Reaction: Cavaliers 81, Raptors 87

Started in place of Patterson and looked the part. Went against Sideshow Bob for a bunch of the game and didn’t let him run rampant on the boards. Executed his set of old-man moves to good effect, and is putting to bed the theory that him and Valanciunas can’t work defensively.

Lots of open threes, lots of misses. Not his best game so far and for this time this pre-season took some hero-ball shots that I’m sure were born out of the sheer boredom of having to play in such a meaningless game.

The stat line looks good, and he worked really well with Lowry on the pick ‘n roll, finishing a couple and setting good screens for Lowry to do his thing. Mixed in with that though were two turnovers that showed how he’s mentally a step behind in the game, and there were your fair share of hot potato moments.

So Matthew Dellavedova’s the answer to the question of how to shut down Kyle Lowry. Who would’ve thunk it? Lots of nice passes today, and probably should’ve had 10-12 assists if teammates had finished. The shot wasn’t dropping like it had been all preseason but can’t really fault the attempts, they were there to take.

Another ugly game using the same methods that we’ve all gotten accustomed to. No blow-by quickness, not mid-range jumper, and not much defense. Right now his game looks very individualistic and it stands out because by and large, the rest of the team is playing togther. Almost like the team has to say, “OK, let’s just give this possession to DeMar so he can do his thing and we’ll get back to working as a team on the next one”.

Came in late, and had a nice drive going left which he almost finished and ended up getting fouled. The Cavaliers announcers were praising him a lot, and mentioned that he put way too much pressure on himself and the #1 pick weighed on him heavily when he was in Cleveland.

Hit two threes coming off the bench and looked way more comfortable on offense. It’s like when he’s starting he knows he’s the fifth option on offense and acts like it, but when he’s off the bench he knows he’s first or second in line, and that frees him up to shoot.

Dude was all over the place today influencing the game, challenging shots, and even trying a couple of his own, including a jumper (which he missed). He’s playing with confidence and you can tell that Dwane Casey’s told him he’s going to get run this season, and he’s excited.

Active today. A few deflections, a couple threes, and much better defensive effort than what he had produced against the Lakers. The move that’s not coming off for him right now is that dribble-drive pull-up which always seems to roll off the rim. That shot, if he’s able to make it, would open things up for him but right now it’s a brick every time.

I remember him getting a rebound over Varejao after somewhat boxing him out.

Don’t see how he’ll be part of the regular rotation this season. Doesn’t appear to be ready to contribute, and at best he could be a situational player, and not someone you might see every game.

He kind of blends in and isn’t that noticeable, mostly because he’s doing an effective job of whatever he’s supposed to be doing. In that sense, he’s like your condo concierge, after a while you don’t even notice he’s there but that doesn’t mean he’s not doing his job.

Why not just start him? The game means nothing, the fans love him, and he’d put up a bit of a show or die trying, which would make this game somewhat watchable.

Existence confirmed.

Why no James Johnson, seriously? Sure seems like he’s isolating him for some reason. I mean, I get the, “James Johnson has nothing to prove so he doesn’t need to show me anything in preseason” theory, but then again neither does Lowry. Other than that, happy with movement on offense, except when DeRozan has the ball. Defensively, we can all agree having Biyombo, Carroll, and Joseph in there makes a big difference.