There it was, Chris Bosh blowing kisses to the crowd while striding off the court at the Air Canada Centre as his Miami Heat defeated the Toronto Raptors 103-95 on Wednesday night. He was the last player on the hardwood after finishing a post-game interview with the Miami Heat TV network and there it was, again, Bosh sending the same sort of mixed message that had the fans shower him with, in his eyes, undeserved boos.
Bosh continues to be a walking paradox.
In the post-game radio interview Bosh did with my broadcast partner, Eric Smith and me, he told us that the salute to the remaining fans in the arena, some of whom booed while others cheered, was a gesture to say thank you to Toronto. But his tune changed when he hit the podium and said that his actions on the court were to be taken any way you wish depending on where you stand in your support or dislike for him.
What Bosh needs to decide is how he wants to be viewed by Toronto fans now that he has left.
In the past there were times when it seemed like that fans' view of him and his time in Toronto did matter to him.
Why then would he seek out local media outlets to clarify remarks and try to explain himself to the Raptor faithful. But there are fans that have turned against him because of what he said about the city on his exit and continues to chatter about now that he is gone.
Currently, they seem to be less accepting of the follow-up remarks that are issued to get back in the "good books."
The evening started out with much energy but the booing and what was thought to be an imminent harsh welcome for Bosh soon faded. It wasn't nearly as bad as Vince Carter or Tracy McGrady's return and only rivalled Damon Stoudamire's reappearance during certain parts of the game. But that is par for the course in Toronto, except when it comes to Carter.
Don't get me wrong: as one of the most ardent fan bases in the NBA, the Raptors always have great support.
But a Toronto crowd seems to have a hard time overtly displaying its passion for sustained periods of time during any games that are not post-season contests.
They are present, but sometimes don't always participate. Perhaps some of that is due to the building, the security, the game operations rolling out a contest when the opposition calls a time out after being administered a standing eight count by way of a Raptors scoring run instead of music to get them out of their seats and blowing the roof of the building.
Who knows?
But Bosh didn't get it nearly as bad as I thought and the time has passed. The next time the Heat come to town, it will be the final night of the regular season and the triumvirate may be resting up to climb the 16-win hill that has an NBA banner and a box of rings at the top of the mountain.
It should be interesting to see what comes of the talks as the owners and players sit down at all-star weekend to discuss a new collective bargaining agreement. If you read this it sounds like the owners are ready to dig in and help spread the wealth seeking more parity across the NBA which would be a benefit for small market teams.
In truth, it would be nice to see something between the NHL's system where the salary cap forced the Chicago Blackhawks to break up a Stanley Cup championship team and the NFL's scheme with no guaranteed contracts.
Most of the off-court action during all-atar weekend will centre around, at least for the time being, Denver's Carmelo Anthony.
It says here that something will happen between now and next Thursday afternoon's trade deadline. It seems like the New Jersey Nets are back at it and it's a two-horse race for Melo's services between the Nets and the New York Knicks.
