LeBron James calls his shots, gives performance that 'drains' Toronto Raptors | NBA.com
James hit seven fadeaway jump shots in the second half, during which he scored 27 of his game-high 43 points. He scored four buckets in a row near the start of the final quarter, when Cleveland pushed its lead to 105-87. An 18-5 run to start the third quarter had put the Cavs in control, but James’ assault from multiple angles was almost mocking in its impact during the Cavaliers’ 128-110 victory.
“Just all the shots over his right shoulder, the step-backs, the fadeaways,” Love said. “Ya’ know the one where he hit the ‘moonball’ over his right shoulder and came back the next possession and hit one over his left shoulder from the free-throw line, that was special.”
Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James schools Toronto Raptors in Game 2 victory
“I pretty much know the scouting report on me is going to be to dare me to shoot jump shots and keep me out of the paint, not allow me to go to the free throw line,” James said. “Over the course of my career, I just try to put a lot of work into other facets of my game to try to neutralize their game plan.”
Then James went to posting up and put on a clinic that morphed into a demoralizing display of skill. He made seven fadeways, burning Raptors defenders Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby repeatedly. It was tied for the most fadeaways in a playoff game in the past 15 years, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Raptors Post-Game: Serge Ibaka – May 3, 2018 – YouTube
LeBron James does not care about the Toronto Raptors new culture
Toronto was so damn good for most of the regular season that the NBA zeitgeist was finally ready to overlook the franchise’s habitual postseason failures. The feeling around the Raptors was, for once, good.
Except, there’s a problem with Toronto’s idyllic season. LeBron James quite frankly does not care about the new-look Raptors. It doesn’t matter what they do, or how much Dwane Casey manages to maximize his roster, or what new tricks DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry add to their repertoires. The Raptors are naught but a distraction on LeBron’s inevitable eighth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals.
Kyle Lowry says Toronto Raptors must play better down 0-2 in series against Cleveland Cavaliers
“Just needed more effort,” Lowry said when asked about the Cavs’ killer 37-24 third quarter that put Cleveland up for good. “Way more effort. We have to play harder. … Somehow, someway.”
Toronto is the No. 1 seed in the East, winning 59 games during the regular season compared to the 50 games won by the No. 4 seed Cavaliers. Lowry and DeMar DeRozan were both All-Stars this season, Dwane Casey is considered a leading candidate for 2018 Coach of the Year and Fred VanVleet is sure to receive his fair share of votes for 2018 Sixth Man of the Year, yet the hole the group finds itself in does not bode well for the Raptors.
Raptors Post-Game: Fred VanVleet – May 3, 2018 – YouTube
Raptors suffer deflating loss to James, Cavaliers in Game 2 – Sportsnet.ca
It was premeditated. A hit job dialed up by The King.
“There’s certain times – seeing ’Bron in shootarounds or seeing him in his preparation — when you know he’s going to have a big night,” said Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love, who did his part with a 31 and 12 night. “This morning, you could just sense it. He knew what was at stake. He knew us getting another one [in Toronto] was going to be huge for us, and he came out and played that way from the jump tonight. Like I said, you could just sense that he was going to have a special night.”
NBA players thoroughly enjoyed LeBron James destroying the Raptors
As the Cleveland Cavaliers looked to steal another game on Toronto’s home floor, the game between the two Eastern Conference rivals was close. But in the third quarter, James took over. The King hit multiple, seemingly impossible fadeaway shots as social media collectively could not believe their eyes.
James finished the game with 43 points, 14 assists, and eight rebounds. It was a masterpiece, and the Cavaliers beat Toronto, 128-110.
Meanwhile, fellow NBA players couldn’t stay quiet about James’ effort. Several guys around the league gave it up for one of the best games of the year from LeBron.
Raptors Post-Game: DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry – May 3, 2018 – YouTube
Raptors throttled in Game 2, Cavaliers take 2-0 series lead back to Cleveland – The Globe and Mail
Twice already Toronto has been dispatched by Cleveland in the postseason, in the Eastern Conference finals in 2016 and then last season, when the Raptors were swept in the second round, prompting general manager Masai Ujiri’s culture reset and revamp of the team’s playing style.
On Thursday, the Raptors led for most of the first half, but never by more than nine points, and were clutching just a two-point advantage at halftime.
Raptors look doomed to repeat history as James leads Cavaliers to convincing Game 2 win | CBC Sports
“It’s the only option, [that’s] how we look at it, we don’t look at it no other way,” DeMar DeRozan said, his basketball cap pulled down low.
“We thrive off adversity, every single guy on this team, we thrive off adversity. We’ve been in tough situations before, and sometimes when you’re put in tough situations that’s what brings the best of you. That’s what point we’re at now. It’s the first team to win four. We understand where we at, and we’re going to fight.”
Raptors Post-Game: Dwane Casey – May 3, 2018 – YouTube
Shell-shocked Raptors have no answer for LeBron, fall to 0-2 | Toronto Sun
The Raptors had a three-point lead after one quarter. They had a two-point edge at halftime. Then the walls caved in.
“The way we played tonight is not us,” Casey said. “Yeah, we had a hangover from the other night, but again, this is the NBA semiinals, and we can’t come out in the third quarter and give up an 18-5 run, no matter what happens, no matter what they’re doing offensively, we’ve gotta keep fighting, keep our heads up, stay together.”
The Raptors did none of that in the third.
Cavaliers sparked Kevin Love and Raptors had no answer in Game 2 – Sportsnet.ca
Love, who has been utilized as a five all season long despite being a truer four, was asked if this kind of game was a lift. “More than anything,” he said, “what gave me a lift was to see the ball go into the basket; to see the ball go through. Nice to see those mismatches. Get some easy buckets to get me going early, and LeBron was looking for me.
“It’s not like I forgot to play the game of basketball.”
It helped, of course, that the guy who was brought in to Toronto last season to deal with stuff like this, Serge Ibaka, was an embarrassing no-show. Again. The only person on the sideline who spent as much time on his butt was the Raptors global ambassador, Drake, who barely fidgeted in his seat (let alone stand and preen) after that silliness with Kendrick Perkins in Game 1. It was like somebody – the NBA? – revoked his diplomatic credentials.
Raptors Post-Game: Delon Wright – May 3, 2018 – YouTube
Cavaliers just needed a little Love | The Star
“The last two years, (Valanciunas has) improved tremendously from an offensive standpoint. Defensively he’s gotten better, guarding smaller centres,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey before Thursday’s game. “Big guys, it takes them a little bit longer to grow and get that skill set.”
Love, meanwhile, didn’t enter this series with much interest in playing as a big guy. Mid-week he told reporters he’d rather play his natural position — power forward — but was willing to line up wherever coaches thought the team needed him most.
Cavs vs. Raptors: LeBron James owned the Raptors in Game 2. Seriously – SBNation.com
All told, James finished with 43 points on 19-of-28 (67.9 percent!) shooting in Game 2, sucking the life out of the Air Canada Centre to push the Cavaliers to a 2-0 series lead with the series shifting back to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4. He also had 14 assists, becoming the first player in playoff history to post a 40 and 14 game.
The Cavs built a lead as big as 20 in the fourth quarter. No matter how hard the Raptors tried, they simply didn’t have and answer for James.
Raptors didn’t bother Cavs at all and now they’re in trouble | Toronto Sun
In the past we’ve seen James pretend to pick up and drink a beer while destroying the Raptors. On Thursday, he was clipping his nails on the bench. James, one of the greatest players ever, simply doesn’t respect or fear Toronto. And why should he?
Plus, as he said beforehand, he’s a perfectionist.
“I hate turnovers and I hate not being efficient, so, I’ve been able to be in control of that so far in the postseason,” the four-time NBA MVP had said.
Raptors Post-Game: Jakob Poeltl – May 3, 2018 – YouTube
What Comes Next on the Raptors’ Darkest Timeline – The Ringer
The two best players for Cleveland were the two best players on the floor (Kevin Love back!), and the Cavs silenced an entire city with a dominating 128-110 performance. Toronto heads to the Land down 2-0 in the most embarrassing fashion.
The Raptors have officially entered their darkest timeline. It does not get much bleaker than facing a two-game deficit as the 1-seed. But the worst may not be over yet. What happens if they lose the series?
As Raptors decompose on a grand stage, Serge Ibaka tops their list of problems – The Athletic
Ibaka has been a ghost since the first two games of the playoffs. Last year, his ability to capably play centre while providing superior lateral quickness to Jonas Valanciunas allowed the Raptors to survive their first-round series against Milwaukee. Now, when his skill set could be most useful, with LeBron James and Kevin Love composing the Cavaliers’ starting frontcourt, necessitating the Raptors play with both strength and speed, he is playing himself out of the series with languid performance after languid performance. In 41 minutes in this series, he has 11 points, eight rebounds and no blocks. Part of that is because he is chasing J.R. Smith around screens in the starting lineup. Part of it is because he is not contributing in any meaningful way, and he has the worst grasp of the Raptors’ shot spectrum on the entire team.
NBA Playoffs 2018: LeBron James crushes the Raptors in Game 2, 128-110 – Raptors HQ
“In time, you [Toronto] will know what it’s like to lose,” said LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, after crushing the Raptors, 128-110, in Game 2 of their second round series. “To feel so desperately that you’re right, yet to fail, all the same. Dread it. Run from it. Destiny still arrives.”
This, after LeBron snapped his fingers and erased the very idea of the “Toronto Raptors, Eastern Conference Champions” from our universe. There will be no comeback from this, no hope; there may not even be another single, solitary win for the Raptors — though that’d be nice, if only to save face. The series is 0-2 for Toronto, but it may as well be 0-4; it certainly feels like it’s 0-400.
