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No point in getting too deep into the post-game postmortem. Orlando to my eye, is really, really good and my favourite right now for the NBA title or at the very least a return to the NBA Finals in what should be an epic showdown with the Lakers. The Magic are loaded; the Raptors not quite.

But I’m starting to believe in this team a little bit. Defensively they’re showing signs, and as I wrote before, they don’t need to be great defensively, just good, and they’ll win some games. Holding Orlando to 41 per cent from the floor is nothing to be ashamed of. This isn’t a 50-win team, it’s safe to say, but there’s no good reason why this shouldn’t be a playoff team.

1. Another visit by the Orlando Magic, another amusing stroll through the Magic locker room, which is beginning to rival the Washington Wizards for reliable goofiness. Brandan Bass has been nicknamed ‘Black’ by his Magic teammates. I asked Bass why. “Because I’m black, I guess.” Darker? “I guess so.” Hilarious.

2. But that’s just the start. Bass’s new nickname? Precious, as in the star of the Oprah Winfrey co-production of the same name. They say pro locker rooms are cruel; but that’s harsh.

3. By the way, how deep is your front court when Bass – a very serviceable big by any standard – doesn’t even see the floor for a minute?

4. Anyway, Bass got a little payback on Anthony Johnson, wandering over and rubbing the aging point guard’s head, which is shaved as a pre-emptive strike against baldness, noting that Johnson while bald up front has a bit of fuzz, Friar Tuck style, around the back. “I call it my reverse fade,” said Johnson.

5. Okay, Dwight Howard takes pre-game goofiness to a new level. He spent the final moments before the tip trying to score a basket from midcourt by flicking the ball from his waist, standing sideways. He almost made one, but about six of them went randomly toward the crowd as you might expect, the ball boys making like Roberto Alomar trying to field high-bouncing grounders. Getting hit in the head by a basketball from 50 feet would hurt, I’m thinking, but I’d rather sue Dwight Howard than Patrick O’Bryant (another chronic ball flinger/crowd assaulter): bigger potential settlement.

6. My man Chris Black had an interesting post a while back trying to look into Bosh’s raised game to see if there were statistical signs of increased effort in connection with a contract push, and I’ve had e-mail along the same theme. It was a great post and it may well be true: With the carrot of a max deal right in front of him, Bosh has pulled out all the stops in pursuit of the lucre.

7. My take is that, sure, the contract has likely focused Bosh like never before; but that only makes him human. It’s not like he was a slacker before – far from it. If it took the promise of a contract to encourage him to look deeply into his game to find out what was missing, I’m all for it. Everyone needs pushes and prods and pulls to continue their improvement; no one does it alone. My only concern would be is if Bosh was to get his money here or anywhere else and then lay down and I’d be shocked if that happens.

8. Meantime, enjoy the ride. The guy his playing ridiculously good basketball. He absolutely brought it defensively against Howard and made a fantastic play late in the first quarter when he drove right at Howard, probably was fouled and didn’t get the call while Carter came over for the block. But Bosh chases down the loose ball and rather than settle on the baseline for the jumper drives to Howard again and this time gets the call, sending Howard to the bench with two fouls. That was a huge play and reflective of a guy playing with tremendous confidence, drive and intelligence.

9. Lots of venom for Vince, as usual and here’s a good reason why people are still bugged by this guy. At one point in the second quarter Carter slides over and takes a charge on Bargnani. It was hardly a collision: Carter beat Bargnani to the spot, whistle blows, Bargnani stops without even really banging into Carter. But Carter gets up kind of wincing and rubbing his right forearm. At one point he signals to the bench to come out, but they ignore him, apparently. He keeps rubbing his arm. There’s no cut or anything, and really, what is rubbing it going to do? But he keeps rubbing it sporadically, just to let everyone know he’s kind of hurt. My daughter does this, but she’s eight.

10. Then Vince comes out with his forearm wrapped for the second half. Not at the joint of the wrist, where conceivably there might be some kind of support; but right in the middle of the forearm. I’d love to know what the medical science community says the benefits are for lightly wrapping a mildly sprained wrist? I think the Latin term is: Making Booboous Betterus.

11. Don’t get me wrong, Carter is a great player and probably underrated. It will be interesting to see how his biography gets reshaped if he does help Orlando to a title or two, which could definitely happen. But it’s moments like that that give a little insight into why a guy like Kobe – “ah, let’s skip the surgery” – Bryant is vying to be one of the best players of all time and Carter is considered an underachiever.