"Those are two things we have to be better at and we got to be good at going into the playoffs". After an 82-game regular season, let the playoffs begin.
The Raptors (51-31), who rested DeMar DeRozan and Serge Ibaka, got 25 points from shooting guard Norman Powell.
We'll see how it plays out, but compared to 2016's 10-game breeze through the Eastern Conference Playoffs, it may not be such a cakewalk for the Cavs, who lost home court advantage in the Eastern Conference, if they do indeed meet up with the Boston Celtics.
Although the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs was on the line, Cavs coach Tyronn Lue sat the Big Three of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving (left knee tendinitis) and Kevin Love. "Get everybody on the floor, get some cardio in and try and work on some habits and that's what (Wednesday) is basically about".
But Chicago own the tiebreaker, so if they finish with the same record as the Heat, the Bulls will claim the eighth and final playoff spot. James says he has the answer to turn things around, but he's not sharing. I just told you I feel great.
"We have a good club going to the postseason and that's all I can ask for right now". "Can they give us the game back?"
If anyone needs evidence supporting that statement from James, look no further than last Wednesday, when the Cavs went into Boston - playing their third game in four days, no less - and whipped the Celtics 114-91, a game so dominant that even the Cavs' famously shaky defense looked stellar as it held Boston to 40.7 percent from the field and 21.2 percent from 3. The Cavs have shown their ceiling as recently as the past week - that ceiling is high.
Griffin said the Cavs are "more hardened, more seasoned" than a year ago.
Leafs goalie Andersen back for Game 1 vs. Caps
It's a daunting task for any team to go up against a juggernaut, but anything can happen over the course of a seven-game series. Holding on to a 2-1 lead in the second period, the Leafs were trying their best to absorb a physical push from the Capitals .
Nevertheless, while frustrated with the last two games, Lue appears to be at peace with this loss, focusing on the effort of guys who normally do not get to play.
3-Point Goals-Toronto 8-26 (Powell 3-5, Patterson 1-1, Valanciunas 1-1, Caboclo 1-3, Wright 1-3, Lowry 1-5, Tucker 0-1, VanVleet 0-1, Siakam 0-1, Nogueira 0-2, Carroll 0-3), Cleveland 10-37 (Dero.Williams 3-4, Derr.Williams 2-3, Korver 1-2, Frye 1-2, Jefferson 1-3, Smith 1-6, J.Jones 1-12, D.Jones 0-2, Shumpert 0-3). So it seems like Cleveland can indeed turn it on and get back to the NBA Finals.
Is it tempting to write off the Cavs?
Lowry got what he needed, a good run that left him closer to 100 per cent comfortable with the speed of a real National Basketball Association game.
"Every time I come to the Garden, nothing good happens".
"We had some key injuries this year that set us back, but for the most part, it's pretty much the same", said Lue.
"You have to just go out and prove what you've done", said Celtics forward Al Horford. The Cavs are just 16-14 against the western conference this season as a whole, and have not won a single road game against the west all season. From the many people I talk to daily on radio and TV, you would think the team was lucky to sneak into the playoffs as a seventh or eighth seed this year.
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