<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>It is not often that the Raptors can point to defence as the prime reason for a win. It's just as seldom that anyone ever hears about slight in-game defensive adjustments turning things around. But for all the good they did offensively last night, if they didn't start stopping people and didn't make a nearly imperceptible change in a defensive strategy, they might be talking today about another bad loss to a team below them in the standings. Instead, the Raptors are revelling in a rise to sixth place in the East, their fans are overjoyed at the grief they caused Vince Carter and that confidence that seemed so shaky about a week ago now abounds. "Guys were ready to get out of their slump and that's everybody," T.J. Ford said after the Raptors shredded Carter and the Nets 113-85 at the Air Canada Centre. "I thought we shot the ball well, we were aggressive, that's what we need in these next three games to lead us into the playoffs with a lot of confidence and a lot of swagger." And a lot of intelligence. The Nets got off to a blistering start, pouring in 30 first-quarter points and it appeared Toronto's anemic defence was once again going to be on display. But one tiny change – forcing the Nets to take jump shots from their point guards instead of allowing dribble penetration Toronto couldn't stop – turned the game for the Raptors. "We can't play much better defence than we did from the second quarter on," said coach Sam Mitchell. "They were hurting us with the screen and roll so we just adjusted how we were going to play it and the guys did a good job." The win, coupled with Indiana's victory over Philadelphia, puts Toronto in sixth place in the Eastern Conference because the 40-39 Raptors hold the tiebreaker over the Sixers, who have the same record today. And with Washington losing in Detroit, Toronto is now just a game out of fifth place. "The focus for us has to just be to win and where we end up, we end up but we've just got to try to win ball games, regardless of the situation or the circumstances or what other teams are doing," said Anthony Parker. The myriad playoff possibilities may become clearer tonight after Philadelphia plays at Washington but suffice it to say, the Raptors want to do anything they can to avoid a seventh-place finish and a first-round playoff matchup with Detroit. "You always want to go for the high seed. I think right now, that's the best position for us to be in because, as we know, Detroit has the experience, they have the years, they know what it takes," said Ford. "You would rather go against somebody with the same amount of playoff experience as yourself. I think it give us a better chance and I think Chris (Bosh) plays very, very well against Orlando and puts up big numbers."</div> The Toronto Star
