How two seasons can make a world of difference..

Two seasons ago the Toronto Raptors and the Indiana Pacers were two teams at different stages of development.  Behind Vince Carter the Raptors were fast becoming a powerhouse of the NBA, while the Pacers had dumped their winning veterans for youth in an effort to reload.

Since then the Pacers youth has come of age and Vince Carter has been injured, the teams switching places of where they were just 24 months ago.

It's very difficult," said Raptors captain Antonio Davis, one of the Pacers veterans dumped in the summer of 1999. "It's tough for me. It's really, really tough for me."

"I don't want to put my head down and I don't want to give up. But on the other hand, I'm taking a beating mentally every night out. Because I know what's right. I know how to be part of something special."

So where would the Raptors be without all the injuries over the last few seasons?  Mark Montieth of the Indianapolis Star has your answers.