Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 9:11 am  |  179 responses

Post Up: Raps Ruin Bron’s 3×2

And Damien Wilkins saves the TWolves at the buzzer.

by Holly MacKenzie/@stackmack

What a day, what a night. It’s just after 3 a.m. and I’m an exhausted girl. Accomplished girl, too. Finally managed to link up with Drake at halftime of the Raptors/Cavs game for a future project. That made my week right there.

The Raptors defeating the Cavs was just silly. 101-91. Lovely surprise, that one. Getting to write a feel good story for these amazing Raptors fans who read my daily stuff over at The Score was/is pretty awesome. So was the game. It was my first nba.com recap and, wow. After the Raptors were up 18 at the half, rather than feeling content in the victory, I felt like I was waiting for LeBron to become LeBron James and score 45 points in a half or something foolish like that to break Raptor hearts.

While he did end up with his 25th career triple-double (23/11/12), he also ended up with the “L” as the Raptors used a strong fourth quarter to bounce back after the Cavs tied the game up at 69 with 2:22 seconds left in the third quarter. With Bron on the bench to start the final quarter, Toronto pushed the lead to 13 before he returned and went on to the victory from there.

Andrea Bargnani opening the game with a baseline dunk was fantastic. The entire first half from Bargnani was exactly what the team needs from him. 21 points on 8-11 field goals at the half. Sure, he kind of disappeared in the third, but he finished with 28 points on 11-15 from the floor. I’ll take that every night. Especially when he’s working against Shaq on the defensive end of things.

One thing to notice about LeBron: Even when his new teammates don’t know where to go for a particular play and when they are lagging behind, trying to figure out the right cut or position to be in, James is entirely calm and composed. He DOES possess the patience of a point guard, motioning and gesturing to his guys where they need to be, then waiting for them to get there for the play to properly unfold.

He’s pretty impressive. And I don’t even mean on the court. Sure people will say he gives cliche answers, but give him a question that’s not a cliche. Ask something he hasn’t heard 20 times and I bet you’ll get something great from him in return.

Also impressive was the orchestra set up at half court playing “You Can Hate Me Now” for the Raptors player intros. Absolutely loved it. The Raptors staff definitely stepped their game up this season. The crowd here in Toronto was insane. The scout sitting beside me said it felt more like a college game during March Madness than an NBA game. Thought that was cool to hear. As someone who will be covering the games this season, I hope the energy level stays up, because it gets you jacked.

I missed everything not relating to this Raptors game tonight, but I was told that Carmelo Anthony had what Dwight Howard is already deeming, “dunk of the year.” Here’s a link. I’m going to check this out myself as well. Okay, okay, Mr. Melo, that was wild. After the season last year, the amazing donation to Syracuse this summer and then the cover story Lang did with him for SLAM, it’s been pretty awesme to see Carmelo grow from boy, to basketball star, to man.

He finished with 30 points, by the way. Denver took down Utah 115-104. Deron Williams led the way for the Jazz, scoring 28 points to go with 13 assists.

21 and 15 for Dwight in a 120-106 Orlando victory over Philly. Marreese Speights led the way for Philadelphia with 26 points off of the bench. My pick for most improved player of the year, Ryan Anderson had 16 points for the Magic.

Danny Granger with 31 for the Pacers who fell 120-109 to the Atlanta Hawks, thanks to Al Horford’s 24 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocked shots. Joe Johnson added 25 for the Hawks.

Charlotte and Boston was so ulgy it’s almost better not mentioning, sorry BETCats. Charlotte became the lowest scoring team in NBA history for a home opener, managing just 59 points in the game against the Celtics. Rajon Rondo had 10 points and 11 assists for the C’s.

Jermaine O’Neal had 22 points and 12 rebounds, Michael Beasley scored 21 and Dwyane Wade added 26 points as the Heat throttled the Knicks, 115-93 in Miami last night. David Lee had 22 points and nine rebounds for the Knicks as Danile Gallinari added 22 off of the bench and Wilson Chandler scored 21 in the loss.

Oklahoma City stand up! OKC with the 102-89 victory over the Sacramento Kings. Jeff Green put in 24 points, KD added 25 and 11 and Russell Westbrook had a 14-point, 13-assist, seven-rebound evening as the Thunder shot 51% from the floor. Kevin Martin scored 27 to lead the Kings, but shot just 5-of-19 from the floor.

Minnesota got the 95-93 win against New Jersey and one of my faves, Mr. Jonny Flynn scored 13 in the fourth quarter to help his team come back from 19-down. Flynn finished with 18 points, but it was Damien Wilkins who saved the TWolves, scoring on a putback at the buzzer. Brook Lopez continues to be pretty awesome with 27 points and 15 rebounds for the Nets. Rough night for one of my other faves, as Courtney Lee shot just 2-of-11 from the floor for five points.

Without Allen Iverson (and probably with him, as well), the Pistons pounded the Grizzlies, 96-74. Rip Hamilton scored 25 points while Ben Gordon added 22 off of the bench. six UConn alums in this game. Kinda nutty. Marc Gasol was one of the few bright spots for the Grizz, scoring 21 points to go with 15 rebounds.

While Chris Paul had 26 points and nine assists (and also five turnovers), the Spurs were smoother, taking the 113-96 victory as they had six players reach double figures, led by Tony Parker’s 17 points and Manu Ginobili’s 16 off of the bench. Emeka Okafor scored 18 points to go with 10 rebounds in his New Orleans debut.

It was Steve Nash who saved the Suns in a 109-107 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. 15 points in the fourth for Nash, none more important than the layup he hit with five seconds remaining to give his squad the victory. Nash finished with 24 points and eight assists, Grant Hill had 19 points and 13 rebounds and Leandro Barbosa added 17 points. The Clippers were led by Marcus Camby’s 23 points and 11 rebounds as Chris Kaman added 22 points and nine boards. Baron Davis added 12 points and 12 assists in the loss.

The Warriors lost a close one to Houston, falling 108-107. Monta Ellis scored 26 points, Stephen Jackson scored 17 and Steph Curry added 14 but it wasn’t enough to counteract Luis Scola’s 21 points and 11 rebounds, Trevor Ariza’s 25 points and an 18-point, 12-assist performance from Aaron Brooks.

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  • http://fdjsklf.com Jukai

    I’ll pretext all that by saying Mo Williams is better than Fish, Brown, and Farmar.. but as a scorer only!

  • http://myspace.com/brandnew Bryan

    Jukai mo williams was getting like 7 assists per game with the bucks he can pass.

  • http://fdjsklf.com Jukai

    Bryan: BS, he was getting like six in 36-something odd minutes of playing by overcontrolling the ball. Give me any one of those lakers.

  • http://joeloholic.wordpress.com Joel O’s

    Jukai,
    Again, I’m not “hating” on Lebron. I’m saying that he can only do so much. Let’s ignore for a fact that Lebron is Lebron, and look at the Cavs’ roster as a whole and their collective defensive rebounding prowess. Now think about this: should a team – one of the best defensive teams in the NBA – with Shaq, Big Z, Varejao and Jamario Moon ever NEED its star offensive small forward to routinely pull down double-digit rebounds?

  • http://joeloholic.wordpress.com Joel O’s

    One more thing, regarding the alleged passing prowess of those aforementioned Lakers. I’m not saying you’re wrong here, Jukai, or that I’m right in this regard. But I think it’s impossible in this case to talk about the Lakers’ great passers without acknowledging the fact that they operate in the triangle offense, whereas the Cavs by contrast have an offense that requires them to stand around a lot and wait for Lebron to kick the ball to them out of a double. We can’t wholly divorce the fact that Phil runs a significantly more advanced offense than Mike Brown does from any talk of the better/worse passers.

  • http://fdjsklf.com Jukai

    Joel: No, but your other ‘suggestion’ that Lebron needs to be running down the court to get an easy basket is still easily ridiculous because no one is able to lob pass it to lebron and getting it to Mo who can get it to Lebron is extremely difficult because Mo is usually running for a fast break bucket too. It’s POINTLESS for Lebron to not be in a position to get the rebound because it’s not going to be doing any good running out of position like that.
    As I’ve mentioned before, the people who could get it to Lebron, West and Sasha, are out. None of the bigs can throw outlet passes that would hit Lebron. Moon and Parker are clearly not getting the Cavalier offense yet.
    Also, if Shaq and Big Z and Varejao are such great rebounders, maybe they should be outrebounding Lebron.

  • http://joeloholic.wordpress.com Joel O’s

    Jukai: I stand by the comparative advantage argument. Like we’ve agreed on, Lebron can definitely rebound as well, if not better, than gimpy Shaq, Big Z, Varejao and Moon. But yet again, the opportunity cost of him hitting the boards is bigger than theirs’.

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    Anthony Parker was used to controlling the ball a lot when he played in Europe. He’s still feeling a little unsure of himself in the Cavaliers offense, but if the only solution I see the team making is if they can get him to become more of a playmaking presence. I know it sounds a little crazy, but his passing can definitely help alleviate the pressure off of LeBron. When Calderon was injured the Raptors used him a lot for point guard duties, so it shouldn’t be that much of a difference for him. If he could lead the break, LeBron would have a chance at running out of position to finish the play. But, I don’t see Mike Brown designing anything remotely close to this, or changing much of LeBron’s share of the on-court duties. I also don’t think the Cavs would be more effective this way, because LeBron James is STILL by far the best passer with the best court vision on his team. And with an athletic swingman in Jamario Moon and a speedy Mo Williams running the break, their fast breaks shouldn’t be a concern.
    The concern is their predictable half-court offense right now.

  • http://fdjsklf.com Jukai

    Joel: No… no it’s not… If you wont give me another argument outside of “Lebron can start running for the break” which I’ve explained will never come, your argument seems pointless. Fine, let Lebron stay at the three point line, never go for a rebound, we’ll see how well THAT works.

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    Joel O, I know that you’re really trying to fit your economic model that is so passé in there but now is time to let it go. Your small forward hitting the board is a good thing. Always. As far as LeBron dominating the ball, who on this team can create their own O? Maybe Shaq down low, that’s about it. Mo Williams gets the vast majority of his points on assisted jumpers since his Milwaukee days. There is no one on that team that could avg 20+ points if they were the 1st option of a team beside Bron. The Lakers got 5 guys that could do it. The Spurs got 4. Celtics got 4 or even 5. Magic got at least 4. That’s why he needs to create for himself and others.

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    Bryan, Mo is not a playmaker and I think you know this. You mentioned Hughes’ success before coming to Cleveland but casually ommited to mention how he bombed in the chi and NY. all he did in cleveland is take off the dribble contested 2s that NEVER went in. that’s nobody’s fault but his. ask russ how he feels about how hughes played for them. heck, even yourself (knicks fan, right?) should know that he sucks balls.

  • http://fdjsklf.com Jukai

    I can understand a lot of complaints.. Lebron walking the ball up… Lebron not moving without the ball… Lebron not setting screens… Lebron not slashing on the left or right… but this “let others create” garbage is exactly what it is: garbage. Lebron isn’t in the game for 8-15 minutes a game. How well do they create during then?
    The rebound argument is wack. People whine that Melo doesn’t rebound enough, and they whine that Lebron rebounds too much… they are the same position and get the same boards. Just crazy!

  • http://www.something.com hackmed

    teddy the bear, stephen jackson would bring the raw, please assist me in the S JAX TO THE CAVS CAMPAIGN
    ps. the raps finally bit hard

  • http://joeloholic.wordpress.com Joel O’s

    Forget economics, guys – that was just a vehicle for me to try and explain my point of view. I get what you guys are saying, and it’s sound arguments overall. I’ll concede that I’m perhaps overrating the supporting cast a bit, since you guys probably watch Cavs games more than I do, and also because Shaq is still a big question mark – can he even give us last season’s production?

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    if jax comes to the team, that changes absolutely everything. he just don’t take no sh!t from anybody, swag off the charts. he’s the rasheed wallace of wings. and he won’t defer too much to bron and look for his, which is a good thing.

  • http://joeloholic.wordpress.com Joel O’s

    This is Lebron’s team for sure, and it’s built for him to dominate the ball and create off his drives and such. The formula’s worked well so far, hasn’t it – and I can’t argue with 66 wins.

  • http://joeloholic.wordpress.com Joel O’s

    Nonetheless, this Lebron-centric ball won’t win them a title. Simply for the reason it depends wholly on Lebron producing at such a ridiculous level on all fronts, every game, pulling a Magic Johnson like Teddy said for all 82 and more. Look at the Cavs’ playoff victories in the Lebron era: various versions of the one-dimensional Wizards, a has-been incarnation of the Pistons, a happy-to-be-in-the-mix Hawks team. Every time they meet a team with a mature team-centric offense, they lose.

  • http://joeloholic.wordpress.com Joel O’s

    I’m just trying to look at what Lebron is doing -both critically and constructively. Jukai, if you’re 100% right and I’m wholly wrong, and the Cavs really need him to dominate the ball every possession, then the Cavs management have built a misguided team that won’t win a title. Forget the little things we’ve discussed like rebounding, fast breaking, and most importantly the 1-4 predictable offense they rely on. The big picture to me is that the Cavs had Lebron dropping 35 point triple doubles on Orlando last year, and it wasn’t enough. And worryingly, even with Shaq, they seem to be headed the same direction this season. And again, it won’t be enough. I’m pretty horrified that Mike Brown can’t figure out how to fit Shaq into things, because for all his age and fat related limitations now, there are still a scant few big men out there who can stop him down low.

  • http://joeloholic.wordpress.com Joel O’s

    Finally, I again never said that Lebron’s rebounding was a bad thing. It’s a good thing. Please don’t bring up the extreme counter argument that I want him to stand at the 3-point line and never grab any boards, because that is an obviously nonsensical situation… which I didn’t suggest at all. His rebounding production is great by any standards – I just said it comes at a sacrifice. I’ll give it to you, Jukai, that that sacrifice may not be more fast breaks or whatever. But there is a sacrifice, a cost.

  • http://fdjsklf.com Jukai

    Joel: I simply argued that Lebron getting a triple double wasn’t a bad thing. I thought Lebron’s rebound and assist averages should stay as they are. That doesn’t mean I want Lebron to over-control the ball as a scheme to win… I’m saying when Lebron doesn’t overcontrol the ball, they lose.
    This is mostly a coach problem, but there are some parts teammates who have absolutely no idea what to do, failed dominate ball handlers that can’t really create in the offense, and Lebron, who REALLY isn’t working off the ball the way we saw him work in the Olympics.
    The suggestion of “letting someone else do it” seems unreasonable to me. That’s like saying the Philidelphia 76ers lost to the Lakers in 2001 because they didn’t run their offense through Eric Snow and Motumbo enough.

  • Beth

    Lebron’s lucky that he doesn’t get whacked around like MJ back in the day. MJ similarly had to do everything before his team grew up. And he got beat up too while doing it. Lebron has it easy in comparison.

  • http://joeloholic.wordpress.com Joel O’s

    @Z: Regarding your 11.45pm comment, you know what – yeah. The Cavs have an able and improved supporting cast but I guess they simply aren’t the Spurs or Celts, or even the Magic offensively. Maybe on a team like that, you can afford to have Lebron in a more focused role, but I guess on the Cavs you need him to fill every niche. I just adamantly don’t believe that a team built like this can win a title, simply because it’s too dependent on one single man’s performance.

  • http://joeloholic.wordpress.com Joel O’s

    @Jukai: Right. When Lebron doesn’t dominate the ball, they lose. And, to win consistently they need him to put up silly numbers. I guess that’s how it is, but it still sucks and Mike Brown has done a terrible job then in his tenure.

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    That, my friend, we can all agree on.

  • http://slamonline.com Krishan

    Just wanted to say that brown put shaq and z in the 4th, without lebron, against TO’s fleetest lineup, with barngani and bosh on the 4/5. Predictably they got ran to the ground and the game blew wide open again. Seriously brown should get suspended for that, put an NBA live computer AI with that same scenario and substituting pattern and I swear your ps3 is going to short.

  • http://slamonline.com/ Spaceship Jay

    I am dominant with the Cavs on 2K10. Against Orlando/Boston/LA, on Hall of Fame. Why do you ask? My coaching skills.

  • NUPE

    Where is Scottie Pip. when you need him? MJ never did it on his own, nor has any other star. The Lakers, Celts, Spurs, Magic are all playoff teams even without their best players. The bulls made it to the playoffs without MJ. The only other players to really take thier teams all the way by themselves (or very close to it) that I can think of are AI and D.Wade. However they both had great coaches behind them. (you could argue D-Wades Shaq – with injury) was better than Lebrons current Shaq.

  • Kris

    Woooow .. THE SEASON IS HERE!!

  • dial up

    Lol, you losers, just because lebron is LOSING, doesnt mean he doesn’t have any help. If lebron said” this is the first time i’ve ever had a low post threat” then why dont you believe HIM?

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