After Games 1 and 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, nearly everyone assumed it would be a cake walk for the Cavs to breeze through Toronto and wait around to see who comes out of the West.
When the series went up north, the painful reality sunk in that the Cavs are not invincible and the Raptors aren’t a laughing stalk after all.
Toronto had great all around play from their role players, like Cory Joseph, who made life difficult for Kyrie Irving; Luis Scola and Patrick Patterson, who held their own against Kevin Love; and DeMare Carroll, who did a decent job on LeBron James and did not allow him to go off for 30 plus points.
It’s Toronto’s newfound Big Three that has made this a 2-2 series though.
Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, and the unlikely hero Bismack Biyombo have given the Cavs nightmares in Games 3 and 4.
Lowry has been on a roller coaster ride of a postseason, struggling mightily at times, like Games 1 and 2 in Cleveland, but then showing why he’s an All-Star in the two games up north.
Lowry also has to be credited along with Joseph for playing solid defense against Irving, not letting the point guard get easy looks.
As for DeRozan, he has been the most consistent scorer for Toronto throughout the playoffs.
Even in the first two games in Cleveland, he was one of the few bright spots offensively for the Raptors.
Cavs shooting guard J.R. Smith has been lauded for his defense all season, but could not stop DeRozan in the last two games in Toronto, as the Raptor shooting guard scored 30 or more in both games.
The third member of the trio, who did not emerge as a starter until center Jonas Valanciunas went down in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, is someone for whom the Cavs have no answer.
Biyombo is a monster. He’s outworking everybody on the floor and just looks like he wants it more.
Undersized center Tristan Thompson, who makes about $13 million more per year, has looked relatively soft compared to the Congolese big man.
Biyombo grabbed a franchise playoff record 26 rebounds in Game 3, and grabbed 14 boards in Game 4 to go along with three blocked shots.
No one would dispute that the Cavaliers have more talent on paper than Toronto, but there is no debate which team has hustled more and worked harder in the last two games.
Aside from a rough Game 3, Irving has been productive in the series and has been more consistent than Lowry. However, Lowry’s 35-point performance in Game 4 was the most dominant of any player in that game. As of right now, the battle between the two point guards is about even.
When it comes to LeBron, there’s no one in the league that can do what he does in terms of all-around game. He’s been as good as advertised, but at least in the two games up north, the Raptors have not let him take over a game. DeRozan for the Raptors is obviously not as great of a player, but in Game 3, the argument could be made that he was the best player on the floor in that particular game.
As for the third stars of the two teams, the struggles of Love in back-to-back games are a cause of concern for the Cavalier faithful. Love was playing as great as anyone could have hoped in the first ten playoff games, but in the past two games, his disappearance has shown that this Cavs team can only go as far as their Big Three takes them.
Sure, Channing Frye can hit some clutch threes and have a great game. The team still came up short.
If Smith was knocking down shots, maybe the game turns out differently. But it’s impossible to ignore the common theme in the Cavs two playoff losses in 2016. When Love is off, the team has lost.
We can’t forget that Toronto looked pretty awful in the first two games of the series. One member of their “Big Three,” Lowry, was struggling just as much as Love has in the last two games.
It will be interesting to see what happens when both teams have their top trios playing at a high level.
As of right now, with the series tied, it’s fair to say that these two teams, and their Big Three’s, have played at an even level.
The Raptors have won all four games in Toronto in the 2015-2016 campaign. The Cavs have won all three in Cleveland.
Anyone who was taking the Raptors lightly before Saturday night has been put on notice.
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