All that being said, I’ll give the my Raptors 2 games in this series, whether they steal game 1 or they take one game at home and game 5 on the road at Cleveland, this series will go 6 games. The manner in which they performed the execution pointed toward a potential third straight Cavaliers sweep.
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The differences between the two coaches in the NBA Eastern Conference final are stark and considerable – think LeBron James compared to Bruno Caboclo, perhaps – and will be picked upon no matter what happens in the best-of-seven series that began Tuesday night.
This reality left nearly no analyst giving Toronto a chance to win more than one game in the series coming in, and the performance the beleaguered squad put forth Tuesday should serve to squelch even the most diluted of fans hope of any upset. The Cavaliers are hitting 16.8 threes per contest in the playoffs, and with J.R Smith and Channing Frye on fire, they don’t show any signs of slowing.
For an in-depth preview of the Cavaliers-Raptors series, watch the following video from a panel of experts and former players on NBA TV.
Game two is in Cleveland on Thursday. In practice, the Raptors don’t have the defenders to then contain the Cavaliers ball handlers on the drive. They looked and executed like a exhausted team, especially on defense. So we didn’t rest. We have another game on another night. “We will mark their space as ‘other'”.
Perhaps the only thing that can stop James at this point is his own body. Their fresh legs were evident.
According to James, the increased production from three-point range is a product of evolution within the game of basketball, something he sees as cyclical.
The Cavaliers shot 55.4 percent overall and pulled away with a 15-0 run bridging the end of the first and beginning of the second quarter, with nine of those points coming with Lowry off the floor.
“Just us being more aggressive”, DeRozan said. “For myself and a lot of guys on this team, there’s not always mother season, another season, so you want to take advantage of the opportunities”. “We’re a balanced team, and whatever the game dictates, we adjust to that”.
ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy said: “But this Cavaliers team is so much more talented”.
The 31-point win is the most lopsided in Cleveland’s postseason history.
DeMar DeRozan – The sixth year shooting guard from USC is also enjoying a transcendent postseason.
“The game ball definitely goes to our bench tonight”, James said. He can play anything. James uses his strength and size to finish.
A problem for Detroit, then Atlanta and now Toronto.
“I don’t predetermine what is going on or how they’re going to defend me”.
“Hopefully, going forward this organization is not snakebitten like we’ve been the last two years, losing key players”, Wade said. “They played me straight up in the post”. And they have absolutely no shot if their bench continues to get outplayed. “I’ve seen every coverage”.
The scary part for Toronto? And the seven-day rest differential over the Raptors is tied for second among the 230 playoff series occurring in the second round or later since 1984, when the league launched the 16-team playoff format.
The Raptors had a 2-1 edge over the Cavs in the regular-season series.
Raptors: Didn’t have center Jonas Valanciunas because of a sprained right ankle. The Cavaliers are steamrolling through the East, with Toronto looking like just another bump in the road. “We have a goal, and our goal is not nine wins”. “It’s just not. It’s not my focus”. “I’ve won nine games in the postseason before, won 14 games in the postseason before”.
Although just one game has passed, the Eastern Conference Finals may already be over.
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The Cavaliers won 122-100 in the lone meeting in Cleveland.
