Drake fights and Raptors choke in crushing loss against Cavs

Raptors lose, Raptors lose, Raptors loooosssse....It was a sad night for Toronto on Tuesday when our much-hyped NBA team lost by a single point, in overtime, during Game 1 of their series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

It wasn't the defeat that hurt most, however; It was the sharp and crushing fall from grace that led us to this point.

Heartbreaker. pic.twitter.com/my1Di4qdkY

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) May 2, 2018

You see, the Raptors were killing it for most of the game, just like they've been killing it all season long.

Hopes were high heading into the second quarter with Toronto up by 14 points (and LeBron James feeling worse for wear after an exhausting 7-game series.)

They didn't stay that way.

So incredibly deflating. Should have won this one. Can't remember many times, if any, the #WeTheNorth starters (all 5 of them) finished a ball game. The unit capitulated down the stretch. Didn't get the job done. And a game 1 loss. This one hurts.

— Gareth Wheeler (@WheelerTSN) May 2, 2018

Cleveland bridged the gap slowly, but surely until regulation play ended with a 105-105 tie.

It was during overtime that Raptors fans had their hopes dashed, just like we did during the playoffs in 2016 and 2017, by King James and his unstoppable talent.

The home game at the ACC ended 113-112 for Cleveland, which now holds a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals series.

Dang it! The Toronto Raptors let one slip away with a 113-112 overtime loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in game one of their second round NBA playoff series. #NorthOverEverything #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/966eDR5ap1

— Steve Russell (@RussellPhotos) May 2, 2018

"Toronto led the entire game — literally, the Cavaliers didn’t take their first lead until the opening possession of overtime," writes SBNation NBA reporter Tim Cato.

"You can guess that the Raptors’ postseason history will come into play here, where the team has frequently underperformed and struggled even after great regular season performances."

Raptors fans right now... pic.twitter.com/RTDXjQca9w

— Crying Jordan (@CryingJordan) May 2, 2018

Shooting Guard DeMar DeRozan lamented after the game that they'd blown it.

"We had many opportunities to close this game out," he said in a post-game interview. "We couldn't buy a bucket, we got some great looks, we had a lot of shots point blank at the rim that were in and out... But it should never have come down to pin on none of those."

"It happens, now we understand what we've got to do next game."

Drake acting tough and barking at Kendrick Perkins may not end well for him. pic.twitter.com/LZsJHQQVXp

— gifdsports (@gifdsports) May 2, 2018

Tensions were running high on the sidelines mid-game, too.

Raptors global ambassador and City of Toronto mascot Drake got up from his regular courtside seats at halftime to yell at Cavaliers Centre Kendrick Perkins while he made his way to the locker room.

After the game, Drake was seen yelling at Perkins on the court once again as security, staff members and friends worked to separate the two stars.

Drake and Kendrick Perkins exchanged more words postgame pic.twitter.com/Z0rdXDe1uL

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 2, 2018

Perkins told ESPN after the game that he had simply been talking to his old teammate Serge Ibaka when "Drake butted in talking shit to me. So I said something back to him."

Drake later commented the following on an Instagram post about what Perkins claimed:

"I just said I liked the hem on his capris."