Head coach Tyronn Lue warned his team could be vulnerable in the opening six minutes. He was wrong.
CLEVELAND—The Cleveland Cavaliers already led by five when LeBron James made a mid-court steal, tapped the ball to point guard Kyrie Irving, then trailed his teammate toward the Raptors’ basket early in the first quarter.
Irving had a clear path to the rim but heard James urge him to “put it to the sky.”
So Irving banked the ball high off the backboard so James could elevate for a left-handed catch-and-cram that ignited the hometown crowd and forced a Toronto timeout.