Paul Jones

Paul Jones is the voice of the Raptors on the FAN 590 and writes regularly for Sportsnet.ca.

Chris Bosh goes up for a defensive rebound against the Pistions.

So how was that one on Wednesday night Raptor nation? For a change, the shoe was on the other foot.

It was the Pistons playing on the back-to-back after losing the night before in Charlotte while the Raptors were waiting for them. Toronto took full advantage, administering a 94-64 pasting. The 64 points is the second-best defensive performance in Raptors franchise history with respect to points allowed while the 27.9 per cent brick job from the field by Detroit was the third-best defensive outing from a shooting percentage stand point.

The Raptors are now 11-0 when holding the opposition under 100 points and move their record to 10-3 when the opposition is unable to pierce the 45 per cent mark shooting from the floor.

The win also marked the first time Toronto had won in Detroit since April 2, 2003, a string of 11 consecutive losses as Chris Bosh won for the first time at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

So what to make of Detroit? Well, let's say it looks like they may have to go to the back of the line. It has always been a challenge for a general manager to rebuild a championship team without falling to the bottom and working his way back up through the lottery. Joe Dumars took a shot at it last year when he traded Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson knowing that if it didn't work out, he would have money to spend at the end of the season to try and retool a contending team. The Pistons hung on to the final playoff spot last season finishing eighth, but became first round fodder for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

During the off-season, Dumars spent his money on Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva but with both of them injured, you wonder if Detroit has it in them -- with a new coach and system -- to hang onto a playoff spot this season as they continue to build. We'll have to see what the rest of the season brings but sitting on a losing streak of six games with many of its key offensive players banged up, this is a vital time in the schedule for Detroit. When your starting line up has the likes of journeyman Chucky Atkins, rookie Jonas Jerebko and an aging Ben Wallace, it's not a good sign.

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The flight home was bit quieter Wednesday night as many players and coaches decided to leave from Detroit to head back to see family for Christmas day. And speaking of Christmas day, there will be, as usual, basketball on the tube for your viewing pleasure. Now don't get me wrong, I love watching the Christmas day games, I mean, it seems like just yesterday, my mom, frustrated by the three men in the house refusing to climb the stairs for dinner and shouting in the basement finally gave in and decided to see what all the noise was about. Yep, you might be old enough to remember a huge comeback by Patrick Ewing's New York Knicks, reeled in Larry Bird's Celtics. That was a classic made by a fierce rivalry.

That's what the Christmas day games should be -- ones that feature the top teams. Although the Knicks were not considered such that season, it should always be two teams battling it out in previews of what might be a conference or NBA Finals match-up. This year, I can live with Boston vs. Orlando and Cleveland vs. LA Lakers, but Miami against New York and Phoenix against LA Clippers are not really marquis match-ups. Denver and Portland should be a good game but in these eyes, not worthy of the Christmas Day spotlight. But such is life in pro sports where they sometimes subscribe to the "more is better" philosophy with diminishing returns.

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I've been watching this all season and it's competitive, worthwhile but mostly funny. It should be reality TV. What is it, you ask? It's the one-on-one game at the end of the warm-up period just before the Raptors go in for their team meeting, with about 40 minutes left on the game clock. The games take place between assistant coach Alvin Williams and Marcus Banks. There's some good shot making as, even with his bad knees, Williams can still put the ball in the hole, and he and Banks drop some of the best trash talking I've heard this side of the blacktop.

There are so many great barbs, I can't remember them all, and the looks are priceless, particularly when someone gets scored upon as one guy usually shoots the other a "you didn't think you could stop me" look. Of course there is the line that Banks blurts out when Williams or any other of his teammates is taking a shot and he doesn't think they can make it. He simply says, just seconds before the shot goes airborne, "Bet that.” If the shot goes down, they do the double or nothing. If not, the errant shot from the team mate illicts an "again man" response. It's all quite humorous.