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NBA Playoffs 2017: Who will the Raptors play in Conference Semifinals?

By Akash Anavarathan

Dec 5, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) shoots for a basket over Toronto Raptors forward DeMarre Carroll (5) in the second half at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 5, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) shoots for a basket over Toronto Raptors forward DeMarre Carroll (5) in the second half at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
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With the Toronto Raptors finishing off the Milwaukee Bucks earlier tonight, they will look ahead to their next opponent, the Cleveland Cavaliers.

A rematch of the 2016 Eastern Conference Finals will be one of the two Eastern Conference Semifinals this year. After the Toronto Raptors beat the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 6, they must immediately turn their attention to the Cavaliers.

During the season, the Cavaliers beat the Raptors, three out of four times, though most of those games were earlier in the season. Cleveland won the first three games by a combined 11 points and all of the games came down to the wire.

In the last game between the Raptors and Cavaliers, the Big 3 sat for Cleveland and the game became meaningless. This series has a feeling of big brother-little brother between the Raptors and the Cavaliers. When they met last year in the Conference Finals, the Cavaliers toyed with them, winning the first two games by a large margin.

The Raptors did fight back in that series, but the Cavaliers never really broke a sweat. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry never seem to live up to the hype and the Cavaliers should fully expect to win this series.

Here’s the schedule for the Cavaliers-Raptors series:

Game 1: Monday @ Cleveland

Game 2: Wednesday @ Cleveland

Game 3: Friday @ Toronto

Game 4: Sunday @ Toronto

Coming into this series, the Cavaliers are confident after sweeping the Indiana Pacers. Their defense hasn’t looked particularly great in this series, but they’ll look to hopefully “flip the switch.”

The Raptors on the other hand, just had a tough six-game series with the Milwaukee Bucks, will look to continue their roll in this next series.

Next: 5 Offseason Needs for the 76ers

Quick prediction has me thinking the Cavaliers will complete a Gentleman’s Sweep of the Raptors.

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