Cavaliers destroy Raptors 116-78 to take 3-2 lead in East Finals
BY STONE LEXINGTON
CAVALIERS BEAT WRITER
For the first time in the 2016 NBA Playoffs, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ proverbial backs were against the wall Wednesday night.
The Cavs had just lost two games to the Raptors in Toronto, which tied the Eastern Conference Finals at two games a piece. Back in Quicken Loans Arena Wednesday night, the Cavs needed to hold home court in Game 5 or face the possibility of losing the series in Game 6 back in Toronto. Just prior to Wednesday night’s contest, Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue said there wasn’t any pressure on his team.
“No pressure,” Lue said. “We just have to go out and play. We don’t feel the pressure. We won two games on our floor. They came out and won two games on their floor. Now we have to perform.”
Perform they did. Lue looked like a prophet as the Cavs hammered the Raptors, 116-78 Wednesday to take a 3-2 series lead. The win pushed Cleveland’s 2016 postseason record to an NBA-best 11-2, which includes a 7-0 mark at home.
“We’ve just been doing a good job of holding teams under 100 (points),” Lue said. “I just feel if we hold teams under 100, we can score 100 points and win the game.”
The Cavs left the gates blazing Wednesday night. When LeBron James closed the first quarter with a layup, Cleveland led 37-19 heading into the second. The Cavs shot 68 percent (15-of-22) in the first quarter, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, and kept the momentum flowing into the second period. When Kevin Love drained his third three-pointer of the half with 1:28 remaining until halftime, the Cavs secured their largest lead in the first two quarters, 65-31. Cleveland led 65-34 at halftime and never looked back. James, Kyrie Irving and Love outscored the Raptors 43-34 in the first half.
“I think our intensity picked up,” Lue said. “Our aggressiveness picked up. We were very physical to start the game.”
The Cavs needed big performances from their Big 3, and the trio didn’t disappoint. Love totaled a game-high 25 points in less than 24 minutes, while James and Irving scored 23 points each. With his appearance on the floor Wednesday, James passed Magic Johnson (190) for sole possession of 12th place on the career playoff games played list. Cleveland’s king also scored 20 points or more for the 23rd straight postseason game, which is the longest active streak in the NBA. Irving has tallied 20 or more points in 11 of the Cavs 13 playoff games.
“The last couple games, we didn’t bring the energy and they threw the first punch,” Tristan Thompson said. “So tonight, (Lue) told us in the pregame huddle, throw the first punch and play really aggressive and play hard, and that’s what we did.”
The Cavs entered the night outscoring opponents by 18.0 points per game in The Q this postseason, reaching the century mark in each game at home. That 18-point average will only rise after Wednesday night’s performance. Cleveland led by as many as 43 points in the contest.
“They kicked our butts,” Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said. “That’s the bottom line.
On the other end, the Raptors couldn’t get anything going. DeMar Derozan led Toronto with 14 points, and Kyle Lowry added 13. No other Raptors reached double-figures in scoring. Bismack Biyombo, who dominated the Cavs in Canada, totaled seven points and just four rebounds Wednesday.
The Cavs will head to Toronto for Game 6, where they’ll look to close out the series and advance to their second straight NBA Finals. Once up north, the Cavs will attempt to win their first game in Canada this season.
POSTED 05/26/2016 00:29
Lake County Sentinel
