Breaking Down Toronto Raptors’ Game 1 and 2 Losses by the Numbers
We decided to take a closer look at how much the Cleveland Cavaliers have dominated the Toronto Raptors during the first two games of this series.
Whatever it is about the city of Cleveland, the Toronto Raptors simply don’t play well there. Of course, LeBron James is a key contributor to the Raptors’ struggles, but over the last two season the Quicken Loans Arena has been a house of horrors for Toronto. In five meetings, the Raptors have lost by 31, 19, 38, 11 and 22, which is good for an average loss of 24.2 points.
Other factors beyond LeBron have played a role in these first two games, so to take a further look at where — and how — the Raptors have struggled, we decided to examine the statistics and try to make sense of it all.
Here’s a look at 12 stats you need to know from Games 1 and 2 of this series.
1
The Toronto Raptors have led for one minute during the first two games of this series.
2
Patrick Patterson has made exactly two field goals (2-of-10) this series and is 2-of-7 from behind the arc. Shooting wise, it’s been a rough postseason for Patterson and he owns an abysmal 29 percent shooting percentage.
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3
There has not been an abundance of turnovers during the first two games and the Raptors actually hold a +3 turnover differential over the Cavs.
6
Six players have scored more points than DeMar DeRozan (24 total points) this series. Even Cory Joseph is tied with DeRozan for points. Needless to say, the NBA’s fifth leading scorer is struggling through two games.
10
The Cavaliers have been lethal from three, but specifically from the corners where they’ve made 10 threes on 18 attempts. The Raptors, meanwhile, have only made two of their 18 three point attempts from the corners.
15
Again, three point shooting has played a pivotal role during the first two games. Unfortunately for the Raptors they’ve only made 15 shots from behind the arc, while the Cavs have made 32. Part of the disparity between these two numbers is due to the sheer amount of threes the Cavs are attempting (67 through two games) in comparison to the Raptors (43), but when you’re hitting on nearly half of your triples like Cleveland is, why would you stop?
19
LeBron James’ success in the postseason is well documented, but he has been unbeatable when his team takes a 2-0 lead in a series. No, seriously, he’s never lost. LeBron is 19-0 in the playoffs when his team takes a 2-0 lead and is 11-0 with the Cavs.
Toronto Raptors
47
Jonas Valanciunas was supposed to be an advantage for the Raptors this series since the Cavs front court is considered to be “thin.” Through two games the Raptors are averaging 47 points per game in the paint, while the Cavs are averaging 34. I’m sure you’re sick of hearing the old adage, “a three is worth more than a two,” but this series is a prime example of it.
60
The Cavaliers effective field goal percentage (eFG%) through two games is a whopping 60 percent, which should give you a pretty good indication how well they’ve been shooting the ball when you compare that number to Toronto’s meager 49.4 eFG%.
63
Unsurprisingly, Cleveland has been to the charity stripe a lot more than Toronto. So far this series the Cavs have attempted 63 free throws, while the Raptors have attempted 39.
64
Kyle Lowry and DeRozan have combined to score 64 points through the first two games of this series, while LeBron himself has combined to score 74.
93
Teams that go up 2-0 in a seven game series win 93 percent of the time, which doesn’t exactly bode well for the Raptors.
Next: Will Kyle Lowry be Back for Game 3?
What are your thoughts on all these stats about the Toronto Raptors-Cleveland Cavaliers series? Do you think the Raptors can turn things around? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.