CAVS.SPACE

Game day is here in Cleveland as the Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors are tied 2-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals. The last time the Cavs were tied 2-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals, LeBron James reeled off 48 points against the Detroit Pistons, including 29 of the Cavs' last 30 points. 2016 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS NOTES Series: The home team has controlled the tempo in each of the first four games, with the home team dominating the road team in every second quarter so far.  Kevin Love had 25 offensive rebounds in the first two rounds (eight games). He has only one offensive rebound so far in the first four games of the series.  Cleveland has either tied or had more assists than Toronto in each game thus far (22-19, 24-17, 15-15, 23-17).  Games 1-2: In games 1 and 2, the Raptors guarded the three-point line and paid the price as the Cavs scored 126 points in the paint.  The Cavs outrebounded the Raptors 45-23 in Game 1 and 46-38 in Game 2...

As reported by ESPN's Doris Burke during Game 1, Raptors coach Dwane Casey does not expect starting center Jonas Valanciunas to be ready to return from injury until next week. In his absence, the Cavaliers scored 56 points in the paint and outrebounded the Raptors 45-23 in Game 1. Those familiar with Casey know that he is one of the top defensive coaching minds in today's NBA. He was Rick Carlisle's lead defensive assistant when the Mavericks upset the Heat in the 2011 Finals. To turn the tide in that series, he had the Mavs play a 2-3 zone to eliminate the Heat's ball movement. However, the Cavs are too strong of a three-point shooting team for a 2-3 zone to work effectively. With that said, what will the Raptors try to do in Game 2 to change the flow of the game in their favor? 1) They will slow down the pace. During the season, the Raptors played the second-slowest pace in the league. They are built to play a half-court offense that picks and chooses when to ...