Raptors bring a hot-shooting backcourt into Conference Finals
It is on the wings of a blowout that the Toronto Raptors will head into their Eastern Conference finals matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The 116 points scored by the Raptors in their Game 7 win against the Miami Heat were their most in any playoff game.
The Raptors go into this series with a starting backcourt that now has a lot of confidence. Kyle Lowry became the first Raptors player to score 35 points in back-to-back postseason games. Lowry is the fourth player to score at least 35 points in Game 6 and 7 of a playoff series since 2000. The other three are Allen Iverson (2001 76ers), Shaquille O’Neal (2002 Lakers) and Chauncey Billups (2003 Pistons).
Lowry and DeMar DeRozan combined for 63 points, the second most they’ve combined for in a game and the most scored by Raptors teammates when facing playoff elimination.
Lowry and DeRozan made 14-of-21 jumpers off the dribble, including four 3-pointers. Everyone else in the game combined to shoot 7-of-31 off the dribble with only two 3-pointers.
Difference-maker: Loss of Whiteside
The Heat used a lineup without a true power forward or center on 68 percent of all plays in Game 7 and were outscored by 27 points. That lineup had outscored the Raptors by a combined 17 points in the previous three games.
Looking ahead
The Raptors won two of three games from the Cavaliers in the regular season and they’re banking on Lowry being as good in the conference finals as he was in those three. Lowry averaged 31 points on 66 percent shooting, and had the highest player efficiency rating of anyone who played at least 10 minutes per game against the Cavaliers in the regular season (Stephen Curry ranked second).
Lowry was 8-of-8 shooting in transition against the Cavaliers, was 9-of-12 when Iman Shumpert was his primary defender, and a combined 8-of-15 when guarded by Kyrie Irving (4-of-9) and Matthew Dellavedova.
However, DeRozan averaged only 15 points on 38 percent shooting in those three games.
