Bosh holds court
At the centre of this 106-75 win was Bosh, who demanded double teams and whose baseline jumper is among the most lethal in the NBA.
Throw in Jose Calderon's continued emergence as an elite point guard and Milwaukee wrapping up a gruelling stretch of playing four games in five nights and you could see why last night's exercise became a rout in the second half.
No buyout for Damon
According to some yesterday, the Grizzlies are no longer prepared to shell out the $4.5 million US needed to set Stoudamire free for any would-be suitor.
The change, it would appear, puts more onus on the Raptors to explore the trade market as the NBA trade deadline approaches on Feb. 23.
The Star
Raptors tame Bucks
For 12 minutes they were as good as maybe they can be, pesky and dominant on defence, selective and successful on offence, a performance at both ends of the floor that had coaches smiling and starters resting for the final minutes.
And when the Raptors had put the finishing touches on a Friday Night Laugher, a 106-75 rout of the weary Milwaukee Bucks, Sam Mitchell could not single out one guy over another, or praise one Raptor without naming someone else.
Season's struggle continues for erratic Bargnani
The struggle continued most of last night. Bargnani got lost on defence. He took ill-advised shots. But he had his moments. He finally made a three-pointer with that smooth-wristed release, and then another, and you were reminded why the Raptors will have no end of patience with him. Shooters with his size, in a long-ball-loving league, are enviable assets
"Why don't we have the patience? I don't expect y'all (in the media) to. But we, who are in charge, are supposed to have the patience to understand that that's the process that some young players (require)," said the coach. "(The struggle) makes you dig deeper. You learn something about yourself. And then when you come out of it, you're kind of proud of yourself ... That's a good thing for a young player."
The Globe
Raptors on a roll
We're improving on that," Raptors forward Chris Bosh said. "In the past, we might have still been thinking about [Wednesday's game in] Boston and we'd come across a team and be like, 'Ah, well, let's play.' And we'd get smoked, we'd get beat by underestimating somebody.
"But we did a good job of coming out and being mentally sharp. We deserved everything we got tonight because we worked for it."
The Post
Bosh make Bucks look like roadkill
With the Air Canada Centre faithful in full-celebration mode with 12 minutes still left to play, Toronto Raptors coach Sam Mitchell walked over to his star, who was sitting on the scorers' table looking at the crowd.
"Why don't you f------ do something tonight?" Mitchell playfully asked Chris Bosh.
Knowing what he had already given his coach, Bosh could only smile at the ridiculousness of the question.
SI.com
5 scenes in 24 hours with the Toronto Raptors
When the valet brought up my old gray Volvo S-40, it looked no bigger than one of those toy cars the NBA mascots drive around the court during the timeouts. Gherardini, his friend Dennis Ozer, and Chuck Swirsky, the esteemed TV announcer of the Raptors, arranged themselves into the back like layers of prosciutto freeze-wrapped in plastic.
But I wasn't so much worried for them as for my guest in the front seat. He was 7-feet tall with legs like a giraffe's neck. Andrea Bargnani folded himself into the front seat little by little,
JS online
Running on empty Bucks hit third-quarter wall
After five consecutive free throws by the Raptors, Anthony Parker hit a jumper. Calderon then sank two foul shots and Bosh hit two more jumpers. Just like that, 19 unanswered points.
The Bucks were outscored, 32-11, in the quarter and shot just 3 for 13 as they trailed, 79-53, entering the final quarter. They had a dry spell lasting 7:42, from the end of the third quarter through the start of the fourth, without making a field goal.
TSN.ca
Roundtable: Calderon or Ford?
Now that the Raptors have hit the unofficial halfway point of the season, TSN.ca decided to ask four Toronto Raptors observers their thoughts on the season so far - Brian Heaney (TSN), Doug Smith (Toronto Star), Michael Grange (The Globe and Mail), and Tim Chisholm (TSN.ca).
Part I: Rating the Raptors
Part II: The Sagging Bench
Part III: Bargnani's Development
Part IV: The Trade Deadline
Part V: Who Starts at PG?
Are the Raptors a better team with Calderon starting? What happens when T.J. Ford comes back?
