CLEVELAND—Some times the smallest of things can derail the most meticulous of plans developed by NBA head coaches.
In one of the momentum-shifting stretches of Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference final, the Toronto Raptors were done in by the clock and too much uninterrupted play.
There was a stoppage with about 2 ½ minutes left in the first quarter but then nothing until there were 1.9 seconds left, leaving Toronto no option but to leave Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan out together for 11:58 when they usually would have gotten one of them a couple of minutes off while the other finished out the quarter.