Three Positives Following the Raptors Game 1 Defeat

Yes, Game One was a deep disappointment for the Raptors, but there were a few positives.

The Toronto Raptors followed up their largest playoff win in franchise history with one of their worst playoff defeats in franchise history, losing by 31 in a 115-84 defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. This equals their second largest playoff defeat, last year’s Game 4 loss to the Washington Wizards (125-94) that saw the Raptors swept from the first round of the playoffs after a record-setting regular season. The only worse defeat for the Raptors franchise was a 121-88 dismantling by the Allen Iverson led Philadelphia 76ers in 2001.

With Game 1 in the rear view mirror and Raptors fans guaranteed at least three more games against the powerful Cleveland team, it’s important to look at the positives (however rare they may be) that can be taken away from Game 1.

First, the Raptors are in the Eastern Conference Finals! Yes, stating the obvious. But, given the two years of playoff disappointment – heartbreak at home against Brooklyn and then the absolute beat down at the hands of the Wizards – this postseason has to be seen as a success. The franchise has progressed further than it ever has before, and in a star-driven league, the Raptors were able to accomplish this despite never having the biggest star on the floor in either series (Paul George and Dwyane Wade).

Second, the Raptors offense wasn’t all that bad in Game 1. Yes, they only scored 84 points, but until the game got out of hand they were shooting relatively well from the field, particularly in the first quarter. The problem was, despite shooting above 50%, the Cavs were shooting well above 60% after one quarter. It will be difficult to stop the highly talented Cleveland offense, but for the Raptors? Lesson learned, they can’t run-and-gun against the Cavs and come out on top.

Third, DeMar DeRozan is pretty awesome. Yes, he took a lot of criticism early on and struggled mightily for the first handful of playoff games. However, the All-Star shooting guard has seemed to have “figured out” playoff basketball and has put together a series of strong performances going back to the mid-point of the Miami series. He began the game against Cleveland 5/5 from the field and, despite the Raptors offense going extremely cold, finished above 50% from the field. He only had 18 points, but admittedly, no one had a strong night in Cleveland. This may not be the biggest positive, but DeMar has taken his fair share of criticism, it’s time for him to get a shout-out for his strong play.

Many fans and analysts will immediately write this series off as being over, and though I am not delusional, I’m going to cheer for (and believe in) my team until Cleveland has that fourth tally in the win column. There are lessons to take away from the Game 1 loss that can lead to some successful adjustments from Dwane Casey and the Raptors coaching staff. And if the players can play hard and implement these changes to vastly improve their defense in Game 2, the Raptors will (at the very least) be able to compete and make it an entertaining series. Bold and ill-advised predictions aside, it will be an uphill battle and nearly impossible task (just look at the Vegas odds) but I still believe the Raptors can be the team to hand the Cavs their first loss of the 2016 postseason.

Next: Experts Count Out Raptors

All stats are provided by Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise stated.