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LeBron James’ top 5 villainous performances against the Toronto Raptors

By William Ricks

Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James and Toronto Raptors OG Anunoby - (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James and Toronto Raptors OG Anunoby - (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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LeBron James against the Toronto Raptors (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images) /

3. 2016 Eastern Conference Finals: Game 6

The 2016 Eastern Conference Finals was the most competitive the Raptors have played a LeBron led Cavaliers team ever in the postseason. In a series that was back and forth, LeBron and the Cavs were in position to clinch the series in game six.

However, they would need to win in Toronto against a raucous Raptors crowd. Despite the circumstances, LeBron silenced the fans early and ended Toronto’s title hopes with force and authority.

James was locked in from the tip, scoring 14 points and making five of his first six shots. He wanted the Raptors to have no sense of hope that they could win this game, snatching their hearts from their chest before the first half even concluded.

A second-quarter push by James and the Cavs made it a 14-point deficit at the midway point.  James had 21 in total in the first half and shot 53 percent from the field. LeBron had the mentality of taking their soul early, and he seemed to have the perfect evil plan for Toronto.

The Raptors did, however, attempt to surge back thanks to Kyle Lowry. He was on a hot streak to end the third, but they couldn’t overcome the double-digit deficit. LeBron finished the game with 33 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists, adding another dominant closeout game to his résumé.

This was the first and only time a series with LeBron went as far as six games for Toronto. In hindsight, this was their best chance at defeating James. Obviously, that didn’t happen and this sparked the beginning of James’ malicious playoff reign against the Raptors.

LeBron saw the Raptors staggered and wounded as he wasted no time pouncing on them and establishing his dominance early. LeBron is a cold-blood animal when it matters most, and the Raptors were his prey that night in Toronto.