2/1/10
by: Scott
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The final score makes it look like an easy win, but the Raptors' 117-102 victory over the Pacers on Sunday was anything but. The game was tied at 97 midway through the fourth, but the Raptors went on a 15-3 run from there highlighted by Jose Calderon's five assists. The Raptors were in a sharing mood yesterday, finishing with an impressive 32 assists — their deft playmaking was a significant reason why they shot a season-high 60.2 percent on the day.
With each passing game, the Raptors' bench is proving to be a strength and while Amir Johnson's energy and rebounding is exactly what I expected, Antoine Wright has become a very pleasant surprise with his recent play. Pressed into extensive action after Hedo Turkoglu got kayoed by a Mike Dunleavy elbow in the first minute of the game, Wright logged season-highs in minutes (36) and points (15) and impressively hit three of his four three-point attempts.
I've written this several times before, but if Wright can master hitting that corner three at around a 40 percent success rate, he can be a very valuable contributor as a defensive stopper. Every team needs a guy who they can put on the Kobe Bryants in this league and Wright can be that guy as long as he continues to not be a liability on the offensive end. I saw him as basically a throw-in when the Raptors acquired him as part of the four-team Turkoglu trade, but he'll be much more than that if he can keep this up.
Speaking of bench strength, Jose Calderon continues to excel in his new role — a role that he was probably always best-suited to play. Needless to say, I'm not honking the "trade Jose" horn while this team keeps winning. The Raptors play five more games before the Feb. 18 trade deadline — and while Jose remains the most "tradeable" player on this team, if Toronto wins at least four of the pre-deadline games I don't think I want Bryan Colangelo to move a hair on this roster. However, if they lose two or more of these games against beatable teams (at Indiana, followed by a four-game homestand against New Jersey, Sacramento, Philly and Memphis) then I'm board with shaking things up a little.
Crazy as it would have seemed a few weeks ago, there is a definite possibility that the Raptors could set a new franchise record for longest winning streak this month. They won nine games in a row near the end of the 2001-02 season (after having lost 17 of their previous 18 games — what a weird season that was) and they'll top that if they win their next five games. Coincidentally, that might just be around the time that the American media might start taking this team seriously as an Eastern Conference contender... nah, let's not get TOO crazy here. No matter what, I expect most commentators will say that Colangelo was crazy to not trade Bosh since he's so obviously bolting Toronto after this season. 
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