Chemistry, on the court and off, isn’t something you can force. If you could, every team would do it. It comes naturally sometimes, like the way Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan seemed to click off the hop. But usually, it’s as a result of time spent playing together, as with Jose Calderon and Amir Johnson.

Honestly though, I’m really not here to rant about how terrible refs are, how they’re out to get (insert team name here). All I know is that there’s a problem, and I think we should all just talk it out.

A lot has been said already about how the team has been doing. They are currently 2-6, a dismal statistic to see, and one that many people are taking to mean that, in spite of all the preseason hype, it really is just business as usual for the poor Toronto Raptors. They couldn’t be more wrong. And I’ll tell you why.

I’m not going to write an article about Steve Nash, or about the Raptors pursuit of him, or anything really related to that saga. Why? Because it makes me nauseous. No, what I want to delve into has to do with what he, and other players that Bryan Colangelo is wooing, represent. And that would be a team identity.

I’m not a Heat fan. I’m not a LeBron James fan. I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to appreciate a player as spoiled as him, or an organization that panders to that. But (please excuse me as I swallow more bile) they really did earn it.

Less downtime between games means more wear-and-tear on our favorite players. And herein lies my point for the day: The consequences of injuries on the season.

When the casual NBA viewer picks my brain about this lockout-shortened season, we have a lot to discuss: Lower scoring across the board, playoff teams with losing records, and a plethora of extensive injuries, just to name a few. When that same viewer narrows the discussion to the post-season, one topic seems to rise above the others: The flop.

There’s been a lot of talk during this post-season, about a variety of different fouling issues. It’s a common topic, starting when players are children, and following the game through to the NBA. And why wouldn’t it be?

Much as I enjoy watching the Lakers, I knew far enough in advance that they wouldn’t make it past round two, and even if they had, the San Antonio Spurs would have beaten them pretty handily. But if they, as a team, can find a way to motivate their key players to perform above their comfort level, and coax Bryant into trusting the group, next season should be much more consistent and impressive.