Dwane Casey attempted to make changes to the starting line-up for Game 2 with Norman Powell and Patrick Patterson. However, it did not make any difference to the game or the result.The Cleveland Cavaliers took care of home court and they defeated the Raptors 125-103 to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
Unstoppable
James was once again brilliant as always James was scoring in various ways. He went off and scored 39 points and in the process, James surpassed Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar into second place on the all-time NBA playoff scoring list. It’s absolutely insane because age is just a number and at 32 years old he is just playing at another level with no signs of stopping anytime soon.
Inexcusable
DeMar DeRozan is one of the leaders of the Toronto Raptors and he is someone they heavily rely on a nightly basis. DeRozan finished as he went just two for 11 from the field he only scored five points. This was a horrible performance and the Raptors need a better output to win a game against the Cavaliers.
Kyle Lowry status
Kyle Lowry was one of the few bright spots for the Raptors. He was locked in and he finished with 20 points and five assists. Coming into the second half all of sudden Lowry and Norman Powell collided. As a result, Lowry fell to the floor for a couple of minutes before after he left for the locker room.He managed to come back only for a couple of minutes but didn’t come back to in the fourth quarter. Lowry health is absolutely crucial if he is not 100% the Cavs will sweep the Raptors. Kyrie Irving will be too much for Corey Joseph to handle in my opinion.
No adjustments made
The Raptors should have studied the film and improved their perimeter defense. Last night they did not do that and The Cavs were feeling it from deep they went eight out of eight in the first quarter. The Cavs finished 18-for-33 from deep compared to five for 17 for the Raptors.
Monster game
Jonas Valanciunas had a monster game with 23 points off the bench for the Raptors. This caught me by surprise because Valanciunas has massive potential, however, he doesn’t show it on a nightly basis.
Conclusion
It was pretty much deja vu from game one. It is simple if the Raptors don’t start strong in the first quarter the game is over and they might get sweep in four games.The Raptors need to attempt to slow down the Cavs from deep if they want to make this series competitive. Last but not least LeBron James is 19-0 when his team is winning 2-0 in a series via ESPN Stats and Info.
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Photos courtesy via Heavy, NBA, National Post, Cleveland and TSN
