LeBron James scored 23 points then grabbed a seat, while Kevin Love scored 25 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers unleashed a tenacious defense on Toronto to regain control of the Eastern Conference Finals with a 116-78 rout of the Raptors in Game 5 on Wednesday.
Back on their home court following two straight losses in Canada, the Cavs opened a 34-point lead in the first half and never slowed, taking a 3-2 series lead.
They can clinch their second straight conference title and trip to the NBA Finals with a win in Game 6 tonight in Toronto.
Photo: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY
The Raptors, who came in with momentum and confidence after winning the previous two games, left the Quicken Loans Arena shaken and one loss from having their deepest playoff run stopped.
James had eight assists and six rebounds in 31 minutes before checking out late in the third quarter with the Cavs up by 37. He spent the fourth quarter resting on the bench as Cleveland’s reserves finished the romp.
Kyrie Irving added 23 points and he, James and Love outscored the Raptors 43-34 in the first half. Cleveland have won their three games in the series by a combined 88 points.
DeMar DeRozan scored 14 points and Kyle Lowry had 13 for the Raptors, who were overwhelmed from the start. Bismack Biyombo had just four rebounds after getting 40 the past two games. The only positive for Toronto was center Jonas Valanciunas, who returned after missing eight straight games with a sprained right ankle. He scored nine points in 18 minutes.
Playing defense as if every possession was the game’s last, Cleveland held Toronto to just 34 points in the opening half, building a 31-point halftime lead — the largest in conference finals history. Since their expansion arrival in 1993, the Raptors had never been down by 30 points before in any game — regular or post-season — at halftime, but they have rarely seen a defense like this either.
The Cavs were all over the court, swarming and stifling DeRozan and Lowry, who combined for 67 points in Game 4.
A courtside doctor might have stopped this one in the first half.
Love found his shooting touch after it went missing during the lost weekend in Toronto, where he went just five of 23 from the field and was benched for the fourth quarter of Game 4. He finished eight of 10 from the field, a confidence-boosting performance that should temporarily drown out his critics.
The Cavs made a point of getting Love the ball right away and he responded by making all four field goal attempts, including a three-pointer late in the first quarter that pushed the Cavs to a 37-19 lead.
Cleveland’s onslaught continued in the second quarter, and when James got free for an easy two-handed dunk, Cavs fans could relax.
However, while it would have been understandable for Cleveland fans, who have waited since 1964 to celebrate a championship, to be nervous, James was cool.
The four-time NBA Most Valuable Player promised to bring a sense of “calmness” to the arena. After all, this was his 13th appearance in a Game 5 with the series tied and he was not about to show any anxiety. However, once he and the Cavs took the court, they were anything but serene.
The Cavs attacked — at both ends — and knocked the Raptors out before the fight began.
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