Another year, another lopsided series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors. Only this time, it has come with repercussions as Toronto decided to fire head coach Dwayne Casey.
It goes without saying that one of the reasons behind Casey’s firing was his inability to contain small forward LeBron James. However, James credited the teams he has been on as the reason for his success against the Raptors, via Nikki Goel of ClutchPoints:
“I’m not a one-man army. I’ve been fortunate enough to play for two great franchises.”
There is certainly plenty of truth to James’ comments. Both the Cavaliers and Miami Heat have done a marvelous job of surrounding him star talent over the years. However, it is clear that James is still being a bit modest.
Regardless of the team or matchup, James has had his way with the Raptors every time they have met in the playoffs over the last several years. Despite his dominance, Toronto was adamant that this would be the year that they would get over the hump. After talking the talk all season long, they managed to walk the walk by easily clinching the first seed in the Eastern Conference with a 59-23 record. However, the end result was ultimately the same as James averaged 34.0 points, 11.3 assists, and 8.3 rebounds per game.
Regardless, it is still difficult to pin James’ dominance completely on Casey. He had even been named NBCA’s Coach of the Year for his efforts this season. That said, the Raptors may have to make even more key changes to their roster if they are to have any hope against James in the future.
