Fouls, home-court advantage and other takeaways from Raptors' Game 4 win

TORONTO — Not many people were putting their money on the Toronto Raptors to advance to the NBA Finals. They lost Games 1 and 2 to the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers by a combined 50 points and headed home in a 0-2 hole in the Eastern Conference finals.

In fact, ahead of the series, only three of ESPN’s 18 writers predicted the series would go to six games, with most picking the Cavaliers to win it in five. That, however, will not be the case as the Raptors won Game 4 105-99, tying the series 2-2 and ensuring it goes at least six games. (That also means the Toronto crowd will get to witness at least one more playoff game on Friday).

With the win, the series heads back to Cleveland for Game 5 on Wednesday night. But before that, here’s three takeaways from Game 4:

Home-crowd advantage

The Cavaliers beat up on the Raptors in Cleveland. The Raptors beat up on the Cavaliers in Toronto. Home court has proven to be a significant advantage in this Eastern Conference final, now tied 2-2.

From the opening tip-off, the Air Canada Centre was electric with the building practically shaking as the home team took a 57-41 lead into the second half. The crowd even offered fan favourite Bismack Biyombo an M-V-P chant in the game's dying seconds as he lined up for a pair of free throws (he missed both, but the Raptors had all but wrapped up the win at that point).

“They have a great home crowd. We have a great home crowd. That crowd gives them energy, just like our crowd gives us energy,” Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue said in a post-game press conference. “Just got to be ready to go back home and win Game 5.”

Raptors coach Dwane Casey said he thought the energy from the fans had a hand in the win.

“They just pushed us through so many situations,” he said, adding he thinks the Toronto court is one of the loudest. "I know how loud Cleveland is and how loud other arenas are, and ours is a couple of decibels higher. I always thought Portland was one of the loudest places in the league, and in the old Utah when they had the old motorcycle in there, but ours is just as loud without the motorcycle and the noise pumped in."

Also back in his usual courtside seat was global ambassador Drake, who had been noticeably absent the last several home games — he's been busy appearing on U.S. talk shows and hosting Saturday Night Live to promote his album —  including during Game 7 versus the Miami Heat. But the Toronto rapper made up for his no-shows by being his usual animated self on the sidelines, cheering on his home team and getting in the face of the opposition.

Foul play?

With 6:13 left in the third quarter of Game 4, DeMar DeRozan drove hard to the basket and was fouled by Cleveland Cavaliers' J.R. Smith, earning two free throws. This, midway through the third, was the first time a Raptor headed to the line.

Through four games, much had been made of the lack of calls going the Raptors’ way in the Eastern Conference final. That storyline continued through the opening half of Game 4 as the Raptors headed to the line a total of zero times in the first 24 minutes. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, went 6-for-7 on free throws in the opening two quarters. When the Cavaliers were called for their first foul at the 8:56 mark of the second quarter, the crowd delivered a mock cheer.

By the end of the game, however, the scales actually tipped in the Raptors’ favour — though the fans may still feel cheated — with Toronto attempting 19 free throws in the second half to Cleveland’s two.

Following Game 3, Raptors coach Casey was critical of the officiating after the Cavaliers were only called for 10 fouls. The comments earned him a hefty $25,000 fine. After Game 4, Casey was asked how his team got to the line more in the second half.

“We kept being aggressive,” he said. “We just kept on driving to the basket as they were and creating contact. You know, that was something we wanted to do is make sure we attacked the paint, attacked their feet, and our guys accomplished that.”

Meanwhile, Cavaliers coach Lue was asked if he would comment on the officiating and “take a page out of Casey's playbook and complain about the refs tonight?”

“I'm not taking a page out of nobody's book,” he said.

Too legit to quit

During Game 2, Toronto Raptors' Kyle Lowry headed to the locker room with a little more than two minutes left in the first half. He was mired in another awful shooting performance, having gone 1-for-6 from the floor when he decided to take the breather. Much was made of the move at the time, from speculation that he had given up to the more practical explanation that he was using the restroom.

In Games 3 and 4, however, Kyle Lowry was once again Kyle Lowry. He followed his 20-point performance in Game 3’s 99-84 win with a 35-point effort in Game 4, leading his team in scoring.

“He's a little pit bull,” Casey said of Lowry. “I mean, you question him, that's when he rises to the occasion. I've seen it so many times. Throughout the playoffs, everybody second-guessed him, and he's always bounced back. He's done that his whole life, through college, through high school, through the first few years of the NBA, and that's what made him the All-Star he is.”

DeMar DeRozan, who was no slouch himself with 32 points on the night, was asked how Lowry’s play helps his own game.

“For me? It’s a cakewalk for me once he gets going. It opens up everything for me on the floor. Teams try to focus in on him, and he knows when to get me going. He got the ball; he’s our point guard, he’s our leader of this team, and he knows how to orchestrate what needs to be done out there,” he said.