Raptors Ambushed by the Cavaliers and Their Own History

No one who's ever been there would think of Toronto as a ghost town.

The local sports finds might nod in agreement, though.

There they are, the self-proclaimed Center of the Hockey Universe, and their beloved Maple Leafs can't get by Boston's Bruins in their quest for a Stanley Cup that hasn't been awarded there since 1967.

The haunting is daunting.

 

With the Leafs booking early tee times, the Raptors have Toronto's headlines all to themselves. It couldn't have come at a better time:

• Dudes finished with the best overall record in the NBA East, and
• They'd just come off winning a first-round series against Washington that was more dominant than it looked.

What's more, their next task seemed attractive. All they needed to do was dispose of a club with no real mojo on the court and an overtaxed superstar.

 

This has to be the year The North buries its own ghosts. Toronto's been eliminated by the Cavs the past two seasons.

All looked like it'd go according to plan in Game 1. Home court. Big lead.

And then, Cleveland rose from the embers with a solid team game in the second half, and the drama was on:

 

Could Toronto have had more tips at the rim when it counted?

Must've been goaltending by ghosts.

This 113-112 collapse comprised the ninth time in the last eleven games that Cleveland's downed the Raptors. It also ceded home court to the Cavaliers.

What else could go wrong?

 

The hell of it is, Toronto seemingly has the tools to finally hold an exorcism, starting with its deep bench.

However, dudes gotta put more pressure on James on both ends of the court and hope his crew doesn't become the story of this series.

It's not often a Game 2 becomes pivotal, but for the Raptors' psyche if nothing else, this one will be.