Lowry: 'They've got LeBron James and nobody's closing the gap on him'
The Cleveland Cavaliers have a once-in-a-lifetime talent on their roster in LeBron James - a player many teams have tried to conquer en route to championship glory, yet few have succeeded.
One of those teams is the Toronto Raptors, who currently trail the reigning NBA champions 3-0 in the Eastern Conference semifinals after falling to Cleveland in six games last year. All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry - who sat out Game 3 at Air Canada Centre due to an ankle injury - knows that as long as The King is in peak form, it's going to take an otherworldly effort to knock him off his throne.
“They’ve (the Cavaliers) got LeBron James. Nobody’s closing the gap on him," Lowry told The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski following the Raptors' 115-94 loss on Friday. "I mean, that’s it right there: They’ve got LeBron James and nobody’s closing the gap on him."
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James scored 13 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter Friday, adding eight rebounds and seven assists in 40 minutes of action to lead the Cavs to within one win of an appearance in the Eastern Conference finals for the third straight year.
"I don’t know when his prime is going to stop," Lowry said. "I don’t think it’s going to stop anytime soon. I think he’ll be able to continue what he’s doing for a long time. But that’s basketball. You’ve got find a way to beat the best."
He added, "LeBron ain’t breaking spirits here, but he’s just that good. He’s a dominant player, one of the top five most dominant players in basketball history."
Raptors president Masai Ujiri acquired both Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker prior to the trade deadline in hopes they'd pose somewhat of a threat to James on the defensive end in a postseason rematch. Through three games, though, the four-time league MVP is torching Toronto to the tune of 36.3 points on 60.4 percent shooting from the field and 53.3 percent from deep, rendering the Raptors' best defenders obsolete.