2. Injuries
Stephen Curry was out for a period of time during this year’s postseason, and many were wondering if the Warriors could even make it to the conference finals. The same occurred for the Los Angeles Clippers, which saw Chris Paul and Blake Griffin go down in the same game during the first round.
The Cavaliers have already dealt with injuries, losing out on Kevin Love for the majority of the postseason. After Game 1 of last year’s NBA Finals, Kyrie Irving was ruled out for the rest of the series. While I’m obviously not wishing injury on anyone, who’s to say it can’t happen again?
Injuries are always possible. If one of the Cavs’ major playmakers go down, it can definitely flip the script in this series for Toronto.
3. Raptors Have Nothing to Lose
The Raptors have made it this far, and their fans know they are a big underdog going into this series. Toronto really has nothing to lose but play their hearts out.
Meanwhile, Cleveland has a ton of pressure. I mean, they’ve been booked to the 2016 NBA Finals ever since losing Game 6 to Golden State last year! LeBron James also has a ton of pressure, as he’s looking to make his sixth straight Finals appearance while also trying to capture that elusive third championship ring.
What do the Raptors have pressure for? Nothing. I don’t think many had them making it this far when the season even began, let alone getting past the first round of the playoffs.
Intangibles like these could definitely go a long way.