Cavaliers 93 Raptors 76 (Box)
(AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)
It really should have been an easy win for the Cavs. Think about it, the Raptors were playing without Chris Bosh, and with Shawn Marion for the first time, ever. It should have been an easy win, and it was. The Raptors played with energy and fire in the first quarter, but the Cavs overcame it with great defense the rest of the game. Cleveland out-rebounded, out-shot, and out defended Toronto. In the end even the Cavaliers 20 (!) turnovers weren’t enough for the Raptors to force a game of it.
LeBron nearly had a triple double (go figure), finishing with 20, 9 and 9. Zydrunas had a good game (a week’s rest will do that for you) scoring 22 and hitting on 11 of his 17 shots. Anderson attacked the glass and collected14 rebounds but may have had his best game altering shots, finishing with 3 blocks. Toronto had no answer for the inside tandem of Z and Andy.
Tarence Kinsey came back from his ankle injury and looked sharp, especially on the defensive end. Delonte West sat out this one, and the Cavs got a scare when Daniel Gibson smacked his oft-injured foot into another player and writhed on the ground momentarily. He finished the game, and certainly will be sore, but hopefully it won’t cause him to miss more time.
Obviously, the focus today will be on the potential trades that can be made, but can we step back for a moment and reflect on one that didn’t get made? The Cavs quite possibly could have made a move for Marion either this season or last. After watching his defense and ugly shot last night, anyone else happy we passed on him?
