Third times the charm right? For the third straight year, the Toronto Raptors and the Cleveland Cavaliers will face off in the playoffs. Will the Raptors finally be able to dethrone Lebron James? Or will Lebron once again eliminate the Raptors for a third straight year.
The Raptors finished off the Washington Wizards in a semi-competitive 6 games. While Derozan and Lowry actually did perform to expectations, the Raptors once again struggled a little bit with the Wizards (especially in game 3 and game 4). That being said, the return of a healthier Fred Vanvleet (who only played in game 6 and 3 mins in game 2) is pivotal for the Raptors chances at beating the Cavs. This time around, the Raptors are the better, deeper and fresher team. In addition, the Raptors also will have homecourt advantage, where they have been a dominant team all season.
On the other hand, Lebron James dragged the Cavs to a tight win over the Pacers in game 7. This is not the same dominant team that has gone to 3 straight finals. Aside from Lebron, you don't really know what you are going to get from the other players. Some games guys like Kevin Love, J.R. Smith, George Hill, Jeff Green and Tristan Thompson will all contribute. Other times, they become downright unplayable. And when the Cavs cannot generate offense they are in trouble since they cannot play an ounce of defense. On paper, the Raptors have a much better team than the Cavs. That being said, having one of the best players of all time in Lebron James will always be an advantage. However, with the inconsistency of the rest of Cavs players, I just can't see them winning this series. I have the Raptors finally dethroning the Cavs in 6 games.
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