Game 17: Raptors at Wizards

Raptors are 3-0 on Drake Night after defending their home court against LeBron and the Cavaliers. Tonight they are in Washington to take on the team that swept them in last year's playoffs, the Washington Wizards.

• One of Washington's big men, the Brazilian Nene, will not be playing tonight. He left last night's game against Boston with a calf strain and did not return.
• Wizards have lost their last 3 games against Boston, Charlotte and Indiana. Though they're down Raptors coach Dwane Casey had this to say about the match up tonight: "This team, if they have anything in their pants at all, they're going to come in loud, upset".
• Bizmack Biyombo, who has been starting for the Raptors in Valanciunas' absence had a great game against the Cavaliers and racked up a double/double. Need more of that from the young man from the Congo.

Tonight's Raptor Track!

Megadeth - "Washington Is Next"

Megadeth has always had a bit of a political lean to many of their albums. Peace Sells But Who's Buying?, The System Has Failed & The World Needs A Hero are all names of past albums with political topics dominating the lyrical subject matter. 2007's United Abominations has been hailed as their most political to date and return to form for Megadeth in terms of classic heavy metal and the type of guitar driven songs that Megadeth fans came to love about the band. It's that album where we find tonight's track "Washington Is Next"

Raptors 5th in the East 10-6. Wizards 12th in the East 6-7

Game 16: Cavaliers at Raptors (Drake Night!)

The Raptors come home after going 2-3 on the road to face a difficult opponent. The Returning Eastern Conference Champions Cleveland Cavaliers come to Toronto and they're lead by nobody major, just LeBron James

• It's Drake night at the ACC!! So expect alot of hip-hop music, celeb sightings and the Raptors to showcase their fresh new, black and gold OVO inspired jerseys
• For The Cavaliers they will be missing Kyrie Irving and Matthew Dellavedova. Mo Williams will be returning tonight though, so they aren't completely sunk at the PG spot. They do still have plenty of quality players in Kevin Love, JR Smith, Timofey Mozgov and of course LeBron James.
• DeMarre Carroll will get his shot to show why he was brought in to this Raptor squad, primarily to defend tough 3s like LeBron James. His offensive game has been all gravy

Tonight's Raptor Track!!

Soul Asylum - "Black Gold"

Don't give me a hard time for not picking a Drake track. I feel like I picked a bunch of his songs last year. Soul Asylum, staple 90's grunge band with a bunch of recognizable tracks like "Runaway Train", "Misery" and "Just Like Anyone". "Black Gold" was a single off the 1993 album Grave Dancer's Reunion. It was grossly overshadowed by the smash single "Runaway Train" however.

Raptors now 6th in the East 9-6. Cavs top of the East with 11-3!

Game 15: Raptors at Clippers (Post Game)

Even though they almost gave it all way in the second half, the Raptors finish up their 5 game road trip by disassembling the LA Clippers in a 91-82 win.

• Jonas Valanciunas will miss an expected 6 weeks after breaking a bone in his left hand during Friday's game against the Lakers. Bismack Biyombo got the start and grabbed 14 rebounds in the effort
• The Raptors put up 63 first half points and ended up only scoring 8 in the entire third quarter. Thankfully they were able to slow the Clippers down and close the game out.
• DeMarre Carroll and Luis Scola had big scoring nights. With 21 and 20 points respectively.
• Raptors go 2-3 on the 5 game swing and return home to take on a tough Cleveland Cavaliers team.

Tonight's Raptor Track!

She Wants Revenge - "...and A Song For Los Angeles"

She Wants Revenge are an electro-pop duo from California who released their first album in 2006. "...And A Song For Los Angeles" was released on their sophomore album This Is Forever in 2007 as a Best Buy Bonus track. The only way to get the song in album form was to purchase it at Best Buy. Ah well..

Raptors move to fifth in the East. 9-6. Clippers fall to eighth in the West 6-7.

Game 14 Raptors at Lakers

Ok. No more ess-ing around. This is a must win game for the Raptors. Toronto vs the LA Lakers! Tonight! at 10:30

• Expect Kobe Bryant to be playing tonight, though his minutes are sure to be limited. After a game last week Bryant said he was so sore that he wasn't looking forward to walking to his car. Sadly this will likely be his final season.
• Ex-Raptor and Sixth Man of the year Lou Williams now plays for the Lakers, it will be good to see him again.
• The Raptors need to figure how to close out games. They've held leads going into the 4th quarter on several of their most recent losses only to give the game away. There needs to be more energy and intensity.

Tonight's Raptor Track!

The Doors - "LA Woman"

Classic LA track by a classic American band!

Raptors now 9th in the East! 7-6. Lakers 14th in the West 2-9!

Game 13: Raptors at Jazz

Ok, so we now what it feels like to lose. Can't expect to win them all and the Raptors gave it their all against The Golden State Warriors and they're looking for a win on this road trip as they roll into Utah to take on the Jazz

• The Jazz are not a team you can take lightly, though their only win against a team with a winning record was against the Atlanta Hawks, they have many good, young players and are hungry to make noise in the league this year
• They will be without their lottery pick from a couple years ago in Dante Exum who will miss this season with an achilles tear and Terrence Ross will still be out for Toronto.
• There was a lot of chatter about the legitimacy of some of the calls from late in the GSW game, the reality is, the Raptors need to execute better. Make free throws and make every trip down the court count. Cannot hope the refs will bail you out

Tonight's Raptor Track!

Band Of Horses - "The Great Salt Lake"

Utah play in Salt Lake City, so tonight we'll go to Seattle's Band Of Horses. "The Great Salt Lake" comes off their debut album Everything All The Time released in 2006. It was critically claimed and the only album with the original lineup as several band members would leave or be replaced for it was even released.

Raptors 7-5. Sixth in the East. Jazz 5-5. Eighth in the West

Game 12 Raptors at Warriors

After a tough loss in Sacramento the Raptors are looking to bounce back against the defending champions, The Golden State Warriors.

• It was speculated that Klay Thompson may not play in tonight's game due to a back issue, but after participating in the morning's shootaround it appears he will play tonight. Along with Draymond Green who had the flu for the passed couple days and one time Raptor Leandro Barbosa who had to fly home to Brazil for a family matter
• The Warriors remain the only undefeated team in the NBA with a staggering record of 11-0. They are a greatly crafted team, but Steph Curry has been continuing right where he left off after winning the championship. He's shooting lights out and has been a great leader for a Golden State team that seemingly cannot be stopped
• Probably no Terrence Ross again tonight for Toronto and it's been scoring late in games that have sunk the Raptors in their 4 losses. Everyone needs to be on their game, tight and precise if they expect a victory

Tonight's Raptor Track!

The Asteroid Galaxy Tour - "Golden Age"

Danish pop group Asteroid Galaxy Tour, who are most well known for coining a song used in a Heineken beer ad back in 2011 provide the same song tonight for our Raptor track! They got their start opening for Amy Winehouse in 2009 and were soon asked to appear in an iPod ad. Call it selling out if you must, but in this day and age, allowing your songs to be used in ads is a sure way to gain an audience.

Capture the championship belt!!!

Game 11: Raptors at Kings

After securing a solid win over the Pelicans, the Raptors head out on a tough West Coast road swing. First stop: Sacramento to take on the Kings

• Things are falling apart behind the scenes for the Kings as they deal with front office turmoil, players only meetings and a Head Coach George Karl who is not producing the results expected of him.
• Despite all that Rajon Rondo, now with his 3rd NBA team in a year, is having an excellent start to the season posting 3 triple double performances already.
• DeMarre Carroll returned on Friday for the Raps after being out for a few games with a nagging foot injury. He started out slow, but returned to the Carroll we've seen all season provided defense, 3-point shooting and hustle off the get go.

Tonight's Raptor Track!

Middle Of The Road - "Sacramento"

Classic Rock group from Scotland Middle Of The Road are in the spotlight tonight with their song 'Sacramento'. A group from Scotland, singing about an American city, while rolling around Amsterdam in the video? Cool stuff!

Road strong!!

Game 10: Pelicans at Raptors

Raptors are back home for a wink before they head out on a tough West Coast road trip. They gotta take care of business at home against the struggling New Orleans Pelicans who may just be without their star

• Pelicans Superstar centre Anthony Davis has a hip injury and won't be in the line up tonight for New Orleans. Along with the 4 other players who are out, this Pelicans squad needs to get healthy quick to turn their slow start (1-7) around.
• Last year the Raptors were swept by the Pelicans and had big performances by players like Luke Babbitt, Alexis Ajencia and Tyreke Evans. Just because they are a few players down and have a lowly 1-7 record, you gotta take care of home base.
• DeMarre Carroll and Terrence Ross are both likely out again for Toronto. Their injuries are given other rotation players like James Johnson and Norman Powell a chance to shine however. 
• Lastly, it appears Bebe and Bruno will be joining the ranks of the Raptors 905, Mississauga's NBA D-League team. Hopefully there they can get plenty of playing time and develop into great players

Tonight's Raptor Track

REM - "New Orleans Instrumental No. 1"

Don't know any story behind this track except that it's the only instrumental track on REM's fantastic album Automatic For The People. Songs don't always need words to covey feelings, emotions or to tell stories. Sometimes you can just sit back and enjoy the music.

No Brow; No problem!!

Game 9: Raptors at 76ers (Post Game)

A game started at 7pm tonight and a team was looking to snap a 3 game losing streak. That team was the Raptors...did they pull it off? Let's find out

• Still no DeMarre Carroll or Terrence Ross for the Raptors. Ross is out with a strained thumb and Carroll still with his nagging foot injury. James Johnson started for Carroll
• Norman Powell got a bit of playing time with Ross being out and was quite impressive. 8pts 4 rebounds and one emphatic dunk!!
• The Sixers were without Nerlens Noel, but their top pick in the 2015 Draft Jahill Okafor had a good game, who battled with JV most of the night. The future is bright in Philly, they just need to figure out where they're going. And alot of credit to coach Brett Brown who has these young, underdeveloped and under appreciated players fighting like devils with nothing to lose.

Tonight's Raptor Track!

Alan Jackson - "1976"

If I have a hard time finding a Raptor Track song to suit a team's name, I can usually pull something out of Country music. Country artists love writing songs about where they're from and good ol' times before things got too complicated. Alan Jackson here is reminiscing about 1976, things were a little simpler then eh Alan?

Raptors back on the winning side!!

Game 8: Knicks at Raptors

Raptors return home after going 2-2 on the road and need to protect the ACC from the once mighty New York Knicks

• Still no word on whether DeMarre Carrol will play tonight. Let's hope he isn't out too long, The Raptors definitely need his hustle and tenacity on defense
• It's the Raptors first look at the #4 pick in the 2015 Draft, Kristaps Porzingis. The New York fans weren't too happy about the pick, but he's looking pretty good early on. Jonas Valanciunas will have his hands full tonight trying to keep this guy out of the paint.
• We all want the Knicks to do bad this year. We get the lower pick from either Denver or New York thanks to the Carmelo Anthony to NY deal and the Andrea Bargnani to New York deal. Both trades masterminded by current Raptors GM Masai Ujiri

Tonight's Raptor Track!

Ryan Adams - "New York, New York"

Have I done this one yet? I don't think so....have I? MEH why not do it again, even if I already did it. Ryan Adams "New York, New York"

BREAKING NEWS!! DEMARRE IS BACK!!

Game 7: Raptors at Heat

Well the 82-0 dream is over after losing at the buzzer against Orlando on Friday night. It's alright though the Raptors are still tied for second in the East with a record of 5-1 and are looking for win #6 against some familiar foes The Miami Heat.

• DeMarre Carroll is questionable tonight for The Raptors with soreness in his foot. Apparently he's been dealing with the pain over the past couple weeks, which speaks to his toughness and willingness to sacrifice for the team. If he sits out tonight, look for James Johnson to see some playing time.
• Chris Bosh is back and fully healthy for the Heat which is great news for them. He missed the majority of last year with a blood clot in his lung.
• Josh McRoberts is also back with the team after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus and missed most of last year. Though the team is still without Gerald Green who was admitted to the hospital a few days ago after he was found unconscious and bleeding in the lobby of his condo. Mysterious.

Tonight's Raptor Track!

Hot Hot Heat - "Middle Of Nowhere"

British Columbia's Hot Hot Heat have been around since 1999 and got their break being signed to Seattle's Subpop label. Their latest release however was 5 years ago, though the band does continue to tour and make appearances. "Middle Of Nowhere" comes from their 2005 album Elevator.

Put the fire out...

Game 6: Raptors at Magic

5-0 BAYBAYBAY!!!!! The Raptors travel to Florida to try and make it 6ix straight wins to kick off the season, but a young and hungry team stands between them and that achievement. The Orlando Magic.

• Unfortunate news for Magic fans as their talented, young center Nikola Vucevic will be sitting this game out due to a bone bruise on his right knee. With him out of the game Jonas Valanciunas should have a successful night.
• The Magic have plenty of ways to due damage of their own however, Victor Oladipo, Tobias Harris and Elfrid Payton are all young up and comers. And their fourth-year guard Evan Fournier is having a great start to his year. Fun fact: Fournier was the first guy I saw with the new "manbun" hair style.
• This game is by no means a lock, but the Raptors have all the momentum in the world though, with Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and Cory Joseph coming off of great performances against the Thunder. Should be a fun one!

Tonight's Raptor Track!

Angels & Airwaves - "Everything's Magic"

Angels & Airwaves is what Tom DeLonge created after his former band Blink 182 went on hiatus. It was a more rock oriented group than the punk-ish tunes Blink was known for and the lyrical content more serious and often more sci-fi oriented than anything DeLonge had done before. "Everything's Magic" was the first single of the band's second album I-Empire, released in 2007.

Get six on the sixth from the 6ix!!!!

Game 5: Raptors at Thunder

Well well well....as I slide this entry in right before tip off the Toronto Raptors sit atop the Eastern Conference with a record of 4-0. The first time in franchise history that the team has started this way. The Raptors have a real tough test tonight as they face the always difficult Oklahoma City Thunder in one of the NBA's loudest arenas

• Forgot to give props to Dwane Casey, the Raptors head coach who after the Milwaukee game became the Raptors most winningest coach in franchise history. After last night's win his total rests at 158 Ws!!! Congrats coach!
• Kevin Durant of the OKC Thunder is back and along with his running mate Russell Westbrook the Thunder are looking to make some major strides in the West this year...especially since they missed the Playoffs last year
• Raptors are on the 2nd game of their first back-to-back of the season and OKC is in Chicago tomorrow night. Need to get the energy levels up early, so maybe just maybe this team can get to 5-0.

Tonight's Raptor Track!

Lit - "Four"

That's right babies!! Four and OH to start!! It's a franchise first, a landmark and a winning streak!! It also means that the Raptors are in the top 4 teams of the NBA in terms of offensive and defensive efficiency!!! Get psyched!!! This song by Lit called "Four" is a good one to help everyone get psyched as well!!

one two there four FIF!!!!

Game 4: Raptors at Mavericks

The Raptors are off to their best start since the 2008-2009 season with a record of 3-0. They get their first taste of the tough Western Conference tonight as they kick off a road trip in Dallas and square off against Mark Cuban's Mavericks.

• It was announced today that the Raptors have extended Terrence Ross for another 3 years! Congrats to the young man on the deal and i'm to watch him continue to develop and dazzle with his natural athleticism.
• Tonight is Dallas' first home game of the season after going 2-1 on the road. They added some notable names over the offseason like Wesley Matthews, Raymond Felton and Deron Williams. Along with Dirk Nowitzki and Chandler Parsons, they'll be hoping to regain their glory days from when they went the whole way back in 2011
• It will be interesting to see if Canadian boy Dwight Powell gets any playing time. He found himself on the Dallas squad when he was included in last year's trade that brought Rajon Rondo from The Celtics to the Mavericks

Tonight's Raptor Track!

Maverick Sabre - "Let Me Go"

Maverick Sabre is an English singer/songwriter/rapper who's debut album Lonely Are The Brave was released in the UK in 2012. It gained positive reviews and it's follow up was just released this past Halloween, the 2015 release Innerstanding.

Go West Raptors!!

Game 3: Bucks at Raptors

I know it's still early but The Raptors are one of the only two undefeated teams in the East going into tonight's game! The other team? The Detroit Pistons, yeah, they're 3-0.

• Terrence Ross had a great game on Friday night against the Boston Celtics and he has until tomorrow to sign an extension with the team. I'm sure his agent, himself and Masai will get some deal done. The kid has alot of talent and looks like he's found his niche coming off the bench behind DeMar and giving his team some solid minutes
• Don't sleep on the Bucks at all. They are definitely a playoff team this year. Not only do they have a solid young group learning and growing together in players like Giannis Antentokounmpo, John Henson and Jabari Parker (who remains injured). The Bucks also have some key veteran players like OJ Mayo and the recently acquired Greg Monroe...a tough group to compete with
• The Raptors encounter another former brother in arms tonight in Greivis Vasquez. GV was traded on draft night to the Bucks for the draft rights to Norman Powell and a future first round pick.

Tonight's Raptor Track

Buck 65 - "Wicked & Weird"

Buck 65 is a Canadian rapper from the East Coast, who uses elements of blues, ska, country, folk and rock in his unique blend of alternative music. "Wicked & Weird" might be his most well known song. If you're ever in need of a chill driving track as you head out on the unknown highway, you should consider this one.

We will always love the General...but tonight he must be crushed!!