After putting the finishing touches on what would be his best game as a Raptor in a win over the Knicks, Hedo Turkoglu listened to Jack Armstrong's postgame question, and dropped the most famous one word answer of the season.
"Ball."
That date is also now memorable because it marked the last time the Raptors had won four games in a row, before finally turning the trick again with a 106-90 beatdown of the 76ers on Wednesday.
So much has changed since that win over New York. The team would actually extend that streak to five wins in a row, before staggering down the home stretch. The Raptors won just 14 of their final 34 games, and missed the playoffs. Three-fifths of that starting five - Turkoglu, Jarrett Jack, and Chris Bosh - are no longer with the team.
The losing hangover carried into this season. With a revamped lineup, and without a star player like Bosh to generate consistent offence, the team sputtered out of the gate, starting at 2-9.
But things turned with a win in Philadelphia. After beating the Rockets at home, the Raptors made waves off the court, shipping their starting point guard Jarrett Jack, seldom used guard Marcus Banks and backup big man David Andersen to the Hornets. The deal netted them youth in past first-round pick Jerryd Bayless, and a veteran sharpshooter / potential trade bait in Peja Stojakovic.
Riding the momentum of their first back-to-back wins this season, Toronto netted the big confidence booster that legitimized just how well they were playing. With the new additions still in transit, the undermanned Raptors beat the east-elite Celtics in a 102-101 thriller at the ACC.
They followed that up with Wednesday's thrashing of Philly, as Bayless and Stojakovic - who said all the right things upon their arrival - showed just what they could do when given the chance. Bayless injected some much needed athleticism and better than expected jump shooting into the lineup, and he finished with 13 points in his debut. Stojakovic, meanwhile, showed just how pure his jumper still is, drilling a three with his first shot. Combined, they were a stellar 4-5 from downtown.
The surge has been spearheaded by a pair of Dinos whose names have been constants on the stat sheet throughout the win streak.
During the streak, Andrea Bargnani has led the team in scoring, putting in no less than 24 points in each of the wins.
In fact, Bargnani has led the team in scoring in seven of their last eight games. While it may be too late to become a superstar, the past no. 1 pick is certainly playing at an all-star level. Reggie Evans has also set the tone in the paint, He's averaged better than 15 rebounds a game during the streak. His engine never stops, and his willingness to do the gritty work has done more than secure rebounds - his work has quieted the talk of Bargnani's poor rebounding effort on a regular basis.
As per usual, wins will always coincide with good defence. And during this win streak, the Raptors have held each opponent to under 100, save for the Celtics. In their 2-9 start, they held just one opponent to under 100.
Plenty of other factors have contributed to the Raptors playing their best basketball of the season. It seems like ages ago that Jose Calderon was an underrated, unknown setup man. Since such a promising career start, he's been in constant battles to assume the lead guard position on the team. With Jack gone and Bayless - initially, at least - providing a different style off the bench, Calderon appears to be comfortable and worried about just playing basketball. Consider it addition by subtraction.
Their numbers have been sporadic, but the athleticism Sonny Weems and DeMar DeRozan have displayed on the wings have given the Raptors an element that they have not been able to replace since Vince Carter left. Their high-wire act and fearlessness attacking the rim are now a constant and necessary to the Raptors' success. That remains intact when Leandro Barbosa checks into the game, and having the former sixth man of the year gives Jay Triano a legitimate scorer that hurt them in the past when the starters' checked out.
And Weems, more than any other Raptor, carries a swagger that sort of rubs off on the rest of the team. They are young, and they will take their lumps, but they are confident - right now, especially - that they can outwork their opponents and, ultimately, win.
In fact, it might be the first time in a while that someone could actually argue with reasonable evidence that the Raptors are not the Stephen A. Smith-described "soft as Cottonelle."
With the new pieces, the emergence of Bargnani, among others, and a new attitude, the Raptors get a chance to prove that first win over the Celtics was no fluke. They head into Boston Friday night, looking to extend their win streak to five games.
Leaving just one last thing to do. As Hedo would tell you, just ball.
So we want to ask you: what is the biggest reason for the Raptors' recent success? Will the trade help or hurt the team? And is this just a fortunate blip on the scheduling radar, or can this Toronto team continue to compete at this level?
It's time for your call. We'd love to hear your take.
And just a reminder, you can watch the Raptors take on the Celtics Friday, live on TSN2, at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt.
