With six injuries, it’s no wonder the Raptors are going extinct

Hunter S. Thompson once wrote in his ESPN column that whichever team suffers the fewest injuries in the next 20 games will win the NBA championship. That team is not the Toronto Raptors. With five—count ’em, five—wounded players, the team has been getting more medical attention than Dick Cheney at a cardiologist convention. Here, the injury list that’s left the team hobbled.

1. An errant elbow shattered Chris Bosh’s face in Tuesday night’s game against Cleveland, effectively ending his season. The all-star power forward had nose surgery Wednesday, and there’s no official word on when he’ll be back.

2. During last night’s loss to the Boston Celtics, Hedo Turkoglu took a head-butt to his nose and was off to the hospital. Turkoglu already fractured a bone in his face earlier this season.

3. According to the Star’s Doug Smith: “Jarrett Jack had to come out of the game in the final minute with a sore ankle of his own.”

4. Smith goes on: “Amir Johnson was hobbling around on a sore leg.”

5. Defensive stopper Antoine Wright’s sore ankle.

The hometown crowd showed its understanding of the Raps’ miserable luck by showering boos on the oft-but-not-currently-injured Jose Calderon when he hoisted an air ball early in the game.

“I feel really hurt today,” Calderon told Smith after the game. Boo hoo. I guess we can add his hurt feelings to the list, too.

• Raptors dismay: Bosh done, Turkoglu hurt, loss to Celtics [Toronto Star]