Raptors vs. Cavaliers: Game 2 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2016 NBA Playoffs

The Cleveland Cavaliers' reign of dominance over the Eastern Conference has reached the point where the Toronto Raptors lost by 19 points Thursday and still improved from their last effort.

Cleveland defended home-court advantage and seized a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals with a 108-89 victory. It was closer than Game 1 of the series, which saw the Cavaliers march to an overwhelming 115-84 win Tuesday in a contest that was rarely in doubt.

The defending Eastern Conference champions are still undefeated in the postseason, thanks largely to the Big Three of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. James posted a triple-double Thursday with 23 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds, while Irving (26) and Love (19) combined for 45 points.

Toronto attempted to slow James down with a physical brand of defense in Game 2, but it was to no avail. He attempted 17 free throws during the contest and would have finished with even better numbers had he made more than nine.

The Raptors received 22 points and five rebounds from DeMar DeRozan, but he couldn't make up for the poor performance by backcourt mate Kyle Lowry. Lowry tallied 10 points on 4-of-14 shooting from the field and 1-of-8 shooting from three-point range. He also turned the ball over five times and was a far cry from the point guard who averaged 21.2 points per game this season.

Zach Harper of CBS Sports pointed out the Raptors are losing at a level rarely seen this deep into the playoffs:

The Cavaliers picked up where they left off in Game 1, jumping out to a quick 16-9 lead in less than five minutes. ESPN Stats & Info noted James was dictating the pace with his scoring and passing:

James finished the first quarter with six points and six assists, but Toronto took advantage of an extended period when he was on the bench and climbed back into the game. Irving answered and drilled a jumper on Cleveland's final possession of the quarter to give the Cavaliers a 30-28 lead after one period.

Even though the Raptors showed some fight after falling behind early, Michael Grange of Sportsnet realized the defense had to improve if Toronto planned on winning the road contest:

James returned in the second frame and reminded the Raptors how dangerous he is in the open floor:

With little hope of stopping James' physicality or Irving's speed, Toronto shifted to a zone defense at times to stay within striking distance. Regardless of the defensive look, the Cavaliers finished the second quarter on a 16-2 run to build a commanding 62-48 halftime advantage. James and Irving were unstoppable, as NBA.com/Stats highlighted:

One of the biggest problems for Toronto was Lowry, who scored two points in the first half on an abysmal 1-of-6 shooting with five turnovers. "Don't know how [Toronto] can win with him shooting that way," Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal observed.

The Cavaliers extended their lead in the third as James added another notch to his historic career:

The Raptors did play Cleveland essentially to a stalemate in the middle portion of the third, which was something of a victory given the way the series has panned out through two games. However, the Irving-and-Love combination scored on five straight Cavaliers possessions with James on the bench to push their advantage to 86-68 with one minute, 18 seconds remaining in the third.

Cleveland had an 86-69 lead by the end of the quarter and was literally and figuratively stepping right over Toronto entering the fourth:

Lowry made a three-pointer in the third, but he was still 2-of-10 from the field and overmatched against his point guard counterpart. Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports summarized the Raptors' chances in the series: "I’m sure there will be some very smart analysis people will have, but maybe it’s just as simple as if Lowry plays like this, they’re dead."

About the only drama of the fourth quarter was whether James would register a triple-double, and he did just that by securing his 10th rebound of the game with 8:03 left. It marked the 15th triple-double of his playoff career, which is second in NBA history to Magic Johnson's 30.

The Cavaliers cracked the century mark for the 10th time in 10 tries in the playoffs and put the finishing touches on their dominant win. Michael Lee of The Vertical had an idea for the rest of the conference:

Both teams emptied their benches in the closing stretch as Cleveland wrapped up the victory. 

What's Next?

Game 3 will take place Saturday in Toronto.

The Raptors' only realistic chance to reach the NBA Finals is to win both Games 3 and 4 at home. They do sport a 6-2 record in Toronto in the postseason, so it is not an impossible task. But even a split probably wouldn't be enough.

Splitting the next two would put the Raptors in a situation where they would have to win three straight against the Cavaliers, who are still undefeated in the postseason.

As for Cleveland, it will ultimately be judged based on what it does if and when it reaches the NBA Finals after having lost to the Golden State Warriors last season. It still hasn't lost in the 2016 playoffs, and it would be well-served to continue that pattern and earn additional rest with a sweep of Toronto. 

The result would be relatively fresh legs as the Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder continue to trade blows in the Western Conference Finals.

Postgame Reaction

The Raptors’ Luis Scola commented on his team’s struggles after the loss, per Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun: “They've got answers for everything we do. Everything is easy for them right now and for us, it's very hard.”

Toronto coach Dwane Casey was not ready to call it a series, per Wolstat: “Everyone can bury us and put us under, but we’re not quitting.”

It almost looked as if Lowry did quit with four minutes remaining in the first half when he walked back to the locker room in frustration, as Shams Charania of The Vertical pointed out. The point guard explained his rationale, per Charania: “I needed to decompress, reconfigure myself. Get back to the grind.”

Lowry’s point guard counterpart, Irving, said, “This is the highest level of basketball I’ve been waiting to play for a while,” per Rick Noland of the Chronicle-Telegram.

James recognized how important it was for Irving and Love to play at that high level, per Noland: “It's always difficult to deal with me. It adds even more when you have two All-Stars with you.”

James also kept the postseason winning streak in perspective, per Noland: “I don't think it feels like a streak. It feels like we won one game. We won the next game. How do we prepare to be better?”

If the Cavaliers continue to get better, the Raptors will be in serious trouble even as the series shifts to Toronto.