So, it’s the Raps’ final game on the West coast tonight, on TSN2 for us all to not see. Sigh. (I’m so tired of this ridiculousness, I don’t even have the energy to say “Fuck you, TSN” anymore, so I’m simply calling it TSNFU.)

Steve Nash remains questionable - he turned his ankle Tuesday and did not play last night, a 132-106 loss to the Lakers. Clearly, they’re not the same team without him, but I don’t think you can say this makes the Raptors’ job THAT much easier - a team trotting out Leandro Barbosa, Matt Barnes, Grant Hill, and Jason Richardson, not to mention the Big Shaqtus, still has more talent than the Raptors. And I will not soon forget how well Jared Dudley played against us in Charlotte, either, and in fact, I seem to recall more than a few second-tier (or lower) players having big nights against us the past two seasons, so look out for one of Alando Tucker, Louis Amundson or Robin Lopez to have a career game.

Gee, I’m not at all pessimistic, am I?

Still, even I have to admit, if ever there was a chance for the Raps to steal one from the Suns, it’ll be tonight. The Raps look to be as close to healthy as any team is this late in the season, only missing Humphries and maybe Joey Graham; and even though it’s a road game, they’re well-rested, having arrived Wednesday, while the Suns played on the road last night. The Suns have been team turmoil the past couple weeks, what with nearly trading Amare, nearly trading Shaq, firing their coach, and losing Amare to injury, while the Raps are finally starting to settle in with Shawn Marion, and have won two straight.

So yeah… this isn’t as hopeless as say, the last four trips to Phoenix, where the Raptors are 0-4 and have lost by an average of 14 points. The last victory? February 10, 2004. Vince Carter led the Kevin O’Neill Raptors to a 101-94 victory with 29 points, and MoPete added 7 three-pointers. (Ah, the good old days. That 101 may well have been a season-high in the O’Neill era!)

In fact, that game was the last victory against the Suns, home or away. Steve Nash rejoined the Suns following that 2004 season, and they’ve won nine straight against us since. Do we subconsciously lose to the Suns, in order to make Canada’s greatest basketball player ever look better? Well, if that’s the case, maybe his absence tonight will make a difference.

For the Raps, Shawn Marion has played well the past four games, doing a lot of little things while not making a huge impact on the score sheet. I think it’s been enough time that he’s ready to take more of a role in the offence; I know he can run the pick and roll with Calderon, and he actually, you know, does the “roll” portion of it (whereas, 95% of the time, Bosh and Bargnani just pop, rarely ever rolling to the hoop). If Shaq gets into any sort of foul trouble or needs a rest, the Raps should have a lot of open lanes to the hoop tonight. I know we’re not the Lakers, but LA dropped 60 points in the paint on the Suns last night, so Bosh, Bargnani and Marion should be able to get a lot of short-range opportunities.
For the Suns, it’ll either be Steve Nash or Leandro Barbosa at the point, and either one is obviously going to be a big concern for the Raps; Nash is Nash, he’ll be great, and Barbosa’s as fast as they come. Given José Calderon’s, um, “suspect” defense, I fear a lot of drive-and-dish for Nash or a lot of Barbosa blow-bys-for-layups tonight.

Either way, dribble penetration is going to be the key. If the Raps can limit it, they’ll have a chance. It’ll be a challenge - as you know, it’s a huge weakness for the Raps, and in Barbosa, J-Rich, Barnes, and even Hill, the Suns have guys that can break down a D off a dribble. But if the Raps can limit it, and not have an off-shooting ngiht of their own… is the upset possible?

The Suns are tired and shorthanded; the Raps are well-rested. As long as Toronto comes out looking energized - no 16-point deficits in the first quarter, please - I actually think they’ll be able to take this one. Raptors by 12.

Well, another in a series of very entertaining games for the Raptors. Funny, though, how quickly things change.

By taking a very good team - Boston - down to the wire and overtime a week ago - on the heels of winning four of their previous six - I thought maybe - just maybe - the Raptors were about to turn a corner. Yes, it was another loss, but it was a tough loss against a good team and if they could use the experience as fuel going forward, you’d be able to look at that loss as a turning point.

But my worst fears were realized; the Raptors, mentally weak all year, were that again in their response to that loss. They came out flat against Chicago, and while they evened that one up before halftime, they couldn’t hang on, and lost. Ended up being a very enjoyable back-and-forth game, featuring a career performance from Andrea Bargnani and a stellar showing from Derrick Rose in his first game against Toronto, but in the end, another loss.

They came out even flatter against Indiana, and were down 24 points after three quarters. Once again they fought back, staging a furious fourth quarter rally, but fell short. The game looked to be one of the worst of the year through three, but that fourth quarter was, frankly, riveting.

Seeing as how that was the halfway point of the season and the Raptors were nine games under .500, I declared that moment the final death knell of the Raptors playoff hopes. All I could really hope for now were more entertaining games like the past three.

Sunday, the Raptors and Suns did not disappoint. Nobody played a lick of defense, which is frustrating for basketball purists, but man, was it fun to watch. Every Raptor starter had at least 15 points, Joey Graham had a career day and Anthony Parker made a very successful debut as a point guard. But Steve Nash was masterful, getting all of his Suns teammates involved and taking over down the stretch.

A week ago I’d say, “hey, this team is close, they were short-handed and took the Suns to the final seconds!” Of course, I’d also be right pissed that they let one get away.

But at this point, there’s just not enough time left in the season for it to matter, so I didn’t get too high or too low about yesterday’s game - and it was kind of liberating. I wasn’t thinking about their record or what this does to their playoff chances. I was focused only on the game, and it was fun. All that matters to me is that the Raptors play hard every game; if they do that, if they give a good effort and the games are close, I can still enjoy watching the team on a game-to-game basis, even if the season as a whole is a colossal disappointment.

Anyway. Fun game, and as always, if you’re gonna lose, Steve Nash is a guy you don’t mind losing to. As usual, he was fantastic to watch and humble in victory, even apologizing to his friend Jay Triano for the loss. You gotta love Steve Nash.

On to the other big news of the day, Jermaine O’Neal sitting out to “rest his knee” - or because a trade is imminent. (Either way, shockingly, he did not appear on the bench with his teammates. Sigh.)

Now, multiple newspaper stories - not just Web rumours - have “confirmed” that a trade with Miami for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks is “in the works” and “imminent.” Marion also sat out last night, adding fuel to the fire.

I’m never one to believe anything until it’s official, so I’m not holding my breath, but this one has been rumoured for a while.

If it happens, it appears to be beneficial to both teams, at least on paper; the Heat are need of a big man, the Raptors are in need of a small forward. Unfortunately, it’s too little too late for the Raptors, who are chasing a playoff dream. Marion definitely helps the perimeter D and rebounding, but not enough to help them go on the seven or eight game winning streak they need.

Miami is sixth in the conference right now, and shoring up their front line should, at the least, keep them in the race, if not vault them ahead of Detroit and Atlanta.

Financially, well it looks to help Miami more than Toronto since O’Neal’s contract expires in the key summer of 2010, whereas Marion’s is off the books this year. Can Toronto sign anyone of value this summer? Will they have anything left to sign Chris Bosh? Or does this mean Bosh is headed to Miami in 2010?

League offices are likely closed for Martin Luther King day, so chances are the earliest this could happen is tomorrow. That means the most interesting thing going in to today’s Raptors game in Atlanta will be whether or not O’Neal plays. According to Doug Smith he’s with the team; but is that just ‘cause Miami’s a much closer flight from Atlanta than it is from Toronto? Will O’Neal sit again (and not appear on the bench), or will he get 15 minutes to show Miami and Pat Riley that he can play?

All very intriguing, and all the action comes your way today at 2:00!