- Commissioner’s statement on Ventura, Marte
- Ronnie O’Sullivan: Masters champion ‘felt so vulnerable’ in final
- Arron Fletcher Wins 2017 WSOP International Circuit Marrakech Main Event ($140,224)
- Smith challenges Warner to go big in India
- Moncada No. 1 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Braves land 2 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Kingery makes MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- New Zealand wrap up 2-0 after Bangladesh implosion
- Mathews, Pradeep, Gunathilaka to return to Sri Lanka
- Elliott hopes for rain for Poli
Is It Time to Start Taking Toronto Raptors Seriously?
- Updated: May 24, 2016
Just like that, with a gutsy 105-99 Game 4 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Toronto Raptors have given us a real Eastern Conference Finals.
And a reason to believe.
It has been a tumultuous few weeks for the Raptors’ playoff stock. They entered the postseason as the East’s clear second-best team and, to many, were the biggest obstacle standing between the Cavaliers and another NBA Finals berth.
By the end of Round 2, having endured seven-game sets against the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat, Toronto didn’t stand a chance of rattling Cleveland, let alone upsetting them. At the conclusion of Game 2, the Eastern Conference Finals were over. The Raptors lost both contests by a combined 50 points, their true colors on full display, revealing a silhouette of a pretender rather than a true contender.
Optimism didn’t even shine through after their Game 3 win. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love were terrible, combining to shoot 4-of-28 from the field. Bismack Biyombo (26 rebounds), DeMar DeRozan (32 points) and Kyle Lowry (20 points) were in beast mode at the same time. It was the Cavaliers’ first loss of the playoffs.
The Raptors got lucky.
But then Game 4 happened.
Share Tweet
Toronto came out prepared again, stretching its lead to as many as 18 points. Every Cleveland run, and there were many, was met with a swift response. Toronto even withstood a blistering fourth-quarter start that helped the Cavaliers seize the lead and should have portended doom for the home team, according ESPN Stats & Info:
Cavaliers scored 27 points on 11-11 FG in first 7:48 of 4th quarter.Last 4:12: 3 points on 1-10 FG (1-8 3-pt FG)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 24, 2016
Rather than fold, as they did by the end of the first half in Games 1 and 2, the Raptors pushed back.
DeRozan pumped in 12 of his 32 points during that final frame. He was yet again spectacular (14-of-23 shooting), probing the Cavaliers’ shoddy paint protection with his drives and drilling ridiculously difficult shots when the situation called for it:
DeMar DeRozan spins his way to the rim for the reverse! #PhantomCam https://t.co/eXz5q19G3D
— NBA (@NBA) May 24, 2016
Lowry was, somehow, better than his All-Star running mate. Nine of his 35 points came in the fourth quarter—the perfect …
continue reading in source www.bleacherreport.com
