Suns fans seek contrition while the Suns seek retribution in Canada

When: Friday, November 30, 2012, 5:00 PM local time (7:00 EST)

Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Canada

Watch/Listen: TV: FSAZ, Radio: 620 KTAR

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Last Meeting:

First meeting this season. The lone matchup between the teams during the lockout shortened season was a 99-96 win by Toronto in Phoenix on January 24, 2012.

Team Bios:

Toronto Raptors: 3-13

Points per game: 95.9 (17^th) Points allowed: 101.5 (27^th)

Offensive Efficiency: 99.3 (22^nd) Defensive Efficiency: 104.1 (24^th)

Toronto is a bad team. Their utter lack of ability to compete at an NBA level has only been exacerbated by a truculent schedule that has seen them play six of 16 games on the road so far. In fact, the Raptors come into the contest riding the momentum of a six game losing streak. This game is just a pit stop for the Dinos before they head back on the road for five more games on the west coast. That will put them at 15 out of 22 games on the road. That's kind of messed up...

While the Raptors probably didn't buy any powerball tickets the other night based on confronting the grisly odds that have been stacked against them, there have been a few glimmers of hope. On second thought, no, there haven't. Being a Raptors fan has been a bleak, desolate task this year. A place where basketball fans go to die.

Free agent splash Landry Fields is out indefinitely with right elbow surgery. Andrea Bargnani missed Toronto's last game and has been missing his jump shot all season. The Raptors do have players that can score the ball, with DeRozan, Bargnani and Lowry all averaging in the upper teens, but none of them has been doing so at a very efficient clip.

On paper it would appear the Raptors should be able to compete above their current record, but that's why they play the games... or as they refer to it in Toronto - lay down like dogs.

The Raptors do have some nice young pieces, headlined by Jonas Valanciunas, so they're not completely bereft of hope moving forward. They also didn't lose by 40 to the Pistons Wednesday night, so there's that, too.

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Phoenix Suns: 7-9

Points per game: 98.4 (12^th) Points allowed: 102.6 (30^th)

Offensive Efficiency: 100.9 (16^th) Defensive Efficiency: 105.6 (27^th)

The Suns have played 3,576 regular season games. Some of us were the victims of the third worst showing out of that entire compilation of games constituting the franchise's history. Funny, it seemed much worse.

Wednesday night the Suns were the little engine that couldn't. In fact, they were the little engine that was derailed resulting in the excruciating, fiery death of all its passengers. But.. the future brings new challenges, like the Suns pulling their collective head out of their collective ass tonight in Toronto.

Goran Dragic has been the most consistent and solid player on the team this year, but his constituents have only managed to provide a sporadic spark (at best). Michael Beasley's PER (9.6) continues to look like a gymnastics score. Luis Scola has been ostracized to the bench. Shannon Brown has been feast or (mostly) famine. Marcin Gortat has been hot, fetid garbage the last seven games, to the tune of 9.7 points and 5.7 rebounds, while establishing himself as a bonafide single-single threat (it would be nice if he would play up to his potential so the Suns can get something of value if when they trade him before the deadline). Even P.J. Tucker appeared to have given up during the disgraceful display in Detroit...

After tonight, the Suns close out their six game trip with a stop in New York on Sunday followed by Memphis on Tuesday. The ascending level of competition puts an even greater onus on a somewhat less putrid renascent effort tonight.

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What To Watch For:

A Pulse: If the Suns don't come out hotter than a witches tittie on fire in hell I'm going to be disappointed. That doesn't necessarily mean they will win, or even play well, but the lack of effort displayed in the last game was palpable and completely unacceptable.

Shooting: The Raptors are a pedestrian team in terms of shooting the three .344 3P FG% (19th) and just plain bad overall .422 FG% (26th). Toronto, meet the Suns defense. The Suns are yielding matador-like .423 3P FG% (30th) and .471 FG% (28th). The timeless question of what happens when a limp offense meets a flaccid defense will be answered tonight. Tune in to watch the Suns get torched see how this unfolds.

Dragic vs. Lowry: Most people would asseverate that Kyle Lowry and Goran have had very comparable years in terms of performance. Goran shoots a little better, Lowry rebounds a little better. Scoring, assists, steals... pretty much everything is very similar. This should be an interesting matchup to keep an eye on even if it doesn't pan out as the best of the night.

Somebody to Step the F$%k Up: Did you know that Dragic's 26 points against Cleveland back on November 9th is still the highest output for any Sun this season. A Suns player has only been the game high scorer in four of 16 games this season. Shannon Brown's fourth quarter explosion against Charlotte might be the only real example of a Sun willing the team to victory. We all know the Suns are absent of premiere talent, but every once in a while someone needs to go off (I'm looking at you Michael Beasley). Remember the days when a 30 point performance wasn't completely shocking?

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The Final Word(s):

The Suns need to win this game. The Suns should win this game. The Suns will win by 10 almost undoubtedly come out with more brio and vim than in the pummeling at the Palace. I think the Suns will win this game if they have even a modicum of dignity left, but we all know that home teams play better... and we all know there is no such thing as an easy W for this season's Suns.

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