It was supposed to be a royal return with Jeff McInnis coming off his shoulder injury, but it turned out to be a Rose ending. Jalen Rose to be exact. With McInnis returning from his bruised right shoulder, the Cavs hoped that would help them get over the hump for the last six games and propel them to the playoffs.

But the hopes of the postseason were dashed as Jalen Rose hit a 3-pointer to put the Raptors up 87-86 with .6 seconds
remaining.

The loss not only cut their hopes of making the playoffs into pieces, but also dropped them from the ninth spot to the tenth spot, a half a game behind Philadelphia. The Cavs remain three games back of the eighth playoff spot.

Toronto came into the contest on a free-fall of their own. They had been losers of seven straight games and 20 of their last 25 games. Cleveland has dropped their ninth game in their last 10 tries.

Vince Carter scored 32 points to lead the Raptors and also chipped in eight rebounds and five assists. Rose scored 15, including that last 3-pointer.

LeBron James led the Cavalier charge with 21 points. Carlos Boozer chimed in with another double-double, scoring 18 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 14 points and also had 15 rebounds. McInnis came back with 16 points and dished out 10 assists.

Getting off to bad starts has been a contributing factor during their string of losses. And this game was no different. Toronto, especially Carter, got off to a hot start. The Raptors outscored the Cavs 29-20 in the quarter. The Raptors shot 59 percent for the quarter, compared to 36 percent for the Cavs.

Carter continued his hot scoring in the second period. The Cavs did what they could to keep up and went down 53-44 going into halftime.

Coach Paul Silas then inserted Ira Newble and gave him the assignment of containing Carter. Newble held Carter to one field goal in the quarter. The defense must have rubbed of on Newble's teammates. The Raptors made just three field goals in the quarter and eight points total. Cleveland outscored Toronto 19-8 to take a two point lead heading into the fourth. After three quarters Toronto's field goal percentage fell to 36 percent while Cleveland was shooting at a 38 percent clip.

Cleveland extended their lead to six at 80-74 during the fourth. Then McInnis sprained his ankle and had to be carried off the floor. He left with the Cavs leading 80-78 and just under four minutes remaining. James scored the Cavs next four points and kept the game tied at 84 when McInnis returned with 44 seconds remaining.

Carter then missed a jumper and James was then fouled on an attempted ally-oop. He made both free-throws for a two point lead with 11 seconds left. That was just enough time for the Raptors to swing the ball to the open man, Rose, and hit the open three for the win.

The Cavs, the league's worst 3-point team, made just one 3-pointer compared to Toronto's six. The Raptors shot 41 percent for the game while the Cavs hit on 39 percent. The Raptors had a season-high 13 blocked shots, including five by rookie Chris Bosh.

The Cavs play in Memphis tonight.