Cavs offense overwhelms Raptors in series opener
The Cleveland Cavaliers offense attacked the Toronto Raptors with power, speed and finesse.
A rim-rattling LeBron James dunk. A Kyrie Irving stutter-step right by a defender to a nifty layup. A Channing Frye three-pointer dropping like a soft snowfall through the net.
Whether eight days off or two days off, Cleveland’s productive and efficient offense continues to operate in destruction mode.
The Raptors saw it on video, and then they saw it in person Tuesday. The Cavaliers rolled 115-84 in Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference finals, using a devastating 25-4 run in the first half to create enough separation.
It was the largest postseason margin of victory in franchise history.
James, who loves to say he lives in the paint, made his first nine shots, all at the rim, and finished with 24 points on 11-for-13 shoot- ing, and Irving dropped in 27 points on 11-for-17 shooting.
It was over by the end of the third quarter with the Cavs ahead 95-67, and reserves played a majority of the fourth quarter.
The Cavaliers shot 41-for-74 (55.4%) from the field, and it wasn’t the three-point demolition they deployed against the Detroit Pistons in the first round and against the Atlanta Hawks in the conference semifinals.
Cleveland had a relentless attack in the paint and put tremendous stress on Toronto’s defense in transition with fast breaks, early offense and ball movement.
James downplays the Cavaliers’ three-point shooting.
“We’re a balanced team, not perimeter-oriented,” James said Tuesday morning. “We work all facets of the game, both in the paint and on the perimeter.”
During the Atlanta series, James said, “We’re not a threepoint shooting team, and we don’t want to be labeled that.”
Cleveland made his point, outscoring Toronto 56-36 in the paint and making seven threes, below its playoff average of 16.8. The Cavs also outrebounded the Raptors 45-23.
The Cavs had a layoff of eight full days but showed no rust.
“You always take rest,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said before Game 1. “That’s something you can’t get, especially when you’re playing, flying, playing, flying, and they’ve been resting. They may have a little rhythm issue for a little bit, but again, sooner or later that rest is going to kick in.”
That’s exactly happened. Toronto took a 7-0 lead and was up 28-27 late in the first quarter. Midway through the second quarter, the Cavs had a 52-32 lead, a dizzying display of offense knocking out the Raptors.
The Cavaliers, now 9-0 in the playoffs, can score inside or outside. The Raptors were heavy underdogs coming into the series, and Game 1 did nothing to change that perception.
Toronto needs near-perfect games to have a chance, and it didn’t get that in the series opener. It starts with the Raptors guards. DeMar DeRozan had 18 points, but Kyle Lowry had just eight on 4-for-14 shooting.