Raptors vs Rockets Gameday Thread: Dinos Hope to Keep It Rollin Against Rockets

Remember the last time Jeremy Lin came to town?

Linsanity was in full effect, as a Toronto crowd stopped cheering for their hometown squad, and started rooting for the opposing point guard. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before. I was sitting about twelve rows up during that game, and I'm not gonna lie, my hands flew up when Lin hit that three over Jose. But not simply because of his incredible underdog story. I cheered because I wanted the Raptors to lose. I was completely pro-tank all of last season, but apparently Dwane Casey wasn't, as the Raptors constantly inched lower and lower on the lottery ball rankings.

This go-around, things are different. Jeremy Lin's fame has died down significantly since joining the Rockets, and he's now looked at as a mediocre, and some believe overrated, point guard. As for me, I no longer want the Raptors to lose. OKC has our first round pick (top 3 protected), so even if we do tank, there is no guarantee about whether we'll land that pick.

With an easy schedule ahead of us, there's still time for the Raptors to make a run and return to playoff contention in the top-heavy Eastern Conference. It won't be easy, and the odds are against us, but it's possible. And Friday night's game was a good place to start.

Tonight's match up is against the 11-11 Rockets, coming off a huge win over Boston on Friday. Houston is among the league's best on the offensive end, with James Harden, Chandler Parsons and Jeremy Lin doing most of the scoring.

It'll be interesting to see how the suddenly effective Raptors defense deals with this Rockets squad.

The Raptors will look for their first winning streak of the year as Jeremy Lin returns to town on this cold, Sunday afternoon.

GO RAPS!!