Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 Takeaways From Game 1 Blowout

Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 Takeaways From Game 1 vs. Raptors

May 17, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts after a 115-84 win over the Toronto Raptors in game one of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /

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May 17, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) and forward Kevin Love (0) defend Toronto Raptors guard Cory Joseph (6) in the third quarter in game one of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Cavaliers Bounce Back From Slow Start

As I mentioned a bit ago, the Cavaliers came out somewhat sluggish, allowing the road team to get off to a fast start. However, from the midpoint of the opening period up until halftime, the Cavaliers locked down the Raptors … to put it mildly.

Not only did the Cavaliers outscore the Raptors by a 53-27 margin during that stretch, they also got scoring from nine different players, with many of their easy baskets looking like this one.

By contrast the Raptors connected on just 35 percent of their attempts. missed 11 straight shots and scored just 16 points in the second quarter. For the first six minutes of the game, the Raptors looked like they belonged on the same stage as the Cavaliers.

From that moment on, though, the Cavaliers reminded their opponent that they were not the Indiana Pacers or the banged-up Miami Heat.

In other words, the Raptors may have managed to hang around against inferior teams, but that certainly wasn’t going to be the case against a hungry, well-rested Cavaliers squad.

Next: No. 4

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