Subject: Toronto Raptors

• Pic Hits for the week

  February 22, 1996

• Flashes

  October 7, 1999

• Go Jazz, er, Suns: Utah Could Hand Phoenix its Fifth Loss in a Row Saturday Night

  Utah Jazz star Deron Williams with inestimable Coach Jerry Sloan  Every now and then, out of the blue and against our will (we're a Suns' diehard), we find ourselves rooting for the Utah Jazz. It's always a surprise, 'cause we have no real ties to the place and don't even follow 'em on a regular basis. But however long we haven't been noticing, they always pull us back in. They're all heart and no taint. They shut their mouths and play the game.  

  December 5, 2008

• All the Young Dudes: Phoenix Suns vs. Indiana Pacers Tonight

  Though they've been hauling the boat anchor in the Eastern Conference's Central Division all year, the Indiana Pacers -- including third-year superstar-in-the-making Danny Granger (pictured above) -- aren't your prototypical NBA doormat. Another year (two, max) and Indiana Coach Jim O'Brien should have these young guns challenging the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons for Central Division supremacy (especially if the Cavs' LeBron James jumps ship to the Knicks in 2010, as he's u

  January 7, 2009

• Total Eclipse of the Suns: Nash & Co. Play Second Fiddle to Cardinals for a Change

  Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh At 1 Sunday afternoon in Glendale, the Arizona Cardinals play the biggest game in franchise history. At 10:30 that morning in chilly Canada, the Phoenix Suns, uh, don't. The Suns' opponent is the Toronto Raptors, who're battling Mike D'Antoni's Knicks for the basement in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. About the most diplomatic thing you can say about the match-up is that it doesn't conflict with Cardinals kickoff. It will cut into our quality ti

  January 16, 2009

• Weekend Split Against Two Bad Teams: Suns Lose to Minnesota at Home and Beat Toronto on the Road

  Remember that February 9 beat-down win over the formidable Dallas Mavericks at US Airways Center? It was easy to believe that the Phoenix Suns had turned it all around after they toppled a top Western Conference opponent by 28 points, to hope (Barack Obama's favorite word) that they could contend for a championship this season -- after all. Then, what a mess! They were fortunate to win against the terrible Los Angeles Clippers and the decent Atl

  January 19, 2009

• Good Riddance: Terry Porter's Officially Fired, but Could it be Shaq Who Now Goes Instead of Amar'e?

  Well, it's official. Phoenix Suns head coach Terry Porter was fired today and replaced (on an interim basis) with long-time Phoenix assistant and former Los Angeles Clippers head coach Alvin Gentry (pictured). "I hired Terry because I believed he would be able to provide the balance our team needed in order to perform at a very high level. Unfortunately the transition from last season to this one proved to be very difficult, and we have not played to our potential. It's imperative

  February 16, 2009

• Phoenix Suns Hold Off Boris Diaw, Raja Bell, and the Charlotte Hornets 112-102

  There were hugs all around, before Tuesday night's game got started and after the final buzzer. Raja Bell and Boris Diaw seemed happy to be back home in Phoenix, even if they are now starters for head coach Larry Brown's Charlotte Bobcats. So much so that they were the high scorers in the game: Bell had 23 points and Diaw had 27 and 10 rebounds. There were times when we thought their passion might allow the 22-35 Bobcats to overtake the 32-24 Suns and win at US Airways C

  February 25, 2009

• Orange Crushed: Suns Fall in La-La Land, Meet Lakers Again Sunday, Toronto Tonight

  www.nba.com Lamar Odom: "The Goods" played out of his skull in L.A. last night. For a precious few minutes  in the first quarter of last night's Suns/Lakers game in La-La Land, the Suns held their own against the NBA's best. No, it was better than that. They were rolling, running, gunning, roaring. They were taking advantage of someone else's defensive miscues for a (pleasant) change. And with literally only 2.5 first-teamers on the floor, they were doing the unthinkable: winnin

  February 27, 2009

• Shaq Has His Biggest Weekend Since He was With L.A., as the Phoenix Suns Crush Toronto and Beat the Lakers

  Shaq played like he was this kid's age over the weekend.What a weekend for Planet Orange, and its largest inhabitant! We're beginning to think of the Phoenix Suns as a planet again, after back-to-back victories against the Toronto Raptors and the Los Angeles Lakers at US Airways Center Friday night and Sunday afternoon. Shaquille O'Neal's certainly big enough to be Jupiter, and his performances over the weekend were cosmic. On Friday night, he had his best game as a Su

  March 2, 2009

• Peter Pan in Converse: Shaq and the Suns Face D-Wade's Miami Heat Tonight

  www.nba.com Dwyane Wade has returned to top form. That's bad news for Suns fans, good news for fans of the game. On tap tonight in Miami: basketball at its most poetic and primal. Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade, the NBA's most elegant player, will provide the athletic iambic pentameter. A couple of aging but still dominant alpha bulls named O'Neal -- the Heat's Jermaine, the Suns Shaquille -- will bang their wide bodies in the paint. It'll be lovely and brutal and, regardless of the

  March 4, 2009

• Phoenix Suns vs. Toronto Raptors

  February 26, 2009

• All-Star Schedule

  February 12, 2009

• Granger Danger

  January 1, 2009

• Steve Kerr's been beating the odds his whole life

  April 24, 2008

• Ow Canada

  December 20, 2007

• Minutewomen

  The feathered fiend unloads on Mothers Against Illegal Aliens, Arizona Senate Prez Ken Bennett's brat and Suns play-by-play man Tom Leander's nicknaming fetish

  April 20, 2006

• Phoenix Suns vs. Toronto Raptors

  November 12, 2009

• Phoenix Suns Stomped by Los Angeles Lakers in Lopsided Loss. Next Up: Toronto Raptors on Sunday.

  www.nba.comKobe Bryant and the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers proved why they're the defending NBA champions in last night's defeat of the Phoenix Suns.​Welcome back to reality, Phoenix Suns fans. After your team amassed a surprising 8-1 record over the past two weeks (including spectacular wins over Boston and N'awlins), it's likely you thought that Steve Nash, Amar'e Stoudemire, and the rest were going to run roughshod over the rest of the NBA's elite during the 2009-10 season and grab aho

  November 13, 2009

• Suns Stay Perfect at Home with 101-100 Win Against Toronto

  www.nba.com/sunsAmar'e Stoudemire: No specs for free-throw attempts.​Against the Lakers, Amar'e Stoudemire looked like crap, scoring a measly eight points. On Sunday night against Toronto, the star atoned for his worthlessness in L.A. by playing one of his all-around best games of the season. Stoudemire scored 30 points and had eight rebounds as the Phoenix Suns beat the Raptors 101-100 at US Airways Center.The win gives the Suns a 9-2 record, best in the NBA. It is their 13th straight home wi

  November 16, 2009