TIM'S TAKE: Armstrong: Raptors paying the price on ‘D’

Sports

February 13, 2010

By Tim Schmitt The Niagara Gazette Sat Feb 13, 2010, 11:41 PM EST

For all the praise routinely heaped on Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke, it’s possible he’s not even the most widely respected GM in his own building. That honor might go to the Raptors’ Bryan Colangelo, whose team entered the all-star break as one of the NBA’s hottest, and Colangelo’s contract was recently extended through next season.

For those of you who haven’t paid much attention — and it’s not easy to since the Raptors are rarely on local television — here’s a quick briefing on what our neighbors to the north have been up to.

Toronto has won eight of nine games and six straight at the ACC. They’ve surged to just four games behind the Boston Celtics in the Atlantic Division, and for the first time all season nearly everyone on the roster is healthy.

With the team worthy of a quick drive up the QEW, we decided to enlist the expertise of old friend Jack Armstrong, the former Niagara University coach and longtime color analyst for the Raptors.

“This team is much improved this year, particularly in the past few months,” said Armstrong, who lives in Lewiston with his wife, Dena, and the couple’s four kids. “Chris Bosh is having a career year. Andrea Bargnani is a much improved big man. They’re getting excellent point guard play from Jose Calderon and Jarrett Jack and their team depth is very good.

“The defense was lousy early in the season, but has come around. They’re paying the price with the ‘D’ and it’s turning around their fortunes.”

Can they keep it up after the break? Tough to say, but with the Celtics swooning and Bosh playing for a max deal, the scene might be set for what was once an improbable thought — a division championship heading north of the border.

Looking for more of Armstrong’s insight? Tune in daily to Toronto’s FAN 590 as he hosts the Game Plan from 2 to 4 p.m. with sidekick Eric Smith. The station is easy to pickup from most of Niagara County and offers more than coverage on two sports. Imagine that. ...

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TIM'S TAKE: Armstrong: Raptors paying the price on ‘D’

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