The Raptors were glad to leave Cleveland. The Eastern Conference final series was expected to be one-sided, and that’s certainly been the case so far.
For considerably longer than Game 1, the Toronto Raptors looked like they could run with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Halfway through Q2, the Raptors silenced the Quicken Loans Arena crowd by taking a one-point lead on a DeMar DeRozan jumper.
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The fans found their voices once again, as the Cavaliers outscored the Raptors 16-2 in the half’s last four minutes. Cleveland’s breakneck pace broke Toronto’s neck.
The second half was more of the same. The Raptors never got within single digits of Cleveland’s lead.
Everything went the home team’s way. The Raptors were whistled for 31 personal fouls, the Cavs 16. Cleveland shot 50% from the floor, Toronto 40.2% despite more attempts.
Kyle Lowry had another miserable shooting night. Toronto’s chances of making a decent series against the powerhouse Cavs were iffy at best. With Lowry now 1 of 15 from beyond the arc in the first two games, the Raptors are in…um…considerable difficulty.
Your Scribe advocated for more emphasis on offense after Game 1, but with no reliable shooting, the Raptors can’t get there. Terrence Ross hit 4 of his 6 first-half shots, including a pair of triples, but had to sit down after 3 quick fouls. When he returned in the second half, the magic was gone.
DeMarre Carroll, perhaps weighed down by his responsibility as the primary cover on LeBron James, has not been a factor offensively. I don’t know of many people walking the planet who can slow down King James. If one is out there, he doesn’t play for the Raptors. Carroll is clearly overmatched.
James Johnson was tried on LeBron and, though JJ had an effective scoring night by his modest standards, he was the victim of several blowbys.
The Cavaliers have many players who can score, and LeBron made life easier for all of them, dishing out 11 dimes. Kyrie Irving left Lowry for dead once again, scoring with and without LeBron’s help. Kevin Love should buy LBJ dinner for about a year. That’s their Big Three, but it’s really not The Supremes, it’s Diana Ross and two background voices.
Bismack Biyombo lost the rebounding battle to Tristan Thompson, again. Thompson is proving himself to be more than a jumping jack; he’s effective on pindowns, which create seams in the paint for Cleveland’s speed merchants to drive through.
“Stretch-5” Channing Frye caused problems for the Raptors as the trailer on the fast break. This team has a seemingly endless list of offensive options.
A dispirited Raptors team gets another crack at the Cavaliers on Saturday in Toronto. Let’s hope the Jurassic Park people are still out in force, and in full-throat. Our team needs all the help it can get.