Well, it was another disheartening loss for the Raptors in the coaching debut of Jay Triano, a 114-87 drubbing at the hands of the Utah Jazz.

I really though they’d be inspired and play with energy, and the energy would carry them to a win. Instead they looked like they didn’t care.

Offensively, we saw some new things and while they missed a lot of shots, they got some good shots - open shots - they hadn’t been getting before. Hopefully as everyone gets comfortable in the offense those shots will drop.

Defensively, unfortunately, it was the same old garbage. Terrible rotations. Non-existent weakside help. Matodor defense. Getting burned by the same things over and over and over. Really, watching that game, you felt like the Jazz could do whatever the heck they wanted, when they wanted.

Can coaching change that? I really don’t know. I hope so. But it better happen fast.

One extremely disappointing thing to note, Chris Bosh was manhandled by Paul Millsap. Why the heck wasn’t Bosh on Okur and O’Neal on Millsap? And why didn’t Bosh use his quickness on Millsap, instead of settling for fadeaway jumpers? He was the least aggressive Raptor on the floor last night.

Overall, just incredibly disappointed in this Raptors team for not playing with more energy and aggression for the new coach. Bosh said the other day, “we’re still 8-9,” implying the season is far from over. But as I’ve been saying all along, if you don’t correct the things that aren’t working, quickly, then 8-9 becomes 8-12, and 12-22, and 22-40, and so on. Take a look at the schedule, Chris. This season is slipping away and you better start playing with some urgency if you want that to change.

So, it’s the NBA’s newest coach against the NBA’s longest serving coach tonight in Utah. Um, who do you think might have the advantage? Jay’s going for his first win - well, second, if you count the fill-in job he did last year - while Jerry Sloan is going for win #1,102.

This is a tough preview to write, because I really don’t know what to expect in this game. From the Raptors standpoint, we can’t expect too much to change - after all, Triano’s only had a day and a half on the job and roster is what it is.

What’s impossible to predict is the emotional effect that a new voice can bring; sometimes, just having that different guy on the bench produces an energy level the team hasn’t seen before. So while they may not do anything drastically different, the Raptors may be inspired to actually play harder and execute better on the floor.

As for the Jazz, well, it appears Carlos Boozer won’t play; Andrei Kirilenko and Matt Harpring are questionable; and Deron Williams is having a tough time recovering from ankle problems (I would know, he’s on my fantasy team).

Nevertheless, when you’re a struggling point guard, playing Jose Calderon and his patented Matador Defense is the cure-all, isn’t it?

Sigh.

Anyway, without knowing who’s gonna play, it’s tough to predict how the Jazz will do. They’re 8-3 at home - it’s always tough for road teams in Utah, and the Raps haven’t won there since 2004 - but oddly enough, just 2-7 against the Eastern conference this year.

Regardless of who plays, you can be sure the Jazz will execute their plays and give 100 per cent on defense. They’re kind of the anti-Raptors in that respect. It’s amazing how disciplined Sloan’s teams are.

Ronnie Brewer is having a solid year - 13/3/3 on 48% shooting - and if our perimeter defense is as bad as it’s been lately, he and Kyle Korver will likely have field days. Mehmet Okur is usually a tough matchup, but with our versatile big men (I would assume either Bosh or Bargnani would guard Okur, with O’Neal on the much more physical Paul Millsap) we should be able to hold him in check.

The Jazz have been starting CJ Miles at small forward, and while he doesn’t feature much in their offense, he could be a tough matchup for the Raptors (assuming Triano sticks with the big three frontline of Bosh, Bargnani and O’Neal). With O’Neal on Millsap, that leaves Bosh and Bargnani to handle Okur and Miles. Smaller, quicker threes are a tough guard for Bargnani or Bosh, and you just know a coach like Sloan will be able to take advantage.

The key, then, will be how - or if? - the Raptors exploit it on the other end. One recurring problem under Sam Mitchell was that the Raptors rarely, if ever, took advantage of the mismatches that having Bargnani on the floor provides. (Some people are blaming this on Jose Calderon, but as Michael Grange reported yesterday, Sam was calling plays every time down the floor… and the play was Horns Up - high pick and roll - 70% of the time.)

I know it can be tough to think of Bargnani as a top option with Bosh and JO out there, but honestly… if 6′6″ Miles is guarding him, if they don’t go to Bargnani in the post early and often, I’m going to be extremely disappointed in Triano. That’s his first real test, in my mind.

Besides, given how assertive Bargnani has been on offense, and given JO’s struggles shooting the ball, I’d say Bargnani probably should be the second offensive option on any given play. And if he’s got a 6′6″ height advantage, he’s gotta get the rock.

The Raptors will really catch a break if both Boozer and Kirilenko are out, and it’s gonna be up to Triano to ensure the team takes advantage - the Raptors will have a serious edge in size and they’ve got to hit the glass, get out and run, and when things slow down, use that height to score some points on post-ups.

Assuming both of those guys are out, I think the Raptors will be up to the task and will win by 10 - I really think the emotional impact of the coaching change will carry them through.

That was an ugly game from start to finish. Missed dunks and layups, awful turnovers, brutal shooting, some curious calls… just ugly.

Much as I have been a TJ Ford supporter, I honestly believe he lost that game for them. OK, that’s not entirely fair, the game was lost because Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani are stinking the joint out. But TJ did blow their chance to win.

Let’s recall the two sequences before that three that he hit - on the offensive end, he missed a three from the corner (when they were down two). He was open, yes, but open enough that he could have taken the drive.

Then, back the other way, Kirilenko lost the ball out of bounds, with six on the shot clock. The Jazz inbound… and TJ turned his back and let Deron Williams score on a layup. A layup! I know Jerry Sloan is great at creating those inbound plays, but come on… it’s like Ford wasn’t even paying attention. And now they’re down four.

So yes, TJ hits the three, great shot, fine. But the final shot… I mean, whether he was “in the moment” or not… it took him three tries to just get open (and it was still contested by Okur, meaning he had to fade away). But that 10-11 seconds worth of time could have been used A) getting the quick two, or B) penetrating and kicking to an open shooter. Speaking of which… why didn’t they use their timeout there to get another three-point shooter on the floor? Maybe not Bargnani, who couldn’t throw it in the ocean at this point, but Kapono or Delfino? Is Bosh, Hump, Moon, Parker and TJ your best lineup when down three?

As I said yesterday, I didn’t expect them to win. I guess the disappointing thing is - much like the Boston game - I feel like they wasted a great effort from the defense (at least until the last couple of minutes when they couldn’t get a stop when they really needed it). The Jazz were averaging 111 points and shooting 50%… the Raps held them to 92 on 39%. Jamario Moon kept Andrei Kirilenko in check. Carlos Boozer struggled. Even Williams didn’t take advantage of his size as much as I expected. And even though Bosh, Bargnani, Ford and Calderon all shot the ball poorly (14 of 47!?! Ugh) and turned the ball over a ton (8)… they still had a chance, and the point guard, who’s supposed to be the best decision maker, makes a TERRIBLE decision… I mean at the end of the day, all you ask is for a chance to win… and when a guy blows it as badly as that… well, no other way to put it, that just plain sucks.So what the hell is wrong with Bargnani? His shot looks way off. I mean before, whenever he released it, I always thought it was going in. Now? It looks awful, and I don’t think anything has a chance to go in. As for Bosh… the guy gets to the line 30 times in two games, hitting 28… and he’s been there 4 times in the last two. When you know you can get the calls and you know you can hit the FTs… take it to the rack! Sigh. This “settling for jumpers” routine is starting to scare me, like “shades of Vince Carter” scare me…

I am happy about they way Anthony Parker is playing (especially since he’s on my fantasy team). I don’t know if it’s the new lineup or he’s just getting into form, but whatever, it’s good to see. And Kris Humphries’ contribution was huge (14 boards, 5 offensive!), and we’ll need that if Rasho Nesterovic misses any time with his sprained ankle.

Moon was great again; he’s really contributed in the last three games. If they kept a stat of “altered shots” he probably had like, 5; he probably added 5 more deflections too. If he can be consistent, his emergence will go a long way towards the Raps shortening the rotation to the 8 or 9 I want it to be (he essentially replaces anything Dixon, Graham and Garbo give you).

Anyway. Tough loss, but it wasn’t a “bad loss” like the Milwaukee game - they did enough on the defensive end to stay in it, and the things they did wrong - silly turnovers on fast breaks, forced shots - are easily corrected. I’m confident they’ll get the offense in sync… frankly, they have to. The defense isn’t good enough to have too many nights like this. More often that not, teams are gonna blow the Raptors away if they can’t hit shots.

Tonight the Jazz come to town, with a 6-2 record… and riding a four-game winning streak.

It’s the start of a three-game home stand for the 4-3 Raps… who are merely 1-2 at the ACC this year.

Oh, and the Jazz have swept the season series the last two years.

So basically, it doesn’t look good for the Raptors tonight.

Still, all streaks end sometime and you know eventually the Raps will start winning on the home court. Overall the Jazz are averaging 111 points a game and shooting 50 % from the field… one has to assume that like a streak, those numbers have to come down too, right?

Could tonight be the night?

Utah is a tough matchup for Toronto’s offense at any time, let alone when the Jazz themselves are lighting it up on offense; at virtually every position, they are bigger and stronger. Even Mehmet Okur, their center who likes to bomb from long range, is an effective rebounder and big body. Carlos Boozer is the type of physical forward that gives Chris Bosh fits; Andrei Kirilenko can help on penetrators and close out on shooters with those long arms; they rebound the ball well; overall they’re just well disciplined, they rotate well, and they don’t make a lot of mental mistakes.

Defensively, I wouldn’t be surprised if Bosh and Rasho Nesterovic switched some, and and Rasho guards Boozer for stretches, and Bosh guards Okur. That might help keep Bosh fresh and out of foul trouble.

Deron Williams is turning into a great point guard. He’s definitely not as fast as TJ or as good a shooter as Calderon, but he’s got a knack for hitting big shots, and he’s got a big upper body that allows him to get into the lane and finish. Basically TJ and Jose are going to have their hands full.

Meanwhile there’s Kirilenko who, for all the drama surrounding him, is still a great help defender and rebounder, and he can shoot and slash; at a legit 6′9″, he’s a difficult matchup for whoever ends up starting at small forward for the Raptors - Kapono, Moon, I don’t know at this point.

The Jazz bench isn’t all that deep, but it’s nothing to scoff at. Second-year man Ronnie Brewer is starting, leaving shooters Gordon Giricek and Matt Harpring to come in firing off the pine. They’ve also got rebounding beast Paul Millsap and backup center Jaron Collins. Williams is backed up by Jason Hart, who frankly, should get eaten up by Calderon. I’d definitely give the Raptors bench the edge; in addition to Jose we’ve got shooters of our own in Bargnani and Kapono, and Delfino has been fantastic.

Still… I think the disciplined, physical game of the Jazz will wear the Raps down, and though they won’t run away with it, they’ll hold the Raptors off for a 12-point win.

Meanwhile… how about that Stephon Marbury? I mean if you had any doubts about the Knicks being the most dysfunctional team in sports, they had to have been obliterated by this latest mess, right? Well, whatever. What’s bad for the Knicks is good for the Raptors, as far as I’m concerned. I hate the Knicks.