The Toronto Raptors aren’t “supposed” to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Yes, the Raptors have made significant improvements with the additions of Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker and that certainly levels the playing field considerably. With that said, Toronto is without homecourt advantage and, quite obviously, Cleveland deploys the best player in the series in the form of LeBron James.
To that end, Game 1 went a lot like many would have predicted, with the Cavaliers virtually cruising to a 116-105 victory that included a 25-point lead at one point in the contest. Raptors head coach Dwane Casey, though, did not see it as a situation in which his team was unceremoniously blitzed and he pushed back on a reporter indicating that with one particular word.
Reporter: The Cavaliers "dominated" the Raptors
Dwane Casey: "I don't know if you're a fan… I wouldn't use the word 'dominate'." pic.twitter.com/U7m29kIlQQ— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) May 2, 2017
“You use the word dominate,” Casey remarked. “I mean, I don’t know if you’re a fan or what it is but.. that’s a tough word. Again, we didn’t play our game. They made shots. We didn’t. We made some mistakes but I wouldn’t use the word dominate with that term. Someone said disrespect. Again, we did enough things positive and I think if we correct those things and bounce back. All you gotta do is win one game on the road.”
This is probably a case of semantics gone wrong, as Casey’s team was soundly beaten. The Cavaliers messed around enough in the fourth quarter to lose the 12-minute period by a 31-20 margin but, prior to that, it would probably be an apt description to indicate that Cleveland “dominated” the proceedings.
Casey does want to indicate that he has his team’s back in this spot, though, and it is always critical to remember that these comments are made just moments after the two teams leave the floor in a high-pressure atmosphere. It will be interesting to see if the Raptors can bounce back and put a more competitive product on the court for Game 2 but, on this night, the reporter’s feelings were probably more justified than that of Casey’s.
