Oct 28, 2009 - 2:45 AM
0 shoutsBy MATT BECKER STATS Senior Writer
Cleveland (0-1) at Toronto (0-0), 7:00 p.m. EDT
With Chris Bosh's future in Toronto uncertain, Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo spent the offseason making moves to convince his power forward to stay and prove to him that the team is moving towards a championship.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are facing a similar situation with LeBron James, and hope the offseason addition of Shaquille O'Neal can help the reigning league MVP win a title. However, the new tandem of James and O'Neal hardly made the team look like a title contender in its opener.
Prized offseason acquisition Hedo Turkoglu joins Bosh for the Raptors when they open their season in Wednesday night against a Cavaliers team still seeking its first victory.
After winning the Atlantic Division in 2006-07, and making a return trip to the playoffs the following year, Toronto had high hopes for last season but never got in sync and finished 33-49.
An 8-9 start led to the firing of coach Sam Mitchell. He was replaced by Jay Triano, but the club didn't find its footing until late in the season.
The Raptors won nine of their final 13 games to head into the summer on a high note, and prospects got significantly brighter with the offseason acquisition of Turkoglu, who - after re-signing with Orlando - was traded to Toronto as part of an eight-player, four-team deal.
The Raptors also added guard Jarrett Jack and power forward Reggie Evans, and selected Southern California swingman DeMar DeRozan with the ninth pick of the draft, but Turkoglu appears the most significant addition of them all.
The 6-foot-10 forward with a great shooting touch averaged 16.8 points and 5.3 rebounds last season to help the Magic reach the NBA finals. He shot 35.6 percent from 3-point range and created difficult matchups for defenses focused on trying to shut down Dwight Howard.
Now, the Raptors hope Turkoglu can provide a similar dynamic alongside Bosh.
Bosh led Toronto in scoring (22.7) and rebounding (10.0) and was named to his fourth straight All-Star game in 2008-09. He was drafted fourth overall by the Raptors in 2003, but could leave the team next summer when he becomes a free agent.
"Hopefully we all have a great year and then (Bosh) makes his decision to stay here with a great group of guys," Turkoglu said.
Keeping Bosh is the No. 1 priority for Colangelo.
"Now we set our sights on making sure that Chris Bosh remains a part of that core as we move forward," Colangelo said. "And I can tell you with certainty that the moves that have been made, have been met with appreciation and excitement on Chris' part thus far."
Similarly for the Cavaliers, James can become a free agent next summer, so there is considerable pressure in Cleveland to win now.
Cleveland acquired O'Neal from Phoenix in June, and the addition of the 14-time All-Star has made the club an early favorite for the NBA title. However, the 7-foot-1, 325-pound center and the new-look offense never found their rhythm in Tuesday's season-opening 95-89 home loss to Boston.
O'Neal had 10 points - just two after halftime - and 10 rebounds for the Cavs, who have now lost three consecutive season openers.
"We'd like to start off 1-0, but there are 100 games left," said O'Neal, who was 1 of 5 from the floor in the second half and missed his only two free throws. "We'll be fine. I've been on teams that started 0-1, 0-5, 5-0, 10-0. Nothing matters unless you win the whole thing."
While O'Neal had an unimpressive debut, James already appears to be in mid-season form.
He finished with 38 points, eight rebounds, four blocks and made four 3-pointers, but no other player on the team scored more than 12.
Cleveland, which hasn't opened a season with back-to-back losses since starting 0-3 in 2004-05, hopes to get back on track against a Toronto team it usually dominates.
The Cavs have won nine of their last 10 meetings with the Raptors. The only time they lost in that span - a 91-82 defeat Nov. 30, 2007, in Toronto - James sat out with a sprained left index finger.
The five-time All-Star is averaging 31.1 points on 52.5 percent shooting in his last nine games against the Raptors.
O'Neal's highest-scoring game since 2002-03 came at Toronto's expense. He had 45 points while shooting 20 of 25 from the floor in a 133-113 home win for the Suns on Feb. 27 last season.
From the Bleachers
-
CLEVELAND: 91
TORONTO: 101
Final
Oct 28 9:57 PM -
CLEVELAND: 71
TORONTO: 78
End of 3rd
Oct 28 9:21 PM -
CLEVELAND: 39
TORONTO: 57
Halftime
Oct 28 8:27 PM -
CLEVELAND: 22
TORONTO: 27
End of 1st
Oct 28 7:48 PM
