With their highest offensive outing since opening night in Boston, the Raptors won their second in a row and moved ahead of Vancouver in their ongoing rivalry. Coming into this game, Toronto and Vancouver had split their six regular season matchups. This win by the Raptors marked the only time the two teams will meet in the strike-shortened season (barring an NBA finals matchup :) ).
Toronto was really in command of this one from the opening tip, absolutely killing the Grizzlies on the boards and taking good care of the ball (only 2 turnovers in the first half). Only their shooting was suspect, but when you outrebound your opponents by 20, you're gonna win most of the time. Vancouver didn't get an offensive rebound until Shareef Abdur-Rahim put back a shot in the third quarter!
While Willis and Oakley provided the rebounding punch, Vince Carter provided the scoring. With family members in attendance, Vince had an awesome game, leading the Raptors with 27 points and having other stellar stats as well. Virtually every one of his buckets looked like footage from a highlight reel, including the first points scored in the new building. John Wallace didn't get in the game at all, and the halftime show asked whether the Raptors were overloaded at shooting guard/small forward, with Christie, McGrady, Carter and Wallace all fighting for minutes. Certainly Wallace's talents are going to waste at the moment, but anyone who remembers the rash of injuries suffered by the team during last year's long losing streak knows how quickly things can change. I would be hesitant to trade a player with Wallace's offensive skills unless a player of equal talent was offered in return.
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