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Raptors point guard T.J. Ford said yesterday that he is pain-free and will return to action sometime this season, adding that he will sit down with team officials within the next week or two to discuss his eventual return.

"I would be greatly disappointed if I'm not in every year," Bosh said yesterday, following the Raptors practice at the Air Canada Centre. "That's definitely one of the goals I set coming into every season."

The Pistons have the second-best record in the NBA (25-7) and have won 10 straight games, including a 106-93 triumph in Washington on Wednesday night. They have only lost two at home, but are also a stellar 12-5 on the road -- one of only two teams in the NBA (Celtics) with 10 wins at home and on the road.

"I'm sure that has something to do with it," Mitchell said when asked if he believes the Pistons are out to prove that they, not the Celtics, are still the Beasts of the East. "But those guys are all professionals. They play well, they play hard, they understand the game ... they're just good. I don't know what else you can say.

"They've played together for a long time. They know each other, they're smart and they're playing as well as anyone. And they've beaten Boston on their court and they're the only team to do that. They're just tough. They have no weaknesses."

"I don't want Juan to be like Jose," coach Sam Mitchell said. "With T.J. and Jose we were combining for 25 points and 15-18 rebounds. Jose is still going to score his 12 points, but I still want Juan to score.

"I want my point guards to be different. Hey, if you play for me, you can't be afraid to shoot ... and Juan is not afraid to shoot. It's not the turnovers I'm worried about (with Dixon at the point). It's making smart plays and not taking chances."

Winning would go a long way to boosting the Raptors' confidence, but keeping the score close might be a challenge. The Pistons' average margin of victory during the streak is an impressive 16.8 points a game.

Garnett has 1,527,963 votes to lead all players, while James has 1,294,019. Bosh, who was voted a starter on the Eastern Conference team for the first time last season, has 411,313.

"I'm feeling good. My body has recovered all the way and I'm not having any symptoms," Ford said. "I'm not waking up sore anymore and I'm not having pain throughout the day.

"Before Dwight Howard and I became good friends. I thought he was a jerk and he thought I was mean," Bosh said of the image players often give off on the court. "Tyson Chandler, I thought he was just a mean guy. But they're actually great guys. You just see this intense figure trying to win basketball games, playing hard and playing tough, you tend to forget that they have a personality.

Dub_P wrote:Sunshine Girl straight outta Keswick

Nia wrote:

"Before Dwight Howard and I became good friends. I thought he was a jerk and he thought I was mean," Bosh said of the image players often give off on the court. "Tyson Chandler, I thought he was just a mean guy. But they're actually great guys. You just see this intense figure trying to win basketball games, playing hard and playing tough, you tend to forget that they have a personality.

I thought that was interesting to find out about what CB & D12 thought about each before they became friends.

bill russell wrote:i don't know about keswick. she looks more sudbury to me. thanks for the papers

deknow wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



Sudbury has some of the ugliest women I've EVER seen!

deknow wrote:-= original quote snipped =-


Sudbury has some of the ugliest women I've EVER seen!