Channing Frye has harsh words for Cavs' defensive effort in Game 4
After sweeping the first two rounds of the Eastern Conference playoffs, many wondered if the Cleveland Cavaliers' defense would be good enough to win the NBA Finals. If Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals was any indication, the answer is probably not.
Thanks to another poor defensive effort from Cleveland Monday, the Raptors thwarted the Cavs, 105-99, tying up the series that they once trailed 0-2.
Cavs veteran forward Channing Frye didn't mince words when it came to assessing what went wrong in Game 4.
"They shot 54 percent. We've just got to look at the film and do better," Frye told reporters after the game. "That's some bulls--t."
The Cavs looked unstoppable after winning the first two games of the series by a combined 50 points. But once the series shifted to Toronto, the Raptors started hitting their shots, and the Cavs' offense went ice-cold.
In Games 3 and 4, the Raptors shot 49.6 percent, and All-Stars DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry combined to average 59.5 points -- more than double their combined average of 29 points over Games 1 and 2.
"We had a few defensive breakdowns that you can't have down the stretch of a game, especially in the playoffs," Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said. ''They executed every time we made a mistake.''
The series shifts back to Cleveland for Game 5 on Wednesday, where the Cavs are undefeated this postseason.
