We all know the feeling. You put something in the calendar — drinks with friends, a movie you’ve been dying to see (ooh, Avatar whales), a day trip to a cabin. Then, the day gets closer and the outside factors creep in. The snow starts to fall, somebody drops out of the event, life gets busy. Pretty soon you’re not as excited for whatever had you had planned in the first place, and you’re starting to dread all the ways it could go wrong.
That’s where the Toronto Raptors are at tonight. In any other circumstance, a six-game stretch against teams in playoff position, starting with a playoff rematch against a burgeoning rival in the Philadelphia 76ers, would have us running to our televisions — or snapping up tickets.