For most of the season, Kyle Lowry going to the bench has meant instantaneous doom for the Raptors. Whether it's due to foul trouble or the basic human requirement for rest, the void left by Lowry typically haunts the Raptors like an apparition in the shadows. When his shot is wayward - as has been the case of most of these playoffs - his defense, headiness and playmaking are still usually enough to keep the Raptors afloat. If he's getting shots to fall? He elevates the Raptors to a new stratosphere.
So when Lowry left with two fouls at the 5:40 mark of the first quarter - in the midst of connecting on three pointers and doing usual awesome Lowry things, no less - it looked as though the Raptors' early solid start would quickly turn to mush.