TORONTO -- The Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers open the NBA Eastern Conference final Tuesday night. Toronto is competing in the third round of the post-season for the first time, while Cleveland is trying to advance to its second straight NBA final. Here are five things to watch for as the best-of-seven series kicks off at Quicken Loans Arena:
HAIL TO THE KING -- The emergence of Golden State guard Stephen Curry as the consensus top player in the league has taken a little of the lustre off LeBron James' star -- but the Cavaliers' leader is not to be underestimated. James is averaging 23.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 2.4 steals in the post-season. Those numbers are great, but his most impressive stat is five straight appearances in the NBA final. That number will increase to six if the Raptors fail to find a way to contain James.
REST OR RUST? -- While the Raptors needed the maximum 14 games to beat Indiana and Miami and reach the Eastern Conference final, Cleveland rocketed into the final four by sweeping past Detroit and Atlanta. The Cavaliers have been here before, so it seems unlikely James and company will let the extended time off dull their skills. But if they get caught napping, there's a chance for the battle-tested Raptors to steal Game 1.
DAMAGE FROM DOWNTOWN -- Toronto's perimeter defence has been hit-and-miss this post-season. It will have to be consistently good against Cleveland. The Cavaliers are leading the post-season in three pointers made and three pointers attempted. Game 2 of their series with Atlanta saw them drop a record 25 threes on 45 attempts in a 123-98 victory.
ROAD TEST -- The Raptors won two of their three meetings with the Cavaliers this season, but both victories came before a raucous crowd at the Air Canada Centre. To win this series, Toronto will have to steal a game on the road. That's no easy task, as Cleveland has won its four post-season home games by a combined 58 points, and thrashed the Raptors 122-100 at the Quicken Loans Arena during the regular season. That presents a tough task for Toronto, but the Raptors have managed a road win in both previous series.
SHINING STARS -- For Toronto to have any chance against the reigning Eastern Conference champions, all-star guards DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry need to be at their best. The pair struggled mightily throughout Toronto's seven-game win over Indiana, but came to life late in the series with Miami. The pair combined for 63 points in Toronto's 116-89 series-clinching win over the Heat. It was the third straight game Lowry and DeRozan had at least 50 points between them.
