Roll up your sleeves the dress rehearsal is almost complete and its time to get down to the nitty gritty! My pessimistic, optimistic and realist predictions of how the Raptors will fare this upcoming season! Enjoy!

One of the most exciting summers in NBA history left many fans turning their heads and questioning how the 2010-2011 season will unfold. We don't have to wait any longer as the pre-season is underway and the new look Raptors are showing that without Chris Bosh they still have some tricks up their sleeves!

It was just two days before the Canadian development squad embarked on their journey to Europe to face international competition for a shot at making the senior men's basketball team. The savvy vet and a hopefully young star in the making chimed in on their Canadian basketball camp experiences.

Just days removed from the NBA Finals it was only fitting it ended with a bang! It was down to the final seconds on the clock and well history prevailed. Defense wins championships but the better team came out on top!

The man who defined the very definition of basketball.

After just one full season with the Toronto Raptors the Turkish stud wants out of our beautiful city. He is unhappy with the way in which the staff handled his off court antics and says all of his ten years in the NBA he has never experienced anything like this. I'm sorry to say but he didn't live up to his potential with the Raptors. Here's to one eventful off-season for the Toronto Raptors.

It's do or die for the King Lebron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers. Can he drop 50 and send this game back to the Q for game 7. We all know he is the one man wrecking crew but if he never needed a supporting cast it would be now more then ever! Stay Tuned!

Only if we could just stay young forever and not fight throw the pain and agony of turning a year older. Staying true to yourself and fulfilling a fun filled active lifestyle is how the Phoenix Suns stay so trim and manage to continue to turn heads as they sink deeper into round two of the playoff race.

The 2nd season of the NBA has already tipped off and its never to late to make predictions! After the games ones are all in the books I take you outside the Purple Room to give you my breakdown along with some x-factors of my own! Get Ready to do a little dance and soak in all that is the NBA playoffs!

The last game of the season is all about appreciating the fans who have stuck behind the Toronto Raptors for another lackluster season. The season that began with optimism finished with a pessimistic outcome of the future. They beat the Knicks but the Bulls beat the Bobcats which meant any hope of making the playoffs were thrown out the window! Emotional day began with the sick feeling of missing the post season for the 2nd year in a row and attempting to now contemplate how the summer will play out. Moves might be needed and other pieces might need some tweaked before attempting to make another run to the post season!

After a 5 game slide the Raptors knew they had to pick up the tempo and execute with a purpose. Who better to take the reigns then the former Piston himself Amir Johnson whose 5 years in the league has proven he is a monster to be reckoned with in the post. Just one game removed from Reggie Evans calling out his team Jose Calderon for hanging his head- he lifted it up and rose to the occasion as the Raptors prevailed. It was a must win because Wednesday in Toronto is going to be what it all comes down too!

Derek Rose said, "I told you so," after the Bulls surpassed the Raptors and grabbed sole spot of the 8th position in the Eastern Conference. A game where the Raptors forgot to make stops on the defensive end had the Bulls convert off transition buckets and put backs thanks in large part to my pick for most improved player of the year Joakim Noah. Jay Triano was looking for words to describe the Raptors play during his post game presser and their weren't many he conveyed. Not need to fear there is still hope.

The Hawks had a 45 point 2nd quarter comeback a season high and a Raptors opponent high as they went on to victory. The Boshless Raptors showed were exuberant playing what seemed to be a high octane defense but it didn't last too long. My main man (as I steal Ahmad's words) Amir Johnson was phenomenal the recipient of some wicked alley-opp passes leading to transition points was all the Raptors could as for. The Raptors suffered mental lapses and that cost them a victory. It all comes down to Sunday the season is on the line!

They say you mature with age and after having a meltdown against the Knicks the night before the Celtics were angry and in need of a victory! The big three played solid ball but the seldom used Michael Finley showed he's got some veteran savvy of his own with the hot hand in the 4th quarter. While the Raptors were dropping like flies struggling to hold on in the late stages of the game the outcome could have been dictated perfectly like the guy with the wine spill all over his shirt sitting court side. You know the story all too well.

Cavs were calm, cool and collected knowing that they could be passive and still get by with a victory. When the Cavs score 100 points or more they are 44-3. Lebron heck, he didn't even need to shoot he was dishing out the awesome assists to his teammates showing a leader always knows what to do! The Big Z even had the home crowd wanting more as a fan fav himself. Thoughts, prayers go out to CB4 for a speedy recovery!

The stunning result of a game that was in the Raptors grasp with just two minutes to play in the 4th quarter. A valiant effort against the Warriors fueled by our NBA player of the week Chris Bosh. Adding fuel to the fire was Jarrett Jack down the stretch sinking a couple free throws but sadness and remorse rained through the ACC as a last second heroic effort went wrong on Chris Bosh's part. He left it out there on the court as he threw in a couple screams here and there heading into the locker room it was one that was going to sting for awhile. The going just gets rough from here on in!

The Raptors might not have had the best defensive came but they played as a team at times to the level of their competition. Thanks in large part to Butler who scored 17 on the night. But the Chris Bosh of old that we saw start the season dominated in the second with 34 of his own as the Raptors outscored the Clips 66-39 in the 2nd half. When the bigs move the ball good things happen and Jack kicked out 10 assists some outstanding ones to the man with the sweet story Sonny Weems!

An ugly game from the opening tip with loads of questionable calls made by the refs had the Raptors prevail. After two heart breaking defeats this one against the Bobcats was a definite must win! The Raps made plays when they counted and the infamous Hedo Turkoglu made is arrival off the bench after being chained to it the previous night! Crash aka Gerald Wallace despite pouring in 17 of his own couldn't get the Bobcats over the hump. But Hedo saved the day with his long range 3 and creation off the bounce to his teammates.

Staring adversity in the face but Melo and the Nuggets are a great team for a reason stepping it up in the critical stages of this contest. The Raptors got closer to moving forward in the right direction despite the loss. They did however rebound the Nuggets and protect the perimeter something you haven't seen them do in a fairly long time. But the passing of the Nuggets got contagious in the final seconds after "Big Shot" Billups found their star Melo and that is when big stars step up their game!

Make it now 10 consecutive times the Raptors have lost to the Utah Jazz. The Raptors should have just place some lawn chairs under the basket to observe the rebounding and defensive abilities of the Jazz players because they played with a lack of life. With 12 games left the Raptors need to figure out what made them successful before the playoff break. No way you can let Ronny Price who averages 1.2 points a game drive past you in the lane! Play for the name on the front of the jersey!

Raptors win their 12 consecutive time against the T-Wolves. It was ugly as they played down to the level of their competition got lazy and complacent but when it was time to step it up Hedo was the savior. He made big plays when it counted thats why he gets paid the big bucks! Corey Brewer though has improved on his game and Jonny Flynn is working well with him as a tag team duo on the court. Sonny Weems however could be just one of the feel good Raptors stories of the year!

Devin Harris commended the Nets on playing 42 of a possible 48 minutes as he said the effort is there (but what more can you say when your team is 7-62). The Raptors on the other hand played a lackluster first half Chris Bosh singlehandedly committed 5 turnovers of his own. They changed all that in the 2nd half as Chris Bosh's dominance took over and the Raptors did a better job as a team of clogging the lane and making it difficult for Nets to get in the paint! They better keep it up!

The OKC Thunder imposed their will to win and their young gunz to put on a show as they couldn't stop attacking the lane with such ease. The Raptors flat out got an ass beating which wasn't pretty from my location in the 300 level. There can only be a disaster that occurs in front of my very eyes when the Raptors go to the line just 6 times. Drake since he was at the game should write a song about it!

Luck of the Irish helped the Raptors prevail on their home court! Nothing tastes sweeter then coming home after a tough west coast road trip to convert down the stretch with your star player stepping it up in crutch time. Chris Bosh and the Raptors disappointed the Hawks especially when Al Horford couldn't do much but put a hand up on Bosh as he knocked down the game winner with 2.1 to play. The Josh Smith tech of anger resulted in the Hawks going on a mini 10-0 run of their own but couldn't hold it as the Raptors came back in transition and penetrated to the basket to keep those playoff hopes alive!

Finally the Raptors can go home and say so long to the West which was more then just unkind to them. They feel to 0-4 on the trip and the Blazers with the assistance of Batum and the background tandem of Miller & Roy made it difficult for the Raptors to play solid man to man defense. The Blazers picked the Raptors pocket in transition and the Raptors faltered to taking the I mentality all to well. The Raps divulged back into their own habits but lets no forget they were resilient in winning the 4th quarter.

The destruction continued and the heads hung low. The fight what fight? The defense- I didn't see much of it. It went from a NBA game to a summer league non-chalent session of pick up basketball. A first have that saw the Raptors play with some sense of purpose did not translate in the 2nd half. The Warriors a perimeter oriented team were glued that territory and both Mario Ellis and Steph the rookie Curry killed it from beyond the arc. Let's not even speak about cleaning up the glass that was all done by the my under the radar dude Anthony Tolliver!

Dwell all you want this one was for the taking against those youthful, athletic Sacramento Kings. Tyreke Evans the rookie gets a dribble double and once again the Toronto Raptors go back to playing selfish basketball. Not what you want when playoff implications are on the line. Mark the 12th consecutive loss in Sac Town and 0-3 since Bosh's return!

Heartbreak against the Lakers! The Raptors could have swept the season series but the Lakers have only lost 5 times and home and they weren't going to allow the Raptors to do it to them as the buckled down late in the 3rd quarter. To win you have to decide to win ugly, man up and play with some grit and Kobe Bryant along with his cast of teammates did just that when the game was on the line! I still blame the idiot fan for wrecking the Raptors chances for a critical possession.

An Oscar extravaganza filled detailed with the winners and losers of the night! Notable mention Reggie Evans the Raptors fan favourite for his superb work around the basket and on offense! Call him the dirtiest player in the league. The scariest player in the league got to the Raptors early and often the Sixers Thaddeus Young there was no answer for this kid but he could only be rewarded with the golden statue in the end!

The blah night that turned wild from an almost double-double performance from Sonny Weems who was 1 board shy did put up a stellar 2nd half. DeMar DeRozan one of his good friends showed great grit and toughness finding the basket. With Chris Bosh battling a stomach virus the Raptors continued to be undefeated against the Knicks and 19-0 when the reach the 100+ point plateau!