These are my Toronto Raptors Linkage links for January 29th from 02:05 to 23:16:

• 2009 NBA All-Star Reserves: Eastern Conference Discussion – First of all, kudos to the coaches for bending the rules and not voting in a center. Bosh, listed as a forward on the official ballot, is more than capable of manning the middle, especially in a meaningless exhibition where no one plays any defense. There are too many players who actually deserved to make the roster to justify lowering the bar for someone like Emeka Okafor simply to fill a hard-and-fast position quota.
• Bosh wanted MVP, will settle for an all-star spot – At 19-28, the Raptors have been an unmitigated disappointment this year. Little of that falls on Bosh.

  "Has he been completely outstanding? I would say no," Raptors coach Jay Triano said. "But he just consistently gets us 20 [points] and 10 [rebounds]. And if that doesn't get you an all-star [spot] in this league, I don't know what does."

• Raptors’ Chris Bosh is named as reserve for all-star game – "It's important," said Bosh, the only Raptor to earn a spot on the all-star team. "I have that expectation every year, and I try to play like that every time I step on the court."
• Bosh earns another trip to all-star game – "It was a little bit difficult for me three or four years ago when I really didn't know," Bosh said Thursday as his Toronto Raptors prepared to play the Milwaukee Bucks Friday night.

  "I get worked up and everything," Bosh added. "But I think, in my case, I've made a few of them and I still expect it, but now it's about other stuff. It's about trying to make all-NBA, winning playoff (series), winning championships. I think that's the next step."

• Raptors’ Jose Calderon eyes NBA free throw record – Calderon has made all 83 of his free throws this season, so he is shooting 100%, while Phoenix point guard Steve Nash is a distant second at 94.7%
• No points, plenty of pointers – Aside from minutes played, he failed to trouble the statisticians for the remainder of the game and it was a similar story in his brief cameo from the bench in the Canadian franchise's victory over Sacramento four days later, with his only shot blocked by the Kings' Spencer Hawes.
• Raptors point guard Jose Calderon streaking toward NBA history – Entering Friday's game against the visiting Milwaukee Bucks (TSN, 7 p.m. ET), the Raptors point guard was 11 shy of tying the NBA's 16-year-old record of 97 consecutive free throws held by Minnesota's Micheal Williams.

  "It says a lot, it says something about his character, it shows how hard he's been working," said Raptors captain Chris Bosh. "He's come a long way, he didn't get drafted, and I know not many people expected him to be a good basketball player. He's really turned the corner."

• Bosh named to Eastern Conference AllStars – The East reserves include two Orlando Magic, Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis. East coaches also chose the Boston Celtics’ Paul Pierce, Atlanta Hawks’ Joe Johnson, Toronto Raptors’ Chris Bosh, New Jersey Nets’ Devin Harris and Indiana Pacers’ Danny Granger.
• Bosh is an all-star to Triano – "I think he's worthy of it for sure," Triano said. "As [Triano and his assistant coaches] were filling out our ballots, we said, ‘There's no way Chris should not be on this team.' It would be a crime if he did not make."
• The should-be All-Star reserves – Apparently, coaches have been given the freedom to classify Bosh as a center, which makes sense. After all, he's played more minutes at center than any other Raptor this season, and even when he's technically at big forward, how can you possibly classify Andrea Bargnani as a pivot when he's nailing three-pointers off of passes sent to him from Bosh down in the low post?

  Had Big Zydrunas Ilgauskas been healthy all season, we would have had an issue, because Big Z was clearly out-pacing quite a few players on this list until he went down.

• Eastern Conference Insider: Raptors GM not afraid to trade – Colangelo expected the Raptors to be a top four team in the Eastern Conference this season. At 19-38 after Wednesday's win in New Jersey, they are in the East's bottom three.

  "We are looking to do something," Colangelo said Wednesday, "because we haven't been that good this year. And if it means making a move, tweaking the current roster or putting ourselves in a better position to win now, then we'll do that."

• Tale of two streaks – The Raptors have a three-game winning streak for the second time this season, with the first one coming at the beginning of the year.

  They need to push it to four Friday night against Milwaukee who comes in limping having lost its sharp-shooter Michael Redd to injury for the remainder of the season. After Friday's game against the Bucks, Toronto gets a quartet of tussles that will give a true indication of how much they have improved.

• Court Awareness: Wednesday Review – Despite being nine games under .500 the Raptors are only two games back of the Milwaukee Bucks for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Raptors are one of seven teams separated by only 2 1/2 games fighting for the eighth slot.
• Jay’s success and Bryan’s Master plan – Jay Triano has helped the Raptors find a style of play that actually has a use for Joey Graham. Instead of slowing down and moving the ball around for open jump shots like Mitchell did, Jay has forced the ball up the court to get more transition baskets. This has helped Joey a lot, he isn’t the best dribbler in or jump shooter in the NBA, but he is an extremely strong kid who is a fast break specialist. He doesn’t have the hops of teammate Jamario Moon, but his strength and speed allow him to get to the basket on almost every fast break opportunity.
• GAME REVIEW: Raptors at Nets [Jan 28] – As was indicated in this space yesterday …

  * This game had the makings of a hum-dinger
  * If the Raptors were going to win, Jermaine O’Neal would need to substantially out-perform Josh Boone

  … both of which happened last night.

• 7 teams, 1 playoff spot… – Now, on the surface, as a Raptors enthusiast, it's easy to say, "Well, Toronto is easily the best team out of those seven, they will go on a run and will take over the 8th seed, maybe even the 7th."

  But does reality agree with that assessment? What do the numbers say? What do the schedules indicate? How healthy are all these teams? Let's go…

• Bosh looks forward to All-Star selection – There's little doubt Bosh will be named to his fourth All-Star team Thursday (he started the last two) in voting by all 30 head coaches. But it's refreshing to see how much one of the stars of the game values the honor, even after winning the gold medal with Team USA in Beijing last summer.

  "It means a lot," Bosh said. "The starters are well-deserved. They're All Stars. For the guys who make it, it's a big accomplishment. It's something I look forward to. Hopefully (Thursday) I'll get some good news."

• Andrea Bargnani Soars High With Raptors – 2009 has started out very well for the magician Andrea Bargnani. The “Triano cure” by the Canadian coach called in to replace Sam Mitchell at the beginning of the season seems to be paying off. Since the start of the season, the Roman centre has been averaging 21.2 points per game, and his defensive skills have also improved.
• Tip-In, Toronto Raptors’ Post-Game: A Tale of Two Jump Shooters – The funny thing about the Harris shot is that:

  a) he scored on the exact same play with eight minutes to go in the second quarter, only that time Jose Calderon was defending him and

  b) Matt Devlin erroneously yelled “overtime!” after Harris missed.

• 4 Wins? 4 Time All Star? Here In 4 Years? – The Raptors were due some good karma in a season where they have had a lot of things not go their way. Thanks to the struggles of others like the Nets the Raptors at 9 games below .500 they still are very much alive for the playoffs.
• The Post Up: BRoy Love Afair – The Raptors continue to tease their fans, now owning their first three-game winning streak since the start of the season with a 107-106 victory against the Nets. They don’t make anything easy.
• TOR @ NJN – Game Flow –
• Devin earns Rap rave – Raptors interim head coach Jay Triano saw first-hand Harris' skills while helping coach a group of U.S. select players two summers ago.

  "What I remember was a dedicated kid who had a decent jump shot,'' Triano said yesterday. "He now has a very, very good jumper."

• Raps catch a break – "The basketball gods were finally on our side,'' Chris Bosh sighed. "They owed us one."
• Raptors stave off buzzer beating by Nets – Despite a rather lacklustre performance and a missed open shot that would have provided another gut-wrenching loss, the Raptors find themselves in a place they haven't been since the first week of the regular season: Winners of three in a row.
• Raptors three-peat in win column – "We've got to be more aggressive and try to make plays for one another," said Calderon, whose return from a hamstring injury has sparked the Raptors' first three-game winning streak since the start of the season. "We need more games like tonight, where we make a good defensive play at the end. We knew we would turn this around."
• Why The Toronto Raptors Are Awful – Watching a Raps game is painful. I don’t even care for basketball much, but when you see a team spiral down the toilet like brown water, I want to know why. There is a reason. Yup, I figured it out by checking the roster.
• Devin Harris Shakes, Bakes But Doesn’t Make – The Raptors were a little reckless with ball and had 10 turnovers in the first half. Anthony Parker had 16 points for the Raps, all thanks to the beard. Even though the Raps were down by four, they shot a lot better than the Nets: Raps 61 FG%, NJ 43 FG% but the Raps just turned it over too many times.
• Another Jay Triano Interview – Toronto Raptors Head Coach Jay Triano joins the Morning Show to discuss the recent success of the Raptors and the importance of tonights big divisonal match in New Jersey.
• Jay Triano Interview – The Raptors' interim head coach joins Jonesy on the Raptors/Nets pre-game show. Triano talks about what the team has to do to leapfrog a few teams for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot and how they plan to re-incorporate Jermaine O'Neal into the rotation.
• Jamario Moon Interview – The Raptors' swingman joins Eric Smith on the Raptors/Nets pre-game show. Moon talks about whether or not his recent wardrobe change is a superstition and what the club has to do to make the playoff push.
• Chris Bosh Interview – Bosh joined Eric Smith following the 107-106 win over New Jersey and addressed Jalen Rose's recent comments about his status in 2010.
• Tickets for Chris Bosh’s Birthday Gala –
• Bring on the Trade Winds – This idea is based off the realistic rumor that PF/C Jermaine O’Neal could go to the Heat for PF Shawn Marion.

  Miami Trades – PG Marcus Banks / PF Shawn Marion
  Toronto Trades – SF Joey Graham / PF/C Jermaine O’Neal

• Harris Takes the Big Shot, Comes Up Short – "How many has Michael Jordan missed?" Frank asked rhetorically. "This is a make-or-miss league. There are a lot of guys who don't want to take that shot. He had the courage, the floor was spread, he was attacking the basket well all night and he created a wide-open 16-foot shot."
• Bosh – As I unwind tonight, I am watching the Raptors play the New Jersey Nets. I am just going to come out and say this after watching many Toronto Raptors this season. I think Chris Bosh is over rated.
• Chris Mannix on Bosh – I think if Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo can put the kind of team together that will make Bosh feel comfortable in the direction of the franchise for the next six or seven years, he will re-sign. But if Colangelo doesn't, Bosh is gone. It's as simple as that.
• Raptors Hold Off Nets, 107-106 – ESPN Video – ESPN –
• Nets falter in third quarter again, lose to lowly Raptors, 107-106 – For the second straight game, the third quarter proved to be the Nets' undoing.

  In Oklahoma City Monday night, the Thunder outscored the Nets 31-14 en route to a 94-85 victory. Wednesday night the Raptors (19-28) outscored the Nets 34-23 overall and 10-3 the final 2:25 of the third quarter. The Raptors made seven free throws and a three-pointer to pull ahead 84-77 heading into the fourth.

• Raptors 107, Nets 106 – Box Score –

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