Raptors bounce back, take Game 3 from Cavs
TORONTO – The Toronto Raptors have had a simple formula for success during this season's NBA Playoffs: When DeMar DeRozan or Kyle Lowry thrive, the team's chances of victory rise dramatically.
Aside from early foul trouble for Lowry that kept him on the bench for much of the first half, the All-Star backcourt duo was clicking on all cylinders for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Cleveland Cavaliers. It resulted in the team's first victory of the series.
The Raptors snapped the Cavaliers' 10-game playoff winning streak on Saturday with a 99-84 win in Game 3 at Toronto's Air Canada Centre. The Cavaliers now lead the series 2-1.
DeRozan in particular was extraordinary for the Raptors, setting a franchise record with his ninth 25-plus playoff scoring game. Strong start-to-finish performances have been few and far between for DeRozan, but after the Raptors were routed in the first two games of the series, he needed something big to avoid falling into the historically insurmountable 0-3 series deficit.
That's exactly what happened, because DeRozan put 32 points, five rebounds and four assists on the board to lift his team to the crucial win. Raptors coach Dwane Casey said DeRozan has competed at a high level in the team's most important moments. He did so again in another pressure-filled situation.
"I don't know if we need to get hit upside the head before we play, but we have to treat every game like it's Game 7 almost," Casey told reporters after the game. "People can write us off, it's a long series – it's not over yet. Everyone thought we was going to get swept and that fuels us. If that's what it takes, so be it."
When the Raptors fall on wobbly legs in a series, that seems to be when their stars shine brightest. DeRozan dropped 30 points in a Game 7 win over the Indiana Pacers in the opening round, and in Game 7 of the conference semifinals against the Miami Heat, he combined with Lowry for 63 points in a series-winning effort.
Although DeRozan was a shining star, it was hardly a one-man show for the Raptors. Lowry backed him up with 20 points, while center Bismack Biyombo set a playoff franchise record with 26 rebounds.
The Raptors believe the key to victory stemmed from the defensive end, though. The Cavaliers were limited to just 20 points in the paint after getting inside for a combined 106 points in the first two games of the series. DeRozan said his team made necessary adjustments, and the results were clear.
"We learned from the first two games," DeRozan said. "That's when the lapses of the game started with us. They took advantage of it in the first two games. … We had a rhythm and we came out with the win."
The Raptors believe the outcome was a product of making effective adjustments and keeping strategic discipline. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, took a different perspective. Coach Tyronn Lue said he saw mistakes from his players that didn't occur in previous playoff wins.
"We just had a bad night," Lue said. "Give them credit, they played well, they played like a team with their back against the wall. They came out and they beat us. They were more aggressive, they were more physical, they more faster, more active. They beat us to the ball. You've got to give them credit for coming home, playing hard and feeding off the home crowd. We just got to play harder."
After losing the first two games the Raptors did what avoided another negative result that would have put their season on life support. Now the pendulum swings to the Cavaliers, who will want to avoid back-to-back losses in Monday's Game 4 in Toronto.
Prior to Game 3 the playoff had been a smooth-sailing venture for the Cavaliers. Afterward superstar LeBron James recognized the upside of experience a first playoff loss can bring and plans to use the game as motivation to help his team flourish.
"We didn't play our game and they made us pay for it," James said. "It is a little adversity. It's the postseason, you lose a game and it's our first loss of the postseason. I would count it as a little adversity. We've got to go back to the drawing board, not fix everything, just a few things, and be much better on Monday."