2018 NBA Playoffs: Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers preview

2. Are Lowry and DeRozan scared of LeBron?

After being eliminated at the hands of the Cavaliers the past two postseasons, including an embarrassing sweep in the 2017 NBA Playoffs, it’s safe to say that the Raptors haven’t had the easiest of times against Cleveland in playoff past.

Granted, that was when Kyrie Irving was still dressed in the wine and gold, but one key player still remains from those two playoff matchups, and it’s really the only one that matters: LeBron James.

While the Raptors may be intimidated by the King, James doesn’t seem to feel the same way, as evidenced by his antics in last season’s four-game series, in which he can be seen fake-drinking a beer after a foul and spinning the ball right before draining a 3-pointer right in Serge Ibaka’s grill.

https://twitter.com/DefPenHoops/status/859917767016886272

If one were to ask both Lowry and DeRozan if this assumption were true, they’d both quickly dismiss it, probably laughing in the process, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t at least a bit of truth to the idea.

As we saw against the Pacers, James is capable of winning games while playing virtually 1-on-5 on the offensive end.

For all of Toronto’s success during the regular season, after experiencing the wrath of LeBron firsthand in the playoffs, the Raptors’ backcourt duo might start to sweat just a little bit after seeing what James did to Indiana in the first round — making it all the more interesting to see whether or not they rise to the challenge when the games tighten up.