ECSF: P1 | (1) Toronto Raptors vs Cleveland Cavaliers (4) | TIED 0-0

[Laure]

First time Raptors will have home court and more rest than the Cavs. Should be a good series.

[RaptorsLife]

Raptors have 3 Point guards better the best PG on pacers or Cavs lol

[RaptorsLife]

Game 2 Thursday at 6pm est

Sixers celtics are 8:30pm thursday. Weird time for east coast games

[jonjames]

Raps in 5 over Cavs. They win the first two games at home, lose game 3, win game 4 at Cleveland, and then finish it out at home. Against Pacers same thing, in 5. I fully expect a few blowout wins against either team especially at home.

This will be the series where the Raptors finally get respect from RealGM which generally thinks very low of them.

[LightTheBeam]

Raps in 5 over Cavs. They win the first two games at home, lose game 3, win game 4 at Cleveland, and then finish it out at home. Against Pacers same thing, in 5. I fully expect a few blowout wins against either team especially at home.

This will be the series where the Raptors finally get respect from RealGM which generally thinks very low of them.

Lol they couldn't even beat the wizards like that. Cavs in 5

[bape_lovers]

I guess this is a separate thread from our GT..most of the posters are raps fans

[jonjames]

Raps in 5 over Cavs. They win the first two games at home, lose game 3, win game 4 at Cleveland, and then finish it out at home. Against Pacers same thing, in 5. I fully expect a few blowout wins against either team especially at home.

This will be the series where the Raptors finally get respect from RealGM which generally thinks very low of them.

Lol they couldn't even beat the wizards like that. Cavs in 5

Because they had struggles on the road which continued from the regular season. But their defense has improved in the last two games holding Washington to 102.2 and 106 offensive ratings and below 100 points better than their performance in the first 4 games. I think the Raptors will only improve as they keep moving forward. Plus they got Fred Van Vleet back who wasn't playing in the first 5 games of the Washington series.

2011 Mavericks beat Portland in 6 in the first round and then SWEPT the 2 time defending champion Lakers in the next round. 2014 Spurs beat the Mavs in 7 in the first round and then beat Portland in 5 in the next round with huge margin of victories. By your thinking these semifinals series should have dragged out longer than they have or the other teams should have won.

[Asian Celtic]

Rooting for the Raps. At least you guys are tolerable.

Some 76ers posters proclaiming they're the kings of the East when they haven't won jack **** is sad and annoying. I hope you guys trash em if you two meet in the ECF.

edit:

Quoting my post from April 12 last year.

C's Fan here. I hope you guys trash the Cavs and end the Lebrawn era. Good luck!

Now that it's known that Lebron would be your next opponent I'm hoping this is the year you guys dethrone him. Weakest his team has ever been and your team looks to be the best it has been.

[OriginalRed]

Raps in 5 over Cavs. They win the first two games at home, lose game 3, win game 4 at Cleveland, and then finish it out at home. Against Pacers same thing, in 5. I fully expect a few blowout wins against either team especially at home.

This will be the series where the Raptors finally get respect from RealGM which generally thinks very low of them.

Lol they couldn't even beat the wizards like that. Cavs in 5

The Wizards are the only team in the Eastern Conference outside of Toronto and Philly that have 2 star level players. Every other team, in these play offs, either has no star (BOS, MIA) or relies on one (CLE, MIL, IND). Their good enough to be a second round opponent so I don't know how anyone can just say "Muh, 1 seed struggling against 8 seed, trash team".

[lebron stopper]

Raps in 5 over Cavs. They win the first two games at home, lose game 3, win game 4 at Cleveland, and then finish it out at home. Against Pacers same thing, in 5. I fully expect a few blowout wins against either team especially at home.

This will be the series where the Raptors finally get respect from RealGM which generally thinks very low of them.

Lol they couldn't even beat the wizards like that. Cavs in 5

The Wizards are the only team in the Eastern Conference outside of Toronto and Philly that have 2 star level players. Every other team, in these play offs, either has no star (BOS, MIA) or relies on one (CLE, MIL, IND). Their good enough to be a second round opponent so I don't know how anyone can just say "Muh, 1 seed struggling against 8 seed, trash team".

While the Wizards are not a traditional 1 vs 8 matchup, that team is genuinely bad outside of Wall and Beal. Raptors should have swept their sorry asses and watch Indiana and Cleveland beat up on each other for a week, but instead they put on a Doof Casey-approved disappearing act in Game 3 (I'm not kidding), then in Game 4 guys like Delon Wright kept passing up wide open shots (Patterson-itis) and handing the ball back to DeRozan (this is the kind of behavior Raptors are trying to get away from in the first place) so he was forced to chuck up a bunch of Doof Casey-approved garbage shots and then take all the blame for attempting shots no one else wanted to take. Once Fred VanVleet came back the Wizards had zero chance of winning the series. Z. E. R. O. Now, I don't trust Doof Casey to coach the Raptors past LeBron based on previous times LeBron has humiliated the Raptors, but who knows maybe he finally figures out to stop sending help defense at LeBron on every single possession and leave his Raptor killing goons wide open for threes that they always make as a result. And perhaps he will finally leave in JV even after LeBron denies him an easy path to the rim on ONE possession and replace him with Ibricka aka Serge Bargnani who is utterly unplayable against Cleveland. Maybe Doof Casey finally shows me he is a worthy playoff coach, but I just don't see it happening. I just don't trust Doof Casey for Round 2.

[Young_Star11]

This is such a bad Cleveland team, surely Toronto would beat them over seven games?

Would love to see Indiana beat Cleveland in Game 7.

[Mister Ze]

Rooting for the Raps. At least you guys are tolerable.

Some 76ers posters proclaiming they're the kings of the East when they haven't won jack **** is sad and annoying. I hope you guys trash em if you two meet in the ECF.

Respects, but we haven't won jack **** either and have the same aspirations as Philly fans.

[mowcrowbar]

Raptors have 3 Point guards better the best PG on pacers or Cavs lol

Someone translate this, quick.

[Concernedcad]

Raptors sweep the Pacers. Raptors win in 7 against the Cavs.

[6ixSideSniper]

Raptors have matched up well with Indiana this season,
Raps in 5 if they’re playing Indiana, but If it’s Cleveland, I’m expecting no less than 2 victories willed single handidly by Lebron, but Raptors still win it in 6.

[RaptorsLife]

Raptors have 3 Point guards better the best PG on pacers or Cavs lol

Someone translate this, quick.

I read it fine but it should be than instead of the

[chyau.00]

If it's the Cavaliers, hopefully Casey doesn't sh** the bed again with his coaching. That's really my only concern here. DeMar will definitely bring it against LeBron's team.

If it's the Pacers...hmm, I'll have to see a game between these two to truly know what can be done.

yep. if its the cavs, casey will most likely try to 'match up' against them and play small. JV will definitely be benched. Luckily we dont have stiffs like PP or carroll for him to play this year anymore.

[OriginalRed]

Casey really needs to play JV more against Cleveland with TT playing little to no minutes. He'd absolutely destroy them on the boards and in the paint like Sabonis is doing to them. If Casey pulls that same **** like he did in Washington where JV doesnt even see the floor in the 4th, he'd officially become the most bone head coach in the league.

[Asian Celtic]

Rooting for the Raps. At least you guys are tolerable.

Some 76ers posters proclaiming they're the kings of the East when they haven't won jack **** is sad and annoying. I hope you guys trash em if you two meet in the ECF.

Respects, but we haven't won jack **** either and have the same aspirations as Philly fans.

There's the bucks fans with good trashtalk, there are some cocky posters on your fanbase especially on your boards that trash the Celtics everytime we take an L and there's the next level 76ers posters (some) which I somehow can't tolerate.

They post like they are in the pinnacle of the the East and it is absolute like the top 4 for a couple of years doesn't matter. Doesn't mean we have those kind of posters but it's just my personal opinion to root for the team who has the best odds of winning against the team coming out from the Philly / Boston match.up.

[FlatearthZorro]

I got the Raptors. I think they are too well balanced. CLE is a mess, IND is nice but they lack another stable 20 ppg option.