2018 NBA Playoffs: Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers preview

1. Can James make up the entire gap?

Judging by the entirety of both rosters, including the matchup between the head coaches, the Raptors are the better team in this series. They have star power, a better coach and a well-rounded supporting cast that brings consistent contributions on both ends of the floor on a nightly basis.

However, the Cavaliers have LeBron James, possibly rendering all of those advantages obsolete.

It’s ludicrous to suggest that one player can make up an entire laundry list of deficits for their respective team. Until you remember LeBron’s history in these types of situations.

Remember the 2015 NBA Finals, where James, with a supporting cast highlighted by Matthew Dellavedova, took the eventual champion Golden State Warriors to six games, with ridiculous averages of 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game?

Or how about the first round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs, where no other player ever scored 20 points during the series, James averaged 34.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game to propel Cleveland into the second round for this very matchup with the Raptors.

In his 15th season, while his body is barley deteriorating, LeBron’s mind has only grown stronger, allowing him to see the game five steps ahead of everyone else and exert his will on every single offensive possession.

After leading both the regular and postseason in total minutes, including seven straight trips to the NBA Finals, James shouldn’t be able to cover for his inconsistent supporting cast enough to advance to the Conference Finals.

Then again, would we really be all that surprised if he did?