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SAN ANTONIO — David vs. Goliath doesn’t even being to cover it.
Wednesday’s Raptors visit to San Antonio to take on the “Masters of the Midway” as the local San Antonio Express-News dubbed the Spurs in their mid season report on the team, couldn’t be more stacked against the visitors.
At practice Tuesday, on the same floor on which they will attempt to hold their own, the Raptors were able to play a two-on two with four guards working together and four bigs doing the same.
On the sidelines, Linas Kleiza, Jose Calderon, and Andrea Bargnani adjusted ice bags on their battered bodies hoping to be ready to play.
As it has been for most of the season, all three will be game-time decisions.
It didn’t give one a whole lot of optimism for the Wednesday night showdown.
Here is what the Raptors will be up against.
They are taking on the runaway leader in the NBA that heads into the second half with a 35-6 record. They are taking on a team that is currently on six-game winning streak and a 15-game winning streak at home. That six-game overall streak, by the way, is just the third best of the Spurs fine season thus far. Previously they have enjoyed steaks of 12 straight wins and another of 10.
To put the Spurs’ current record in perspective, if they win just one more game than they lose the rest of the season (21-20), they will finish with 56 wins. The Raptors could go 41-0 in the second half and still finish behind that with 54 wins.
And while the Raptors locker room has resembled a MASH unit since mid-December, the Spurs have been able to count on six of its top eight shooters for all 41 games so far this season.
So far this trip the Raptors are 0-2 having played two very tight games.
Making it three close one’s would appear to be a huge challenge given the status of the two teams.
