Raptors-Clippers: The Rare Toronto Victory

Well, at least the Raptors aren’t as bad as the Clippers. I guess the 100-76 win over L.A.'s other club is the kind of victory this Toronto club is going to have to take from now until the end of the season.

It’s nothing to celebrate about, but if you are a Raptor, at least you know there are squads out there that have it worse than you do.

The Raps used a bit of speed today, though they really should have had more fast break points (they only managed three more than the Clips). But more importantly, Toronto actually looked like they were hustling in the contest.

As I mentioned in the before the game, the Clippers tend to "mail in" a lot of games, so sometimes it is tough to tell if a team is playing them well or if they are simply playing "Mr. Postman" for the night.

It could have been a little bit of both today. As Mike Dunleavy said, “We shot 38 percent from the field, and we got two offensive rebounds. That, to me, says we didn’t battle well enough in the paint.”

The Raptors were without Andrea Bargnani, who was out with a sore heel and thereby ended his perfect season as far as games played. I guess when you are playing the Clippers and you have anything sore, the coach and training staff make a pretty easy decision as to whether or not you can go.

But on to more interesting things...was that Jose Calderon I saw dunking?

Seriously, I turned away for a bit while I was talking to my dad, turned back and swore I saw the little Spaniard dunk.

Now, having another team rest guys who are slightly sore against you is one thing, but when Calderon starts throwing down dunks on you, you should be ashamed. Yes, Clippers, you officially suck. Nothing against Jose, but if he’s doing that to you, there's definitely a message being sent.

Nice game by Pops Mensah-Bonsu, again, just out doing his thing, picking up rebounds and getting some putbacks when they are there. I’ve said it a million times...find a niche and be that guy.

Once again, we'll see if the Raptors can put together a few wins instead of just breaking up their losing streaks. It would be a nice way to finish the season.

In these last 12 games, can the Raptors at least win seven?