5 reasons the Raptors can beat the Cavaliers
By Jacob Rosen
2. Kyle Lowry is a very, very good point guard
The malaise surrounding Toronto’s playoff offensive performances has clouded another baseline fact: Kyle Lowry has been one of the Eastern Conference’s best point guards for a long time now.
It’s not a significant stretch to say that Lowry has been more productive and valuable than Kyrie Irving over each of the past two regular seasons. Yes, Irving is younger, flashier, and has more potential. But Lowry has been the better performer day-in and day-out. He followed up his first All-Star appearance in 2014-15 by upping his scoring from 17.8 to 21.2 points per game. He takes a ton of threes, grabs a lot of steals, and orchestrates much of Toronto’s game plan.
Despite his shooting struggles this postseason, the Raptors actually have been much better with Lowry on the court. They’re +77 in 553 minutes with him playing; they’re -69 in 134 minutes without him. His high-scoring partner DeMar DeRozan actually has a negative playoff plus-minus (-5 in 522 minutes).
So as Lowry goes, so goes Toronto in this series. He’s also had some impressive statistics success against the Cavs of late, averaging 25.7 points and 9.3 assists in six games over the past two regular seasons. Those averages are highlighted by his career-high 43 in the team’s dramatic February 26 victory at the Air Canada Centre.
Next: 1. The Cavs won’t stay this hot from three-point range