Basketball Daily Dose: Dose: Cavs improve to 10-0 Cavs improve to 10-0 this postseason in blowout win Thursday’s Game 2 in Cleveland was as bad as expected, as the Cavaliers cruised to a blowout 108-89 win over the Raptors and improved to 10-0 this postseason. Another sweep may be on, but they’ll have to win Games 3 and 4 in Toronto to make it happen. Tyronn Lue became the first coach in NBA … [Read more...]

Raptors' Lowry: 1st-half exit was to 'decompress' 3:04 AM ET print CLEVELAND -- Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry said he went into the locker room late in the first half of Thursday night's 108-89 Game 2 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers because he needed to "decompress." Lowry, a two-time All-Star, had five turnovers in the first half and missed all four of his … [Read more...]

The Cavaliers are just killing time by killing the Raptors Some of the details were different, the timestamps shifted and the statistics altered. For the most part, though, the story of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals was the same as the story of Game 1: the Cleveland Cavaliers mostly did whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted, and the Toronto Raptors didn't have much to say … [Read more...]

Raptors need the old Kyle Lowry to have a chance 11:38 PM ET print CLEVELAND -- Make no mistake about it: The Toronto Raptors wouldn’t be in this position if Kyle Lowry hadn’t gotten them here. But now, as they face superstar LeBron James and the mighty Cleveland Cavaliers, they need even more from Lowry. And through the first two games of the Eastern Conference finals, the Raptors … [Read more...]

LeBron passes Shaq for 4th in postseason scoring 10:51 PM ET Ohm YoungmisukESPN Staff Writer Close Ohm Youngmisuk has covered the Giants, Jets and the NFL since 2006. Prior to that, he covered the Nets, Knicks and the NBA for nearly a decade. He joined ESPNNewYork.com after working at the New York Daily News for almost 12 years and is a graduate of Michigan State University.Follow him on Twitter … [Read more...]

LeBron soars for Dunk Contest-quality two-handed reverse in Game 2 LeBron James has made it very clear over the years that, despite charitable challenges and incentives offered by millionaire moguls, he will never enter the Slam Dunk Contest at the NBA's annual All-Star Weekend showcase. It is a defensible decision that, really, needs no defense — the man has his reasons, and it's not like … [Read more...]

5 big questions coming out of the 2016 NBA draft lottery (Video) After Tuesday's draft lottery went chalk, with the Philadelphia 76ers' years-long yikes festival finally bringing them the No. 1 pick and the Los Angeles Lakers continuing to dodge pick-protection bullets like Neo in "The Matrix" to hang onto their No. 2 choice, we now know the selection order for the 2016 NBA draft ... so … [Read more...]

Kevin Durant colorfully reminds Dion Waiters of his Thunder role After years wasting away on an island — the subject of so many jokes about his hero ball approach to basketball — Dion Waiters is swimming to freedom during Oklahoma City's playoff run. In a remarkable turnaround, the Thunder guard has gone from laughingstock to vital cog in the Thunder's success. So, it appears OKC star Kevin … [Read more...]

Dwight Howard on his reduced role in Houston: 'Why am I here?' There is a reason Dwight Howard is on an image rehabilitation tour. Since turning in a (shoulda been) MVP season for the ages in 2010-11, he has rightfully been treated as the NBA’s top laughingstock that, in review, ain’t all that funny. The NBA’s owner-induced player lockout in 2011 was followed by a petulant and insincere turn … [Read more...]

Pat Riley loves Hassan Whiteside as much as Whiteside loves cake Everyone loves red velvet cake, but nobody worships the delicious dessert quite like Hassan Whiteside. The recovering Miami Heat center's chef whipped up a dyed chocolate layer cake covered in cream cheese fit for a 7-footer, and Whiteside dubbed the dessert "church" after he'd eaten two-thirds of it. In a series of Snapchat … [Read more...]