The new-look Toronto Raptors (3 Wins & 3 Losses in preseason), boasting a roster filled with young, athletic and unproven newcomers, are set to hit the hardwood at 7 pm this Friday at the Bell Centre.As a lifelong basketball aficionado, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity of supporting Canada’s one-and-only basketball team as they face their Atlantic division rivals, the New York Knicks (3 Wins & 3 Losses in preseason).

Having overhauled their rosters in the offseason, inconsistency has plagued both teams in preseason action. In the wake of the summer departure of perennial all-star forward Chris Bosh (24.0 ppg & 10.8 rpg in 2009-2010), the Raps have embarked on an introspective journey in hopes of discovering a collective team identity. Conversely, members of the Knicks organization hope that a bevy of offseason roster changes, highlighted by the addition of allstar Amar’e Stoudemire, will propel the team to flourish in the run-and-gun, seven seconds or less philosophy brought by coach, Mike D’Antoni.

With both teams wanting to get out and push the tempo, this game is sure to be a high scoring affair; highlighted by a few emphatic alley-oop dunks by Toronto’s ‘Young Gunz’.