East Conf. Semis, Game 2: Cleveland Cavaliers 128-110 Toronto Raptors - 5 Talking Points

The Cleveland Cavaliers consolidated on their clutch performance in Game 1 with a masterful offensive display in Game 2 to take a 2-0 lead back to the Quicken Loans Arena for Game 3 on the 5th of May. As is customary for them, LeBron James took most of the headlines with another performance for the ages, and there really are very few superlatives left to describe his dominance and excellence on the basketball court.

The Toronto Raptors started the game as the better team by a whisker, but Cleveland took the game into their control in the 3rd quarter and never relinquished the lead, shooting up to a lead of as many as 23 points in the 4th quarter. They removed their starters from the floor with a little under 3 minutes remaining in the game, which was as good as over at that point.

The Cavaliers' blowout of the Raptors, who just can't seem to catch a break against LeBron James, means bad news for the rest of the league.

The following are 5 talking points from the game.

#5 The contrast in turnovers between the two teams

DeMar DeRozan turned the ball over just once but it was backcourt partner Lowry that did so 4 times.

The Raptors turned the ball over 11 times in the game, and often they did it at crucial junctures - continuing a disturbing theme from game 1. Usual suspect Kyle Lowry led the team with 4 while playing more than half the 4th quarter on 5 fouls and in perpetual danger of fouling out.

The Cavaliers, on the other hand, were exemplary in the way they took care of the ball. Primary ball handler LeBron James continued his error-free playmaking from Game 1, stacking up 14 dimes while turning the ball over just once through the game.

The primary reason for this dissonance in turnovers between the teams was the way the Cavaliers ran their offensive possessions. They seemed to have rehearsed their possessions in practices before this game - such was the metronomic accuracy that they displayed on the night. The lack of constant ball pressure from Toronto certainly helped their case, as Toronto played to contain them instead of forcing them into moves they didn't want to make.

#4 Toronto's decision-making was rank bad

Toronto Raptors huddle up

As remarked in the previous slide, Toronto failed to put any sort of feasible pressure on the ball handler. Moreover, when put under pressure by the Cavaliers, they wilted like flowers after the sunset and came up with some really inefficient plays to force the issue.

But by far their biggest shortcoming on the night was their failure to utilize Jonas Valanciunas on the offensive end. The Lithuanian primarily takes the floor for his effect as a rim runner, scorer and rebounder on offense, as he's not a particularly great defender. Whereas the Raptors looked to set him up in the paint or down at the low post on a number of occasions in Game 1 (with good results at that), they refused to do the same in this game.

In fact, Valanciunas gave up on demanding the ball after a while. Also, on a number of occasions when he went to the perimeter to set a pick, he failed to follow it up with a roll of substance, despite often having the opportunity to make a cut through an open lane. It did not help that the Raptors weren't looking for him, of course.

Dwane Casey's men have trained for around a year to run their offense based mainly on in-game improvisations, but none of their players exuded an unpredictable air. Their offensive possessions were mostly stale and lacked imagination, and it is tough to find a single play in the game when they moved the ball around in a memorable fashion before a bucket.

Backup point guard Delon Wright had several opportunities to take open jump shots after being left open by the Cavaliers at the 3-point line. Instead, he gave the advantage right back to his opponents by electing not to shoot every single time. The match would have been an infuriating watch for neutral fans in a large part because of this.

#3 LeBron James had a historic night

LeBron James

Following a game 1 in which he had one of the most inefficient playoff games of his career (taking 30 shots to score 26 points), LeBron James bounced back with a performance for the ages. This postseason, setting the scoreboard alight has been the norm for The King, but this particular night, he was in his very best jump shooting form.

Some of the post-up plays he executed with elite defenders OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam were reminiscent of prime Hakeem, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. His fadeaway jumpers from the baseline were almost infallible on the night, and he made them with eerie accuracy. On most occasions in the past, LeBron has used his physical tools to take the game over, but today he was in a class entirely his own - constantly reminding fans why he's in the GOAT conversation.

James did not force the issue at all. In the first quarter, he focused on setting his teammates up. Kevin Love was the chief beneficiary of this, taking 8 shots in that quarter alone and getting into a rhythm. James only attempted 2 shots in the quarter, making one.

But he finished the night with the 23rd 40+ point game of his playoff career, ending with 43 points, 14 assists and 8 rebounds - becoming the first player in NBA history to record a playoff game with 40+ points and 14+ assists. This was his 103rd playoff game with 30 or more points, and his 16th with 30+ points and 10+ assists - one more than Michael Jordan.

#2 The Cavaliers' strategy of force-feeding Kevin Love paid huge dividends

Kevin Love driving on CJ Miles

Kevin Love had been having the worst playoffs of his career till game 1 at Toronto. Before tip-off today, he'd been converting just 32% of his field goal attempts and 39% of his 3-pointers while scoring a measly 10.9 points per game - which are worse than Carmelo Anthony's numbers for the Oklahoma City Thunder this postseason.

Coach Ty Lue seemed to have instructed the whole team to feed Kevin Love the ball at every opportunity they could find, and he took 8 shots in the first quarter alone. While he had a slow start, he started to find a rhythm after some excellent ball movement and cuts by him put him in position to throw down a couple of dunks.

Love shot 21 times on the night, making 11 of those shots. He took six 3-pointers, making 2 of them. His final figures of 31 points and 11 rebounds seem much more All-Star worthy than any figures he put up in his previous games, and he seems to have found a groove for himself.

Such an outing will do wonders to his confidence. It was his added scoring punch that allowed the Cavaliers to score 98 points by the end of the 3rd quarter while holding an 11-point lead heading into the 4th quarter. If he keeps up the same level of production, the Cavaliers can expect to make the Finals for a 4th straight season.

#1 The Cavaliers' role players continued their excellent play

JR Smith scored 15 points in Game on 5-of-8, coming off of 20 points in Game 1

Headed into this series, the Cavaliers were slight underdogs in the eyes of most fans, given the mostly lackluster performances in the first round by their role players. Based on the evidence from the first 2 games, it is clear that their role players have been playing with a point to prove, and have thus delivered according to their capabilities.

While LeBron and Kevin Love did combine to score 74 points between themselves, the rest of the team stepped up to the plate for a third successive game. 3 other players finished with double-digit scoring totals, while everyone barring Rodney Hood and Jordan Clarkson shot over 50% from the field.

The Cavaliers as a roster match up quite favorably with the Raptors, and they've used this to their fullest advantage. JR Smith continued to impress mightily with his defensive desire and effort, and he also scored 15 points on 8 shots (including 2-of-3 from downtown).