The switch by Casey to Landry Fields instead of James Johnson was a considerable surprise, but listening to Casey pre-game, perhaps it shouldn’t have been. Casey had said whoever was guarding James could not be goaded into “going rogue,” into playing a one-on-one, tit-for-tat game with the league’s best player. Johnson can do that when he is overexcited. Fields would never consider it. Hence, the switch. Ironically, Johnson had a strong offensive night anyway and did an OK job when matched against James, while Fields, with his sky-high basketball IQ and excellent ability to move without the ball, was solid. The move ended up being an inspired choice.
A furious fourth-quarter rally, including a clutch three-pointer from James with less than a minute to go, gave the suddenly scorching-hot Cavs their eighth straight victory, a 105-101 win. “We definitely lost this ourself,” said a frustrated Amir Johnson in a quiet locker room after the Raptors coughed up a 14-point lead. The Cavaliers outscored Toronto 24-13 in the fourth quarter. While James did plenty of damage, he also had some help, with the Cavaliers picking up some crucial offensive rebounds down the stretch, including one fourth-quarter possession where they got three rebounds in a row. That left Raptors coach Dwane Casey more than a little bit ticked off. “We had some crucial turnovers, crucial rebounds that we didn’t get at the end of the game, and that’s the name of the game. When you’re playing playoff basketball and you’re trying to be an elite team you’ve got to be able to make those plays and tonight we didn’t,” said Casey.
An unlikely ace in the hole, something he used in the playoffs last spring when Fields stepped in to stymie Joe Johnson and the Nets in Game 2. “Honestly, I just wanted to make things difficult, to kind of switch it up on [James], make him think about me more than anything else,” said Fields, who found out he was making the spot start earlier in the day during a late afternoon walkthrough. “It didn’t go so well if you look at the stat sheet. He still played well and they ended up winning but that was just my whole mindset going in.” Despite the result, Casey made the right call. Greivis Vasquez had started five straight games in place of the injured DeMar DeRozan but was under the weather and limited in his return to the bench on Tuesday. Terrence Ross, a promising but inexperienced defender giving up size and strength to James, had more ups than downs against the four-time MVP in the first two meetings. Johnson was re-acquired for match-ups like this one, but got caught up in a one-on-one battle with James in Toronto on Friday. What Fields lacks in athleticism, in comparison to Johnson, he makes up for in discipline, which was a prerequisite as Casey outlined before the game. He’s a smart player, moves well without the ball, knows his limitations on both ends of the floor and operates within them.
It’s safe to say that Casey and his long list of mentors have spent many an hour talking about the various nuances and implications of lineup management. The strongest benefit, as we saw with the performance of both Fields and Johnson, comes in the form of internal competition — developing healthy rivalries within the lineup. Having players to push each other to get better within your roster is a key trait of good teams, and we’ve seen how the Raptors depth helps to raise each others game throughout the season. The Raptors couldn’t hold off LeBron James and the hottest team in the East on Tuesday. A winnable game, to be sure, but the Raptors pushed each other for a strong effort even in a losing cause.
Raptors Blow Fourth Quarter Lead, Fall To LeBron and the Cavs 105-101 | Raptors HQ
Jonas Valanciunas was everywhere, especially in the first half. He finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds. That’s two straight impressive performances from him. If Valanciunas can do this more consistently, I’m ready to alter my expectations for this team a little bit
The Cavs allowed the Raps to get out to a double digit lead and failed to consistently get the stops needed to regain control of the game. Miraculously, the Cavs were down only 7 points heading into the fourth quarter. In the fourth, the Cavs defense and some guy named LeBron took over and brutalized the Raps. They got Toronto into early foul trouble and forced them to settle for midrange jumpers and tough turnarounds. The Cavs pulled ahead for good when LeBron hit a massive three from the top of the arc. A five second call and a Terrence Ross steal/ dunk gave Toronto a brief glimmer of life, but Kyrie Irving iced the game at the free throw line. The last time the Raptors were in Cleveland, LeBron called the team “fragile”. A whole lot has changed since then, and the Cavs continue to their evolution into the team everybody thought they would be.
Game Rap: Raptors 101 Cavs 105 | Toronto Raptors
Can’t say that Jonas Valanciunas isn’t making the most of his opportunities. The big man posted a second straight big double-double on Tuesday (18 pts, 15 rebs) — his sixth of the season — and somehow did it more efficiently than the night before. Astoundingly, Valanciunas needed just seven shots from the floor to match team-high honours for the Raptors. He hit six of them and knocked down all six of his free throws in a whopping 37 minutes of action. His 15 rebounds represent both a season high and game high.
Late defense and LeBron James carry Cleveland Cavaliers past Toronto, 105-101 | cleveland.com
Toronto was shooting 58 percent from the field entering the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers finally tightened things up defensively, holding the Raptors to six-of-20 shooting and just 13 points in the period. It was the first time in 38 games that Toronto had lost a game it was leading after three quarters — 88-81 in this case.
LeBron’s Three Highlights Cavs Comeback Win over Raptors | Waiting for Next year
LeBron’s most points at home this season. He missed a ton of open looks in the half-court offense and had one of his oddly characteristic fast-break turnover dribbles off his own foot. He only had four assists, only had two rebounds and still, this was the game that led to the first “MVP” chants at The Q this year. You just cannot leave him open for this long.
Game Quotes: Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors – Dec. 9 | Cleveland Cavaliers
“Without question, LeBron was there for us throughout the whole game. His performance was very consistent throughout the game. I think that in the bad moments, (his energy) sort of kept us from losing our way completely. And then in the good moments, he obviously pulled us over the top. But he had a very consistent and outstanding performance pretty much from the get-go tonight.”
Recap: Raptors suffer tough loss at hands of LeBron, Cavs | Raptors Watch
The Dinos entered the final quarter sporting an 88-81 lead. Amir was hobbling throughout the game, but the slight limp has never held him back from finishing at an elite level, and he showed that on this night. Mid-range ISO ball and inconsistent defense allowed the Cavs to come all the way back to tie. Patrick Patterson, who was quiet most of the night, made his shots count when the opportunity came; a timely 15-footer from Patman gave the team a 2-point lead with 2 minutes remaining. James, however, came back with two free throws and then a clutch trey from the top of the key. After some Lowry madness and a quick Ross dunk, Kyrie Irving made a pair of FT’s that sealed the coffin.
Post game: Toronto Raptors fail to stop Cleveland Cavaliers | Raptors Cage
Again, it was another case of a strong start and unfortunate collapse before the buzzer. Landry Fields received the starting nod to slow down the expected conquest of James. Amir Johnson provided his usual presence in the paint but was evidently fatigued on the second night of a back-to-back. As a result, he saw reduced minutes and his fellow Johnson was called upon to hold off Cleveland. The biggest issue in the defensive category was the assignment to James. Fields played just 23 minutes despite the start and the so-called King freely dominated Toronto on the offensive end. I know it’s near-impossible to stop the guy, so this is forgivable.
The Talent In Toronto | The Sports Quotient
The Raptors would have seemed to have stumbled after DeMarDeRozan went down with a torn left adductor longus tendon, but that is not what has happened. DeRozan before his injury was averaging a career high 19 points per game along with 4 rebounds, however there is no timetable for his return, and shooting guard duties are left up to Greivis Vasquez. Although the team does not receive the same production form Vasquez as DeRozan, they are still excelling. What Vasquez lacks in athletic ability he makes up for with his on court smarts and his ability to read defenses, making him a perfect fit to compliment the high scoring point guard duo.
I can haz yo linkz??! rapsfan@raptorsrepublic.com
