Cleveland Cavaliers-Toronto Raptors Preview, Game 2 Schedule: Can the Raptors Avoid a Sweep?
The Toronto Raptors so far had several ups and downs in the NBA playoffs this year. They started the postseason by losing Game 1 of their first-round series against the Boston Celtics but were able to rally behind Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. The Miami Heat took them to Game 7, where they had to pull out all the stops to win it and get the right to face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Cavs Dominate in Game 1
Coming off a nine-day break, the Cavaliers dominated the Raptors in Game 1, 115-84, per NBA.com. The story here is that LeBron James and company are the obvious favorites after sweeping their previous two opponents. The Raptors' chances of winning this series is slim to none, so the right question to ask is if they can avoid a sweep -- something the Detroit Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks couldn't manage.
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According to the Associated Press, Toronto is expecting the worst for center Jonas Valanciunas. The team knows for a fact that he most likely will be out for the entire series and the lack of frontline offense was evident in the Game 1 rout. The Lithuanian is recovering from a sprained right ankle he got in Game 3 of their series against the Heat, the same report said. It's up to backup center Bismack Biyombo to fill in for Valanciunas, but head coach Dwayne Casey knows he couldn't get the kind of numbers Valanciunas produces on the offensive end.
The Cavs have been quite a revelation in these playoffs, although they always have been deemed favorites in the East all season long. At last, the team is healthy, with guys like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love finally a hundred percent. James, for his part, is averaging almost a triple-double (23.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists) in the playoffs and it should be pretty interesting if they go for the kill and sweep the inexperienced Raptors.
Series Schedule, Live Stream
GM 2: TOR at CLE, May 19, 8:30 PM ET
GM 3: CLE at TOR, May 21, 8:30 PM ET
GM 4: CLE at TOR, May 23, 8:30 PM ET
GM 5: TOR at CLE, May 25 | If Needed
GM 6: CLE at TOR, May 27 | If Needed
GM 7: TOR at CLE, May 29 | If Needed
Game 2 Live Stream: Watch ESPN
