Recap: Cavs 120 Raptors 112 (Or, absorbing the haymakers, going the distance)

WOW.  If this was a playoff game it would have been an all-time classic.  The Cavs caught the Raptors foaming at the mouth with revenge and somehow overcame a 69 point half.  They blew a 19-point lead and honestly when the Raptors took the lead 93-91 on a backbreaking Lou Williams’ triple I thought the Cavs might lose by 19.  But the Cavs absorbed everything the Raptors had to give, and silenced a raucous crowd over and over and over and over.  There were a month’s worth of big shots in the second half alone.  The Raptors stayed supernova hot, but LeBron James is the cosmic equivalent of a quasar – and his massive presence overshadowed everything that happened down the stretch.

1st Quarter:

The first quarter was an entertaining back-and-forth affair.  LeBron did a lot of probing into the paint to set up little dump-off passes to Mozgov, who did a great job of moving without the ball.  The Moz reminded me of Andy a little bit with the way he sealed off Jonas V to convert a handful of shots at the rim.  At the other end, Jonas answered right back.  Timofey Mozgov is a large man.  Honestly Jonas looked bigger and stronger tonight.  The Raptors isolated JV on the left block repeatedly with pretty good results.  When LeBron checked out for his usual mid-quarter breather Kyrie Irving switched from distributor to attacker.  The game had an intense feeling to it even in the early going.  The refs swallowed their whistles (first foul wasn’t called until almost the five minute mark) and the Raptors turned the game into a track meet.  Kyrie kept the Cavs offense humming along to keep pace with DeMar DeRozan, who erupted for 12 points on 6-10 shooting in the quarter.  James Jones drew a foul on a pump-fake 3-pointer and converted 2 of 3 freebies.  After one the Cavs led 28-25.

James Jones is that old man at the Y who can't do much but if you leave him alone he'll dot your eye all day long from distance.

— realcavsfans.com (@realcavsfans) March 5, 2015

2nd Quarter:

Much like he probed to set up Mozgov in the first quarter, LeBron was clearly looking to draw perimeter defenders in order to shovel passes back to James FREAKING Jones.  JFJ answered by smacking the bottom of the inside of the net on back to back possession.  Lou Williams hit a 3 and I thought “oh please don’t let Sweet Lou get going.”  But it was Kevin Love that exploded in a flaming ball of magma, as Kyrie Irving and the Cavs’ backcourt created dribble penetration to get the Raptors scrambling.  K Love made tight cuts around baseline screens, and the Cavs’ guards found him in the right corner.  He stroked three triples and a deep J and the Cavs opened up a 14 point lead that they took into the half.

With that three-pointer, #Cavs F Kevin Love has reached 8,000 points. The way Raptors leaving him open, he's going to add to total greatly.

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) March 5, 2015

The Raptors were playing a little too quickly.  They were determined to run the Cavs off the 3-point line but they were overcommitting.  The Cavs were patient, and responded with repeated dribble drives and hockey assists.  The Raptors were conversely shooting a lot in isolation.  Kyrie and KLove broke the dam with LeBron resting.

#Cavs open a double digit lead. And NOW LeBron comes back in. As we're now seeing, this team can be devastating.

— Jason Lloyd (@ByJasonLloyd) March 5, 2015

At the half, 15 of the Cavs 22 field goals were assisted, as opposed to 11 of 20 for the Raptors.  The Cavs led 57-43 at the break.

https://twitter.com/haralabob/status/573293881573318656

 3rd Quarter:

I’m not sure what Dwane Casey said at halftime.  I know what he didn’t say.  He didn’t tell the Raptors to settle down.  He didn’t point out that they were getting picked apart with their overaggressive defense and giving the Cavs a ton of easy baskets by shooting so quickly at the other end.  Right out of the gate the Raptors bit on a Kevin Love pump fake, sending him to the line for three free throws.

#Cavs have caught the Raptors in the air on pump fakes at least 3 times tonight. Two of the three I recall were 3-point attempts

— Jason Lloyd (@ByJasonLloyd) March 5, 2015

All three were 3-point attempts.  SO MANY BIRDS.

@tompestak you mean three birds

— Ben Cox (@CoxSportsOhio) March 5, 2015

The Cavs raced ahead to a 70-51 lead on back to back 3-pointers from Kyrie Irving.  The Cavs were blowing the roof off, and, with no Kyle Lowry, it seemed like the Raptors were just going to fold.  The Cavs were playing a near-perfect game offensively and the Raptors were trading 3s for 2s.  J.R. Smith got a really nice shout out from Austin Carr as A.C. confided in Fred that he honestly had no idea J.R. was such a heady defensive player (nor did I).  Mozgov jumped a passing lane at one point which got me out of my seat – he is surprisingly agile.  Everything was going right for the Cavs.

Guys, this game right here isn't Casey's fault. This is the Cavs being MUCH, MUCH better.

— William Lou (@william_lou) March 5, 2015

But they took their foot off the gas.  Kyrie decided to dribble out a fast break opportunity (fearing a chase down?) which lead to a missed 3.  James Johnson threw down an uncontested dunk the other way.  On the next possession, LeBron held the ball in the right corner for an eternity before clanking a brick.  It just felt very symbolic, like the Cavs couldn’t get over that 20-point hump (the haiku barrier!).  The Raptors kept bringing the energy and pressure.  The Toronto crowd was surprisingly loud all game even when the Raptors were getting killed.  All the lower level seats seemed empty though.  The Raptors started showing signs of life as DeRozan hit back to back triples, and Jonas continued to hurt the Cavs inside.

The Cavs left about five points at the free throw line in the back half of the third quarter and then things got testy when LeBron drove left past JV and he corralled LeBron around the neck.  I thought it should have warranted a flagrant-2 because the first arm around the neck was a flagrant-1 for incidental contact but Jonas then used his other arm to really make sure LeBron got taken down.  It was basically a football tackle and he’s lucky he only received a flagrant-1.  LeBron missed both free throws but he did end the quarter with a nifty layup at the buzzer.  The Cavs were outscored 31-27 in the quarter and the Raptors were firing on all cylinders, trailing 84-74.

Seriously concerned about LBJ's FT shooting. Beginning of his shot is notably different. Broken after such a strong start there this year.

— Patrick Duprey (@patrickjduprey) March 5, 2015

4th Quarter:

Lou Williams hit a deep 3 before Fox Sports completely returned from a commercial.  “oh no…”  The Raptors got back into the game with an impressive 1-2 punch of DD and JV.  The last thing the Cavs (already on their heels) needed was Sweet Lou Williams to heat up.  Kyrie made a nice move to create an uncontested layup from the right baseline.  He flipped it up with his left hand and uncharacteristically bricked it off the back iron.  The Raptors raced to the other end and Sweet Lou ran into James Jones, drew a whistle, and then flailed his arms in the general direction of the basket.  The refs called it in the act of shooting! “oh no…”  Now the Raptors, already the aggressor, had the zebras firmly hypnotized.  Williams sank all three free throws without grazing the rim.  But then Kyrie actually made one of the more incredible shots I’ve seen this year.  He found himself with the ball on a broken play with about 2 seconds left.  He drove left to get out of a double team but was still not in position to shoot.  So he lunged to the left and shot the ball left-handed from just inside the 3-point line.  I’ve seen Kobe do that on 10-footers, but not 22-footers.  He made it look easy.  Austin Carr commented on how badly the Cavs needed that bail out.

Kyrie Drills Jumper…Left-Handed? (via http://t.co/jwB9d4mfw6) http://t.co/lD5Oj0AAW1

— The Ghost (@C4Unleashed) March 5, 2015

It was a momentary respite, as Sweet Lou forgot that an opponent’s field goal is supposed to cancel NBA Jam-Fire, not douse it with gasoline.  He drilled another 3 – this one deeper and more difficult than the last.  (9 points in 90 seconds).  James Jones answered with a triple before Delly took turns biting on a Williams pump-fake, sending him to the line for three more free throws.  Again, all net.  Up just one, the Cavs called a timeout to bring LeBron back in the game.

Tremendous rally for Raptors, who trailed by 19 in 3Q and now within 91-90. #Cavs haven't blown that big of a lead in a long time

— Jason Lloyd (@ByJasonLloyd) March 5, 2015

On the next possession, incredibly, Sweet Lou buried another 3 – sending the Canadian crowd into a frenzy.  All those lower level seats were now filled with wild-eyed fans.  At this point, with 8+ minutes left in the 4th quarter, I fully expected the Cavs to get blown out.  It would have been “one of those nights”.  The Cavs had played pretty well for a while and just ran into a buzzsaw right as their own tank hit E, exhausted from the back-to-back.  But on the very next play J.R. Smith hit an “eh nothing better to do than shoot” triple that was woefully out of rhythm.  But it at least stopped the gushing blood.  Terrence Ross then hit a corner 3 to regain the lead.  The score stood 96-95 Raptors with six minutes to play.  So, using the title as reference, do the math.  In a half-quarter of basketball, the Cavs outscored the Raptors 24-18.  It was INTENSE.  There are too many big shots to even remember each one.  There was a constant theme, however.  LeBron slow-walked the ball up the court on almost every possession.  The Cavs flanked him with James Jones, J.R. Smith, Kyrie Irving, and Tristan Thompson – an ultra-small lineup (it’s worth noting, at this point JV was sitting too)  LeBron calmly overpowered his defender and either scored or fed the shooters on ever play, although on one of them he tried throwing down a monster one-handed dunk and was robbed of free throws.  But on the very next possession he met much less resistance.

With LeBron able to dig deep and summon an energy that even the Raptors had exhausted, he forced a committed collapse on every play.  James Jones buried a wide-open 3 and then LeBron (The MVP of this league) buried two free throws before dropping back-to-back 3-point bombs on the Raptors.  And these were the contested, “no-no-no-YES!” kind– the kind that superstars make.  The Raptors never stopped scoring at the other end.  But the second of two 3s put the Cavs up seven with a little over three minutes.

OK, LeBron.

— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) March 5, 2015

For a moment, the Cavs had resumed control.  But that moment was fleeting!  Because (guess who?) Sweet Lou swished an absolutely ridiculous right to left 3 from WAY behind the line.  The intensity of the game was outstanding – that crowd was really treated to a barnburner.  After Jonas bullied his way into an offensive rebound putback against the much smaller Tristan (remember commenters, you never need a reason to debate JV v TT on draft night 2011) the Cavs’ lead stood at just two, 108-106.  But then, Earl Smith III swished a right-wing three off a feed from LeBron who had the Raptors defense dancing like puppets.  Sweet Lou ran down the other way and I fully expected a roof-ejected beyond-heat-check 3 with LeBron draped all over him.  But he got flustered when TT and LeBron doubled him and he threw a pass right to James Jones.

Kyrie earned free throws the other way and canned them both.  At this point, many Cavs fans had justifiably questioned why Tristan Thompson was getting so much burn over Mozgov, especially with Jonas having his way in the paint.  On the very next possession, TT got switched on DeRozan, who couldn’t shake Canadian Dynamite.  He failed to draw enough contact to earn a whistle, and succumbed to a weak turn-around fadeaway that missed everything.  And that was the ballgame.

I stood in my living room with my heart pounding.  It wasn’t a “must-win” game by any stretch but the intensity from the opening tip made it feel like a very important game.  In the middle of the 4th quarter Austin Carr said: “Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. If they can pull this one out they will show what they’re made of.”  Indeed.  The Toronto crowd gave loud, congratulatory cheers as the final buzzer sounded.  I’m guessing they were equally proud of their hometown boys for fighting back without Kyle Lowry and just flat entertained by greatness.

Things I Liked:

1.) Kyrie Irving made a number of disgusting layups tonight, and of course he had that left-handed shot.  He is worth the price of admission.  He had a transition hesitation dribble that I’ve not seen from him before.  He is just a wizard.

Kyrie Irving is probably the only guy would could have a highlight tape of layups.

— Kevin Pelton (@kpelton) March 5, 2015

2.) The Cavs, on the second night of a back to back, overcame a hungry team that spent about 10 minutes completely unconscious. It was as gritty a win as the LeBron-Less win over Portland.  Kyrie wore the cape in that one, tonight he shared it with LeBron who was just as much of a superhero with 29 Points (15 in the 4th quarter) and 14 assists.

3.) J.R. Smith came up big tonight.  He led the Cavs in +/- and just had an all-around great floor game.  He had a weak-side block on Jonas, grabbed eight boards, threw down a monster dunk, and hit two HUGE momentum-halting 3s in the 4th quarter.

4.) James Jones had a season high 14 points off the bench and played most of crunch time, drilling a clutch 3.

James Jones is hitting clutch 3's as a stretch four and my life is losing meaning

— FearTheSword (@FearTheSword) March 5, 2015

5.) Kevin Love playing off the ball in the second quarter and actually coming off screens to receive the ball in good position was great.  I hope we see more of it.

Things I Didn’t Like:

1.) The Cavs got complacent in the third quarter, expecting the Raptors to collapse.  They got lazy on offense and didn’t hustle back on defense after a few misses.  LeBron conceded a dunk to James Johnson that would have been a chase down highlight a few years ago.  They gave up 69 points in the second half, when they’ve been tightening the screws in second halves lately.

2.) I thought David Blatt rode Delly and James Jones a little too long when Lou Williams erupted in the early fourth.  I’m not sure if Shumpert is still on a minutes restriction but I felt like Blatt had better defensive options in Shump and Mozgov during that phase of the game.

3.) There was a lot of pump-fake baiting where the shooter leans into the airborne defender.  In some cases it was just heady offense and over-aggressive defense, but Lou Williams and Kevin Love took it to the extreme and the refs rewarded them.

4.) There were two moments in the second half where the Cavs really needed bucket.  On one, LeBron drove, collapsed the D, and fed Mozgov underneath the hoop.  Moz was pushed as he received the ball and thus was unable to secure it initially.  When he did gather he went straight up and dunked.  He was called for traveling which was the wrong call.  Later in the fourth, LeBron drove right and tried throwing down hard on Terrence Ross who pushed LeBron in the air.  No foul was called as the ball rimmed out.  (To add insult to injury, Ross drained a bail-out 3 on the next possession)

5.) Between Lowry and Jonas the Raptors have some mean players.  Jonas almost pulled Kevin Love’s arm out of the socket during a loose ball scramble.  Later, he alligator-tackled LeBron to the deck.

Final Thoughts:

-This was a great win for the Cavs.  For all the flak that LeIso gets, sometimes it works, especially in fourth quarters when shooters are spread out.  LeBron was bigger, faster, and stronger than anyone else by the fourth quarter, a testament to his will.

-Don’t sleep on the Raptors.  They are young, supremely athletic, hungry, and balanced.  They’ve dealt with a lot of significant injuries this season.  If they are fully healthy, and they get these kinds of games from Jonas and Sweet Lou – LOOK OUT.

-Is Danny Ferry the unluckiest GM of all time?  He put together a championship-caliber team in Cleveland only to watch them stumble in the playoffs.  He was pseudo-fired for refusing to fire Mike Brown (who was later re-hired in a press conference that included the acknowledgement that he never should have been fired in the first place).  He goes to Atlanta and pulls off the two best free agency signings of the year – Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll on steal deals.  Al Horford goes down, and Lou Williams plays like absolute crap the entire season (he may have been dealing with nagging injuries).  I’m not really a PER guy, but, wow.

So now after successfully hanging onto Korver and Teague he gets placed on indefinite leave for a reading a scouting report out loud, lost in the black-hole of the Micro-Aggression, Grievance-Industrial Complex (and caught in the middle of fractured and competing ownership groups).  His team is playing .800 basketball, has dominated the West, and he should be GM of the year.  Instead, he’s nowhere to be seen.  Damn.