Toronto Raptors Kyle Lowry is honest about the fact that his team was no match for LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, and is hoping that things will be different this season. From David Aldridge of TNT:
Me: So what do you have to do to beat that team two more times?
KL: Stop LeBron. Stop Kyrie.
Me: A little easier said than done.
KL: I think it’s just focus, and being better. Take the experience of what they did to us and learn from it. We couldn’t win a game (in Cleveland) in the playoffs, couldn’t get close. We have to find a way to win a game on the road, especially them having the one seed. But maybe our chance is to get that one seed. That would help, to have home court advantage. But for us even to get to that point, we have to start somewhere, and it starts in Detroit on opening night.
Last season, the Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors were the clear top two teams in the conference. Now that the Boston Celtics have added Al Horford, the Eastern Conference has become a conference with three top teams instead of two, which adds an additional hurdle for the Raptors. That being said, Cleveland is still top dog in the conference, and both Toronto and Boston will have their sights on the Cavs.