The Cleveland Cavaliers host the Toronto Raptors in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series on Monday. The Cavs are heavily favored, but as well saw in the conference finals last year, the Raptors are more than capable of hanging with Cleveland. Which team will draw first blood in this series? Here's our preview and prediction for tonight's game.
Game Info:
When: 7:00 PM EST
Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
TV: TNT
Spread: Cavs (-6.5)
O/U: 209
What They're Saying About The Cleveland Cavaliers:
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What They're Saying About The Toronto Raptors:
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Key To The Game: Can Cleveland's continue to step up on defense when necessary?
It's no secret that the Cavaliers have been terrible defensively this season. They ranked in the bottom third of the league in pretty much every category on that end of the court and gave up 108.8 points per game against Indiana in their opening round series. That's not good.
However, Cleveland was able to get stops when they needed to down the stretch time after time, and that's how they were able to pull off the sweep. That really showed itself in Game 3 when the Cavs pulled off a 26-point comeback.
Led by DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, Toronto has enough offensive firepower to really make Cleveland pay for their defensive lapses. Will the Cavs continue to be able to flip that switch when they really need to?
Prediction: Cavs win 117-104
Defensive questions aside, Cleveland is an unstoppable offensive force that is clicking on all cylinders right now. The Raptors have also only won just two games in Cleveland over the past three seasons, and one of them came in the season finale when the Cavs were resting everyone. There's no reason to think that trend won't continue - especially considering how bad the Raptors have been in Game 1's over the last few years.