All Aboard The Raptor Coaster Again

What can we expect today vs the Orlando Magic? For 15 years now people have been trying to tell you what to expect game in and game out. The trouble is the Raptors have seldom been predictable at any point in their history. Fitting that in their 15 season they start with a very unexpected win and follow that up with perhaps just as unexpected a loss in the very next game. If it has not driven you totally insane by this point it likely never will. Speaking of being driven insane, Vince Carter you remember him right? He is questionable with a sprained ankle for this one. If Vince doesn't play Raptor fans will not be surprised as he never fought through injuries here. If he does that will only add to the fire for fans to boo and hiss at him. Vince no matter what he does will always lose in the eyes of most Raptor fans. He was as big a part of that unpredictability of this Raptor team. Same thing goes for Vince as a visitor. Some nights he has used the jeers to motivate him to do some amazing things. On other night the fans of Toronto got into his head and he was terrible. When a video game makes not of fans booing a player you know it is something that is going to last forever.

The cover boy of that same video game is Dwight Howard. He is good friends with Chris Bosh that dates back to Bosh's one year at Georgia Tech. A high school star in Atlanta area Dwight use to hang out at Georgia Tech around the team. A pity for the Yellow Jackets that Dwight went straight from high school to the pros. Something that you can not do these days. The two have had some classic battles in one game both Bosh and Howard had career highs in a Raptor victory. Howard has lost to Bosh more than he has won in his NBA career. However in the lone playoff series between the two it was all Dwight and the Magic winning in just 5 games. Both did win a gold medal together and they likely will always be tied together for their entire career. Dwight last year made it all the way to the NBA finals playing alongside Hedo Turkoglu who now plays with Bosh as we all know.

Maybe this is the spark Hedo needs to get on track. Thus far Hedo has been for a lot of folks at least early a disappointment. Perhaps playing the team that did not feel he was worthy of big money will motivate him. Otis Smith his former G.M said that Portland should feel fortunate that Hedo left them standing at the alter. Given what we have soon early from Hedo perhaps Otis had a point. Time will tell but I was never a huge fan of the idea of a 5 year 53 million dollar deal. However my concerns were more about the tail end of the contract not the start. Now I am just generally concerned as Hedo has yet to fully look like the guy that was huge for the Magic in a run to the NBA finals.

I would love to tell you I know is what is going to happen today. But the truth is when it comes to the Raptors as it has been for 15 years we all have just been guessing. We all do our best to make "educated" guesses but with this Raptor team as they have proved so many times and in their first two game... you truly never know what is going to happen. That is maybe what makes Raptor fans some of the most crazy yet loyal fans in the NBA and all of sports. The Raptors are a team that at many points in the 15 years they have now played in the NBA you never really know what you are going to get. Forrest Gump would have loved to be a Raptor fan because they truly are the NBA equivalent of that box of chocolates.