JR Smith draws the defense to him and drops off the dish to Ante Zizic who goes up strong for the slam.
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112-112 with six minutes left. It has been very entertaining and very loud at the Q. Hate to be pessimistic but I'm a little doubtful the Raptors have the legs to push through ...
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Take a look at the calendar. It's not yet April. There are 11 games left and plenty of questions that need answered before the postseason starts.
But it's hard to watch Wednesday's back-and-forth slugfest between the Cleveland Cavaliers and East-leading Toronto Raptors and not think about a potential rematch in May, with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line.
Judging by the atmosphere inside Quicken Loans Arena, stand-in coach Larry Drew's comments before and after the game, unique playoff-like strategies used by both coaches and LeBron James' focus level, it certainly had a different feel -- an early preview of the conference finals.
Only there's one tiny caveat: Final outcomes don't portend future results this time of year.
If anything, the feisty Raptors showed the Cavs just how bumpy the road back to the Finals is going to be.
Cleveland had plenty of reasons to smile after its 132-129 come-from-behind victory. The Cavs picked up the win without five important pieces -- Kyle Korver, Rodney Hood, Larry Nance Jr., Tristan Thompson and Cedi Osman -- of their deep rotation and that shouldn't be ignored. Head coach Tyronn Lue was still away from the team, trying to get healthy so he can rejoin soon. It was Kevin Love's second game back from a broken bone in his left hand and he was still on a minutes restriction while sucking wind at times. The Cavs even had to use John Holland, who was completely out of place.
Despite those built-in excuses, the Cavs rallied from 15 down and might've added a few more points to the mental scoreboard -- an edge the East champs seem to enjoy over every conference foe.
But the Cavs weren't the only team playing with the deck stacked against them.
For Toronto, it was the second game of a back-to-back, third in four nights and 10th in 16 nights. Head coach Dwane Casey chuckled pregame when asked about the lack of practice time recently, unsure when they would return to the practice floor.
Fred VanVleet, who had missed the previous two games because of a bruised right hand, was a game-time decision and wasn't 100 percent. Noted Cavs killer CJ Miles, who scored 16 points in the earlier meeting between the two teams, couldn't play Wednesday night because of the flu, robbing the Raptors of the chance to use the league's best statistical lineup since the start of February. Norman Powell, taking Miles' place in the rotation, didn't provide the same floor spacing or command the same attention. He also didn't give the typical production, scoring just four points in 10 minutes.
OK, now those excuses are out of the way.
Wednesday's game showed these aren't the same Raptors, some overmatched squad that is destined for a lopsided outcome like last year's playoffs, when Toronto was swept out of the conference semifinals with relative ease.
They have moved away from the isolation-heavy and predictable offensive attack that led to them bogging down in the halfcourt. This identity change, brought about following last year's playoff exit, has turned them into an elite offense, one that will be more potent in a seven-game series.
Entering the night, Toronto ranked fourth in offensive efficiency, 13th in pace and third in scoring. They tallied 129 points on 47-of-87 (54 percent) from the field and 15-of-34 (44.1 percent) from 3-point range while assisting on 32 of 47 made shots. In two games against the Cavs, they are averaging 131 points, getting to see firsthand how the new offense can shred the defensively challenged Cavs.
The 3-pointer is now a staple of the Raptors' recharged offense, unlike last postseason when the Cavs buried them underneath a lopsided margin of 102 total points from beyond the arc. On Wednesday, the difference between the two teams from deep was zero, as the Raptors extended their current streak of at least 10 triples in a team-record 14 straight games.
That young second unit, which has garnered plenty of attention, certainly didn't crumble in a hostile environment. Led by VanVleet, Jakob Poeltl and Pascal Siakam, the Raptors' reserves outscored Cleveland's wounded group by 35 points.
Toronto has its flaws, just like every other team in the East. When the pressure mounted in the second half, the East leaders fell back into old habits, going away from snappy ball movement and relying too much on ISO-ball.
Prior to tipoff, Casey stressed the need to fine-tune the shoddy pick-and-roll coverages, which the Cavs -- and James -- exploited brilliantly throughout the course of the night. So bad, it prompted Kyle Lowry to call the defense "trash" and "disgraceful."
The starting group was significantly outplayed, highlighting one of the differences that still exists between the two teams.
And as was the case last May, the Raptors had no answer for James, who morphed into Playoff LeBron, delivering one of his best performances while also sending a resounding message about what lies ahead for every team that tries to stand in Cleveland's way.
The Cavs haven't always had the look of a title contender this season. But few are willing to doubt their chances -- at least, in the Eastern Conference. That's the power of James, their trump card, the one player more than any other that can single-handedly dictate outcomes of postseason series and leave even the best defenses helpless.
On Wednesday, he scored 35 points and dished out 17 assists without recording a single turnover. He scored or assisted on 27 of the 34 fourth-quarter points. Against the league fourth-ranked defense.
"I've never seen anything like it, to be perfectly honest with you," Drew said. "It's just amazing at what he does, night in and night out. How he sustains it, is just mind-boggling. What he brings for us, I mean it's just, you can't describe it. But he is the guy we know that we go through and depend on a lot, and we need him to bring the other guys along, which he has done. It just seems like every night, every night the things that he (does), I sit over there and I just kind of shake my head. I'm just glad that I'm coaching him."
Still, how many teams can stay competitive with the Cavs when James delivers that masterpiece? How many teams can stay within striking distance on a night the Cavs shoot an unsustainable 60 percent from the field and 62.5 percent from 3-point range? A night the Cavs had all five starters reach double figures? A night Jose Calderon made it so the Cavs didn't miss Korver? A night in which the Cavs boasted the third-highest offensive rating (142.5) in a game this season?
Answer: Not too many. Well, the Raptors did, clanking a desperation potential game tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Last year, those numbers add up to a Cleveland laugher. How could the Raptors not feel good about that performance? The gap is closer than ever before, with the Raptors representing the toughest East test the Cavaliers have had during this near-four-year run.
The Cavs should feel awfully good too.
"It's a good win for us because of how depleted we are on our roster and everything that's been going on," James said. "It's a good win for us against a very good opponent. But I don't need to remind anybody about what my teams are capable of doing."
As the playoffs approach James deserves that kind of trust. He's proven it time and time again. He said the other day that no team wants to see him coming into their building for a Game 1. He's right. With him, the Cavs will always have a chance. Versus anyone.
In a future matchup against the Raptors, he could very well be the difference once again, the only one that matters. Toronto -- and others -- know beating him four times won't be easy.
But as the Raptors showed again Wednesday night, seeing them in the postseason won't be a walk in the (Jurassic) park either.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- LeBron James said it hours before the Cavaliers stunned the East-leading Toronto Raptors Wednesday night.
"What is known is I'll be available, so we have a chance," was how he put it.
The Cavs are injured, they're disjointed, and they're searching. They hope to figure all of that out come playoff time so they can make a fourth straight Finals run.
But in the meantime, there's James, who posted his fourth consecutive game of 30 or more points in a 132-129 win for Cleveland at The Q.
"I don't know what Bron might have been thinking, but I always say there is one game during the season that changes your team," Cavs acting coach Larry Drew said. "That game can be early, it can be midway, it can be late. There's always one game that kind of changes your team, the mindset. And I really believe tonight's game might have done that for us."
James finished with 35 points, seven rebounds and 17 assists in 39 minutes. It was his sixth 15-assist game this season, a career high. He entered the game with his team trailing by three and nine minutes left, and closed with 14 points and five assists in the final frame.
He also ended the game with no turnovers for the first time since Nov. 20.
"I've never seen anything like it," Drew said. "I mean, 17 assists. What'd he have, 35 points and no turnovers? It's just amazing at what he does, night in and night out. How he sustains it, is just mind boggling. ... It just seems like every night, every night the things that he (does), I sit over there and I just kind of shake my head. I'm just glad that I'm coaching him."
James finished off the Raptors with three free throws (in four tries), and DeMar DeRozan's desperate attempt at a 3-pointer missed at the buzzer for Toronto.
As we mentioned at the top, this was a stunner. The Raptors scored 79 in the first half, not only setting a new season high for a Cavs opponent, but it was the most anyone has ever scored in a half against a James team (according to ESPN). They led by 15 at halftime.
Entering the fourth quarter, it was Toronto 99, Cavs 98. The Raptors, who had won 19 of 21, saw their franchise-long nine-game winning streak on the road come to a close.
Also, the Cavs were missing Kyle Korver (bereavement after the death of his brother), Tristan Thompson (sprained right ankle), Rodney Hood (lower back issue), Larry Nance Jr. (right hamstring), Cedi Osman (left hip flexor strain) and coach Tyronn Lue (leave for illness).
The players who were available did their part.
George Hill reappeared with 22 points on 10-of-11 shooting. He was shut out in Monday's win over the Bucks. His backcourt mate, Jose Calderon, was brilliant with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Those two kept it close with Toronto's two All-Stars, guards Kyle Lowry (24 points) and DeRozan (21 points).
Cleveland is 19-8 when Calderon starts.
Kevin Love added 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavs in just his second game after missing 21 in a row with a broken bone in his left hand.
Love caught a pass from James in the corner and drained a 3 (the 1000th of his career) with 27 seconds left for a 128-124 advantage.
"Knowing Serge (Ibaka's) tendencies, once I turned the corner, he's going to try to track me down and try to make a play at the rim if I end up there," James said. "So, once I seen him have two eyes on me, I knew I could find Kev in the short corner and that's pretty much money."
Jeff Green added 15 points and JR Smith scored 10 off the bench for Cleveland.
The Raptors entered play third in the league in defense, and obviously struggled there. The Cavs were 15-of-24 from 3-point range (.625) and shot a blistering .603 from the field. Both percentages were season highs.
Toronto's other strength is its bench. No disappointment there. The Raptors' reserves outscored Cleveland's 58-23, led by Jakob Poeltl with 17 points. Fred VanVleet added 16 points -- 14 in the first half. Then again, the Cavs were missing five rotation players. So it's hard to judge if you're taking measurements for the playoffs.
Looking back, the Cavs swept the Raptors out of the second round last year and beat them in six games in the 2016 Eastern Conference finals.
Toronto handed Cleveland its worst loss of this season, a 134-99 drubbing on Jan. 11. They play again here on April 3.
The first quarter was something right out of an All-Star Game, or maybe a video game on rookie mode.
What's this mean?
Well, The Cavs shot 77 percent (17-of-22) overall and 5-of-6 on 3s. The Raptors were just a little below that (15-of-23, 6-of-10). James piled up nine points and eight assists, but he had the audacity to miss two shots (slacker). The Cavs led 42-38 when it was over.
NEXT: The Cavs finish this three-game homestand at 7:30 Friday night against the Phoenix Suns.
