CLEVELAND — LeBron James dazzled with soaring dunks and outside shots in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
James did it all – 35 points, 10 rebounds and four assists – at the expense of the Toronto Raptors, who may have been admiring his latest performance.
Toronto Coach Dwane Casey has seen this happen before – with Michael Jordan.
A day after the Raptors fell into a familiar postseason hole with a 116-105 loss, Casey was asked Tuesday if his players might be awed by James, the Jordan of this generation on a mission to a seventh straight NBA finals.
As an assistant coach with Seattle, Casey recalled urging his players not to bow to Jordan.
“We used to have to tell Gary Payton and those guys, ‘Hey, he puts his pants on one leg (at a time),’ ” Casey said. “I think that’s natural. It’s human nature to watch a Michael Jordan or a Karl Malone, spectate until they hit you in the mouth.
“When a guy hits you in the mouth a few times – now what are you going to do? That’s the mentality we have to have, they punched us.”
The Cavs landed a vicious uppercut in Game 1, knocking back the Raptors, who lost their 10th straight series opener.
But a year ago, the Raptors were blown out in the first two games of the Eastern Conference finals by Cleveland before winning two straight at home. And while they were eliminated in six games, the Raptors don’t feel nearly as bad as in 2016.
“The way we lost last year, it hit a lot harder,” said forward DeMar DeRozan, who scored 19 points in the opener. “This time around, we have kind of that confidence and understanding of how to get back on our feet. We’ve been here before and we know what it takes, especially after Game 1, being down with our foot in a hole, so we’ve got to go out there and leave it out there.”
MARK JACKSON signed a multiyear deal with ESPN to continue calling NBA games, including the NBA finals.
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