Fear and Loathing in Toronto

So on my walk home from the GO station today (how does the wind manage to blow into my face on the way there in the morning and on the way home?), I stared up at the sky and was shocked when it didn’t fall on me.  I had this notion that the sky was falling, because Raptor fans are all in a panic, stating that the season is lost and that simply, the Raptors suck.  Well, parts of that are true.  a) The Raptors have managed to squander a lot of games that they should have closed, so yes, those games and any possible momentum has been lost, and; b) at times, the Raptors have sucked.

But let’s be realistic here.  The Raptors are just past the quarter point of the season, so there is still a lot of basketball to play and we have seen far worse teams turn it around and then get rolling.  Remember Philly last year?  They started the season 5-19 before turning things around and making the playoffs just behind the Raptors as the 7th seed in the East.  Is making the playoffs enough for the Raptors this season?  Well, I would have to say that we would probably all be disappointed at another first round exit, but you never know what will happen once they get there.  That’s why the play the games.

Some of the problems the Raptors are having are ones that can be corrected before the midway point.  They can effectively change their mindset and get tough enough to close out some leads.  We have already seen some improved defensive efforts, so that is slowly progressing.  We seem to have lost the effectiveness of Bosh and Bargnani, but once the Raptors get both of them focused on driving to the basket again, they should improve.  We have also seen some solid minutes from Roko Ukic, making the need to bring in a backup PG not as much of a pressing issue as somebody who can get to the basket or somebody who can just crash the boards all night.

The fact is, this whole end-of-the-world mentality that seems to follow Raptor fans isn’t connected solely to the Raptors.  It’s a Toronto thing.  Toronto fans are never happy and we have more than enough media outlets to add fuel to any fire that they see brewing.  We also have some journalists who, while talented, seem to rarely have anything good to say about the team (Mr. Feschuk, step right up).  We pounce all over that and run with it, making it seem like the Raptors are the worst team in the league. 

The Leafs and Jays have been dealing with this forever.  People get all over the Jays when they actually play in the toughest division in baseball.  They get all over the Leafs because it is just something fans here are born with, some sort of defective gene.  Luckily, those of us who weren’t born in Toronto, don’t seem to have this constant black cloud hanging over our heads.  We can manage to see some of the good there is around our teams (but I’ll be damned if I ever call the Leafs my team…GO HABS). 

Let’s not kid ourselves, the Raptors aren’t a great basketball team right now, but they’re not a disaster.  They’re not in the playoff picture right now, but they’re only 2 games out of the 8th spot and 2 1/2 games out of the 6th spot.  With some winnable games coming up, the Raptors actually have a chance to make up some ground.   Is this the game that is going to make their season?  No.  But if they lose it, I’ll be wearing a helmet when I’m shovelling the driveway Saturday morning, just in case it’s not only some snow that’s coming down from above.

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