USA TODAY International Edition
RAPTORS TIE UP CAVALIERS
Toronto rejuvenated after getting series to 2- 2 with second consecutive victory
Toronto Raptors coach Dwane Casey’s belief in his team has been admirable, even when others doubted him.
“Everybody can bury us and put us under, but we’re not quitting,” Casey said after Toronto lost the first two games of the NBA Eastern Conference finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers by a combined 50 points.
When Toronto won Game 3 and the victory felt like a blip on Cleveland’s path to a series win in five games, Casey said, “We’re not in this just to win one game, to not just get swept. We’re in this to win.” Do you believe him now? The Raptors tied the series at 2- 2 with a 105- 99 victory against the Cavaliers on Monday. What once looked like an easy series for the Cavs on their way to the Finals has become a tight contest.
Toronto, which lost an 18- point third- quarter lead and regained the lead late in the fourth Monday, saw two offensive rebounds with less than two minutes left result in four points — two for Kyle Lowry and two for DeMar DeRozan, the stars of the game.
The Raptors’ playoff truism played out: If All- Stars Lowry and DeRozan play well, Toronto plays well. Lowry had 35 points, five assists and five rebounds, and DeRozan scored 32 points. They shot a combined 28- for- 43.
The Raptors are exposing the Cavaliers’ issues. When Cleveland isn’t making threes, it has trouble creating scoring opportunities.
The Cavs shot 47% from the field but 31.7% from three- point range. Cleveland’s three- pointers that went through the hoop with record- breaking regularity vs. the Atlanta Hawks have vanished, as Cleveland has shot worse than 35% in the losses in Toronto.
Kevin Love struggled again. After going 1- for- 9 in Game 3, he scored 10 points on 4- for- 14 shooting. LeBron James ( 29 points) and Kyrie Irving ( 26 points) carried the bulk of the offense and didn’t get enough help.