East Conf. Semis, Game 2: Cleveland Cavaliers 128-110 Toronto Raptors - 5 Talking Points
Toronto Raptors crumbled against LeBron once again.
The Cleveland Cavaliers consolidated on their clutch performance in Game 1 with a masterful offensive display in Game 2 to take a 2-0 lead back to the Quicken Loans Arena for Game 3 on the 5th of May. As is customary for them, LeBron James took most of the headlines with another performance for the ages, and there really are very few superlatives left to describe his dominance and excellence on the basketball court.
The Toronto Raptors started the game as the better team by a whisker, but Cleveland took the game into their control in the 3rd quarter and never relinquished the lead, shooting up to a lead of as many as 23 points in the 4th quarter. They removed their starters from the floor with a little under 3 minutes remaining in the game, which was as good as over at that point.
The Cavaliers' blowout of the Raptors, who just can't seem to catch a break against LeBron James, means bad news for the rest of the league.
The following are 5 talking points from the game.
#5 The contrast in turnovers between the two teams
The Raptors turned the ball over 11 times in the game, and often they did it at crucial junctures - continuing a disturbing theme from game 1. Usual suspect Kyle Lowry led the team with 4 while playing more than half the 4th quarter on 5 fouls and in perpetual danger of fouling out.
The Cavaliers, on the other hand, were exemplary in the way they took care of the ball. Primary ball handler LeBron James continued his error-free playmaking from Game 1, stacking up 14 dimes while turning the ball over just once through the game.
The primary reason for this dissonance in turnovers between the teams was the way the Cavaliers ran their offensive possessions. They seemed to have rehearsed their possessions in practices before this game - such was the metronomic accuracy that they displayed on the night. The lack of constant ball pressure from Toronto certainly helped their case, as Toronto played to contain them instead of forcing them into moves they didn't want to make.