Final: Raptors 101, Cavaliers 81

In their opener against Boston, the Cavs looked like a playoff team. Tonight against Toronto, they looked like a lottery pick.

So what kind of team are they? It's far too early to tell, but the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. They won't always be as good as they looked against the Celtics, but they won't always be this bad, either.

Credit Byron Scott for not using personnel as an excuse, but it's hard to rip the Cavs too badly since they were in essence without their three best players. J.J. Hickson picked up a couple silly fouls early and it really put the Cavs in a bind. Leon Powe isn't really cut out to run up and down the floor the way Scott wants, but he played big minutes and played fairly well.

Not having Mo William really stung. Ramon Sessions struggled handling the ball, going 1 of 10 from the floor and finishing with four points, five turnovers and four assists. Boobie Gibson struggled at times, too, which is a big reason why the Cavs struggled offensively.

Scott said a couple of weeks ago he doesn't want his big men pounding the ball on the ground and backing guys up into the post. They're supposed to get their shots off motion and movement. Yet that's all the Cavs seemed to do was pound and pound.

There will be more games like this. It's a young team learning a new system. There are teams in this league far better than the Raptors, which is the biggest cause for concern. But the starters should be more rested tomorrow than usual given it's a back-to-back, since Scott rested them for the fourth quarter. And the young guys who played in the fourth played fairly well.

Manny Harris played the entire fourth and scored eight points. Whenever he gets on the floor, he continues to do something to make you notice him.