Cleveland Cavaliers

2017 NBA Playoffs roundup, day 16: Rockets fire away, Cavaliers dominate Raptors as expected

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:11 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Gerald Bourguet/FanSided via Hoops Habit

May 1, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) and guard Kyrie Irving (2) celebrate a basket during the second half Toronto Raptors in game one of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

On Day 16 of 2017 NBA Playoffs Roundup, the Rockets fire away from downtown to take Game 1, Kyrie returns in a dominant Cavaliers win and the Spurs and Raptors need to adjust.

With two more conference semifinals in the 2017 NBA Playoffs tipping off Monday night, fans weren't exactly treated to the most competitive of games.

The Cleveland Cavaliers took care of business in an 11-point walloping of the Toronto Raptors that was nowhere near as close as the final score would indicate. The Houston Rockets, meanwhile, came out guns blazing in Game 1 on the road, routing the San Antonio Spurs by 27 in a contest that also wasn't as close as the final score would indicate.

As we move deeper into the postseason, we'll be taking a look back on the playoff action from the night before. Here's a look at the return of Kyrie Irving, the Rockets' long range assault and how the Raptors and Spurs might adjust moving forward.

Well That Was Thoroughly Predictable…But Hey, Kyrie's Back Too!

In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Monday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers handled business — as expected.

LeBron James dropped a big stat line — 35 and 10 — as expected. The Cavs led by double digits for most of the game — as expected. The Raptors looked outmatched on both ends of the floor as highlight play after highlight play rolled in for Cleveland — as expected.

LeBron was catching one-handed alley-oops off the backboard in the first quarter. Kevin Love was throwing in ridiculous three-point plays after pump-faking his defender. Even Iman Shumpert threw down his first poster in months.

Using two separate 10-0 runs in the first quarter, the Cavs carried a 12-point lead into the second quarter. Closing the half on a 21-9 run, they held a 14-point lead at the break, despite Toronto looking more alive in the second quarter.

With Cleveland up 22 heading into the fourth, LeBron James might as well have finished his beer.

At this point, the Cavaliers don't view the Raptors as a legitimate threat, and to be perfectly honest, it doesn't look like the Raptors do either.

The Cavs have been playing by candlelight for weeks now with that lackluster defense of theirs, but do they really need to "flip the switch" when the rest of the Eastern Conference is stumbling around blindly in the dark?

The biggest takeaway from Game 1 — other than Cleveland's inevitable return to the conference finals — was a return to form for Kyrie Irving, who struggled in the first round. Though he averaged 25.3 points per game against the Indiana Pacers, they came on 41.9 percent shooting from the field and 21.9 percent shooting from downtown.

In the series opener against Toronto, Irving won his individual matchup with Kyle Lowry, finishing with 24 points, 10 assists and one Norman Powell burnt to a crisp:

In the conference finals and potentially the NBA Finals, Cleveland needs a more efficient Kyrie Irving. His 7-of-16 performance (3-of-7 from deep) in Game 1 is a step in the right direction, even if his defense remains something to watch for.

May 1, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Toronto Raptors guard Norman Powell (24) charges against Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during the second half in game one of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Raptors Need Another Powell Play

In their first round series against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Toronto Raptors turned things around by inserting Norman Powell into the starting lineup.

It's hard to say that's what needs to happen against the Cavaliers, because more than likely, this is just a case of a good team facing a far better one. But after a disastrous series opener, the Raptors need some sort of power play.

To be fair, Powell didn't exactly shine in Game 1. He finished with 12 points on 3-of-11 shooting,  got roasted by Kyrie Irving in one of Cleveland's many highlight plays and didn't make much of an impact overall.

However, even though the majority of his 21 minutes came in garbage time, he was still a +14 for the game. That may seem like a fluke against Cleveland's reserves, and it's probably meaningless in that context. But it's also true that for the playoffs, the Raptors have been substantially better with him on the floor:

For Toronto to compete in this series, Kyle Lowry (20 points, 11 assists) and DeMar DeRozan (16 points, 7-of-16 shooting) have to be much better. But if this team stumbles out of the gate again in Game 2, especially with so many wings to call upon, it might be time to think about another Powell Play.

At that point, the Raptors wouldn't have much to lose anyway.

May 1, 2017; San Antonio, TX, USA; Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden (13) shoots the ball over San Antonio Spurs power forward David Lee (10) during the first half in game one of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Rockets Fire Away

Game 1 of this Western Conference semifinals series was over at halftime.

After years of the Phoenix Suns falling to the Spurs in the playoffs, Monday's 27-point rout had to feel good for head coach Mike D'Antoni. As it turns out, his teams are still pretty damn good when he has a world-class offensive maestro flanked by shooters, and that's doubly true in today's pace-and-space game.

The Houston Rockets stunned the AT&T Center right from the start in the series opener, building a 15-point first quarter lead while firing away from three-point range. James Harden picked apart San Antonio's top-ranked defense, finding open shooter after open shooter as the Spurs' immobile bigs were relentlessly exploited on the perimeter.

With surgical precision, the Rockets fired away from downtown, with most of their looks being completely uncontested. The result? A jaw-dropping 69-39 lead at halftime, powered by 12 Houston three-pointers.

In the first half of Game 1, the Rockets made more three-pointers than they did in any game of their first round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. A Mike D'Antoni team also held the Spurs' top-five offense to just 39 first half points.

It was unexpected, unprecedented and yes, probably unsustainable.

But even as the Spurs look to bounce back in Game 2, when the Rockets' revved-up engines will likely cool off a bit, we may see this result a few more times unless Gregg Popovich makes some major adjustments.

Harden dissected the Spurs defense, even with Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green draped all over him. He finished with only 20 points, but also added a playoff career-high 14 assists in just 31 minutes.

His work with Clint Capela in the pick-and-roll — especially after Houston knocked down so many open looks to start the game, forcing the help defense to stay on the perimeter — was unstoppable. Capela finished with a playoff career-high 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Trevor Ariza added 23 points on 5-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc. Ryan Anderson made four of his 10 threes. Eric Gordon and Lou Williams combined to go 5-for-10 from deep. Harden made three of his eight long range attempts, and the Rockets finished the game 22-for-50 from deep (44 percent).

Those 22 threes were a Rockets franchise record in the playoffs. Their 27-point margin of victory marked the Spurs' largest Game 1 defeat under Popovich. It was complete and utter domination from start to finish. Even though it's only one game, it was every Spurs fan's worst fears being realized after the Rockets shot the three-ball so poorly in the first round (28.4 percent).

With the advantage of going small and having so many stretch-forwards, the Rockets struck first and they struck hard. If Harden continues to dissect the defense like this and the Rockets keep firing away, remembering the Alamo will be hard to do when it's buried under the rubble of Houston's high-powered assault.

May 1, 2017; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Dewayne Dedmon (3) dunks the ball as Houston Rockets power forward Ryan Anderson (3) looks on during the second half in game one of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

De Spurs Need Dewayne Dedmon

The San Antonio Spurs have to be better in Game 2. This isn't some fan perspective or wishful thinking, it's a fact: The San Antonio Spurs have to be better in Game 2, if only because they sure as hell can't get any worse.

Their top-ranked defense gave up 69 points in the first half and 126 points in regulation. David Lee was tormented on that end all night. LaMarcus Aldridge didn't fare much better, and his offense was an absolute train wreck too (four points, 2-of-7 shooting, -36 in 25 minutes).

With a collection of slow, poor defenders in the frontcourt, Pop will be truly challenged in this series. In Game 1, he utterly failed.

It takes stones to say this about arguably the greatest NBA coach of all time, but it's true: Starting David Lee was the wrong move against this team. In fact, playing any two bigs at once against this three-point shooting team should be a tough decision.

With Trevor Ariza and Ryan Anderson capable of spreading the floor as small-ball 4s, San Antonio needs to go small. They may not have the personnel to do so, but after watching Aldridge, Lee and Pau Gasol get absolutely torched in Game 1, it's safe to say Dewayne Dedmon needs more than seven minutes in Game 2.

It's clear that Pop doesn't trust Dedmon at the moment. In the final four games of the Spurs' first round series, he played a grand total of 15 minutes. But in a matchup with such a formidable frontcourt, that made sense. As perhaps the only mobile, defensively inclined, shot-blocking big on the roster, Dedmon NEEDS to start and play substantial minutes against Houston.

This isn't some earth-shattering decision either; Dedmon averaged 17.5 minutes per game this season and started in 37 of his 76 appearances after Pop wisely moved Gasol to sixth man duty.

Will Pop make the adjustment? It's hard to say. Giving Dedmon seven minutes in Game 1 — all of them in garbage time — is a bad sign, and his ejection after a few verbal and physical spats with the Rockets won't inspire confidence from his head coach either.

The Spurs need Aldridge to stop his sudden and rapid descent into "washed up" territory. They need David Lee to be productive in limited minutes, they need Tony Parker to not look like he's 55, they need the bench to match Houston's second unit and they even need Kawhi Leonard (21 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, but on 5-of-14 shooting with a -16) to be better.

But if the Spurs are going to prevent these Rockets air strikes that felt more like nukes in Game 1, it needs to start with Dewayne Dedmon getting rotational minutes again.

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