With the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors set to face off for Game 1 of the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs today, DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry have the pressure on them to advance to the conference finals and maybe even the NBA Finals. Especially with that No. 1 seed hanging over their heads. But first, they must get past LeBron James.
In a talk with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, both DeRozan and Lowry know how hard it’s going to be to stop someone who’s been to the NBA Finals seven straight times. They want to be the team that beat him, after getting swept last season in the playoffs, but they know they have a mountain to climb. It’s all about figuring out how to do it.
Raptors President Masai Ujiri also spoke on Toronto getting past Cleveland, saying he didn’t build the roster to compete against the Cavs. He only built the team to be able to win and compete because sports changes so much that one year to the next, schemes and play can change.
Do you think the Raps have enough firepower to beat the Cavs this season?
OS REWIND: DeMar DeRozan & Kyle Lowry Talk Playoff Pressure, Expectations