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Toronto at Minnesota 6:30pm ET (Raptors TV)

“They deserved to win and we didn’t deserve to win,” Mitchell said. “We’re not good enough to just look at a team’s record and show up and play.”

That quote by Sam Mitchell sums up the Toronto Raptors.

They tease you with what could be and then let you down with what is true. It is partly the fault of the fans and media to create the high expectations but to be fair I think it is warranted.

They have the talent to be one of the best teams, they just can’t do it every night and have these mental lapses that an elite team rarely has.

Chris Bosh is the franchise but that does not mean he is the heart and soul of the team or the guy who picks the team up when they need it.

All great teams have one or two other guys who demand that a team stay mentally sharp and when things are starting to go bad, they see it and do something about it.

I don’t think the Raptors have this guy. I think they have a handful of guys of could step up but are worried about rubbing someone the wrong way.

I have always said I like the makeup of this team because there is no friction or guys with a chip on their shouler and it makes for less drama then past teams.

I am starting to think they need it. One guy who hates to lose and lets his team know it without worrying about feelings. I think Sam is like that but he can only do so much as the coach. The feeling has to come from peers in the NBA because the coach can get tuned out.

As much as Charles Oakley was a daily headache he added toughess (most importantly mental) to a bunch of guys who had never won anything. The Raps need someone who has been in the battles, can pull out a ring and say this is how it is done.

I know Rasho has a ring but he is not that guy.

Tonight the Raps travel to Minny where they have never lost since Sam has taken over the team. Again the T-Wolves are an inferior bunch but they have the talent to win.

Al Jefferson could easily get 30 and 20 and dominate the game. They have some young athletes that can go off like a Thornton or a Blatche.

This can’t happen.

Toronto has to show they are the better team right way and never let up.

They have to dominate with Bosh and the point guard play of Calderon and Ford.

I can see Bargnani having a strong game and now that D-Mart is not running the second unit I think Kapono will start to get more good looks.

If the Raps play hard, stay mentally in the game and do what they do best they should win. But as we have seem all to often they tend to forgot these things and end up in a bad spot they can’t dig out of.

Call me crazy but I am still going to pick the Raps to win 97-90 and keep Sam’s streak alive against his former team.

Prove me right guys, please……please……BC is on the phone waiting to shake it up.

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