<div align="center"> <span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%"><span style="color:#c8362d"><span style="font-family:Impact">Toronto</span> </span></span><span style="color:#c8362d">(8-11)</span> vs. <span style="color:#B94056"><span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%"><span style="font-family:Impact">Cleveland</span></span></span> <span style="color:#B94056">(17-3)</span> </div> <div align="center"> When: Tuesday December 9th, 2008 @ 7:00PM EST Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH TV/Radio: TSN, FAN 590 </div> <span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%"><div align="center"> <span style="font-family:Impact"><u>THOUGHTS ON THE GAME</u></span></div></span> I have no thoughts on this game. A couple of late nights and a helluva lot of studying has put me in zombie mode. As a result, this section of the game preview has been rendered completely useless. Go Raptors! <span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%"><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Impact"><u>STARTING LINEUPS</u></span></div></span> <div align="center"> <span style="color:#c8362d">Jose Calderon - Anthony Parker - Andrea Bargnani - Chris Bosh - Jermaine O'Neal</span> <span style="color:#B94056">Mo Williams - Delonte West - Lebron James - Ben Wallace - Zydrunas Ilgauskas</span></div> <span style="font-family:Impact"><span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%"><div align="center"><u>KEY MATCHUP</u></div></span></span> <div align="center"> <span style="color:#c8362d">Chris Bosh</span> vs. <span style="color:#B94056">Ben Wallace</span></div> There's no way around it. Since we kicked off the West coast road trip against Los Angeles, Bosh has cooled off considerably. The MVP talk is now replaced with rumours of fatigue and lack of motivation. There's no doubt that Bosh has had to go through an adjustment after the firing of Mitchell. Out of any one player on this team, he'll probably required to change his playing style the most. Mitchell was content to dump the ball into him and use the other 4 players on the floor as decoys while Bosh did his thing. Considering Bosh's considerable skillset, it made him so much easier guard. Any competent coach (whether its Triano or whoever comes in after this year), will require Bosh to make more decisive passes out of the double team and to move without the ball so as to create one-on-one situations before he recieves a pass. Ben Wallace is still quite a good post defender, despite his declining athleticism. When you factor in how well Cleveland plays team defense and how quickly they help out, Bosh will have quite the challenge tonight. I'll be looking for him to play like he did in the first half of the last Atlanta game: make quick reads before you get the ball and pass decisively out of the double team. When he gets the ball, we can't have any weak moves any more. The Raptors have struggled to find high percentage shots on a consistent basis, and fading away from people you know you can beat (Steve Blake!) doesn't help. <div align="center"><span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%"><span style="font-family:Impact"><u>LEO RAUTINS' INSIGHTFUL THOUGHT OF THE DAY</u></span></span></div>
This team is so far from contending, its sad. Devlin and Jack were talking about how tough our schedule has been of late, but the fact is that you can't use that as an excuse unless you're actually playing close games against them. By the end of last season, you got the impression that the Raptors were by far the worst playoff team in the league. Not much seems to have changed, except that we might not even be a playoff team this year. Fuck this is depressing.
Well, the positive for me is, I'm a college ball guy, the draft could mean more this year. Curry anyone?
Geez, Curry would be incredible. Don't get my hopes up Bas. I'm not gonna lie: I switched off the game midway through the 3rd quarter to watch Megan Fox on "Two and a Half Men."
I am not a college hoops guy but hows Demar Derozen? Wasnt he a top prospect coming out of high school?
Hey, I remember this team! Its the same bleeding team I see every year! The one that teases you with a couple of good performances just to suck you in, then kills you and buries you under a pile of shit for believing in them. This franchise is hopeless. Having Jack make excuses for everyone is just the same as it was when Chuck made excuses for everyone. The team needs time to adjust, Jose and JO are injured, everyone is still finding their roles, etc., etc.. Give me a break. I guarantee you swap our roster with the Knicks or Nets or whoever and its the same results. Toronto does the least with the most.
#1 - Kristen Bell is soooo fuckin hot #2 - Sorry Chutney. #3 - DeRozan is sick, he'll be a top 5 pick at worst.
