The more things change, the more they stay the same. At least when it comes to the Toronto Raptors’ plight against the Cleveland Cavaliers, it seems.
Despite having more favourable circumstances this time around, the Raptors disappointed in similar tragic fashion by falling to the Cavaliers 113-112 in overtime of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals.
To say Toronto blew a game they should have won only scratches the surface.
Cleveland not only never led at any point in regulation, but the Raptors also got the type of struggling performance out of LeBron James they may never see again.
After scoring 87 points through the first three quarters, Toronto’s offence cratered in the final period, especially down the stretch.
They missed their final 11 shots of regulation, while converting just 3-of-16 field goals inside five feet in the quarter. Even when they missed, they often got another possession by coming down with eight offensive boards in the fourth. But from those rebounds, they mustered just four points.
The Cavaliers actually did well to defend Raptors’ shots throughout the game, contesting 54 of their 91 field goal attempts. But Toronto still had makeable shots in traffic, including two put-back attempts in the final seconds of the fourth.
And that’s not even mentioning wide open misses like Serge Ibaka’s corner 3-pointer with just over a minute to go in regulation and Fred VanVleet’s clean look at the top of the arc before the aforementioned put-back shots.
The pain of those missed opportunities will hurt even more considering the Raptors wasted a bad James outing.
While he still finished with a triple-double of 26 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds, James was off the mark on the night, hitting 12-of-30 shots overall, 1-of-8 on from deep and just 1-of-6 free throws.
“Shots weren’t going in for me,” said James. “It was probably one of my worst games of the season.”
Worst game of the season? That should strike fear in Toronto because as James showed in the first round, he can deliver in a big way when his back is against the wall.
On this night though, James’ teammates helped carry the load as Kyle Korver, Jeff Green, J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson all doing their part.
“My teammates were unbelievable,” James said. “They stepped up when I wasn’t at my best.”
Neither were the Raptors, which is a trend Toronto have yet to break against Cleveland.
