Paul Jones

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

Brandon Roy is almost unstoppable according to Paul Jones.

It was an ugly night in Hogtown as the Raps were unable to score on the impressive Blazers defence.

There is one word to describe the scene last night at the Air Canada Centre and it was "blah" as for whatever reason the Raptors just didn't have it. Portland took a 17-point lead and was able to ride it out keeping Toronto at bay.

Sure, Toronto cut the lead to one but it just seemed like one of those nights where it just wasn't in the cards. Once the Blazers reinforced the lead late in the third quarter, the Raptors were never a threat to win. So you know what, turn the page and move on, and Toronto fans should be OK with that fact. True, they did give up a loss at home, for only the eighth time this season but they did play a quality opponent without their best player, Chris Bosh. I know, I know, I can hear the howls now and I agree you can't just turn the page every time without learning or else you'll be at the end of the book and look back and wonder what happened. But regarding last night, just turn the page.

It also showed you the impact of Bosh's mere presence on the floor. Without him, suddenly there was more attention focused on other players. Portland, already the Western Conference leader in field goal percentage defence, did a good job defensively in keeping Toronto's bench in check. In total, Toronto's bench crew was 11 for 33 from the field and that was including a five-of-eight performance from Amir Johnson.

Brandon Roy's efficiency of motion and movement on the floor is terrific. When you watch him, you rarely get the feeling he is working outside of his limits as he is always seemingly under control. Roy is deceptively quick with his moves, and his step-back move off a between-the-legs dribble, with his right leg forward as opposed to most right-handed players that have their left leg in front of their right, is almost unstoppable.

Portland will always be a tough opponent with Nate McMillan steering the ship as he is an extremely underrated coach and as a no-nonsense, old-school guy. His teams reflect that in the way they play. Last night, a team that is last in the NBA in fast-break points scoring only 8.7 per game, took the opportunity break chances and scored 16 in the first half, finishing the game with 20.

McMillan has the perfect point guard to run the show in Andre Miller. Heck, speaking of old school, this guy is the epitome of a throwback point man. Miller shoots well enough in the mid-range area to hurt opponents and keep them honest. He distributes the ball well and gets to the free throw line. He is good with the ball and with one of the best change of directions combined with change of speed in the league. Miller's hesitation dribble is murder to try to contain on the bounce. Miller is so good playing on the ground that his ability to post up and wreak havoc on defenses is matched only by Chauncey Billups of the Nuggets and Jason Kidd of the Mavericks.

Andrea Bargnani and LaMarcus Aldridge were selected first and second respectively in the 2006 draft and only get the chance to play against one another twice a year. You can see it in their eyes and sense it when one gets the ball and he is guarded by the other. They want to show the opposite number who's the boss and send a message about being the better player. Last night however, it seemed like both of them were forcing the issue a bit too much and in essence, not letting the game come to them. They were almost pre-programmed, forcing one-on-one moves where they became ballstoppers and the respective offenses, ground to a halt. Bargnani finished with 16 points, shooting 6 of 16 from the floor, while Aldridge was 4 for 12 and finished the night with 9 points.

Wonder how those Raptor fans feel about Bryan Colangelo's decision to lock up Bargnani with a $50-million deal this past summer? Some said it was too much but the Blazers spent $65 million to keep Aldridge over the same period of time. Their numbers are almost equal and someone would have paid more to pry either or both of them from their respective teams this summer if extensions had not been signed. For now, neither team has to worry about it this summer but for now, it seems like Toronto may have cut a better deal.

And finally, how about the veteran Juwan Howard? The 36-year-old, 16-year vet, still holds one impressive distinction that no other NBA player possesses. If I'm wrong I'm sure some of you will let me know. But as far as I know, Howard is the only player that I know of that left early for the NBA and yet managed to graduate on time with his class. I asked him about it back in 1996 and he told me that playing pro basketball was no different from a time sense, than college hoops in that the games take place in the evening with the odd afternoon game, usually on a weekend. He managed his time well so that similar to going to class during the day when he was at Michigan, he was able to study and complete his course work and play ball at night. That's a pretty impressive feat that says something about his discipline and commitment.