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 center Timofey Mozgov (20) dunks in the fourth quarter against 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 /

3. Cavaliers Win With Different Approach

One of the key points coming into this series was how well the Cavaliers were shooting the ball from beyond the arc. They averaged 19.3 three-pointers against the Atlanta Hawks and were shooting 46 percent from distance.

Based on those numbers, the Raptors thought it would be wise to run Cleveland’s shooters off the three-point line. While this strategy seemed reasonable in theory, the results were disastrous.

For starters, the Cavaliers owned the interior, scoring 56 points in the paint, including 20 in the first quarter. Furthermore, the Cavaliers nearly doubled-up the Raptors on the boards with a 54-35 advantage.

"“You want to take away one thing, but you don’t want to open up a whole can of worms to give ’em layups,” Casey said, via CBSSports.com. “And that’s what we gotta be disciplined with.”"

So although the Cavaliers shot just 7-for-20 from three-point range, the frequency in which they were able to score around the rim more than made up for their somewhat mediocre output from long range.

Next: No. 2

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