After dropping back-to-back games in Toronto, the Cleveland Cavaliers bounced back in a huge way in Game 5 behind their Big Three
It was already expected. And they exceeded expectations.
After losing the last two games at Air Canada Center, the Cleveland Cavaliers responded in a way they do best: dominating. The defending Eastern Conference champions are now one win away from returning to the NBA Finals after a 116-78 victory over the Toronto Raptors in Game 5 at Quicken Loans Arena.
Once they started firing on all cylinders, LeBron James and company didn’t stop stepping on the gas as they dominated the Raptors anew, something they successfully did during the first two games of the series. The Raptors, on the other hand, are heading back home in Toronto for Game 6, scratching and probably asking among themselves, “What just happened?”
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Well, here’s what happened.
The Cleveland Cavaliers took off early in the first quarter and never looked back. Never. By the end of the first 10 minutes of actions, the Raptors were already at a 18-point deficit, down 37-19. And, it all started with Kevin Love.
If Love was shooting blanks during the past two games in Toronto, his performance in Game 5 served as a reminder to the Raptors and to the rest of the NBA how powerful the Cavaliers can be if Love is shooting like he’s supposed to be.
The Cavs began feeding the ball to Love and this time, he delivered. He finished the first quarter on 4-4 shooting on his way to finishing 8 of 10 from the field overall. He improved his shot selection from the three-point line, making 3-4 attempts. He finished the night by leading the Cavs in scoring with his 25 points.
LeBron and Kyrie Irving both scored 23 points each. As a team, the Cavs made 57 percent of their shot attempts, including 47 percent from downtown. They also forced Kyle Lowry and company to shoot from uncomfortable spots, resulting to the Raptors only making 39 percent of their attempts, including a miserable 17 percent from downtown. That’s classic defense plus offense for the boys of Tyronn Lue.
On the other side of the fence, Kyle Lowry only managed 13 points on 5-12 shooting. He also made only 1-4 attempts from the three-point line. He turned the over five times. DeMar DeRozan too, is back in shooting blanks again. He did have 14 points in Game 5, only making 2-8 shot attempts.
And again, nobody aside from Lowry and DeRozan have scored in double-digits. And yet the Raptors are wondering what happened in Game 5? Maybe they should take a look at the box score. What the Cavs did right in Game 5 isn’t what doomed the Raptors in the first place. What doomed Dwane Casey and his boys is what they failed to do during the game.
They failed to make better shots. They failed to defend the Big 3 of the Cavs. They even failed to make more free throws, making only 60 percent of their free throw attempts as compared the Cavs’ 75 percent shooting percentage from the line. If anything, the Raptors’ collective failure to execute and defend is the primary reason why they are one lose away from ending their first ever trip to the Conference Finals in franchise history.
The series now shifts back to Toronto for Game 6.
The Cleveland Cavaliers now have the opportunity to clinch their return ticket to the NBA Finals and wait for the winner of the GSW-OKC series. If you’re Tyronn Lue who wants to keep LeBron, Love and Irving fresh and healthy for the Finals, you would want to finish this series come Game 6. Now, if you’re Dwane Casey and the rest of the Raptors, find a way to force a Game 7, back at Quicken Loans Arena. If not, then you’re done for the season.