The Cleveland Cavaliers' playoff winning streak has reached double digits, with Cleveland beating the Raptors 108-89 in Game 2 as their dominant postseason continued without concerns.
Raptors vs. Cavaliers 2016 results: 3 things from Cleveland’s 108-89 Game 2 win
Cleveland has now won 10 straight games to begin their postseason, one away from tying an NBA record.
The Raptors were better on Thursday, but their performance still wasn't close to handing the Cavaliers their first playoff loss this year. The 10 straight wins from Cleveland -- two sweeps against the Pistons and Hawks, followed by the 2-0 lead now -- is the best basketball they've played all season. They're locking down defensively while incinerating teams with a deadly offense led by ridiculous shooting from nearly everyone on the team.
After a good start in Game 1, Toronto had quickly wilted. It looked like they were on track for a much better half in Game 2 ... and then a game tied at 46 with four minutes remaining turned into 62-48 lead for the Cavaliers at the half. Kyle Lowry descending back into Bad Kyle Lowry, coupled with the poor close to the half, was just too much for Toronto to fight through. Once again, the second half was played with a large Cleveland lead throughout, one that never seemed in jeopardy even when the Raptors rattled off a couple mini-runs during various parts of the game.
The Big Three led the way for Cleveland, even as Tyronn Lue was able to keep their minutes down. LeBron James dropped 23 points on 13 shots with an 11-rebound, 11-assist triple double, Kevin Love scored 19 and did it on a spectacular 5-of-8 shooting performance, and Kyrie Irving had a team-high 26 points, shooting 12-of-22 with only three turnovers. Game 3 will come on Saturday with the series shifting to Toronto, but there have been no signs that the tide of this series will shift away from Cleveland's rampage.
The Raptors can’t slow LeBron in the paint
A trend for James all season was that he struggled from outside the paint but was so good getting to the paint that it didn’t matter. While he made some more shots in the first and second round (literally everyone on Cleveland did), his two games against Toronto have seen him get back to business dominating at the rim. Look at this shot chart, presented by ESPN early in the second half showing James’ series thus far against Toronto.
That's commanding in a way we haven't seen in a long time. The Raptors can say the reason is the absence of Jonas Valanciunas, but they were even worse protecting the rim against Cleveland in the regular season when Valanciunas was in the game (allowing 21-of-31 makes from inside five feet). Bismack Biyombo has been overwhelmed by Cleveland, while the other outside defenders can't keep up with all the different threats that the Cavaliers show.
Toronto’s offense just can’t keep up
Toronto just can't keep up with Cleveland's shotmaking in these two games, and anything would help. Valanciunas would help, with his easy scoring in the post. Lowry making shots would be nice, given he's back to missing nearly everything. DeMarre Carroll being healthy, which he still clearly isn't, would be good. But there are no actual answers that Toronto has left to deploy. Unless DeRozan and Lowry start combining for 70, this team just won't keep up with everything Cleveland can do. That's a testament to the Cavaliers more than anything.
Can Cleveland sweep its way to the Finals?
At this point, that’s the most entertaining question left in this series. Since first round series were made seven games, it hasn’t ever been done. In fact, the 10-0 start the Cavaliers are currently working with is only the fourth time ever. You’d think Toronto would pick up at least one game on their home court, but with the way Cleveland is playing, maybe this really does happen.
Either way, it’s still a ridiculous accomplishment for Cleveland.
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