Photo Credit: Ron Turenne/NBAE via Getty Images

When they say a picture is worth a thousand words, they were referring to one like the above.

You know what though, I’m going to give you the thousand words anyways. I won’t waste time with the final score and breakdowns by quarter, there are about 200 other articles on the net doing so. Instead, this is more of a reflection of how I felt for the duration of the game and the hours that followed.

You could feel the energy in the building before the National Anthems were sung. An arena full of playoff starved fans and almost every one of them knew what was at stake. A season that had begun with so much promise came down to a game against the Chicago Bulls. Too bad no one informed the Toronto Raptors about the importance of the game — or so it seemed. It started the way it ended with a sprinkle of good in between. But alas, the team just didn’t have enough, or want it enough to get the job done.

Was there ever even a game plan? Jay Triano has seemed to be in over his head pretty much all season and it culminated today. I have said it all season long, it’s a whole different ball game when trying to motivate guys who get paid millions compared to guys playing for their country. X’s and O’s are important and coach has that down but he never found a way to get the guys to buy into his plan. Some say, “Triano can only do so much”, but its inevitable that the team takes on the personality of their coach. When you are getting jobbed by the refs, if the players don’t see you fighting for them, they in turn will stop fighting too. I looked over at the bench in the 3rd quarter and Jay Triano just looked on. I longed for the days of Sam Mitchell. I didn’t even have to watch the post game to know that Jay said he liked the effort he got from him guys. This isn’t the first time he has given his team a pass after a complete dud of a game. Tonight the Toronto Raptors didn’t play well, tonight they were embarrassed in front of the home crowd and coach Jay Triano continues to insult a fanbase that is longing for someone to show some fight.

19 Rebounds from Hedo Turkoglu? Thanks for coming out but that was just like pouring salt on the wounds for Raptor fans. The man got paid for the season but only showed up for a few games. He received the loudest individual boo’s on the one night he didn’t deserve it. I refuse to partake in that stuff but I understand where the fans were coming from. He may be the Michael Jordan of Turkey, but the non-existant leadership skills and professionalism he has showed,makes him unworthy of carrying that title. You play 82 games for a reason, maybe if he had played like he did tonight, the Toronto Raptors wouldn’t be clawing for that final playoff spot.

The thought of Andrea Bargnani and his now you see me now you don’t act leading this team next season made me feel ill. I don’t doubt he is a good shooter, I agree that he has improved, but bottom line — he is no where near ready to carry a team. People questioned Bosh’s ability to handle that role and he was thrown into the fire at a much earlier age. This past week was an audition for Andrea and sadly he failed miserably. When he plays besides Bosh, it is a lot easier to justify his rebounding numbers but his display over the last few games is completely unacceptable. The language barrier has always seemed an issue with talking on the court but as of late he has been a complete mute. He could get away with it if he showed offensive consistency but that too may be asking for too much. So much for the mind blowing Caliper test results eh?

Before I go on to a few positives I have to point out the regression of Jose Calderon. I’ll be the first to admit that I am a fan of Jose – see him for what he is… or was. A sound point guard who brings stability to the team, has a good connection with the star player and can nail the jumper when needed. I let the defensive deficiency slide because the other stuff made up for it. He has had the luxury of holding the golden ticket, or rather a free pass in this city. The starting job was his to lose and he did. He got it back but I am not sure he ever deserved it. On this night, he was outplayed by Jarrett Jack and should have come off the bench in the 2nd half. Even if Jay Triano may have thought to make the change, I doubt he had the gumption to go through with it. Instead, he went to the disastrous 2 PG lineup earlier than usual which essentially spelled the end of the game. Jose is one of those “nice guys” who keeps a teams spirits up, but over the course of the season its been evident that he has not been happy. Unfortunately, tonight it showed in all aspects of his game.

But wait, it was not all bad. There are a few guys who left it all out there. Jarrett Jack, Sonny Weems, Amir Johnson — My heart goes out to you. Antoine Wright hobbled and helpless, probably destroyed the locker while the team was throwing away the season. Chris Bosh, who has carried the weight of this franchise for 7 years watched from home as he nursed a broken face. These are guys I can get behind. They have the mentality you need to succeed and I hope the fans take a moment to appreciate them. This franchise will probably go through another makeover and sadly it will be some of the good guys who will be lost.

The thoughts around these parts are that a playoff appearance will go a long way toward keeping Chris Bosh in Toronto. Two more games to go. Two more nights of scoreboard watching as the fate of this team now lays not only in their hands but that of the Chicago Bulls. So, while this loss was a tough pill to swallow… it ain’t over yet.

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