Raptors ‘emotionally drunk’ vs LeBron, Cavs, says Toronto coach

CLEVELAND, United States – Toronto Raptors coach Dwane Casey said his team had paid the price for not being able to recover from their shattering losses against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“We were emotionally drunk after Game 1 and Game 3,” Casey said. “I thought we could bounce back, but we didn’t.”

LeBron James led the way as the Cavaliers wrapped up a series sweep with a ruthless demolition of the Raptors on Monday, May 7, to book their place in the NBA Eastern Conference finals.

James, the buzzer-beating hero of Cleveland’s epic victory in Game 3 on Saturday, scored 29 points as Toronto’s bid to avoid the ignominy of a 4-0 series loss ended in a 128-93 pounding.

DeMar DeRozan was at a loss to explain yet another defeat to the Cavs.

“They’ve just got our number. Things just don’t seem to go right for us,” DeRozan said, adding that the Cavs were anything but a one-man band.

“It’s not just him going out there and scoring 128 points,” DeRozan said of James. “The things he does for his teammates gets them going. It’s been a challenge for us over the years.” 

It is the third straight year that the Raptors have bowed out of the playoffs against the Cavaliers.

In Game 3, the Cavs ripped the Raptors’ hearts when James burried a buzzer-beater for a 105-103 escape.

A heartbreaker also summed up Game 1 where James notched a triple-double as the Cavs roared back to stun the Raptors, 113-112, in overtime. – Rappler.com