Cavs must stop Raptors backcourt in East Finals

The Cleveland Cavaliers finally know their opponent in the Eastern Conference Finals and the Toronto Raptors present a backcourt that the Cavs must stop.

The number of days between playoff games for the Cavs is larger than the actual number of playoffs games they’ve played this season. Cleveland has played the waiting game more than, well, the actual game of basketball.

After the Raptors dismantling of the Miami Heat though, the Cavaliers can rejoice, as their Eastern Conference Finals foe is now set in stone.

“When I walked in here, that’s when I flipped the switch,” LeBron James said at the Cavs practice after the Raptors victory, via Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.

You could hear it in James’ voice. He is locked in and knows it’s time for himself, and his teammates, to step it up to another level. Yes, the Cavs are 8-0 in the post-season and have looked more dominant than any other team left in the NBA’s final four but, with every new playoff series brings a whole new set of tougher challenges.

In the case of the Raptors, the backcourt duo of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan hold the key to the success, or demise, of Toronto’s post-season chances.

“They’re two All-Stars for a reason,” James said, via Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “And that’s the reason that they’re in the Eastern Conference Finals because they’re two All-Stars. They’re All-Stars for a reason. They wouldn’t be in this position without them.”

Both Lowry and DeRozan have struggled with their efficiency during the playoffs. Lowry is connecting on just 36.6 percent of his shots. DeRozan isn’t any better, connecting on just 35.5 percent of his field goals in the post-season.

However, the duo still stirs the drink that the Raptors sip out of. In their aforementioned Game 7 win over the Heat, the tandem combined for 63 points, carrying Toronto to their first ever conference finals appearance.

Both guards bring a different challenge, so lets see how the Cavs can counteract each of them.

Defending Lowry

Lowry has given the Cavaliers a number of problems this season.

During three regular season match-ups, Lowry averaged 31 points and 8.3 assists, while shooting a ridiculous 66 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from beyond the three-point line.

For comparison, Kyrie Irving put up just 17.5 points and 4.5 assists per game against the Raptors this season, connecting on 51.9 percent of his field goals and 28.6 percent of his three-point attempts.

Kyle Lowry had a PER of 46.2 against the Cavaliers this season, the highest rating against Cleveland (min. 10 minutes per game)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 15, 2016

“It’s always great to go against another great point guard and All-Star in our league,” Irving said about his match-up with Lowry, via Fedor. “He does a tremendous job of leading their team. I have to do a great job of keeping my body in front of him, making it difficult and forcing him into tough shots. He’s a great player so I’m looking forward to the matchup.”

Irving struggled mightily to do what he said against Lowry in the regular season.

Lowry predicates his game on getting into the paint, using his bullish body to create contact and get to the foul line. The Cavs will aim to minimize Lowry’s free throw attempts, as he shot 81.1 percent from the charity stripe during the regular season.

“We got to make those guys make field goals, not free throws,” coach Tyronn Lue said about the Raptors backcourt tandem, via cavs.com.

This adjustment starts in the pick and roll game, an area where Toronto and Lowry thrive on.

Unfortunately, Irving doesn’t have the necessary physical tools to stay in front of Lowry and keep him out of the paint. In the pick and roll, Tristan Thompson will either drop or show, both options forcing Lowry out of the paint. However, for this to be effective, Irving needs to fight through the initial screen and keep maximum pressure on Lowry.

Irving doesn’t have a strong build like Lowry, nor does he possess the foot speed needed to keep up with him in the pick and roll game. In Lowry’s 43-point outburst against the Cavs in February, he consistently got into the lane over and over again, which completely broke down the Cavaliers defense.

Cleveland could always go under the pick and roll, as Lowry is hitting just 28.3 percent of his three-point shots in the playoffs. This is a risk though because if Lowry starts getting into a rhythm from the perimeter, it’ll create a whole new lot of problems for the Cavs.

Lue has clicked all the right buttons involving rotations in the playoffs and this series could present another conundrum. If Lowry is burning Irving similar to that February game, just how long does Lue stick with the match-up? Will he play Matthew Dellavedova extended minutes on Lowry? Will James or Iman Shumpert be called to stop the All-Star point guard?

Irving can stop all of these questions from being answered if he contains Lowry, or at least match his production on the offensive end. For this to be the case though, the Cavs need to make a concerned effort at keeping Lowry out of the lane.

Defending DeRozan

J.R. Smith did an excellent job at shutting down Kyle Korver in the second round. Smith stuck by Korver’s hip, not allowing the sharpshooter to get free off the ball, which in turn minimized the number of open looks he got.

Against DeRozan, Smith will need to tweak his approach, as the shots he was denying Korver are the same shots he wants to encourage DeRozan to take.

Smith did a great job at taking away Korver’s primary weapon, the catch and shoot jumper. However, just 13.4 percent of DeRozan’s field goal attempts have come via the catch and shoot variety in the playoffs, where he is hitting just 35.9 of them. Furthermore, just 19 percent of DeRozan’s field goals have come off no dribbles in the playoffs, another indicator of how little he relies on the catch and shoot game.

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For the record, Smith did a good job at stopping DeRozan throughout the regular season. He averaged just 15 points a night in three against the Cavs, shooting 38.1 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from downtown.

The plan that Smith needs to follow to stop DeRozan is very similar to the one Irving will need to implore against Lowry.

When DeRozan is off the ball, Smith needs to do what he did against Korver and that’s giving him no air space. Stick to his hip like super glue, but instead of being super aware when Korver was approaching the three-point line, Smith needs to have his antenna up when DeRozan approaches the basket.

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If DeRozan gets the ball close to the rim, it’s too late for the defense to recover. He will either use his athleticism to rise up for a dunk or tough lay-up, or get to the foul line, which he did 8.4 times on average during the regular season.

What Smith needs to do is force DeRozan out to the perimeter and dare him to take the three-point shot. DeRozan is shooting a horrible 18.2 percent from beyond the arc during the playoffs, so it’s a shot that you live with. The further away from the basket DeRozan is, the less grieve he will cause for the Cavaliers.

Cleveland has a major talent advantage over Toronto but with the Raptors All-Star backcourt duo, problems can, and will be, caused. It’s how the Cavs go about finding solutions to those issues, which will go a long way in deciding who will be representing the Eastern Conference in the finals.

Can the Cavs slow down the Raptors backcourt?

Cavs must stop Raptors backcourt in Eastern Conference Finals

By Luke Sicari | May 16, 2016

The Cleveland Cavaliers finally know their opponent in the Eastern Conference Finals and the Toronto Raptors present a backcourt that the Cavs must stop.

More from King James Gospel

More from King James Gospel