These are my Toronto Raptors Linkage links for February 5th from 07:04 to 07:14:

• A double whammy – This team has struggled with Bosh in the lineup. Without him, one can only imagine how bad things could get.

  But Bosh's injury was just the beginning of the bad news.

  A sore right hamstring, the same one that kept Jose Calderon out for 11 of 12 games last month, required a night off, leaving the Raps in a bit of a lurch.

  In the absence of Calderon and with no Bosh down the stretch, the Raptors had Joey Graham and Jermaine O'Neal and it was almost enough.

• Kapono knows his foes – Kapono is too smart to single out any one entrant as his toughest competition.

  "Honestly, all five are dangerous," Kapono said. "It would be hard to single one guy out as the most dangerous. Typically set shooters probably fare better in this competition. The more movement in your shot the harder it is (to repeat)."

• Kobe mesmerizes – Bryant, like LeBron, is one of those few athletes who are worth the price of admission on their own. The air inside the ACC last night was dripping with anticipation and theatre.

  The Raptors added to the drama by playing to a level not seen in weeks.

  Makes one wonder where this kind of passion and intensity has been hiding.

  But then again, Kobe was in the building. That's the kind of influence only players of Bryant's status can evoke.

• Bryant gives home crowd something to cheer about – Was that Joey Graham – the Joey Graham – scoring a career-high 24 points while guarding Bryant with something resembling intensity, even making the driving layup that pulled Toronto within a couple of points in the final minute? Indeed. And was that Anthony Parker starting in place of the hamstring-hobbled Jose Calderon and scoring 18 points after he'd made exactly one field goal in 36 minutes in Cleveland a night earlier? Um, yes.
• Raptors give L.A. a run – Every time the ball moved oh so swiftly on offence for an open shot, heads were being scratched.

  With every crisp defensive rotation that ended with a contested shot or a stop, eyebrows were being raised.

  When it was all said and done at the Air Canada Centre last night, the question on everyone's mind wasn't: "Who were those guys in white?" it was more like, "Why don't those guys in white play like that more often?"

• Raptors show grit – O'Neal ignored the moral-victory angle for the cold reality.

  "We can say we played better, but the fact of the matter is we have [32] losses now," he said, adding that he's still open to being traded if that's the way the Raptors decide to go between now and the Feb. 19 deadline. "And it's not going to get any easier."

• Raptors best effort not good enough for Lakers – On most nights, a mammoth defensive effort from Jermaine O'Neal, a career high in points from Joey Graham and an overall intensity level not seen in the last week would give the Raptors a win. But most night they are not playing the Lakers.

  "I just thought tonight we had better movement and we were aggressive," Toronto coach Jay Triano said. "If we can put a stamp on that effort, we'll win a lot of basketball games. We played hard tonight. We played hard right through."

• Kobe scores when it counts – Let’s sum this game up in a short paragraph for those of you pressed for time. The Raptors played hard on defense and defended the Lakers to the best of their ability. Our offense was running inside-out for the most part and we got great offensive and defensive games from Jermaine O’Neal and Joey Graham to keep us in it till late in the fourth. Unfortunately, clutch scoring is a big issue with this team and the 20 points we scored in the fourth was the lowest total of any quarter. We lost it 30-20 as Kobe Bryant scored six crucial points off of jumpers to ice the game. Chris Bosh left the game in the fourth with a strained knee and didn’t have much of a say in this one.
• All is not lost for Raptors – Play Bargnani. The former first overall draft choice is having what could be considered a breakout season. Give him as many minutes as he can take, and then keep him out there longer. He needs as much experience as he can get in this down year so that he can be a difference-making player in the future (as all first overall picks are expected to be).
• I’ll Take It. – i'll take that loss against the Lakers. i didn't expect to win, and frankly, i expected to lose, much like anyone who's been following the raptors lately. yes, we lost. and i hate calling these games "moral victories", so i'm not going to. all i want to acknowledge is that we actually played for 48 minutes. we were competitive for 48 minutes and i can't remember the last time that's happened. so kudos to the Raptors (minus Jamario Moon).
• Raptors Rewind- Lakeshow Game Notes – You also have this Joey Graham surge. I am worried about this. Joey Graham is on fire. I even stated and meant it that Joey should be in the starting line-up. That being said if he keeps on this run is this going will it lead to him getting re-signed here in Toronto? If that happens I may go crazy because I am still not sold.
• Lakers Late Surge Sinks Raps – “Much better effort , energy, and focus tonight. Jermaine O’Neal showed great leadership and the Raptors matched the Lakers in every way tonight. But down the stretch, Toronto could not stop Bryant or execute offensively when it counted.”
• The Numbers That Might Make Colangelo Consider Trading Chris Bosh If The Right Deal Came Along – As a point of reference, only three out of seven of the top ten NBA salaries are really worth their contracts (Garnet, Kobe & Duncan). Two guys don't even play anymore (Marbury & Francis). Only Kobe and Duncan remain with the team they originally signed the max deal with. It is interesting to note that almost all of these max deals are in the final years of the contract.
• Jay Triano Interview – The bench boss of the Raps talks to the Morning Show about his team's continuing struggles after a loss last night in Cleveland.

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Related posts:

1. Toronto Raptors Linkage for February 9th through February 10th
2. Toronto Raptors Linkage for February 4th through February 5th
3. Toronto Raptors Linkage for February 13th through February 14th
4. Toronto Raptors Linkage for February 24th through February 25th
5. Toronto Raptors Linkage for February 14th through February 15th