Cavs
Credit to Toronto. Everyone had them left for dead after getting housed twice in Cleveland to start the Eastern Conference Finals. Someone forgot to tell the Raptors, who evened the series at 2 with an impressive 105-99 win on Monday night.
It was the type of star-driven performance from DeMar DeRozan (32 points on better than 60-percent shooting from the field) and Kyle Lowry (35 points on 70 percent shooting from the field) that a lot of us would have expected to see from the Cavaliers.
This loss could prove to be a little troubling for Cavs supporters. We still believe the Cavs will win this series, but check the following items that happened Monday night:
First, if the Cavs are going to fade against a home crowd like the one in Toronto, well, whomever the Cavs draw in the Finals will be worse. Yes, the “We the North” mantra the Raptors fans have embraced is catchy, but that home-court edge is not as loud or as vibrant as the Warriors’ or the Thunders’ right now. Plus, if it’s Golden State, the Warriors would have four home games in the seven-game series.