Seldom has such a narrow victory over such a bad opponent been greeted with such glee.

When the Toronto Raptors finally found a way to subdue the bad, and bordering on awful, Chicago Bulls, their excitement was palpable.

Instead of chalking up a victory over the woeful 4-20 Bulls as simply taking care of business, the Raptors were patting themselves on the back after last night's 96-91 victory before an Air Canada Centre audience of 19,800 that spent a goodly portion of the night booing lustily.

Given that the Raptors fell behind 21-4 in the first quarter and didn't take a lead until a Dell Curry jumper with eight minutes left in the game, the fans had justification for their disgust.

"I don't know if we were tired or if we underestimated the Bulls or what but we were able to overcome it and that's the most important thing," said Vince Carter, who got up off the floor after a smack across the chops from Charles Oakley to spur the fourth-quarter comeback.

"That's what we needed."