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What do you call a game that's somewhere between a "should-win" game and a "must-win" game? It was definitely a "should-win" because the Raptors were hosting a mediocre Pistons team that was missing two of its starters (Hamilton and Prince). When you consider that nine of the Raptors' next 10 games are against teams that had .500-or-better records last season — and seven of those games are on the road — this team really needed to enter into the toughest stretch of their 2009-10 schedule on a high note.
That's exactly what they did in dispatching the Pistons 110-99 last night at the Air Canada Centre. It got a little dicey when their 79-62 lead was whittled down until Detroit took a 91-90 lead at the 7:46 mark of the fourth quarter, but the Raptors showed some fortitude as they grabbed the lead back a minute later and never gave it up again.
Toronto played smart, sound basketball last night. They were able to be aggressive on offence (47 free throw attempts compared to Detroit's 26) without making mistakes (just six turnovers). The second unit finally provided evidence that they are a significant improvment over last year's sorry bench squad, scoring 35 points and playing excellent defence across the board. Plus, the team's much-hyped frontcourt was dominant — Hedo Turkoglu and Andrea Bargnani had their best games so far, and Chris Bosh continued to beast out with another 20 free throw attempts. Bosh currently averages four more free throw attempts per game than any other NBA player.
Bargnani was the Raptors' player of the game, and not just because of his 22 points on 8-for-16 shooting. He also led both teams with 12 rebounds and had a couple of key blocks in the fourth quarter. In other words, he played like an real, live NBA center. I know we're not going to get 12 boards from him most nights, but could he give us seven or eight, maybe? Please?
I'm going to steal an idea from ESPN's Tuesday Morning Quarterback column for something I'm adding to my post-game posts: the "Sweet Raptors Plays of the Game". Whether the Raptors win or lose, I'll highlight one or more plays that I considered "sweet" — and I encourage readers to post their own sweet plays in the comments.
Sweet Raptors Play of the Game #1: At the 8:16 mark of the second quarter, Jarrett Jack dribbled off a high screen from Amir Johnson, drew three Pistons defenders as he drove the right side of the lane, and then threw a pass behind his head to the trailing Bargnani for an easy dunk. Great court vision by Jack and nice job on the trail by Bargnani.
Sweet Raptors Play of the Game #2: With 3:11 to go in the fourth quarter, Raptors up 101-95, Jack handed off to Bargnani at his favorite sport at the top of the arc. Bargnani started his shooting motion while Charlie Villanueva ran out to contest the shot. Bargnani pump faked, Charle V. bit, Bargnani dribbled once and took a couple of steps before making a 20-footer. This is a nice little move that I expect to see a lot of this season, as defenders are going to start contesting that "top-of-the-arc" shot more and more.
There really isn't much negative to say about last night — except that Jose Calderon had another poor effort on the same night that his backup shone. I'd give him until around halfway into this next 10-game stretch to shake out of this funk he's in. Otherwise, it only makes sense to put Jack into the starting lineup for his defence. Many of you are undoubtedly ready to make that switch already, but I'd like to give Jose a chance to show he can still bring value to the starting unit. So far this season, he's bringin' nothin'. 
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