Thriller in Cleveland! The Cavaliers give a 17-point lead despite an outstanding LeBron James. The comeback of the Toronto Raptors, however, is not rewarded. LeBron leads the Cavs with an incredible buzzer beater to a 105:103 victory (BOXSCORE) and a 3-0 lead.
Raptors coach Dwane Casey reacted to the 0:2 series deficit with a change in the starting five. The previously desolate Serge Ibaka had to take a seat on the bench, for him Fred VanVleet was on the floor right from the start. So Toronto switched to a small ball lineup. But first, this change backfired completely.
The guests from the far north got off to a catastrophic start. Only 2 of the first 12 field tests found their way through the cage. At the same time, the Raptors had 4 turnovers on their account after only a few minutes. Not surprisingly, Cleveland took advantage of the weak phase and took an early 14-4 lead.
After all, Toronto found their way into the game a bit better during the first quarter. After the guests had fought their way up and were able to keep up relatively well in the second run, the Cavs turned up again shortly before the break. Kyle Korver was responsible for 7 consecutive points, LeBron James unstoppably attacked the Raptors defence and the hosts finished the first half with a 16-2 run (55:40 for the Cavs).
At the start of the third quarter, the Raptors returned to the game. Toronto started the second half with a 12-2 run before Cleveland finally had an answer. This came mainly in the person of James, which allowed the Cavs to set themselves apart again to 17 points.
But this was by no means a preliminary decision. After a rather quiet evening Kyle Lowry hammered a threesome around the Cavs first, only to shorten it with a layup to 80:85 about 8 minutes before the end. But LeBron found a gap in the Raptors’ defense over and over again – or he simply sunk an ice-cold stepback jumper with one hand on his face.
But the Raptors didn’t give up. Led by the now strong Lowry, Tornot fought his way up to 2 points in the final minutes – without DeMar DeRozan, who caught a pitch-black evening and had to watch the comeback from the bank. Due to an unsuccessful play after a timeout of the Raptors, the guests seemed to throw away their chance to shoot the game.
However, LeBron and Jeff Green weakened from the free-throw line and O.G. Anunoby pocketed a three-pointer 8 seconds before the end – the first draw in the entire game! But it shouldn’t be enough.
James brought the ball forward in the final attack, pulled towards the baseline on the left side of the court and tried it with an incredible off-balance runner. The spalding went over the board into the basket and thus right into the heart of the Raptors.
James was the hero of the evening not only because of the game winner. The king dominated the match at will and finished the match with 38 points (14/26 FG), 6 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals. He received helpful support from Kevin Love (21 points, 16 rebounds), Kyle Korver (18), George Hill (12) and Jeff Green (11).
Raptor’s was Lowry’s top scorer and best man. The Point Guard led his team to a comeback with a strong fourth quarter and a total of 27 points and 7 submissions. Anunoby contributed 18 points, while Ibaka scored 11 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks from the bank.
The Cavaliers took the 3-0 lead and are about to enter the Eastern Conference Finals. In game 4 in the night from Monday to Tuesday LeBron and Co. could complete the sweep in their own hall.
Cleveland Cavaliers – Toronto Raptors 105:103, series 3:0 (BOXSCORE)
LeBron James. What a performance for the 33-year-old. The Raptors’ defense found absolutely no means against James, who scored with dangerous drives, unstoppable fade away jumpers or ice-cold stepback-threes. His unbelievable game winner was the icing on the cake for a very strong performance.
DeMar DeRozan. The shooting guard’s statline reads miserable. On DeRozan’s account, 8 points at 3 out of 12 left the field that night. Otherwise he only contributed 4 rebounds and 2 assists. Accordingly, he was not used in the entire fourth quarter, although the Raptors made it exciting again – maximum punishment from Coach Casey.
The Raptors went to great lengths to make life difficult for LeBron James with a very physical defense. However, this was only partially successful. LeBron was able to pass his defender with every posession. Only rarely did Toronto send double teams, often the help came too late (or was powerless). Even if the Raptors switchten after a pick & roll and LBJ presented different looks, this could not stop the King.
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