WinView Games is running a $1,000 GPP Contest tonight for the 1st quarter of the Cavalier vs Raptors game.  Buy-in is just $10 and first place wins $200.  Right now we are running a Deposit $20 get $20 promotion when you download the app through www.fantasyalarm.com/wvgames so join the Fantasy Alarm Team and the rest of FANation and win some cash tonight!

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Toronto Raptors -6.5 T: 213

The Raptors were literally a tipped shot away from escaping Game 1 with a victory but Jonas Valanciunas and maybe the basketball gods could not get the ball to drop as time expired.  The game went into overtime and the Cavaliers went on to win 113-112 as Fred VanVleet missed the buzzer beater for Toronto.  LeBron James played 47 of the 53 minutes and finished with 26 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists while shooting 12-for-30 from the floor and just 1-for-8 from three-point range to lead Cleveland.  The Cavaliers got great secondary production with J.R. Smith scoring 20 points, Kyle Korver scoring 19 points, Jeff Green scoring 16 points and Tristan Thompson finishing with a double-double.  Toronto was largely a three-man band with DeMar DeRozan leading the way with 22 points on 10-of-20 shooting with seven rebounds and five assists.  Jonas Valanciunas recorded a monster double-double, scoring 21 points with 21 rebounds and Kyle Lowry also had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.  Pascal Siakam was the only other Raptor player to score in double-figures as he finished with 11 points in 22 minutes.  The top bench players for Toronto this season were the guards Fred VanVleet and Delon Wright but both of them struggled, shooting a combined 4-for-13 from the floor and just 2-for-7 from three-point range.  Both players will need to be better in Game 2 if Toronto looks to cover this 6.5-point spread.

Pre-Game Prediction Breakdown

Question 1: The last made shot (FG or FT) of the 1st Quarter is a two-pointer.

So I am going with a YES answer to this question for a few reasons. First, the Cavaliers are a bad three-point shooting team and the Raptors have attempted the fifth fewest three-point attempts of any playoff team so far this season.  So we have a bad three-point shooting team vs a team that does not take many three-pointers.  For that reason I am going with a two-point shot being the last made field goal, whether it is a LeBron James drive to the hole or a DeMar DeRozan mid-range jumper.  In Game 1 there was no made three-point shot after the three-minute mark of the quarter.

Question 2: The first made shot of the 1st quarter is a three-pointer.

I am going with a NO on this question.  The Raptors should win the tip and they are not a three-point shooting team.  A DeMar DeRozan mid-range jumper, Jonas Valanciunas post up or a Kyle Lowry drive to the hoop all make sense to me as a way Toronto starts this game.  If they lose the tip, unlikely, or miss their first shot and Cleveland gets possession of the ball with the chance to score first it is hard not to think LeBron James is driving to the hoop.  In Game 1 there were seven made field goals before there was a made three-point shot which came at the 8:44 mark of the first quarter.

Question 3: LeBron James plays the entire 1st quarter.

So this is the first question where I really had to think about it.  LeBron is averaging 41.9 minutes per game this postseason and he played 47-of-53 minutes in Game 1 BUT I did ultimately go with an answer of NO for this question as James found himself subbed out of Game 1 with three minutes to go in the 1st quarter.  If he did not play the entire quarter in Game 1 with the team down 9 then I can’t see him playing the full 12 minutes in Game 2.

Question 4: DeMar DeRozan scores eight or more points in the 1st Quarter.

I went ahead and chose YES for this question.  DeRozan lead the Raptors in shot attempts in Game 1 and is their best pure scorer.  In the 1st quarter of Game 1 he shot 5-for-8 from the floor and he got the first points of the game to put Toronto up 2-0.

Question 5: Which team wins the opening tipoff?

If you are going to use your One-Shot on any of the pre-game questions then this would be the one.  There is really no shot that Kevin Love wins the tip against Jonas Valanciunas.  Now you might want to save your One-Shot til later in the contest on a higher multiplier question but this one seems like a lock to me.  Toronto won the tip in Game 1 and they will win the tip in Game 2.

Question 6: Either team makes a three-pointer by the 10:30 mark of the 1st quarter.

So this one is another tricky question as the Cavaliers are not shy about jacking up three-point shots with both Kyle Korver and J.R. Smith in the starting lineup but as a team they are not efficient three-point shooters while the Raptors do not attempt a ton of three-pointers but shoot nearly 40-percent from beyond-the-arc when they do.  I ultimately went with YES for this question as I think Kyle Korver sinks one early when the Raptors defense collapses on a driving LeBron James.

Players to Watch

Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron James: James is averaging 33.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 8.4 assists during the playoffs and notched a triple-double in Game 1 in which he scored 26 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists during the Cavaliers overtime win.  Toronto really has no answer for James so I expect another monster night for LeBron as the Raptors focus on not letting the likes of J.R. Smith, Kyle Korver and Jeff Green torch them.

Tristan Thompson: Thompson has now registered a double-double in back-to-back games for the Cavs and he should have little trouble getting another one in Game 2 as he comes off the bench and likely faces the Raptors smaller lineup.  When Jonas Valanciunas is on the floor Thompson stands little chance given the size difference but I like him against the Raptors reserves.

Kyle Korver: It is boom or bust with Korver as the veteran sniper went 5-for-12 from three-point range in Game 1 and torched Indiana early in the series from outside as well.  If Toronto can limit the Cavaliers three-point shooting they should have a real chance to blowout Cleveland in Game 2 as it limits them to just being the LeBron show.

Kevin Love: The Cavaliers really need Love to step up his game in Game 2 because shooting 3-for-13 from the floor puts the pressure on inconsistent options like J.R. Smith, Kyle Korver and Jeff Green to pick up the slack.  Love is going to struggle against Jonas Valanciunas down low but he should have the ability to shoot from outside to negate the size difference.

Toronto Raptors

DeMar DeRozan: DeRozan lead the Raptors in scoring and shot attempts in Game 1.  Toronto will have a real shot to win as long as DeRozan continues to get open looks as Cleveland is terrible defensively aside from LeBron James who is the best player on the floor at all times.

Kyle Lowry:  Lowry notched a double-double in Game 1 and should have little trouble with his matchup as Cleveland is terrible defensively and have zero rim protection.  Lowry has taken to the three-point shot more this season but he can take George Hill off the dribble given his physicality and size difference.

Jonas Valanciunas: The Raptors let Valanciunas play 34 minutes in Game 1 and he rewarded them by scoring 21 points and pulling down 21 rebounds.  He attempted 19 shots and provides Toronto with their biggest offensive mismatch as Cleveland has nobody that can matchup with his size on the glass and in the paint.  Another huge double-double should be a lock tonight as long as he does not get into foul trouble.