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When Dwyane Wade sliced through the middle of the lane at 8:38 of the fourth quarter like a knife on the arm of a goth kid with low self-esteem, he threw down a devastating dunk that gave Miami a 84-83 lead after they were down by 16 just five minutes earlier. Collectively, Raptors fans sagged in their couches in anticipation of another winnable game getting away.
What actually transpired was that Anthony Parker responded with his fourth of five three-pointers on the night to give the Raptors a lead they never lost again. On this night, the Raptors didn't turn the other cheek when alpha male D-Wade started asserting his will — they fought back with skill and resolve to beat the Heat 101-95.
There's no point in singling out a single Toronto performance because all five starters played well and made big plays when they were called upon. This was the first game of the season where both Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani were in the starting lineup with Parker, Chris Bosh and Jermaine O'Neal. They each played at least 30 minutes and combined for 83 points on the night. But the most telling statistic: after averaging 19 turnovers over the previous two games, the Raptors had only 10 turnovers tonight. Welcome back, Jose.
Let's be completely frank about this. The Raptors' starting five all need to stay healthy if this team has any chance to break into the top four in the East. The bench is like Buc Nasty's suit — bombed out and depleted.
As for tonight, this team looked pretty solid. If they can make it out of this tough November schedule with a record over .500, some of those clouds over the heads of perenially gloomy Raptors fans might start to dissipate. 
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