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Key: They the North
In both this year’s postseason and last year’s, the Cavaliers hadn’t lost a Playoff game by the time they traveled to Toronto.
You might have guessed that the last team to win their first six postseason contests in consecutive seasons was the Lakers, and you’d be right – the Minneapolis Lakers won their first seven in 1949 and again in 1950.
This season, both the Cavaliers and Raptors finished with identical records, but it would be hard to tell based on the first two games of their Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup. On Monday night, the Wine and Gold seized control early and held off a pair of Raptors’ runs. On Wednesday night, Toronto never mounted a serious threat, as the Cavaliers proceeded to break a franchise Playoff mark, dropping 125 points on Dwane Casey’s squad – shooting 55 percent from the floor and from long-range.
In the last five postseason meetings between these two clubs at Quicken Loans Arena, the Cavs have won by an average of 24.2 points while shooting 53 percent from the floor and holding Toronto to just 43 percent, including a 27 percent clip from deep.
But it’s worth remembering that the Raptors beat Cleveland by 15 points in Game 3 of last year’s East Finals at the Air Canada Centre and hung on to take Game 4 as well. But Kyrie Irving insisted in his postgame comments on Wednesday night that the Cavs will bring a different mindset north of the border this year.
The proof, as they say, will be in the pudding later tonight.
Key: Rarefied Air
It’s enough to give one pause when you consider that LeBron James has actually taken his game to a new level in the 2017 Playoffs. But he has done exactly that – proving once again that there’s a major difference between being a regular season MVP and being the greatest player on planet Earth.
On Wednesday night, he continued writing his name into the history books and was essentially a one-man wrecking crew on both ends – finishing with a game-high 39 points, going 10-of-14 from the floor, including 4-of-6 from long-distance, to go with six boards, four assists, three steals and a pair of blocks.
In the process, he eclipsed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the second-leading scorer in NBA Playoff history. His 39-point performance also moved him past Kobe Bryant – notching his 89th 30-point postseason game, good for second-best in league history.
And while the Air Canada Centre can rattle some opponents, that’s never been the case for James – who averaged 28.7 points on an even 60 percent shooting in Cleveland’s three postseason visits to Toronto last year.
The Raptors have thrown a grab-bag of defenders at the four-time MVP, but the numbers don’t lie – LeBron has dominated everyone who’s tangled with him through the first six games of the Playoffs.
The Cavaliers have never lost a Playoff series (13-0) after being up 2-0. And with the NBA’s alpha dog smelling blood in this one, the Wine and Gold would love to add one more opponent to their unblemished list.
Key: Feel the Love
It must be slightly demoralizing for the Raptors to consider that Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love both struggled from the floor on Wednesday night and the Cavaliers still scored a franchise postseason high and trailed by as many as 30 points in the fourth quarter.
Love hasn’t really gotten untracked in either game, shooting a combined 41 percent through the first two contests. With Channing Frye having the hot hand – finishing with 18 points on 5-for-7 from beyond the arc – Love was limited to just over 20 minutes of action in Game 2.
In last year’s ECF matchup with the Raptors, Love also had a two-game rough patch – going a combined 5-for-23 from the floor while averaging just 5.5 boards in Games 3 and 4. But Love bounced back over the final two games of the series – combining for 45 points in those contests, including a 20-point, 12-rebound effort in the deciding Game 6 here in Toronto.
Since acquiring Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker at the trade deadline, the Raptors haven’t lost three straight and have gone 7-2 following a loss over that stretch.
Dwane Casey went with a lineup change before Game 2 – moving Patrick Patterson and Norman Powell into the starting lineup. Patterson was limited to just 17 minutes of work while Ibaka finished with 16 points on 7-for-14 shooting.
Key: Point of Contention
Things went from bad to worse for Toronto on Wednesday night at The Q when Kyle Lowry was forced to leave the game after suffering a left ankle sprain in the third quarter. The three-time All-Star had to miss practice on Thursday and more tests are scheduled to determine the severity of the injury, but for now, he’s listed as questionable for Game 3.
Lowry notched 20 points in each of the first two games of this year’s series, leading both teams with 11 helpers on Monday night.
If he’s unable to go, the Raptors can take solace in backup Corey Joseph, who had a pair of solid performances against the Cavaliers in last year’s ECF and, on Monday night, notched 18 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter (albeit during garbage time).
Whoever’s able to give it a go for Toronto will have their hands full with Kyrie Irving – who hasn’t shot the ball particularly well through the first two games of the series, but who’s averaged 10.5 assists, including a career playoff-high 11 helpers in Wednesday’s win.
Even while struggling from the field, Irving notched his 10th 20-point game in his last 11 Playoff outings – and Games 1 and 2 marked the first time in his brilliant career (regular and postseason) that he’s posted back-to-back games of at least 20 points and 10 assists.
Key: Tenacious D
In Toronto’s two wins in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, DeMar DeRozan averaged 32.0 points on 55 percent shooting. In the Raptors’ four losses, he averaged 18.5 points on 46 percent shooting.
You don’t have to be an NBA scout to know that the Raptors go as their All-Star guard goes. But it’s been almost a direct barometer in both last year’s Playoffs and this year’s.
The former USC standout wasn’t bad in Game 1 – finishing with 19 points on 7-for-16 shooting. But J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert made his life absolutely miserable in Game 2 – limiting the Eastern Conference’s second-leading scorer to a career Playoff-low five points on 2-for-11 shooting.
DeRozan has been held to single-figure scoring in the postseason five times during his career – all on the road – and the Raptors are 0-5 in those contests.
Swish still hasn’t gotten untracked offensively in the Playoffs – netting double-digits just once so far and averaging just four shot attempts through the first two games of the Semis. But he’s made up for it on the defensive end – drawing DeRozan and Paul George through the first two rounds.
Shump has been outstanding on the defensive side of the floor as well. And in Game 2, he was just as good on the offensive end – finishing with 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting in 27 rock-solid minutes off the bench.