There are a lot of question marks going into the Friday match up between the Cleveland (9-7) Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors (8-7). The injury bug has plagued the Cavs all year and is hitting the Raps lately. Superstar forward LeBron James suffered a sprained finger in Wednesday’s loss to the Detroit Pistons. The Cavs are already without Larry Hughes (leg) and Donyell Marshall (wrist), but they can ill afford to lose LeBron for anytime. James is a game time decision. The Raptors lost forward Chris Bosh (groin) and Andrea Bargnani (knee) in Wednesdays win over the Grizzlies. Bargnani is expected to be in the line up and Bosh is considered day to day.
The Cavaliers beat the Raptors 111-108 last Saturday. LeBron James had his third triple double of the season scoring 37 points, grabbing 12 boards and dishing out 12 assists. Chris Bosh tied a career high with 41 points in a losing cause.
Starters:
Jose Calderon/Daniel Gibson
Anthony Parker/Sasha Pavlovic
Jamario Moon/LeBron James
Chris Bosh/Drew Gooden
Rasho Nesterovic/Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Key Match ups:
LeBron James lit the Raptors up for a triple double the last time these two teams met and if he’s healthy he’ll probably do it again. He’s arguably the best player in the NBA and the Raptors won’t be able to stop him. Chris Bosh tied a career high last game against the Cavs and should have another strong game. The combination of Gooden and Ilgauskas weren’t enough to stop CB4 and I don’t think much will change.
Predictions:
The outcome of this game comes down to injuries. The Raptors are supposed to have TJ Ford and Andrea Bargnani in the line up, but Chris Bosh is still a question mark. Bosh is awaiting an MRI and a decision will be made after. If the Cavaliers don’t have LeBron in the lineup then they’re dead in the water. They’re already plagued by injury and losing LeBron would be devastating. If everyone plays I think you’ll see a Raptor victory on home court. The Raptors were unable to stop LeBron’s supporting cast from deciding the game last time, but if they learn from their mistakes and eliminate uncontested 3 point shots then they should muster a win.
Xmen:
Cavaliers: Daniel Gibson. Gibson was on fire from downtown against the Raptors in the first meeting. He shot 4-8 from beyond the arc for 17 points. Gibson was a beneficiary to the Raptors double teams on LeBron.
Raptors: Anthony Parker. Parker played well Wednesday against the Grizzlies, leading the Raptors with 19 points. He shoots an NBA best 54.4 percent from beyond the arc and if Bosh is out of the line up he’ll be looked upon to pick up some of the slack.
Technorati Tags: Jose Calderon, TJ Ford, Anthony Parker, Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani, Jamario Moon, Rasho Nesterovic, Lebron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
November 30th, 2007 at 11:26 am
I really don’t believe Lebron is the best player in the league. His decision making is still questionable at times. He often over dribbles, makes bad decisions with the shot clock winding down, and jacks up way to many threes for someone with his driving ability.
Did anybody watch the Lakers game last night. Man, they really impressed me. Phil has them playing good basketball.
November 30th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
i don’t know about the best player, but he is top 4 or 5 in my book. he makes some questionable decisions, and does a bit too much at times, but there is really no one on that team (especially with varajeo holding out, and the injuries) to help him.
i just read a great article about him on CNN:
http://money.cnn.com/2007/11/28/news/newsmakers/lebron_james.fortune/index.htm?section=magazines_fortune
i really think he will leave the cavs once his contract expires. he needs to be in a bigger market, cleveland just wont cut it.
i hope he lands on the knicks, they are one of my favourite teams, and could use the help.
November 30th, 2007 at 2:52 pm
Best Players in the League.
1.Kobe Bryant
2.Tim Duncan
3.Dirk Nowitzki
4.Steve Nash
5.Kevin Garnett
6.Lebron James
7.Tony Parker
8.Dwight Howard
9.Dwayne Wade
10.Carmello Anthony
Honorable Mention Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, Carlos Boozer
November 30th, 2007 at 2:57 pm
what about gilbert arenas, deron williams, amare stoudameire, elton brandt and joe johnson? a case could be made to rank all of them ahead of bosh.
November 30th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Elton Brand- definitely not ahead of Bosh.
Joe Johnson- definitely not ahead of Bosh.
Amare- maybe, but he has had the injuries. doesn’t have as good a jumper as bosh, and plays with Steve Nash.
Deron Williams- definitely forgot about him. great player…but I still think Chris Paul is going to be better than him.
November 30th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
what about arenas?
November 30th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
I like Arenas, but he really hogs the ball too much, which takes away from Butler and Jamison. He is a top ten scorer without question, maybe even top five scorer, but he doesn’t give you enough assits or rebounds, and he plays no defense…none.
November 30th, 2007 at 5:48 pm
so u take arenas over bosh?
November 30th, 2007 at 8:04 pm
1. Kobe 2. Lebron 3. Boozer 4. KG 5. DHoward 6. Paul 7. Deron WIlliams 8. Parker 9. Nash 10. Dirk 11. Duncan
in my opinion these are the best players in the nba right now, taking into consideration this seasons stats. Wade would be on there if he wasnt injured most of the season; Brand would be on there if he wasnt out for the season.
honourable mention to Chris Kaman
November 30th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
I like that the Raps have a better chance to win tonight without LeBron is the lineup, but i dont like being robbed of 1/4 of the games James plays against the Raps. Just overall fun too watch. same with Bosh…too bad he isnt in the lineup.
November 30th, 2007 at 9:30 pm
the raps are just wrapping up a win over the Cavs and will move to 2 games over .500. Delfino had a great game, Calderon had another great game and Bargs was the man. it’s good to see the raptors win a game when they are undermaned, regardless if King James is out. I think Kapono should have played more, but i wont argue with the results.
a little off topic, but staying in the Atlantic, the Knicks are terrible and thats no secret, but why does Isiah keep playing the same guys? Richardson averages 6.1 ppg and 6.5 rpg in almost 30 mpg. why not play Lee? the guy averaged a double-double last year, but doesnt see much of the floor. Knicks suck…wholesale changes need to happen