The Cavaliers and Raptors battled all season long attempting to lock up the top seed – and homecourt advantage – in the East. And five games into the Conference Finals, the importance of that accomplishment has become abundantly clear.
The Cavaliers continued the trend that’s shaped the series – throttling the Raptors, 116-78, in Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead heading back to Toronto on Friday night.
If the Wine and Gold can do something they haven’t done all season – come out of the Air Canada Centre with a win – they’ll wrap up the Eastern Conference and make their second straight trip to the NBA Finals. Lose, and it’s back to The Q for Game 7 on Sunday night.
After a pair of frustrating losses north of the border in Games 3 and 4, the Cavaliers – led by their Big Three – came out ready to rumble on Wednesday night, blowing the game open in the first quarter and cruising from there.
In just three quarters of work, Cleveland’s power troika of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love nearly outscored the point total Toronto posted in four – combining for 71 points in the win.
On the defensive end, the Cavs handled Toronto’s dynamic backcourt duo of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry – who combined for 67 points in Game 4 – to just 27 points on 7-for-20 shooting in Game 5.
Wednesday’s contest featured six lead changes – all in the first three-and-a-half minutes of the game. After Tristan Thompson threw down a two-handed jam to give Cleveland a one-point lead at the 8:32 mark of the first, the Cavs spent the rest of the quarter running downhill – closing the period on a 17-3 run and putting the Raptors in a bind the rest of the way.
Kevin Love came into Game 5 desperately trying to shake out of a funk that saw him combine for just 13 points on 5-for-23 shooting in the two contests in Toronto. He did exactly that – leading both squads with 25 points, going 8-of-10 from the floor, 3-of-4 from beyond the arc and 6-of-6 from the stripe.
Love – who added two boards, two assists, two blocks and a steal on Wednesday – sat out the fourth quarter in each of the previous two games in Toronto. He did so again in Game 5, but this time he was joined by the rest of Cleveland’s starting five as the Cavs’ reserves nursed a lead that reached 43 points in the final period.
“(Love)’s confidence never wavered,” praised Coach Tyronn Lue. “He knew exactly what he had to do. We talked about it, and then today, this morning we talked about it also. And after the game he’s like: ‘I told you.’”
LeBron James topped the 20-point plateau for the 23rd consecutive Playoff game – netting 23 points on 10-for-17 shooting, adding a game-high eight assists, six boards, a pair of steals and a blocked shot.
Kyrie Irving has notched at least 20 points in 11 of Cleveland’s 13 postseason contests – scoring 11 of his 23 points in the first quarter and going 9-of-17 from the floor overall, pitching in with three boards, three helpers, three steals and a block.
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