The Raptors’ chance at redemption against LeBron James deserves a deep rewind

- It's May 5, 2018. We're in Cleveland, Ohio, for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals between the vengeful Toronto Raptors and the dominant home Cavaliers. Tied at 103 with seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Raptors are in their last

chance

to show the world, and possibly themselves, that they can stop the Cavs. If they win, they will be one step closer to that goal. If they fall flat on their faces, their season will likely end in a way that will become all too familiar to this guy on the other side. But before we see what comes next, we must step back. (soft music) The Raptors must be sick of this by now.

This is their third straight postseason clash with the Cavs, and unfortunately for Toronto, Cleveland has shut them out every time. The Raptors recently showed that they are more than an expansion team. When the franchise celebrated its 20th anniversary during the 2015 season, the team had advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs only once. They capped off their important season by staying true to form and getting swept in the first round. However, the following year came with a new image. The organization abandoned its dinosaur haggling artist for a simple shield. With that new look came some new faces.

But most importantly is elevated play from this franchise's rising stars: DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. They were the driving force of this team, forming a dynamic defense and becoming the franchise's first pair of All-Star teammates. Toronto broke with tradition and enjoyed a magical postseason, advancing to its first Conference Finals. Unfortunately, they ran into LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and the rest of the Cavaliers, who won Cleveland's first NBA title. Although Toronto lost the series in six games, it had many positives to take away. Highlights included handing Cleveland its first loss of the postseason. They teamed up with a USA vs. the World mentality to force it into a best-of-three series.

Experts saw the Raptors as a team ahead of schedule, grateful to find themselves

deep

in the postseason. Head coach Dwane Casey saw the series as a growing opportunity to match Cleveland's level. The following year, the Raptors established that they were not just a team happy to be in the mix, but a legitimate threat in the East. They reached the Conference Semifinals for a rematch against the Cavs. Reporters believed that the Raptors were better prepared for a more competitive series, but despite the optimism, everything was much worse. Once again, instead of sulking, DeRozan and the rest of Toronto knew they had to accept it and get it back next year. (tape

rewind

) And here they are, fighting for another appearance in the Conference Finals.

This team continues to evolve. They are here thanks to some new faces that can hopefully lead to new results. (tape

rewind

) The 2018 Raptors thrived on a splendid mix of their favorite stars with some fairly new faces. As expected, the defensive leaders kept things going, adding more All-Star appearances and building a precious bromance in the process. But the team also leaned heavily on the presence of its young, adaptable bench, allowing Casey the peace to never stress about who was on the court. One of the standouts of the youth group was rookie OG Anunoby. Heading into the 2017 draft, pundits drooled over Anunoby's defensive prowess and upside, but his injury history and questions about his offensive game caused him to fall to Toronto late in the first round, leading analyst of ESPN, Fran Fraschilla, to call it a sexy blogger selection. . (Laughs) It turns out that bloggers had a good eye for sex appeal, that is, recruiting talent.

Toronto relied on Anunoby's defensive versatility, able to guard spots one through five, as he was often in the starting lineup. With Lowry and DeRozan keeping the pressure on, the youngsters making noise, and constant support from the veterans, the Raptors had arguably the

deep

est roster in the NBA and won a franchise-record 59 games, earning first place in the conference. With home field advantage throughout the postseason, these dangerous new Raptors are poised to make a deep run. After defeating the Wizards in the first round, Toronto had to prepare for another matchup against their playoff foe. For the Raptors, there was no better opportunity to prove their legitimacy than to finally get past the Cavs.

If they wanted that championship trophy, DeRozan knew they had to go through the best. You know how the saying goes. Third time's the charm... because you know what failure feels like. Okay, that's definitely a low blow, but damn. There are three straight seasons in which the Raptors lost the first two games against the Cavs. And tonight's third game didn't start well. To improve, Casey opted to go smaller, making a major lineup change, inserting second-year man Fred VanVleet into the top five, joining Anunoby, who started the entire series. Casey went all-in on his youthful talent, but the gamble didn't pay off soon.

It wasn't all the fault of the young people. The Cavs simply dominated the Raptors as a unit from the start and entered the fourth quarter with a 14-point lead. Although just when it seemed to be another annual blowout from Cleveland, Toronto bounced back, led by a surprising offensive outing from its tower. Down 12 with less than 10 minutes left, Anunoby caught a pass in the corner and hit a three-pointer, pushing Cleveland's lead to single digits. After trading baskets for a few minutes, Anunoby refused to let Cleveland take the lead and drained this spot on board three, cutting Cleveland's lead to four.

Look, the shot may not have been pretty, but the Raptors found themselves within striking distance thanks to OG, and he wasn't finishing. With Toronto trailing by five points with less than two minutes left, Anunoby drove to the rim, missed his layup, but grabbed the rebound and dove for a strong shot. After missed shots from both sides and Cleveland splitting free throws, Toronto absolutely needed a basket. Down four with less than 30 seconds left, Lowry took control and put Jeff Green on skates before speeding to the rim for a soft layup, bringing the Raptors within two. This is what you get with the new and improved Raptors.

Up until that point, their splendid mix of new and old talent was on full display, and the fourth quarter became the Kyle and OG show. With less than 20 seconds left, the Raptors were forced to foul and sent Green to the line. An 87% shooter from the line, Green making both shots would have made things extremely difficult for Toronto. After making the first one, the second free throw could very well be the game. Uh oh, Toronto still has a

chance

. But since there are no downtimes, they must hurry. Pushing the ball down the court, CJ Miles found Anunoby behind the three-point line, who sent Green flying with a fake before drilling the game-tying 3-pointer.

Here's a guy in his first season who shows no fear in decisive moments and makes the biggest shot of his young career. With little time remaining, Cleveland opted to take the ball under the rim instead of advancing to half court. It's an interesting choice, but oh no. If you're a Raptors fan, this is by far the last person you want to see with the ball running down the court. Not only is LeBron James a locomotive in open space, ready to run over anyone who gets in his way, but he has also been the main protagonist of Toronto's recurring nightmare. (tape rewind) Throughout LeBron's illustrious career, pundits have tried to find holes in his game, criticizing him for shying away from big moments.

It's a bit of a silly criticism, but one team LeBron surely never lacked confidence against was the Toronto Raptors. In 2005, during his second year in the league, LeBron dropped a then-career-high 56 points in Toronto. Three years later, he added another spectacular game up north, erasing the Raptors' 20-point lead in a victory that became Toronto's biggest collapse in franchise history. LeBron had a fantastic record in the regular season against the Raptors, but he was even more of a threat to Toronto in the postseason. In 2016, when the Raptors emerged as a new threat in the Eastern Conference, Bron barely saw them as a real contender.

After Toronto tied the conference finals series at two games, LeBron and the Cavs defeated the Raptors in Game 5. To make matters worse, after the win, LeBron said the situation was nothing to worry about. really worry. I guess you can talk that way if you almost average a double-double in the series. Next season, it's not like the Raptors will give up. In addition to their defensive duo constantly improving, the team made strategic moves with the specific goal of defeating LeBron. They became more physical, added wing defender PJ Tucker in the offseason and acquired Serge Ibaka in a midseason trade, who added toughness in the paint.

It doesn't matter, a sweep is one thing, but Bron played with Toronto throughout the series. During Game 1, he was just plain rude in a 35-point double-double performance that included a dirty set-up hit by Kyrie Irving that knocked one off the glass. Later, he demonstrated how easy things were going by pretending to drink a beer on the bench after a foul. In Game 2, LeBron continued to show little regard for the Raptors. He tried Ibaka, treating a three-point shot like a damn free throw routine before splashing it right in his face. But LeDisrespectful played the Raptors as a JV team and, honestly, his numbers fully backed up his antics.

Although this 2018 season, LeBron and Cleveland were positioned to ultimately fall to Toronto. Cleveland had undergone a dramatic roster overhaul during the season and the team struggled to find its identity. It took the Cavs seven games to get past the struggling Indiana Pacers in the first round, where they needed a game-winning shot from LeBron in Game 5. These weren't the same powerhouse Cavs the Raptors faced in the past. but the only constant was LeBron James. In the opening game of the series, Toronto had Cleveland on the ropes, controlling the lead throughout regulation. But of course, LeBron hit a game-tying shot with 30 seconds left in the quarter before stealing Game 1 on the road.

In the next game, Toronto showed up to play again. Everything looked good for the Raptors as they took a two-point lead into halftime, then the third quarter happened. LeBron exploded with a ridiculous stat line, prompting ESPN announcer Mark Jones to drop this statement before halftime. - After this, we will return to LeBronto for the fourth quarter. -LeBronto? King James had owned Toronto so much that broadcasters were willing to give him the rights to the city's name. It's like LeBron has mental control over the Raptors. No matter the changes to the roster or how much they improve, every time they faced him in the postseason, they fell apart and tonight's game didn't start any different.

Whether it was LBJ using his strength, driving to the hole and hitting an and-one, or threading the needle to find his teammate on a sweet pass, he was everywhere on the court as Cleveland took a 15-point lead in half. . And unfortunately for Toronto, it was only getting warmer. When the Raptors began to fight back in the fourth quarter, Bron kept them in check. As Toronto closed within five points with less than eight minutes left, LeBron hit Anunoby with a clean pull-up off a dribble. Later, with Cleveland holding a two-point lead, Bron split defenders on his way to the rim before finishing a tough layup and drawing the foul.

The man took a variety of shots, but he really started to feel good at the end of the quarter. As Toronto closed within three points, LeBron backed CJ Miles into the paint and then hit a silky fadeaway jumper. LeBron made sure and continued to deny Toronto a chance to take the lead, but it wasn't perfect. With 30 seconds left and a chance to extend Cleveland's lead to five at the free throw line, LeBron split his shots at the charity stripe. It may not seem like much, but in a close game of this magnitude, a missed free throw here and another missed shot there makes a rookie potentially a hero for his team on the other end, which brings us here.

With the clock ticking down to its final seconds, if the Raptors can stop them, they will have a chance to win this game in overtime and overcome a performance from the man who has tortured them for years. LeBron loves to involve his teammates, but as he progresseson the court, he could add another heartbreaking moment by ripping Toronto's heart out with a game-winning shot. Welcome to a moment in history. - Three seconds left. Throw up the float. Get out of the glass! Good night! Cleveland, that's for you. (upbeat music) - Hello, thanks for watching. I feel sorry for the people of Toronto who had to relive that pain, but I promise we have positive content for you.

And if you want to see someone other than LeBron be the Cavs' hero, check him out. Don't forget to like and subscribe and he keeps coming back. Peace.