Cavs show no signs of rust in Game 1

LeBron James considered swigging a beer while scoring 35 points, Kyrie Irving added 24 and the Cavaliers picked up where they left off following a long layoff and throttled the Raptors 116-105 on Monday night in the opener of their Eastern Conference semifinal in Cleveland.

The Cavs hadn’t played since April 23, when they completed a four-game sweep of the Pacers. But the defending champions didn’t show signs of rust and were well-prepared to face the revenge-seeking Raptors, who lost to the Cavaliers in last year’s conference finals. The Raptors dropped to 1-12 in playoff openers. Game 2 is Wednesday night in Cleveland. Kyle Lowry scored 20 and DeMar DeRozan 19 for the Raptors, who were within seven in the third quarter before James dropped a 3-pointer, converted a three-point play, hit another 3 and then considered washing down a brew.

After drawing a foul on a missed layup, James playfully hopped toward the sideline, where a courtside server was passing by. The three-time champion reached and grabbed a beer bottle from her tray and brought it toward his lips before putting it back.

Tooth fairy: Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas, who lost a tooth during the team’s double-digit win against the Wizards in Game 1 of their semifinal matchup, sat out practice Monday so he could visit the dentist and have the tooth repaired.

Coach Brad Stevens said all indications were that Thomas would be ready for Game 2 on Tuesday night.

In other injury news, the status of Wizards forward Markieff Morris is in up the air, coach Scott Brooks said.

Morris sprained his ankle after landing awkwardly early in Game 1. He received treatment Sunday night and Monday on the ankle, and sat out practice Monday.

Smooth, slow Jazz: The Jazz had the slowest pace in the league during the regular season, while the push-it-atevery-chance Warriors were among the fastest as they tried to establish their tempo from the tip.

That clash of styles of will come to a head in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals Tuesday night.

The Jazz are the only team to beat the Warriors in the last 20 contests, winning a mostly meaningless regular-season game on April 10 in Oakland, Calif.

Repeating that in the playoffs will be much harder, but the Jazz will stick to the formula they have used most of the season: limit chances in transition, make the Warriors work hard in the half court and find some way to score while grinding it out on the offensive end. That method helped the Jazz allow the fewest points and play the fewest possessions in the NBA.

“For us, the pace with which we play has not been deliberate,” coach Quin Snyder said. “It’s a deliberate way of playing. It’s more of a function of our personnel.”