TORONTO - Coming off one of their most lopsided defeats of the season the Raptors knew they had to rebound. Amir Johnson took that literally. "The ball was finding me in certain spots," Johnson said humbly after setting a new career-high with 21 boards in Torontos 92-78 bounce-back win over the league-worst Charlotte Bobcats (14-51) at the Air Canada Centre Friday. "I was able to get in position and get the rebound." Trailing by one early in the fourth, the Raptors (26-40) held Charlotte to one field goal on 13 attempts in the final period to seal the deal after getting off to a sluggish start. "We were running in mud in the first half," coach Dwane Casey admitted, just two days after his team was routed by 24 points in Boston. "[Its] kind of the malaise of this time of the year and we cant let that set in." "I was happy the way we came back," he continued, "but we cant start out games like that no matter who we play." Johnson also scored 12 points, recording his team-leading 13th double-double of the season while Rudy Gay led the Raptors, pouring in 10 of his game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter. Fast Breaking Points - One-Man Wrecking Crew Approaching the heart of March, 14 games under .500, theres not a whole lot keeping the Raptors season interesting at this point. If you find yourself searching for a reason to stay tuned look no further than Amir Johnson, the heart, sole and seemingly unanimous MVP of this team. Just when you think youve seen it all from Amir he leaves you wondering, what will he do next? Early last week he shot a perfect 10-for-10 and grabbed 12 offensive rebounds as a reserve, something thats never been done in our beloved NBA. Six days later he tore down 16 boards, matching a career-high. On Friday he set a new personal best with 21 rebounds and pretty much refused to give himself any credit for doing something remarkable after yet another masterful display of raw effort. "Not at all," he said when asked if he was aware of his accomplishment as it was unfolding. "I was just playing hard. Next thing I know I look up and I have 21 boards." "Every rebound was his," said Gay, who gladly gave Johnson the credit he deserved. "We need that out of him and today he was on another level." Johnson earned every single rebound and did so in a fashion that helped turn the game after his team got manhandled on the glass in the first half. The Bobcats had a 12-1 advantage on the offensive boards after 24 minutes but managed to grab just three in the second half while Johnson was responsible for seven of Torontos nine offensive rebounds in the final two quarters. "Its focus on the release," Casey said of the adjustment made at the break. "We talked about it at halftime, its all about our focus when the shot is released go find a body. In the first half we werent doing that in the second we did a much better job of limiting them to one shot." The Stat: Johnsons 21 rebounds tied Popeye Jones for the third most in Raptors franchise history, behind Reggie Evans/Chris Bosh (22) and Donyell Marshall (24). - February Flashback Since he first acknowledged the lingering back pain that has plagued him this month -- in the Mar. 1 loss to Indiana -- Gay has sat out two games and has been noticeably restricted in the four he has played. Even his coach admitted that the back injury -- as back injuries tend to do -- has turned Gay into a different, less aggressive player at times. However, if he was affected by the ailment on Friday he certainly didnt show it. For the first time since February, the Raptors got a good look at the game-changing talent they believed they were paying for when acquiring the forward from Memphis. Its safe to say we havent and likely wont see many 11-for-16-type outings from Gay -- a 38 per cent shooter since the trade -- and you can probably chalk that up to the level of competition (sorry Charlotte). With that said, those who have watched Gay play at a slower pace, gingerly get up after a couple of hard falls and shy away from contact around the rim over the last two weeks can appreciate his performance on Friday, even if it did come against the lowly Bobcats. Once again, Gay spent most of his time in the post, where weve seen him get more looks since the injury, which has presumably limited his mobility. However, the Raptors leading scoring mixed things up on Friday, keeping the defence guessing with some aggressive drives to the basket and an effective face-up game in addition to his work in the post, where the team has been trying to use him even more. "He did a great job of quarterbacking out of the post [and] finding his teammates weak side," Casey said of Gay. "Thats what superstars do. You accept the double team and then you become the quarterback and then make them pay for double teaming you." "Thats where I think I thrive," Gay exclaimed, expressing his level of comfort working with his back to the basket. " [Im] just trying to [find] different ways to be effective here but at the end of the game thats where I want to be." The Stat: Fridays game was the first in which Gay has shot at or above 50 per cent since Feb. 1, his Raptors debut against the Clippers (8-for-16). Notables and Quotables The Raptors have taken two of three meetings with the Bobcats this season, with each team winning at home. Charlotte will host Toronto for the fourth and final match-up on Mar. 20. ... The Raptors have won two in a row over a Bobcats team that defeated them in seven of the previous eight. ... Gerald Henderson led the Bobcats with 22 points, half of them coming in the third quarter where Charlotte went on a 22-9 run to cut its deficit to one going into the fourth. Kemba Walker had 20 points on 5-of-17 shooting. ... The Raptors bench outscored Charlottes reserves 26-18. Sebastian Telfair had seven of his 11 points at the free throw line while rookie Terrence Ross scored nine on 4-of-5 shooting. ... Jonas Valanciunas went 5-for-6 from the field with 10 points and six rebounds. ... Torontos backcourt struggled, DeMar DeRozan scored nine points (1-of-5) and Kyle Lowry had just seven (3-of-10). ... The Raptors turned the ball over 20 times leading to 20 Bobcats points. "A wins a win, well take it, but I still think there are things we can learn from this game and things we can correct from this game."-- Gay "We [had] 20 turnovers. If we turn it over 20 times on Sunday (against the Heat) its going to be 40 points off our turnovers, so weve got to take care of the ball."-- Casey "Weve got to remember, were building. We dont want to build bad habits, we want to build good habits and I thought we did down the stretch. That team has pride too so weve got to come out with the same focus for 48 minutes, not 24."-- Casey "We have a great group of guys who want to play well but theyre human. I mean you have this malaise but its up to us as a coaching staff to push them through this time of year."-- Casey "Be greedy. Thats where I challenged the team after the game. You showed the fact that you can play defence when you get down and get grimy and dirty with them and thats the way we want to play. We cant spot a team that many possessions, that many turnovers and expect to come out on top."-- Casey Up Next From worst to first, the Raptors will play host to the league-best Miami Heat (50-14), owners of a 21-game winning streak at 1:00pm ET Sunday afternoon, live on TSN2. Nike Air Max 90 Herr Rea . Thats when Vancouver rookie Cody Hodgson ensured the Oilers road woes would continue. Hodgson slipped a puck between the legs of goalie Devan Dubnyk to give the Canucks a 3-2 victory over Edmonton Tuesday night, handing the Oilers their sixth straight road loss. Nike Air Max 90 Herr Billigt . Chase Utley hit a three-run homer and drove in four, Halladay tossed six effective innings and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Miami Marlins 6-4 on Tuesday night. http://www.n... . Cullen spent the past three seasons with Jacksonville. Before joining the Jaguars, Cullen was at Idaho State and spent three seasons (2006-08) with the Detroit Lions. Cioffi, who has 18 years of NFL experience to the Browns staff, was with Arizona the past two seasons. [url=http://www.nikeairmax90dambilligt.com/nike-air-max-90-hyperfuse.html]Nike Air Max 90 Hyperfuse . Raffael and Peter Niemeyer scored in the 49th and 81st minutes for promoted Herthas first win at Dortmund since 2006, and only its second ever. Nike Air Max 90 Essential . Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo took the field on Saturday afternoon to face off against the Saskatchewan Roughriders for the first time since their second-straight Grey Cup victory last November.CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The pass-first Carolina Panthers have been surprisingly effective moving the ball on the ground. Behind a three-pronged attack led by running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart and mobile rookie quarterback Cam Newton, the Panthers rank sixth in the league in rushing and second in yards per carry (5.1). Not bad for a team that has called nearly twice as many passes as runs. Although none of Carolinas trio ranks in the top 25 in the NFL in rushing individually, together theyve put up some solid numbers combining for a league-high 15 rushing touchdowns entering Sundays game at slumping Tampa Bay (4-7). The recent success on the ground, including 201 yards last week against Indianapolis, has given offensive co-ordinator Rob Chudzinksi the overall balance he wants. Chudzinski, who was hired by new coach Ron Rivera because of his knowledge of how to execute a downfield passing game, said early on in the season teams were daring Newton to throw the ball. So the Panthers took advantage of that and the numbers reflected that with Newton throwing for 874 yards his first two games. Since then the Panthers have rattled off nine straight 100-yard rushing games, including a season-high 201-yard effort in a 27-19 win last week at Indianapolis. Chudzinski said it took time to get to know his personnel and where theyre most effective. He seems to have figured it out. "Each game presents different opportunities and different challenges," Chudzinski said. "Were trying to build an offence thats flexible enough that it can win games in different ways, whether thats running or throwing, whether its a high-scoring game or a low-scoring game." Still, coach Ron Rivera regularly finds himself defending the teams offensive approach. That might be because the team gave Williams a five-year, $43 million contract this off-season, raising the expectation that hed be the teams bell cow running back. But Williams has been a small cog in grand scheme of the offence, carrying the ball just 108 times for 540 yards with three touchdowns, two of those coming against the Colts. Stewart, perhaps the best backup in the league, has been used even less as a runner -- 93 carries for 442 yards and two touchdowns -- although hes been solid contributor as a receiver with 36 catches. One of the reasons why both pllayers numbers are down is because the coaching staff decided long ago to take advantage of Newtons skill set, particularly in the red zone where he has 10 touchdowns.dddddddddddd Rivera scoffed at the idea that Williams has been underutilized. "Youve got to look at why," Rivera said. "Well, because youve got Jonathan Stewart. Because youve got a quarterback thats going to account for a number of runs. "We ran the ball 35 times (against the Colts), so the running games not being under-utilized. I think the thing you need to understand is how we run the ball, what is our offence about? Then you look at the catches, and you look at the fact that six different guys caught balls (Sunday). And (Stewart) caught three of them. So underutilizing, I dont think so." Newton has carried the ball 86 times, more than any quarterback in the league including Denvers Tim Tebow. But that doesnt mean the quarterback option will become a staple of the Panthers offence, although the Panthers will run it from time to time. "Its a funny mixed bag because when you get into a situation where youre down, that offence becomes ineffective," Rivera said. "So it has to be a mix. I think theres a lot being made of the situation, but I think Denver is playing very good defence. Because they keep it close theyre able to use that... I think if you put some points up against a team like that the option does become ineffective." As for Newton, hes quickly approaching Steve Grogans NFL record of 12 rushing touchdowns by a quarterback set in 1976. But that name means nothing to Newton. "Back in the 70s," Newton said. "No, I dont (know him). Dont know anything about him." Notes: The Panthers cut offensive lineman Reggie Wells for the second time this season. Theyve yet to fill his roster spot. .. The Panthers signed offensive lineman Garrett Chisolm and running back Kory Sheets to the practice squad. ... Kealoha Pilares, who has kickoff returns of 101 and 76 yards the past two weeks, missed practice with a sore calf and Rivera said there is "some concern" about his status for Sunday against Tampa Bay. Linebacker Jason Phillips (calf) also sat out practice. ... The Panthers had won 11 of 14 games against the Bucs prior to getting swept last season. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '