LeBron And The Cavs Are Clowning Toronto, And The Raptors Look Totally Shook

The Cleveland Cavaliers are simply not sweating anyone in the East. That was dreadfully obvious even toward the end of the season as they were suffering through a rough spell yet still readily relinquished their grasp on the No. 1 seed to the Boston Celtics. Home court advantage just doesn’t matter to them because they’re infinitely confident that not a single one of their purported conference rivals stands a chance against them here in the postseason.

LeBron James even claimed recently that he actually prefers playing road games in the playoffs because that at least offers him some semblance of adversity. And his palpable boredom at the lack of competition has been on full display so far against the Raptors – ostensibly their biggest challengers – in Games 1 and 2 of the semifinal round.

LeBron sent a clear message to Toronto early in the series opener when he decided to turn Game 1 into his own personal And1 Mixtape by signaling for a lob off the backboard from Kyrie Irving.

The brazenness of it was absolutely stunning, and he didn’t stop there. Later in the third quarter after he was fouled on a drive to the hoop, LeBron grabbed a beer from a court-side server and pretended like he was about to take a swig. The Cavs were so far ahead by that point, why not start the celebration a little early? He later claimed that the only reason he didn’t was because he fancies himself more of a wine connoisseur.

It turned out his utter contempt for the Raptors as a viable threat was contagious. Just look at what Kyrie Irving did to Norman Powell on this play.

The Cavs were up 16 points with a little under four minutes left when Uncle Drew decided to put Powell in a blender and steal his soul on national television. It was cruel and unusual punishment for the cardinal sin of … what, exactly? Simply not being on the same level as your opponent? His sly grin afterward said it all.

By the end of it, Cleveland’s 116-105 margin of victory belied just what a comfortable win it was as LeBron and Kryie combined for 59 points.

Early in Game 2, LeBron didn’t even bother trying to conceal his disdain. With Serge Ibaka guarding him out at the three-point line, he absent-mindedly spun the ball around his hands without even acknowledging Ibaka’s presence, then proceeded to drill a three-pointer in his face.

https://twitter.com/barstoolsports/status/859921684270284801

Then, just for good measure, he did it again from the very same spot.

It was a bloodbath from there on out as the Cavs coasted to a 125-103 win and a commanding 2-0 series lead as they head to Toronto for Game 3 on Friday. LeBron finished with 39 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals, and a pair of blocks. In the process, he managed to surpass Kareen Abdul-Jabbar for second all-time in playoff points, trailing only Michael Jordan for the top spot.

And he and Irving never stopped clowning on the Raptors even as the game had long been decided.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that the Cavs have the Raptors categorically shook, especially DeMar DeRozan, who was virtually a ghost in Game 2 as he finished with five points on 2-of-11 shooting from the field. And just when you thought things couldn’t possibly get any worse, Kyle Lowry suffered a left ankle sprain that has him questionable for Game 3.

Even if Lowry is able to return on Friday, the Raptors still might not have any answers for the Cavs. Any shred of confidence they may have had going into this series has been positively annihilated, and history isn’t on their side, either. The East may have an answer for LeBron someday, but that day isn’t looking like it’s coming for the Raptors any time soon.