* Since returning to the Raptors starting five on December 31, Andrea Bargnani is averaging 22.5 points and 6.0 rebounds. This is a far cry from the 8.3 points and 3.4 rebounds he averages while coming off the bench. Before the game I asked Raptors head coach Jay Triano about this and he told me, “If you look at his stats, some of that happened with him coming off the bench as well. I think before the Christmas break he had been struggling a bit and just needed a couple of days away. He’s come back and we were pleased with what he was doing coming off the bench. Then when he was forced into the starting role because of Jermaine O’Neal’s injury he’s been playing more minutes. I feel the more minutes you play the better feel you have for what you’re doing out there. He’s been very good for us the last couple of games.”

* Before the game I asked Stan Van Gundy about Orlando’s improved defense since he took over the reigns. Last year Orlandao only gave up 99.0 points per game and this season it’s down to 93.0. Van Gundy quickly dismissed this as anything to do with him and told me, “It has nothing to do with my schemes, it has like everything in the NBA to do with the players. They’re the ones who get the job done. I think our players are committed to the defensive end of the floor and I think in particular Dwight (Howard) has really stepped up his defensive game and his presence in the paint. I think that’s been a big improvement and he’s leading the league in blocked shots and has always been a great rebounder. Rashard Lewis has really stepped up playing bigger people. I think people have not been able to get the best of him down low like they were last year. I think you’re defense in this league a lot of times starts with your big guys and your interior defense and those two guys have done a tremendous job. We also have more guys and size we can throw on the floor now with (Marcin) Gortat and Tony Battie. We didn’t play Gortat much and we didn’t have Tony last year. Those are two other guys who can block shots and help. We’re just a lot stronger in the paint and I think that’s where defense in this league starts.”

* Last season a lot of fans and some members of the media ripped on Rashard Lewis for not living up to their expectations after he inked a huge contract prior to the season. Yet this season when Lewis is playing as one of the better players on this team those same critics are eerily silent. Why is that? I talked with Van Gundy about the strong season Lewis is having before the game and he told me, “This is a guy who should be in the all-star game. He’s been great all year on a team that’s doing well, he’s played on both ends and he’s just a solid guy. He’s one of those guys who’s not going to be on SportsCenter a lot (because) he’s not dunking the ball. He’s not making flashy moves (and because of that) he does sort of fly under the radar. He’s playing a bit in Dwight’s shadow and Jameer (Nelson’s) had a great year. And he doesn’t worry about any of that. He just plays to win. And yeah, I’ve said for two seasons that I’ve liked him to get a lot more credit than he does but I don’t know if that’s forthcoming or not for him.”

* Before the game Triano was asked for his feelings on using fouls against Dwight Howard and after a short pause the coach told the reporter, “Well, you hate to put a team in the bonus. You hate to put some of your players in jeopardy of not being able to play as many minutes as they possibly can. But, if it’s going to slow a team down, it’s part of the strategy. I think it’s one of those things where the NBA has rules that you can’t just grab guys or intentionally foul, but can you be a little more physical? Yes. Do you have to be on a guy like him? Yes, because if you’re not he’s just so big and strong he’s going to find a way to score anyway.”

* I chatted with Ben from Third Quarter Collapse about this game and he told me: “Maybe something else to discuss with the players and staff is Rashard Lewis’ emergence. He’s taken over Dwight Howard for the team lead in scoring (19.6 to 19.5 per), he’s taken (and made) more three-pointers than everyone else in the league, yet he’s still flying under the radar. Another thing related to Lewis might be his transition to power forward. He’s rebounding more and seems to be defending better, so asking him (or his teammates or coaches) how he’s made that move over the last year-plus in Orlando might be a good idea.” This was a great tip and I chatted with Van Gundy before the game about Rashard Lewis’ strong season. Look for a post about this in the next few days as well a video clip of Van Gundy talking about this in the Hoops Addict media player.

* Before the game Triano was asked if the defensive responsibility to guard Jameer Nelson falls on Will Solomon and the coach quickly corrected the reporter by responding, “We don’t ever put the responsibility on one guy. When there’s a screen-and-roll action we don’t ever say there’s two guys involved in defending, we say there’s five guys involved in defending it. We’re going to try and disrupt his flow because he is very good at getting into the lane and scoring or kicking the ball out to three-point shooters. By leaning on three-point shooters, Jameer Nelson has proven to be a guy who can finish at the basket. If you cut off his lane to the basket then he has great players he can get the ball out to. And (Hedo) Turkoglu handles the ball as much as Nelson in this set and he’s the same. This team runs a lot of screen-rolls and hopefully we’re well versed on how we’re going to guard it.”

* Will Solomon found his swagger this weekend. He was calm running the offense this afternoon and was attacking the lane while drawing fouls. Drawing fouls may seem like a trivial thing but it was huge because on one drive he was hacked by Howard which was his second foul in the first three minutes of the game. Howard had scored Orlando’s first nine points but the two quick fouls earned him a trip to the bench. While Orlando’s all-star was riding the pine Toronto held Orlando to four field goals the remainder of the first quarter and opened up a 34-22 lead.  The lead would have larger but three of those field goals by Orlando were three-pointers.

* Orlando was held to two second chance points in the first quarter and were out rebounded by Toronto 11-7. Even with Howard back in the game in the second quarter things didn’t change much as Toronto went into the half holding Orlando to two points in the paints and held a 17-11 edge on the glass.

* With Orlando losing by six points and Dwight Howard missing seven field goals (11-for-18 from the charity stripe) the big question after the game was about Howard’s free throws. Orlando head coach Stan Van Gundy was asked about this and he confessed, “Free throw shooting was the big difference. They are up there making free throws - they got 23-of-24 from the line and 14-of-15 in the fourth quarter - and we’re missing (ours). So we’re playing for one point and they’re playing for two.”

* When asked directly about Howard’s woes from the “charity” stripe, Van Gundy didn’t hide his disgust when he responded, “It’s not good enough, but that’s about what he shoots. Sixty per cent at the free throw line makes it tough (to win). We’ve got a tremendous advantage down there because they couldn’t guard him at all but they get to the fourth quarter and they just foul and it’s just one out of two every time. Then we’re coming down to the other end and it’s two-for-two which is a big difference.”

* Howard, however, wasn’t too worried about his free throws. When asked in the locker room if he’s frustrated or will beat himself up mentally over missed free throws he quickly responded, “No, I’m going to miss free throws. I’m not worried about it as long as I go back on the defensive end and make a play. I’m not 100 per cent from the line, so I know I’m going to miss some, but I’ve just got to have confidence when I step up there that I’ll make them. I know Stan (Van Gundy) gets on me a lot, but I’m going to miss some and I’m going to make some.”

* No Jose Calderon? No problem! Toronto’s point guard tandem of Roko Ukic and Will Solomon combined for 23 points (9-for-14 from the field) while dishing out 11 dimes. The best part was they only combined for four turnovers.

* Another pleasant surprise for Toronto was the play of Anthony Parker. He led the way for Toronto with 26 points while going a sizzling 13-for-16 from the field.

* After the game Van Gundy talked about the inspired play from Toronto’s backcourt and vented  to the media, “Bosh made a lot of free throws in the fourth quarter but I think the difference in the game is we couldn’t guard their guards at all. There four guards were 24-for-33 from the floor and scored 53 points. I mean, come on, you know you’re going to have a hard time with (Chris) Bosh and (Andrea) Bargnani, but when you’re going to give their guards that many points it’s going to be very difficult.”

* It was a shocker that Toronto (39) snagged more rebounds than Orlando (31).

Photo Credit: Chris Creamer’s Sports Logos