Raptors PR team sent out a press release this weekend about the current tally on All-Star voting. Chris Bosh is fourth among Eastern Conference forwards (274,195 votes), Jermaine O’Neal is fourth among centres (75,324 votes) and Jose Calderon is fifth among Eastern Conference guards (124,705 votes). LeBron James (643,786 votes) and Kevin Garnett (495,514) lead all Eastern Conference forwards,  Dwyane Wade (623,311 votes) and Allen Iverson (492,093) lead guards while Dwight Howard (775,933 votes) is running away with the centre votes.

* Today was Right To Play night at the Air Canada Centre. Right to Play is the foundation that Jose Calderon is associated with and it’s a great organization that I urge you to check out. According to their website: “Right To Play is an international humanitarian organization that uses sport and play programs to improve health, develop life skills, and foster peace for children and communities in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the world. Working in both the humanitarian and development context, Right To Play trains local community leaders as Coaches to deliver our programs in more than 20 countries affected by war, poverty, and disease in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, guides our work. Right To Play programs target the most marginalized including girls, the disabled, children affected by HIV and AIDS, street children, former child combatants and refugees.”

*  Thanks for reading my Game Notes for the game this afternoon! Make sure you check back on tomorrow night for my notes on the game between Toronto and New Jersey.

Photo Credit: Chris Creamer’s Sports Logos

* A lot of times players and fans complain that basketball is just a business but that doesn’t appear to be the case here in Toronto. Before the game Maceo Baston took some time to catch up with Jose Calderon, Rasho Nestorovic was joking with Toronto beat writers and Bryan Colangelo chatted with T.J. Ford . Watching these events unfold it became clear tonight that all three players enjoyed their team here last season and have fond memories of their time playing for Toronto.

* Before the game Indiana Pacers head coach Jim O’Brien was asked how he ensures that Danny Granger doesn’t feel the need to press for his shots within the offense. O’Brien told the media scrum he didn’t feel this was an issue because, “Our movement offense is the best offense for Danny (Granger). If you call set plays, other teams know your set plays and they are able to move their guys in a way that it’s very difficult for Danny to get his shots. So our movement is very important and him moving is very important. And then we’re consistently trying to update our set plays so that we’re giving teams different looks that will make it difficult for them to load up on him. And if they do load up on him then other guys will be open.”

* Speaking of Granger, I was impressed to see him watching a ton of video before the game in preparation for the game tonight. He was watching plays on his laptop and he was submerged in those clips for almost the entire media session.

* A local beat writer asked O’Brien if he felt like he was coaching a 7-13 team and the coach chuckled before admitting, “Yeah, losing’s painful. I don’t care who it is and I don’t really care what the schedule is, we’ve been on the court 20 times and we’ve lost 13.”

* Before the game I asked Stephen Graham if tonight involved bragging rights over his twin Joey. He burst into an ear-to-ear grin before telling me, “We’ve got a little. I think throughout the last four years I’m up two games on him. Hopefully tonight we can continue the series with a win tonight.”

* Andrea Bargnani subbed in for Jermaine O’Neal at the 10:55 mark of the first quarter due to O’Neal picking up two quick fouls. After the game O’Neal told the media, “Picking up two fouls in the first minute and a half, I was sitting there thinking I couldn’t pick a worse case scenario to play against my former team. But overall the guys played very well and they stuck with the game plan and we finally got a win.”

* Both teams combined to start the game shooting an abysmal 5-18 from the field. Things didn’t get better for Indiana as they finished the first quarter shooting 6-25 from the field. Ouch! Indiana turned things around in a hurry as they opened the second quarter shooting a sizzling 6-9 from the field to open the quarter. The hot streak allowed Indiana to claim the lead at 35-33.

* Anthony Parker was a last minute scratch with a sprained left ankle. Jason Kapono got the starting nod and he responded in a big way for the Raptors tonight. In the first half Kapono went 7-9 from the field for a team high 15 points while snagging 5 boards. He finished the game with a game high 25 points while shooting 11-16 from the field while snagging eight rebounds.

* New Raptors head coach Jay Triano was asked about what Jason Kapono brought to the game tonight and he told the media, “He’s crafty. I think it’s because he’s such a good shooter that it sets up everyone else. He’s out (on the perimeter), they pressure him and he’s able to turn the corner and make someone else play him because he’s got a nice floater in his game. He did a great job of creating for everybody and when he gets it going we just know to find a way to get him the basketball.”

* Triano was asked if Kapono could keep his starting spot once Anthony Parker returns and he was candid in telling the media, “If something’s going (well) I think we’ll keep it going. At the same time, AP probably needs a bit of a break. From the guys he’s had to guard and the minutes he’s had to log… if it means we start him and bring JK in earlier, I honestly don’t think it matters to these guys if you’re on the floor at the beginning of the game. It’s about who’s on the floor late in games.”

* The flattery went both ways. After the game Kapono was asked if his new head coaches style suits him better and he told the media, “Jay (Triano), in his playing and coaching days, used a lot of pin-downs, screens and motion type of plays. That has always been my best game. I try to read the screens and be able to use my knowledge of the game versus my quickness, which I don’t have.”

* Kapono was asked how important it was to not let Indiana go on a run late in the game and he told the reporter, “It was huge for us. They are such a quick hitting team; they shoot a lot of three’s, they make a lot of three’s and they push the ball. They are tough to guard because they like to push it. We just wanted to clamp down, clog the paint and force them to take tougher shots and fortunately they missed a couple”

* Coach Triano was asked for his thoughts on his first win as an NBA head coach and he told the media, “I’m really happy for our guys because they have tried to adjust and make changes to what they have been doing and I think we are slowly getting there. It wasn’t perfect again tonight but at least we had a system tonight and guys are rewarded with it. Hopefully it translates into them wanting to buy into it even more.”

* Later in his postgame press conference Triano told the media, “I think we’ve been taking steps in the right direction. We had good intensity throughout the game and we got a lot of (good) performances from different guys. I’m happy to get the win for the guys in the locker room who have had to put up with the change over the last week.”

* Jermaine O’Neal presented Coach Triano with the game ball tonight and boasted to the media afterwards, “It was a well deserved game for coach. He was in a tough situation where he was trying to change some things that we were doing and he didn’t have very much practice time. But he kept at it (and) he has been extremely positive with the team and it was well deserved.”

* When Coach Triano was asked why he decided to switch Andrea Bargnani out of the starting line-up in favour of Jamario Moon, he told the media, “It happened in Cleveland when I thought we were a little lethargic in chasing the basketball off the defensive glass. When the second group went in last night, Jamario (Moon) was one of the guys that seemed to be tracking the ball. A guy who will go and get it. He goes and gets the ball, he chases balls and he brings us a little bit of energy. He doesn’t demand the ball at the offensive end and I think, for now, Andrea (Bargnani) coming off the bench will be a plus because he will be able to score a little easier.”

* The move paid off in a big way tonight as Moon stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, eight boards, three swats and two steals. When asked to talk about the spark he provided tonight, Jamario Moon was all smiles when he told the media, “Coach came to me and told me he wanted me to be as aggressive as I could be guarding Danny Granger. From the start of the game I wanted to come out and get into him and try to bring some energy to my teammates.”

* Speaking of energy, Moon did just that in the third quarter when he soared through the air for an impressive dunk where he elevated so high that his head was above the rim. I asked him about this after the game and he joked with me “Hey man, they just said to go and try to get every rebound you can get. My man turned his head and I saw a free opportunity to get a rebound for a change. This year the rebounds haven’t been falling into my hands as much so it was one of those free opportunities and I took advantage of it.”

* It was over 24 hours after being blown out in Cleveland and O’Neal was still bitter about the loss. After the game tonight O’Neal vented to the media, “If we don’t play defense we don’t have a shot on any given night. I don’t care who we play against. We have to do a better job of putting our will on teams and guarding our man. You’re going to get help anyway -  it’s just the way defenses are set – you just can’t let you’re man flat out beat you. Whether it’s the perimeter or the post, you’ve got to do your job as a professional athlete and take it personal. And more than anything, you’ve got to play with pride. Being blown out by 20 and having to sit down for the final two quarters on the bench when the game is out of hand is hurtful.”

* O’Neal may not speak glowingly of his time in Indiana but it’s clear there are a lot of people he respects from his time there. One of those people is Sam Perkins who spent some time chatting with O’Neal in the Raptors locker room following the game.

* After the game Chris Bosh was asked if it was weird to play against T.J. Ford tonight and he chuckled before responding, “Naw, I’ve played against him (before). As long as I’ve know him he’s only been on the same team as me for two years. That goes back to high school, AAU and all that stuff. So it was like old times.”

* Thanks for reading my Game Notes for the game this evening! Make sure you check back on December 14th  for my Games Notes for the game between Toronto and New Orleans.

Photo Credit: Chris Creamer’s Sports Logos

*  For every game I’ve covered so far at the Air Canada Centre, visiting coaches have either conducted the pregame media session outside the locker room or courtside so it came as a surprise to be shown into the back coaches room tonight for Mike Woodson’s pregame media availability. It made me feel better when the other writers I was with were surprised and the looks on the faces of Hawks players as we walked through the training room was priceless.

* Chris Bosh didn’t get to the arena tonight until 6:15 because he was stuck in the elevator at his condo for 50 minutes. “At first I was cool,” Bosh joked with the media after the game. “You know how it’s cracked open a bit? I could see out a bit but my superhuman strength wasn’t working today.”

* During Coach Woodson’s pregame media availability I asked if it was tough to see his teams strong start stall due to injuries and he told me, “No, it’s not frustrating. Injuries are a part of our sport, it’s just a case of how you survive it. We’ve been maintaining not having Josh (Smith). He’s only played three games for us and he’s a big part of what we do. Joe’s been nursing some nicks and bruises, but it’s a part of it, man. We’ve just got to continue to work and take it one game at a time and see what happens.”

* One of my favourite players to watch on the Hawks is second year point guard Acie Law IV. This year he’s fighting for minutes behind Mike Bibby and Flip Murry and when he’s on the court he’s responding in a big way  like he did earlier this week against Cleveland with career highs in points (20), assists (7) and rebounds (6) in just over 22 minutes of burn. I talked with Coach Woodson about Law’s progression since his rookie season and he told me, “He had a great camp and exhibition season, but then once we started (the regular season) it’s tough to play three point guards. That’s what I’ve been trying to do and you can’t give three point guards 30 minutes. So, my thing for all these guys is when you’re called on to play, you’ve got to respond and be ready to go. It might be Acie Law’s night one night and it might be Flip Murray’s the next. The bottom line is when you’re called up you’ve better be ready to play.”

* I was able to chat with Mike Bibby before the game about what aspect of taking part in training camp this year helped him the most and he told me, “I’m in shape. I didn’t get to practice last year and it’s tough playing at this level with no practice. Especially with a new group of guys. Playing out of shape and trying to catch your breath is tough.”

* Before the game Sam Mitchell was practically gushing about the play of Joe Johnson so far this season. When asked for his thoughts on the Hawks franchise player, Mitchell boasted, “People don’t talk about him much when you have guys like Kobe (Bryant), LeBron (James) and Dwyane Wade grabbing headlines, but there’s not a coach in the league that wouldn’t take Joe Johnson. He’s probably not as flashy as those three guys, but he’s just as effective.”

* Johnson still appears slowed by his foot and lacked his normal explosive first step tonight. There was one play early in the first quarter where he could have blown by a Raptor defender but instead the help defense was able to swing over and alter his shot – something that hasn’t happened in recent meetings between these two teams – before missing his shot. Johnson finished with 18 points and seven assists but it’s clear he’s battling through injuries that are limiting his effectiveness.

* Heading into the game Atlanta had four rotation players – Al Horford (64.6%), Acie Law IV (61.9%), Josh Smith (57.1%) and Zaza Pachulia (64.9%) – shooting less than 65% from the charity stripe. Even worse is that as a team the Hawks are only shooting 73.7% from the charity stripe which pales to the 83.8% that Toronto is shooting. Tonight Atlanta flipped things around by shooting 90% from the line (9-10) which helped them stay in the game.

* Atlanta started the game ice cold from the field shooting 7-for-21 from the field in the first quarter. The only Hawk shooting the ball well was Mike Bibby who was 3-4 from the field for seven points.

* Tonight it was interesting to be sitting next to the TSN crew of Leo Rautins and James Cybulski and seeing them film their segments.

* It drives me nuts whenever a team is called for an non-unsportsmanlike technical. Why can’t they just call it a sportsmanlike technical? It’s easier to say and it’s not a double-negative.

* Mental mistakes by Atlanta doomed the team tonight. During the first half alone they fouled Chris Bosh with one second left in the shot clock, allowed Andrea Bargnani to get and easy dunk because they failed to pick him up in transition and coughed up the ball eight times. Watching his Hawks play tonight would be enough to make Coach Woodson pull his hair out if he hadn’t shave it all off last season.

* Atlanta finished the game with 15 turnovers while dishing out 23 assists. At one point late in the first half Atlanta nearly has a many turnovers (8) and field goal attempts (11). Ouch! Contrast that with Toronto who had nine turnovers and 26 assists and you’ll see one of the big reasons Toronto pulled out the win.

* When Will Solomon entered the game at the 1:37 mark of the third quarter Toronto was down 65-63, but by the time Jose Calderon checked back into the game at the 7:22 mark of the fourth quarter Toronto had surged head 82-71. This was part of a 14-6 run Toronto went on to end the third quarter and 19-6 run while Calderon was on the bench.

* After the game I asked Sam Mitchell about Solomon’s big play tonight and he told me, “We just wanted to continue to push the ball and we felt that Will (Solomon) could get into the seams and score a couple of baskets. We were looking for some more people to give us some more offense and Joey (Graham) gave us some more offense, Jason (Kapono did as well), we know Will can score. It just puts pressure on the defense because they know they’re going to shoot the basketball.”

* Solomon was asked in the locker room about the spark he provided the team during the run and he burst into an ear-to-ear grin while telling the reporter, “I just wanted to come into the game and pick the guys up with my energy. When I came in guys were making shots and we were making plays and that was enough to keep us up by nine or 10 points. Like I said, I just want to bring some energy and be defensive minded and stop the opposing guards. If that’s something I need to do to get on the floor (then) it’s what I’m going to do.”

* Joey Graham had two rim-rocking dunks tonight and finished with 11 points while shooting an impressive 5-for-10 from the floor. The Air Canada Centre crowd erupted midway through the fourth quarter into a rowdy cheer for his performance over the past two games. While some fans in the lower bowl quickly lost interest, fans in the upper balcony continued chanting Graham’s last name. After the game Graham  talked about his growing confidence and when he was asked if he heard the crowd chanting his name he told the reporter, “I did and it sounded really good.”

* I asked Graham if the two dunks helped build his confidence he laughed and told me, “Anything helps. It gets the crowd into, the team gets confident and I definitely get confident.” When asked by another reporter about the facial he provided on the second dunk, Graham boasted, “I’m really good friends with him and we have the same agent. He’s going to be hearing about that for a while. When we were on the court he was asking if I was trying to dunk on his head and I told him, yeah.”

* After the game Bosh was asked if his feelings were hurt when the crowd changed Graham’s name and not his and the Raptors franchise player burst into a laugh so loud I’m sure people outside the locker room still heard. When Bosh regained his composure he told the media, “I love it, man. I think that’s awesome. I think people are realizing how hard people are working and when guys are just rolling. Especially with Joey, he’s on a roll right now and playing well. He’s doing a lot of the little things and we want him to keep it up.”

* Mitchell was also asked about his thoughts on the crowd chanting Graham’s name and after a brief chuckle he told the reporter, “You’ve got to understand that when guys are playing well fans have a short memory. Hometown fans, they want players to do well. Nobody pays good money to come to a game to boo and be disappointed, they want to cheer for the home team. This is the second game that Joey’s been using his athleticism and running. He’s playing with confidence and that’s a good thing. He’s been through hell and some tough stretches but he’s kept working. When you’re in professional sports it’s tough to go out and expose yourself in front of thousands or even millions of people on any given night. It takes a certain mentality to do that and it takes even a tougher mentality when you struggle. Trust me, when you’re playing good, you don’t hear anything. But when you’re playing bad, you hear every little thing. It was just nice (tonight) and we really appreciate the fans getting behind Joey.”

* Jamario Moon took some friendly ribbing after the game from teammates and team personnel for strutting out of the locker room in a slick suit.

* Walking into the Raptors locker room tonight it was clear Andrea Bargnani was frustrated with what transpired tonight. Due to early foul trouble – he picked up his fourth by the third quarter – he was unable to get into a groove and finished with seven points and four rebounds in just 23 minutes of burn. The dejected Bargnani had a black towel draped over his head and grumpily ripped the ice bags off his legs before rolling the bags across the room.

* One of the other big parts of the win for the Raptors was Jason Kapono’s big game after not shooting much the previous three games. During the Raptors previous three games he only attempted five shots in total and in one game failed to attempt a field goal. Tonight he shook free to go 6-for-10 from the field and was second on the team in scoring with 16 points in just under 22 minutes of burn. After the game Mitchell raved about Kapono’s play and told the media, “We tried to run some sets for him and we just kept telling him he’s got to shoot. We just keep reminding him that when his mans hands are down and he’s open, he’s got to shoot it. He came out tonight and he was aggressive (and) we needed that.”

* Thanks for reading my Game Notes for the game this evening! Make sure you check back on December 10th  for my Games Notes for the game between Toronto and Indiana.

Photo Credit: Chris Creamer’s Sports Logo

* I walked into Charlotte’s locker room before the game and was impressed to see Gerald Wallace, Raymond Felton and Shannon Brown watching game tape of the Toronto’s game against New Jersey. It wasn’t just a case of guys staring at the screen, they were talking about the plays being run and genuinely dissecting what they were seeing.

* Listening to Jermaine O’Neal talk before the game tonight it became clear the work he does with charities is an important part of his life. He talked with reporters about a Christmas event he hosted last weekend where he spent over $30,000 of his own money on sporting goods for local kids and the grin on his face stretched from ear-to-ear. It wasn’t just a monetary contribution, he spent a lot of time with the kids and genuinely enjoyed the experience. This is something he’s done on Indiana and South Carolina the past few years and it sounds like something he’ll do again next year in Toronto.

* Gerald Wallace lost a contact lens just before the 8:00 mark of the first quarter which resulted in Charlotte calling a quick timeout. It took the trainers some time to get this sorted out and Wallace didn’t come back until the 7:19 mark. Losing a contact lens didn’t prevent him from seeing the net as Wallace as he scored 11 of Charlotte’s first 15 points while going a sizzling 3-4 from the field and 5-7 from the charity stripe. Wallace finished with a team high 23 points and it looked like he took great pleasure in lighting up former high school nemesis Jamario Moon.

* Not willing to be shown up on his court, Chris Bosh started the game a sizzling 8-8 from the field and 4-4 from the charity stripe while scoring 20 of Toronto’s first 32 points. Also noteworthy is the fact Bosh scored his 20th point of the night by the 6:49 mark of the second quarter. Bosh finished the first half with 24 points while shooting 9-10 from the field and 6-6 from the free throw line.

* You’d think that after such a hot shooting half Bosh would be casual getting ready for the second half, right? Not a chance. Bosh was the first player on the court in the second half shooting and getting loose.

* After the game Bosh was asked about scoring a game high 39 points and he laughed before responding, “I’m glad I didn’t get one more point because each time I do we lose.”

* Larry Brown was asked about the strong play of Chris Bosh tonight and he smirked before telling the reporter, “I thought down the stretch Emeka (Okafur) guarded him about as well as you can. He was having one of those games. He got a bounce in the first half after he made seven in a row. It looked like God took care of him. And then that lob play I thought the ball was almost thrown out of the gym and he just sort of guided it. I told my bench that I think I’ve seen him have a lot of great games but this was one of the special games.”

* Someone whose confidence is slowly growing is Roko Ukic’s. Tonight he flicked Bosh a great pass for a nasty alley-oop that got the crowd fired up and on the Raptors next possession he hit a floater in the lane. Ukic didn’t have impressive stats – two points and three dimes in just over eight minutes of burn – but he’s looking more confident and he’s not turning the ball over. I was able to chat with Ukic and Sam Mitchell before the game and I’ll have a feature up on the Raptors back-up point guard’s growing confidence and increased production posted by this weekend.

* Sean May had a great first quarter with a slick pass to Gerald Wallace for an easy deuce and a couple possessions later he nailed a 23-foot jumper. He finished with four points and one steal in just over 11 minutes of burn and looks to finally be getting his conditioning back. After the game May was asked about getting some more burn tonight and he told the reporter, “It felt good to get back out there. It’s just taken me awhile to get my legs back and get a feel for how coach wants me to play. I’ve just got to stop worrying about what he wants and got out there and play.”

* Charlotte’s ball movement in the first quarter was impressive as they were taking a page out of Toronto’s playbook by swinging the ball and making the extra pass to get a great shot instead of a good shot. Charlotte had seven dimes on their first seven field goals but things fell apart as the game progressed and the team finished with 21 assists but 14 turnovers.

* Chris Bosh played the first 23 minutes in the first half and didn’t rest until the final 53.3 seconds.

* Toronto finished the first half on an 8-0 run to head into the half with a 51-46 advantage. Guess who scored six of those points? Joey Graham. Toronto’s seldom used forward had a great first half with eight points and three rebounds in six minutes of burn. Just as impressive as his contributions on the offensive end was the job je did guarding Gerald Wallace.

* Another sign of Andrea Bargnani’s overall development this season has been the improvements he’s showing on the defensive end. In the first half he drew the charge on Matt Carroll and with 1:25 left in the game and Toronto up five, Bargnani once again stepped up and drew a charge on Raymond Felton. Last year he would have been torched for a lay-up or gotten called for the foul, but this year he’s getting to his spot in time.  After the game Bosh boasted about Bargnani’s play on the defensive end by saying, “When Andrea puts the effort on the defensive end he can play. He can defend guys. He was in the right spots and he was talking a lot. We need that. When the two big guys are talking it gets everybody into it.”

* Here’s a random fact about the game tonight to impress you: The Raptors shot exactly 50% from the field in each quarter tonight.

* 17 points from Joey Graham represents a personal best since he scored 19 against the Knicks on April 15, 2007. Tonight Graham scored his points in impressive fashion as he was 6-8 from the field and 5-5 from the free throw line.

* Jared Dudley was asked about why Toronto was able to pull this game out down the stretch and he told the reporter, “This team has been through, what, four or five new coaches in four or five years, so we have a new coach in Coach Brown who demands so much out of you, he’s coming with a new philosophy offensively and defensively, plus we’re still trying to gel. Jason Richardson is out with an injury. So right now we’re just trying to work on getting better.”

* Thanks for reading my Game Notes for the game this evening! Make sure you check back Friday for my Games Notes for the game between Toronto and Atlanta.

Photo Credit: Chris Creamer’s Sports Logo

* Before the game the media room was still buzzing about what went down Friday. I’ve spent all weekend heralding Friday’s game as the best I’ve ever witnessed and it appears most of the media who covered the game think just as highly about the game.

* Yesterday afternoon the Raptors PR team sent me a press release stating, “Jermaine O’Neal sustained a strained left knee at the 11:37 mark of the fourth quarter during Friday’s game versus New Jersey. O’Neal had medical images taken of the knee Friday night that revealed no structural damage. His status is listed as day-to-day.” Less than a hour before the game Sam Mitchell didn’t know the status of O’Neal and it wasn’t until shortly before the opening tip that it was announced O’Neal would start today against Boston. O’Neal was given the loudest ovation of the day when it was announced he would be suiting up but unfortunately his return to the court was short lived. At the 7:29 mark of the second quarter O’Neal collapsed to the floor clutching his left knee and at the next stop in play he was subbed out of the game at the 7:17 mark. O’Neal was in noticeable pain and discomfort and I was given a press release in the third quarter telling us O’Neal would not return today due to a strained left knee.

* During Sam Mitchell’s pregame media availability he told us if O’Neal didn’t play Jamario Moon would temporarily return to the Raptors starting five. This announcement isn’t a surprise because Moon has been  playing some solid ball while giving the team a spark off the bench since he was removed from the starting five. This afternoon was no different as Moon played some gritty defense against Paul Pierce and finished the game with nine points, two rebounds, one block and two steals. Not bad for a guy who only got 19 minutes of burn.

* A big topic around Toronto has been the way Kevin Garnett was “vocal” around Jose Calderon during a game earlier this month. Before the game Doc Rivers was asked about this exchange and told the media, “It’s just who he is. He plays with a great amount of emotion and intensity. He’s not doing it to show anyone up and he’s not doing it to embarrass anyone. I’ve never had a problem with him, I’ve had a problem players who do it because they know the cameras are on. That’s the trash talking and crap I’ve never liked. Kevin, especially if you know him and come to our practices, just does it. That’s who he is. He’s into the game. I wish every player from every team was into the game like that because we would enjoy it more. He doesn’t do it to embarrass anyone and the fine line I guess is you could get a taunting foul and a tech. That could happen and then obviously I would have to add scale him back but I think the officials know the difference between taunting and intensity.”

* Doc Rivers provided some great insight into what it’s like to play a season as NBA Champions when he told the media, “It’s clearly not the same mountain. We’ve climbed the mountain to win it, climbing the mountain to repeat you almost have to make it a different mountain. It’s a different challenge. You can’t go down the same path because it’s different. Every night teams are fired up to play you and that’s exhausting. We’ve found ourselves behind in numerous games and we’ve won six of those games and it’s just a different beast.”

* Rivers joked about the early part of the season being a Trophy Tour and the team had to get past that mentality.

* Rivers talked about how the loss of James Posey is effecting his team by saying, “We’re not going to replace Posey. We can’t. He’s done certain things that we’ve lost and we’re not going to get it back, but as a collective group our bench can be better than last year. I think their proving that because our bench has been absolutely fantastic this year. We may be around .500 without our bench because they’ve bailed us out of at least six games this season. We just got to keep them staying and playing within themselves.”

* Rivers addressed the deals the Knicks made this weekend by saying, “I guess it gives them cap room but coaches don’t care about that because they’re trying to coach now. They aren’t worried about having room in 2040, that doesn’t do a whole lot for that coach. Having said that, it looks like they still did a pretty good job of getting players while clearing cap room. It’s pretty good when you’re able to do that.”

* Rivers joked with the media before the game about being excited to watch the debut of 24 tonight.

* Before the game Sam Mitchell talked about how Will Solomon has been given a “block” of games to open the season as the back-up point guard but shortly Roko Ukic will be given the same opportunity. Turns out today was the day as Ukic was given 19 minutes of burn and contributed seven points, four dimes and two steals. Ukic did a solid job with his playing time in the first half as he helped pull Toronto back to within four points early in the second quarter after they were down 16 in the first quarter. His strong play continued early in the third quarter as Ukic had steals on back-to-back possessions and was able to convert those into five points.

* Boston jumped out to a 10-0 advantage due to Toronto going 0-6 from the field to open the game.

* Andrea Bargnani did a great job of legally clearing space against Paul Pierce by using his elbows. It might look like a dirty move at first glance, but the offensive player is entitled to his space and it provided Bargnani with a chance to get off his shot or take Pierce off the dribble. On the other end of the floor, Bargnani did a great job of pressuring Pierce and preventing him from getting open looks in the first quarter. Overall it was another solid game by Bargnani who finished with 14 points, seven boards and three dimes.

* Midway through the first quarter Rajon Rondo blew by Jose Calderon and then split the rest of the Raptors defenders for an easy lay-up. A couple minutes later Rondo tried a similar move coming in from the wing but Chris Bosh swatted the shot into the first row of seats. Calderon has been beaten off the dribble a lot lately and I’m not sure why he didn’t sag off Rondo until he showed he could consistently hit a perimeter shot.

* Eddie House may be known for his shooting but I was really impressed with his defensive effort today. He was shuffling his feet and was on Ukic or Calderon’s hip the entire time either player was out on the court.

* Don’t tell the Celtics this is just another meaningless game in November. The current champs were up 14 points with less than four minutes to go until the half and the entire bench was on their feet cheering on a Tony Allen drive to the basket. It’s this kind of passion and intensity which has resulted in the team jumping out to a 13-2 record to start the season.

* Boston shot a sizzling 22-38 (57.9%) from the field in the first half while going 6-9 (66.7%) from beyond the arc.

* Toronto looked stunned at the start of the second half as they allowed Boston to score five points in the first 40 seconds.

* Something that’s sure to concern Sam Mitchell is the fact Jason Kapono was given almost 12 minutes of burn but failed to attempt a field goal.

*  This marks the second game in a row that Boston’s starters have taken the fourth quarter off due to blowout wins. Even without their starters in the game Boston held most of their advantage as Toronto’s starters only managed to outscore Boston’s reserves 30-22.

* After the game Rivers praised the tempo Rajon Rondo was able to set and boasted that, “It’s nice getting your offense at 19 instead of 11. When there’s 11 seconds on the clock it’s tough to run anything. Most of the year we’ve walked the ball up the floor and we weren’t in a hurry. I think we have such a confidence, but that’s why you’re scoring 90 points per game.”

* I asked Rivers about how important it is to rest his starters for fourth quarter for the second straight game. He briefly paused before telling me, “It’s huge, especially since this is, what, our 15th game? A lot of teams have played 12. We’ve gone through five back-to-backs already and we have 11 left for the rest of the year. It’s amazing and any time we can rest our starters it’s a good thing.”

* Rivers joked with the media about Kendrick Perkins trying to calm Leon Powe down because, “It’s ironic when Perk calms down anyone because clearly no one is getting to him.” Rivers may have cracked a joked but the subject clearly isn’t a joking matter. Today Perkins picked up his eighth technical on the season and he’s close to getting disciplined by the league.

* When doing research and preparing for this game an invaluable resource was CelticsBlog. If you’re a Celtics fan or just want the latest scoop on the team, make sure you visit CelticsBlog for all your Celtics news.

* Thanks for reading my Game Notes for the game this afternoon! Make sure you check back on Wednesday for my Games Notes for the game between Toronto and Charlotte.

Photo Credit: Chris Creamer’s Sports Logo

* Before the game I spent some time in the Nets locker room and I was really impressed with how Jarvis Hayes conducted himself. He made himself available for any member of the media who wanted his time, he didn’t give “bland” answers to questions and he was courteous when waiting for the trainer to stretch him out before the game. With a young team like the Nets it’s important that they have classy vets like this to mentor their younger players about what it means to be a professional and Hayes fills that role to perfection.

* Nikki Reyes was interviewing Brook Lopez before the game and it was painfully obvious the big fella was smitten.

* I don’t understand why Devin Harris didn’t punish Jose Calderon off the dribble all night. In the first quarter Harris was able to get anywhere on the court and was leaving Calderon in his dust. However, in an attempt to facilitate the Nets offense and get his teammates open looks, he’d beat Calderon off the dribble and then pass the ball to an open teammate. I’m sure Coach Frank wants Harris distributing the ball but I can’t help feel the Nets would have been better served letting Harris attack the rim. Then, when the Raptors post defense starting helping out, Harris could have dumped the ball down low to a big for an easy dunk.

* When Jermaine O’Neal hit the floor early in the fourth quarter you could feel the air sucked out of the Air Canada Centre. Sean Williams was hit with a technical foul and Lawrence Frank immediately raced towards the referee standing near mid-court to argue the call to no avail. After watching the replay it’s clear it was the right call by the officials and it will be interesting to see what the NBA has to say about the play. A couple minutes later O’Neal found his way to his feet and the crowd went nuts to see their star player walk back to the Raptors bench without any help from the Raptors training staff. O’Neal’s time on his feet was short lived as he stayed in the game to shoot his two free throws – which he had a trouble shooting because he could barely bend his knees – and then retreated to locker room to undergo tests on his knee.

* Vince Carter was red hot through the first three quarters of the game but went ice cold after sitting on the bench early in the fourth quarter. In true Carter fashion the cold streak didn’t last long as he hit the three-pointer to force the game into overtime and then threw down a dunk to win the game for New Jersey in the dying seconds of overtime.

* When Carter was asked to explain his three-pointer that forced the game into overtime, he broke into a huge grin while explaining, “I approached it as if it was a normal shot in the second quarter or with three minutes left in the game. I wanted to get my feet set, I didn’t want to shoot it any different than I would shoot it any other time. It went down and about midway I said (to myself) this is going in.”

* Carter was clearly in a great mood after the big win and he boasted about the game winning dunk, “I don’t care if you’re a young man trying to learn how to dunk or (how to) catch an alley-oop, that would be the pass. It was that perfect.”

* Coach Frank, Carter and Harris all gave props to Bobby Simmons after the game for the alley-oop he threw to Carter to ice the win.

* When Harris was asked to explain Carter’s performance he burst into an ear-to-ear grin before exclaiming, “Incredible. Just incredible. He’s been doing that his whole career but I’ve never seen it first hand so I was out there watching just like everybody else. I wanted to do the motorcycle, too!”

* After the game a jovial Lawrence Frank couldn’t hold back a smile when he joked with the media, “That was fun, wasn’t it?”

* Besides the dunk by Vince Carter to seal the win in overtime, the big buzz surrounding the Nets was Devin Harris coming back in the fourth quarter after being nauseous in the locker room. Frank addressed this after the game when he told Hoops Addict, “Devin was great. He vomited, that’s why he had to leave in the third quarter, but he came back and showed great grit for us. He’s really had a good start of the year for us.”

* Harris shrugged off his trip to the locker room and told the media, “I knew I was coming back. I got those fluids up out of me, felt great and came back (into the game).”

* What’s amazing about Harris’ performance is that he scored 23 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and overtime.

* Harris was asked about the nasty reception Carter was given all night and he chuckled before responding, “That’s just part of pro sports.”

* Carter also downplayed the negative feedback from the Air Canada Centre fans by joking, “I know, deep down, this is sports and this is what happens. I root for my team and I’m a terrible fan, also.”

* Honestly, the booing of Carter has gotten old and downright annoying. It’s become a joke among members of the media and it’s clearly time for Raptors fans to move on. Carter is handling things with class and integrity and it’s about time fans do the same.

* In the three games since he’s been inserted into the starting line-up, Andrea Bargnani has averaged 14.0 points on .472 shooting (4-10 from beyond the arc). Tonight he stepped things up with his first double-double of the season with 29 points, 10 rebounds and two dimes.

* Brook Lopez had his first double-double in the NBA on Tuesday against the Cavaliers with 15 points and 13 rebounds. This game wasn’t a one game blip as the talented rookie has shown flashes of brilliance when given the starting nod and was averaging 15.6 points and 9.6 rebounds though his first three starts. Lopez continued his strong play of late with 14 points and six rebounds tonight.

* Devin Harris is averaging 11 free throws per game despite playing through most of the season with a sore ankle. Equally impressive that a vertically challenge point guard is driving the lane so much is the fact he’s hitting 88.3% (68-77) from the charity stripe. Tonight was no different as he went 10-12 from the line.

* Ryan Anderson scored 15 points while going 3-3 from beyond the arc in a recent game against Atlanta. The second round pick is having a successful rookie season which saw him leading the NBA in three-point shooting percentage at one point last week and entered tonight’s game shooting 62.5% from beyond the arc (10-16). I’m worried I might have jinxed him before the game as he went 0-2 from beyond the arc and finished with just seven points.

* New Jersey is last in the league in three-point percentage allowed (.429) but allowed Toronto to 47.8% (11-23) from beyond the arc tonight.

* Hat tip to the Raptors PR team for the following facts: New Jersey’s 18-point comeback is the sixth largest by a Raptors opponent in franchise history… 126 points is the third highest total in team history… Toronto set season highs for point (129), free throws made (32), three-point field goals made (11) and points in a regulation-time half (61)… Toronto had two turnovers in the first half and 12 in the second half… Chris Bosh had a career-high tying 42 points…

* Ball In Europe is reporting that “the global financial crisis has a direct effect on the Russian basketball now.” They explained this further by reporting, “CSKA Moscow, Dinamo, Khimki, Triumph and CSK VVS don’t pay their salaries right now. CSKA and Dynamo just go long delays. In Khimki’s and Triumph it is much worse. The women’s team of  CSKA is on the edge of bankruptcy. Its main sponsor sold his business and the new owner does not want to have any relationship with the club. But that does not mean that CSKA will have any problems with the players. There is a delay of the payments more than a month. Vatutin, CSKA’s CEO,  said that there are difficulties, but the main sponsor of the team Norilsk Nickel assured that they would continue to fully meet its financial obligations. It is not clear why CSKA has problems, because Norilsk Nickel stocks did not fall significantly for the year.” Former Raptors guard Carlos Delfino and former Nets big man Nenad Krstic are currently playing Russia and it will be interesting to see how things play out for them financially.

Photo Credit: ICON Sports Media