Bargnani, Raptors overcome LeBron’s triple-double

Oct 28, 11:52 pm EDT

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TORONTO (AP)—Seven years in the NBA has taught LeBron James(notes) the importance of patience. It is being tested after Cleveland started its new season with two straight losses.

Andrea Bargnani(notes) scored 28 points, Chris Bosh(notes) had 21 points and 16 rebounds, and the Toronto Raptors overcame James’ 25th career triple-double to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 101-91 on Wednesday night.

“Early in my career, I’d get very upset when you lose two or three games, you’d just feel like you can’t turn it around,” James said. “But I’m at a point in my career now where I know that you can lose two but, at the same time, you don’t look too far into it. You learn from the mistakes and you just try to get better.”

James had 23 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds, but Cleveland opened its season with consecutive losses for the first time since an 0-3 start in 2004-05. James scored 38 points in Tuesday’s 95-89 home loss to Boston.

“I’m still positive,” James said. “If it was 25 or 35 games into the season and we were going through a three- or four-game losing streak, then I’d be a little bit disappointed, but I’m not at this point.”

Mo Williams(notes) scored 16 points and Shaquille O’Neal(notes) had 12 for Cleveland, which had won five straight over Toronto and nine of 10.

“Coach is still learning us, we’re still learning the system, we’re still learning each other,” O’Neal said. “It’s going to be a work in progress.”

Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said his team has work to do at each end of the court.

“There were stretches where we struggled offensively and there were stretches where we struggled defensively,” Brown said. “To struggle the way we did on both ends of the floor is going to result in a loss.”

Hedo Turkoglu(notes) scored 12 points in his Raptors debut and Marco Belinelli(notes) had 10. Jose Calderon(notes) had 11 assists for Toronto, but Bargnani’s performance was the talk of the locker room.

“If Andrea gets it going and is scoring the basketball a lot, then we are going to be tough to beat,” Bosh said.

Trailing 78-71 to start the fourth, Brown left James on the bench and Toronto took advantage, outscoring the Cavaliers 9-3 and building an 87-74 lead by the time James returned with 8:40 remaining.

Brown said he wants James, who played 45 minutes Tuesday, to average 38 minutes in the regular season. James played 40 minutes against Toronto.

“The bottom line is this is the second game of the year and I’ve got to make sure I don’t play him too many minutes,” Brown said.

Even with James back, Cleveland struggled to cut into the lead. A pair of free throws by Williams and a 3-pointer by Daniel Gibson(notes) cut it to 93-83 with 4:06 left, but Antoine Wright(notes) answered with a 3-pointer for Toronto.

James wasn’t done, making one free throw, then following up a miss from the line with a 3-pointer from the top to cut it to 96-90 with 1:37 left.

Toronto guard Jarrett Jack(notes) stopped the run with a free throw and, after James made one more from the line, Turkoglu made a free throw and Calderon converted a three-point play.

Bargnani had 13 points in the first while James was held to just three, making one of three shots, as Toronto led 27-22.

Belinelli had 10 points, Bargnani scored eight more and the Raptors shot 10 for 17 in the second as the Cavaliers stumbled, going just 6 for 22. Toronto closed the second on a 16-7 run and led 57-39 at the break.

James made four of Cleveland’s six shots in the second and had 14 points at the half.

It was Toronto’s turn to go cold in the third, as the Raptors shot 6 for 15. Cleveland, meanwhile, used five 3-pointers to get back into it, and trailed 78-71 heading into the fourth.

Notes: Cleveland was an NBA-best 16-3 in the second game of back-to-backs last season. … Calderon was honored at center court before the game for posting an NBA-record 98.1 free throw percentage last season, making 151 of 154. Calderon later missed his first two free throws, the first time he’d done that since Apr. 9, 2007, at Minnesota. … Cleveland’s last loss to Toronto had been a 91-82 defeat on Nov. 30, 2007, a game that James skipped because of a sprained left index finger. … James scored a career-high 56 points in a 105-98 loss at Toronto on March 20, 2005.

Updated Oct 28, 11:52 pm EDT
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507 Comments

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  1. Steven
    507. Posted by Steven Fri Oct 30 8:31pm EDT

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    ag you are wrong about that. he tries his best to make his teammates better but they won't listen to him but time will come and they will win the championship this year.
  2. P
    506. Posted by P Fri Oct 30 5:33pm EDT

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    Celtics Big 5 of Rondo, Sheed, KG, Allen, and Pierce over the Lakers Big 4 of Artest, Kobe, Bi-num, and Gay-sol
  3. P
    505. Posted by P Fri Oct 30 5:31pm EDT

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    Celtics over Lakers in 6 to win it all in 2010!!!
  4. Shady Benally
    504. Posted by Shady Benally Fri Oct 30 4:57pm EDT

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    cavs need to recraft shaquille o'neal. lebron james can have triple doubles but then again scoring champion doesnt win a nba champships.
  5. SoCalnative1
    503. Posted by SoCalnative1 Fri Oct 30 3:14pm EDT

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    Lets go T-Wolves......I would love to see the Cavs start 0-3, would make for great conversation.......lol.......
  6. AG
    502. Posted by AG Fri Oct 30 2:57pm EDT

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    Toronta beats up on Shaq and Lebron, best thing the Lakers did was drop that BIG Lazy Oaf. As for Lebron winning a championship, MJ and Kobe did two things and that was to make the players better around them on both sides of the court and score in fourth quarter. I don't see anybody in the league who does it better, not Lebron, Melo, Deron, CP3. Kobe will win another ring!
  7. AG
    501. Posted by AG Fri Oct 30 2:52pm EDT

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    MJ and Kobe have one thing in common, they make their teammates better on both ends of the court. They motivate and scream at them for being in the wrong spot. Until, Lebron and Melo know how to do this since they don't make their teams better, they will never win as long as Kobe is around.
  8. Raul
    500. Posted by Raul Fri Oct 30 2:42pm EDT

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    LBj well never get a ring I don't care what team he plays for.AND to Cleveland fans LBj time is running out how old is he 24 25 26 27 still no ring he might get one when he is about 31 yr old...
  9. tunit
    499. Posted by tunit Fri Oct 30 2:14pm EDT

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    Big Game.. after reading most of your blogs from yesterday and your blog back to me "HOMIE".. you got great point on everything!!! good facts and stats.. kobe is the best player in the league right now. that is a fact.. im a basketball fan and have watched kobe and James since they were rookies. Kobe is the closest to MJ, and i have said that since his been in the league. hes got a the same drive as MJ. its really scary just how close there games are alike. My only thing is LeBron is only 24 and is already nippin at Kobe heils. and if you look at there stats for the first 6 years.. James are better! they are better because kobe has been on better teams then James. better player and better coaches... your a state guy so check it out! I know you been glued to the TV this week so you seen more of the teams play, you think that the Lakers can break the Bulls 72 game win season? With SA and Denver? Lakers are sick and only can get better but everyone has imporved and they gunnin for the lake show.
  10. Chiqis
    498. Posted by Chiqis Fri Oct 30 1:17pm EDT

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    The league should just give the Lakers early 2010 Championship rings. Go Lakers!
  11. SCSF- LA where repeats and 3-peats happen!
    497. Posted by SCSF- LA where repeats and 3-peats happen! Fri Oct 30 12:18pm EDT

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    SJF

    what your saying is the 4-1 beating the Lakers put on the Magic was closer then it seemed....

    answer this.... How did the Magic Kingdom look in purple & gold...? Now get that weak arguement out of here it's full of would'ves and could'ves, besides didn't Nelson come back for the series and mess up your rotation...? Boomer/Stealer called Nelson the XFactor too bad for you he was the Lakers XFactor.
  12. "BIG GAME"
    496. Posted by "BIG GAME" Fri Oct 30 12:16pm EDT

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    Kevin D.... First you made the comparison to MJ. But in the latest post to move to comparing LJ's actions to Kobe's. Kobe came to LA in what, 96? He won the first ring in 00. That's four years. When he first came we had Eddie Jones, Anthony Peeler, and Van Exel. All good players (not great, but good) He managed to grow enough to have them traded and upgraded to starter by the time he was throwing air balls in 99 against the Spurs for the WC finals. But each year they got better in the late 90's until 00 when the won. By 02 and 03 he was a bonifide giant killer. Go back and look at those series. Look at 04 season (the year they lost to the Pistons), he was unstoppable, particularly on court dates. Chemistry and turmoil disrupted that Championship and thats where all hell broke loose. Next year Shaq was gone, and a year later Lakers didnt make the playoffs. So he's tasted disappointments too. Like MJ and LJ. But he emerged stronger.

    Kobe is a phenominal BASKETBALL PLAYER. In that field I give him an A+. As human beings, we all are flawed. We all have transgressions. MJ, Barkley, Malone, Magic, Worthy, Bryant....everyone falls short. Even LJ. What he does off the court (not related to the game) he stands alone. Like the others. I have no judgement or defense for rants and mantrums, but when it comes to the game, the b-ball court, he is still King. The rest are court jesters.

    Also I did state LJ will do great things and may win a championship. Even if he doesn't he'll still be great once he get to New York and a real coach.
  13. LU32
    495. Posted by LU32 Fri Oct 30 12:00pm EDT

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    greatest starting five:

    center: Kareem Abdul Jabbar, backup Bill Russel
    power forward: Tim duncan Carl Malone
    Small forward: Larry Bird ?????
    shooting guard Jordan Kobe
    Point Magic ??????
  14. LU32
    494. Posted by LU32 Fri Oct 30 11:41am EDT

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    Why?
    why?
    why do people insist on comparing LBJ TO MJ? jORDAN IS A SHOOTING GUARD. KOBE is more fair to say is similar to Jordan because they are physically built about the same, Both are high scoring shooting guards and both would dunk on their mothers if it meant winning the game. Lebron should be compared to other great small forwards like Larry Bird or he should just be slotted as a big point guard like magic Johnson. whats wrong with being compared to those great ones? LBJ needs to tone down the EGO.
  15. <i>bencamerondavis@...</i>
    493. Posted by bencamerondavis@... Fri Oct 30 11:27am EDT

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    Umm.. Let's see, have you watched Big Ben and the Pistons yet this season?? Kapono became the best three point shooter in the league when he left the Cavs. Who else did I say... at least we agree on Boozer who became an Olympian, Larry Hughes was in his prime with the Cavs, but he could never shine because he didn't get to run point that often.... that's why the point guards who play for the Cavs will never be great, they will just be okay... maybe reserves for an All-Star Game or something. Damon Jones has won several games for the Heat when he was there. but he didn't even start in Cleveland. Big Z was an All-Star b4 LeBron got there..
    If LeBron would have passed the ball to him more against Boston a few years ago, the games would have been alot closer.... These are all facts..
  16. cornturdle361
    492. Posted by cornturdle361 Fri Oct 30 11:13am EDT

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    All this talk about Lebron leaving is BS, He'll be in Cleveland for A long long time, Why would he want to go play for a crappy Knicks or Nets team...It'll just take another 5 years to build a team around him. He knows his best chance is in Cleveland, He may want to here some different deals but in the end he'll be in Cleveland. He won't make much more money in New York, He's already on pace to be a billionaire, and why would he want any more publicity?, everyone already talks about that he's too arrogant,,and what if he is....Did anyone watch MJ's HOF acceptance speech how arrogant was that, but thats what makes these guys great.....Granted Lebron's still needs to win Championships but rest assure he'll have an acceptance speech at the Hall as well. So don't get your hopes up Knicks, Nets and Kobe fans Cleveland and Lebron will be here for awhile. F LA
  17. Robert D
    491. Posted by Robert D Fri Oct 30 10:41am EDT

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    Kevin D, lebron is only better when it comes to stats: blocks rebs ast. and thats only because hes bigger faster and maybe more atheletic. but until he gets that killer instinct and the will to win kobe is the best
  18. Robert D
    490. Posted by Robert D Fri Oct 30 10:38am EDT

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    bencamerondavis, larry hughes, better? wallace smith and kapono? youve gotta be kiddin. i'll give you boozer but the rest especially hughes no way did they get better.
  19. Kevin D
    489. Posted by Kevin D Fri Oct 30 10:27am EDT

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    big game,

    I meant mid 2000s in my post below.
  20. Robert D
    488. Posted by Robert D Fri Oct 30 10:27am EDT

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    smokin joe fraze: I guess sean elliotts foot was on the line, i guess MJ did push off on bryon russell, i guess d wade did get 1000 whistles in his favor against the mavs, ooh ooh i guess kevin dyson for the titan did get that football over the goal line, and maybe just maybe joe carters ball didnt go over the fence, coulda woulda shoulda didnta, the bottom line is Lakers beat Orlando and Kobe got his fourth. stop whining!!!!
  21. Kevin D
    487. Posted by Kevin D Fri Oct 30 10:21am EDT

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    Big game:
    I guess I wasn't saying that Lebron will definatley be the next MJ, im just saying that he is only in his seventh year and its stupid to say he is definatley not going to one day be a great champion.

    You are also telling me that he hasn't made Zydrunas Ilgaulskis (sp?) a better player? 'Z' had made two all star games thanks to LBJ's driving in the lane, commiting the other teams big man, then dishing it off to 'Z' from 15-20 feet. That's just one example.

    Kobe has been surrounded by better talent than Lebron. How come Kobe couldn't make all of the Laker teams better in the mid 90s (after Shaq)...........oh yeah he just throws his teammates under the bus on Youtube videos!!!!! Yeah so Kobe does complain about how bad his teammates are. As far as Lebron the only time I remember him complaining, if you can call it that, is after they lost to Boston two years ago and said "we need to get better". Notice he said "we", not throwing individuals under the bus, and also saying he needs to get better.

    People were saying a lot of the same things about Kevin Garnett early in his career in Minnesota. Then he goes to Boston with a world of talent around him and all of a sudden he morphed into a "Great Champion".

    I am honestly not Kobe hater. He right now is the best player in the league. But you, my friend are a full-blown, all-out hater!!!!

    PS I am a Cavs fan and I do believe Lebron will leave Cleveland, but that won't change my opinion that he is an outstanding player.........I will just like him a little less.
  22. <i>bencamerondavis@...</i>
    486. Posted by bencamerondavis@... Fri Oct 30 9:57am EDT

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    Was there an Article on Kidd everytime he recorded a Tripple-double in a loss?? Anyways, I remember everyone discrediting Wade for his accomplishments with Shaq, Actually when Shaq was there and they won the championship, Wade should have been MVP.... But people claimed if LeBron had Shaq, there would be no contest... and don't give me that Shaq is not the same player he used to be because he is in even better shape than he was in Miami. Wade just makes players better... and Maybe the Cav's would win if LeBron let the point guard play point guard... Just a thought... Now you all can see how much tougher it was to win with Shaq when your supporting cast included Hall of Famers who were not the players they once were. Gary Payton, Alonzo Morning, Jason Williams, Antione Walker.. etc...

    LeBron does not make players better. For example... Carlos Boozer?? Larry Hughes?? Ben Wallace?? Kapono?? Joe Smith?? These players were all better when they left Cleveland... Let's not talk about Damon Jones who was the point for the Heat that went to the Eastern conference finals, but now he is a bum. Thanks to yours truly... Big Z would still be an all star for any other team in the East...
  23. Steven
    485. Posted by Steven Fri Oct 30 9:47am EDT

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    john p cleveland are gonna win this year .
  24. Steven
    484. Posted by Steven Fri Oct 30 9:46am EDT

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    richard s you know lebron and the cavs will win this year so why don't you just watch gossip girl with 50 cent and that gayass soulija @#$% boy.
  25. danniel l
    483. Posted by danniel l Fri Oct 30 8:51am EDT

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    so what would happen if jay-z doesnt get lj to the nets?

    that russian dude isnt gona play with his money like that, so if jay-z was smart he should try to back out of what ever he has lost money wise and walk away or you might not see him no more!!!!!
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Top Performers

 Top Performers
 Cleveland
L. James LeBron James
7-19,  23 Pts
11 Rebs, 12 Assists
 Toronto
A. Bargnani Andrea Bargnani
11-15,  28 Pts
5 Rebs, 1 Assists

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