Preview: Cavs Look To Grab Brooms And Sweep Raptors Monday

CLEVELAND– Monday could potentially be sweep day for the Cleveland Cavaliers in their series against the Toronto Raptors. After demoralizing the Raptors in nearly every way possible, Cleveland can put the finishing touches on the Eastern Conference’s top seed.

LeBron James has been giving Toronto enough material for years of nightmares through the last four playoff runs. James has put an end to the Raptors’ championship hopes over the last two seasons, and he continues to haunt the pipeline dream of even an NBA Finals appearance.

Let’s take a look at the three keys to a Cavaliers series-clinching victory.

1. Trust in The King: Having the best player on the planet currently on your roster is probably the grandest luxury to have. No coach or top executive can trump a guy actually playing on the court making an impact. Hence why LeBron James continues to be the X-factor in these playoffs.

James is fresh off the heels of an awe-inspiring game-winner in Game 3 and is picking Toronto apart in every possession he has the basketball. He’s averaging 35.6 points, 11.3 assists, and 8.3 rebounds  over the span of three games, an incredible stat line following his strong seven-game series against Indiana.

If things are close down the stretch, the Cavs should not think twice about it and defer to LeBron every time on offense.

2. Watch for DeRozan: Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan has been anything but efficient in this series, especially when he’s needed most. DeRozan spent most of the fourth quarter on the bench Saturday while the Cavs put his team in a daunting 3-0 hole.

Too much time was spent this season hyping the second unit of Toronto as some game-changing card the Raptors could use at their will to put the Cavs at a disadvantage. As expected, that card was a dud and the Raptors are stuck in the same boat.

If DeRozan and Kyle Lowry fail to show up tonight, their season ends with the same fate.

3. Everyone gets involved: The Cavs have looked a lot better since getting out of the first round. A lot of that can and should be credited to the team getting everyone involved.

For starters, Kevin Love has returned to his All-Star form and is commanding the paint against Toronto’s bigs of Jonas Valanciunas, Serge Ibaka, and Pascal Siakam. Following that, Kyle Korver continues to have one of his better postseasons and has become the surprising third option for the team with his ability to knock down shots from deep.

If the other role players just add a little bit of production, Cleveland is a scary team to match up against. They’ve proven such in this second-round decimation.