Even if they don’t beat the Cavaliers in Game 2, they at least have to prove to themselves that they can hang with the best team in the East.
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One of the things coach Tyronn Lue did when he took over was massage the rotation so that LeBron James could anchor both the starting five and the backup-dominated second unit.
If the Raptors went into Game 1 on Tuesday night without any pressure, the Cavaliers made sure to provide some. He has already left Detroit’s Reggie Jackson, Atlanta’s Dennis Schroder and Jeff Teague in his wake, and unless the Raptors can come up with a defense to reroute the Cavaliers – who had nine dunks in Game 1 – from unimpeded attacks at the rim, Kyle Lowry will become Irving’s latest victim on his tornadic path back to the NBA Finals. But the Wine and Gold put a lid on Toronto’s All-Star point guard on Tuesday night, holding him to just eight points on 4-for-14 shooting, including 0-of-7 from long-range. LeBron James scored 24 points in three quarters while Kyrie Irving added 27 points as the Cavaliers sent a message that they are more prepared this time than last season’s playoffs.
The Cavaliers, who will host Game 2 tonight, led by 22 at halftime and by 28 at the end of the third quarter.
That’s not to imply that the four-time MVP hasn’t been dominant. We’ve got to take away the first beast, which is their three-point shooting.
The day after being throttled by Cleveland in the opener of their first-ever Eastern Conference final, the Raptors find themselves having to claw back from behind, and hope that recent history means something.
“He’s a physical beast”, Carroll said of James. Going into the series, it was clear that stopping (hell, slowing) James was highly unlikely, and so a big key was to ensure that the players around him don’t get going as well.
After Game 1, a particularly embarrassing 84-115 road loss, it is now clear that for Toronto, this series will be more of an uphill battle than expected.
Following Thursday’s Game 2, the series moves to Toronto for Game 3 on Saturday and Game 4 on Sunday. Shump also bounced back from an awkward looking spill in the second quarter to return to action.
The Cavs are 1/50 to win the series and 8/5 to be crowned overall champions while the Raptors are out to 14/1 to win the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals. The rest of the Raptors reserves shot a combined 6-of-21 from the field.
As for James, he had 24 points, six rebounds and four assists while shooting at an incredible 11-of-13 from the field.
The Cavs are an astounding 9-0 in this year’s playoffs, and they have yet to lose a game, the only undefeated team.
If the Cavaliers continue to get better, the Raptors will be in serious trouble even as the series shifts to Toronto. Toronto’s offense was succeeding greatly, as all five starters had scored.
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Toronto, which struggled to keep pace with the Cavs in the first game, will again be without star center Jonas Valanciunas, who has not recovered from his right ankle problem and is out of Game 2.
