Raptors would have won at least two games had DeRozan not been on the team. He's that bad a player in the playoffs and just horrific in particular against LeBron.

I don't see that at all. Very good player potentially yes, but generational? He lacks way too much (particularly the basketball IQ).

He isn't a generational talent.

Let me rephrase that.

He is a franchise cornerstone piece that will be the player the team can build around for foreseeable future, along with Kyrie(who currently isn't playing in this series).

Who is the closest guy like that for Toronto? DeRozan?

That sounds more reasonable. I dont forsee him ever been in the discussion for league MVP. Perennial All-Star?
Probabaly

DeRozan I guess. At least he got a team to pay him that kind of money somehow. Lowry has always been the better player.

I just think Boston's a way better coached team with players who have irrational confidence against LeBron rather than none whatsoever (see Raptors--DeRozan).

I agree with you being better coached. Stevens is probably one of the best coaches in the NBA(I'm not willing to say he's better than Pop currently and maybe Kerr).

I still think that if a franchise doesn't have a "guy", they won't go anywhere. Look at the Hawks a few years ago. The Celtics have a "guy" in Tatum. The Raptors don't.

They have a guy in Kyrie Irving. A guy that carried the Cavs to a few big wins over the Warriors in the finals. Tatum is a nice compliment to him though.

I think both of them can be the "guy". Similar to Golden State with Curry, Durant, Thompson. New Orleans with Cousins and Davis. Boston with Allen, KG, Pierce.

Teams that don't have multiple players like that who can win a title are very rare. Since 2000, what teams have been like that? 2004 Pistons? 2007 Spurs(yes, they had Duncan, but would you consider Parker, Bowen, or Ginobili to be a player of the caliber)? I'd even argue the 2011 Mavs, because I don't consider that to be Kidd's prime.

But the supporting cast has been downright embarrassing. It's not like Love and JR were bricking heave shots. The shots were there and they just plain missed. If Lebron was guilty of anything it was passing too much. But when your supporting cast plays that badly it doesn't even matter. LeBron looked in the second half like he was basically saving his energy for game 6. He dug his own grave with this bs supporting cast. But they're just plain terrible.

Yeah.. Dirk put on a 1 man show in 2011. One of the better performances I have witnessed in my life.

You couldn't be more wrong. He was so fatigued he took himself out with a crucial 2 minutes to go in the half. Nothing to do with saving energy. He was either sick or those legs are about done for this season.

He'll be at full energy the next game. If his teammates would hit their damn shots, he wouldn't be forced into that kind of usage. Desperation mode started very early into the 2nd quarter. When the Cavs went down the 2Q, you could see especially on defense that his usage was way too high. It's absolutely nuts how much this team depends on him to do everything. The supporting cast sucks because Lebron the GM sucks. Don't get me wrong.

I have to chuckle at this because the Raptors have 2 perennial All-Stars while this Celtics team has been decimated by injuries and are starting a rookie, a 2 year player, a 3rd year backup PG, a guy no one wanted and Al Horford.

I don't know if they will win this series because of how great Lebron is but seeing how this Celtics team are playing there should be no doubt that if Kyrie and Hayward were healthy this series would be ovah.

It is mostly the system as well. It is all Iso shoot or Iso kick out which is Lebrons choice so that he gets his numbers. The difference this time around this is no other superstar like Wade or Irving to iso and give him a break. The Celts to a good job of spreading it around and not depending on 1 guy.