Raptors vs. Pistons: You play to win the game, even after 10 in a row

Today is January 30th, 2016. The Raptors haven't lost since January 4th, 2016. That's a total period of 26 days. It's more than three weeks. Almost an entire month. People, this is not nothing.

As fans of a Toronto-based sports team, we -- the royal we, in this case -- are obligated to kvetch about something. The Raptors are on a ten game win streak and really, there's no reason it can't go up to 11. The Detroit Pistons are a decent enough basketball team. They're in that broad middle of the NBA, the stretch of teams that will ultimately win somewhere between 30 and 45 games. Good enough to scare you a little bit, but not scary enough to actually, you know, be good. That Andre Drummond sure can rebound the basketball though.

No, what we're all worried about is minutes, as in too many for DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. How worried should we be? If you read Harsh Dave's preview of the game, it's clear some are nervous. Heading into tonight's game Lowry and DeRozan are averaging 36.6 and 35.6 minutes, respectively, good for fourth and fifth most in the league. It's a lot. The question becomes one of degree.

Outside of the Warriors (who barely need their starters to play fourth quarters) and the Spurs (who operate more like a machine than a team), most squads can't afford to rest their best players for extended periods of time. It's just a fact. LeBron James averages 35.7 minutes a game, Paul George puts in 35.4, and Jimmy Butler keeps chugging away with 38.1. They all do it because, well, they have to. To be great at basketball means to play it. A lot. Are the Cavaliers less of a title threat because of this? Do you worry about what Butler may be able to do to the Raps in the playoffs? How about George? As the great philosopher Herm Edwards once opined: You play to win the game.

Think about it.

Now, let's get into the comments. It's Raptors vs. Pistons, with the chance for an 11 game win streak. Remember: It's not nothing.