Box Score | Quick Reaction | Post-Game Podcast
Ugly. That was it. No other word that can really summarize that game. While I knew ahead of time doing the recap of last night’s Game 5 would be pivotal, I had absolutely no idea it would be that disgusting. And so, while I was beginning to write this article, I split the narratives into quarters, and by the second quarter, decided to split it by half. And pretty soon after that, I was pretty much done writing. So, I apologize in advance for the quick-and-dirty nature of all of this, but really, there wasn’t much meaningful analysis to add here.
Quite honestly, every quarter was virtually the same, with the Cavaliers absolutely shredding the Raptors on offense, and playing an intense, fiery defense that completely stifled the Raptors in every facet imaginable. In an OKC-like assualt, the Cavaliers came out with a ridiculous amount of energy, overwhelming the Raptors, attacking their screen-and-roll, playing physical defense, and switching and closing out almost perfectly. And on the offensive end, the Cavs shot lights out fueled once again by the home play of Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, who supported LeBron James with a combined 48 points. In a night where the top scorer for the Raps was DeMar DeRozan, shooting 2-8 for 14 points (and going -32), you just knew it was a recipe for disaster. A really really bad disaster.
The Raptors missed 14 free-throws, turned the ball over 18 times (majority of them being live-ball turnovers), gave up many more offensive rebounds to the Cavs than they could grab, missed OPEN jumpers (DeMarre Carroll went 0-4 from 3), missed basically every close-out, and over-helped constantly on defense leading to easy paths to the lane or open jumpers. Cleveland seemed to get to every 50/50 ball, attacked the Lowry pick-and-roll with ferocity, and even when the Raptors seemed to break the trap, DeMarre Carroll, Patrick Patterson, Terrence Ross or others could do absolutely nothing. By around mid-second quarter, it was crystal clear this one was over.
The Cavaliers finished with an insane shooting percentage – 57% for the night, and an absolutely ridiculous 66% in the first half!! Their field goal percentage for the game was just 3% shy of the Raptors free-throw percentage. Yes, the demolition was that bad.
The Cavs also got a thorough performance from their starting lineup. The big 3 scored 20+ each, Tristan Thompson was basically a double-double, and JR Smith, while quiet offensively, played smothering defense on DeRozan to start the game. And well, the Cavs never looked back after that scorching start. They were top-to-bottom better than the Raptors, and proved once again that at least at home, they are simply a cut above the rest; probably even against today’s Golden State Warriors (who would’ve thought, back in March, that it would come down to this).
A crucial element of the game was that it also allowed Cleveland to get more rest for their starters, particularly LeBron James who played a team-high 46 minutes in Game 4 in Toronto, and likely could play a similar type of role in a Game 6 if the series continues to favour the home team. Coach Tyronn Lue smartly started the fourth quarter without a single starter on the court (a 40 point lead doesn’t hurt).
In a dismantling of the Raptors, the Cavaliers also helped re-assure themselves of their championship calibre status, and may go long ways in providing this team with the confidence it needs going into a potential close-out game 6 in Toronto. One thing unfortunately for Raptors fans is for sure – a performance like last night from the Raptors will no doubt perpetuate the collective opinion (at least for the next 48 hours) that this series had absolutely no business going 6 games, especially from our friends south of the border. Having said that, the home court advantage seems to dictate most of what happens between these two teams, so perhaps this will all just be part of a 7-game ride. Regardless of anything that happens in a game 7, the season would be an even grander success if they can really push Cleveland to the brink that way.
Lookahead thoughts for Optimism (Reminder: We’re in the ECF, going into a Game 6)
For the Raptors, on the bright side, they saw the return of Jonas Valanciunas who seemed to be nimble and rather sharp for someone who hasn’t played a game in 18 days. The return of JV (while it had no real impact on the game) is at least a mildly positive sign as it allows the Raptors to go into a Game 6 with a realistic chance of getting a meaningful contribution from the big man. Given JV seems like the resilient type, and played some of the best basketball of his career less than a month ago, I’d bank on at least a reasonably good performance from him in Game 6.
Another encouraging, yet obvious, point to note for Toronto is that Game 6 is at home. While that wouldn’t necessarily be comforting in Rounds 1 or 2, in this round, it seems like that’s all that matters. Home crowds have been an enormous factor in the series, particularly for the Raptors who have rode the energetic vibe from their fans to the tune of 2 unexpected and thorough victories against the Cavs. The Raps also went 2-0 in their regular season games against Cleveland. Not to mention, Game 6 will potentially be the last home playoff game at the ACC, so you can bet your life savings that Jurassic Park and the ACC will be a wild madhouse.
While the Cavs will likely still be the favourite going into Friday, the Raptors will have to count on their offensive execution, defensive energy (hopefully fueled by the crowd), and will also have to hope for some Irving and Love misses to actually win it. The Raptors know they will be getting Cleveland’s very best shot and with visions of yet another NBA Finals appearance.
