Background
The Cavaliers and Raptors are both teams trying to rebuild after the departure of their franchise player. A year and a half after the Heat's Big Three came together in Miami, both Toronto and Cleveland have restocked with an interesting and somewhat promising collection of youth, but no overt team direction other than building for the future.
The Cavaliers debuted Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson, the first and fourth picks respectively in the 2011 NBA draft, while the Raptors trotted out some new free agent acquisitions for the first time, but will wait a season for Lithuanian draft pick Jonas Valenciunas who is still under contract in Europe.
For both teams, winning this season doesn't make much sense strategically. A mediocre season resulting in a mediocre draft pick would stunt the rebuilding process of either team. This leaves these teams in an uncomfortable paradox where they are still trying to pander to an expecting audience. This season is about developing young talent, seeing which players can develop chemistry with others and within their respective coaches' systems, and keeping an eye on the future.
Outcome
The Raptors looked like the more cohesive unit on this night, played some aggressive defense, and held off the Cavaliers with a 104-96 victory in Cleveland.
Key Matchup
Irving got off to a rough start, while Calderon proved his veteran savvy over the young prospect. Calderon finished with 15 points, 6 rebounds, 11 assists and only 1 turnover, while Irving went for 6 points and 7 assists. Calderon also looked more comfortable running the team's offense as he found open looks and often connected with James or Amir Johnson cutting through the paint. Irving struggled to find ways to assert himself and will need time to adjust to the NBA after a stunted training camp and pre-season.
Raps Review
The Raptors won with balanced scoring, seven players had at least ten points led by Calderon and DeRozan with 15 points apiece. Outside of Bargnani and DeRozan, the Raptors will need other players to step up and score throughout the season so this game bodes well for the Toronto offense. The Raptors also shared the ball and every player except Jamaal Magloire finished with at least 2 assists. Sharing the ball led to good offense including 7-for-7 shooting for Ed Davis. DeRozan was the finisher in this game, scoring 6 straight points partway through the fourth quarter.
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| José Calderon; the mad scientist |
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