Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 takeaways from Game 2 vs. Raptors

1. LeBron James still owns Toronto

It doesn’t need an explanation, but we’ll give one anyways. What a masterpiece. Somebody print and laminate LeBron’s box score, take it to the Louvre Museum in Paris and tape it next to the Mona Lisa.

James’ Game 2 stat line: 43 points on 19-of-28 shooting, 14 assists, eight rebounds and one turnover. His plus/minus was +20. You know what, go ahead and just rip up the Mona Lisa and put LeBron’s laminated box score in its place.

James was pure artistry on Thursday night, putting on one of the best playoff performances in recent memory. The box score says he missed nine shots. I can’t recall one.

LeBron was most dominant in the third quarter as his team took and expanded on the lead. He assisted or scored on 30 of the Cavs’ 37 points in the period.

Toronto didn’t exactly make things difficult. There are two ways to slow down LeBron; press him with a strong, manic defender (i.e. Lance Stephenson or Draymond Green) or always keep an oaf-like rim protector on the floor (i.e. Jonas Valanciunas).

It was when Valanciunas, who posted another double-double, left the floor that James and company erupted.

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But let’s be real, James would have scored 40 against a lineup of Bill Russell, Bruce Bowen, Ben Wallace, Gary Payton and Dennis Rodman. No one was stopping the King in Game 2. As Mark Jones said ,”He’s hotter than fish grease!” I don’t know what that means, but it sounds spot on.