Tip-In: Sloppy Seconds, Detroit beats Toronto 115-93

There were no more miracle comebacks in the Raptors bag of tricks as they allowed one of the worst offensive teams to once again score well over 100 points.

Wake me up when it's over.

Or better yet, give me some of the "Chinatown Special" that put Jerryd Bayless out of commission.

Cause if I want to be that sick to my stomach, I might as well make it count.

Yes, it was a laugher from the second quarter folks, and the Raptors are quickly proving themselves to be lost on defense.

A funny thing about when we make the schedules at Raptors HQ, I never thought that I'd be writing about the second Detroit game after having to sit through the first one.  And while I was rewarded handsomely for the last time I stuck it out, this time, there would be no comeback.

Andrea Bargnani had an off shooting night and was just forcing the issue by often throwing the ball at the basket with too much force.  Amir Johnson left at half time and didn't return thanks the "contagious" back spasms he contracted from Sonny Weems.  The entire Raptors starting lineup was in double digits negative +/- for the night, and DeMar DeRozan disappeared after a strong start.

Not the stuff that even eighth place contenders are made of.

About the only real bright spot was a hot-shooting Leandro Barbosa who ran an efficient backup point to Jose Calderon's uncharacteristic mistake prone performance.  In the end, the Raptors just gave up too many possessions to the Pistons, didn't play any kind of interior defense, and refused to make the game simple for themselves.

Once again, the Pistons had players like Richard Hamilton come through big with a career high against the Raptors.

They basically played another game of "Raptors basketball" that we've come to expect this December.

Thankfully, it's almost over.  With the Raptors now in a break until their next game on Boxing Day, it gives us a little time to put together some thoughts about this team.

If I had the time, I'd have a lot of questions answered heading into this break.   I'd ask Jay Triano about his thoughts on the team and just wonder how he feels about his team's identity at this point.  It was his brainchild to give this group the identity of "the hungry fighter" and they lived up to that name for a while.

Now, it's all but a faded memory.  Is there anything he can do over these next few weeks to get that hunger and identity to return?

I'd ask Bryan Colangelo just how he feels about the trade he made and whether he'd do the trade again knowing how it's affected the team dynamics.  Is it worth to sacrifice the chemistry and leadership he had on the team to build for the future and free up cap space?

And finally, I'd ask the Raptors what they feel they need to do better in order to regain what they lost before.  I'd want to know what kind of ownership the Raptors players have placed on themselves to get the ship righted.

It's a lot of questions to ponder, but they're items I hope the Raptors are thinking about during their little break.

For all of us though, it's going to mean some time with the family and some time to forget the last few games. 

From all of us at Raptors HQ, we hope you have a great set of holidays.  We'll be around with a few more updates over the next few days, but we'll be back in full force on the 26th. 

Until them, don't pass out on the couch, enjoy your turkey and gravy, and make sure you drink your alcohol safely.