2018 NBA Playoffs: Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers preview

For the Toronto Raptors to advance deeper into the 2018 NBA Playoffs, they’ll once again have to go through LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Toronto Raptors had quite the 2017-18 season, amassing the most wins in the Eastern Conference as well as the most in a single season in the team’s history with 59.

Led by All-Stars Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, the Raptors revamped their offensive strategy, relying less on iso-ball and instead opting for a free-flowing, pass-happy attack, giving them a level of unpredictability that’s plagued them in years past.

After allowing the Washington Wizards to draw even in their first round series at two games apiece, many believed the Toronto was reverting to the Raptors of old as a team that could have all the success during the regular season but crumble under the playoff pressure.

Not this year, though, as the Raptors would go on to win the next two games and advance to the conference semifinals, where their matchup poses a puzzle they haven’t quite been able to solve.

The Cleveland Cavaliers were not afforded the same level of stability as Toronto, as a midseason trade that shipped out six and brought in four impact players forced the Cavs, and LeBron James, to re-adjust rotations and reset the chemistry on the fly.

Winning 50 games, the Cavaliers were awarded a first round matchup with the Indiana Pacers, who gave them a run for their money in a seven-games serie that Cleveland ultimately prevailed in.

Despite Toronto’s consistent success in the regular season, the Cavaliers, and more specifically LeBron James, have always served as an Achilles heel, having been eliminated by Cleveland in each of the last two postseasons.

It’ll certainly be a fun storyline to watch, as the Raptors will look to end the King’s seven-year reign over the Eastern Conference.