Hardaway Attempts Difficult Comeback With Heat

Heat rookie Marcus Slaughter thought his eyes were deceiving him a few weeks ago when he first saw Penny Hardaway walk into the practice facility.

It couldn't really be him, Slaughter thought. Could it?

'When I realized it was, all of those things you remember from back in the day came right back,'' Slaughter said. ``The Little Penny doll. The commercials. Chris Rock [who voiced the doll]. All that. I mean, he was one of the greatest players in the game.''
At age 36, Hardaway is often the first to remind those around him he is far from the player he was in the mid-1990s -- a four-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA selection.

Sure, the accolades from his days with the Orlando Magic were all legit. So, too, has been the aging process.

But even after two major knee surgeries, several other injuries and nearly two years of inactivity, Hardaway is battling in camp to prove he is more than just a player who used to be somebody.

And there is an opportunity to do so on a Heat team that opens its exhibition season tonight in Detroit. Hardaway is among the candidates at shooting guard to fill in for Dwyane Wade, who is expected to miss at least the first two weeks of the regular season as he recovers from knee and shoulder surgeries.

''I can still play basketball,'' Hardaway said, with a hint of defiance. ``I'm excited to get the opportunity to prove it again. I'm finally healthy, and everything that's been a major obstacle is totally out of the way.''

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source : miamiherald.com

Pistons Beat Undermanned Heat

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Heat	16	24	19	27					86
Pistons	32	30	19	22					103

Detroit 103, Miami 86

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Oct. 8 (AP) -- Tayshaun Prince scored 13 points and Chauncey Billups added 12 to help the Detroit Pistons beat the undermanned Miami Heat 103-86 in the exhibition opener Monday night.

The Heat were missing Shaquille O'Neal, Dwyane Wade and Alonzo Mourning, who all stayed in Florida to deal with injuries. Udonis Haslem and Antoine Walker spent the night on the bench.
Detroit had its regular lineup, other than unsigned Chris Webber, and dominated from beginning to end.

Richard Hamilton scored 11 for Detroit, including a perfect 9-for-9 from the free-throw line, while Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess combined for 15 rebounds in 42 minutes.
Marcus Slaughter led Miami with 17 points and Brian Chase added 13.

source : NBA.com

Law Layup Helps Hawks Slip By Magic

Atlanta 94, Orlando 93

ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 8, 2007 (AP) -- Acie Law IV made a fast-break layup with 25 seconds left to lift the Atlanta Hawks to a 94-93 victory over the Orlando Magic on Monday night in both teams' preseason debut.

Carlos Arroyo missed one of two free throws that would have tied the game with 15 seconds left.
Marvin Williams, who had 19 points, made two free throws to seal the win.

Dwight Howard had 30 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks for Orlando, while Adonal Foyle added 11 points and J.J. Redick scored 10.

The Magic survived a third-quarter scare when Rashard Lewis went down holding his leg, but the team said he had just cramped. Lewis scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds before getting hurt. He did not return.

Josh Smith led Atlanta with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Joe Johnson and Josh Childress chipped in 12. Rookie Al Horford had nine points and seven rebounds in his return to Florida.

The Hawks couldn't solve Howard's size or newfound range, but he sat most of the fourth quarter. The 6-foot-11 All-Star worked all offseason on extending his offensive game, and it seemed to pay off. Howard made a handful of mid-range jumpers and even shot 4-of-6 from the free throw line.

The Magic were 1-3 against the Hawks last season.

source : NBA.com

Rivers Flooded With Joy

LONDON - Much has been made of the fact that Paul Pierce [stats], Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen finally have a legitimate chance to play deep into the postseason. And rightly so. All own sterling individual resumes, but have yet to be surrounded by the type of talent that can take them into late spring.

While he doesn’t have the lengthy, luminescent resume of the new Big Three, Doc Rivers is every bit as giddy about what’s going on. Just as Pierce, Garnett and Allen are often asked about the joys of their new situation and respond with a long stream of superlatives, Rivers, too, is smiling broadly when he sees the trio traversing the court in green and realizes they’re on the team he gets to coach.

“I would say that’s exactly true,” said Rivers, who spent the first off day of training camp holed up in his hotel room. “I try not to think about it too much because there’s so much work to do, but it’s definitely there. I had an interesting conversation with Scot Pollard and Eddie House. We were wondering how many opportunities you really have to win in this league.

I think players - especially the young players - think those opportunities will come every year, but they don’t. As a player, you usually realize that late in your career, or after your career is over. Then you think back to how many legitimate shots you had to win a title. Danny (Ainge, the team’s director of basketball operations) is lucky. He had chances in Boston and Portland and Phoenix. But the average player only has maybe one or two in his career.

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source : bostonherald.com

Howard Schooled By NBA Legend

All-star center Dwight Howard has been getting schooled at Orlando Magic practices, helpless to defend a feathery jumpshot . . . launched from the late '80s.He always loses a make-believe retro matchup against Patrick Ewing, NBA legend and now Howard's big-man coach."In my mind -- yeah," Ewing laughed. "You know us old guys.

"Dwight and I just talk a lot of trash, wondering what it would be like if we played each other at the same age. It's just a lot of bull."

On Friday, Howard, 21, ambled off the floor after performing another post-practice shooting drill conducted by Ewing, 45.

"Sometimes I'll forget Patrick Ewing is a legend," jabbed Howard."He acts so normal. I never got a chance to see him play. I've just seen a couple highlight films of him getting dunked on by Michael Jordan."

Howard has a terrific relationship with Ewing, voted one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1996.

Howard knows that the 7-foot Ewing can help him expand his offensive game, which has been limited to dunks and putbacks. It's why the Magic hired Ewing as an assistant coach this summer, five years after he unceremoniously ended his great career in Orlando as a backup center.

"He's the perfect guy. He can post, he can shoot and he had to deal with double teams,"

Howard said. "I have my own little style. I don't play like Patrick Ewing, but the stuff he does I can put it into my game."He's always talking to me, making sure I do the right things on the court."Howard's game resembles Shaquille O'Neal's more than Ewing's.

At 6 feet-11, 270 pounds, weight-room strong with an uncanny leaping ability, Howard likely will remain a power player even though versatile Kevin Garnett was his boyhood idol. But Howard has been working on shooting this season, at the free-throw line and away from it, having hired a shooting coach.

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source : orlandosentinel.com

BERNARD ROBINSON MEDICAL UPDATE

East Rutherford, NJ–Following a medical examination today, October 8, 2007, it has been determined that Nets guard/ forward Bernard Robinson suffered a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee during the Nets practice on Saturday, October 6 at Fairleigh Dickinson University, Nets President Rod Thorn announced today. There is no timetable for his return.

After being acquired by the Nets in exchange for Jeff McInnis and cash considerations on 1/3/07 Robinson went on to appear in 10 games for New Jersey during the 2006-07 season. A three-year NBA veteran, the 45th overall selection out of Michigan in the 2005 NBA Draft holds career averages of 4.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 128 career games with Charlotte and New Jersey.

source : NBA.com

Bulls Waive Justin Cage

October 8, 2007 – The Chicago Bulls announced today the team has waived forward/guard Justin Cage.

Cage (6-6, 225) is an undrafted rookie out of Xavier University. In 2006.07, he averaged 10.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg and 1.4 apg and shot .567 from the floor and .750 from the free throw line. He guided the Musketeers to a 25-9 season and to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and was also named to the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team for the third straight year.

The Bulls will open preseason play tomorrow when they travel to LaCrosse, Wis., to face the host Milwaukee Bucks at 7:30 p.m. The game will be televised locally on Comcast SportsNet Chicago.

Chicago’s roster now stands at 18.

source : NBA.com

Commissioner David Stern Considers NBA Regular-Season Games In Europe

ROME — The NBA is staging another successful preseason tour in Europe. Regular-season games on the continent are the next step.

"I think that time is coming closer," NBA commissioner David Stern said Sunday at halftime of the Toronto Raptors win over Virtus Lottomatica Roma. "That has historically been a matter of euros. It costs many euros to buy a game from a regular season because our teams do so well.
"But with the new O2 Arena in London, with the new arena in Berlin, with the proposed arena in Rome, Europe is beginning to develop buildings that look much like the ones that we have in the United States, and those buildings will yield more revenue for such a game."

Real Madrid also has plans for a modern facility in the Spanish capital.

The NHL recently played its first regular-season games in Europe at the O2 and the NFL will play a regular-season game at the rebuilt Wembley Stadium when the Miami Dolphins face the New York Giants on Oct. 28.

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source : usatoday.com

Yi Basks In Welcome

With booming drums and crashing cymbals, and an energetic lion dance thrown in for good measure, Wisconsin's Chinese community jammed a Bradley Center atrium on Sunday afternoon to officially welcome their favorite son and Milwaukee's newest rock star: Yi Jianlian.

It was a welcome ceremony that U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, in an understatement, called a "unique occasion."

"This is as special as it gets," said Kohl, whose trip to the Far East to meet Yi sealed the deal and resulted in the Chinese basketball star signing a rookie contract to play for the Milwaukee Bucks.

It was indeed an unusual welcoming. But Yi came dressed for the part of star basketball player and matinee idol for the adoring crowd of more than 300 people of Chinese descent.

Decked out in blue jeans, a pink dress shirt and a black velour sport jacket that at least several college students from the Chinese Undergraduate Student Association at the University of Wisconsin-Madison called "cool" and "cute," Yi was the center of attention as dozens of still and video cameras recorded his every move. Also on hand was a contingent of Chinese media, including reporters for the Xinhua News Agency and a television crew from Guangdong.

Yi may be a first-round draft choice who has a lot to learn in the National Basketball Association this coming season, but as far as his Chinese fans are concerned, he is Michael Jordan and Kanye West all rolled into one. He was met with screams and loud applause when he made his entrance, and fans listened intently to his answers to questions from the audience.

Justin Lee, 11, who lives in Hartland, came with his mother, Lucia, and his sister Annabelle, 10, to see what the fuss was all about. He said he wanted to see just how big Yi was. Very tall, he concluded. Justin said he hoped to go to several Bucks games this season.

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source : jsonline.com

Working To Nail Down The Post

Andrew Bogut is building his own gym in his hometown of Melbourne, Australia.

And the 7-foot Milwaukee Bucks center also is carefully constructing his game.

The third-year pro's handiwork was there for 7,109 fans to see on Saturday at the Bradley Center, as he scored 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds during the Bucks' annual open scrimmage.

Bogut's performance helped the Black team claim a 77-64 victory over the White squad, which was led by Michael Redd's 17 points.

"I bought an industrial factory, which was basically four concrete walls," Bogut said of his new training center Down Under. "I put a floor in and ordered NBA hoops. I put in a weight room, and just as I was leaving I put in a pool, hot tub and cold tub and steam room.

"I'd like to eventually make it a basketball school for youngsters in Australia; that's my goal."
Bogut's display included a crossover dribble and powerful dunk late in the third quarter, and he had 22 of his points in the first three quarters.

"I thought he came out with a lot of energy," Bucks coach Larry Krystkowiak said. "What I'm suspecting we're going to see is a big post player in his third year, and a lot of times the light bulb comes on.

"It's confidence, strength, being more comfortable with the situation. I really have high hopes, and I know he's put a lot of work in.

"Nobody wants to be a better player moreso than Andrew."

Bogut did not play for the Australian national team this summer, prior to rejoining it in 2008 for the Beijing Olympics.

After being picked by the Bucks with the No. 1 overall choice in the 2005 draft, Bogut went directly from his first pro season (he played in all 82 games) to a grueling summer with his country's team, which played in the 2006 World Championships in Japan.

Then it was right back to the Bucks, and he admitted he had worn down toward the end of last season.

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source : jsonline.com

LaFrentz Glad To Be Healthy, Ready To Play

TUALATIN -- Raef LaFrentz harbors no illusions entering the Trail Blazers' season.
He's well aware he averaged a career-worst 3.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game last season and he discouragingly remembers doing it all in only 27 games because of a lingering and debilitating left calf injury.

Even with the season-ending injury to Greg Oden, the Blazers feature one of the NBA's brightest young teams. But when fans and pundits contemplate the franchise and its promise, LaFrentz is an afterthought, barely worth a mention.

"With me right now, here, there is really limited expectations coming into the season," LaFrentz said, smiling coyly. "I won't (lie to) you. It is what it is at this point."

But a combination of factors suggests that, even with indifferent expectations, the 6-foot-11 LaFrentz could play a meaningful role this year.

Oden's sudden departure days before training camp has left the Blazers thin in the front court. They could use the wisdom of a 10-year veteran. Every team in the league covets consistent outside shooting, particularly from a big man.

And perhaps most important, LaFrentz's left calf is healed and he enters the season free of injury concerns.

"I'm 100 percent better," he said. "Last year was a hurdle I couldn't quite get over. This year, I feel like I'm in decent shape. I'm getting up and down the floor and I feel like I have some legs underneath me. To be honest, I haven't really thought about (my calf) since June. It doesn't hurt anymore."

His calf seemed fine Friday at the end of morning practice, when the Blazers participated in a 30-minute scrimmage. Competing on a team of second-stringers, LaFrentz held his own against promising second-year player LaMarcus Aldridge, once beating him down court on a fast break and once swishing a fadeaway baseline jumper over Aldridge's outstretched arms.

This is LaFrentz's 10th NBA training camp, so he's all too aware that the first week of practice is hardly a time to expend midseason energy -- or take too much away from a couple of standout plays. But he started working for this season last May, when most NBA players were lounging on a beach, and continued throughout the offseason. So he hopes to make amends for a lost 2006-07 season.

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source : oregonlive.com

From Hand-Me-Downs To His Very Own Brand

As the 10th of 11 children who grew up dirt-poor in White Hall, Ala., Ben Wallace wore shoes with no name.

"Everybody asks me what my first pair of shoes was, but by the time they got handed down to me they were just shoes," Wallace said. "They didn't have a name or a brand or anything."

That makes the story of the shoe Wallace is wearing this season all the more impressive. After all, they're named for him.

Late last season, Wallace followed Stephon Marbury to become the second NBA player to wear the affordable Starbury brand, priced at $14.98.

After a summer of input on design, the Big Ben collection will be available this fall at Steve and Barry's stores.

"I know what it's like not to able to afford basketball shoes," Wallace said. "This is about helping out and giving back. Everybody should be able to afford these."

Wallace has reported no problems with the new design thus far in training camp, joking that they make him faster.

"I had all the input," Wallace said. "We came up with a couple of different shoes. I shot a couple of ideas down. The guys did a great job of keeping me informed on everything that was going on and what they were trying to do with the shoes.

"They didn't have any problem if I said I didn't like something. They would go and change it. If I liked something, they'd make sure to go and add it."

Specifically, Wallace said he demanded a strap across the shoe for added support.

source : chicagosports.chicagotribune.com

Ellis 'Ready To Go' After Scary Injury

(10-07) 04:00 PDT La'ie, Hawaii -- Warriors guard Monta Ellis was walking around with nothing more than a headache and sore neck Saturday morning, just hours after a scary collision left him immobilized on a stretcher and headed to a hospital.

Ellis had knocked his head into a teammate's hip during Friday night's scrimmage and brought practice to a silent halt when he didn't get up. He lay nearly motionless on the court for about 25 minutes before paramedics arrived and took him by ambulance to Castle Medical Center.

But all tests came back normal and Ellis, who was diagnosed with only a sprained neck, could be back on the practice court in a manner of days.

"He's alert, fine, ready to go. Just a bit of a headache," said Jeff Fried, Ellis' agent.

The injury scare began rather innocuously as Ellis was running a high pick-and-roll with Brandan Wright and tried to squeeze through a crowd that included defenders Austin Croshere and Marco Belinelli.

Warriors coach Don Nelson said Wright ran the wrong play, and Ellis ended up running into the rookie forward. Though Ellis fell to the floor in a slow and controlled manner, he remained face-down and moved only his legs as he was tended to by trainer Tom Abdenour.

Ellis declined to speak to reporters Saturday, but said through a team spokesman that he was alert and had feeling in all parts of his body while he was lying on the court. Ellis experienced some "tingling" in his arms and was instructed to remain still by Abdenour until paramedics arrived.

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source : sfgate.com

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Raptors	23	21	23	26					93
Lottomatica Roma	19	26	21	21					87

Toronto 93, Virtus Lottomatica 87

ROME, Oct. 7 (AP)-- Chris Bosh scored 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the Toronto Raptors held off a spirited Virtus Lottomatica Roma squad for a 93-87 preseason victory Sunday.

Andrea Bargnani added 13 points and seven rebounds to help the Raptors win in his hometown. Danish forward Christian Drejer led Roma with 23 points.

With only two players taller than 6-foot-7, Roma struggled inside where the 6-10 Bosh was able to operate relatively uncontested.

Iceland guard Jon Stefansson hit a 3-pointer to put
Roma in front 34-33 and Bargnani replied from beyond the arc a few minutes later as the lead swung back and forth in the second quarter. Christian Drejer was fouled by Joey Graham while shooting a 3-pointer, converting a four-point play that gave Roma a 45-44 lead at halftime.

Drejer and former Celtics guard Allan Ray continued their shooting streak to start the second half and Roma opened up a 65-58 lead toward the end of the third quarter.

Jason Kapono hit four straight free throws to put Toronto back in front 67-66 at the end of the third.

After Ray tied the game at 71 with another 3, Kapono and Anthony Parker both hit 3-pointers as Toronto went on a 10-0 run to take an 85-75 lead with less than six minutes remaining.

A hybrid of NBA and Euroleague rules were used for the game, with a mix of referees also.

In addition to Bargnani, the Raptors have six other players with experience in European leagues.
Parker played for Roma in 2002-03 and Rasho Nesterovic was with the Italian club in 1997-98. Garbajosa was Bargnani's teammate at Benetton Treviso, Carlos Delfino played in Italy with Reggio Calabria and Skipper Bologna, Jose Calderon made his mark in the Spanish league and Maceo Baston played in Spain from 2001-03.

Roma's Croatian guard Roko Ukic was drafted in the second round by Toronto in 2005,
Roma was missing three key players. Former Temple University standout David Hawkins is suspended for marijuana use, and Erik Daniels and Simone Bagnoli are injured.

NBA commissioner David Stern attended the game at the Palalottomatica. where the attendance was 9,823, well off the 11,118 that attended the Raptors-Celtics game a night earlier.

The Raptors now travel to Spain to play Real Madrid on Wednesday. After returning to Canada, Toronto has one more game against European competition with Zalgiris Kaunas on Oct. 17 before facing NBA teams for the remainder of the preseason.

source : NBA.com

Bobcats Experiment With Hollins As Starter

WILMINGTON --Keep it simple, listen to your elders and don't try what you can't do.

That's Ryan Hollins' to-do list as a Charlotte Bobcats starter.
A week ago it was questionable whether he was in the rotation. Eleven months ago the Bobcats shipped him to the minor-league Fort Worth Flyers to learn how to be a pro center.
Now, with experienced alternatives dwindling, the 22-year-old 7-footer is penciled in as a starter. The coaches tell him relax, play to your strengths (length, athleticism) and understand your limitations.

"With Raymond (Felton), Emeka (Okafor), Jason (Richardson) and Gerald (Wallace) around, my job is simple," Hollins said Saturday. "Those guys take so much attention, all I have to do is rebound, block shots and play a role."

Circumstance has expanded Hollins' role dramatically. With Sean May (knee) out for the season, Othella Harrington (knee) out for the preseason and Primoz Brezec missing training camp because of a family matter, the Bobcats have few experienced big men.

Coach Sam Vincent hopes to avoid using 6-9 Okafor primarily at center this season. That means the Hollins-as-starter experiment is on fast-forward.

A former track athlete (high jump and triple-jump for UCLA), Hollins added about 10 pounds of muscle over the summer, but he's still slim at 240 pounds.

The coaches' message: Understand you're a runner, not a banger, so learn to avoid unnecessary collisions.

"Coach has helped out, reminding me I'm faster than guys," Ryan said. "Just because I've gotten stronger doesn't mean I have to fight with them. That's their (preferred) battle.

"So me moving around, running after rebounds, and not just banging into guys but playing good defense with my hands up, that's going to make me more valuable to the team."

source : charlotte.com

Spurs Sign Bowen To Extension

SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they have signed Bruce Bowen to a contract extension. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Bowen, a 6-7 swingman, is entering his seventh season with the Spurs. Last year he was named to the All-Defensive First Team for the fourth consecutive year and finished second in voting for the Defensive Player of the Year. Bowen has earned a spot on the NBA’s All-Defensive Team in each of the last seven seasons (First Team 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007; Second Team – 2001, 2002, 2003) joining Tim Duncan and Jason Kidd as the only players in the NBA with that distinction. He is also one of just six swingmen in NBA history who have earned All-Defensive Team honors in seven-or-more straight seasons: Scottie Pippen (10 straight from 1991-00), Bobby Jones (nine straight from 1977-85), John Havlicek (eight straight from 1969-76), Michael Cooper (eight straight from 1981-88) and Walt Frazier (seven straight from 1969-75).

Last year Bowen was the only Spur to play in all 82 games and enters this season with a streak of 436 consecutive games played – and started – which is the longest active streak in the NBA and a Spurs franchise record. He is the Spurs all-time playoff leader in three-pointers made with 134 and ranks second on the Spurs all-time regular season list in three-pointers made with 529. Bowen’s .439 (134-305) shooting percentage from three-point range during the playoffs is second on the Spurs all-time playoff list and his .401 (529-1,319) mark from downtown in the regular season ranks fifth among Spurs all-time leaders.

For his career, Bowen has played 11 NBA seasons for four different teams, including the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers. He has appeared in 712 regular season games, averaging 6.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 28.2 minutes per game. Bowen has seen action in 113 playoff games, averaging 6.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 31.4 minutes in the postseason. He is also a two-time winner of the NBA’s Community Assist Award.


source : NBA.com

Garnett, Celtics Beat Raptors

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Raptors	27	13	28	17					85
Celtics	20	23	27	19					89

ROME, October 6, 2007 (AP) -- Kevin Garnett had 19 points and 16 rebounds in his Celtics debut, and Boston ruined Andrea Bargnani's homecoming with an 89-85 preseason victory over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday.

Paul Pierce added 21 points for Boston, while Ray Allen had an off night with only 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting.

The start of the NBA Europe Live tour marked the Celtics' first game since Garnett and Allen joined the team, creating a "Big 3'' with Boston veteran Pierce.

"It was good to finally get out there and get our feet wet,'' Pierce said. "It was probably the best first game since I've been with the Celtics.''

Coach Doc Rivers left both Pierce and Garnett in for 32 minutes, while Allen played 31.
"Doc told us we're not going to play a lot of minutes tonight, but he wanted us to go really hard,'' Garnett said. "We had a lot of energy tonight.''

Bargnani, last year's top overall draft pick by Toronto, played his first game in his hometown in an NBA jersey and scored 13 points in less than 15 minutes.

"Andrea was pretty good. I probably could have done a better job at getting him back in, but I wanted to keep him fresh for tomorrow,'' Raptors coach Sam Mitchell said. "I know where Andrea's at.''

T.J. Ford and Anthony Parker started at guard for the Raptors, with Chris Bosh and Jason Kapono at forward and Bargnani at center.

Ford led the Raptors with 15 points.

The other Celtics starters were Rajon Rondo at point guard and Kendrick Perkins at center.
The Raptors play Roma on Sunday, then travel to Spain to face Real Madrid. The Celtics meet Garnett's former club, the Minnesota Timberwolves, on Wednesday in London.
"We did some good things and we need to work at some other things,'' Mitchell said. "We play again tomorrow and we'll try to clean some things up.''

The sold-out crowd of 11,118 at the Palalottomatica gave Bargnani a standing ovation when he came out for warmups and grew even louder when he scored six of the Raptors' first eight points, including a 3-pointer on his first attempt from the field.

The Celtics had a slow start, while Toronto's international cast of Carlos Delfino, Jose Calderon, Jorge Garbajosa and Rasho Nesterovic sunk a series of perimeter shots to open a 34-22 lead.

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source : NBA.com