Go back a little further in Raptors history, however, and the significance of yesterday’s Game 7 (finally) lifted a black cloud that seemed to hang over the franchise and ended its status as one of three NBA teams to have never made it to the playoff’s third round.
So here we are. And facing a LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers team that hasn’t lost yet in the post-season, it’s safe to say s–t just got real. Here are some things to look for in the Eastern Conference Finals:
Season Series: Sure, we know this to be relatively meaningless, as evidenced by a) the seven-game first round series vs. Indiana (Toronto owned the Pacers during the regular season) and b) the fact that the current version of the Cavs bears almost zero resemblance to the team the Raptors saw during the series (jerseys and player faces aside). But then again, the Raps and Heat did played each other incredibly close during the season and it turned out to be the shape of things to come. So maybe this isn’t so meaningless after all:
| Date | Venue | Final Score | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 25 | Air Canada Centre | 103-99 | Raptors |
| Jan. 4 | Quicken Loans Arena | 122-100 | Cavaliers |
| Feb. 26 | Air Canada Centre | 99-97 | Raptors |
MARQUEE MATCHUP #1: Kyle Lowry vs. Kyrie Irving
You know Lowry is coming off his performance on Sunday (35 points/9 assists/7 rebounds/4 steals/5-7 from deep) feeling pretty good about his game at the moment. He’ll feel even better once he sees Irving standing across from him.
Irving is one of the most gifted offensive players in the NBA and a truly stunning ball-handler, but he has a lot of trouble keeping opponents in front of him on defense. After missing the first chunk of the season recovering from the knee injury that took him out of the post-season last year, Irving has bounced back nicely in the 2016 playoffs, averaging nearly 25 points per game on 47% shooting.
The two all-stars point guards will both be major focal points on offense. That said, it won’t be long before we see a healthy dose of dual point-guard lineups for both teams, with Cory Joseph guarding Irving and the Cavs turning to defensive pest Matthew Dellavedova to matchup against Lowry. Will it be enough to slow the Raptors’ hero?
Advantage:Raptors
MARQUEE MATCHUP #2: DeMarre Carroll vs. LeBron James
I know we all said it ahead of the first round matchup with the Indian Pacers and Paul George, and even at times with Dwyane Wade during the Heat series, but for real, this is exactly why Masai Ujiri and the Raptors made signing Carroll in the off-season a top priority.
Carroll has been as advertised throughout the playoffs. His defensive intensity and big game experience are evident, as is his impact on the Raptors’ all-star backcourt (DeMar DeRozan mentioned after Game 7 how important Carroll’s voice has been in the locker room throughout their ups and downs). Throw in some timely offense and the DeMarre Carroll Experience has been a decidedly good one.
Carroll will start opposite LeBron James and, barring injury, will spend most of this series shadowing the Cavs uberstar across the floor. I looked up Carroll’s defensive impact vs. James in last season’s Conference Finals (when Carroll played the same role for Atlanta before suffering a knee injury), and, well, turns out James did just fine. Carroll will make things more difficult for LeBron, but James is still King. And it’s good to be the king.
Advantage:Cavs
MARQUEE MATCHUP #3: Patrick Patterson vs. Kevin Love
Patterson excelled in the series vs. Miami, where his noticeable size advantage against the Heat frontcourt had both its benefits and drawbacks. Against Cleveland he’ll see a more traditional matchup, facing a fellow proper stretch four in Love, who has been averaging a mind-numbing eight three-point attempts per game during the playoffs.
Advantage: Cavs
CHANGEUP
Because Cleveland is so three-point dependent these days, limiting the Cavs open looks from deep will be crucial if the Raptors want to make a series of it. Dwane Casey knows this, and as the coach admitted on Monday, doing so will require a complete 180 in terms of defensive game-planning: “Our philosophy has been all year to take away the paint first and then get out to the shooters…we may have to adjust that dramatically,” Casey said.
SERIES KEY #1: LeBron the Creator
You don’t stop LeBron James. You only hope that the players around him under-perform. But even then, James’ passing and ability to find the open men elevates those around him.
On Monday Dwane Casey called James’ passing his “biggest weapon”, adding that “He puts it right on their numbers and you better have your hands ready, or it’ll go through your chest.”
Are the Raptors better off trying to let James try to beat them by himself, or pick your poison and hope his waiting shooters go cold?
SERIES KEY #2: Battle for the Boards
It’s going to be an absolute war in the paint between Bismack Biyombo and Tristan Thompson, two of the top five offensive rebounders remaining in the playoffs (Thompson is #1 at 5.0 per game. Jonas Valanciunas, who won’t play in Game 1 at least, is second at 4.4). Thompson’s prowess on the offensive glass creates more possessions for his team, while Toronto’s Game 7 showed how valuable that can be:
Needless to say, against a bigger Cavs lineup, those boards will be much harder to come by, but not less important.
SERIES KEY # 3: DeMar DeRozan, scoring machine
Yes, he shoots at a high volume, and yes, he misses far more shots than he makes, shots that he often probably shouldn’t be attempting in the first place.
But through it all, DeRozan remains an integral part of the Raptors’ success. He hit a pair of clutch jumpers to help ice Game 7 a. You may not like how he manufactures his points, but trust me, if he’s not in Toronto next season you’ll find out pretty fast just how important he was to this team and how much worse off the Raptors are without him playing a major role.
CAVALIERS X-FACTOR: J.R. Smith
…aka the Human X-Factor. His streaky, voluminous, unconscious three-point shooting makes the Cavs guard capable of breaking open any given game wide open. Be prepared for Smith to catch fire and absolutely win a game or two for Cleveland.
RAPTORS’ X-FACTOR:Terrence Ross
To counter the Cavs’ three-point barrage, the Raptors are going to need someone who can come in and knock down a few threes of his own. Ross is only shooting 34% from beyond the arc but the Raptors will need their shooters to step up, meaning he’ll have a definitive role to play in this series.
Moment all Raptors fans will be replaying in their heads between now and Game 1 tip-off:
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