|
It says something about the place we're currently in as Raptors fans that most of us probably aren't automatically assuming the Raptors are going to get their asses handed to them in Cleveland tonight. Yes, the Cavaliers are comfortably leading the East with a 31-11 record and they're just a game-and-a-half back of the Lakers for the best record in the league. But the Raptors are one of the hottest teams in the NBA right now and they actually beat the Cavs 101-91 in the season opener in October. So, you know, anything's possible.
Of course, there's also a distinct possibility that the Raptors will get curbstomped tonight and we'll have to shut our roody-poo mouths as LeBron yells at us to know our roles. Regardless, this game should be a good indication if the Raptors' recent success is actually indicative that this team is now playing at a higher level than they have in years.
Start time: 7:00pm ET
Channel: TSN
Liveblog: theScore.com with Holly MacKenzie
Probable starting lineups
Toronto: Jarrett Jack, DeMar DeRozan, Hedo Turkoglu, Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani
Cleveland: Mo Williams, Anthony Parker, LeBron James, J.J. Hickson, Shaquille O'Neal
Five questions
1. Are the Cavs slumping a bit and ripe for an upset? They've "only" won four of their past seven games and their two recent wins over the Warriors and Clippers were by a combined four points.
2. Will Antoine Wright see some significant floor time tonight on LeBron-guarding duty? He played 18 minutes in the Raptors' previous win over the Cavs and LeBron went just 7-for-19 from the field.
3. Is Anderson Varejao going to guard Bosh or Bargnani when he's on the floor? And which of the remaining uber-pylons (Shaq, Big Z, J.J.) will get tortured by the other guy?
4. How happy is Delonte West now that Gilbert Arenas has helped most of us forget how batshit crazy he is?
5. Is Anthony Parker going to go off on the Raptors tonight because Patrick O'Bryant was messing with Anthony's sister, Candace, on Twitter today?
|
