TORONTO _ Raptors coach Dwane Casey didn't agree with the narrative that Cavaliers star LeBron James has no capable players around him.
Casey didn't believe that James and the Cavs were tired after being extended to seven games in the first round and having only one day off between series.
Casey proved clairvoyant Tuesday night. James' supporting cast stepped up to the challenge and pulled off a stunning 113-112 overtime victory over the Raptors in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at Air Canada Centre.
The Cavs had five players in double figures for the first time this postseason. J.R. Smith and Kyle Korver regained their shooting eye and Tristan Thompson continued his aggressive play from Sunday.
The Raptors opened a 14-point first-quarter lead, but the Cavs fought back to tie it at 105-all with 30 seconds to play on an 11-foot fallaway by James. On the ensuing possession, the Raptors had four chances to win, but Fred VanVleet missed a wide-open 3 with seven seconds remaining, DeMar DeRozan failed on his attempt and Jonas Valanciunas and C.J. Miles both put up shots in the final seconds.
The Cavs called timeout with 0.6 seconds and James' shot bounced off the rim at the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.
The Cavs took their first lead of the game on a Korver 3 with 4:23 left in the extra period. After a DeRozan 2, Smith connected from beyond the arc and Thompson put in a rebound hook for a 113-107 lead with 2:17 to play.
DeRozan cut the gap to four and blocked a Korver attempt on the next possession. But DeRozan missed and Kevin Love rebounded with 1:22 to go. After a James miss, Kyle Lowry made a layup and was fouled by Love, making the free throw to cut the Cavs' edge to 113-112 with 57.9 seconds to play.
Korver couldn't connect on 3 from the key, but the Cavs' offensive rebound survived a replay review with 40 seconds remaining. James took the inbounds pass, but guarded by rookie OG Anunoby and DeRozan on the switch, James couldn't get up a shot before the 24-second clock expired.
VanVleet got another chance to win it, but missed again and Thompson rebounded with .3 of a second left.
James entered the night 2-11 in Game 1s on the road, according to ESPN Stats & Info, and his teams had been outscored by an average of 9.6 points per game. But the Cavs have had a psychological edge over the Raptors as they went 8-2 against the Raptors in the past two postseasons, including a sweep in last year's conference semifinals. The Cavs also took the season series 2-1.
After scoring 40 points in three games against the Pacers, James put up a triple-double with 26 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists. He shot 12 of 30 from the field, 1 of 8 from long range and 1 of 6 from the free-throw line. But he tired down the stretch, shooting 3 of 11 in the fourth quarter, 1 of 5 from long range.
In his pregame remarks, Casey didn't mention Love until directly asked about him and that proved prescient.
Love continued his struggles at center, contributing just seven points with 13 rebounds. He totaled two points in the first three quarters, making just 1 of 8 shots, but did contribute five rebounds. Love started 0-for-3 and Cavs coach Tyronn Lue lifted him with 6:06 left in the first quarter and replaced him with Thompson, who posted 15 points and 10 rebounds in Game 7 against the Pacers.
Love failed to hold his own against Raptors' 7-foot center Valanciunas, who scored 13 points in the third quarter and finished with 21 points, but shot just 7 of 19 from the field.
Also as Casey predicted, Smith, Jeff Green and Korver proved able help for James. Smith scored 20 points, Korver 19, Green 16 and Thompson 14 with 12 rebounds.
In the first half. Smith scored 14 points, 11 in the second quarter, and went 3-for-4 from long range. Green helped the Cavs matched the 22 points totaled by the vaunted Raptors' bench, scoring 13 points in 16 minutes. Green made all four of his field-goal attempts, including one 3-pointer, and went 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.
Green had also enjoyed success in the Cavs' two victories over the Raptors in March and April, averaging 13.5 points and shooting .444 from long range, along with two blocked shots.
The Cavs shook their offensive malaise by making 14 of 22 shots in the second quarter, including 5 of 9 3s, and outscoring the Raptors 38-27. It was their most points in a quarter in the postseason, with their previous high 33.
It was a dramatic improvement from the first quarter, when the Cavs shot 30 percent from the field in falling behind 33-19. Players not named James made just 4 of 18 shots. DeRozan (11 points) and Lowry (eight points) matched the total of the entire Cavs team.
Lue vowed to monitor James' minutes and took him out with 3:31 remaining in the first quarter. Going into the night he'd rested for a total of 52 seconds in the first quarter in this postseason, according to ESPN Stats & Info. James also sat for the final 2:23 of the third quarter.
The Cavs were outscored by 48 points in the third quarter in the Pacers' series, but the Cavs avoided that death trap. The Raptors held a 27-25 edge in the third, but the Cavs trailed by five going into the final quarter.
