NBA Playoffs! Round 2, Game 2: Toronto Raptors 110 - Cleveland Steamers 128 (CLE 2-0)

[Just Is]

Changing my prediction on this series officially: Raps in 7.

I actually missed the second half of this game so I'm not as down as I likely should be.

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[Garbo]

Yep. Raps in 7


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[Scraptor]

Question: does anyone think Raps are down 2-0 at home against Philly or Indy?

Question: does it matter?

Are we trying to compete with the Philly and Indys of the world, or the Warriors and Cavs?

[Scraptor]

Casey deserves a lot of the blame, but you bring in James Naismith to replace him, and it makes little difference. The capped out core isn't talented enough to be a serious threat.

We've reached the expiry date of the #WeTheNorth era.

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Even if we have, it's hard to see what can be done over the next two years. It is probably impossible to trade Kyle at 32/33 making $31 million a year. The same is true for Serge at $22 million a year. Norm played 3 minutes tonight and makes $10 million. No takers offering positive assets for JV to date.

You might be able to move DeMar but it's almost like what's the point if you can't move the other big contracts? The only cautionary tale is that Atlanta stuck with Horford/Millsap until they both walked on their own terms, and the team netted zero assets back.

It's just a really, really difficult situation, and I'm guessing that Casey will be axed to appease the masses and that's it. Maybe Norm or JV is moved because of luxury tax considerations.

[Other Scott]

Casey isn't going to get axed after a 59 win season and runner up for Coach of the Year. It's just not happening.

Internal growth - it has made the Raptors better every season they play and that's what they'll continue to bank on. Continued growth of Siakim into the starting 4, and FVV and OG. The Raptors role players need to step it up and just frankly play better in these big games and internal growth is how it's going to happen.

[inthepaint]

That was simply brutal.

--They deserved to lose, this was not on the refs, but it started when Lowry was called for a blocking foul that should've been a charge. That rattled them mentally a lot more than it should have.
--ACC is quiet as tomb at the beginning of the 3rd. A combination of people as always not getting back to their seats in time, plain fear of the cavs, and the presence of Serge Ibaka on the floor.
--Bron smells fear, and starts to drive with confidence.
--We showed we learned nothing, overhelp on Bron's coverage, leaving cavs shooters alone
--Bron racks up assists and points in the paint, so he feels even more confident
--He's now ready to toy with the raptors psyche, and start to try a demorilizing series of fade away jumpers that are all money.
--Defence loses confidence, stops caring. Offence gets the usual dose of desperation low-quality shots
--Throughout all this Casey does nothing relevant.
--Rather than getting in bron's face, show some fire, get him on the ground with a hard foul, pick up fight or something, anything to break the cavs momentum, we just bow down to him, sof as pudding. The crowd was actually "wowing" after bron's fadeaways.
--The just like that, the morale is irreparably broken, which is the worst way to lose a game.

I've been one the more positive posters here, but I'll be real: after a combination of two staright losses at home (for the first time this season), the two losses being a combination of the two worst possible ways to lose (a OT loss by 1 and blowout where Bron just toys around), they are, unfortunately, done for the year (as it pains me to say)

I liked this team. They played well this year and provided a lot of entertainment. I'm disappointed it had to end this way, at the hands of Bron no less, but I still find a silver lining in that they modernized their offence this year, and provided a much better brand of basketball. It was just not enough to get past the cavs mental block unfortunately.

It was fun everyone, see you in the offseason..

[CalgaryRapsFan]

If the Raptors completely collapse and bow out with a whimper, in 4 or 5 games, can we finally move on from the Casey/Lowry/DeRozan core... 3 or 4 years too late?

[Other Scott]

Probably not CRF. Even if they dumped Lowry and Derozan somehow, the role players at this point are too good to lose more than 45 games. Just enjoy having a really good Raptors team for a couple more years, and hope for more conference finals appearances and maybe back into the Finals in a fluky year.

[Other Scott]

It's a little crazy how suddenly Lebron and Love go insane for a game at the worst possible time for the Raptors and now everyone wants to blow up this team we loved and enjoyed watching all year.

You don't make decisions based on one game, especially when your opposition just played at an insane level. Game 1 was a fluke loss, Game 2 was just an all time performance from an all time player with actual role players showing up (unlike the Indiana series). And yeah now the season is over. But that's the nature of the playoffs, small things that we wouldn't care about in January become the whole deal - when in reality it doesn't actually mean that much more than if it had happened in January. A game is a game, playoffs or no.

[slaw]

If the Raptors completely collapse and bow out with a whimper, in 4 or 5 games, can we finally move on from the Casey/Lowry/DeRozan core... 3 or 4 years too late?

Yeah, we could have been fondly looking back on another 35 win season and praying for lottery balls. What a shame.

[LJ2]

Just so disappointed with the Raps. They came out playing not lose in that third quarter and just got run over.

I like our team. I like our guys. But there is something with Cleveland simply having the Raps number that apparently can't be shook. I'd like to think they'll come out guns blazing and shock the world but I don't know that the issues can be resolved with tactics and effort. The Cavs got a few buckets to start the quarter and it was panic time from there on out.

I'll be there for games 3 and 4 - hell, I've stuck around for far worse - but my faith in this group is all but gone after tonight.

I'd love to know what Ujiri is thinking about now....

Probably thinking that end of season presser is gonna be a bitch.

[S.R.]

It's a little crazy how suddenly Lebron and Love go insane for a game at the worst possible time for the Raptors and now everyone wants to blow up this team we loved and enjoyed watching all year.

You don't make decisions based on one game, especially when your opposition just played at an insane level. Game 1 was a fluke loss, Game 2 was just an all time performance from an all time player with actual role players showing up (unlike the Indiana series). And yeah now the season is over. But that's the nature of the playoffs, small things that we wouldn't care about in January become the whole deal - when in reality it doesn't actually mean that much more than if it had happened in January. A game is a game, playoffs or no.

It wasn't one game, the Raptors are 2-10 in the playoffs against Lebron and that % is about to get worse.

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[sanyo]

If the Raptors completely collapse and bow out with a whimper, in 4 or 5 games, can we finally move on from the Casey/Lowry/DeRozan core... 3 or 4 years too late?

Jerry Stackhouse/Kevin Durant/Chris Paul era?

[The Great One]

It's a mental thing. Theae guys are just not mentally tough. I mean, the Pacers almost beat the Cavs in the 1st round. The Raps are better than the Pacers and the Raps might get swept by Cleveland.

“I’ve been in this business 18 years and I don’t think I’ve been more disappointed in a team than I am right now,” Charles Barkley on the Raptors pic.twitter.com/LzZJ16IHQ4

— TurnerSportsPR (@TurnerSportsPR) May 4, 2018

[S.R.]

It wasn't one game, the Raptors are 2-10 in the playoffs against Lebron and that % is about to get worse.

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The zero expectation Pacers (picked to miss the playoffs by many) just won more games against Lebron in one series than the Raptors have in the last three postseasons. How about that.