Fansided

Cavaliers eliminate Raptors for third straight season

By Ben Ladner

CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 7: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts to a call by officials as OG Anunoby #3 of the Toronto Raptors looks on during the first half of Game 4 of the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena on May 7, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 7: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts to a call by officials as OG Anunoby #3 of the Toronto Raptors looks on during the first half of Game 4 of the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena on May 7, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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No one erases doubt like LeBron James. His teams have long been ones that thrive off of – and even embrace – adversity, a trait that trickles down from their leader. In the face of a 3-1 deficit in the Finals, threats to his title of Greatest Player in the World, mid-season lulls and age-related decline, James has silenced all skepticism to come his way. And from the outset of Monday night’s closeout game against Toronto, a 128-93 Cleveland win, James again eliminated any trace of uncertainty regarding the result.

The Cavaliers’ sweep of the Raptors was not an athletic competition so much as it was a surgical dismantling. With a revamped and retooled attack, Toronto comfortably secured the top seed in the East and the second-best record in the NBA. The Raptors were the only NBA team in the top five in both offensive and defensive efficiency. By the time James was through with them, they had been made to look ordinary. All series long, James controlled every element of the game with alarming ease. The one game he didn’t cap off with a spectacular buzzer-beater he put far out of reach with an impossibly pristine shooting performance.

For the better part of the first half of Game 4, James acted primarily as a facilitator, spotting shooters and cutters for easy baskets rather than forcing the issue himself. That, along with his total of eight turnovers in the series, is a testament to the power of an engaged LeBron surrounded by four capable shooters – a formula that has propelled Cleveland to three consecutive Finals appearances. Eventually, he eased into a primary scoring role, by which point the game’s outcome was beyond question. In all, James finished with a cool 29 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists in 38 minutes. For the series, he posted a sparkling 34.0/8.3/11.3 line on 55.4 percent shooting.

To characterize the state of the Raptors as bleak would sell short the crushing and all-to-familiar disappointment that has come to define an era. Their season has ended at the hands of James and the Cavaliers for a third straight season, and none of the series have been particularly close. Toronto has now lost 10 straight playoff games to Cleveland and become apparently shaken by the challenge of bucking that trend. The letdown of another sweep might have been less disappointing were it not for the false hope of a 59-win regular season and the promise of a higher playoff ceiling. As Cleveland stumbled through roster changes and Boston became increasingly hobbled by injury, the Raptors claimed a spot among the league’s truly elite teams and the path to an elusive Finals appearance felt clearer than ever. Those days feel distant and artificial, and hindsight will make fools of those who ever believed this team could be any more than the same old Raptors.

Next: 5 things we learned from the Cavaliers erasing the Raptors

But these weren’t the same old Raptors. There was some reversion back to bad habits of old, but the stylistic and philosophical changes that provided so much cause for hope were real, even if they did little to change the team’s fate. Toronto jumped six spots in defensive efficiency, vaulted from dead last to sixth in assists and took vastly more efficient shots. DeMar DeRozan made meaningful, if insufficient, steps toward becoming a more complete player. Pascal Siakam, Jakob Poeltl, Fred Van Vleet and Delon Wright proved legitimate rotation players. OG Anunoby grew more confident by the month and held his own – to the extent a rookie can – against James. That Cleveland slacked off and fell to the fourth seed shouldn’t annul that progress.

Still, the future remains murky. That drastic and thorough an overhaul doesn’t happen for the payoff of a mere first-round victory. Toronto shelled out to lock in their core and compete in an immediate window. Realistic or not, the Raptors had championship aspirations regardless of whether or not James stood in the way. As they and the rest of the East know all too well, he always does.

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