Raptors vs. Cavaliers 2017 live stream: Start time, TV schedule, and how to watch Game 1 online

Does anyone doubt the Cleveland Cavaliers this year? Probably, since the Cavaliers exist as an exercise of doubt. It’s like Cleveland wants to test our confidence in them time and time again. But after falling down 3-1 in the NBA Finals and coming back from that, even after this year’s bizarre, unfocused regular season featuring god-awful defense throughout, it’s becoming increasingly hard to pick against the Cavaliers winning in the end.

That faith or doubt in Cleveland gets put to the test against Toronto on Monday in Game 1 (7 p.m. ET, TNT). The Cavaliers have had a week of rest after sweeping the Indiana Pacers, although all four games were incredibly close. Meanwhile, Toronto fell down twice to Milwaukee, losing Games 1 and 3, before closing them out.

This is, on paper, Toronto’s best team since they emerged as one of the top Eastern Conference squads. They added Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker at the trade deadline, two huge additions that give them a defender who has a real chance to bother LeBron James and a stretch forward who fills a gaping hole they’ve had at the power forward position. They have several options at center, DeMar DeRozan coming off his best season and an excellent series vs. Milwaukee, and (hopefully) Kyle Lowry is finally rounding into shape. You can’t ever trust the Raptors in the playoffs, though, so who knows what version of this team we’ll actually see.

We all know about Cleveland. It’s James, with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love behind him and a bunch of shooters filling in on the wings and coming off the bench. They can beat virtually anyone if they play their best basketball. We haven’t always seen them do so, but in the postseason, it seems like they always have a switch they can flip.

Can they do it again, or will Toronto cause them problems?

TIME: 7 p.m. ET

CHANNEL: TNT

STREAMING: Watch TNT, other options