Well now. THIS certainly does not exude confidence. Not that I'm one to judge superstition, seeing that I'm the same girl who changes her clothes because her team blew out their opponent when she was wearingthosepants, gawd, what was Ithinkingputtingtheseon???  Er, allegedly.

But no, the quotes coming out of Raps camp do not sound exceedingly assuring for Raptors fans. Not that Toronto won't come into the Swamp tonight and kick some booty. I'm well aware that it is in the realm of the possible. They just don't sound liketheythink they will. This is, in part, due to the dire point guard situation. Via the always wonderful NetsDaily, one of the Toronto papers goes ahead andgives us some odds.  Like gambling, but withpeople's lives. Hee.

*Jose Calderon, 2 to 1: But look for a quick hook if his ankle slows him down.

*Juan Dixon, 3 to 1: He has the speed to pick up Jason Kidd full court, and if his stroke returns he can punish New Jersey for challenging Toronto guards to shoot on pick-and-rolls.

*Darrick Martin, 5 to 1: The only true point guard in good health, but he likely will be used in limited minutes as needed.

*T.J. Ford, 7 to 1: He hasn't touched a ball since he was hurt and, given his history of neck trouble, caution should rule the day. It's hard to imagine he could play his fearless style so soon after his stinger.

*Anthony Parker, 10 to 1: A good bet for backup minutes, but it would seem a tall order for him to make his first NBA start at point guard in an elimination game.

Personally, I'd like to see Darrick Martin make the start. Because he looks like Cee-Lo. And it might be fun to have "Closet Freak" stuck in my head all weekend. And if I had to guess, I would have said I was 99% certain Calderon would make the start tonight. Now they're sayingit'll be Ford, despite the fact that some think throwing him in there w/ his spinal fusion history is "criminal." So it's a moo point (you know, like a cow's opinion).

I did notice a couple glaring omissions from The Star's list though:

*Martin Nash, 15 to 1: I mean if it came down to the younger brother of Candace Parker vs. the younger brother of Canadian Crown Prince Point Guard Steve Nash...hell, I'd give the younger Nash a shot every time.

*Pape Sow, 40 to 1: What else is he doing? I'm sure a couple of Toronto fans really want to see this, position be damned.  AndSam Mitchell did promise a “surprise." Falls under the "so crazy it just might work!" heading. Also falls under the "will never happen in 10 million years" heading, but I can dream, no?

*J.E. Skeets, 100 to 1: Currently en route to New Jersey. Coincidence? Perhaps. Perhapsnot.

Wow I want the Nets to win this game. If they don't grab it by the balls and dominate (like they are apparently sort of almost kind of predicting), then I don't see them pulling their heads out of their asses and their collective wits about them enough to go back north of the border and close the series out in a Game 7. So let's do this, and let's do it TONIGHT.

Quick disclaimer: I won't be watching the game. I know, I know... I'll be in the Bronx trying to figure out if the last Kei Igawa outing was a fluke or if it was a non-fluke gem or if Kei evenlikesfluke.

My original plan was to tape the Nets game and turn my phone off until I could come home and watch the game without knowing the outcome beforehand. This plan has now been rendered 100% impossible though, as there may or may not be a roving gang of Canadians awaiting me somewhere in between the Bronx and Brooklyn. Buuuuut I'm still gonna watch the previously recorded and assumedly spoiled game at some point anyway. Unless they lose in gut wrenching heartbreaking fashion. Then...well I'll cross the Game 7 bridge when we get to it, alright kiddies?

Be safe out there.

Go Nets.

(Note: In my haste to get this post up the other day, I forgot to give credit on the image toThe Cavalier.  I am doing so now because the last thing I want is for him to flip out and make me a nemesis.)