Apr 16, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Toronto Raptors shooting guard Terrence Ross (31) goes up for a dunk against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Paul Abell-USA TODAY Sports

• The Raps’ excellent play lately has been triggered by the emerging two-headed scoring monster of DeMar DeRozan and Rudy Gay. If DeMar once again makes 3 of 6 threes, and Rudy gets his baskets efficiently, the monster will collect 45 points. Should that occur, the Raps will be in serious contention for the win.
• If Jonas Valanciunas can put wax in his ears, so he can ignore the trash talking of Kevin Garnett, he should have a field day. I’d be surprised if Kevin played more than 20 minutes (the Celtics are locked into the #7 seed, so this game is about avoiding injuries for them), and JV can own the smallish Celtic front line.
• Can Terrence Ross find his stroke from distance in the season’s final game? We can all hope so. While it’s great to see him getting out in transition for exciting and easy slams, we need his 3-ball shooting.
• Qunicy Acy gets a double-double. He is going to be so much more than the second coming of Reggie Evans.

Apr 12, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward Quincy Acy (4) gets a rebound against the Chicago Bulls at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto defeated Chicago 97-88. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

I’ve been calling for Raps’ wins all year in this space. I’m not stopping now, particularly since the team has won 6 of their last 7. I think the Celtics will be in Toronto in body, but not in spirit. The Raps will ride their swingmen’s hot hands to a 100-85 victory.

Brian Boake is Senior Editor for Raptors Rapture. “Like” Raptors Rapture on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @RaptorsRapture for all the latest news and updates about the best damn NBA team from Canada.

Apr 12, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Milwaukee Bucks small forward Ersan Ilyasova (7) drives to the basket past Atlanta Hawks small forward Kyle Korver (26) during the first half at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The Raps are motivated by pride these days. They must feel queasy when they look at the standings and realize that Milwaukee is capsizing. Had Toronto played at all well, they would have bumped the Bucks aside and made the playoffs.

The Hawks are a solid team, with a number of offensive weapons. The Raps, however, are riding a 3-game win streak against playoff team. They could make it four if they:

1. Know where Kyle Korver is every second he’s on the floor. Korver, who looks like a backup singer for the Beach Boys, averages well over 2.5 made 3-balls per game. He’s a specialist, meaning he doesn’t have a lot to offer other than long shots.but then Roger Maris batted .267 the season he hit 61 homers. In other words, there’s room at the circus for one-trick ponies.
2. Contain Al Horford. This guy can kill us inside, particularly in the enforced absence of Jonas Valanciunas. The best chance of minimizing the damage would be to run right at him on offense (DeMar DeRozan, this means you) in hopes of getting him in foul difficulty. 
3. Make some 3-balls of our own. Rudy Gay and DeMar (yay! finally) are showing signs of rediscovering their outside strokes. Kyle Lowry, though, has been dismal lately, which is particularly disappointing given how well he’s been passing and defending. Alan Anderson has also forgotten how to shoot. Terrence Ross is a game-time decision. He can score on the indifferent Atlanta defense.

Apr 14, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; Brooklyn Nets forward Kris Humphries (43) battles for the ball against Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry (3) at the Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Nets 93-87. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports