Written by Rich Swerbinsky

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Balanced Attack, 30 Assists Key Win

In their last game before the season’s final extended road trip, the Cavaliers outscored the Toronto Raptors 106-99 at The Q last night.  The win is the third straight for the streaky Cavs, who had dropped five in a row leading into this winning streak.

The Cavaliers were able to persevere despite a poor shooting night from LeBron.  James was just 5 of 17 from the floor, and ended with just 17 points.  It was the first time in 24 games that LeBron did not lead the Cavs in scoring, succumbing to Flip Murray’s 24 points.  James did add 12 rebounds and 8 assists.

Eric Snow had a phenomenal game for the Cavaliers, finishing with 14 points, 11 assists, and just one turnover in 38 minutes.  He controlled the game, was more assertive at the offensive end, and kept all his teammates involved.  The entire Cavalier starting five finished with double digit points, an infrequent occurrence for this club.  He also helped chase around Raptors superstar Chris Bosh defensively in the second half after Bosh made his first seven attempts from the floor.  Bosh is 6’10.  Snow is listed at 6’3, and that’s likely a generous figure.

The Cavs had a season high 30 assists in all against the defensively challenged Raptors, and were making the extra pass all night to help yield easy buckets.  In addition to Flip’s 24 points, Drew Gooden added 16, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas 15.  LeBron aside, the rest of the squad shot 54% on the evening.

The game was up and down all night, and the two teams combined to launch 39 three pointers.  While the Raptors are a very poor defensive team, they can score.  Bosh was a force all night, scoring 28 points on 9 of 15 shooting.  Mike James added 31 on 11-19 from the field.

The win moved the Cavs to 35-26 on the season, and they now enjoy a 4.5 game lead over the Indiana Pacers for the #4 seed in the East and second place in the Central Division.  They hit the road for four games in seven nights, and it all starts tonight at Toronto to play these same Raptors.  The road trip then moves to Orlando before two tough contests at Miami and at Dallas.