TORONTO – The news was good regarding Toronto point guard and former Texas Longhorns standout T.J. Ford, but that doesn't take the scare factor away for NBA players.

Ford went through numerous tests Wednesday, all of which came back normal. He then flew from Atlanta to Toronto and showed up for the Mavericks-Raptors game.

Ford took a nasty fall against the Hawks on Tuesday night, landing on his back and head, after getting flagrantly fouled by Al Horford.

Ford, who stands 6-0, missed most of the 2004-05 season with Milwaukee because of a spine and neck injury. Whenever he takes a hard fall, Ford, his teammates, coaches and Toronto fans hold their breath.

No time frame has been set for his return.

"We are out here, trying to earn a living and putting on entertainment, but at the same time, there is some risk," said Jason Terry. "When you got guys flying at high speed and jumping as high as we do, anything can happen. He [Horford] weighs 250 and the other guy's 150, and collisions happen.

"Every time he gets hit, I kind of cringe up because you're one hit away, one hard foul away, from probably not ever walking again."

Ford suffered numbness after the fall, but was walking by late Tuesday night. On Wednesday, all feeling had returned, and he took a team-chartered flight home.

Ford entered Air Canada Centre midway through the first quarter and got a standing ovation when his picture appeared on the Jumbotron before the second quarter.

"I'm pretty sure everybody in this building felt my pain," Ford said. "All I can do is try to get well.

"Right now, I'm still sore and in pain, but not as much as when the accident happened. Anytime you have a fall like that and have to be carried off on a stretcher, your mind is thinking about a million different things."

Ford said Horford's foul wasn't a cheap shot.

"It wasn't a dirty play at all," he said. "I think I kind of tricked him with the move. He's a good kid. He came to the hospital, probably spent two hours there laughing and joking and just talking about basketball. I told him I wasn't holding anything against him and don't let that affect his play. He didn't do anything wrong. It just happened my head got caught in the wrong position."

As for showing up at the game, he said: "I wanted to show those guys I was OK. The last memory they had of me was going off on a stretcher."

Mavericks coach Avery Johnson said he was aghast when he saw the play live on television.

"I jumped out of my seat because I know the kid. He's a Texas kid, and I know his history there," Johnson said. "And I was feeling for him, and I was feeling for Sam [Mitchell] because I know why he was upset."