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Key: Nine Lives
If there was any concern that the Wine and Gold would be rusty after another long mid-round layoff, they started addressing those fears two minutes into the ballgame and didn’t stop until Coach Tyronn Lue began emptying his bench in the fourth quarter as the Cavaliers took Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals – 115-84, their biggest Playoff blowout in franchise history.
The Cavaliers – who’ve now won their last two Eastern Conference Finals games at The Q by an average of 30.5 points – haven’t lost in nine postseason contests, one of five teams in league history to do so. On Tuesday night, the Raptors jumped out to a 7-0 lead before the Cavaliers came back at them in waves, blowing the game open with a 16-2 run early in the second quarter and not letting up the rest of the way.
The Big Three were the only Cavaliers in double-figure scoring, but Cleveland’s bench came up big once again.
Cleveland had reached historic numbers from beyond the arc through the first two series, but attempted only 20 triples on Tuesday night – opting to demolish Toronto in the paint (56-36) and on the boards (45-23).
In their two losses at the Air Canada Centre, the Cavs dropped both games by an average of 3.0 points per; in Cleveland’s two victories at The Q this season – including the Game 1 win – the margin’s been 26.5.
Key: Straight to the Point
Few players remaining in the Tournament came into the ECF’s Game 1 shooting the ball better than Kyle Lowry, who combined for 71 points in Games 3 and 4 against Miami – shooting 49 percent from the floor and 75 percent from deep. But the Wine and Gold put a lid on Toronto’s All-Star point guard on Tuesday night, holding him to just eight points on 4-for-14 shooting, including 0-of-7 from long-range.
Kyrie Irving, on the other hand, kept his red-hot roll going – topping the 20-point mark for the eighth time in Cleveland’s nine Playoff games, leading everyone with 27 points. The three-time All-Star – who leads Cleveland in postseason scoring at 24.7 ppg – went 11-17 from the floor to go with a team-high five assists, two steals and a pair of blocks.
So far in the postseason, Kyrie’s shot 49 percent from the floor and 53 percent from long-range and hasn’t committed more than two miscues in any game.
One of the big concerns coming into Game 1 was the frequency with which Lowry (and his backcourt mate, DeMar DeRozan) were able to get to the stripe against Miami – and the Cavaliers addressed that one too – holding the All-Star duo without a single free throw on the evening.
Key: Reign Dance
LeBron James still hasn’t posted a 30-point game in the 2016 Playoffs – and life couldn’t be better for the Cavaliers.
That’s not to imply that the four-time MVP hasn’t been dominant. He has. But he’s picked his spots in the postseason – orchestrating the offense and asserting himself when the game dictates.
James insisted that the Cavaliers weren’t a jump-shooting team and, in his trademark fashion, punctuated that point by hitting his first nine shots on Tuesday night – all from point blank range. The four-time MVP was 7-for-7 before intermission (a Playoff first for him) and finished with 24 points on 11-for-13 shooting to go with six boards, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot.
The Raptors rolled the dice and played LeBron pretty much straight up with DeMarre Carroll – and LeBron made them pay, notching his 19th straight Playoff game of at least 20 points, longest active streak in the NBA. Like most opponents, Carroll had his hands full with the King, but picking up his fourth foul with 8:27 to play in the third quarter (and no Jonas Valanciunas to protect the rim) gave James the green light the rest of the way.
Including Game 1, in two games at The Q this season, LeBron has gone 18-of-24 from the floor against the Raptors.
Key: Wildcat Formation
“Well, the game ball definitely goes to our bench tonight.”
That was LeBron James after Tuesday night’s lopsided win – speaking about a second unit that produced 39 points (somewhat inflated during garbage time) and was the impetus for Cleveland’s big second-quarter run.
Richard Jefferson continued his outstanding playoff run, barely missing a double-double, and finishing with nine points and a game-high 11 boards – equaling Toronto’s five combined starters. Matthew Dellavedova chipped in with nine points, going 3-of-4 from the floor.
Iman Shumpert was strong on both ends, going 3-for-4 from the floor for eight points and badgering Toronto’s backcourt defensively. Shump also bounced back from an awkward looking spill in the second quarter to return to action.
Channing Frye has been big all postseason long and continued that on Tuesday night, finishing with eight points and three boards in the win – going 3-of-5 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from long-distance. In the 2016 Playoffs, Frye is averaging 8.3 points per contest, shooting 62 percent (24-of-39) from the floor and 58 percent (14-for-24) from beyond the arc.
For Toronto, James Johnson finished with 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting. The rest of the Raptors reserves shot a combined 6-of-21 from the field.
Key: Board to Tears
For the second time in their last three Playoff games, the Wine and Gold outrebounded their opponent by at least 20 rebounds – manhandling the Raptors on the boards, 45-23, in Game 1.
In the final two contests of the Second Round series against Atlanta, Kevin Love, LeBron James and Tristan Thompson all grabbed double-digit boards, but in the opening game of the East Finals, it was Richard Jefferson who led both squads with a career postseason-high 11 rebounds.
Tristan Thompson got the best of Bismack Biyombo on the boards, grabbing seven rebounds – five off the offensive glass. In the 2016 NBA Playoffs, Thompson is averaging 5.0 offensive rebounds per game, which leads all active players in the postseason.
Kevin Love had his double-double streak snapped at eight, grabbing four boards in the series opener. Those four boards would have tied for the lead on Toronto, which posted just 11 boards among its five starters.
Starting big man Jonas Valanciunas was unavailable for Game 1 and was listed as Questionable for Thursday’s contest. With the Wine and Gold shifting their attention away from the three-point arc and into the interior, the Raptors could use him.