Injuries
Toronto
Reggie Evans – Out
Leandro Barbosa – Out
Sonny Weems – MIA
Miami
Chris Bosh – Status quo
Dwayne Wade – Day to day
Mario Chalmers – Day to day
Match-ups
Point Guard
Is Calderon/Bayless/Gaines a better point guard trio then Arroyo/Chalmers/House? Yes, but it doesn’t matter; LeBron’s playing. Chalmers is good for about 5 wide open treys, Arroya will be penetrating at will, and House will somehow score 13 points.
Edge: LeBron
Shooting Guards
Wade missed morning shoot-around, and is questionable for the game, but it doesn’t matter; Lebron’s playing. We might see a little Mike Miller, some Eddie House, and a sprinkle of Chalmers at the 2. Up until this point, Mike Miller’s been the hired gun brought in by Riley that doesn’t shoot the ball. Expect that to change tonight; the Raptors are King Makers. DeRozan was the only bright spot last night/weeek/month/season, and none of the guys can check him, but really, it doesn’t matter.
Edge: LeBron
Small Forwards
LeBron’s a three, but he might play the four tonight. Really doesn’t matter, he will be on the floor. For arguments sake, let’s put James Jones down for the bulk of the minutes at the three. Dude’s shooting 42% from behind the arc, so he’s a legitimate threat. Bet your ass he’s licking his chops at the prospect of his first 20 point game of the season.
Edge: LeBron
Power Forward
I was expecting more from Johnson/Davis last night; not sure why. Tonight they get to deal with a combination of LeBron and Juwan Howard. Did you know that Howard signed his letter of intent to play for Michigan before Ed Davis was born? Think about that for a second…dude is 37 and has been playing college/pro ball longer than Davis has been alive.
Edge: LeBron
Center
I bet you LeBron will even defend Bargnani at some point tonight. Why not, I know I’d love to see that. Actually makes sense, Joel Anthony is the only Heat player who could hang with him on the perimeter (hang, not defend; there’s a difference), but that would totally leave the paint open to attack since he’s their only legit shot blocker. Fortunately for Bargnani, the Heat have no offensive threats who can embarrass him tonight.
Edge: LeBron
Keys to the Game
Do the exact opposite as last night
The Line
The gamblers have the Heat, a team missing Bosh & Wade and fielding a front-court of four guys aged 32, 35, 35 and 37, as 12.5 point favourites. This is how bad the Raptors are. Let’s hope they don’t follow up a 40 point loss with a 50 point one.
