Chris Bosh: Father figure

In Wednesday's game in Orlando, T.J. Ford, the Raptors point guard, played a short stretch of the third quarter at the out-of-control pace that sometimes gets him in trouble.

He misfired on a one-on-four foray into the heart of the Magic defence. And after retrieving the ball, he embarked on a wild drive of the baseline – into the ready arms of Dwight Howard, the Magic centre – that had little chance of success and ended, not surprisingly, in a turnover.

Perhaps not coincidentally, he was approached by Chris Bosh, the Raptors all-star, during the next break in the action. Bosh, who is nearly a foot taller than the 5-foot-11-ish Ford, proceeded to deliver a stern rebuke from on high to his best friend of the club. Bosh punctuated his point with a smarten-up smack to Ford's chest that was delivered with what might have been described as parental force, back when parents used force.

"The only person he complains to is me," said Ford after the game, breaking into a wide grin. "He's got the right to do that, just like I've got the right to yell at him. I don't mind. He's like a brother to me."

Though he turned just 23 last month, Bosh has been almost fatherly in the way he both chides and encourages Ford. Though Ford is older by exactly a year – they're both March 24 sons of the state of Texas – Bosh, as the more accomplished and more experienced NBAer, has emerged this season not only as the club's unquestioned leader, but as a remarkably effective one.

On Tuesday night, for instance, Bosh was strictly Ford's supporter, offering nothing but encouragement after Ford missed a couple of questionable shots in the final 20 seconds of a loss in Miami. And if the love got a little tougher on Wednesday, Bosh had his reasons. And Ford bounced back from Tuesday's travails with 16 points and eight assists.

"I can't go too easy on him," said Bosh earlier this year. "Got to keep T.J. sharp."

Bosh's work in the past seven days has been diamond-edged. With two of his most reliable floor-spreading sidekicks on the shelf, with Jorge Garbajosa done for the season with a leg injury and Andrea Bargnani still recovering from an appendectomy, Bosh has averaged 28 points and 12.8 rebounds, not to mention 10.5 trips to the free-throw line in 42 minutes a night. The Raptors have won three of four to set up tonight's events in Philadelphia, where a Toronto victory, combined with a New Jersey loss in Chicago, would give the Raptors their first division title in franchise history.

"The minutes he's having to play with the injuries that we've had, he's just been unbelievable," said Sam Mitchell, the Raptors coach, of Bosh.

Said Anthony Parker, the Raptors forward: "I think C.B. coming out and being a leader on and off the court is huge for us. We rally behind that,. He's answered the call every time."

And perhaps the best example is the way he has tried to help Ford through the sometimes confusing maze that faces young point men. Their tête-a-têtes have resulted in measurable growth, not grudges.

"It's all about us getting better, together," said Ford. "(Bosh) has taken his game to the next level and he's a big part of our success. He's a superstar on our team. He's an all-star. And he's carrying this team ... he does it all. He rebounds. He passes the ball. He's unselfish."

His generous spirit is also infectious. On Monday Bosh and veteran guard Darrick Martin split the bill for dinner for the majority of the roster at a posh Miami steakhouse, perhaps taking their cue from Mitchell, who'd suggested an increase in such team-bonding activities a while back. Ford skipped that sitting; he and Juan Dixon said they hunkered down at the Ritz-Carlton to watch the NCAA championship game instead. But word around the locker room after Wednesday's win was that Ford was organizing the breaking of bread for yesterday's day off in Philadelphia.

"I'll take that bill," Ford said, indicating he'd be picking up the cheque.

"That's how we do it around here."