Paul Jones

Paul Jones is the voice of the Raptors on the FAN 590 and writes regularly for Sportsnet.ca.

Toronto's Antoine Wright (guarding Kobe) nearly made another NBA Amazing ad.

There was a playoff-like atmosphere on Sunday at the Air Canada Centre for the only visit to Toronto by the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.

It was a postseason-like finish to the game as well. Toronto reeled in the Lakers and handed the champs their first loss this season when leading through three quarters. The 106-105 win may have been one of the top games in Raptors history.

There was a heart-stopping moment when Kobe Bryant, who will go down in NBA history as one of the most clutch players of all time, had a good look at the hoop with 1.2 seconds remaining but could not get his long-range heave to go down. Luke Walton made it more difficult for Kobe with his errant pass, forcing Bryant to bat it away from the defender, Antoine Wright, before catching in for a difficult three-point attempt. From a mere mortal, under those circumstances, that kind of shot has little chance of going in but Bryant almost knocked it down.

"I was like 'Oh, this is going to air ball.' And he hit the rim," said Wright.

"I was like, 'Here we go again: Carmelo Anthony.' That's all I thought about: Carmelo Anthony hitting that shot on me. I was like, 'I'm going to be in another NBA Amazing commercial.' That's what I didn't want," Wright said after Kobe's difficult catch-and-shoot rattled the rim.

Toronto had the lead thanks to two free throws by Hedo Turkoglu who was fouled on a drive to the lane. I said it a couple of days ago in this same space and I'll say it again: He may not be playing much better as he was only 1-of-6 from the floor for nine points but he is playing harder. The first step toward turning poor play in the opposite direction is hard work.

Turkoglu worked hard against Bryant when he guarded him in the fourth quarter. If he picks up his level of play in the second half of the season, Toronto may not be a one-and-done team in the postseason. It's incongruent to say that a guy that is supposed to be one of the team's best players is an "X" factor but right now that's the case. If Turkoglu finds his game, Toronto can become a different team.

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He's not MVP material but for all those people who were ready to toss Andrea Bargnani on the scrap heap, it's time to reconsider. He is still looking for the ultimate level of consistency but his game is becoming more diversified. Offensively, he is still scoring from the outside but it is no longer an easy cover for a mid-size 6'8"- 6'10" small or quick-four forward. Bargnani can go inside and has shown he can score against players of that ilk. Opposing coaches have to adjust as he is developing the ability to be too quick for big players on the outside and too big for quick players on the inside. Bargnani is becoming a tough match-up and it was said in this space a couple of seasons ago that Raptor fans need to be patient.

Defensively, Bargnani is also growing as he seems to have more awareness regarding his responsibilities. When the defence requires him to "show" on the other side while guarding the screener in pick-and-roll situations, he is doing it effectively by jumping out in a defensive stance and not allowing the smaller, quicker ball-handler to turn the corner. More importantly, he's doing it without picking up a cheap foul.

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It's been a good month for Toronto as they have five straight home wins over Western Conference opponents and victories over some of the league's upper-echelon clubs. Not sure if they will accomplish the same feat as they did in 2006-07 when they went 40-22 to notch the fifth-best record in the NBA from that point on (Dallas, Phoenix, San Antonio and Detroit were the only teams to win more games) but the Raptors are certainly showing signs of improvement. For Toronto, it's now about building some consistency and not playing down to the level of lesser competition.

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Some observations during yesterday's Raptors-Lakers game:

-- Phil Jackson's "chair" that he travels with since his hip surgery, is easily a foot higher than the other chairs on the team bench. Looks more like a bar-stool.

-- Andrew Bynum's length is truly a factor. He is a legitimate 7' player with a wingspan of a guy who is 7'4" or 7' 5". Just ask Chris Bosh as he blocked a couple of shots and altered a few more. That, plus whenever the Lakers saw him close to the hoop on the offensive end, they just lobbed it near the cup to him for an easy conversion.

-- According to assistant coach Brian Shaw, the tape job on Kobe's fractured right finger on his shooting hand is critical to his success in each game.

-- The Lakers are still waiting for Ron Artest to grasp all the intricacies of the triple-post (AKA the "triangle offence") as he is sometimes the only one on the floor not reading and reacting right away.