East Conf. Semis: Cleveland Cavaliers 113-112 Toronto Raptors [OT] - 5 Talking Points

#3 Jonas Valanciunas ate off Kevin Love's lunch money in the 3rd

Cleveland Cavaliers v Toronto Raptors - Game One

JV was a dominant force on the interior for much of the game, though his effectiveness slumped at the end of the game in terms of scoring the ball. Valanciunas finished 7-of-19 from the field, which is a misleading figure given how much of an influence he had on the game in totality.

His dominance on the interior allowed him to hold Kevin Love to just 1 made field goal through the duration of the first half. On the other end, he piled up the agony on the Cavs particularly during the 3rd quarter, when they were fielding a small-ball lineup without Love, Thompson or Larry Nance, who sat the game out.

Valanciunas' final stat line of 21 points, 21 rebounds, 2 assists and a block is, overall, a fair representation of how much he exerted his physical dominance over the Cavs' frontcourt - especially Kevin Love, who finished with just 7 points. Love did have a team-leading 13 rebounds, but it was overall a singularly bad night on both ends of the floor for the perennial All-Star.