I don't even wanna talk about that last game against the Thunder. Hawks are in Toronto to take on the Raptors. Haven't seen these guys in a while..
Lowry is expected to miss tonight's game after getting his elbow drained after Monday's loss. This news is fine as we need a healthy Lowry for the playoffs and don't desperately need wins at this stage in the regular season.
Terrence Ross is back after missing a couple games with a sore thumb, so it'll be nice to see him get some burn, though again, hopefully not at the cost of him getting back to 100%
Not many injuries on the Hawks side of things. Just Tiago Splitter with a hip issue and Thabo Sefalosha, but I think he's been cleared to play
Tonight's Bismack Biyombo is pledging $1000 to The Eastern Congo Initiative for each rebound he gets. If you would like to make a pledge go to www.pledgeit.org/bismack
Tonight's Raptor Track!
Rednex - "Spirit Of The Hawk"
Rednex are a Swedish country/dance group most famous for their song "Cotton Eye Joe". They have had several hit songs all over the world beyond that one though. Tonight's Raptor Track "Spirit Of The Hawk" hit #1 in Austria and Germany back in 2000 when their album ...farm out! was released.
Raptors 2nd in East 49-24! Hawks 3rd in East 45-30!
That's how you do it Raptors! Back on the winning side of things after a complete victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Tonight the tough Thunder come for a visit!
The Thunder have already clinched a playoff spot in the West just as the Raptors have clinched in the East. The Thunder are not the Pelicans, but whenever these two teams square off something incredible happens. It's always a good game. Hoping tonight is no exception
TJ Ross is still questionable with his thumb and Raptor fans are waiting patiently for the resurrection of one DeMarre Carrol.
Oklahoma City is playing with a full squad as none of their players are listed as injured, barring any last minute rest decisions we should see two darn near full rosters squaring off.
Tonight's Raptor Track!
Steel Panther - "Girl From Oklahoma"
Never been a big fan of the hair metal genre and was pleased when Nirvana came around in 1991 and pretty much annihilated all the remaining glam bands in one fell swoop with Nevermind. Some bands are still clutching to the hairspray and neon tights though, whether its genuine or a cheeky nod to the glory days of the sunset strip in the 80's we may never know. Steel Panther is one of those bands
Raptors 2nd in East 49-23! Thunder 3rd in West 51-22!
Another tough loss to get over as the Raptors head into New Orleans, Louisiana to face the Pelicans. Hopefully they'll be able to get the win and salvage something from this 3 game road trip
Terrence Ross missed last night's game with a sore thumb and is likely sitting again tonight. Lowry and Patterson are back, though Kyle had a rough night and got ejected on his own birthday in yesterday's game against Houston.
The Pelicans are a hot mess right now. Their superstar center Anthony Davis is done for the year with a shoulder injury. Ryan Anderson, Quincy Pondexter, Tyreke Evans and Eric Gordon are all out with various injuries
Norris Cole and Jrue Holiday are both game time decisions and even Bryce Dejean Jones is out for the season! Where does that leave New Orleans? Well they still have Omer Asik, Raptor-killer Alexis Ajencia and Shaqtin'-a-fool MVP Kendrick Perkins.
Tonight's Raptor Track!
Mel McDaniel - "Lousiana Saturday Night"
This song fits the game perfectly. Written back in 1981 it's been covered by and misattributed to countless artists since it's release.
Raptors 2nd in the East 48-23! Pelicans 12th in the West 26-45!
Time to bounce back after a tough loss in Boston. How did I know that the first game I got to watch since being back would be a loss? Ah well. Raptors! Rockets! Let's go!
Wednesday's game saw Kyle Lowry benched to get some much needed rest. Also I guess his elbow was sore. Patterson was out too, but it appears both are active tonight though I could see Lowry sitting out again giving Cory Joseph the start
The Rockets are a strange team. On paper they look almost unstoppable with James Harden and Dwight Howard, but somehow they find themselves clinging to the 8th spot in the West. Every game is important to them from here on out if they wish to keep their playoff hopes alive
Though they lost on Wednesday The Raptors have clinched a playoff spot for the 3rd straight year due to a key Chicago loss
Tonight's Raptor Track!
Bob Dylan - "If You Ever Go To Houston"
I feel like Bob Dylan has a song for everything. I guess after 39 albums there are still plenty of subjects left to write and record music about. "If You Ever Go To Houston" is off his 33rd album Together Through Life released in 2009.
Raptors 2nd in East 48-22! Rockets 8th in West 35-37!
I'M BACK!!!!!!! And ready to take in my first Raptors game in 2 weeks!! Toronto hasn't slowed down at all in my absence and are rolling into Boston (where I caught my connecting flights) to play the Celtics tonight
The Raptors went 7-2 while I was away with wins over Brooklyn, Atlanta, Miami, Milwaukee, Orlando, Indiana and Boston. They lost only to Houston and close one to Chicago.
Jason Thompson seems to have fit into a nice role on the Raptors' second unit. I'm eager to see him get minutes tonight
The Raptors have been sitting Jonas Valanciunas as he's been stricken with a hand injury. Better safe than sorry, we'll need the big man come playoff time.
Tonight Kyle Lowry could set a new franchise record of most made threes in a season. He owns the current record of 190 and he has 189 made 3's coming into tonight's game
James Johnson will likely miss tonight's game with a foot injury so Norman Powell will get the start. He's been filling in well and improving with each game.
The Celtics are without Jae Crowder because of a high ankle sprain. Other than that they will be at full strength.
Boston is currently involved in the hyper-competitive Eastern Conference playoff race. Sitting 9.5 games back from 1st along with Atlanta and Charlotte. Anything can happen.
Watch for Dwane Casey doing his best to balance players and rotations when it comes to winning to giving important players (Lowry) some much needed rest
Tonight's Raptor Track(s)!!!
So tonight i'm going to be playing songs that had to do with my trip to Ireland and England, but that actually works out since Boston is the only Irish-infused team in the NBA!
The Pogues - "Dirty Old Town"
Though The Pogues are an English group, their brand of Celtic infused punk and folk have made them and their songs quite popular in Ireland. Their version of "Dirty Old Town" has become very popular there, in fact the first Irish pub we stumbled into had a local band playing this song for the patrons.
Thin Lizzy - "Jailbreak"
One of Ireland's greatest rock exports is Thin Lizzy. Again while stumbling around Dublin I came across the statue in honour of the late, great Phil Lynott.
Metallica - "Whiskey In The Jar"
"Whiskey In The Jar" is a traditional Irish drinking song with dubious and mysterious origins. Recorded and performed by numerous bands, Metallica's version is actually a cover of Thin Lizzy's version which hit back in the 70's and brought the song back into focus. This song remained in my head as we took a tour through the Cork and Kerry mountains
Coldplay - "Adventure Of A Lifetime"
Though not Irish I hadn't really heard this track until we were over there. It starts with a kind of celtic tinge to the opening riff so I thought it was an Irish group. I didn't have internet access so I couldn't just look up the lyrics, it wasn't until I got home that I discovered the song's identity
The Walls - "February's Gone"
Steve and Joe Wall form the core of this Irish Rock band formed in 1998. I'm still learning great things about them, so here's a song by them that I think you'll enjoy
Spirit Of The West - "Home For A Rest"
Again not an Irish band. They're Canadian and this song is about drinking in England. A line in the song refers to the band drinking in some bars on Charring Cross road. While we were making our way up to England's North country we stopped in to a bar on Charring Cross road for a pint. I had to. And I was ready for home after a couple weeks of drinking and traveling.
U2 - "I Will Follow"
Might seem a bit contrived and obvious to pick a U2 song to finish off with, as arguably Ireland's biggest band. It might seem that way unless you were out drinking at a pub on Patty's Day and ran into the group's lead singer Bono, which I did. Boom.
Game 60 is here and the Raptors are looking for a season sweep of the visiting Portland Trailblazers!
The Blazers have been on a bit of a tear lately winning 9 of their last 11 games. Though they did get trounced by Boston on Wednesday night, so the Raptors will need to be on their top game to stoop the likes of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum
Blazers' coach Terry Stotts won Western Conference coach of the Month for February. Coach Stotts and Coach Casey know each other well as they were both assistant coaches for the Dallas Mavericks in 2010-2011 when they won the NBA Championship.
Still no sign of Demarre Carroll. Raptors fans hope to have him back soon, as he'll need to get some games under his belt before Toronto makes a push towards the playoffs.
Tonight's Raptor Track!
The Roys - "Trailblazer" & Hammerfall - "Trailblazers"
I know i'm burning 2 songs for a difficult city/team name combo to find songs for, but I just found it funny how the 2 songs I found this week are near polar opposites. One is a Swedish death metal band known for screaming solos and album covers with medieval imagery and the other is a good ol's Blue Grass band from the southern states with 194 page views on Youtube!
Raptors 2nd in East 40-19. Trailblazers 7th in West 33-29
After a grizzly game against the Pistons on Sunday the Raptors are back at home tonight to kick off a 7 game homestand against the Utah Jazz
Kyle Lowry rested and sat out Sunday's game. I fully expect Lowry to back on the court and bring the intensity to this game that he is known for
The Jazz are in a battle in the West right now as they are currently 1 game back from the last playoff position that is 8th place, behind the Rockets. Expect the Jazz to come out in full force tonight
Though their force won't be totally full as they'll be without Dante Exum. Alec Burks and Trevor Booker are both questionable to play tonight as well
On Monday the Raptors waived Anthony Bennett and signed Jason Thompson for the remainder of the season. Bennett has had a tough NBA life from having the spotlight thrust upon him by being chosen as #1 by Cleveland in 2013 and then bouncing around a few teams before Toronto decided to pick him up. There was just not enough playing time for him to develop and Thompson is an already established player. Fare thee well Bennett! Good luck with all your future endeavors!
Tonight's Raptor Track!
Canned Heat - "Utah"
Canned Heat have had about a million members since their inception back in the Sixties. Technically a rock band, they have been known to incorporate aspects of blues, folk and bluegrass music into their songs. "Utah" is the final track off their 1971 album Historical Figures and Ancient Heads.
Raptors 2nd in East 39-19! Jazz 9th in West 28-31!
