Raptors Need a Win at Home

Today's matinee features the Raptors at home hosting the Phoenix Suns amidst blockbuster trade rumours that have Jermaine O'Neal heading to Miami for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. Marion was a key cog in the Phoenix team that won 62, 54, and 61 games from 2004-07, and would mean that the Raps would start a very talented starting five: Jose Calderon at the 1, either Jason Kapono or Anthony Parker at the 2, Marion at the 3, and Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani down low. This rumour obviously means that the Raps' front office thinks Bargnani's recent spectacular play is here to stay. Back to the game...

W2W4:
- Steve Nash of course. He's always a threat to take over a game scoring, distributing and running, and the Raptors' transition defense will need to be near-perfect to avoid being run out of the building.
- Andrea Bargnani has been showcasing his incredible talent in 2009. Since December 31, he's been averaging 21.1 points and has only recorded one game with fewer than 5 rebounds. He's raised his season averages to 12.8 points and 4.9 rebounds. He's been playing like a first overall pick, and it's fun to watch.
- The Raps will be without O'Neal, Calderon and Kapono today and will need solid play from backups Roko Ukic and Will Solomon to have any chance against Steve Nash's Suns.

Very Funny Moment from Spurs-Suns

This has nothing to do with the Raptors (possibly the first such post on this blog) but I couldn't resist posting this video. Frequently this summer Shaquille O'Neal complained about the Suns using the Hack-A-Shaq strategy in their playoff series. Watch as Gregg Popovich calls for the Spurs to foul Shaq about five seconds into the game - professional basketball needs more moments like this! It's just a game, remember?