LeBron James sucked the life out of Toronto

With 3:12 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Cavaliers up 22, LeBron James stood on the sideline, towel draped over his shoulder, with a cheek-to-cheek smile. If you had done what he had just done to the Raptors in Game 2, you’d be smiling from the sidelines, too.

All told, James finished with 43 points on 19-of-28 (67.9 percent!) shooting in Game 2, sucking the life out of the Air Canada Centre to push the Cavaliers to a 2-0 series lead with the series shifting back to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4. He also had 14 assists, becoming the first player in playoff history to post a 40 and 14 game.

The Cavs built a lead as big as 20 in the fourth quarter. No matter how hard the Raptors tried, they simply didn’t have and answer for James.

This one over OG Anunoby was just plain disrespectful. It’s like James is at Rucker Park, or maybe in a practice gym shooting over orange cones.

Or how about this one, over the 6’0” Kyle Lowry? The Raptors probably should have sent some help right? They didn’t.

Here’s another one over Anunoby. This time he stopped on a dime before firing off from mid-range.

James posted up his opponent, faked one way, turned the other, and faded far outside arm’s length before draining a gorgeous, falling jump shot over his Raptors’ defender. Then he did it again. And again. And again.

And of course, there was his third quarter takeover: 15 points, six assists, four rebounds, and a steal. It was the third period that blew the lid off this game in the first place. After James took over, there was no going back.

It would be one thing if the Raptors had an awful shooting night. Then you could chalk it up to everything going wrong for Toronto. You know, the old try-your-luck-next-time treatment.

That wasn’t the case. The Raptors actually played really, really well. They shot 55 percent as a team and dished out 24 assists. Their bench mob chimed in with 37 points. DeMar DeRozan had 24 and Kyle Lowry had 21. Against most teams, that performance would have been enough to secure a victory.

But the Cavaliers, despite the tumultuous season they’ve had, still are not most teams. They have the best basketball player in the world. They have an all-star power forward in Kevin Love who woke up and sprayed the Raptors for 31 points. And they have a host of moving pieces learning how to play with each other on the fly.

This Cavaliers’ team is scary, and if the Raptors and their fan base didn’t know that before, they sure as hell do now. The series now heads to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4.

The Cavaliers swept the Raptors in the second round last season. If Toronto doesn’t do something — and it’s unclear if they can — this one is over before it ever started and history will repeat itself.