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Team Records:
Toronto: 15-4 (9-2 at Home, two game win streak, it feels great to type this)
Cleveland: 10-7 (4-3 on Road, five game win streak, whatever).
Where to Watch: TSN 1, 3, 4 AND 5 (poor TSN2) at 7:30pm
This season was supposed to be a coronation for Lebron James. He was going to sweep into Cleveland and reunite the city like the messianic (that's Jesus, not Messi) figure that Nike says he is.
For the tortured Cavaliers fanbase, it's been a, um, tortuous start.
Despite riding a five game win streak into Toronto, the Cavaliers with their 10-7 record have looked vulnerable. Yes, they blew out the Washington Wizards (that's old hat nowadays) and beat up on Orlando and Indiana. But they just barely slipped by the Bucks on Tuesday, and escaped New York with a three point win over the Knicks (the 4-16 Knicks). Also, there's the memory of the last Toronto/Cleveland game lurking.
That's the one where the Raptors fell behind big in the first quarter before storming back and winningly handily 110-93. It was the kind of game that inspired professional curmudgeon Cathal Kelly of the Globe and Mail to write a column like this.
With their All-Star DeMar DeRozan still out, the Raptors have been taking their "next man up" perspective to the next level. Greivis Vasquez has ably stepped into the starting lineup, Lou Williams continues to terrorize time keepers with buzzer beating shots, and James Johnson's Wolverine act is still hard at work to gain traction. The last time this team faced the Cavaliers, Lebron called his team "fragile." What will he have to say now?
Oh yeah, did I mention that Tracy McGrady is in the house to get honoured?
Good luck Cleveland.
What do you guys think? Let's get it rolling in the comments.
(Note: this has been edited to remove references to the purple jerseys. No purple tonight. Sad face.)
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