Last night, the NBA’s defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers sent a stern message to the Toronto Raptors by way of a dominating 116-105 victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue had high praise for Iman Shumpert after last night’s game. Shumpert did an excellent job defending Raptors All-Stars DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, limiting the latter to 20 points.
During the first quarter of last night’s game, “Shump,” as Shumpert is known, converted a ferocious dunk over Raptors big man Serge Ibaka — a player who is known for his great shot-blocking skills. As a result of the slam, the crowd inside Quicken Loans Arena erupted in cheers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g70OV1RLx0M
“It wasn’t like a relief to make a dunk,” Shumpert said. “I dunk a lot and I think because I’m on a team right now with a lot of different scorers, my role is not to have the ball all the time and be in the lane as much as I can. But trust me I would much rather wanna put my hands on that rim a little bit more.”
Ibaka commented on the play during his post-game media availability, saying it’s “just basketball.”
“It’s a part of the game. When you’re a shot-blocker, you have to expect sometimes that people are going to dunk on you,” Ibaka said in a bit of an angry tone. “Sometimes, I’m going to block the shot. So, it’s (just) basketball. He did what he’s supposed to do. It’s the playoffs.”
The Cavaliers will be back in action on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. for Game 2. We’ll just have to wait and see if Shumpert will continue attacking the rim.