Box Score | Quick Reaction | Podcast
This was the big stage we all wanted. 8:30 tip time, with the best ESPN crew on site to call the game, and the entire NBA world watching. Things seemed almost too good to be true. Only one problem – with great TV exposure, comes great responsibility. These are the top 4 teams in the NBA we’re talking about – if the opposition got here, they’ve got a ton of talent, they’re relatively healthy, and if they’re really good, they’re well rested. With the way Cleveland shook off 8 days of rust in about 3 minutes, it was easy to see that they embodied all of the above.
The Raptors, interestingly, started the game with a good amount of energy and competed hard defensively. But tack on a couple of Raptor turnovers, Cleveland 3’s, and throw in a Lebron alley-oop and jaw-dropping dunk, and it was the beginning of the end. To compound matters, the Raptors began the second quarter with Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan on the bench, leading to a quick Cavs surge, and a 33-16 second quarter that ultimately sealed the Raptors’ fate. When LeBron was on the bench, Cleveland was able to get the same energy from their bench with Shumpert, Dellavadova, and Richard Jefferson making big plays. For flashes of the second quarter, Cleveland began to look like the Golden State Warriors. Muddy offense led to transition offense for the Cavs, and a pace that just couldn’t be matched.
The lone bright spot for the Raptors in the first half was the play of DeMar DeRozan, who seemed to be the only viable scoring option for the Raptors shooting-wise, going an efficient 8-12 in the first half. DeRozan still was taking some of the same shots as the first 2 playoff rounds, but after catching an early rhythm, DeMar just had it going. The key stat however – zero free-throw attempts. That’s a sign that the Raptors couldn’t slow down the Cleveland defense, leading to quick buckets on the other end. Transition buckets against Cleveland don’t even have to be fast-breaks to have the same impact – with James’ strength and speed in the open court, all you need is an extra half second on the defense to explode down the other end of the court.
The Raptors started the third quarter on the same 7-0 run that they started the game with, but were blitzed on defense leading to consecutive turnovers and Cleveland Cavalier runouts. It was a game of mini Raptors 6-0 runs that were followed by 10-0 Cleveland runs, and after a while, well…you get the picture. The rather perplexing part was that Cleveland didn’t seem to be doing any one strategic thing – they just seemed to be better on all fronts. With Biyombo on the floor in the first half, the Raps gave up 3’s and transition buckets. When Biyombo was on the bench, Kyrie Irving and company seemed to be able to get to the rim at will. The second half was no different – there was just no answer.
Notables of the Night
– LeBron’s Unmanageable Impact: LeBron James was a team-high +20 for the night, shooting a blistering 11/13 from the field, and getting after it on defense as well. The problem with guarding LeBron, especially in the playoffs, is that his offensive arsenal can adjust to any pace of game. In a half court, LeBron posted up the Raps. In transition, he was running down the Raptors’ throat. And in medium-transition he always seemed to make the right decision, whether it was passing to Kyrie or Kevin Love, or taking it himself. The scary part of LeBron’s performance is that even when Carroll got in his defensive stance and made it as tough for him as possible, it didn’t seem to even make a 1% impact on the guy.
– Cory Joseph’s struggles: Cory Joseph, who started the post-season so strong and has had his good moments in the first 2 playoff rounds, has gone cold. Joseph in the last 5 games, is shooting just 36% from the field. Cory’s jump shot doesn’t seem to be as reliable, especially on the pick-and-roll. For large chunks of the game, Joseph was completely outplayed by Irving, and outworked by Dellavedova. CoJo’s uncanny ability to fight through screens was limited, and his on the ball defense was nowhere near it’s normal intensity. Again, I expect him to bounce back, but Cleveland’s offensive potency and ball handling at the point of attack seems to be a bit much even for the defensively adept Cory Joseph.
– Terrence Ross: After the TJ Ross we saw for large stretches in the Miami series, I expected a better game from Ross in Game 1. But the Terrence Ross of old resurfaced, going 1-5 in the game (with a missed dunk), and playing questionable defense on Iman Shumpert and Richard Jefferson who both shot 4/6 from the field combined. I expect a better Terrence Ross to show up this series, let’s just hope the shot falls, because that seems to drive most of his game on both ends of the floor.
– 3-point defense (and the resulting trade-off): The Cavaliers, averaging over 15 3’s in these playoffs (over 19 in their most recent series again Atlanta), surprisingly only hit 7 against the Raptors. The 3-point defense was actually decent for the Raptors, but they showed absolutely no resistance on Cavalier drives. The Raptors simply picked the wrong poison.
– 3-point shooting: On the flip side, the Raptors shot a dismal 5-23 from 3. The Cavalier close-outs weren’t the best, but the Raptors missed a ton of makeable shots, most notably from Kyle Lowry who went 0-7 from distance on some pretty open looks. Patterson, whose 3-point shooting is needed desperately in the starting lineup, also went 1-4 for the game.
Lookahead
The bright side for the Raptors this post-season even amidst in their worst struggles has been their resiliency. The Raptors are 6-0 this post-season in games after losses, Lowry always seems to bounce back after a bad game, and Coach Casey has learned to make important adjustments over the course of a series that make huge impacts. The not-so-bright side is, it may not really matter, given the sheer talent disparity and post-season peaking of the Cleveland Cavaliers. This team is a runaway freight train on offense, and for the Raptors to have any chance, it’s going to have to take a perfect team effort on defense for 48 minutes. Doing that once is possible – doing it 4 times may be a whole other story. But hey, we live another day, and as Raptors fans, we always believe. We believed after Game 1s in the previous 2 series; no reason not to carry that same optimism heading into Game 2. The Raptors will unquestionably be the overwhelming underdogs going into Game 2 once again, and this time, while the Cavs are the obvious favourites to take the win, I expect at the very least a more competitive game.
