Toronto Raptors: 3 reasons the season is over

2. Raptors’ dynamic duo is anything but

The Raptors deserve a lot of credit for the way they reshaped the offense over the offseason.

Relying too much on both Lowry and DeRozan, head coach Dwane Casey decided to modernize his game plan, emphasizing ball movement and 3-point shooting, allowing everyone to contribute while making sure the defense couldn’t simply zero in on Toronto’s All-Stars.

Even with the team-first style of play, talent, more often than not, is what wins playoff series.

With a great 1-2 punch, the Raptors had that, but in their matchup against Cleveland, their 1 and 2 didn’t play like their normal selves, fueling the narrative that LeBron holds a psychological edge over them.

Despite a five-point performance in Game 4, Lowry actually somewhat showed up against the Cavaliers, averaging 17.8 points, 8.8 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game on 57.1 percent shooting. for the series.

It was DeRozan that failed to embrace the challenge, as the four-time All-Star averaged just 16.8 points on 43.9 percent shooting, highlighted by a benching for the entirety of the fourth quarter in Game 3 after scoring just nine points prior.

LeBron James has been known to up his game when playoff time rolls around. It’s part of the reason he’s been to seven straight NBA Finals, knowing when to turn it on.

To defeat such a special talent requires equally special play. Toronto wouldn’t advance with anything less than Lowry and DeRozan being their absolute best. They weren’t, and it showed mightily.