It's not a series until someone loses a game at home.
All the Cavaliers did was hold serve. Now, it's time for the Raptors to do the same.
MORE: Must-see conference finals photos
Blah, blah and, might I add, blah.
The Eastern Conference finals are over. Yeah, No. 1 Cleveland's 108-89 victory over second-seeded Toronto only gave it a 2-0 series lead, but a change of venue from Quicken Loans Arena to Air Canada Centre won't change what has been made abundantly clear throughout 96 minutes of rarely competitive action — the Raptors are overmatched.
MORE: NBA Mock Draft 3.0: Who Sixers should take at No. 1
Drake, who has been conspicuously absent during the Raptors' past two playoffs series, shouldn't bother showing up courtside Saturday. There will be hype and hysteria and the 206's faithful will pack the place as well as Jurassic Park outside it. There's no hope for redemption, however. This worn and withered Toronto team, which needed seven games apiece to dispatch the Pacers and the Heat, simply can't contend with a resolved and rested Cleveland squad on pace to get its Moses Malone on and "Fo', fo', fo'" its way to a second straight Finals appearance.
We can wax poetic and overcomplicate things if we want, but it all boils down to these two facts:
1. The Raptors can't guard the Cavs.
2. The Raptors stars can't score proficiently against the Cavs.
MORE: Gary Payton doesn't like Draymond Green's complaining
Matchups make basketball games and Toronto is ill-equipped to provide so much as a partial impediment to Kyrie Irving and LeBron James, the Cavs' best perimeter players.
Irving has been the Cavaliers' leading scorer at 24.7 points per game throughout their perfect 10-0 start to the postseason. In a duel against Kyle Lowry, whom coaches tapped for the All-Star Game over Irving this season, the Dukie has been Canelo Alvarez to the Villanova product's Amir Khan in what was billed as a Battle Royale between the East's top point guards.
Irving is shooting nearly 60 percent from the floor in averaging 26.5 points a night against the Raptors, and he's having his way with Lowry and backup Cory Joseph off the dribble. May we never forget the layup-line drill he went though during Game 1, highlighted by this sick behind-the-back dribble which led to an easy drive.
He mixed son down like an studio engineer putting the final touches on an album during post-production.
MORE: Cavs film session: Why they don't miss shots
Much was made of DeMarre Carroll's previous success in checking James. In the words of the illustrious Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson, "Child, please."
After being held to 19 points in November and 14 a game with Carroll on the floor during the 2014-15 regular season, James, listed at 6-8 and 250 pounds, scored 24 on 11-for-13 shooting in Game 1, using and abusing the svelte Carroll, who had in-season knee surgery, in the paint. Thursday, James messed around and got a triple-double, dropping 23 points to go with 11 rebounds and as many assists.
The Raptors haven't eclipsed 90 points in either of the first two games of the ECF. That's something they'd only failed to do three times in their first 14 postseason games in 2016. They're shooting 41.2 percent from the floor against the Cavaliers. They've been even worse from 3-point range, connecting on 14 of 57 attempts from deep. That's a 24.1 percent clip.
DEVENEY: Moneyball perception vs. reality
Lowry has been flat-out lousy.
He broke out of a slump against the Heat, with performances of 35 and 36 points in Games 6 and 7, to lead his team to its first-ever East finals. Since then, his game has been infected with the evils again; he went for eight and 10 points, respectively, in Games 1 and 2 against Cleveland. His backcourt partner, DeMar DeRozan, has been solid against the Cavs at 20 points per game.
That's just good enough to get swept.
Come June 2, the Raptors will be enjoying the #Views of the NBA Finals from the comforts of their own homes.