5 reasons the Raptors can beat the Cavaliers
By Jacob Rosen
3. Toronto will look to slow down the pace
During the regular season and also postseason as well, both of these teams rank among the slowest-pace teams in the leagues. That might seem counterintuitive with the Cavaliers’ recent hot shooting streak, but they’ve never been a consistently fastbreak-oriented team.
A slowed-down pace could favor Toronto. With fewer possessions, anything can happen and an upset could surprisingly occur. One advantage that Toronto will look to play up in this series: Its propensity for drawing free throws and slowing down the game in that way. The Raptors ranked third in the regular season in free throw attempt rate (.328).
DeMar DeRozan (8.4 free-throw attempts per game) was third in the league while both LeBron James (6.5) and Kyle Lowry (6.4) ranked near the end of the top-20. Both Kevin Love (4.1) and Kyrie Irving (3.6) were far less proficient at getting to the line.
As slow, monotonous and hard to watch as Toronto’s playoff offense has been, that could be used strategically as a counter to Cleveland’s non-stop barrage of three-point shooting. If the Cavs get on a hot streak, the Raptors will look to slow it down and regain some momentum. A two-pointer late in the shot clock can be just as demoralizing to an opposing defense as a quick three.
Next: 2. Kyle Lowry is a very, very good point guard