Written by Demetri Inembolidis

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The Cleveland Cavaliers lost their season opener against the Toronto Raptors by a score of 104-96.  As cliché as it sounds, the final score was not indicative of much of anything at all.  The largest lead for Toronto was 15 points and it was evident because of how well the Raptors commanded the game.  

A major issue that Byron Scott and the Cavs need to address is their defense.  The Raptors were scoring at will.  Whether it was the high pick-and-roll or a drive-and-kick, they were having their way with the Cavs.  Jose Calderon had a solid night by scoring 15 points on only 9 shots and dishing out 11 assists and only 1 turnover.  Toronto had a well-balanced attack by having 7 guys score in double figures.  

All of Cleveland’s eyes were on Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson.  Both players had positive moments, but it was evident that Thompson was playing more within the flow of the game and not forcing the issue.  Most of Kyrie Irving’s 10 missed field goals were forced shots that had little hope of converting.  Although much attention will be paid to Irving’s poor shooting, he did have flashes that showed why he was the first overall pick.  He had good chemistry with Anderson Varejao and converted on some great passes throughout the game.  Kyrie Irving had 5 second half assists which is promising.  There is a lot of pressure on him and hopefully that improved assist total is a positive sign.  

Tristan Thompson was the more impressive of the two rookies.  He needs to learn the nuances of the game before his selection at 4th overall can be justified, but he showed Cleveland fans what he can bring to the team.  He needs to learn how to play better defense and to not go for the block every time his man shoots.  That may work in college, but NBA big men (not named Ryan Hollins or Antawn Jamison) are too skilled for that to work against.  

The Cavs looked awful for most of the game.  This season is not about making the playoffs.  It is about developing the young talent and making roster moves that will help the Cavs be a title contender sooner than later.  Kyrie Irving can use to work on his shot selection and improve on his already impressive running of the offense.  Tristan Thompson has to learn how to play better and more fundamentally sound defense.  Omri Casspi needs to get comfortable in the offense.  Byron Scott has his work cut out for him. 

There is not a single aspect of their poor performance that the Cavs can look to improve upon.  Their shooting, defense, rebounding, three point defense, dribble penetration and spacing were abysmal.  By nature of the lockout-shortened season, this will be a difficult season for a team that needs a lot of coaching.  Hopefully the Cavs can improve upon as much as possible before they play the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.  

The Good:  Tristan Thompson had a strong NBA debut.  He had 12 points and 5 rebounds off the bench.  He played with a lot of energy.

The Bad:  Kyrie Irving shot a dismal 16% from the floor.

The Ugly:  There were a lot of things that the Cavs did poorly.  Toronto out-rebounded them 45-37.  They additionally had 35 assists to Cleveland’s 21.  The Raptors shot 42.9% from beyond the arc compared to Cleveland’s 30%.  Overall, the Raptors shot 53.2% compared to the Cavs’ 41.2%.  Toronto had 9 blocks compared to Cleveland’s lone block by Ryan Hollins.