Game 5 Post-Game Podcast: Was there a game today? | Raptors Republic
Was there a game today? There wasn’t a game today, was there? There was? Really? When? What happened? Lemme check. Oh…shit, that happened? Is that the really the score? Hmm..I guess there was a game today.
LeBron didn’t believe this was an ‘adverse situation,’ and other post-game notes | Raptors Republic
“They kicked our butts. That’s the bottom line,” Dwane Casey said to open his post-game availability.
He highlighted rebounding and physicality as reasons but didn’t have an answer for why this keeps happening in Cleveland but not Toronto. It’s not an effort thing, according to Casey, and he was quick to point out that the Raptors just won two big games.
“One thing about it, it’s 3-2,” he said. “It was 2-2, it was embarrassing the way we played tonight, but it’s one game…This series is not over.”
Casey kept returning to “the level of playing with force” and comments on the physicality. Again, it’s unclear what the difference is between home and road, and why that physicality (or whatever it is at the root of this weird phenomenon – Tyronn Lue didn’t have a tangible reason, either) wanes. “We’ve gotta figure that out, the level we’ve gotta get to in this building.”
They sure do, because even if they win Friday at home, they’re coming right back here Sunday with a berth in the NBA Finals on the line.
“We had an opportunity to come in here and do something special and we didn’t get it done,” Casey said. “I don’t know if we were ready for the train that was coming down the tracks for us tonight.”
Yeah, no kidding. The Raptors’ locker room was closed an exceptionally long time after the game, likely as they try to figure things out themselves. DeMar DeRozan said the team will worry about Game 7 in Cleveland once they’re through taking care of Game 6 in Toronto (probably the right approach), while Kyle Lowry was at an understandable loss.
For Raptors, there’s good news and bad news after Game 5 blowout: Arthur | Toronto Star
“A lot of things happened, all of them bad things,” said forward Luis Scola. “There’s no question we can win. There’s no question we can play better. . . . We reacted well those two home games. Maybe it’s a good thing for us, and we play a good game. We were always going to have to come back and play a good game here, which we haven’t done in this series. But we can’t worry about that yet.”
In this building, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson and Kyrie Irving were giants — LeBron James is always a giant — and the Raptors, who are still learning how to navigate the highest mountain passes, are specks. Before the game, LeBron talked about being calm, and afterwards he said, “I’ve been a part of some very adverse situations. And I just didn’t believe that this was one of them.”
So now the Raptors have to depend on the empowering thunder of their home crowd, which has been a tangible contributor in the big moments of these playoffs: Game 5 and Game 7 against Indiana, Game 5 and Game 7 against Miami, Games 3 and 4 here. Every playoff game is different, and if the Raptors can adjust it doesn’t matter how they lost, not really. It was ugly and strange and vacant, but this Raptors team has spent over a month veering from bad to awful to good enough, with a couple stops on terrific. They were terrific against Cleveland in Toronto. They just need to do that again.
“We definitely missed a chance,” said Scola. “We had to win one game here, we had two left, and one is gone. We had no answer.”
Playing in Cleveland brings out worst in Raptors | Toronto Sun
As a result, this most magical of Raptors seasons is on life support. More home court heroics could extend it to yet another seven game finale, but Cleveland looks unstoppable at home (three wins by a combined 88 points, including this 116-78 annihilation) and might even be able to ride the momentum of a thrashing this thorough to finally seize a game north of the border.
“They physically pushed us around and took what they wanted,” Casey said afterward, pointing to huge edge on the offensive glass as one major difference.
“We knew they were going to come out like a freight train, they did. We didn’t meet that level at either end of the floor.”
The players repeated themselves several times in saying they don’t have a clue why the disparity between home and away is so large.
“We can’t play our game. We just can’t somehow, it’s crazy, we can’t find our energy and that’s just the bottom line,” said Bismack Biyombo, who had only four rebounds, a far cry from his dominance in Toronto.
“We’re a different team on the road. The way we play at home, we enjoy the game, we’re excited about the game. Once we’re on the road it’s a different story,” Biyombo repeated, taking ownership for the loss.
“I have to do a better job too, because we got outrebounded today pretty bad. They shot a really high percentage in the paint and I have a lot to do with that so I’ll take more responsibility on myself and get it done.”
The worrying signs started in Game 4, when the Raptors allowed the Cavs to score on 12 straight possessions and wipe out an 18-point lead. Though the Raptors ended up prevailing in that one, Cleveland saw how easy it could be and followed the blueprint in going on a 27-6 run in the second quarter, making 12-of-13 shots in that span to put the Raptors in grave danger.
Even if Raptors force Game 7, can they do anything in Cleveland? | Sportsnet.ca
It was so bad that ESPN loud talker Stephen A. Smith was considering apologizing to Americans for apologizing to Canadians as one wag on Twitter joked.
But once they were down by 20 with 10 minutes to go in the second quarter they made a stand of sorts. For about three or four minutes they kept the game at the farthest reaches of being within reach. It was for optimists-only territory, but still.
When Kyle Lowry cherry picked after a blocked lay-up and scored on a baseball pass, the Raptors were down just 21 with five minutes to go to the security of halftime. Force a turnover or two, make a few threes and they could imagine going into the half down 10 or less.
But then the dam broke and floodwaters rose. DeMar DeRozan got mad about a non-call and took a technical; Kevin Love hit a pair of free throws; and then Lowry turned it over leading to a solo fastbreak dunk by James. Bedlam. A couple of more scores and another James dunk. Madness. A Love three. More bedlam.
Problematically, it wasn’t LeBron James doing the damage. It was everyone else. In Toronto, Love and, to a lesser extent, Kyrie Irving, had decided to enjoy a dirty weekend instead of participating in a playoff series. Back in Ohio, they returned to duty.
James scored only four points in the first quarter. Love and Irving combined for 23. Cleveland won the frame 37-19. Toronto didn’t score its 37th point until a few minutes into the third.
As per Newton’s First Law, an object at rest (i.e. the Raptors) tends to stay at rest. An object in motion (i.e. the Cavaliers) will remain that way until it meets sufficient resistance. There was none.
Around the time they were introducing a professional wrestler named Dolph something-or-other during a TV timeout like he was the Pope, you knew it was over. That was halfway through the second quarter.
Then Casey put Valanciunas and Bismack Biyombo on the court together. There are acts of desperation, and there’s whatever that was.
Despite the miserable occasion, Toronto has shaken off worse. We are past the point in this series where momentum means much. Home court rules.
Cavaliers never gave up on Love | Toronto Star
In Cleveland’s blowout 116-78 Game 5 win over the Raptors, Love came all the way back with 25 points, and two rebounds, assists and blocks. The combined 5-for-23 he shot in the losses in this series are long gone, replaced by a tidy 8-for-10 shooting night, including 3-for-4 from three, where the Cavs were 10-for-21 as a team, to the Raptors’ 3-for-17.
“Before we get started, I know Kevin didn’t play in the fourth quarter,” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said as soon as he sat down at the post-game podium, making a joke that deserved more laughs than it got in a tough room after a blowout win. Love had sat out the fourth of the two previous games.
“His confidence never wavered. He knew exactly what he had to do. We talked about it (after Game 4) and (Wednesday) morning. I just want Kevin to be aggressive. I don’t care if he misses shots,” Lue said.
After two games as a nonfactor, Love’s first quarter was his redemption song. He made all four of his shots and helped lock down the Raptors’ big men. A mid-range fall-away attempt caught the rim, rolled up and dropped for him, a perfect moment in a perfect opening frame.
“He’s a force. He’s an offensive force down low,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said of Love.
“We’ve done a good job on him the entire series. We have to meet his force with our force and do a better job with him in the low post and not just look at him at the three-point line. He has a game in the low post and we didn’t get a stop.”
Over-matched Raptors blown out by Cavaliers | Toronto Sun
If there was a positive for the Raptors in the game it was the opportunity it provided for Jonas Valanciunas to get some solid court time and perhaps get his game legs back under him.
Valanciunas wound up playing just over 18 minutes and finished with nine points but surprisingly not a single rebound.
The question now becomes can the Raptors get the series back to Cleveland for a seventh and deciding game?
Based on the way the three games have gone in Cleveland, the question must be asked, do they even want to?
The answer is of course they do. If this series has taught us one thing it is that every single game is different from the last.
The Raptors will get a chance to take one more crack at the Q but only if they can protect home court one more time.
Raptors crash in Game 5 of NBA Eastern final | Toronto Star
“I don’t know if we were ready for the train that was about to come down the tracks on us tonight.”
It was Cleveland’s clamp-down defence that was the difference when the game mattered. They got stops and forced turnovers that allowed them to operate at top offensive efficiency.
In the first half — and any statistics from the final two quarters were basically meaningless because the game was so far out of hand — the Raptors committed 11 turnovers that led to 20 Cleveland points. The Cavaliers had 26 points in the paint and 14 fast-break.
To a man, the Raptors had spoken between Monday’s Game 3 win and Wednesday about being ready for the predictable early-game onslaught from the Cavs and then did little to stop it.
Kevin Love, much maligned for his disappearing act in Games 3 and 4, made all six of his shots in the first half — three of them three-pointers — as Cleveland made it a point to get him involved immediately.
Hard to tell which team is ‘real’ Raptors | Toronto Sun
For the third straight time at Quicken Loans Arena, the Cavaliers absolutely obliterated the Raptors — this one worse in both score and meaning — and now Cleveland is one win away from heading to the NBA Finals.
Game 5 looked like Game 2, which looked a little bit like Game 1. Homer stuff, this is. One-sided by geography.
So much for the momentum of two wins at home for the Raptors. Cleveland led 65-34 at halftime in Game 5 Wednesday night, after leading 62-48 at halftime in Game 2 here and 66-44 in Game 1.
It even translated to the players: Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, so brilliant at the Air Canada Centre, were taken away by the Cavs trapping defence. They combined for 13 points in the half, after scoring more than 60 at the ACC.
Same teams playing: Different styles and diverse performances depending on where the games were played.
You know what might be interesting? A neutral-site game between the Cavs and the Raps. Less predictable, anyhow.
ECF Game 5: Raptors 78, Cavs 116 | Toronto Raptors
UNABLE TO BREAK THROUGH
The Raptors went into Game 5 talking about the importance of eliminating Cleveland’s runs and keeping things close in the first half. After finding themselves trailing by 31 at the break, the task of trying to come back from such a large deficit proved too much, particularly against a fired up Cavs team. Cleveland extended its lead to 40 points after three quarters. With a comeback out of reach, Raptors head coach Dwane Casey elected to rest his starters and give his bench extended run to close out the game.
Raptors’ evil twin shows up in Cleveland | TSN
After stunning the heavily-favoured Cavaliers, who had taken the first two games, by evening the series with a pair of inspired performances on home soil, the Raptors knew LeBron James and company would come out with that force Casey referenced. They did just that and after Toronto cut it’s deficit back down to four late in the opening quarter, they closed the half on a 45-18 run and never looked back. All of a sudden Kevin Love, who totalled 13 points in the last two games, was back. He scored 25 on 8-of-10 shooting while James and Kyrie Irving each chipped in with 23. They got what they wanted where they wanted whenever they wanted it. If it looked familiar it’s because you saw the same thing in Game 1, only this was worse and certainly a lot less expected.
HQ Overtime Post-Game Show: Let’s talk about that blowout | Raptors HQ
The Raptors got clean blown out in Game 5, losing 116-78. In a bit of an abridged show (sorry, but there’s just not a lot to discuss from this one), Russell Peddle and I will talk about the Cavs energy to start, the outburst from Kevin Love, and the funky rotations that Dwane Casey rolled out to try to spark his team.
A video posted by Bleacher Report (@bleacherreport) on
LeBron James’ confidence trumped adversity and the Toronto Raptors | cleveland.com
“I’ve been a part of some really adverse situations, and I just didn’t believe that this was one of them,” James said after Game 5.
Now, that quote can be taken any number of ways. Among them: James’ opinion of the Raptors compared to the Cavs is not high.
And after what’s gone down in this series at The Q – where the Cavs have won three games by 88 points – there’s some evidence to support his claim. He apparently feels it trumps what’s transpired in Toronto to date: the poor shooting from Love and (for a game) Kyrie Irving; the even-worse defense on Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan; the 15-point loss in Game 3 and the 18-point deficit the proved to be too much in Game 4.
“It’s … understanding that our guys knew what we did and didn’t accomplish in Toronto,” James said. “I’m not taking away from the fact how big of a game this was, because it is – it’s a Game 5 on our home floor and the series tied 2-2.
“But from the very moment we lost Game 4, I was just very calm about the whole situation.”
Here’s where the history surrounding James starts to really stack up against the Raptors, even though they’ve won two elimination games at home in the playoffs this season.
James’ teams have never lost a series in which they led 2-0; they’ve won the last six closeout games; they’ve won at least one road game in the last 24 consecutive series.
The Raptors played so well at Air Canada Centre, and the Cavs so poorly, that a history defying win Friday night in Game 6 for Toronto is of course a possibility.
But then the series would return to Cleveland for Game 7, where the Cavs have dominated to the point of absurdity.
Final Score: Cavs throttle Raptors 116-78, take 3-2 series lead | Fear The Sword
The Cavaliers looked sharp from the opening tip and got both Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving engaged early. It was clear that both of the Cavaliers stars had brought their A game after a disappointing trip north of the border. Love repeatedly took advantage of being defended by Luis Scola and scored inside and out while playing locked in defense. Kyrie Irving fought through screens with gusto and also brought his usual offensive arsenal to the Q. By the end of the first quarter, the Cavs were up 18 and looked to be cruising to a 3-2 series lead.
Tyronn Lue inserted his trusty lineup of the bench unit plus LeBron to open the second and the gap widened. By halftime the Cavs had amassed a 31 point lead, the largest halftime lead in NBA conference finals history.
Things did not change after half time. The Cavaliers continued to outplay the Raptors in every meaningful way to close the third with a 100-60 lead and the game was effectively over.
Cavs Blast Raptors 116-78; Game 6 Goes Friday at the ACC | Raptors HQ
There was only one positive thing to takeaway from the game tonight as a Raptor fan, and that was the return of Jonas Valanciunas. Entering midway through the first JV quickly made an impact with a layup and mid-range J, while moving smooth and looking like himself and shaking off the rust during garbage time in the 4th.
Toronto Raptors demolished in Cleveland, now facing elimination | Raptors Cage
Defense: F
Again, embarrassing. The Cavs were getting basically anything they wanted and the Raptors allowed the slumping Kevin Love to go off on them tonight and get basically any shot he wanted. Love, LeBron James, and Kyrie Irving scored a combined 71 points. Toronto only scored 78 as a group.The defense was just non existent tonight leading to 116 Cavalier points. Really, really disappointing effort on both ends by a team that was really rolling at the ACC.
Decompress Gate: On the sensationalism of Lowry’s bathroom break | The Defeated
Regardless, it reflects poorly on analysts to even entertain the idea of Lowry as a quitter and to pretend to read Lowry’s mind. It reveals a naivety of who Lowry is as a player. It stems back to how the Raptors are covered nationally — they’re virtually non-existent.
National outlets know exactly how to cover LeBron, Curry, Draymond, Westbrook, and Durant because they’ve been on them since Day 1. But who’s really paid close attention to the “Other” team, besides taking time to slap them in the face for having the gall to be a clumsy roadblock on the path to a fated battle?
Here’s what can’t be sensationalized and spun: Kyle Lowry never quit on his team, and because of that, the Raptors are two wins away from the NBA Finals. Maybe that’s not as juicy of a storyline, but it’s the truth. Imagine printing that.
Report: NBA execs think Bismack Biyombo will get $20 million | Fansided
“For someone like (Biyombo), I think when you look at a guy like Tyson Chandler and what he got from Phoenix last summer (four years, $52 million), that’s where you start for a contract,” one Eastern Conference GM told Sporting News. “But you factor in the cap spike and it’s probably going to be high, I’d say, $16-17 million. It’ll be a heck of a $17 million-per-year gamble.”
Who wants to overpay Biyombo? | For The Win
MAVERICKS
Dallas needs frontcourt help, and while Rick Carlisle and Mark Cuban have traditionally tried to find value at the center position, this might be the year they just say “enough” and go get someone they know can rebound and defend the paint.
Don’t Break the Bank for Bismack Biyombo | TFB
While teams envision him as an elite rim-runner in the pick-and-roll due to his excellent screen-setting ability and long strides to the rim, he doesn’t have good enough hands catching the ball or finesse finishing once he has it to ever warrant full attention from the opposing defense. Given the fact that any time he’s not heading down the painted area, his defender can sag off and clog the lane, what Biyombo can contribute offensively is very limited.
Without a doubt, Biyombo is an elite defender and can be a valuable part of any NBA rotation for his contributions on that side of the ball alone. He’s earned a pay raise this offseason and has shown he’ll be around in this league for years to come.
I’d place the 4-year, $53M extension Orlando signed with Nik Vucevic (I’d argue a similarly one-sided player, albeit the side of the ball that gets more attention in his case) as the cap to where teams should be looking to reach for Biyombo’s services. Start to approach the deals of Tristan Thompson or Enes Kanter, and I think a team will go on to regret it. The Bismack Biyombo hype train is a very fun ride, but it shouldn’t serve as a daily commuter.
Are the Toronto Raptors Similar to 2011 Dallas Mavericks? | The Smoking Cuban
Toronto has had a similar route through the playoffs, somehow finding themselves as the underdog in each series. In the first round, the Raptors had a tough run-in with a very talented Indiana Pacers team led by Paul George. A close series with a nonexistent Lowry led people to believe in a Pacers victory. Raptors win 4-3.
Next up come the Miami Heat where Dwyane Wade and Hassan Whiteside have put together a dangerous team that demands attention from any team that faces them. The lowly Raptors really had no shot but showed up to play anyways. Raptors win 4-3.
Now Toronto faces the Cleveland Cavaliers who looked untouchable 5 days ago. Almost anyone who had watched the Cavs at this point thought a sweep was in order and it would be a waiting game on who would come out of the West. Surely the Raptors wouldn’t be able to compete with this elite squad? Raptors tie it 2-2 after last night.
It is hard to imagine a scenario where the Raptors are capable of winning a title this year. With so many questions and concerns surrounding them the entire playoffs, its a wonder they are still in it. But the same thing was said about the Mavs just a few years ago.
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