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It's not a series until someone loses a game at home.
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All the Cavaliers did is hold serve. Now, it's time for the Raptors to do the same.
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Blah, blah and might I add blah.
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The Eastern Conference Finals are over. Yeah, No. 1 Cleveland's 108-89 win against second-seeded Toronto only gave it a 2-0 series lead, but a shift of scenery from Quicken Loans Arena to the Air Canada Centre won't change what's been made abundantly evident throughout 96 minutes of rarely competitive action—the Raptors are overmatched.
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MORE: NBA Mock Draft 3.0: Who Sixers should take at No. 1
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Drake, who's been ominously absent during the Raptors' past two playoffs series, shouldn't bother showing up courtside Saturday. They'll be hype and hysteria and the 206's faithful will pack out the place as well as Jurassic Park outside it. However, there's no hope for redemption. This worn and withered Toronto team, which needed seven games apiece to dispatch of the Pacers and the Heat, simply can't contend with a resolved and rested Cleveland squad on pace to get its Moses Malone on and go 'fo, fo, fo' its way to a second-straight Finals appearance.
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We can wax poetic, and overcomplicate things if we want. But it all boils down to these two facts:
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1. The Raptors can't guard the Cavs.
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2. The Raptors stars can't score proficiently against the Cavs.
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MORE:
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Gary Payton doesn't like Draymond Green
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Matchups make basketball games and Toronto is ill-equipped to provide as much as a partial impediment against Kyrie Irving and LeBron James, the Cavs' best perimeter players.
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Irving's been the Cavaliers' leading scorer at 24.7 points per game throughout their perfect 10-0 start to the postseason. In a duel against Kyle Lowry, who coaches tapped for the All-Star Game over Irving this past season, the Dukie has been
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Canelo Alvarez
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Irving is shooting nearly 60 percent from the floor, averaging 26.5 points a night against the Raptors while having his way with both Lowry and backup Cory Joseph off the dribble. May we never forget the layup line drill he went though during Game 1, highlighted by a sick behind-the-back dribble which lead to an easy drive. He mixed son down like an studio engineer, putting the final touches on an album during post production.
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MORE:
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Cavs film session
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Much was made of DeMarre Carroll's previous success, checking James. In the words of the illustrious Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson, "Child please."
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After being held to 19 points back November and 14 a game with Carroll on the floor during the 2014-2015 regular season, James, listed at 6-8, 250 scored 24 on 11-for-13 shooting in Game 1, using and abusing the svelte Carroll, who had in-season knee surgery in the paint. Thursday, James messed around and got a triple-double, dropping 23 points to go along with 11 rebounds and as many assists.
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The Raptors haven't eclipsed 90 points in either of its first two games in the ECF. That's something they'd only failed to do three times in their first 14 postseason games in 2016. They're shooting 41.15 percent from the floor so far against the Cavaliers. They've been even worse from 3-point range, connecting on 14 of 57 attempts from deep. That's a 24.05 percent clip.
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DEVENEY:
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Moneyball Perception vs. Reality
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Lowry has been flat-out lousy.
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He broke out of a slump against the Heat, to turn in back-to-back performances of 35 and 36 points in Games 6 and 7 to lead his team to its first ever East Finals, but he's game has been infected with the evils again, going for eight and 10 points in Games 1 and 2 against Cleveland. His backcourt partner DeMar DeRozan has been solid against the Cavs at 20 points per game.
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That's just good enough to get swept.
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Come June 2, the Raptors will be enjoying the #Views of the NBA Finals from the comforts of their own homes.
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