Kasler: Kyrie, Love fade as Cavs' streak ends

Perhaps the only people who saw Saturday night’s Raptors win over the Cavaliers were the guys in the Toronto locker room.

Game 3 ended in favor of the Raptors, 99-84, on an evening when two thirds of the Cavs' Big Three completely no-showed.

Some thoughts below:

1. I didn’t think the Raptors were going to get a single win this series. That was obviously wrong. I also didn’t think I’d see Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving combine to shoot 4-of-28 from the field, either. Well, that happened, too.

2. The Cavs steamrolled their way through the first two games of the series, but that momentum came to a screeching halt on Saturday. And there’s simply no way to avoid laying the blame at the feet of Love and Irving.

3. While both were terrible, they found their futility through vastly different means. For Irving, it was a hyper aggressive approach that led to a number of possessions where he was intent on getting to the rim no matter what. He also missed a healthy number of outside shots. I'm all for Irving creating for himself and shooting a high volume, but Saturday he seemed to have tunnel vision. I don't recall him once driving and kicking for an open look. Most passes he threw were out of desperation.

4. Love operated at the other end of the spectrum from Irving, playing timid and soft. He was 1-of-9 from the field on a number of half-hearted shots and also grabbed a measly four rebounds. All that in 29 minutes.

5. Love and Irving have received quite a bit of praise recently, and deservedly so. But what’s fair is fair, and they’re poor performances are the chief reason for Saturday’s blowout loss.

6. It may be reactionary, but this is the kind of loss that could shake a team’s confidence. The Cavs were bullied on the boards 54-40, and that includes an insane 26 rebounds for Bismack Biyombo. Along with Love and Irving’s disastrous night from the field, the Cavs combined to shoot 14-of-41 from 3-point range. In three games this round, the Cavs have yet to find the deft shooting stroke from deep that defined their sweeps in rounds one and two.

7. Maybe the Cavs come out in Game 4 and tend to their business to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. Frankly, that’s where I’d put my money were I a betting man. But they have probably given the Raptors more genuine confidence than is healthy by losing this game so profoundly.

8. Did anything go right for the Cavs in Game 3? There were a few bright spots. LeBron James was solid with 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists. J.R. Smith kind of found his shooting stroke, making six threes on 15 attempts. And Channing Frye was very good again with 13 points on 4-of-5 from the field.

9. But other than that, not much good to report. Of course, the Raptors deserve credit -- they got 52 points from their two All-Stars. DeMar DeRozan, in particular, continued to fill up the bucket with an array of mid-range jumpers. And Kyle Lowry had a confidence-boosting game after struggling mightily in the first two battles.

10. Biyombo is a bit of an instigator, but there’s no way to minimize the monstrous night he had cleaning the glass. For comparison’s sake, Love and Tristan Thompson combined for 12 rebounds to the 26 from Biyombo.

11. While I think that Love, Irving and the Cavs come out in Game 4 and get a win, I also suggest that this loss will rightly fan the flames of an argument that goes like this: Yes, the Cavs can dominate the East, but they are not in the same class as the Warriors or Thunder. The Warriors, in particular, don't have games like this, at least none that I can recall.

12. I also don’t think one loss invalidates the previous 10 playoff victories. Of course, not. But unfortunately, Saturday’s game showed that Love and Irving are capable of completely wilting in the postseason spotlight. I know that seems like a hot take but, I mean, look at their lines Saturday and tell me they didn’t wilt.

13. The truth is I didn’t think the Cavs were going to have a loss like this, where the offense is invisible and the stars don’t hold up their end of the bargain. But it happened, and so it’s fair to reset expectations accordingly.

14. Final thought: After Games 1 and 2, the question was this -- what adjustments can Dwane Casey make to get a win? Now, the question is what Tyronn Lue can do to get the Cavs back on track? Outside of making sure LeBron isn’t sitting again to start the fourth quarter, I don’t think Lue needs to do anything. The Big Three need to show up. Two-thirds of them cannot shoot 25 percent from the field again. And someone needs to give Biyombo a tad bit of attention under the glass.

15. The Cavs and Raptors will go at it again on Monday night, and I’d expect Irving to shine.

Follow Jeff Kasler on Twitter @JKaslerHoops.