Outwit. Outlast. Outplay.
The motto from the Survivor TV series sums up Monday night’s Raptors-Cavaliers second round NBA Playoff series opener to a T.
Cleveland outwitted, outlasted and thoroughly outplayed Toronto in a game that has now set the tone for this series.
The Raps cannot sleep walk against LeBron James and the Cavs and hope to advance to the Eastern Conference Final like they managed to do versus Milwaukee in round one.
DeMar Derozan… (who finished with 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting) you have to start attacking the rim like we all know you can.
Patrick Patterson… (a dreadful 1-for-7 from the floor, including 1-of-5 from 3-point range) if you can’t hit an open shot, please take a seat on the bench beside Fred VanVleet and let someone else take your minutes.
I liked the way Kyle Lowry (20 points, 11 assists) and P.J. Tucker (13 pts, 11 rebounds) played in Game 1, but they needed help and no one was able to step up in a 116-105 loss.
That scoreline, by the way, is flattering for Toronto.
The Cavs took control of the game in the 1st quarter when they raced out to a 30-18 lead and rattled the Dinos throughout the night with their deadly touch from beyond the arc.
Toronto came out flat, on both sides of the ball, and is now a remarkably miserable 1-12 in playoff series openers.
Listen, the Raptors can’t, and won’t, win this series unless they can match the star-studded Cavaliers offensively and steal a game in Cleveland.
And the Cavs can’t lose unless they go ice cold and beat themselves.
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