Toronto Visits Heat

Tonight at 7:30 PM we have the second face-off between our Raptors and the Miami Heat in four days. The Raps won the previous match-up 107-96, with CB4 leading seven Raptors in double figures with 27 points. Against the Heat, the Raps looked like they could do anything they wanted for 42 minutes of the game (they had a six-minute field-goal-less drought in the fourth quarter) and plenty of Raptors made notable contributions. The Raptors need this game. Period. Going below .500 - even ignoring the absence of Jose Calderon - would be a confidence killer for this team. You can watch the game on The Score (or on channelsurfing.net) and you can listen in with the Fan590.

NBA.com's preview

What to Watch For:
- Chris Bosh. The Franchise is averaging over 32 points in his last three games. Last night against Orlando (against whom he always seems to play well) he dropped a 40-point, 18-rebound bomb - and the lack of a supporting cast beyond Jermaine O'Neal allowed the Raptors to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. The big fella just refuses to quit. As long as he's not exhausted, Udonis Haslem, Shawn Marion and Michael Beasley will have their hands full once again.
- Jose Calderon - or not. He's still "day-to-day" but hopefully after seeing yesterday's gong show involving Will Solomon and seven turnovers, he'll go out and buy a bionic leg or something. This team is just not the same without him. And ignore Matt Devlin - the team's Big Three does not include Andrea Bargnani. It includes Numero Ocho.
- Dwyane Wade shot 6-for-16 from the floor for 19 points last night against the Wizards, but helped out with 10 assists and six rebounds. Anthony Parker will again need to contribute on D and keep him out of the lane.
- Interesting side note alert! The top three scorers in the NBA right now, in order: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh. That 2003 NBA Draft Class wasn't half bad, eh?