Ah, so many memories of classic Raptors-Grizzlies matchups of the past! Um, or not. Sigh. I gotta say that, in the 15 years these two teams have been in the league, one playoff series win between them is pretty Goddamn pathetic. What’s even more pathetic? The Raptors have a losing record (13-14) against the Grizz in those 15 years. Ugh.

Still, at least the Raptors have been actively trying to improve their team the past couple of seasons while the Grizzlies continue to get worse and worse. There’s hope in Toronto… there’s acute indifference in Memphis.

I can’t see any way the Raptors lose this game – unless they’ve all gotten so impressed with themselves after beating Cleveland that they take the Grizzlies lightly and don’t show up. That’s a distinct possibility for a team that has a long history of playing down to their opponents. The two teams split their two meetings last year, with each winning at home.

And, hey. They do have a few offensive pieces. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph are the type of big bodies that have troubled the Raps in the past, and OJ Mayo and Rudy Gay are the type of high-scoring wing players that have given the team fits. And of course, Allen Iverson has had some of his best games against the Raptors – although as I write this he’s still questionable with a hamstring issue (though he, of course, says he’s ready to go).

But after that… I mean, I barely recognize the names on the Grizz bench. Depth isn’t their strong suit. And none of the above are noted defensive specialists. And, hey… this isn’t the same old Raptors team. They’ve got frontcourt depth and bulk, even without Reggie Evans, and Jarret Jack, DeMar DeRozan and Antoine Wright add some defensive chops to the backcourt.

Like I say. There shouldn’t be any possible way for the Raptors to lose this game. On the other hand, this is the Raptors so I never take anything for granted…. But…. There’s no way they lose this one. If they can keep the Memphis bigs off the boards, and limit the open looks for the guards, this one should be a walk in the park. Right? Raptors by 12.

One thing to note here… this will be the first Raptors game Rogers customers get to see on TSN2, which we did not have last year – as you all know. I’m still so angry over last year’s fiasco and the general state of awfulness that surrounds the Raptors on TV that I will not be thanking anyone for allowing me to watch Raptors games on FIVE networks yet again. What a joke Raptors television production and broadcasting is. Was anyone else shocked by how awful the first game broadcast was? No, me neither. We saw at least two instances of cameras showing the sidelines or replays WHILE GAME ACTION WAS GOING ON, which has been happening for years. It’s shocking to me that this most basic principle of sports broadcasting – PEOPLE TUNE IN TO WATCH THE GAMES! – is constantly fucked up. We were subjected to ongoing audio and video problems. And for some unfathomable reason, rather than showing us viewers the introductory video that was played on the jumbotron, we were shown… people playing instruments. Um, what the fuck was that!? You really think that instead of showing the video that’s designed to get people pumped up for Raptors basketball, it was a better idea to show old people playing classical instruments? Do these people have a fucking clue? Sheesh.

Well, that was a nice win. Not without its ups and downs, but it’s always nice to win your first game, at home, against a good team.

Of course, I thought the Raptors were gonna blow it in the second half and the refs sure didn’t help, but they toughed it out. A 21-point lead evaporated midway through the third quarter, but after settling for jumper after jumper the Raps finally settled down, rebuilt a 7-point lead by the end of third and built on it in the fourth. The Cavs kept it close down the stretch before Jose Calderon sealed it on his only bucket of the night, and and-1 layup with less than a minute to go.

Biggest thing to note on the box score is the Cavs’ 35% shooting. I don’t want to say the defense was great, since the Cavs were on the second night of a back-to-back (and hey, they let the Cavs score 32 in the third), but it was definitely a better effort than they gave at any time last year. Other than a raft of open threes in the third and the occasional slow rotation, the defense was generally where it needed to be.

Offensively, during the second quarter the draw-and-kick was working really well, and the pick-and-roll worked well, and the high-low with Bosh and Bargnani worked well. But way too much settling for Js in the second half – in the third, I don’t think they pick-and-rolled once! Still. It appears there are plenty of scorers on this team, and I liked the way Jay mixed in the starters and subs ensuring there was always some firepower on the floor.

And while the rebounds were ultimately pretty even (Cavs won the battle 49-48) the 13 offensive boards the Cavs pulled down are disappointingly familiar. I know it’s expected that a team that misses 65% of their shots has more opportunities to get offensive boards, but nevertheless, there were a few that the Cavs simply outworked the Raps on.

I have to say, I hate watching the Cavs. Honestly, there is nothing at all enjoyable about watching LeBron barrel to the hoop and get foul calls as soon as he’s breathed on (that offensive foul call on Bosh was just unbelievable. I half-expected people to start throwing beers on the court – and frankly I would have encouraged it). But seriously, that’s their go-to offense? Didn’t they learn from the Orlando series that they need a few more options? I mean in the third they went small and started swinging the ball on the perimeter, and got back into the game… but then it was back to LeBron-on-five. Bo-ring.

Other thoughts…

Bargnani was amazing. I know we won’t see that every night, but he looked so smooth on everything he did. Some awful foul calls “limited” him too… but inside, outside, mid-range, solid D, 28 points on 15 shots in less than 30 minutes. Only five boards (and he got seriously outplayed on a couple that he should have had) but I think we’re just going to have to accept that that’s who he is.

Bosh was OK. Still with that awful habit of standing there thinking about it, then settling for fade-aways instead of using his quickness. When he catches it and goes, no big man outside of KG has the quickness to stay with him… still, the 16 boards were nice, and he, Bargnani and Rasho outscored/outrebounded Shaq, Z and Varejao 48/23 to 26/14.

Calderon: Actually got out and ran on the break! So used to seeing him take it slow, it was nice to see. Last year I got annoyed that he didn’t shoot/score enough, maybe this year he won’t have to. Though I couldn’t believe he missed two free throws!

Turk: Wanted him to have the ball a little more in the fourth, given his “clutchness,” but ultimately it didn’t matter. He didn’t have a great game, stats-wise, but overall I liked what I saw from him. He moves well, knows where he should be and where the ball should go. The “high basketball IQ” we heard about all summer is evident. And he managed to stay in front of LeBron when called upon.

DeRozan: Really liked what I saw from the rookie. LOVED that he blocked Shaq’s shot, and buried the jumper on LeBron… good confidence builders. Got lost on D a couple times, but that’s to be expected. Great start for the kid. Didn’t try to do too much, and performed when needed.

Bellinelli: Surprisingly effective! Wasn’t expecting that, to be honest. He’s like the anti-Kapono - he can actually handle the ball when he puts it on the floor, and he’s not afraid to jack it when he’s open.

Jack: Only real disappointment on the night. Missed way too many shots, and lost his man on D too many times. Then pulled the Anthony Parker “make one of two free throws when we really need both” routine at the end…

Wright: Didn’t particularly think that 3 he took in the fourth was a good shot, but hey. It went in. What’d he take, 3 charges? That’s about as many as the whole team took last year. Picked up 5 fouls but at least one of them was a bad call; he certainly gave 100 per cent on the defensive end. If he can develop the three as a weapon he should have a good future in the league.

Overall, nice to see a win against a quality opponent, nice to see them weather a run and hang on. Overall it’s just great to have basketball back again (well, other than the same old brutally bad officiating. Sigh. Some things never change…).