Cavaliers clobber Raptors in Game 2, 125-103: 3 takeaways

The Cleveland Cavaliers crushed the Toronto Raptors 125-103 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Here are the three biggest takeaways from Game 2.

The Cleveland Cavaliers continue to be a juggernaut of a basketball team on their home court. Cleveland pulverized the Toronto Raptors in Game 2 of their 2017 Eastern Conference Semifinals series, 125-103.

Cleveland got off to a 34-22 lead after the first quarter and never looked back. Outscoring Toronto 37-25 in the third quarter is what ultimately made this playoff game in Cleveland a rout. The Cavaliers should feel great about themselves heading into Game 3 in Toronto, while the Raptors should be worried about an early exit in this best-of-seven series.

Here are the three biggest takeaways from the Cavaliers’ blowout of the Raptors in Game 2.

LeBron James dominates, but not at the free throw line. It’s playoff time in the NBA, so we were largely ready for a LeBron James takeover game. The Cavaliers’ first-round sweep of the Indiana Pacers came and went, but Wednesday night was the first game that James took complete control of that mattered in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.

He exited the game with several minutes left in the fourth quarter. James had a game-high 39 points on 10-14 shooting, including 4-6 from 3-point range. He would have a quiet six rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks to go with almost 40 points.

However, James continues to struggle at the free throw line. He attempted 21 shots from the charity stripe, but only sank 15 of them. Interestingly, James shot 71.4 percent from the field and 71.4 percent from the free throw line. James is amazing, but his free throw game remains his lone Achilles’ Heel as an NBA player. Could this come back to cost him in later rounds?

Sad times in the starting Toronto backcourt. Toronto has won with their starting backcourt at a very high level the last few years, but tonight was not one of those nights. Shooting guard DeMar DeRozan had an atrocious offensive performance and point guard Kyle Lowry had to exit the game with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter.

DeRozan is a bit of a high-volume shooter at the two-guard. Normally, his elite mid-range game has him somewhere in the vicinity of 20 to 30 points a night. He had zero shooting touch on Monday night with five points on 2-11 shooting from the field. Throw in his three assists and three rebounds and it was a very forgettable night for DeRozan. At least he didn’t turn the ball over.

Lowry had 20 points and five assists on 7-12 shooting, but an injury to his ankle in the third quarter might make him questionable for Game 3 in Toronto. He tweaked it when he semi-collided with small forward P.J. Tucker in the paint possession for rebound on a Kevin Love shot. Should Lowry miss any time or DeRozan play that badly in either Game 3 or 4, Toronto has no chance to even take this series to six games.

Cleveland can win the title with 3-point shooting. We know that the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets will dismantle the opposition with their elite 3-point shooting. While Cleveland has been the best sharpshooting team in the East this season, the Cavaliers have elevated to having championship-caliber jump shooting.

Cleveland shot 54.7 percent from the field on Monday night. That’s outstanding, but connecting on 54.5 percent of its attempts from distance makes Cleveland capable of at least keeping pace with Golden State or maybe even Houston in the 2017 NBA Finals.

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James and company continue to space the floor marvelously. He and point guards Kyrie Irving and Deron Williams are doing a phenomenal job of executing the drive-and-kick. Cleveland may be a terrible defensive team, but at least they can keep pace with the highest octane offenses in the NBA today.