Game Preview: Cavaliers v Raptors

The Cleveland Cavaliers host the Toronto Raptors in Game 1 of the Eastern
Conference semifinals at Quicken Loans Arena on Monday. The Raptors got off to
an ugly start in these playoffs by getting down 2-1 to the Milwaukee Bucks, but
they finished off that series with a three-game winning streak to advance to
this point. The direct correlation with that streak was the insertion of Norman
Powell into the starting five, as he’s scoring at will and helping stretch this
offense. It remains to be seen if they’ll stick with this new lineup, but it
seems likely that they will with Cleveland often using a small-ball lineup
themselves. Even though Jonas Valanciunas has been relegated to bench duties,
he’ll still be a huge factor in this series, as Toronto needs him to dominate
this small Cavaliers frontcourt when he does come into the game. The Cavaliers
had a bizarre first-round series, as they pulled out a sweep in rather close
fashion. In fact, they set an NBA record for lowest point margin in a series
that was swept, with a total margin of 16 points against the Indiana Pacers. A
sweep is a sweep though and that allowed Cleveland to take a much needed week
off. That’s all this team could ask for too, as many of their key players have
been nicked up throughout the season. Some believe that this much rest could
harm a team on such a roll, but this is a veteran bunch who will not let up when
it matters most. The Cavaliers will be happy to be playing at home too, as they
went 31-10 in Quicken Loans Arena this season. The road teams dominated this
season series, as they went 3-1. Cleveland looked poised for a season sweep
after winning the first three games, but they chose to rest their “Big Three” in
the final matchup, to give the Raptors a concession win. This is a rematch of
last year’s Eastern Conference finals in which Cleveland won 4-2.