Bottom Feeder Bowl

These 2 teams are a combined 3 -17 when you add both their records together in the last 10. The Raptors will be without Jerryd Bayless and Sonny Weems who is not on the trip. Peja is counting his money and Reggie is waiting for his busted foot to mend. The Raptors near the very start of this NBA season tore apart these Cavs. But that was a long time ago and a lot has changed for the Raptors. Not much has changed for Cleveland they are still horrible. Someone has to win this one though and you can both teams heading into thought it should be them. As mentioned in the DNB Preview of this on the Raps have not won in Cleveland since 2004 but that had a lot to do with the Lebron James guy and he is no longer here.

Mo Williams opens the scoring after the Cavs won the tip. After a couple failed possession Amir Johnson scores to even it up. Jamison answered and some sloppy play would lead to an eventual Demar DeRozan bucket and were tied at 4. Derozan was off to a sloppy though and he had a turnover and leads to the easy bucket for Gibson. Both these teams were playing sloppy and like their records would suggest but Cavs had an early 13-6 lead. Gibson hit a 3 over Demar DeRozan. They would add 2 more and Triano forced to burn a time out down 15-6.

A Calderon drive and score out of time out but then a slam for Side Show Bob aka Varejao. A Kleiza 3 finds the mark and Raptors have cut lead to 6 but then Jamison hits a 3. Cavs were up 11 on Sessions bucket and this was a team that has lost 7 straight. Injuries or not that is just not acceptable. Raptors perimeter D was no existent Cavs were 4/4 with Jamison hitting another. Jay calls another time out and it is 32-19 Cavs. This was an embarrassment to this point. Raptors would try to fight back and make it respectable but when you can't stop anyone it is hard to do that. After 1 an awful start with Cavs leading 38-26.

Cavs shot 66.7% are you kidding me? as a former Raptor announcer once said. Raptors were on an 14-4 run and fortunate to even still be in the game a Bargs 3 would make it a 5 point game. A Cavs time out and that lead was quickly back up to 10 at 43-33 with 9 to play in half. Cavs kept leaving door open and then trying to re-shut it. Raps got back to 5 down at 46-41.....Barbosa had 9. Later a Barbosa 3 would cut it to 4.....Wright a bucket and the lead was 2. Man the Cavs are awful. If the Raptors don't win this game they should be ashamed seriously. Julian Wright missed a chip shot and later would make up for it with a big slam and draw a foul to give Raps first lead 50-48. After Cavs tied it up a big rebound for Wright and hooks up Barbosa for easy two with the long bomb pass. Raptors perimeter defence was pathetic though Cavs were at one point 8/10 from behind the 3 point line. In a defence optional game the Raptors led 66-63 at the half and they had very little to be proud of.

Maybe we should have titled this the Defenceless Bowl. They were back for 2nd half and points were flying as Raptors had a 73-67 lead just over 2 minutes into the half. Klezia gets called for a foul and as always is chirping away. Apparently the 2 techs in Dallas didn't teach him a blessed thing. The scoring went south and so did this game's watch-a-bility.But the Raptors were winning and growing their lead that sat at 81-74 with just under 4 to play. But perimeter D has been brutal all night and it continues as Jamison hit from 3 again but Bargs answers with 3 than a Barbosa 3 and it was a 10 point Raptor lead. But if there is a star in all this crud it might be Julian Wright who has 15 in this one. Nothing about this was pretty...kinda like Cleveland but that is beside the point. Raptors had a 90-84 lead after 3. That is not a final score that is after 3.

DeRozan whacked his head and it looked pretty hard. Should have been a foul call but with all the Raptors injuries that was really secondary. But amazingly DeRozan was able to stay in the game after getting checked out by training staff. Raptors with that scare behind them built lead to 11 and it was looking good so far. DeRozan was more than ok as well seems the hit on the head just pissed him off more than anything as he has 6 in the quarter after the knock to the head...make it 8 and 13 in the game. Raptor at one point has reversed the score from the Cavs largest lead of 15 to a Raptors lead of 15 with score 110-95 with half a quarter to play. Raptors terrible start was a distant memory to almost everyone except me. I am still a little angry. Maybe the Raptors were at themselves as well. Calderon was having an amazing night with 20+ points and threating 20 assists with 17. Barbosa and Bargnani were 20+ points as well. Raptors get the win 120-105.

Honestly at the end of the day banged up or not this a team the Raptors should beat and they did. So forgive me if I am not going to have a parade but it is a win and a road win that has been rare just the 5th on the season.