The Eastern Conference Finals kicks off tomorrow night but our KJG staff roundtable is live for you tonight.
The story of the Raptors is clearly Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, which player should be a bigger concern for the Cavs?
Jared Mueller – @JaredKMueller – While my guess is most of the crew will say Lowry, I actually think DeRozan can cause more harm for the Cavs. While he doesn’t control the ball the way Lowry has, the Cavs seem to struggle against the 2nd guard on a team. Attention will often pull toward Lowry therein putting the Cavs defense in troubled positions when DeRozan gets the ball.
Luke Sicari – @lukesicari – Kyle Lowry. He ripped the Cavaliers in the regular season to the tune of 31 points and 8.3 assists per game, while shooting 66 percent from the floor and 43.8 percent from beyond the three-point line. Those numbers are crazy and who can forgot Lowry carrying the Raptors to the win in Toronto earlier this season as well. Cleveland have struggled with their perimeter defense throughout the playoffs and they simply cannot allow Lowry to get into the lane consistently. He is a game changer.
Nate Vieira – @NathenVieira – I’d have to say Kyle Lowry, even though he’s been a shell of himself for the majority of the playoffs so far. His game has vastly improved since his first round debacle against the Indiana Pacers, including back-to-back 30+ point performances in elimination games versus the Miami Heat. Lowry has given the Cavs issues in the past and seems to be hitting his stride at the right time heading into the Eastern Conference Finals so I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s once again a thorn in the Cavs side.
Omar Josef Guerrero – @SirOmar23 – Kyle Lowry. He’s a bigger barometer for the Raptors’ success and failure in a game than DeRozan. Luke had the numbers by Lowry against us and the eye test also reveals that we had a difficult time guarding him. With a fully healthy Kyrie Irving in the playoffs, he will be tested, too, both defensively and offensively. Even so, he’s the one player I fear from the Raps that can take over a game in more ways than one.
Andrew Rysta – @DrewNation2 – Lowry is a score first point guard who struggled early post-season, but looks to have righted the ship, after a 35-point performance in Game 7 against the Heat. Kyrie Irving has never been a defensive stopper, and Kyle Lowry can flat out score the basketball. This creates a mismatch on the offensive side for the Raptors. The bigger question on DeRozan is going to be how he handles J.R. Swish, however, since the discussion here is mainly on the offensive side of the ball, Lowry must be the bigger concern.
Chris De Silva – @cdesilva23 – It’s gotta be Lowry. I was very hard on him at the start of the playoffs for not showing up in the post-season but to his credit, he got into a groove at the back end of the Heat series. His ability to get into the lane as well as catch fire from the perimeter makes him a dangerous proposition. Kyrie Irving will have to be on his game defensively throughout the series. Lowry dominated the Cavaliers throughout the regular season and the Cavs will not want him to get going once again.
Noah Strackbein- @NoahStrack – Easily Lowry. Lowry has shown all playoffs that he can have bursts of play that can beat any team. He may not play 100% all the time, but when he does it could be dangerous. Watching him face up against Kyrie Irving or Delly could be the biggest match-up of the series. On the other hand, DeRozan has shown maybe twice that he is a playoff performer. When he isn’t hitting shots, he is a complete non-factor. If LeBron or J.R. Smith can get him off his game early then he can be a non-issue throughout the series.
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