LBJ rolls into Toronto for tonight's opener
Well, the day has arrived. The Raps tip the 2009-10 season tonight at the ACC against LeBron and the Cavaliers at seven. Check out the gameday preview over on Raptors Republic, where I’ll be providing a feature for each game this season — a simulation on NBA 2k10, complete with a brief game recap and a full boxscore. Being a stathead and video game geek, that kind of thing has always been interesting to me — hopefully other people will feel the same.
Raptors Republic, by the way, is a part of ESPN’s TrueHoop network, which features a blog from each NBA team. So, that pretty much makes them the ultimate authority on Raptors ball on the web. I’m excited to be a contributor — thanks to the fine folks that run it for letting me be involved!
As for tonight’s game, the key, of course, is to contain LeBron. King James played 45 minutes last night in Cleveland’s opener against Boston, so here’s hoping he’s a little burnt out, even if it’s just the opening week of the season. Even if that’s the case, he has a deeper supporting cast this year — former Raptors Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon join Shaq Daddy on a Cavs team that reloaded after bowing out in the East Finals to Hedo & co. last May.
The Raps will be in tough tonight but I think they’ll be fine for the rest of the season. I just hope the Bosh story won’t overshadow the rest of the season.
By: Mike R on October 28, 2009
at 4:04 pm
Hopefully they get some wins and that enough convinces Bosh to re-up. You never know what will happen — before Vince turned into a baby, nobody was expecting him to re-sign, then a nice second round playoff run made him change his mind. Maybe we can bring in Hakeem Olajuwon to entice Bosh too. Wait, I think we’re still paying Olajuwon…
By: Jeremy on October 28, 2009
at 4:07 pm
Hey, if Olajuwon can’t be brought in, then we should give some consideration to his old partner in crime, Eric Montross. How I miss those days.
By: Mike R on October 28, 2009
at 4:31 pm
If I had a dime for every sub-par big man we’ve had the past 15 years…well, i’d have a few bucks, at least. I guess it’s like that with every team though.
On the other hand, we were a playoff team with Montross, so he must’ve been doing something right.
By: Jeremy on October 28, 2009
at 4:49 pm
I just got off work so I missed most of the opener. But if what I’m seeing now is any indication, my prediction of the Raps making the second round might be too pessimistic.
By: wierzbicki on October 28, 2009
at 9:40 pm
What about your Celtics? Gonna pick them to win it all again this year?
By: Jeremy on October 28, 2009
at 10:00 pm
No, L.A will repeat, or possibly the Spurs will connect again. I’m not sure about Boston. I’m guessing Garnett is going to be far from his old self this year. He’ll probably miss 20+ games.
By: Anonymous on October 28, 2009
at 10:05 pm
No man, after 40 games Garnett will be a shadow of his former self. He’ll probably end up missing 20+ games, if he finishes the season at all. Not that I’m basing that on anything other than speculation.
L.A. will repeat, and Hedo will be a Turkish delight.
By: Anonymous on October 28, 2009
at 10:09 pm
No man, after 40 games Garnett will be a shadow of his former self. He’ll probably end up missing 20+ games, if he finishes the season at all. Not that I’m basing that on anything other than speculation.
And Shaq will be a bust. The Cavs might end up in the conference finals, but Shaq himself won’t bring anything special.
Basically, either L.A. will repeat, or the Spurs will decide they want another title.
By: wierzbicki on October 28, 2009
at 10:12 pm
I agree on Shaq. What a bum tonight — I’ve never seen a guy miss so many chip shots, which every shot he takes happens to be. I love how irrelevant he’s become.
The Lakers are a safe pick, probably my pick as well.
By: Jeremy on October 28, 2009
at 10:32 pm
you can probably delete those other comments that are obviously mine. i kept forgetting to write my name in
By: wierzbicki on October 28, 2009
at 10:38 pm