Bow Down To The King
This Game had a playoff feel to it. There was history made in it as well as Lebron James became all-time leader in Cavs scoring. Almost right after they had a small stoppage in the game to mark the event he then accidental scored for the Raptors. Chris Bosh was not looking for his help but would take it. He had 11 of his own points and his Raptors were up by 1 after one thanks to Lebron James.
Raptors had same type of effort they showed against Miami they just had a willing opponent to do battle with on this night. The teams would trade baskets through out the beginning of the second quarter. The lead going back and forth. This game was showing all the excitement of March Madness contest in the NCAA with far more skilled athletes. Cavs started an attempt to pull away up by 4 with 6 plus minutes remaining in the half. The Raptors were playing well but hit a bad patch with Lebron James on the bench his team was extending it's lead. Raptors were not able to defend as well which was ok when they were matching but became an issue when they were not. Cavs had a 9 point advantage and the Raptors shooting had gone cold. Jose Calderon would break the ice and then score again off a Cav turnover. The Jose show continued he had 7 straight points and the Raps were back to with in 2 points. Both teams struggled to score down the stretch of the half. Cavs had one last chance to score but could not and would have to settle for a 45-42 lead at the half.
Just a little time to grab a snack and check on your brackets before the second half. Ex-Raptor Dell Curry has a son that plays for Davidson he dropped 40 in a win for his side over Gonzaga. He one day will be in th NBA. But Lebron James and Chris Bosh are already there and battling hard for a win for their respective teams. Bosh opened the half with a dunk and he had 15 and Raps were down just 1. They carried over a 9-2 run from the first half. Cleveland had gone very cold missing 13 consecutive shots and that ended with a bang on a Lebron James Alley OOP Dunk courtesy of his recently new point guard Delonte West. Chris Bosh looked tired but was fighting through the fatigue and Anthony Parker tied the game at 49. Parker would respond to a Cleveland reply with another 3 pointer and Raptors were in the lead 52-51. Apparently it wasn't the mask as far as Bargnani he was scoreless to this point in the ball game. But Raps were doing ok without his contribution on the offensive end. They were up 4 courtesy of a highlight dunk brought to you by Jamario Moon. Raptors were at the very least making a statement that should these two teams meet in playoffs it was going to be entertaining and not easy for Cleveland. Lebron James though had 12 in the quarter and has always had great success against the Raptors. The question would be would it be enough to get his Cavs to the winner's circle on this night? He would have to do it without Ben Wallace who left the game with back trouble. The Raptors would find themselves with a still up 4 points 67-63 heading into the final quarter.
Cleveland would start the fourth quarter with some purpose and fought back to tie the game at 68. Bosh was battling hard and you could really see the effort he was making to fight through his lack of conditioning returning from his injury. One of those Raptor killers that only seem to do it against the Raptors like Roger Mason Jr. in Washington does and so does Damon Jones on the floor for Cleveland. He had a couple of threes and gave the Cavs a one point lead. Lebron James had been silent to some degree in the quarter that was ended with another poster that he created giving the Cavs a 3 point advantage. Jose Calderon to this point was a spectator and if Raps didn't win no doubt it would be a talking point. But T.J Ford would hit a 3 point shot and score again almost as if he sensed his time on the floor was in danger. But Lebron James could care less about a point guard controversy in Toronto he was too busy making posters as he had back to back dunks that were equally as impressive as the first. This is the reason many Raptors fans would rather take on Superman as he is a lightweight compared to King James. Maybe that isn't fair to Dwight Howard but his history vs. Toronto is far less successful. James to this point had 24 points and 10 rebounds. Jose Calderon would return after a Raptor time out. Raps were hanging tough but it was very evident it was not going to be easy. James was heating up and the Raptors just may not have had the answer for it on this night. The Cleveland Cavs had a 86-79 lead with under 3 minutes to play. James was just not able to be stopped he had 29 points after just 6 points in the first half. Raptors fans have seen this all before. Raptors were running out of time and hope down 5 points with under a minute to play. A last attempt by Bosh would miss after a time out and that would pretty much end any hopes of a Raptor comeback. In the end a 90-83 win for the Cavs.
The Effort was there but the result was not and the ability to stop Lebron James was just not something the Raptors have been able to show for a full 48 minutes. These are the reasons a series vs. James would be a tough task to say the least for the Raptors. Eventually though in the Eastern Conference you will need to have an answer to how to control Leborn James. That is right to say control cause stopping him is near impossible.
Podcast: http://dinoblogger.podbean.com/2008/03/21/king-makes-raptors-bow/
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