Raptors-Nets: Toronto Needs Thugs, Not Hugs, in New Jersey

Tonight marks the fourth and final meeting between the Toronto Raptors and the New Jersey Nets (7:30 ET), with the Nets holding a 2-1 advantage over the first three games. 

It's always interesting when the Raptors meet up with the former face of the franchise, Air Canada. 

With both teams struggling, (the Nets having lost six of seven, and the Raps seven of nine) it provides an opportunity for both teams to get back on track.

That being said, there are some obvious positive signs for the Raptors going into this one. With the return of Jose Manuel Calderon, the Raps have the steady hand at point guard they've clearly missed over this period of futility. 

Andrea Bargnani has seemingly decided to fill the shoes that come along with being the first overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. 

Equally important to the fans’ hopes of landing a playoff spotProxy-Connection: keep-aliveCache-Control: max-age=0n the "daunting" Eastern Conference has been the play of Anthony Parker. 

With Roko Ukic showing early signs of development (and the mistakes to go with it), and Will Solomon all too often resembling Eric Williams a lot more than Deron Williams, a solid backup comes with great relief. A lot of credit must go to Jay Triano for moving Parker to point guard.  

Jermaine O'Neal has returned to the lineup to provide, well, what he's been doing all-year—rebounding, defense, and a low-post presence on offense. Tonight will be a good opportunity for Jermaine to show that he is healthy and expose some weaker front court opponents.

The Toronto frontcourt needs to carry this one over the much weaker New Jersey frontcourt. That being said, the impressive play of Devin Harris will be a tough matchup for Calderon, especially considering the recent injury woes. 

Also, playing against his favorite opponent at home is good sign for Vince Carter and the Nets' faithful. Look for the Raptors to get physical with the New Jersey guards to force them out of their comfort zone.

All in all, it should be an entertaining affair in East Rutherford this evening. Another part of the answer to the question all Raps fans want to know: How good are the 2008-09 Toronto Raptors?