By the end of this blog, you will probably be thinking that I was all over the place with my thoughts. Well if you watched the Raptors game on Tuesday, filled with 24 Raptors turnovers, you're probably used to being "all over the place" already. I thought T.O. stood for "Toronto," not "turnover."

The Raptors-Magic contest on Tuesday night was almost a spitting image of last week's Raps-Celtics epic. The Raptors came out with great energy on the road against a top Eastern team, J.O. was on fire to start the game and eventually the Raps blew a winnable game with some costly turnovers.

The only difference between this loss and last Monday's loss was that against the Magic, the Raptors' tent folded earlier than it did against the Celtics.

The lone bright spot may well have been that the Raptors seem to have found some kryptonite to Dwight Howard's Superman in Jermaine O'Neil. J.O. kept Howard a distance away from the hoop (Dwight only shoots 36 per cent from the field when he is not dunking or laying it in) and frustrated him offensively.

More importantly, O'Neil put his own body between Howard and the bucket at all times, meaning if Dwight was going to get to the glass for a rebound, he would have to go around or over J.O. to grab the rock, which is no easy task and was causing Howard much grief. O'Neil made it seem so simple, when 12 other guys seemed so perplexed by the big fella last Spring.

Yes, Howard is a beast. But if you use the defensive and rebounding fundamentals that you were taught playing basketball as a child, as J.O. did on Tuesday, there is no reason someone should go off for 20 and 20 on you consistently.

The Raptors also did a great job having active hands on the boards when they were undersized. Case in point, on at least three separate occasions, one of the smaller Raptors tipped the ball away from Howard under the bucket when they knew they were in a mismatch.

Last April, they would have tried to either unsuccessfully out-jump the man who leaps tall buildings in a single bound or just stand still and watch him, you know, kind of like Bargnani was doing in this game. If I am going to buy into this new and improved Bargnani, I am going to need more than a good showing every other game from Andrea. That's what average players do, not a no. 1 overall pick.

The Raptors need him to be more "Mago" than invisible, more Bargnani than Barney. I know he is playing for a team that used to be dubbed the "purple dinos," but that doesn't mean that once every other game he has to have the same intensity, or lack thereof, as the most famous purple dinosaur himself.

All in all, just a horrendous game for anyone that considers themselves a Raptors supporter, so I will do you all a favour and end this now. But first, I just have five questions to ask out loud after watching that despicable performance:

• What in God's name was Will Solomon thinking tonight? And that great decision was only just the beginning. Enough said.
• How on earth do the Raptors manage to waste a career-night of 40 points and 18 rebounds from the franchise-guy?! (Oh yeah, that's right, 24 turnovers and Barney) That's just embarrassing.
• Is it possible for a coach to get worse with age? (Leaving Bargs in the game? Taking O'Neil out with the game still in reach when Dwight had just as many fouls as he did?) Alright, so it is possible. The new Sarah Palin glasses aren't working Smitch.
• How is it possible for a team to be so bad at something (perimeter-defence) and have it cost them a season (last year) and yet still not know how to fix it, or at the very least improve it? (The Raps can hit as many threes as they want, but as long as they continue to allow open looks, they will always be the second-best three-point shooting team on the court) Oh yeah, and can you say "dribble-penetration much?"
• Where has the Raptors offence and accuracy behind the arc gone? (At least in previous seasons, though the perimeter D was horrible, the Raps were knocking down threes of their own. Not this year)

That is all...until tomorrow night in Miami, where I suspect the Raps will give me more material to work with. Talk to you then.