Well, it looks like the Cleveland Cavaliers have figured out whatever early season issues they were having. The Cavs (12-7) have won 5 games in a row, much due to the improved play of Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. Our Toronto Raptors have meanwhile adopted to life without DeMar DeRozan. Since the Raps’ leading scorer went down, the team has gone 2-2, yet are still atop the East with a 15-4 record.
These teams squared off a couple weeks back, where the Raptors picked up a big win on the road.
A win here without DeRozan would be a tremendous statement. With that being said, let’s see what the Raps are going to have to do in this one.
Cage’s Keys to the Game:
Slow down LeBron
While this was likely obvious, it is absolutely the most crucial factor. I mean, LeBron James is obviously the best player in the world, so intuitively, he’s going to cause some trouble. Even when he’s not scoring, he’s facilitating. That’s what’s scary about LeBron – he’s arguably the best passer in the NBA. It’s going to be a tough task, but James Johnson and Terrence Ross definitely have the defensive skillset to limit him. DeMar actually played fantastic defense on LeBron in their last tilt, so it can be done.
Move the ball
Kyle Lowry has dazzled in the absence of DeMar, with his scoring output being 31.7 points per game. While that’s great, the sustainability of the ‘clear out for Kyle’ strategy is only going to go so far. Against teams like Utah and Sacramento, it will likely work. Against a team like Cleveland? Likely not so much. Despite the fact that Kyrie Irving is an awful defender, the Cavs have a solid rotational defense headed by the King.
48 minutes
48 minutes of intensity on defense, 48 minutes of moving the ball well, 48 minutes of boxing out your man. This is what we need to see from the Raptors tonight if they want to win this game. The Raptors simply cannot rely on a #WeTheFourth strategy anymore, especially with DeMar DeRozan out.
X-Factor: Lou ‘The Captain’ Williams
For the record… I'm not somali.. lol now moving on.. #captainphilipsjokesgetchablocked ?
— Lou Williams (@TeamLou23) November 27, 2014
Sorry, Lou. You still the captain.
If you don’t remember, Lou Williams absolutely torched the Cavaliers last time around. He finished with a career high 36 points and was just incredible. The Cavaliers are likely going to focus on Lowry tonight, and without DD the Raptors will need someone to step up.
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