Written by Dennis Manoloff at Cleveland.com
Kyle Lowry scored 35 and DeMar DeRozan 32 as the Toronto Raptors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, 105-99, Monday night at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. LeBron James had 29 points, nine rebounds and six assists in 46 hard minutes for the Cavs.
The Eastern Conference final is tied, 2-2. Game 5 is Wednesday night at The Q.
Here is a capsule look at the key aspect(s) of the game, which was televised by ESPN:
Yikes: The Cavs hold homecourt advantage in what is now a best-of-three, so they need not panic. But there is plenty of cause for concern in Cavs Nation — or at least there should be.
Among the reasons:
* The aura of invincibility is gone.
The Cavs, No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, opened the postseason 10-0. Now they are in a two-game skid. They can’t win simply by walking into an arena.
Their confidence, no matter what they say publicly, undoubtedly is shaken. Losing two straight after a 10-0 start cannot be dismissed as a fluke.
* Kevin Love suddenly is a mess.
Love is a max player whom the Cavs need to be part of a “Big 3” with LeBron and Kyrie Irving. Love was good enough, on balance, through the first 10 playoff games. Then he dropped his compass at Customs.
In Game 3 on Saturday, Love shot 1-of-9 and scored three in 29 minutes. He contributed minimally elsewhere. The Cavs lost, 99-84.
On Monday, Love shot 4-of-14 and scored 10 in 31 minutes. He contributed minimally elsewhere. He was a DNP-CD in the fourth quarter.
Love, a magnet for injuries, accidentally stepped on referee David Guthrie late in the third quarter and rolled his left ankle. If you want to believe the ankle was the reason Love remained on the bench in the fourth, be my guest.
* Tristan Thompson suddenly is a liability.
Starting center Thompson earns an eight-digit salary despite not having any semblance of an offensive game. He rebounds, hustles, rebounds, hustles and defends as best he can. He makes winning plays that don’t show up in the box score.
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