The Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors both headline an Eastern Conference match up with multiple all-stars on each team. We get to see some top-tier players matchup face to face to see which team will move on. The game starts at 7:00 PM EST on TNT.
How they got here
It seems like forever ago that the Cavs played a playoff game. That's because it was. Cleveland swept Paul George and the Indiana Pacers, making them the first team to get out of the first round and plenty of time to rest. The Raptors, on the other hand, had quite a tough journey to get here.
They took down the pesky Bucks in a matchup that has Raptors fans worrying about any future series.
Keys for Toronto
The Raptors are a weird team to dive into because you see a ton of talent on the team, but then you watch their games and that talent just isn't going anywhere sometimes. The biggest key for Toronto, other than slowing down LeBron James, is getting Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan into a rhythm. Those two can hit shot for shot with anybody in the league but the problem is getting that consistency out of them. Toronto will need those two to be on the money for the whole series if they want to match the Cavaliers firepower.
The next thing is their role players' play. The Raptors have to get scoring off their bench.
The Cavs have two or three guys off the bench that can extend a lead or give them one, and the Raptors will need to be aggressive on the bench and really hit some shots.
Keys for Cleveland
Cleveland is coming into this series well rested, so first and foremost they need to get back into a rhythm. Sometimes if another team played more recent, even if they aren't as rested they will have a rhythm from the last series.
It might take the Cavs a quarter or so to get back into it. A major key with this is that guys don't just try and iso to get shots up but that they run through some sets and some plays to get some ball movement and pick and roll action.
Secondly, they need to live with the DeMar DeRozan tough shots. He takes a ton of mid-range shots and a ton of contested ones.
The Cavs need to be content with this and live with it. You can't let DeMar get into the paint around the rim or to the free throw line. Force him to play back to the basket and live with it if he hits all his shots. The numbers won't lie.
This series is going to be heavily dictated by game 1. We'll either see the Cavs look dominant or the Raptors hang around, but either way, a rested LeBron James is scary for everyone.
