Raptors Discussion: Raptors name Nick Nurse as new head coach
- Thread starter The Nemesis
- Start date
- Status
tmlfan98
No More Excuses #MarnerOut
If there's any Toronto team that is good enough to exorcise their demons this year, it's our Raptors!!!
Go under screens and stay home in shooters on defense. The guy guarding TT can help, everyone else stay home and hope Siakam and OG can guard Lebron decently.
On Offense, speed up the play and tore the Cavs out, smash the paint of they play Love at the 5.
On Offense, speed up the play and tore the Cavs out, smash the paint of they play Love at the 5.
Eyedea
The Legend Continues
Budsfan
Registered User
- Sep 17, 2006
- 19,218
- 1,365
2018 Playoffs: Game 1 Preview - Raptors vs. Cavaliers | Toronto Raptors
2018 Playoffs: Game 1 Preview - Raptors vs. Cavaliers
Holly MacKenzie - Raptors.com
Posted: May 01, 2018
Cleveland Cavaliers (0-0) @ Toronto Raptors (0-0)
When: Tuesday, May 1, 8 P.M. ET
Where: Air Canada Centre
Broadcast info: TNT, TSN, TSN1050
LAST MEETING
The Raptors were 1-2 against the Cavaliers in three meetings during the regular season. In their only meeting at the Air Canada Centre, Toronto dominated from beginning to end, defeating Cleveland 133-99 behind an 18-for-42 performance from beyond the arc. The remaining two games in Cleveland — both Cavs victories — were much closer. On Mar. 21, Cleveland defeated Toronto 132-129, thanks to a 35-point, 17-assist performance from LeBron James. On Apr. 3, the Cavs earned a 112-106 decision with James again leading the way, scoring 27 points, while Kevin Love added 18 points and 15 rebounds, and Jose Calderon added 19 points.
LEADING INTO TONIGHT'S GAME
Injury report: The injury report is currently clear for both teams.
Familiar foe: This is the third consecutive year that the Raptors will face the Cavaliers in the postseason. During the 2016 playoffs, the Cavaliers defeated Toronto 4-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals. Last season, Cleveland completed a four-game sweep in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Cavaliers have been to the Finals for the past three seasons, with James led-teams (Miami and Cleveland) having made it there for the previous seven consecutive seasons.
Home court: The Raptors enter this series 3-0 at home this postseason. This continues the success the team saw on its home floor during the regular season where the Raptors finished 34-7, an NBA-best. In three meetings with the Cavaliers in the postseason, this will be the first time Toronto starts the series on its home floor as the higher seed. "All year, you fight to be No. 1 for that home court advantage," DeMar DeRozan said.
EXTRA ASSISTS
Points on the board: DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors offensively in the first round, averaging a career-high 28.8 points against the Washington Wizards. He also set a new postseason career-high for points in a game, scoring 37 points in Toronto's Game 2 victory. He enters this series already holding the record for most 30-point games in the postseason in franchise history (13).
OG ready: Though the Raptors will be using multiple defenders on LeBron James, rookie OG Anunoby will get his opportunity to try to slow the four-time MVP. In Toronto's first-round series against the Wizards, Anunoby started every game, and showed zero sign of postseason nerves. Raptors head coach Dwane Casey expects that calm to continue into the semifinals. "He's a mature young man," Casey said. "I don't think he's going to get rattled as far as the moment. In the first series against Washington, he did not get rattled. He was cool and under control in what he did. His thought process, he had attention to detail. He made mistakes, but for the most part his attention to detail was like a veteran player. That's the only thing you can ask for from a young player."
Bench mob mindset: Though DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry and Jonas Valanciunas, the three longest-tenure Raptors, led the way in Round 1 against the Wizards, Toronto's bench figures to factor prominently in the second round. In the regular season, the bench mob finished fourth in the league, averaging 41.8 points per game. Though production dipped in Round 1 as Fred VanVleet missed four of six games (and appeared in just three minutes of Game 2 with a sore shoulder), his return in a close-out Game 6 performance coincided with the bench having its strongest showing of the season.
VanVleet credited Indiana for how hard they played against the Cavs in their seven-game first round series. He also praised James, before sharing his mindset, when it comes to facing one of the best players in the league. "I respect the guy a lot, the type of player he is, obviously, the person is," VanVleet said. "But for me, the most respect I can give him is to not give him any respect, in terms of going out there and just trying to challenge him and take him down, and that's our job, and that's what we need to do this week."
GoonieFace
Registered User
JV needs to dominate. They have no one that can guard him. Want to see more Siakam, guy has been a beast so far and Van Fleet is the straw that stirs the drink for the 2nd unit. I can't see them losing this series, LeBron has to be on fumes and the rest of that roster is a tire fire.
Clark4Ever
What we do in hockey echoes in eternity...
Defend home court. If we can't beat this version of the Cavs in a 7 game series, we really don't deserve a shot at the title.
This is the year it finally happens..Raps will beat the Cavs..if Indiana ALMOST did it, unless they choke, there should be zero excuse. Hopefully the bit of adversity they faced against the Wizards should bode well for them
No you live with him scoring and focusing on keeping Love, JR and Korver off the 3-point line
Suntouchable13
Registered User
If we can't win this series, there has to be a serious personnel shake up. Can not go into next season with basically the same team again.
Eyedea
The Legend Continues
There’s basically another two years left of this core, so we probably won’t see any serious changes except maybe a move to try and keep FVV on the team. By 2020 everybody but DeRozan is off the books, the same year Anthony Davis becomes a free agent. A year later, Giannis is a free agent, and I’m sure a lot of people are thinking Masai is going to try his hardest to bring him in.
Garlando
Registered User
The gameplan I think to beat LeBron is a lot like what the Pacers did to him...make him beat you and wear him down. Take away the 3 point outlets including running them off the line and play Lebron pretty well straight up (with some help from whoever is guarding Tristan Thompson at times). Make him beat OG Annunoby who is a great on-ball defender, make him beat Siakam who is one of the most well conditioned players in the entire league and athletic/long enough to distrupt him, make him beat Ibaka who's length and strength can slow him down. Bang on him when you can (hopefully this is where Ibaka comes into play with occasional hard fouls) and make life difficult for him. Offensively, play up tempo (please don't slow down to their pace) and move the ball! The Cavs are not a good defensive team, they aren't super athletic either so they struggle in transition and extra ball movement will tire them out and generate open shots in half court settings. The Raptors are younger, and have fresh legs in comparison and I think they can wear the Cavs out with depth. I hope JV isn't a liability defensively (he's shown to be way more mobile this year), as I think he could be a matchup nightmare for the Cavs offensively and on the glass. X-factor to me for the Raptors is CJ Miles and his ability to hit his 3's and potentially play the 4 if the Raptors are forced to go small with their rotations. Taking Raptors in 6 in this series!
Suntouchable13
Registered User
How can they justify that? Going with the same team again is basically wasting everyone's time.
Yeah, I'd say you let LeBron have his 30 to 40 points, and try your best to limit the rest of the team to 50 to 60ish.
inthe6ix
Registered User
Exactly this.
I hope to God that Dwayne Casey learned what Indiana was doing playing Bogdonovich straight up on LBJ with no help basically the entire series. We cannot be double and triple teaming him off the ball leaving wide open 3's for his teammates. That would be playing right into his hands as he wants and needs to get his teammates involved in order to beat us.
Let him score 40-50 on his own; he's already exhausted from the last series considering he had to do everything and log all those minutes. As long as he doesn't get secondary scoring and everyone else stays on their man, he cannot and will not beat us on his own.
PLAY HIM STRAIGHT UP 1-on-1 and turn him into a scorer, not a facilitator.
donghabs98
Moderator
In other news, the documentary "The Carter Effect" is now on Netflix. I highly recommend as it demontrates the effect Vince Carter had for the Raptors both on and off the court. Although it also brings back bad memories of Rob Babcock.
Eyedea
The Legend Continues
They can justify it by making the finals this year. DeRozan ain't going nowhere, Lowry likely will not go anywhere either. Ibaka's contract probably cannot be moved, and JV is transitioning his game to the point where he becomes a more important piece than previously thought.
trellaine201
Registered User
Alerion
Registered User
I hate those charge calls. Love is sliding sideways and sells the charge. Ibaka was almost on the ground by the time contact was made.
With that said, gotta be smarter because you know they're gonna bait the charge.
With that said, gotta be smarter because you know they're gonna bait the charge.
Eyedea
The Legend Continues
Alerion
Registered User
- Status
Ad
Latest posts
-
Confirmed with Link: Lindy Ruff named Head Coach, Press Conference at 1:00 PM EDT- Latest: CaliSabresfan24
-
-
