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It’s not like this was Jamal Crawford’s first rodeo.

In fact it wasn’t even his first or second hot night in Toronto.

The 30-year-old reigning sixth man of the year has had plenty of good nights in Toronto before the 36 he put up in Wednesday’s 104-101 Hawks’ win.

In fact, Crawford referenced his biggest night here as one he thinks about every time he comes back to Toronto.

It came in his fourth season while a member of Chicago Bulls when Crawford went off for 50 points against the Raptors.

“I love playing here,” Crawford said. “The first time I had 50 was here. It’s a great shooting arena.

“Every time I come back it feels like it just happened. I talk to the people here and just always feel comfortable playing here.”

The Raptors are going to have to do something about that comfort level as Crawford is making a habit out of big games here.

The 36 is a season high, as was the 33 he hit last March against the Raptors, although that came in a 106-105 loss.

Mike Bibby has seen it quite a few times in the year and a half that Crawford has been a teammate but he remembers seeing it plenty of times before Crawford became a Hawk, too.

Crawford knows that feeling can be fleeting.

“Sometimes you can get in it and then anything can take you out of it,” Crawford said “You may hit your first five and then get in foul trouble and have to go to the bench and then it’s gone.”

But when he’s in it, there’s that unbelievable feeling of knowing every shot he takes is going in.

“It honestly feels like that,” Crawford said. “You know when you’re in it. You’re teammates know and it’s a collective effort (to take advantage of it).”

Even the fourth-quarter 30-foot three-pointer with 2:12 left in the game that found the bottom of the net felt like it was going in as it left his hands.

“I just thought I had to get in my sweet spot and I felt comfortable in that range,” I thought it was going in, honestly.”

It was that kind of night.

Not to be overlooked

The shooting star of the night was no question, but there was another guy who had a pretty solid night scoring the ball other than Crawford.

Leandro Barbosa finished the night with 26 points in what was his best game of the season.

Barbosa is a guy the Raptors rally around. He has played hurt from the very first game of the season and has played through the pain.

His daily game day routine is a 4:30 p.m. arrival for a 7 p.m start. He spends almost the entire 21/2 hours on one of three training tables in the Raptors locker room having his various hurts and aches attended to. Then he goes out and plays only to do it all over again the next game.

There were points last night where he simply took the game over, fearlessly going to the basket and consistently beating one and often times two defenders off the dribble.

“He was a problem tonight and we didn’t have an answer for him,” Crawford admitted. “He got where he wanted. He’s just so quick.”

Bibby in training

Jeff Teague doesn’t get a lot of playing time backing up Mike Bibby. Teague, in just his second year out of Wake Forest, though is in a perfect situation if you ask Raptors former point guard, now assistant coach Alvin Williams.

Williams likes what he has seen of Teague to this point and feels he’s in the best position possible learning the league from one of the wise old vets in Bibby.

Williams was asked who he considers the next great point guard in the making. Again not surprisingly, Williams went back to his hometown of Philadelphia where Jrue Holiday has caught Williams eye.

He liked a lot of what he saw from Teague in Vegas during summer league, but in Holiday he sees the making of a true all-round point guard. Teague and Holiday can both score, but Williams like’s what he sees from Holiday on the defensive end.

Bibby for the win

Those watching may have wondered why the Hawks went with Bibby for what turned out to be the game-winning three-pointer when Crawford was holding the hot hand most of the night.

Most, but not too many inside the Atlanta room.

Bibby had only scored eight points, but with the game on the line, the Hawks invariably found a way to get their veteran point guard the ball.

“That was the play,” Crawford said. “We did it against the Clippers and Mike has hit so many big shots in his career we feel comfortable putting him in that position. He’s very comfortable in that position too.”

Had to say something

It’s not often DeMar DeRozan gets demonstrative with a referee following a non-call, but when he hit the deck on a drive right in front of Bill Spooner and didn’t get a call in the third quarter, DeRozan appeared to be looking for an explanation.

Had this been the pre-season when a shoulder shrug got a player tee’d up, DeRozan would have undoubtedly received a tech.