CB4 vs. LBJ

How good is LeBron James? 37, 12, and 12 is incredible... and that isn't even his best stat line this season. He has three triple doubles, and two one-assist-shy-almost-triple doubles in only 13 games so far this season. Sure, big Z added 16 and 15, and Boobie Gibson and Damon Jones each had 17 points... but LeBron is LeBron, and LeBron is the Cavs.
Looking just at the box score, the Raptors could've been the winner. They shot 49% for the game, only committed 5 turnovers, made 20 free throws to the Cavs' 12, and CB4 had 41 points. The problem, minus LBJames, was that the Raptors were outrebounded 47-28... I repeat, 47-28... and shot only 6-21 from behind the arc. Bosh, Bargnani, and Moon combined for just 14 rebounds, and the team lead went to Parker with 7. Three other high points for the Raptors, minus CB4 and his 41, were the play of Bargnani, Kapono, and Calderon. Bargnani shot 6-9 from the floor for 14 points, Kapono had 17 points on 7-11 shooting, and Calderon 7 points and 13 assists with no turnovers. Could the Raptors have won that game if they had Ford? Well, a better question might be could the Raptors have won that game if they had any of the three starters from last years' 47 win team that are currently injured - Ford, Rasho, Garbo. How many playoff teams can lose 3 starters and still be afloat? There is no question the Raptors need Ford back soon, and Rasho would certainly be helpful when the Raptors play the Cavs next friday to help bang against Z. There are reports that Garbo may miss the rest of the season, and the truth is likely to come out later this week after he meets with a specialist. If he is gone, it will be a big blow to the Raptors [and Spanish night on Wednesday]. Although he did not play a lot yet this season, you get the feeling that wasn't due to a lack of skill, but due to his injury. He was an integral part of the team last year, and I thought that as the season was going to wear on, he might get more and more time. We'll have to see now if he even plays another minute.