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Cavs vs Raptors Game 2: What We Learned

By Jackson Flickinger

May 3, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (center) huddles with his team before game two of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
May 3, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (center) huddles with his team before game two of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 3, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) and Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas (17) reach for a rebound in the second quarter in game two of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
May 3, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) and Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas (17) reach for a rebound in the second quarter in game two of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Jonas Valanciunas is out of the starting lineup.

Toronto elected to start the game without Valanciunas. He finished the game with 23 points on 10 of 13 shooting in only 20 minutes of play. That being said, he was still a minus 13 overall.

Valanciunas is still a liability on defense. Channing Frye showed that when he connected on 3 straight 3’s at the end of the first quarter. As a result, Valanciunas finished with a defensive rating of 115.0.

Valanciunas is a good offensive player, but he has to be as good offensively as he was in Game 2 to even be playable. With DeRozan and Lowry struggling as much as they are, it would be ideal for them if Valanciunas could play more than 20 minutes a game. However, that doesn’t appear to be the case.