Toronto Raptors vs Indiana Pacers Dec.10/08

Jermaine O’Neal grabbed the game ball when the final buzzer sounded, marching off the court with an obvious sense of purpose. But the ball wasn’t a memento of a victory over his former team, it was a gift for Jay Triano. A well-deserved game for coach, O’Neal said afterward. Triano finally earned his first victory as the Toronto Raptors head coach – and thus, the first victory by a Canadian head coach in the NBA – with a 101-88 win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday. He’s in a tough situation where he’s trying to change some things that we were doing, and he didn’t have very much practice time, but he kept at it, he’s been extremely positive with the team and it was well-deserved, O’Neal said. Jason Kapono scored a season-high 25 points, as the Raptors (9-12) also halted their season-long losing streak at five games. Chris Bosh added 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Jamario Moon had 17 points, Jose Calderon had 11 points and 14 assists, and Joey Graham added 12 points. O’Neal finished with 10 points and nine rebounds in the first game between the two teams since the off-season trade that brought the six-time all-star to Toronto for TJ Ford and Rasho Nesterovic. The Raptors promoted Triano to interim head coach a week ago to replace Sam Mitchell, making the Niagara Falls, Ont., native the first Canadian-born coach in the NBA. The 50-year-old led the Raptors to a win over New Jersey last season with Mitchell away on a family matter, but the game officially went on …
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