Holly MacKenzie - Raptors.com
Series: Cavs lead 1-0
After a disappointing 115-84 Game 1 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, the Raptors look to even the series with Game 2 tipping off on Thursday night. While DeMar DeRozan had a solid start offensively, scoring 18 points in the game, the team hopes to dial up its effort on the defensive end of the floor, and set the tone early offensively.Tip-off: 8:30 P.M. ET
Broadcast Info: TSN, ESPN, TSN1050
Ford Fanzone open: 6:30 P.M. ET
Pregame Show: 7:00 P.M. ET on NBATV Canada
LESSONS LEARNED
Starting Aggressive
Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan combined to take zero trips to the free throw line in Game 1. This hadn’t happened before in the 298 games the duo have appeared in together. Although its impossible to control the whistle, the Raptors know they have to be more aggressive when attacking the basket and they hope to set the tone early in Game 2.
“We have to continue to [drive and kick], we have to continue to go in and create contact but out of 298 games that’s the first time our two All-Stars haven’t gotten to the free throw line,” Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said. “We’ve got to continue to go in and continue to attack the paint.”
Kyle Lowry said the key is not focusing on officiating, but he wants to know he is controlling what can be controlled. In this case, that means going hard to the hoop and looking to score the basket.
“We’ve got be more aggressive simple as that,” Lowry said. “We’ve got to be more aggressive taking it to the basket. Just being us. If we get the calls, we get the calls. If not we’ve got to go to score to finish the ball.”
GAME 2 TALKING POINTS
Bringing energy from the start
Although the Raptors got off to a solid start in Game 1, when Cleveland started to roll, they were unable to match their energy level. Perhaps it had something to do with the nine days of rest the Cavs had coming into the game, or it may have been adjusting to a different opponent and style of play. Whatever the reason or combination of reasons, Toronto believes it will have a better feel for things come Thursday night.
“[The] overall energy level has to pick up,” Lowry said. “They did some good things [in Game 1], but we did some things to help that. They played extremely well, but we have to play our game and pick our energy level up and play hard.”
Cleveland outrebounded Toronto 45-23 in Game 1. The Raptors had done a solid job on the glass coming into Tuesday’s game, and with the Cavaliers dominating the game across the board, rebounding numbers were just one of many areas where the team will look to improve on Thursday. Also on the agenda is helping on defence, defending the paint, and eliminating easy buckets.
“We weren’t playing physical like we needed,” DeMarre Carroll said. “We started the game playing a little physical, but toward the middle of the game when they went on a run they were the more physical team.”
Bounce-back mentality
Toronto is 6-0 in the postseason in games following a loss. Although the Cavaliers are not the Heat nor Pacers, the Raptors have done a good job of leaving both wins and losses behind them and focusing in on the game at hand this postseason.
“Each game is different,” Casey said. “They spanked us [Tuesday night], which everyone saw, but there’s a lot of things we can do better. We will do better. I thought they were clicking on all cylinders after the first quarter and we didn’t respond in the right way. There are some things we can do and correct and we will.”
Despite the rough start to the series, the Raptors are worried only about Game 2 and how to clean up some of their mistakes. What’s being said about or around them isn’t of concern to the players in the locker room.
“We’re resilient,” Carroll said. “We’re a resilient group. We have a lot of fighters. We don't care what people say, what the media say, what outsiders say. We just care about those guys in [the locker room], and the staff. That’s what matters the most to us. We’re just going to go out and compete for ourselves and try to do it at a very high level.”