The Toronto Raptors looked like the Raptors of the past three years, as they fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers after shaky late-game execution.
If you wanted to summarize the Toronto Raptors postseason struggles of the past in one game, Tuesday’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers would be the perfect example. The Raptors had trouble defending LeBron James in the pick-and-roll, failed to close out on shooters, and floundered offensively in the final minutes. Sound familiar?
The game started off well for Toronto. The Raptors held a 12 point lead after the opening quarter, thanks in large part to the efforts of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. DeRozan and Lowry scored 19 points in the first quarter, the same as the entire Cavaliers team.
During the second quarter the Cavs started to fight back. LeBron James picked up assists left and right as he kicked out to a red-hot J.R. Smith and Jeff Green. Offensively, Toronto continued to play well. The Raptors scored 28 second quarter points on an extremely efficient 55.9 EFG percentage, but were not able to keep up with the Cavaliers and carried just a three-point lead into half.
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The entire third and fourth quarter, it felt like the Raptors were trying to hold on as something heavy continued to slip out of their hands. The Cavaliers kept clawing at Toronto’s lead until eventually, with a hair over 30 seconds on the clock, LeBron James hit a dagger fadeaway jumper to tie the game for the first time since 0-0.
On what would be the last possession of the game, DeMar DeRozan kicked out to Fred VanVleet for a lightly contested three. The type of shot you strive for with the game on the line. Missed, back-iron. After VanVleet’s miss came a parade of attempted tip-ins. DeRozan, C.J. Miles, and Jonas Valanciunas all had at least one attempt during the final five seconds; none of them were able to hit tap the ball in.
After leading the entire game, the Raptors trailed for essentially the entire overtime. Still, with three seconds left, down one, Fred VanVleet had a chance to be the hero once again. Missed, back iron. This time the Cavaliers rebounded the ball right away, and with the exception of a .3 second formality the game was over.
Perhaps the toughest part for the Raptors is they loss without LeBron going full LeBron. Yes, he recorded a 26 point triple-double, but he shot just 40-percent from the field and struggled particularly with his outside shot, hitting only 1-of-8. Better performances from him are certainly on the horizon and Toronto will need to be ready.
For the Raptors, it was a group effort with no true stand out performances. DeRozan led the team with 22 points on 50-percent shooting, while also dishing out five assists and grabbing seven rebounds. Other effective players included OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam who both scored effectively to go along with their typical impact on the defensive end of the court.
This game was a dagger. Neither team played their best, but after leading the entire game, it’s hard not to feel like the Raptors gave one away. Still, the game is over now and the team will need to focus the energy moving forward to what still can be changed, game two.
Next: How the Raptors will attempt to contain LeBron
The Raptors will play the Cavaliers Thursday at 6 PM ET.